THE ONLY AUTHORIZED PREACHERS OF GOD’S WORDS (First of Two Parts)

THE ONLY AUTHORIZED PREACHERS 

OF GOD’S WORDS 

(First of Two Parts)

“Do You Understand What You Are Reading?”

By BENILDO C. SANTIAGO

ONE WHO HAS finished medical course can elucidate on the complexities of medicine.  One who has mastered law can articulate on the intricacies of law.  One who has specialized in techniques in painting can teach this art form.  Therefore, anyone who has zealously studied the Bible can preach the words of God, right?  WRONG.

     While researching at a library on an ancient city in the East, an archaeology student catches a glimpse of a Bible in a huge pile of old archaeological and historical records.  At once he regards it as a researchable reference material on equal footing with the rest of the other documents there.  WRONG AGAIN.

     He has earned a doctorate in communications, pored over hundreds of books about journalism and published excellent dissertation and papers on the subject and so, he assumes he has no problem understanding the Bible.  WRONG ONCE AGAIN.

     Very much unlike secular and other religious writings, the Bible is, contrary to widespread belief, NOT AN “OPEN BOOK” IN THE SENSE THAT IT IS NOT KNOWABLE BY MEANS OF HUMAN WISDOM (I Cor. 1:21, Today’s English Version).  High educational attainment, combined with assiduity to learn, is no guarantee that a person will be able to understand it.  INTELLIGENCE and DILIGENCE are NOT EVEN NECESSARY CONDITIONS or PREREQUISITES for comprehending it.

‘MYSTERY KEPT SECRET’

Unperceived by many Bible readers, though plainly written, the gospel is a “mystery kept secret.”

     Writes the Apostle Paul, “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the MYSTERY KEPT SECRET since the world began” (Rom. 16:25, New King James Version).

     At least three basic truths in the phrase, “mystery kept secret,” are worth stressing.  First, the gospel is a “mystery.”  Second, it is “kept secret.”  And third, it is the Lord God Almighty who kept this mystery secret.

     Unquestionably, HUMAN WISDOM, when faced with these truths, would be of NO USE.  Patience, and perseverance (to learn) would be of no help either, for how could man—his great abilities and will to discover things notwithstanding—depend on these traits to try to decipher that which his Maker has designed to be inaccessible through them?  His one and only chance to know the gospel is—when its Keeper Himself reveals it to him.

     Fortunately, the Lord God did reveal it.  Apostle Paul says, “according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began.”

     However, the Lord God revealed the mystery not to all, but only to a select few.  Thankful to God for this,  the Lord Jesus Christ prayed, “… Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because YOU HAVE SHOWN TO THE UNLEARNED what you have hidden from the wise and learned” (Matt. 11:25, TEV).

     The Lord God “purposely chose” the unlearned, the weak, and those whom “the world looks down on, and despises, and thinks [are] nothing,”  so that “no one can boast in God’s presence” (I Cor. 1:27-29, Ibid.).

DIVINELY COMMISSIONED MESSENGERS

Who are the select few to whom the Lord God has given the exclusive right to know the gospel mystery, which He kept secret?

     They are the messengers of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ, examples of whom were the apostles:

     “… TO YOU IT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO KNOW THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD …” (Mark 4:11, NKJV)

     “AND HE APPOINTED TWELVE, TO BE WITH HIM, AND TO BE SENT OUT TO PREACH.”  (Mark 3:14, Revised Standard Version)

     Being able to know the gospel mystery is, therefore, a gift, which has been bestowed only upon the messengers of God and of Christ, like the apostles.  As the only recipients of this gift, they possess the exclusive right and privilege to preach God’s word.  Hence, the message of God can never be proclaimed without them:

    “AND HOW CAN THE MESSAGE BE PROCLAIMED IF THE MESSENGERS ARE NOT SENT OUT?”  (Rom. 10:15, TEV)

     Not only does the Lord Jesus Christ declare that the knowledge of the gospel mystery has been given to His and God’s messengers, but He also at once makes clear that the same has been withheld from those whom He and God did not commissions, so that even if these unsent ones try hard to understand it, they will never be able to.  Christ says:

