Theology Club: Grace Revealed - From Grace Ambassadors Ministry Update -

patrick jane · Mar 30, 2018

1 Corinthians 15:33-58 KJV -

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

patrick jane · Mar 31, 2018

Don’t Hide the Cross Behind Holy Week

By Justin Johnson

Every year Christians are told to take a week off from preaching the cross to reenact events that happened before anyone understood it. They call this week Holy Week.

You are told to be part of the kingdom palm waving crowd on Palm Sunday, but were not those the same people who consented to his death later in the week?
On Holy Monday and Tuesday you are told to place yourself in the sandals of the disciples listening to Jesus’ ministry to the circumcision (Rom 15:8), but the disciples did not understand the cross and were afraid to ask him about it.

On Spy Wednesday many participate in processions reenacting the events of Judas betrayal by wearing capirotes and carrying around religious statues and icons, but wouldn’t we not want to reenact that dark night of betrayal?

Even though Christians are called children of light and ought not hide the gospel (2 Cor 4:3-4), Maundy Thursday is the beginning of three holy days of darkness called Tenebrae where the Eucharist is hidden under a blanket, crosses and Bibles are hidden in churches, and God’s love expressed in the cross is hidden behind the ritual of foot washing and symbolic candles.

You are told that Good Friday is the day for sorrowful reflection, fasting, and mourning over the death of Jesus, but isn’t that contrary to glorying in the cross as Paul does (Gal 6:14)? Perhaps reflection ought to be spent on how three days fit between Friday and the end of Black Saturday.

Holy Week ends with Sunday sunrise services talking about the climax of the empty tomb and resurrection putting an end to the darkness of the week before, that is, until next year.

Children often ask the important question the apostles asked as well, “why did Jesus have to die?”, but Holy Week is over and resurrection is the end. There is no explanation from the traditionalists except that is what happened according to scripture.

Two thousand years ago no one understood the good news of the cross at any time during that week (John 20:8-9; Luke 18:33-34), but that doesn’t stop religious persons from telling you to follow Jesus through Holy Week which comes and goes leaving more questions than answers.

The reason why is found in the the revealed mystery, the gospel of the grace of God, given by the resurrected Lord when he returned after the Easter pageants end and shined light on the apostle Paul for you and me to understand his will.

“Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel” – 2 Timothy 2:8

Every year people forget what this scripture says.
The annual religious recreation of a week of ignorance of the cross, darkness, and sorrowful morning has worked to undermine the grace ministry of understanding, light, and rejoicing in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The gospel of grace of God does not end with the death and resurrection, it begins there. Our gospel of Christ should never be hid in darkness, behind symbols, or expressed in religious rituals.

Never take a week off from preaching the glory of the cross, not even for religious holy days.

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18

Top of the Page
Article Index
Published: March 31, 2018
Last Modified: March 31, 2018
Related posts:

-You Do Not Need Holy Sabbath Days
-The Cross According to Prophecy and Mystery
-Every Day God
-Verse List: The Twelve Did Not Preach the Cross
-Holy Days of Obligation
-Advent of What?
-The Preaching of the Cross

patrick jane · Apr 1, 2018

He Is Risen !!! Have a great day TOL - We're having a roast -

patrick jane · Apr 2, 2018

[FONT=&quot]When Can Works Justify[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]By Justin Johnson[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The opposite of faith is doubt. Faith is always required for salvation. Doubt towards God in salvation is unacceptable. Likewise, grace from God is always needed for salvation. Our good works are but filthy rags before a righteous God and also are unable to save us; we need God’s grace.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]But there remains confusion about where in the plan of salvation do ‘works’ come into play. The confusion enters when the plain verse from James 2:24 is compared with the plain verse in Romans 4:5.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” – James 2:24[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. ” – Romans 4:5[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]These are theological opposites. Some might call it a contradiction. Pastors are told in seminaries that the contradiction is only imaginary and that they mean the same thing; black is white; up is down. I don’t buy it.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The theological opposite of justification by faith and works is justification by faith without works, just as the verses suggest.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The plain reading of these two verses present a seemingly irreconcilable contradiction unless we understand the fact that James did not believe the same gospel that was given to Paul.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Paul presents his faith in Romans 3 which is placed in the propitiatory work of Christ on the cross. His blood offered as payment for our sins (Romans 3:24-25). Since his faith was in the finished work of Christ there is nothing else for the sinner to do but to believe.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. ” – Romans 3:26[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Of course, James could not have understood this mystery information as the book of James was most likely written before any contact with Paul and the gospel of the grace of God.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]James’ faith is described as the belief in the one God, Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and in doing every part of the law with mercy (James 2:13).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. ” – James 1:22[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” – James 2:19[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]After all, Jesus taught doing the commandments if you truly had faith: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:” (John 14:21)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Although works could never in themselves save sinful humanity, they were required under the law for the obedience of faith. Since James’ faith was in the obedience of the law according to the commands of the Messiah, then a faith in works without works would be vain indeed.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Works were needed for justification before the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thank God that now we have been delivered from the curse of the law and we now know it is the work of Christ paying for our sins on the cross that justifies the ungodly by faith alone! Put your faith in the living Jesus Christ and his blood atonement for your sins.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top of the Page[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Article Index[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Published: October 27, 2008[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Last Modified: May 4, 2016[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Related posts:[/FONT]

