Apologetics Resource Center

Often in cult ministry we focus on groups that deny central aspects of the Christian faith such as the Trinity, deity of Christ, salvation by grace etc. Many Christians believe that if they simply look at a doctrinal statement, they will be able to spot potentially harmful organizations. Such may not be the case. There are many groups, such as University Bible Fellowship and International Church of Christ which look very good on paper but are involved in practices that can prove spiritually damaging. Our Kansas City office has recently become involved with one such group. It is important that believers are able to move beyond the doctrinal statements to recognize other telltale signs of danger.

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Commitment to God = Commitment to Group. In abusive groups a subtle switch is made that causes commitment to the activities and beliefs of the group to equal commitment to God. This may be extremely difficult to spot at first because most of us express our commitment to God through faithfulness and ministry in our local church. The difference is one of degree. Imagine a student in college. Abusive groups may ask the student to lead small-group studies on multiple nights of the week. Other nights may be consumed with gatherings of the entire group and leadership training. On weekends the group has evangelistic outreach activities and of course there are regular special emphasis weeks. The student may find that their class work or family life is suffering under the burden. However, if he questions the amount the group is requiring he will be told he needs to stop loving the world and go wholeheartedly after God. Never is the thought allowed that God may actually want him to study or spend time with his family.

http://www.arcapologetics.org/articles/article12.htm

Newsletter of the Apologetics Resource Center

The University Bible Fellowship is another fairly large Bible-based cult on some college campuses. After the controversy at Wheaton College last year (Wheaton allowed them to rent their facility for a conference), the National Association of Evangelicals removed UBF from membership, as the facts were presented about their abusive methodology. Yet they are still active. Beware.

http://www.arcapologetics.org/worldviews/worldviews-2005-04.htm

No Hidden Agendas

3-5 God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Be assured that when we speak to you we’re not after crowd approval—only God approval. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.

6-8 Even though we had some standing as Christ’s apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. We weren’t aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.

9-12 You remember us in those days, friends, working our fingers to the bone, up half the night, moonlighting so you wouldn’t have the burden of supporting us while we proclaimed God’s Message to you. You saw with your own eyes how discreet and courteous we were among you, with keen sensitivity to you as fellow believers. And God knows we weren’t freeloaders! You experienced it all firsthand. With each of you we were like a father with his child, holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life.

(Source)

Here is mine, which I entitled my “personal gospel mandate”.

Personal gospel mandate. Brian Karcher. November 2012. Scripture sourced from The Message.

1. Embrace humanity. (gospel of peace-Ephesians 6:15)

John 11:35 “Jesus wept.” By embracing my humanity, as weeping Jesus did, peace can be ushered into our lives.

2. Meet Jesus in a profound way by going outside the gate of Christendom. (gospel of salvation-Ephesians 1:13)

Hebrews 13: 13-15 “So let’s go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This “insider world” is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.” By leaving the religious world and befriending sinners, I will be following Jesus’ way of salvation.

3. Proclaim the gospel Jesus proclaimed–freedom, forgiveness and fulfillment. (gospel of grace-Acts 20:24)

Galatians 2:15-16 “We Jews know that we have no advantage of birth over “non-Jewish sinners.” We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.” By proclaiming freedom, forgiveness and fulfillment with my words, thoughts, prayers and actions, the grace of God will be able to permeate my life and flow to those around me.

4. Live as a citizen of God’s kingdom showing love toward all people. (gospel of the kingdom-Matthew 24:14)

1 Corinthians 6:5-11 “I say this as bluntly as I can to wake you up to the stupidity of what you’re doing. Is it possible that there isn’t one levelheaded person among you who can make fair decisions when disagreements and disputes come up? I don’t believe it. And here you are taking each other to court before people who don’t even believe in God! How can they render justice if they don’t believe in the God of justice? These court cases are an ugly blot on your community. Wouldn’t it be far better to just take it, to let yourselves be wronged and forget it? All you’re doing is providing fuel for more wrong, more injustice, bringing more hurt to the people of your own spiritual family. Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I’m talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you’ve been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.” By welcoming sinners with love and purity instead of condemning them about right and wrong actions, the people in my life may be able to find a fresh start in Jesus.

5. Seek the all-surpassing, robust righteousness of God by knowing Jesus. (gospel of Christ’s glory-2 Corinthians 4:4)

(My life keyverse) Philippians 3:7-11 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” By knowing Jesus Christ, my righteousness will surpass that of the Pharisees, giving me a sure hope to be clothed in Christ’s glory one day.

The first step to any recovery or healing or moving forward is to face the facts of our reality.

17-18 We call Abraham “father” not because he got God’s attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn’t that what we’ve always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, “I set you up as father of many peoples”? Abraham was first named “father” and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, “You’re going to have a big family, Abraham!”

19-25 Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.

Romans 4:17-25, The Message

Here are some specific, cut-and-dry commands that always disturbed me when I read them in the past.

Be perfect.

Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Be holy.

1 Peter 1:15 “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;”

Be joyful always.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Be joyful always;”

Be faithful.

Revelation 2:10 “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Absolute obedience!