     “… TO YOU it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; BUT TO THOSE WHO ARE OUTSIDE, all things come in parables, so that “SEEING THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND HEARING THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND …”” (Mark 4:11-12, NKJV)

     The inability of “THOSE WHO ARE OUTSIDE” the divine commissioning to come to the knowledge of the truth—however painstakingly they may try—was similarly pointed out by the Apostle Paul:

     “Ever learning, and NEVER ABLE to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (II Tim. 3:7, King James Version)

     As plain as day, TO “THOSE WHO ARE OUTSIDE,” the Word of God forever REMAINS A “MYSTERY KEPT SECRET,” a helpless situation that automatically denies to them the divine authority to preach it:

     “AND HOW COULD ANYONE SPREAD THE NEWS WITHOUT A COMMISSION TO DO SO? …” (Rom. 10:15,New English Bible)

     That the unschooled fishermen of Galilee were given to “know the mystery,” whereas “THE WISE AND LEARNED,” “WHO ARE OUTSIDE” the divine commissioning “see and perceive … hear and not understand,” explicitly proves that the Bible is indeed NOT AN “OPEN BOOK” but a “MYSTERY KEPT SECRET” by God and revealed EXCLUSIVELY to His messengers, who, in turn, made it known “TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD.” Says Paul:

     “FOR I AM A MINISTER OF THE CHURCH by divine commission, a commission granted to me for your benefit, and for a special purpose:  that I might fully declare God’s Word—that sacred mystery which up till now has been hidden in every age and every generation, but which is NOW AS CLEAR AS DAYLIGHT to those who love God.  They are those to whom God has planned TO GIVE A VISION of the wonder and splendor of his secret plan for the nations.”  (Col. 1:25-27, Phillips Modern English bible)

     The Apostle Paul, one of the very few exceptions for being a messenger of God who was learned, testified that he was granted a “DIVINE COMMISSION” for the “SPECIAL PURPOSE” of “FULLY DECLARING GOD’S WORD.”  He clarified, though, that what he spoke of what not his own wisdom, but the “mysterious secret wisdom” of the Lord God, who sent him:

     “The wisdom we speak of is that MYSTERIOUS SECRET WISDOM OF GOD which he planned before the creation for our glory today.  None of the powers of the world have known this wisdom.” (I Cor. 2:7-8, Ibid.)

‘DO YOU UNDERSTAND

WHAT YOU ARE READING?’

What one particular instance in the first-century Church graphically illustrates the fact that ONLY the messengers of God are GIVEN “TO KNOW THE MYSTERY” and preach it?

     It is the one in which Philip the evangelist was sent by the Holy Spirit to an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of the treasury of the Queen of Ethiopia, to explain to him a passage in the book of the prophet Isaiah:

“An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get ready and go south to the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This road is not used nowadays.)  So Philip got ready and went. Now an Ethiopian eunuch, who was an important official in charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia, was on his way home. He had been to Jerusalem to worship God and was going back home in his carriage. As he rode along, he was reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.  The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that carriage and stay close to it.”  Philip ran over and heard him reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  The official replied,‘HOW CAN I UNDERSTAND, UNLESS SOMEONE EXPLAINS IT TO ME?’ And he invited Philip to climb up and sit in the carriage with him.  The official asked Philip, “Tell me, of whom is the prophet saying this? Of himself or of someone else?”  THEN PHILIP BEGUN TO SPEAK; starting from this passage of scripture, he told him the Good News about Jesus.” (Acts 8:26-31, 34-35, TEV)

     Despite being a man of great authority and intelligence, the Ethiopian eunuch was totally, helplessly ignorant of the passage he was reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah and thus needed guidance from a divinely commissioned preacher, Philip.  When asked by Philip, “Do you understand what you are reading?” the eunuch willingly admitted, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” Philip, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wasted no time and did the explaining right then and there.  Enlightened, the eunuch believed and volunteered to be baptized (Acts 8:36-38).

