Why Is It Called the "Gospel"?

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

(1Co 15:1-8)

 

I've been taking a look at my Christianity page and noticed that one aspect of the faith wasn't quite emphasized, the fact that JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS AND ROSE AGAIN.

(Funny how it being the "Easter" season according to the catholic calendar gives us reminders, even when its christmas)

Yet, it's not as if I deny that Christ died and rose again.  I will gladly tell anyone and everyone who asks why Christ's death and resurrection is so important.  It's because of this:  Without Christ's death, we have NOTHING and NO ONE to defend us on the day of Judgment because of our own sins, even the tiniest being enough to throw us into Hell.  Without Christ's resurrection, how can we as sinners ever have life?

Consider these texts:

This is why it is important for Christ to die for our sins:

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 

(In other words, without the shedding of blood, NO SIN CAN BE FORGIVEN.)

This is why it is important for Christ to be raised from the dead:

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

(1Co 15:12-18)

(In other words, without Christ being raised from the dead, THERE IS NO HOPE FOR US TO GO TO HEAVEN.)

So, back to my initial question:  Why is called the "gospel"?  In Greek, it literally translates to a "good message".  Many call it "good news".  This is also why the catholics call this day "Good" Friday, for it is GOOD that we have a payment for our sins!

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

According to The Century Dictionary, propitiation is another word for appeasement, that is, appeasing God:

that which furnishes a reason for not executing a punishment justly due for wrong-doing; specifically, in the New Testament, Christ himself, because his life and death furnish a ground for the forgiveness of sins.

We owe a debt because of our sin.  This debt, if paid on our own, is paid by our eternal torture in Hell.  Christ came to pay off our debt in full, thus satisfying God's judicial mandate for eternal life.

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

(Rom 5:6-11)

This is why it's good news.  We're let off the hook for an eternal punishment we deserve.

"propitiation".  Wordnik.  https://www.wordnik.com/words/propitiation. Accessed 29 March 2024.

The Grace of God Is Reversible

 This is a long study based on Matthew 18:21-35.  Here's the text, maintaining each verse label from e-Sword:

Mat 18:21  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 

Mat 18:22  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 

Mat 18:23  Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 

Mat 18:24  And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 

Mat 18:25  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 

Mat 18:26  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

Mat 18:27  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 

Mat 18:28  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 

Mat 18:29  And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

Mat 18:30  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 

Mat 18:31  So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 

Mat 18:32  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 

Mat 18:33  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 

Mat 18:34  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

Mat 18:35  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. 

First of all, what do I mean by "grace"?  What is "grace"?

For those with student loans, you're probably familiar with the term "grace period".  This is a period of time in which the lender didn't require you to make any payments.  The usual grace period for student loans was six months.  However, once the six months were up, the "grace" was gone, and payment was due.

This was just an illustration of the definition of "grace", not an illustration of God's grace.  Nowhere in Scripture does it say the grace of God expires after a certain time.

So, let's go through this passage.  v. 21-22:

Mat 18:21  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 

Mat 18:22  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 

Given the context of the passage, Jesus wasn't teaching Peter to stop forgiving someone upon the 491st offense, and you'll see why those who stop forgiving upon the 491st offense go to Hell.

The point was that Jesus is teaching us to continue to forgive those who sin against you, no matter how many times it takes.

v. 23-27:

Mat 18:23  Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 

Mat 18:24  And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 

Mat 18:25  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 

Mat 18:26  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

Mat 18:27  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 

To give an illustration on what 10,000 talents is, many sources cite the talent as weighing 75 pounds, or 1093.75 troy ounces.

1,200 ounces of silver, just silver, costs around $28,000, presuming $25 per ounce of silver.

And that's just ONE talent!

The debt was for TEN THOUSAND talents!  Now you're talking about a dollar equivalent of $280 million!  It would take you over 4,000 years on a median family income in the U.S. (presumed to be $60,000) to pay it off, presuming you used up all of your money to do so, about over 50 lifetimes worth, from cradle to the grave!

The servant begged the king to forgive him of the huge debt, and grace was granted to him.

So far so good.  Then...

v. 28-30:

Mat 18:28  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 

Mat 18:29  And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

Mat 18:30  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 

The King James Version uses "pence" to illustrate the small size of the fellowservant's debt.  The Greek word is "denarion", meaning that the fellowservant owed 100 denarii.

According to the Wikipedia article, a denarius was a silver coin weighing 3.9 grams (this was the accepted measurement in Jesus' time).  At $25 per ounce of silver, a denarius being 0.1125276 troy ounces, was worth about $2.81.  100 of these was worth about $281.32

In this era of inflation, nearly $280 is still a trifling sum.  Yet, the one who was forgiven the huge debt CHOKED the fellowservant over essentially a PlayStation.  The fellowservant received no grace from him who received much grace.