The commands above are as absolute as the Vodka by the same name. And they come from the highest authority. I used to think like this: Well these commands are too difficult, but I’m going to try anyway! I’ll show everyone. I am strong enough to obey. All those other Christians are just weak failures. I am stronger and smarter. I defined righteousness as “Obey 100%, but if you fail God’s grace will make up the difference.” I began to articulate the gospel as this: “Obey and be blessed by God; disobey and be cursed by God, but not for eternity as long as you believe in Jesus.”

What I didn’t realize then is that I did not know the absoluteness of these two statements: “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse.” and “No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law.”

I seek to know why Paul was SO persecuted just for preaching the gospel (isn’t the gospel good?). I want to know why SO many Christians get SO angry these days over the LGBT issues. Why would Apostle Paul be so willing to be imprisoned, beaten near death and scorned as a shameful heretic by religious people?

I begin this segment of my quest by sharing some thoughts that used to perplex me greatly. These verses in the Bible used to cause me such grief and anxiety. They spurred me on to a fearful “race of faith” in which I felt like I was exhausted and going to collapse at any minute, like a marathon runner who can barely make it the first mile.

Surpassing glory?

2 Corinthians 3:10 “For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.”

All-surpassing power?

2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

Surpassing grace?

2 Corinthians 9:14 “And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.”

Surpassingly great revelations?

2 Corinthians 12:7 “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”

Surpassing greatness?

Philippians 3:8 “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…”

How could that be?

I used to articulate the gospel in this way: “Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead.” But I was SO very confused as to how this could result in surpassing glory, power, grace, revelation or greatness. Here was my thought process: Yea, sure, it’s good news that Jesus died for my sins. And it’s cool that Jesus rose from the dead. Great. I have some hope for the after-life… well, maybe, if I keep up my obedience and conformance, perhaps God will accept me on judgment day. But why did Jesus and Apostle Paul talk so much about this life? I suspect I’ll be joyful in heaven, but what about now? I am working so hard for Jesus, for my family and for my church, but I’m so miserable inside! I have no power to resist sinful desires. I need to keep busy so that I don’t have time to sin.

What I didn’t realize then is that I did not know the answer to this question: “What is the gospel?”

On one hand, it is correct to say that the gospel is not about “what” but about “who”. We really should be asking Who is the gospel? I agree that it is correct and Biblical to say “the gospel is Jesus” or “Jesus plus nothing equals the gospel”. Those are correct and helpful.

I contend that it would be abundantly more helpful if we continued the articulation. The Bible texts clearly distinguish between Jesus and the gospel. This means that there is both a person and a message of the gospel.

For Jesus, For the Gospel

We see a distinction made in Scripture between Jesus and the gospel, as in Romans 16:25 and 2 Corinthians 11:4. And Jesus spoke about the gospel separately from himself. For example in Mark 8:35 and in Mark 10:29, Jesus spoke about “me and the gospel”.

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35 NIV84)

Defend, remind, confirm…

While it is true that God does not need to be defended, the Bible says the gospel is to be preached, defended, proclaimed, advanced, understood, obeyed, confessed, reminded and confirmed. Apostle Paul was SO enthralled by the gospel that he made it his life purpose. He was SO enthused by the fact that Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, that the written code was nailed to the cross, that death could have no victory over Jesus and that his Jewish commandments and regulations had been abolished in the flesh of Jesus.

It is worthwhile to read the whole chapters where the gospel is mentioned. Here are some select verses that stand out to me: Philippians 1:7, Philippians 1:12, Philippians 1:16, Colossians 1:5-6, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Corinthians 15:1, 2 Corinthians 9:13, Ephesians 2:14-15.

I find that I’m wiling to let go of many things, concede many things and compromise on many things, if only I may testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

Here is what Scripture says the gospel is about…

It’s about Jesus

“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark 1:1

It’s about the kingdom

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14

It’s about God’s grace

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24

It’s about the glory of Christ

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

It’s about salvation

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,…” Ephesians 1:13

It’s about peace

“…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:15

How could I not know what the gospel is? That’s how I used to think.

Here is how one Christian recently answered the question: How do you preach the gospel? I find it to be a good summary of the most common Christian response these days. Whatever topic is being discussed, this explanation is overwhelmingly the current thought process about the gospel:

1) Tell them God loves them

2) Tell them everybody sins and the sins need to be paid for. When they claim they don’t sin, you point them to God’s word to see His definition of sin. When they accept this and acknowledge that they are sinners, you can move on.

3) Tell them only Jesus can pay for sins

4) Tell them all they have to do is accept salvation and believe that God is true.

Remember Lot’s Wife! (or hogwash!)

The gospel cry in our generation has become: Remember Lot’s wife! Repent of your sins, then you’ll receive grace! Stop sinning or you’re going to hell! We’re sinners too, but we try to avoid sin. We are all sinners, but Christians don’t want to sin. They say, “We’re not perfect, we’re just forgiven.” They claim to have found the grace of God yet fearfully submit to the law like a hamster on a treadmill. The gospel becomes merely a crutch or safety net to make up the difference between our sin and God’s holy standard.