‘THROUGH THE SPIRIT’

How did the Lord God let His messenger share His mysterious secret then?  NOT “BY MEANS OF THEIR OWN WISDOM,” but “THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT.”

     This is attested to by Apostle Paul:

     “For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him BY MEANS OF THEIR OWN WISDOM.  …” (I Cor. 1:21, TEV)

     And, he further says, “Thus God has, THROUGH THE SPIRIT, let us share his secret.  For nothing is hidden from the Spirit, not even the deep wisdom of God.” (I Cor. 2:10, PMEB).

     In warning about false prophets, Apostle Peter also declares, “NO PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE CAN BE INTERPRETED BY A SINGLE HUMAN MIND. NO PROPHECY CAME BECAUSE A MAN WANTED IT TO:  MEN OF GOD SPOKE BECAUSE THEY WERE INSPIRED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT”  (II Pet. 1:20, Ibid.).

     The validity of these apostolic attestations is manifest in the words of no less than the greatest messenger of God of all time, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  On His own divine commissioning, he says:

     “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, BECAUSE HE HAS CHOSEN ME to bring good news to the poor. HE HAS SENT ME to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.” (Luke 4:18-19, TEV)

     According to the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles, Paul and Peter, the Lord God has let His messengers share His secret through the Holy Spirit, a divine process that saw actual demonstration in Phillip’s evangelizing of the Ethiopian eunuch, most of all in the instance of preaching during the life ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and of His apostles.

     Without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, nobody and nobody will ever be able to know, much less preach, the mystery of God’s Word, for “the depths of God can only be known by the spirit of God” (I Cor. 2:11, Jerusalem Bible).

     License to practice medicine or law is obtainable from the government after the candidates meet all the prerequisites and pass the examinations.  But the authority to preach the Word of God is obtainable only “THROUGH THE SPIRIT” (I Cor. 2:10, PMEB).  It is God, through the Holy Spirit, who gives a person the authority to preach the pure gospel.

     As promised by the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostles undoubtedly received the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).  The people who heard and believed in the gospel as preached by them similarly received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:1-44).  It doesn’t follow, however, that all who receive the Holy Spirit inside the true Church are authorized to preach.  For, as Apostle Paul points out, all true believers, who are baptized into Christ’s body (I Cor. 12:12-31), which is the Church of Christ (Col. 1:18; Rom. 16:16), receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 10:1-48), but not all Church of Christ members receive the authority to preach:

     “Is everyone apostle?  Of course not.  IS EVERYONE A PREACHER?  NO. …”  (I Cor. 12:29, Living Bible)

‘ANOTHER GOSPEL’

Bereft as they are of the Holy Spirit, what then do NON-DIVINELY commissioned preachers do—wittingly or unwittingly—when they preach the Bible?

     They “PERVERT the Gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:7).  “PERVERT” is the word used in the KJV, RSV, NKJV, New International Version, Douay Version, and Young’s Literal Translation.  It is rendered “DISTORT” in the New American Standard Bible, Moffatt Translation, REB, and NEB.  “TWIST and CHANGE” is the translation by the LB, and “CHANGE” by the JB and TEV.

     They actually preach “ANOTHER GOSPEL.”  This is what Apostle Paul said in his admonition to the Galatian Christians as he forewarned them about anyone who would preach a gospel that was different from the one he and the other messengers of God had already preached to them:

     “I MARVEL that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto ANOTHER GOSPEL:  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would PERVERT the gospel of Christ.  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:6-8, KJV)

     Preachers who preach “another gospel” by perverting, distorting, twisting, and changing the true gospel of Christ are, without a doubt, devoid of the Spirit of God.  They are FALSE PREACHERS, about whom Apostle Paul says, “May [they] be condemned to hell!” (Gal. 1:8, TEV)

     Issuing a similar warning on the danger of giving heed to non-divinely commissioned preachers, Apostle Peter says that these preachers, whom he describes as “ignorant and unstable,” “distort” the Scriptures, and he foretells “their own destruction.” Says Peter:

     “… Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.  He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters.  His letters contain some things that are HARD TO UNDERSTAND, which IGNORANT and UNSTABLE PEOPLE DISTORT, as they do the other scriptures, TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION.”  (II Pet. 3:15-16, NIV)

     These preachers’ being “ignorant” of Paul’s letters and the other Scriptures that Apostle Peter speaks of is lucid proof that the knowledge of the gospel mystery is NOT GIVEN to them, that they are “THOSE WHO ARE OUTSIDE” the divine commissioning, and that they are NOT INSPIRED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.  In view of this, Apostle Peter exhorts the Christians, in the succeeding verse, to “BE ON YOUR GUARD SO THAT YOU MAY NOT BE CARRIED AWAY BY THE ERROR OF LAWLESS MEN AND FALL FROM YOUR SECURE POSITION” (II Pet. 3:17, Ibid.).

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CAN FAITH WITHOUT WORKS SAVE?

CAN FAITH WITHOUT WORKS SAVE?

By:  LEVI M. CASTRO

“HE WHO BELIEVES and is baptized,” the Lord Jesus Christ Himself attests, “will be saved” (Mark 16:16, New King James Version).  “… Without faith,” Apostle Paul teaches, “it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6, New International Version).  Faith, indeed, is of utmost importance.  Without it, one cannot properly serve God and be saved.

    But is it right to reduce faith to mere profession of belief in the Lord Jesus Christ? Marvin Galbreath, a Protestant pastor answers:  “Man can be saved only by faith in Christ, not by good works” (20 Centuries of Christianity, p. 32).  Salvation is gained “by faith alone,” echoes J. Leslie Dunstan (Protestantism, p. ix).  But are they correct?  Let’s find out.

FAITH THAT SAVES

According to the Bible, what kind of faith must we possess?  Apostle James teaches that faith must be coupled with works:

     “Do you see that faith was WORKING TOGETHER WITH HIS WORKS, and BY WORKS FAITH WAS MADE PERFECT?

     “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  CAN FAITH SAVE HIM?  (James 2:22, 14, NKJV)

     Faith is “made perfect,” hence, beneficial, only when it is coupled with works.  And by works that go with faith, man is justified or put right with God:

     “MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY WORKS, AND NOT BY FAITH ONLY.”  (James 2:24, Ibid.)

     In contrast, one cannot benefit—hence, will not be saved—if his faith is without works.  Such faith is “DEAD” (James 2:17, Ibid.) or “BARREN” (James 2:20, Revised Standard Version).

     In spite of this biblical truth, proponents of the “faith-alone” doctrine insist that they can prove by means of biblical verses that faith alone is enough for one to be saved.  They point out the following:

     “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9, NKJV)

     After quoting Apostle Paul, they conclude that inasmuch as salvation is a grace from God, therefore, it is not attained through works, failing to see the next verse—Ephesians 2:10—which states that Christians ought to “walk in” or follow good works thus:

     “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  (NKJV)

     They also point out Apostle Paul’s assertion, thus:

     “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith APART FROM THE DEEDS OF THE LAW. ” (Rom. 3:28, Ibid.)

     Again, they FAILED TO SEE that “THE DEEDS OF THE LAW” through which man CANNOT BE  JUSTIFIED in the Christian Era is “THE LAW OF MOSES” which “IS ONLY A SHADOW OF THE GOOD THINGS THAT ARE COMING—not the realities themselves.  For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship” (Heb. 10:1, NIV).

     “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,  which are  A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME, but the substance is of Christ.” (Col. 2:16-17, NKJV)

     In the Christian Era, it is no longer through the observance of the law of Moses—like the religious regulations regarding food, drink, Jewish festivals, Sabbaths, or circumcision—that man could be justified (Gal. 4:9-10; Acts 15:1-2).  In fact, the law of Moses was effective only “UNTIL JOHN [THE BAPTIST]” (Luke 16:16), which is why Romans 3:28 states that “A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH APART FROM THE DEEDS OF THE LAW” (NKJV).

OTHER WORKS THROUGH

WHICH MAN CANNOT

BE SAVED

What else are the works through which man cannot be saved?  The works of righteousness that he has done on his own.  Apostle Paul says:

“NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ...For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” (Titus 3:5, 3), Ibid.)

     A person cannot be justified through works that he believes are righteous BASED ON HIS OWN STANDARDS.  Man, indeed, cannot be justified nor saved on merits of his own works, no matter how good they may appear to be.  This is the reason Apostle Paul asserted that “… those who have believed in God SHOULD BE CAREFUL TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS” (Titus 3:8, Ibid).

     They have a SPECIFIC LAW TO FULFILL—“THE LAW OF FAITH” or “THE LAW OF CHRIST”:

     “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by LAW OF FAITH.” (Rom. 3:31, 27, Ibid.)

     “BEAR ONE ONOTHER’S BURDENS, AND SO FULFILL THE LAW OF CHRIST.” (Gal. 6:2, Ibid.)

JOINING CHRIST’S FOLD OR FLOCK

One of Christ’s commands that anyone who truly wants to be saved should fulfill is to enter the fold or flock through Him:

     “I AM THE DOOR; ANYONE WHO COMES INTO THE FOLD THROUGH ME WILL BE SAFE. …” (John 10:9, Revised English Bible)

     The FOLD or FLOCK in which those who have entered through Christ are gathered is the CHURCH OF CHRIST which He has purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation).  One should be purchased or redeemed by the blood of the Lord to be justified or forgiven of sin and be save (Heb. 9:14, 22; Rom. 5:8-9).  And one can join the true Church by LISTENING TO THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL BY THE MESSENGER, BY BELIEVING IN IT, AND BY BEING BAPTIZED (Mark 16:15-16) “INTO ONE BODY” (I Cor.12:13, NKJV; Col. 1:18) or into the CHURCH OF CHRIST (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation.)

    Therefore, in order for one to fulfill the law of Christ and to benefit from His redemption, HE MUST JOIN OR BECOME A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.  Hence, membership in the true Church Of Christ is EXTREMELY NECESSARY for the attainment of salvation NOT BECAUSE THE CHURCH IS THE SAVIOR BUT BECAUSE IT IS THE ONE THAT CHRIST WILL SAVE (Eph. 5:23, Today’s English Version).

     In order to truly value Christ and possess true faith in Him, one should also understand and believe in the INDISPENSABILITY of His Church to man’s salvation through Him.  Man should respond accordingly by becoming a part of Christ’s body or member of the Church Of Christ.  He should acknowledge the truth that the Savior would not have built His Church (Matt. 16:18),  and would not have given his life for it (Eph. 5:25) were it not important.  Hence, FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ is ALL-IMPORTANT and NECESSARY but that alone is NOT SUFFICIENT for man to attain salvation.  *

Copied from:  PASUGO GOD’S MESSAGE | JULY 2015 | VOLUME 67 | NUMBER 7 | PAGES  40-41

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WHO WILL TEACH US THE TRUTH?

WHO WILL TEACH US THE TRUTH?

By EDWIL D. ZABALA

 

WE LIVE AT a time when religion enjoys unprecedented popularity.  Perhaps in response to our increasingly materialistic society and its shallow value system, many people today sincerely crave for a return to a more spirit-filled lifestyle.  However, as more and more people seek knowledge of the true teachings of the Creator, there is a need for increased vigilance to guard against those who would take advantage of this desire for spiritual guidance.  This echoes Apostle John’s sentiments:

     “Dearly loved friends, don’t always believe everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it really is. For there are many false teachers around.” (I Jn. 4:1, Living Bible)

CLAIMING TO KNOW GOD

Anyone can claim to know God and to speak for Him.  But he has no prove first that he can truly guide people in establishing genuine relationship with the Almighty.  Apostle Paul spoke of how some unscrupulous individuals mislead people:

     “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good..” (Titus 1:16, New International Version)

    

     We need to carefully examine whether a certain preacher is leading us to God.  Unless this is the case, then that preacher does not really know God.  The yardstick by which we should examine a preacher’s teaching is the gospel recorded in the Holy Scriptures.  Apostles Paul says:

     “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” (II Thess. 1:8-9, Ibid.)

