September 14
Isaiah 15:1-18:7 | PS 58:1-11 | Prov 23:12 | Gal 1:1-24
The outside world is watching and quite frankly Christianity doesn't make sense to many of them. A Hindu friend of mine sincerely asked the other day why is there so much division, why are there so many denominations in the Christian faith. The simple answer is that the majority of Christians either don't know or have forgotten what Christianity is really all about. What separates a Christian from everyone else is the simple gospel message. Those who deem themselves spiritual, taking an "all roads lead to salvation" preach a completely false gospel. Those who add practices, customs, and traditions which appear on the surface to be spiritual but add layers to the simplicity of the gospel distort the message. Those who add works to the grace of the gospel message have destroyed the foundation of the message. It doesn't matter if those doing so hold positions of authority, they are wrong. We read in Isaiah 49:6, "...I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth." Though this portion of Scripture is Messianic, Israel was placed at the crossroads of civilization to influence the surrounding culture to turn their heads toward the One, True God, But they largely failed as they added on tradition after tradition, rather than focus on His Word. We, Christians have been given those same marching orders in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Those outside the faith do not see unity, but fractions and fighting. Those within the faith have largely lost what it is they supposed to stand for, choosing to blindly follow leaders and denominations, rather than spending real time in the Word of God.
Paul, who founded the church in Galatia, is shocked at how quickly they were falling away from the simple gospel message, as we read in Galatians 1:6-9, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed." This is about as straightforward a statement as you can have. Is it harmless to add nice traditions? Yes! Is there danger in so many denominations? Yes! Paul clearly goes on in 2:16, 21, "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified...I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."
To understand the gospel we need to know why it is "good news", which is what gospel means. To understand this we first need to understand the bad news. None of us are good, which runs opposite of how the world sees itself (Romans 3:10-12). We are sinners and in order to one day be saved from the condemnation that sin brings, every sin must be paid for (Romans 3:23, 6:23). The bad news is that in our own strength this condition for salvation is humanly impossible. The good news is that this requirement has been done for us by the finished work of Jesus Christ. When He took our sins upon Himself, died on the cross, then rose from the dead; He fulfilled the requirement and conquered both sin and death. If it seems like Jesus did it all, that's correct. So what do we have to do? Simply believe in Him through faith as our means of salvation. It is not and never will be Jesus plus anything else. It is Christ and Christ alone. If that seems too simple, then you don't understand grace. Grace is our receiving something that we don't deserve; it is unmerited, undeserved favor extended by God to us. This is the gospel message that Paul so clearly delivered. Paul saw it being corrupted within years of his departing, so you can imagine how it has been corrupted 2000 years later. This is why John 3:16 is arguably the most popular verse in the Bible, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." For those of us sharing the gospel, let's remember to keep it simple. If this seems different from what you have been taught, please get into the Bible. You don't have to take my word for it, or anyone else for that matter; it is clearly presented in the Bible if you would only invest some time in the source of truth.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: