by Randal Matheny

[Note: The following is a slightly revised post I made to a discussion list. I removed the names and a few references, to protect us all. So the style is very much a chat, but I don't think you lose anything in the flow of it.]

Just from the various posts, one can see the differing views about the gospel of Christ. I am pleased that on such a sensitive subject everyone at this discussion board is irenic and pleasant. That's a spirit we all want to preserve, whatever the topic. Now, I might wish that we could just believe whatever we wanted about Christ and let things go at that. Except that my opinion is not worth a hoot, because, as a limited human being full of error, I just don't know what I need to know.

So I appreciate what several others have said about the importance of studying the Bible. Especially about getting a concordance and doing your own study. In God's eyes, the Beareans were more "noble" than the Thessalonians because they studied the Scriptures for themselves to see if the things being preached (and that by the apostle Paul! -- though they didn't know him from Adam) were actually so (Acts 17:11).

Also, the emphasis on Jesus death, burial and ressurrection is right on. That's the central element of the faith (see, for example, Acts 2:14-47, Romans 1:14-17, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 15:1-7; 1 Peter 2:21-25, 3:18). Everything tied to it is of highest importance. And two of the commandments tied directly to his death that we need to give close attention to are baptism (Romanos 6:1-14, Mark 16:15-16) and the Lord's Supper (Matthew 26:26-30, Acts 20:7).

Speaking of commandments, I appreciated also the emphasis on receiving the gospel by faith and not trying to earn our salvation by works (see Ephesians 2:1-10). Paul is clear on that in Romans and Galatians. No one is good enough to get God's approval.

At the same time, it's important for us to realize that works of righteousness are very different from obedience to the gospel commands. As one small example, here's Hebreus 5:9: "and, once made perfect, he [Jesus] became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him." Jesus, I think most will agree except the univeralists, does not save everybody. He can and desires to save all. But he won't against our will. This verse affirms that, like 1 Timothy 4:10, God "is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe." He can save all. He will save those who believe. The text cited above from Hebrews brings us the truth also that believing implies obedience. Jesus saves those -- and only those -- who obey him. That means I need to know what he did on the cross, what my sins do to me, and what I need to do to receive the gospel.

Now, I've been giving you some passages of the Bible, because everything I do in the gospel has to have a basis in Scripture. We have to let Scripture speak for itself, and not depend on some person's interpretation, as Gail well said. Of course, even the devil quotes Scripture, so somebody reeling off a bunch of passages is no guarantee. We have to check (concordance again) how the Bible uses its own words, the context, who's speaking, all that common sense stuff so often ignored.

So I hope these words will encourage you not to take anybody's word for it, not even mine. This subject of faith is so serious, more so than many would let on. It's not like picking a car to buy, because a Ford or Chevrolet or Honda or whatever will (usually) get us there. But because of the eternal nature of the gospel, let's make sure we've got the real thing (Galatians 1).

This post is lengthy, but I trust it may be helpful to you. Be sure my prayers go up in your behalf.