     A religious preacher who does or proclaims anything contrary to the true gospel does not really know God.  He himself, being estranged from the Creator, cannot teach true knowledge of Him.  Listening to such a preacher would be to court disaster since the gospel of Christ is God’s righteousness and His power of salvation is revealed in it (Rom. 1:16-17).

CLAIMING TO USE ONLY THE BIBLE

Protestant theologians, claiming to realize the primacy of the gospel contained in the Holy Scriptures, have declared:

     “The Bible, I say, the Bible only, is the religion of the Protestants’ … Hence if a doctrine be propounded for his acceptance, he asks, is it to be found in the Inspired Word? … if it is not found in the Sacred Scriptures, it presents no valid claim to be received as an article of his religious creed, … And he who receives a single doctrine upon the mere authority of tradition, let him be called by what name he will, by so doing, steps down from the Protestant rock” (John Dowling quoted in The Wine of Roman Babylon, p. 40)

     Though admirable in its unyielding stance against man-made and unscriptural traditions, the Protestant movement has fallen victim to another error, with far reaching consequences.  Dr. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut, a Protestant Bible scholar, speaks of a basic right guaranteed to Protestants:

     “The Reformation established the right of private judgment regarding religion and the Bible.” (The Story of the Christian Church, p. 139)

     While preaching the Holy Scriptures above human traditions, the Protestant movement has opened the floodgates to private interpretation of the gospel.  Bernard Ramm, a Protestant professor of theology, tells us of how such freedom can be misused by Protestant pastors and followers alike:

     “It has been said that the Scriptures are like a piano or a violin.  An artist may play any composition he wishes on either of these instruments.  And so Holy Scriptures is such a big book and such a diverse book is lends itself rather easily to the person who wants to impose on it some particular kind of theology.”  (Protestant Biblical Interpretation, 3^rd revised ed. P. 110)

     Explaining what he meant when he said that some individuals could easily impose their own particular kind of theology on the Bible, Professor Ramm continues:

     “This is a real ‘homiletical temptation’ at this point.  The preacher wants the text to be relevant and contemporary.  In order to achieve these purposes he may distort the text in some manner, or misrepresent it, or use it more for a motto than a point of Scriptural reference for his sermon.  This can be done in such a way that it gives the congregation the false impression that his sermon expresses the original meaning of the text.” (Ibid., p. 113)

     A clearly dangerous situation exists.  Many Protestant pastors, including those who claim to be sincere in their acceptance of the teachings found in the Holy Scriptures, are themselves susceptible to the temptation of distorting the biblical message.

    

DISTORTED MESSAGES

However, it may be argued that the possibility of such a distortion taking place is still not proof that distortion has already taken place.  But Vernon Grounds, a Protestant preacher, provides us with the following observation:

     “As I listen to sermons, cassettes, and radio broadcasts, watch television, or read evangelical Sunday school materials, periodicals, and books, I am impressed, but also troubled.

     “While the volume of material is staggering, too much of what is presented to today’s non-Christian, non-churched society is unjustifiably dogmatic.  Unfounded interpretations, gross contradictions of the meaning of biblical passages, and personal opinions are presented as God’s very truth.” (Moody Monthly, October 1986)

     Thus, contrary to their claims of fidelity to the Scriptures, Protestant preachers are equally responsible for spread of unscriptural teachings.  This problem can only grow worse since its cause, the right of private interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, still remains.  They forget that no matter how well thought-out and logical a body of teachings may be, if its conclusions are not directly supported by the truths written in the Holy Scriptures, it is not righteous in the sight of God and is of no value to those who seek God’s gift of salvation.  Apostle Paul maintains that no amount of religious fervor will make up for this serious flaw:

     “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

     “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Rom. 10:2-3, New King James Version)

     Apostle Peter informs us of the dire consequences of distorting the Scriptures.  Those who distort the Scriptures as well as their followers are bound for destruction:

     “He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (II Pt. 3:16, NIV)

     We should beware of religious teachers who are ignorant of the gospel and who seek to establish their own righteousness in place of it.  These impostors do not really subscribe to the truths written in the Holy Scriptures.

