What if I believe in The Lord God but not Jesus? Jesus was a messenger. A prophet in my belief.

QUESTION:

What if I believe in The Lord God but not Jesus? Jesus was a messenger. A prophet in my belief.

ANSWER:

The message and focus of the grace gospel, which is the only gospel by which we can be saved today, proclaims the cross of Christ, see 1Cor 15:1–4. The focus is on what Jesus Christ did for us. It does not focus on His identity, which is of great importance in the Kingdom gospel.

However, I must add that if you are going to believe in the cross work of Christ; that His death is for the forgiveness of our sins, and His resurrection is for our justification before God, then it goes hand in hand that this sinless and utterly righteous life that Jesus lived is proof of His deity.

It’s not really viable to separate His deity from the cross. No man can die for my sins because all men have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. How can a sinner die for my sins??

Please provide a clear understanding of repentance within the grace program

Please provide a clear understanding of repentance within the grace program.

QUESTION:

You speak much about forgiveness, but what about repentance? I checked in the scripture and find most of it in the Gospels, Acts and Revelation, but also one in 2Cor 7:9-10 and another in 2Tim 2:25. So there is not much about repentance in Paul's writing. It looks like repentance for Jews is something they need to do, but for us, we just acknowledge that the body can fall in weakness, but the spirit is willing. Please provide a clear understanding of repentance within the grace program. TX.

ANSWER:

Thank you for your question.

Let’s define the proper meaning of the word ‘repentance’. It is to have a change of mind that takes action to correct one’s sins or errors after being exposed to truth. Repentance is not about emotions or feelings. It concerns the mind; it concerns making corrective choices to bring wayward thinking and actions back to a conforming of truth.

How does one understand the salvation and destiny of Jews living today?

How does one understand the salvation and destiny of Jews living today?

QUESTION:

Are Jews who are living today under the Torah part of the Kingdom program to inherit the earth? What about Messianic Jews who are saved by the grace gospel? How does one understand their salvation and destiny?

ANSWER:

In order to answer these questions, we must first understand two very important things:

Number 1

Israel is blinded today, Rom 11:25, and they are not the special people of God (as in the Old Testament and in the Gospels when Jesus was on earth). When God blinded them, He actually disowned them. We find this in Hosea's prophecy,

Hosea 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

Loammi was one of Hosea's children born from a prostitute according to God's will. Loammi represented Israel according to this prophecy. God was using this scenario to show Hosea that He would later abandon Israel due to their unbelief. So, since Acts 7, after Israel killed Stephan, God strated to lift His hand off them and abandon them. Paul's ministry towards the Gentiles was further proof of this blinding. keep this in mind as we progress through this reply.

A lot of people want to twist scripture to suite their lifestyle

A lot of people want to twist scripture to suite their lifestyle

PERSONAL NOTE:

Hi friends,

A lot of my current posts have been responses that I have written to questions (or misguided statements) in social media sites. Instead of having it simply appear once and get forgotten, I like to add it here too for personal reference and for exposure to all who browse my blogs.

There is so much confusion and false advice out there today because people either post replies to bible questions based on their personal views of scripture, whether they have read or studied the bible or not, or they post replies based on modern denominational teachings, which in most cases is the doctrines of men's imaginations and not to rightly divided Word of truth.

Clarity on the dual ministry of Paul

Clarity on the dual ministry of Paul

QUESTION:

Do you have an actual verse that justifies ignoring the models of Paul in Acts? Acts covers virtually all of Paul’s ministry, including the time that he wrote those four epistles (except for maybe Philippians). So, should I think that Paul changed his doctrine between say, Acts 19, where he baptized the Ephesians believers, and when he wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians? So, can you point out a verse that specifically tells us where that dispensation stopped and this new dispensation started where we are not supposed to follow Paul’s old example but instead follow some new example, that presumably isn’t recorded in Acts? I am genuinely curious to know the answers.

ANSWER:

I’m completely open to answering your questions. However, many of them originate because you have your timeline incorrect. For example, Acts 19 (as you say) is when Paul visited the Ephesians in 54AD, but it’s not when he wrote Ephesians. During this visit he wrote the first letter to the Corinthians. The letter to the Ephesians is only written in 60AD after he was imprisoned in Rome.

Two Types of Righteousness

Two Types of Righteousness

The Bible speaks of two types of righteousness. There is a righteousness of the law and there is a righteousness of faith.

Php 3:6-9  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.  (7)  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  (8)  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,  (9)  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Paul clearly points to his own righteousness, which is of the law and by man’s works, but then he mentions another righteousness which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.