Jesus; False Preacher
Has the thought ever occurred to you that if Jesus were on earth preaching today He would be labeled a false preacher by religious salvation-by-works advocates? Why? Because Jesus' message would be in direct contradiction to theirs. As a matter of fact, the religious salvation -by-works proponents of Jesus' day (the Pharisees) did precisely that very thing; label Jesus as a false preacher and reject the message that He offered. What was this message that was opposed and scorned then, and would be today, that Jesus offered to those that were lost?
1. SALVATION COMES TO THOSE THAT BELIEVE, NOT TO THOSE THAT WORK.
" He that believeth " is always the theme of Christ's message that He went about preaching ( Jn.1:7,12, 3:15,16,18, 5:24, 6:29, 8:28, Lu.7:50, 18:42 ). Jesus in John 3:14 used the brazen serpent as an example of how people in His day could " live "(receive Salvation) . What was the lesson? "Look" (believe) and live, not "do" and live,which is the theme of religion's gospel message then and now, 2000 years later.
2. SALVATION IS A PRESENT TENSE POSSESSION, NOT A FUTURE HOPE
( Jn.3:36, 5:24, 6:47 ). The lost person in Jesus' day, that believed on Him, IMMEDIATELY received forgiveness of sins and escape from condemnation then, and in the future (Jn.5:24). Religion will not dare offer such a bona fide Salvation , only a salvation that one must work for (works- righteousness) in order to attain.
3. SALVATION IS A GIFT ("I GIVE"), NOT A REWARD.
Jesus always referred to the Salvation that He offered as a gift ( Jn.4:10,14, 6:27,51, 10:28, 17:2). If Salvation comes from Jesus ( is given to us by Him), then it is impossible to attain it by works of righteousness that I do. The very second that works are introduced it ceases to be a gift and becomes a reward ( Ro.4:4-5).
4. THE QUALITY OF SALVATION THAT JESUS GIVES IS ETERNAL, NOT PROBATIONARY OR TEMPORAL.
The ONLY kind of Salvation that you will ever read of Jesus offering a lost person is ETERNAL, or EVERLASTING, both of which have the same meaning; PERPETUAL ( Strong's # 166 ). Do you know what perpetual means? It means that it will be the same regardless of time period ( past, present, future ). This is in diametrical opposition to religion's salvation that can be here today and gone tomorrow based TOTALLY upon man's ability to perform works of righteousness (Tit.3:5). Remember; eternal life that Jesus gives comes to the one who believes (trust in, rely upon,fully depend upon, have confidence in) in Him for Salvation, not to the one who works for salvation. This is perfectly illustrated and contrasted by Jesus Himself in Luke 18:9-14. This couldn't be any clearer. The Gospel today is the same one that Jesus Himself preached while here on earth. His disciples were commanded to preach this Gospel in Mark 16:15 (verse 16 is not a commandment) . Those who TOTALLY rely upon Christ for Salvation will immediately receive eternal life (perpetual) just as those in Jesus day did. In reality, nothing has changed since Jesus time of preaching here on earth; the Gospel message is still the same, and salvation-by-works advocates are still scorning those that preach as Jesus did so many years ago
Has the thought ever occurred to you that if Jesus were on earth preaching today He would be labeled a false preacher by religious salvation-by-works advocates? Why? Because Jesus' message would be in direct contradiction to theirs. As a matter of fact, the religious salvation -by-works proponents of Jesus' day (the Pharisees) did precisely that very thing; label Jesus as a false preacher and reject the message that He offered. What was this message that was opposed and scorned then, and would be today, that Jesus offered to those that were lost?
1. SALVATION COMES TO THOSE THAT BELIEVE, NOT TO THOSE THAT WORK.
" He that believeth " is always the theme of Christ's message that He went about preaching ( Jn.1:7,12, 3:15,16,18, 5:24, 6:29, 8:28, Lu.7:50, 18:42 ). Jesus in John 3:14 used the brazen serpent as an example of how people in His day could " live "(receive Salvation) . What was the lesson? "Look" (believe) and live, not "do" and live,which is the theme of religion's gospel message then and now, 2000 years later.
2. SALVATION IS A PRESENT TENSE POSSESSION, NOT A FUTURE HOPE
( Jn.3:36, 5:24, 6:47 ). The lost person in Jesus' day, that believed on Him, IMMEDIATELY received forgiveness of sins and escape from condemnation then, and in the future (Jn.5:24). Religion will not dare offer such a bona fide Salvation , only a salvation that one must work for (works- righteousness) in order to attain.
3. SALVATION IS A GIFT ("I GIVE"), NOT A REWARD.
Jesus always referred to the Salvation that He offered as a gift ( Jn.4:10,14, 6:27,51, 10:28, 17:2). If Salvation comes from Jesus ( is given to us by Him), then it is impossible to attain it by works of righteousness that I do. The very second that works are introduced it ceases to be a gift and becomes a reward ( Ro.4:4-5).
4. THE QUALITY OF SALVATION THAT JESUS GIVES IS ETERNAL, NOT PROBATIONARY OR TEMPORAL.
The ONLY kind of Salvation that you will ever read of Jesus offering a lost person is ETERNAL, or EVERLASTING, both of which have the same meaning; PERPETUAL ( Strong's # 166 ). Do you know what perpetual means? It means that it will be the same regardless of time period ( past, present, future ). This is in diametrical opposition to religion's salvation that can be here today and gone tomorrow based TOTALLY upon man's ability to perform works of righteousness (Tit.3:5). Remember; eternal life that Jesus gives comes to the one who believes (trust in, rely upon,fully depend upon, have confidence in) in Him for Salvation, not to the one who works for salvation. This is perfectly illustrated and contrasted by Jesus Himself in Luke 18:9-14. This couldn't be any clearer. The Gospel today is the same one that Jesus Himself preached while here on earth. His disciples were commanded to preach this Gospel in Mark 16:15 (verse 16 is not a commandment) . Those who TOTALLY rely upon Christ for Salvation will immediately receive eternal life (perpetual) just as those in Jesus day did. In reality, nothing has changed since Jesus time of preaching here on earth; the Gospel message is still the same, and salvation-by-works advocates are still scorning those that preach as Jesus did so many years ago