THE NEED FOR A TRUE MESSENGER

The Bible proves that for man to arrive at the true understanding of the Scriptures, he needs the instruction of the true messenger of God.  The evangelist Luke provides insight on this matter:

     “So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

     “Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

     ““How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8:27-31, Ibid.)

     Though in possession of the Scriptures and not a pagan, the eunuch was quick to acknowledge his need for instruction in the truths of the Holy Scriptures.  It should be noted that  the Holy Spirit could just as easily have granted wisdom to the eunuch directly, but did not.  Instead, Philip, a true preacher from God, was utilized to enlighten the eunuch with God’s words.  This further shows the gravity of the mistake Protestants have made in proclaiming the so-called right of the individual in interpreting the Holy Scriptures without recourse to the guidance of the true ministers of God.  It is no wonder that Apostle Paul’s warning takes on added urgency today:

     “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,

     “which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

     “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:6-8,  NKJV)

     Protestants, just as everybody else, would do well to remember Apostle Paul’s admonition and seed out the true preachers of the Bible instead of applying their own judgment in supplying personal interpretations to scriptural passages.

SEEK OUT THE TRUE MESSENGERS OF GOD

False preachers exist.  Thus, those wise seek the truth that leads to salvation need to extreme caution when choosing whom they will listen to.  They should reject those who add or preach anything contrary to the Bible.  They should seek out those who have been commissioned to preach the genuine message of God and of Christ.  Apostle Paul speaks of the need for such ministers:

      “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

      “that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

      “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” (II Cor. 5:18-20, Ibid.)

     Unless men listen to one who is an ambassador or messenger genuinely commissioned or sent to preach the truth on God’s words, then they have not yet found the spiritual enlightenment they have been seeking (Rom. 10:14-15).  *

References:

Hurlbut, Jesse Lyman.  The Story of the Christian Church.  Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Zondervan Publishing House, 1970.

Moody Montly, vol. 87, no. 2, October 1986

Ramm, Bernard.  Protestant Biblical Interpretation, 3^rd revised ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Baker Book House, 1993.

Walsh, Mary E.  The Wine of Roman Babylon.  Nashville, Tennessee:  The Southern Publishing Association, 1968.

WE CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO JOIN US IN OUR WORSHIP SERVICES TO OUR ALMIGHTY GOD.

Bible Study Suggestion:
If you have further questions, please feel free to visit the Iglesia ni Cristo congregation nearest you. A minister or an evangelical worker would be happy to answer any biblical question you have in mind.

Directory: http://iglesianicristo.net/directory

THE PROPHECY REGARDING THE CHURCH OF CHRIST THAT EMERGED IN THE PHILIPPINES

THE PROPHECY REGARDING THE 

CHURCH OF CHRIST

THAT EMERGED IN THE PHILIPPINES

After failing to refute the scriptural doctrines being propagated by the Iglesia Ni Cristo, critics of the Church now hurl the challenge:

 “What is the credential of the Church Of Christ which emerged in the Philippines?” This question will be answered in this brief article.

Basically, our Lord Jesus Christ established only one Church. He called it “my church”:

And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church . . . (Matt 16:18, The New Oxford Annotated Bible)

The apostles called Christ’s Church the Church Of Christ:
Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28,Lamsa).

This Church, the Church Of Christ, is composed of three groups of people as written in Acts 2:39:

Because God’s promise is to you and to your children, and even to all those in distant lands and times, to all whom the Lord our God will call (The Last Days Bible).

These three groups of people are referred to by the words “to you,” “to your children,” and “to all those in distant lands and times.”

The first and second groups called by God into the Church Of Christ were the converted Jews and Gentiles as proven in the epistle of Paul to the Romans,
even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles (Rom 9:24).

The Gentiles were called as the “children” due to the preaching of the Gospel by Apostle Paul and Barnabas to the Gentile nations, and there were Gentiles who were converted to the Church Of Christ (Rom 16:4, 16). It should be noted that Paul and Barnabas were Jews. Hence, the Gentiles were called “children” of the Jews, not of the flesh, but in the faith, through the preaching of the gospel (1 Cor 4:15). The first-century Church Of Christ, therefore, was composed of Jews and Gentiles.