We end up with an articulation of the gospel that says: “When we accept Jesus Christ’s help we can feel peace in this life and return to our Heavenly Father after we die.” The gospel has become a moral mandate. And we have over 30,000 denominations expressing their tribe’s version of that moral mandate. There is no longer any significant distinction between the Mormon articulation of the gospel and the Christian articulation of the gospel. We have simply created multiple expressions of moralism and legalism.

It’s no wonder the world sees through all this and cries “hogwash!”

I once “preached” the gospel in the same way. A few years ago, however, I came to realize that such a presentation of the gospel is not authentic and not what we find in the Bible (though bits and pieces of those words are indeed in the Bible.) Such thoughts about the gospel of Jesus don’t produce the effervescent, abundant, all-surpassing joy, faith, hope, love, peace, justice and holiness that satisfies the soul of humanity. The best we can do with such a gospel is to smile half-heartedly and timidly do our duty in the Lord’s service as best we can. Or perhaps we can puff up our chest and thunder out judgmental and condemning messages calling for moral conformance.

This is my gospel

From a Biblical standpoint, we don’t have to look very far in the text to find the clear definition of the gospel:

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.”
(2 Timothy 2:8-9 NIV84)

A more common, more detailed version is here:

“1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. ”
(1 Corinthians 15:1-5 NIV84)

Clearly the gospel of Jesus stands on two pillars:

1. Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets!
2. Jesus died but came back to life!

So the basic articulation of the gospel (the “good news”) of Jesus Christ is this:

Jesus is the promised Christ who fulfilled the Law and the Prophets through his birth, life, death and resurrection.

Do you realize how profound that statement is? Do you realize what made the Jewish Pharisees SO furiously angry? Do you understand why preaching this gospel in today’s generation will invoke the SAME anger?

I am now coming to a very clear definition and understanding of the gospel, and it is amazing!

A good overview of basic facts about the gospel is here: http://www.godonthe.net/evidence/gospels.htm

This is the reality of the gospel I used to preach for over 20 years:

1. Sense of accomplishment

2. Moral conformance

3. Regular discipline

4. Usefulness to God

5. Utilitarian marriage

As you might guess, this instilled in me and others such things as fear, confusion, tribalism and legalism. It also helped promote authoritarianism.

All of these things on the list can be proof-texted from the Bible and given better-sounding names. But none of them could invoke abundant, life-giving joy, peace, faith, hope or love! And it did nothing to keep the sewage of unholiness from sloshing around in my heart and mind.

At minimum, the following reasons are reasons why I won’t condemn homosexuals. Mainly, though, these are the reasons I support same-sex marriage, both as a legal right and as participating in the sacrament.

#1 – Legal reasoning: The death penalty for being gay still exists

It would be rare (I think and hope) to find a Christian in American who supports making laws to put gays in prison for life or to kill them just for being gay. However, that is the legal reality of most of Africa, and in numerous parts of the world.

The first and foremost reason I support same-sex marriage is that it would be a step toward eliminating the legal penalties that exist around the world for being gay.

#2 – Logical reasoning: There is no pain inflicted on other people

If all the gay people in the world suddenly started got married, would that really hurt other people? You may not (and don’t have to) like it or participate in it. But really, with all the violence, pain, suffering, hunger and and strife in this world, I think Christians really should not be expending so much energy to forbid same-sex marriage.

# 3 – Moral reasoning: Do the supreme “right thing”

Morality is a system or doctrine that defines “conformity to ideals of right human conduct”. As a Christian, I cannot elevate ANY doctrine above the greatest command: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And the second greatest command is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And furthermore, Jesus defines this greatest command to love as “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Whether our conscience guides us to support or oppose same-sex marriage, Christians on both sides would be far more effective by remembering the highest “right conduct”: love.

# 4 – Biblical reasoning: No prohibition of same-sex marriage

When I understand the six gay-slamming Bible verses in context, I see only a warning against promiscuity, sexual experimentation and harmful gang rape. Christians are right to use Scriptural teaching to speak out against (with civility?) those activities. Yet in no verse do I see a prohibition of same-sex, monogamous marriage. I see no reason to forbid certain people to marry. And while we ought to have a much higher regard for the doctrines of celibacy, I also contend that we should apply the same reasoning about marriage toward homosexuals as we do in regard to heterosexuals: “if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” 1 Corinthians 7:8-10  Monogamous, same-sex marriage is actually a restraint against sexual immorality.

Why in the world would God allow some of the Leviticus laws in Judaism? I contend that all of Leviticus points to Jesus. The homosexual reference in Leviticus, I contend, was put there by God so that the condemnation of homosexuals would be forever abolished on the cross. The 613 laws of Judaism were ended by being nailed to the cross. This is a part of the gospel that has been lost in Western Christianity, I contend. If anything, Christians ought to be proclaiming the joy and freedom God gave to homosexuals, helping them to overcome guilt and condemnation!

In fact, I contend that if Christians would approach the LGBT community with love and honesty, I believe many of them would realize they do not really believe in the gospel Jesus proclaimed. Many, I contend, would discover that they really believe in obeying the law rather than in the grace of God. Many others would find that they have adhered to a form of Judaism, and not Christ-likeness. I further believe the LGBT Bible teachers have the greatest opportunity to know and preach and live the gospel of Jesus to Christendom.

More thoughts on Biblical reasoning in regard to sames-sex issues:
http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesbians-gays-and-kingdom-of-god.html
http://biblethumpingliberal.com/paul-abolishes-the-law/
http://www.ubfriends.org/2012/05/14/glbt-evangelism/
http://www.priestlynation.com/archives/1071

#5 – Historical reasoning: No gay cure

As time passes, we human beings have discovered much in the world and universe around us. In regard to homosexuality, we’ve found that there is a sexual orientation that cannot be changed. Yes, there are people among all orientations who are just experimenting or playing around. Those people are confusing the issues, I think. But a truly same-sex oriented person simply is just that– and will be for their entire life. I believe we must factor this into whatever our position is on this issue. For example, trying to find a “gay cure” is just not going to work.

#6 – Historical reasoning: The inquisition mindset is wrong

Until the 12th and 13th century, and until the inquisitions became fully active (1200-1500), there was debate and discussion about homosexuality, but not widespread penalties. “After the twelfth century Christian tolerance and acceptance of gay love seems to disappear with remarkable rapidity. The writings of St. Aelred disappeared because they were kept locked up in Cistercian monasteries until about eight years ago, when for the first time Cistercians could again read them. Beginning about 1150, for reasons I cannot adequately explain, there was a great upsurge in popular intolerance of gay people. There were also at this time violent outbursts against Jews, Muslims, and witches. Women were suddenly excluded from power structures to which they had previously had access-no longer able, for example, to attend universities in which they had previously been enrolled. double monasteries for men and women were closed. There was suspicion of everyone. In 1180 the Jews were expelled from France.” (Source)

I don’t consider myself “active” in the gay rights movement. I have been considering this issue only recently, which started after President Obama’s speech where he mentioned he supports same-sex marriages (a month or so ago).

Grace-first Theology

It is amazingly simple for me to be consistent with a grace-first theology. At the same time, I find that most people don’t understand me. Part of my grace-first theology is in agreement with the Catholic Church, some with Calvinists, and some with Baptists. But I’ve not found any systematic theology or church doctrine that completely describes what the Spirit has been teaching me. But I find that I now understand almost all Scripture and that the Bible has a consistent message. And I find much that I agree with in Spurgeon.

I’m not in agreement with either of these statements: “Homosexual practice is not a sin” and “Homosexual practice is a sin.” Neither blanket statement captures my viewpoint. The basis of my understanding begins with accepting the fact that same-sex attraction is an orientation that cannot normally be changed. And the foundation of my beliefs in this area are in the gospel of Jesus.

Orientation is not a choice

Even gay help groups like Exodus International freely admit that they’ve not met any gay person who chose to be gay. A person simply cannot choose their sexual orientation. The fallout from “ex-gays” is proof enough for me. Perhaps God does change a person’s orientation, but this will be miraculous and rare. This is a fundamental misunderstanding most conservatives have. They think that they can “pray the gay out” or “beat the gay out”. Or as a last resort, some think we should just let the gays die out.

I have a child-hood friend who is gay. We all could sense it since he was young. He went through gay therapy, but nothing worked. There are choices of lifestyle, but I cannot overlook the fact that there does exist a homosexual orientation that cannot be changed. There does not appear to be any “gay gene” but there is something psychological that cannot be changed normally.

What does the Bible say?

We who claim to believe the Bible must consider what Scripture says. I find only a handful of verses, six in fact, that explicitly deal with the gay issue. These are the infamous “six clobber passages” in the Bible:

Genesis 19:1-5 – We normally think Sodom=homosexual sin. But what does the Bible say the sins of Sodom were? The main sin of Sodom was arrogance, gluttony and failing to help the poor and needy. And the Bible says that Israel’s sins were twice as bad as Sodom (Jeremiah 23:14; Ezekiel 16:49-52). The sexual sin in Genesis 19 was homosexual gang rape, not strictly homosexual practice.

Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13 – These passages list all homosexual activity as a sin worthy of death. But it is part of the written code that was nailed to the cross (Ephesians 2, Galatians 2, Colossians 2). I believe the Scripture plainly teaches that all 613 commands of the written code were abolished on the cross. This is an apparent contradiction: Jesus says he did not abolish the law, Apostle Pauls says Jesus did abolish the law. There is no contradiction when we understand grace however. Jesus and Apostle Paul are both correct. Jesus fulfilled the Law, so he is correct when he says he did not come to abolish God’s Law and Prophets. God’s Law did not, nor will it ever, just disappear.  However, the impartial expression of God’s Law, the written code, has been canceled, as Apostle Paul clearly taught. If someone wants to enforce Leviticus 18:22, then they must also put adulterers to death and they must also consider eating shrimp a sin. The Bible clearly teaches (and Jews correctly understood) that ALL 613 laws must be kept if one wants to be justified under the law. The written code was only a temporary foreshadow of the grace who was to come, Jesus. So I say under the law (the written code), yes, homosexual behavior is a sin. But nowhere in the written code do we find that homosexual orientation is a sin. Those who accept Jesus find grace, not the laws in Leviticus.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – The NIV translates the Greek word that Paul made up as “homosexual offenders”. The word is not the word Apostle Paul would have used if he was condemning all homosexual behavior. These verses do condemn offensive homosexual behavior, which would be behavior that is outside a committed, marriage relationship. I believe homosexuals should marry, just as heterosexuals should marry in order to avoid burning in sin. Sex inside marriage, regardless of orientation, is not sin. Promiscuity and all sexual behavior outside marriage is sin, regardless of orientation. So grace is not a license for heterosexuals to freely engage in homosexual experimentation. Nor is the opposite permitted. An interesting side note: How many of the sins listed in 6:9-10 were committed by King David? He was a murderer and an adulterer up until he died. And some have claimed David and Jonathan’s relationship was more than “just friends”. Yet David will be in Heaven (Hebrews 11:32-40). Moses was also a murderer (Exodus 2:11-14), yet Moses will be in Heaven. Elijah was a coward, but he will be in Heaven too (Matthew 17:3). Why? It is because of the grace of God, the only way anyone will be in Heaven. To twist 6:9-10 and say that all homosexuals will go to hell is simply incorrect.

Romans 1:21-31 – The key sin here is idolatry. Idolatry is what gets God really, really angry, even more-so than sexual sin. God gave idolaters over to all kinds of sin, which included the promiscuous homosexual behavior. Again, I do not see a loving, committed same-sex marriage included here.

Jude 1:6-7 – In Jude, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah gave themselves over to “sexual immorality and perversion.” Genesis 19 is an example of such behavior. And they are not condemned to hell because of immorality, they simply serve as an example. Their key sin was arrogance and selfishness, and such sins were punished. It is only idolatry, going our own way (Deuteronomy 29), that condemns us to hell, whether we lived in the OT or the NT times.

Historical, orthodox views?

My viewpoints above may seem out of place with historical, orthodox Christianity. However, the “historical, orthodox” view toward the GLBT community seems to have started after the inquisition period, around 1200 or 1300. And full-blown hatred for gays has been a rather recent historical phenomenon. For many centuries, Christians didn’t seem to have such a problem with sexuality as Christians do today. I think also, after Freud, Christians became obsessed with homosexuality and sexuality in general. So I feel like I am in line with early Christians who understood grace-first instead of law-first theology.

In the end, the GLBT “issue” is mainly a human rights issue for me. Regardless of sexual orientation, are Christians supposed to preach hate and death? Some preachers in North Carolina, and elsewhere in America, have made a mockery of the pulpit.

How to live?

Regardless of anyone’s viewpoints on the GLBT community, homosexuals need to decide how to live. For me, I see the following. For the “GL” people, there are two viable options I see: celibacy or marriage. I believe these are the same two options for “H” people (heterosexual).

The “B” people are in a dangerous place from Scripture’s viewpoint. Perhaps they should be extended grace until they figure out who they are. The “T” people need extra love and discernment.

Get past it!

In conclusion, I suggest we get past the HGLBT issue (as Scripture does) by putting proper avenues for control and separation of church/state in place, making gay marriage legal, granting equal rights to the GLBT community and moving on to share the gospel of grace.

Has Freud deceived the entire Western world into thinking HGLBT is our primary identity? Could not two men embrace each other as friends without ridicule? Could not a man and a woman be dear friends without suspicion?

More reading that explains my viewpoints:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/health/dr-robert-l-spitzer-noted-psychiatrist-apologizes-for-study-on-gay-cure.html?_r=2&smid=fb-share

http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/2012/05/lesbians-gays-and-kingdom-of-god.html

http://biblethumpingliberal.com/paul-abolishes-the-law/

http://www.ubfriends.org/2012/05/14/glbt-evangelism/

http://www.priestlynation.com/archives/1071

For over 30 years, nothing has disturbed me more than Jesus’ haunting words in Luke 12:10, “anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”

8 “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.  9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.  10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
— Luke 12:8-10 (NIV84)

What does it mean to “disown Jesus” and to “blaspheme against the Holy Spirit”? My response to this has always been, “I don’t know, but I sure hope I didn’t do it!” Like most tough questions in the Bible, I simply chalked this up to something we can never understand this side of Heaven, and counted it all covered by grace.

I’ve since discovered how wrong that attitude is. Based on Jesus’ stern warning, we had better figure it out this side of Heaven!

What does God want? 

We might just get mad at God and say with exasperation: What do you want from me, God!? Fortunately, Jesus gives us a clue to what He wants, and I believe it is related to this unpardonable sin. Jesus tells us what He wants in Matthew 6:15 (also John 20:21-24)

In the middle of the Sermon of Sermons, Jesus teaches us how to pray, and reveals what He really wants from us:

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,  10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  11 Give us today our daily bread.  12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’  14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
— Matthew 6:9-15 (NIV84)

Jesus gives a similarly stern warning here: If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Jesus really wants us to forgive other people, all people in fact. It is clear to me that this is so grievous to Jesus, more so than any moral failure, because the gospel is forgiveness! The gospel is that God has forgiven you of all your sins on the cross of Christ. To repent is to change your mind and accept this amazing grace.

That is what the criminal on the cross next to Jesus did. Remember him? (Luke 23:42-43). Any definition of the gospel must include this criminal. He did not change even a single moral problem in his heart. He paid back no one he had wronged. He simply cried out “Jesus, remember me!” That is the gospel cry. If that man had time before he died, he would certainly have been motivated by the forgiveness in his heart to make amends as best he could for his prior life (after he got out of prison :)

God wants people who accept His forgiveness. Such people with forgiveness in their heart will then forgive their family, their friends, their spouses, their children, their enemies, and anyone who has wronged them. The reason is because those who accept God’s forgiveness realize that they have been forgiven an unpayable debt (like $3 million) and other people’s sins against them, in comparison, are like $3.

The Unpardonable Sin

Last year I came across an amazing chapter in the Bible, and a chapter that answered my long-sought after question. The passage? Deuteronomy 29. Now before anyone gets in a tizzy… Yes I believe all 613 commands of the written code were nailed to the cross, abolished and made unreadable in Jesus’ body on the cross (Galatians 2, Ephesians 2, Colossians 2). That does not mean the Law of God has been abolished (just the incomplete expression given to Moses that foreshadowed Jesus.)

The unpardonable sin that will not be forgiven is clearly stated like this: “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my way.” The result? God will never forgive such a person. God will single that person out for disaster and all the curses of the law will be upon that person:

18 Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.  19 When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.” This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.  20 The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.  21 The LORD will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.
— Deuteronomy 29:18-21 (NIV84)

The entire book of Hebrews backs up Deuteronomy 29. The gospel is to change my mind, foregoing whatever way I may have to find God and enter into God’s rest by accepting His way, Jesus (Hebrews 4:7-11).

Even in the Old Covenant, God expressed clearly that perfect obedience to all 613 commands could not be accomplished by any human being. Those who did not seek God through the law and the prophet’s message would incur a curse, rather than a blessing, no matter how many of the commands they obeyed (unless someone could in fact obey all 613).

Righteousness is by faith from beginning to end. Idolatry is the thing that gets God really angry (Romans 1:16-21).

Why was God so angry with the Israelites?

It was because they did not accept God as God, which was the whole point of the covenant! They went their own way and did not learn God’s ways (the way of forgiveness, grace, justice, love). They held onto the letter of the law in some form or another, relying on their human effort instead of seeking God (Galatians 3).

We may study the commands of God (which are good) but if we try to invoke a blessing by such obedience, we find we are cursed (Galatians 3:10). The purpose of the law was to lead them to God until Jesus came (the seed of the promises in the law), not to the law itself (Galatians 3:19).

24 All the nations will ask: “Why has the LORD done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?”  25 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.  26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them.  27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book.  28 In furious anger and in great wrath the LORD uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”
— Deuteronomy 29:24-28 (NIV84)

Only One Way

This is only one way to enter into God’s rest, to open the door and let Christ into your heart, and that one way is to repent. Change your mind and accept God’s free, amazing grace of forgiveness of all your sins at the foot of the cross of Christ– every sin you erver committed or ever will commit. Grace is the narrow gate. Grace is the only way. And therefore the only way not to be forgiven is to not accept this grace and come up with your own way to follow God or to live a Christian life.

God wants you

9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied.  10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.  11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”  12 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
— Job 1:9-12 (NIV84)

God gave us control over one thing: our mind. And He wants us to change our mind and accept Him. God wants you. God says, take everything, but “on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

And on this I will stake my life.

After leaving UBF, I find that psychology has much to help to offer. The following media summarizes what has been very helpful to me, to unbind my mind and find the freedom and grace and love Jesus promised.

Helpful movies:
– “Mars Needs Moms”
– “The Hunger Games”
– “Good”
– “Downfall”
– “Amen”
– “Tangled”
– “Wrecked”
– “The Lorax”
– “Monsters Inc.”
– “Megamind”
– “Despicable Me”
– “The Shunning”
– “Astro Boy”

My favorite blogger these days:
http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/2012/05/what-if-entire-fellowship-believed-that.html

A helpful documentary about Bonhoeffer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJpkVI2ZlMY

The story of Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers:
(converted while the normal pastor was snowed in!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlvK0EUn6u0

My answer is Judaism 2.0. I am preparing a full article that will explain this further. To prepare for this, I will post some reflections that continue to speak to this problem.

Our Problem: A Dividing Wall of Hostility

The world into which Jesus came was divided by a wall of hostility. What was it? In Ephesians 2 we find that Jews and the rest of the world (Gentiles) were separated by a wall of hostility.

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)– 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:11-12 (NIV84)

In chapter 2:14-15 we find a statement that says Jesus “has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.”

The wall of hostility that divided Jews and Gentiles was the law (the 613 Scripture-based regulations known as the Mitzvot). God knew the partial expression of His Law could become a barrier (Genesis 16:12; Genesis 25:18). To Israel God gave His commandments, a partial expression of His Law. It was not the commandments that failed however (Psalm 119), but human pride and arrogance. God knew this also, yet still He gave the commandments, as a foreshadow of the things to come.

God’s Solution: The Written Code Nailed to the Cross

What was God’s solution? God sent His Son to die on the cross and nailed the written code to the cross with Him.

“13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. 16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Colossians 2:13-17 (NIV84)

For those who will take the time to read and reflect:

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)– 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. Ephesians 2:11-16 (NIV84)

God’s Law: What do we do with it?

The questions I have wrestled with for over 20 years are these: What does Jesus want us to do with God’s Law? Salvation is by grace through faith, but how then should we live as a Christian? Are we then bound to some sort of written code?

I have searched high and low, and even committed myself “hook, line and sinker” to something I thought was the best expression of handling God’s Law. Yet still I did not find clear answers that satisfy logic, Scripture and the Spirit’s teaching. I have found much division, anger and illogical thinking.

Christians: Marked by division in our days

If there is any word that describes Christians in my generation, it is the word “divisive”. Christians are not only divided on what to do with God’s Law, we are divided by nearly every issue under the sun. The body of Christ appears to me to be held together by a frail contract of “agree to disagree” and the fragile glue of “you leave me alone, I’ll leave you alone.”

In my workplace, I’ve noticed that business people can work together and accomplish much good without ever praying or opening a Bible once. Why? Because they are united by money. How much greater is the grace of God than money! How much more should Christians be marked by “unity” than business people! Yet Christians are clearly not united. In our generation, I see nearly nothing in Christianity that would even come close to Jesus’ prayer in John 17.

A Challenging Claim

Today I make a claim that is, to me, clearly taught to me by the Holy Spirit. A claim that does not violate my conscience nor the God-given logic in my mind. A claim that reveals a consistent message from Genesis to Revelation. And a claim that challenges much of the Christian thinking the past several centuries.

I am well aware that I am an unordained pastor and a common man. Compared to most I am but a child. Still I am prompted today to write, to put pen to paper (or words to a blog rather). I have resisted writing this blog post for many months now. But still every morning, the message keeps coming back to me. The message keeps being confirmed over and over as I engage in thousands of dialogues about a whole range of topics relating to Christianity.

I see Scripture though the eyes of Jesus and the grace He gives freely. And my mind is exploding with verse after verse in the Bible; each book I read speaking loudly and clearly as I see God’s unchanging nature and marvelous plan. To see the Bible interpret itself is astounding! I pray that God may grant me the words to articulate this message clearly.

Today I claim that the haze that has settled onto Christianity is caused by what I call Judaism 2.0. Why are Christians divided and increasingly despondent? Why are a rather large number of Christians drudging along, barely keeping their faith when Jesus promised “effervescent new wine”!? Why are numerous churches having to close their doors? Why has the historical church nearly lost whole generations of people?

Today I claim that such events are happening because we have over 30,000 versions of Judaism 2.0. I claim that Christianity is not (and never was intended to be) an upgrade to Judaism. Jesus brought new life wants to dwell among us inside the minds and hearts of new creations! You can’t just take your Judaism 1.0 app and download Judaism 2.0. It doesn’t work. You need to uninstall Judaism and do a clean install of Jesus.

In further posts I will articulate my claim in more detail. The question that God has challenged me with lately is this: Do I want to be a better Jew or a disciple of Jesus?

Sin, Repent, Sin, Repent…

After finding the abundant, effervescent joy of the gospel, I then heard the gospel articulated in a slightly different way. It goes like this: “Repent of your sins and be saved.” I was told that if I didn’t feel the gospel in my heart, then I was just making an intellectual confession in my mind that didn’t count for salvation.

My mind, my emotions and my actions became bound to repenting. I found myself in an endless “reboot” loop… sin, repent, sin, repent, sin, repent. I became so weary and burdened. I felt like Sisyphus! Jesus said his yoke was easy and his burden was light.. yea right! I thought, “We must work hard! We must be strong!” God’s rest? That is just for the weak people who can’t handle real Christian life!

After about 20 years of such holy-soldier living,  I just stopped. I stopped praying. I stopped preparing messages for our house church (I just re-read other people’s messages). I stopped doing everything except the bare minimum. I considered giving up on faith altogether!

The Passion of Christ Movie

What could I do? That was in 2009. Soon after that, I decided to watch Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of Christ. It was my last straw actually. In 2009, I decided that I would watch this movie and decide whether I would call myself a Christian or not.

What happened? I cried through the whole movie! I remembered the grace of forgiveness of sins I found in 1988! And I realized I had exchanged the grace of God for a lie. I had started with the grace of God, but I had built a disciplined life that strayed from that gospel. I had become trapped in legalism.

For the years after 2009, I was not able to articulate what was going on. This week, after three years of searching, I finally was able to explain the false gospel I had come to believe.

Repent of your sins?

Every Christian I’ve ever met agrees that repentance is a necessary part of the gospel of Jesus. I agree. However, where did the “of your sins” come from? When I search the Bible over and over, I find the phrase once and only once. It appears in Isaiah.

Isaiah 59:20: “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the LORD. (NIV84).

Some may say, “Aha! See, you must repent of your sins to be saved!”  I say, let’s see what the Bible has to say. What is the highest authority to interpret the Bible? The Bible is the highest authority. Romans chapter 11 is the best commentary on Isaiah 59.

Romans 11:25-29 “25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.”