Read what happens next, v. 31-35:

Mat 18:31  So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 

Mat 18:32  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 

Mat 18:33  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 

Mat 18:34  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

Mat 18:35  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. 

The king reversed the grace (v. 34) because of the unforgiveness of the man.  The man owed the 10,000 talents again.  And get this:  v. 34 says that the man was delivered to the tormentors, and would continue to be tormented until the debt was paid in full.  Now, remember what v. 25 said?  "forasmuch as he had not to pay", meaning, he couldn't pay it off!  The man was bankrupt!  Yet, the man is to be tormented until the debt that the man can't pay is paid in full.  That's forever!  The man is to be tortured FOREVER!

It is similar to what happens to someone who is sentenced to a kind of debtor's prison in the Sermon on the Mount:

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

(Mat 5:25-26)

Such a man is in that prison FOREVER, because you can't pay off debt in prison!  

Now look at v. 35.  Jesus says the Father will treat such unforgiving people the same.  Thus, grace is reversible. 

In other words, you must forgive others when they sin against you, or you're going to Hell:

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

(Mat 6:14-15)

Wikipedia contributors. "Denarius." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Feb. 2024. Web. 15 Mar. 2024.

Why Is It Called "Salvation"?

A thought popped in my head:

"Why is it called 'salvation'"?

The church always talks about "being saved".  Yet, has any of us pondered why we use that word, salvation, saved, etc.?

A rational person would rightly ask, "What does Jesus save us FROM?"

You see, for there to be a concept of salvation, there must be a reason TO be saved.  There must be a danger that we need saved FROM.

Some people say that we are being saved from being separated from God.  This is what they call the fate of the unbeliever.  Suppose that is true, that if I was an unbeliever, and I died as an unbeliever, the only thing that would happen to me is that God would be out of my reach.  That's it?  That's really kinda vague.  Is that a good thing?  Is that a bad thing?  "Oh, it's a bad thing, it really is a bad thing!"  OK, then HOW is it a bad thing?  Give me details!  Convince me to believe other than, "If you don't believe, you'll be separated from God."

In the story of Christ's nativity, the angel told Joseph to name his son JESUS for this reason:

Mat 1:21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 

OK, so what Jesus ("The LORD saves") saves people from are our sins.  Now, by itself, it's still kinda vague.  Yet, God doesn't stop there.  He does explain why being saved from our sins is necessary.  Paul says:

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

(Act 13:38-39)

So our sins are forgiven through Jesus.  OK, getting warmer (figuratively).  Yet God doesn't stop there.  By itself, to say one's sins are forgiven implies that having sins on your account is a bad thing.

But let's dig deeper.  What does the word "sin" mean?

The Greek word for "sin" is 'hamaratia", literally meaning "to miss the mark".  So, "sin" is an "error", a "misstep", a "mistake", a bend in a straight path, etc.

And what is forgiveness?  Simply, that such things that you are forgiven of won't count against you.

Count against me?  What are you talking about?  

Here's what I'm talking about.  As I've said before, in the end of days, there will be a final judgment:

2Co 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

(Rev 20:11-12)

It is a final accounting of everything we have done in our life.  Everything we do, everything we say (Matthew 12:36), and even everything we think (Proverbs 24:9 calls foolish thoughts sin), will be up for audit.

If ANY sin appears on your record, this is what Jesus says will happen to you:

As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

(Mat 13:40-42)

(There are more passages that speak of this, but in my opinion, this passage drives down the point most clearly for the sake of this post.)

And what is the "furnace of fire"?  It's HELL!

So, to sum it all up, we all will be judged on EVERYTHING we have done in our life.  If we have SIN on our record, we go to HELL.

So, why is it called "salvation"?  Why does Jesus come to save those who believe from our sins?  It's because the sins take us to eternal punishment.  Thus, Jesus saves us from eternal punishment.  Jesus saves us from Hell.  What are being saved from, ultimately?  HELL!

And all we need to do to be saved is to trust Jesus.  Not just the man Himself, but the entire Word of God, for Jesus IS the Word of God (John 1:1, John 1:14, I John 1:1, I John 5:7, Revelation 19:13).  All this IS trusting in Jesus.  If you do so, you are saved.  If you don't, the Bible says the wrath of God abides on you (John 3:36).

Acts 16:31 of the King James Version uses the word "on", which well illustrates what faith in Jesus is:

Act 16:31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 

You see, it's not just believing Jesus exists, as the modern definition of believing in something says.  James 2:19 says:

Jas 2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 

(devils being "demons")

So demons believe that God exists, they believe "in" God, and specifically, "one God".  Yet, are they saved?  Surely not!