However, the Church Of Christ has a third group, the people who are from “distant lands and times” whom our Lord God will also call to the Church. Which is this “far off” place (Acts 2:39) or “distant lands” (TLDB) referred to in the prophecy?
From the far east will I bring your offspring, and from the far west I will gather you (Isa 43:5 Moffatt).

Undoubtedly, the Philippines is in the Far East:
The Philippines were Spain’s share of the first colonizing movements in the Far East (World History, p. 445).

Indeed, it is in the Philippines that the Church Of Christ emerged.
Does Christ recognize the Church Of Christ which emerged in the Philippines as part of His Church? Yes! He categorically attested to this scriptural fact, thus:

I have other sheep too. They are not of this flock here. I must lead them also. They will listen to my voice. In the future there will be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16 ERV).

The members of the Church Of Christ which emerged in the Philippines are the “other sheep” of Christ, but were not of the flock or the Church Of Christ in the first century because in time and place they are truly “far off.” The place is the Philippines, a far country, a country in the Far East, a place truly very far from Jerusalem where the first-century Church Of Christ was established by our Lord Jesus Christ.

How about the time? Is it also “far off” from the time when the first-century Church Of Christ was founded? Prophet Isaiah prophesied concerning the time element involved:

Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth— (Isa 43:5-6).

The time element involved is “ends of the earth.” The end of the earth is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and is also called the end of the world (Matt. 24:3 KJV). However, before the second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, there shall be occurrence of wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes in many places (Matt 24:3, 6-7). All these happenings will occur when Christ’s second coming is at hand (Matt 24:33).

The war predicted by Christ to herald the nearness of His second advent is described by the prophet Isaiah as “the indignation of the LORD,” the manifestation of “His fury against all their armies” (Isa 34:1-2). The instruments of this war are likened to “chariots like a whirlwind” and “horses . . . swifter than eagles” (Jer 4:13). The people during this war cannot hold their peace when they hear the “alarm of war” (Jer 4:19).

History attests that this is the First World War which happened on July 27, 1914:

The first great campaign on the southeastern battle grounds of the Great War began on July 27, 1914, when the Austrian troops undertook their first invasion of Serbia (The Story Of The Great War, Vol. III, p. 923).

History testifies that “the First World War was unlike any war in the past. This was the first war in three dimensions: the first war in which cities were bombed from the air, and winged warriors fought among the clouds” (Boak, Slosson & Anderson, World History, pp. 478-479). This same history book testifies to the use of airplanes, a kind of “aerial cavalry,” “horses swifter than eagles.” The fulfillment of “chariots like whirlwind” are the tanks, a kind of armored automobile which could move even on rough grounds because it was built like a tractor (World History, p. 479, ibid.). 

All of the signs given by Christ to herald His second advent were fulfilled. Hence, the term “ends of the earth” is the time immediately before the second coming of Jesus Christ, starting from the time that the First World War began. Thus, the Church Of Christ which emerged in the Philippines, a country in the Far East, in 1914, is the fulfillment of the prophecy written in the Holy Scriptures.

Regarding the expansion of the Church Of Christ from the Far East to the Far West, this, too, is attested to by prophecy and its fulfillment in due time:

From the far east will I bring your offspring, and from the far west I will gather you.

Till in the far west men have awe of the Eternal, and in the east they see his brilliant deeds (Isa 43:5; 59:19 Moffatt).

On July 27, 1968, the Church Of Christ began its expansion from the Philippines to the western hemisphere, and is now firmly established in many parts of the world.

Source:  KKKK

WE CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO JOIN US IN OUR WORSHIP SERVICES TO OUR ALMIGHTY GOD.

Bible Study Suggestion:
If you have further questions, please feel free to visit the Iglesia ni Cristo congregation nearest you. A minister or an evangelical worker would be happy to answer any biblical question you have in mind.

Directory: http://iglesianicristo.net/directory