The Jewish “Gospel”

After reading and studying commentary on Isaiah 59 and Romans 11, I have concluded that the phrase “repent of your sins” is the Jewish “gospel”, which is not what Jesus proclaimed. The best news Jews under the law can provide is: repent of your sins.  That is your only hope if you live under the law, the first covenant. Those who preach “repent of your sins” will likely become legalists who never find the abundant joy, peace, power, love, holiness or hope that Jesus promised.

The phrase Judaizer referers to someone who promotes the Jewish gospel of “repent of your sins”, binding people to some form of God’s law. That is what I had become. I lost sight of the grace of God and lived as if I was still under law. It is comforting to know however, that according to Romans 11, God still loved me! I did not lose my salvation and find it again (as far as election goes). However, I did live as an enemy of God for many years (as far as the gospel is concerned.)

Let’s see how the Jewish gospel plays out if we put it into Jesus’ words. If “repent” means “repent of your sins”, then we should read Jesus’ words like this:

• “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  (Luke 5:32)
• Jewish gospel: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repent for their sins.”

• “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4)
• Jewish gospel: “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for sins for the forgiveness of sins.”

• “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)
• Jewish gospel: “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent of your sins and believe the good news!”

The questions we are left with when we preach the Jewish gospel are these: How much sin do we repent of before God will forgive us? What sins specifically do I need repent of in order to qualify for the Redeemer to visit me? Is the good news Jesus taught the same good news the Jews taught?

The Jewish gospel has a place in God’s redemptive plan, as Romans 11:26 and Isaiah 59:20 clearly declare: “And so all Israel will be saved.” But Apostle Paul’s point is that the Jewish gospel is not the gospel Jesus declared. The Jewish gospel does have meaning for Jews, but the Jewish gospel is an enemy of Jesus’ gospel, which is for the entire world, Jews and Gentiles.

Jeremiah summarizes my point very clearly:

Jeremiah 31:31-34 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.  32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.  33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

How to identify Jesus’ gospel

The gospel of Jesus is not about repentance of sins. The gospel of Jesus is about forgiveness of sins. It is clear to all of us (I hope) that our sins and iniquities separate us from God. How can we be restored? How can we be rid of these sins which burden us day in and day out? Jesus’ answer is: I forgive you.

Perhaps the best Scripture to distinguish between the Jewish gospel and Jesus’ gospel the famous “yoke” passage:

Matthew 11:25-30 “25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The Jewish gospel (and all forms of it) is burdensome. It is heavy. Jesus’ gospel is easy and light! Never could I understood this when I believed the Jewish gospel.

Do we need to repent?

Yes! We do need to repent! Clearly and repeatedly Scripture says “repent”.  But do we repent of something, repent for something or what? If we do not understand the meaning of “repent”, we are in danger of becoming bound to legalism and an upside-down gospel that leads to burden, despair and despondency. We must understand repentance if we are to understand the gospel of Jesus.

Here is Luke 5:32 in Greek: http://www.greeknewtestament.com/B42C005.htm#V32

The Greek word “metanoia” means “a change of mind“. Many will rightly say, then, that Jesus certainly came to bring about more than just a change of mind! This is correct. Jesus did (and does) want to bring out far more than just a new viewpoint. Jesus clearly wants a transformed life: thoughts, feelings, actions– all of our being in fact. And Jesus clearly wants us to stop sinning and come back to our senses.

We all know (hopefully) that we cannot change ourselves or change others. Every wife discovers that she cannot change her husband. But what can we change? Our mind. Can we free ourselves of sin? No. Can we live a holy life by our own repentance? No.

Jesus’ gospel (which is light and easy) is that you repent (change your mind) and accept His forgiveness for your sins. To repent is to accept the free gift of God. The life-altering, effervescent, transformational, Spirit-induced change then begins from the inside out!  When we repent and accept Jesus’ forgiveness for sins, we are free.

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

In our weakness, we find God’s strength to begin working with God and His Spirit to transform our life. This partnership with God only works if we hold firmly to His grace and His power.

When we change our minds and accept that there is nothing I can do to make God love me or qualify for God’s forgiveness, we find joy! When we repent and accept that God loves me in spite of any sin I did or will do, we find peace! And we then become filled with an exuberant joy and desire to help others see God’s grace and also repent!

In contrast, the Jewish gospel is an outside-in gospel that leads to death and selfish introversion, and completely updside-down from Jesus’ gospel which leads to life.

Let’s look at the verses above again, and correctly this time:

• “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  (Luke 5:32)
• Jesus’ gospel: “I have not come to call the those who are free of sins, but sinners to change their minds and accept my forgiveness.”

• “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4)
• Jesus’ gospel: “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of changing people’s minds to accept the forgiveness of sins.”

• “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)
• Jesus’ gospel: “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Change your mind and believe the good news!”

Good news

The bad news is that there is nothing you can do to repent of your sins enough to find God’s forgiveness. The good news is not that you have to live an endless cycle of sin/repent/sin/repent that stores up guilt and bitterness in your heart. The good news is that you just need to change your mind and accept the free gift of God that cost Jesus everything: the forgiveness of your sins.