In fact, Acts 2:38 says about the condition of salvation (here, called "remission of sins"):

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

This is still compatible with "faith in Jesus", meaning "faith in Jesus" also means repentance of sins, and baptism (side note:  I don't yet have a solid theology on whether water baptism [by immersion, see Acts 8:39 and "out of" the water] is the source of salvation, yet I do have a solid theology on the command to be water baptized, whether it saves you or not; honestly, it's easier just to do it in the name of obedience and move on.).

So trust Jesus.  He will save you (see Luke 10:20) from the lake of fire (see Revelation 20:15).

Jesus Preached Hellfire and Brimstone Messages

I was watching a video that talked about the false megapreacher Kenneth Copeland.  The speaker was saying that he wanted more preachers that preached subtle truths in the forefront of Christianity, to better represent the faith.

One problem:  Jesus wasn't subtle.

So, to prove my point, I cited all the times where Jesus mentioned either Hell, not going to Heaven, not being forgiven of one's sins, etc. in the Sermon on the Mount.  Then it hit me, "This is a hellfire and brimstone message!", which is a good thing:

Mat 10:28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 

Anyway, I just wanted to share some passages in the Sermon on the Mount which would be considered extreme today.

1. Exceeding the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

(Mat 5:19-20)

2. On Anger and "Thou Fool":

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

(Mat 5:21-22)

3. On How To Prevent Lust (And Other Sins):

And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

(Mat 5:29-30)

4. On Forgiveness

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

(Mat 6:14-15)

5. The Way To Hell is Broad, The Way To Heaven Is Narrow

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

(Mat 7:13-14)

6. "I Never Knew You"

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

(Mat 7:21-23)

Once again, this is the motivation behind hellfire and brimstone messages; they warn you against a terrible fate.  And again, without bias, this can be easily seen, which explains why a devout atheist like Penn Jilette can see it.  The fate of Hell is like the semi-truck and you are on the road where the semi-truck is about to hit you.  The hellfire and brimstone preachers warn you to get out of the way, those most effective will tackle you.  Believe me, it is very effective imagery when you consider how much Penn Jilette once weighed.

As Mr. Jilette said, I say to you:

"How much do you have to hate someone to not proselytize?"

Jesus certainly proselytized.  His very name means "The Lord SAVES".  There is a reason why it's called "SALVATION".

Balancing Boldness and Knowledge

(Scripture verses in this post are from the ESV unless otherwise specified.)

Boldness

 A word that I've heard in Scripture from time to time is "boldness".  The most common verse I know concerning boldness is the following:

Eph 6:20  for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. 

In this verse, Paul, while in prison, is asking his hearers for prayers that he may boldly declare the Gospel.  v. 19 also contains the word "boldly".

First, let's define the word "bold":

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "bold" as "fearless and daring, courageous".  

So, what does it mean to be bold in your witness for Christ?  Well, being courageous to speak the Truth is one form of boldness.  Believe me, courage is especially required when speaking an unpleasant truth, such as warning someone that they are on the way to Hell.

There are too many instances of churches that guzzy up the plain warnings of Hell.  Jesus certainly guzzy it up when He said the following:

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

(Mat 5:29-30)

Jesus is being serious about this.  He never said, "You know, you ought to not let that so and so thing lead you into sin, it's not going to be good for you if you keep going where you're going."  NO!  He said, "If ANYTHING causes you to sin, get rid of it permanently!  It's better if you go to Heaven missing body parts than to have a whole body burning in Hell!"

A side note:  This is why whenever there's anything that causes me to sin, I start with anything that's not a body part before I even consider a body part, because I believe that if all else fails, Jesus is COMMANDING me to literally, physically and permanently remove a body part that is the source of temptation.

Now, I don't yet know an example off the top of my head a sermon that was wishy-washy on the Lake of Fire.

Knowledge

I titled this piece "Balancing Boldness and Knowledge" for a reason.  Look at this Bible verse:

Rom 10:2  For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 

In this verse, Paul is speaking of the unbelieving Jews, who, while they were quite zealous for God (how can someone be zealous and not also bold?), they didn't know what they were talking about:

1Ti 1:7  desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. 

It's similar to what Ronald Reagan said of liberals (and no, I am NOT comparing liberals or leftists to unbelieving Jews, just the liberals of that moment in time):

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."

Let me also say this:  I am NOT at all saying that liberals by simple reason of their politics, are unsaved, nor am I saying that conservatives are righteous.  If anything, it's Ronald Reagan who compares the liberals of that moment in time to the unbelieving Jews of that time.

Another example of how knowledge is essential in one's boldness, and again, I apologize again to liberals, not every liberal rejects objectivism over subjective morality, and not every conservative accepts objective truth:  

In this instance, "morals" are subjective.  I call it subjective because Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez doesn't even define the standards by which something is moral.

When it comes to the Word of God, we must aim to be OBJECTIVELY accurate.  The Word of God defines morality.

The point is this:  We must be bold in our witness for Christ, but what we do say must be correct.