-By Faith and Through Faith
-Is Faith Without Works Dead?
-What is the Gift of God
-Works Never Saved Anyone
-Abraham, Father of Us All
-Did Paul Preach A Different Gospel?
-The Most Common Response to Grace

patrick jane · Apr 4, 2018

“Repent and Do Works”

By Justin Johnson

“But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” –Acts 26:20

Acts 26 is an unnecessary source of confusion for students of Pauline truth. For example, in Acts 26:20 Paul says that he taught Jews and Gentiles to repent and turn to God and do works. Yet, we know that Paul taught the gospel of Christ’s free righteousness imputed unto us without our works.

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” – Romans 4:5

Is Paul teaching a works based message? Is this evidence that Paul taught the same as the works of Jesus and Peter in Matthew through Acts?
Of course not.

Repent and Turn to God
The confusion begins with a wrong definition of the word “repent”, which does not mean to “turn from your sins”, or to “stop sinning”, or “promise to live a better life”. Repent simply means a change of mind.

This is what it meant when the prophets told Israel to change their mind and hearts about disobeying the law, else God’s wrath would be invoked.

This is what it meant when John, Jesus, and Peter charged Israel to change their mind about the coming of the Lord. While they were living in sin thinking the end would not come, they were told of the “last days” and the coming of the Lord to set up his kingdom.

This is what it meant when Paul exhorted his brethren to change their mind about Jesus, and to the Gentiles to change their mind about sin and “dumb idols”.

The admonition to “repent and turn to God” is an appropriate message since the beginning of the world. All men are called to change their mind about their own sin and turn their mind and hearts to God.
Every gospel message includes this generic teaching.

However, what is conspicuous by its absence is the will of God in the present dispensation. That is, the preaching of the cross for salvation is missing from this verse. Paul leaves it out in his apt defense unto a Hebrew-friendly king and Jewish prosecutors.

Works Meet for Repentance
While some would make a big ado about the works meet for repentance that Paul mentions, this is no more than the good works that God has always called his people to do.

Before the flood, Noah preached righteous living. Moses taught good works under the law. Jesus and the Twelve taught good works in their ministry to Israel. Paul also encourages us unto good works in the dispensation that does not require works for salvation.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” – Titus 2:14

Just as God’s message to mankind has always included a change of mind about sin and towards the will of God, what follows is the exhortation to do good works.

At no time, including this dispensation of grace, does God fail to encourage good works. Although, in this dispensation alone works are excluded as part of the faith unto salvation.

So then, to the law abiding prosecution, and the king familiar with the righteous teachings of the law of the Jews, Paul explains that he was not teaching lawlessness or disobedience to God.
This in no way contradicts Paul’s message in his epistles, nor does it conflate the mystery of Christ with the prophetic message to Israel.

Top of the Page
Article Index

Published: December 3, 2011
Last Modified: March 24, 2017Related posts:

-What Does it Mean to Repent?
-What Is Repentance?
-Changing Your Mind
-Works Never Saved Anyone
-What Happened in Mid-Acts?
-What No Law Can Do
-Man Always Saved by God’s Grace

patrick jane · Apr 5, 2018

[h=1]GRACE AMBASSADORS
MINISTRY UPDATE[/h]
April 22nd, 2017

[h=2]Learning the World's Wisdom[/h]"The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain." - 1 Cor 3:20

God knew the thoughts of the philosophers and wise men of the world before they had them.

God gave Solomon more wisdom and wealth than any other. Solomon spent half his life searching for "what profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?" (Ecc 1:3)

What did he find? ... The same thing God already knew.

"Behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit." - Ecc 1:14

Solomon lived before the greatest historical philosophers man has ever known, but he already knew the end of their thoughts.

If you are looking for worldly experience and thoughts from the wise about life under the sun, without all the bad consequences and wasted time of doing it yourself, then learn from Solomon's observations in Ecclesiastes as an old man who has been there and done that.

If you are looking for truth and what is profitable to man in this life and the next, then learn from the words of the Lord Jesus Christ recorded by the apostle Paul:

"In [Christ] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." - Col 2:3

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable..." - 2 Tim 3:16

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." - Col 2:8

"...forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." - 1 Cor 15:58

What Paul knew was revealed by Christ from heaven. It was a mystery kept secret from Solomon and every philosopher today looking only under the sun.

For Truth,

Justin "not in vain" Johnson
[h=2]The Judgment Seat of Christ[/h]Every person will stand before the Lord in judgment. Yes, even those that trust the gospel of the grace of God. After all, Christ is our Head, why wouldn't we as members of his body be accountable to him?

Read More

[h=2]The Lost Sheep of Israel[/h]Ever since God led his chosen nation out of Egypt Israel was named the special flock of God. The flock of God and the sheep of the Lord were the men of Israel as the chosen people separate from the Gentiles. Whereever you find sheep in the Bible, you will not find the Body of Christ.

Read More

[h=2]Was Peter Cursed by Paul[/h]was Peter to be accursed because of what Paul said in Gal 1:9? This is where the boogie man jumps out, screams "aHa!" and convinces me everything I know is wrong, right? ... Not exactly.

Read More

[h=2]Audio: The Bride of Christ[/h]While the Bible does teach about the bride of the Lamb, I would have to agree with the Baptist Briders in that I am not the bride, and neither are they.

Read More

[h=2]UPCOMING SCHEDULE[/h]Sunday, 4/23
10:00am - Q&A and News
11:00am - Basic Dispensational Lessons - Part VI - Heaven & Earth

Tuesday, 4/25
7:00pm - Ecclesiastes 7

Visit us in person!
Read 'What to Expect'
Get Directions

[h=2]OUR MISSION[/h]Grace Ambassadors exists to clearly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, encourage Bible belief, and edify the church by teaching mid-Acts Pauline dispensational right division.
(Read more about us)

Find more free resources at www.graceambassadors.com

[h=2]THE GOSPEL THAT SAVES[/h]"I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved ... how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

- 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJB)

patrick jane · Apr 8, 2018

[h=1]GRACE AMBASSADORS
MINISTRY UPDATE[/h]
April 7th, 2018
Know the Problem

People who do not see the problem will not understand the solution. Another solution will work just as well for them.

If we clearly explain the problem then the true solution becomes necessary.

Knowledge of the problems in Pentecostalism and Acts 28ism demands the Mid-Acts answer.

Revealing contradictions in your Bible necessitates dispensationalism.

When emotionalism fails is when doctrine becomes important. The knowledge of sin in the law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.

When you want someone to know the answer. Start with the problem.

For His glory,

Justin Curtis Johnson

[h=2]Paul, an Apostle[/h]There were apostles before Paul, but something unprecedented happened on the road to Damascus that is worthy of your consideration though most of Christianity ignores its significance.

Read More
[h=2]Matthew 24 is Not My Future[/h]If we are looking for the sign’s of God’s judgment then we should be telling people to flee and fear as the Lord does in Matthew 24, but none of these things can happen while God is offering free salvation to the world in this dispensation on terms of peace.

Read More
[h=2]Taking the Mystery out of Understanding God’s Will[/h]Christianity has become a hundred buses driving in different directions with no destination. Does anybody driving know where we should be going? I have my doubts.

Read More
[h=2]Audio: How We Choose Verses[/h]Nobody can obey every instruction in the Bible, because there are contradictory instructions and verses that seem to teach very different things. Learn the three principles needed to rightly choose a verse and divide it from another.

Read More
[h=2][/h]
[h=2]OUR MISSION[/h]Grace Ambassadors exists to clearly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, encourage Bible belief, and edify the church by teaching mid-Acts Pauline dispensational right division.
(Read more about us)

Find more free resources at www.graceambassadors.com
[h=2]THE GOSPEL THAT SAVES[/h]"I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved ... how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

- 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJB)

patrick jane · Apr 10, 2018

Did Paul Preach A Different Gospel?

By Justin Johnson - http://graceambassadors.com/salvation/did-paul-preach-a-different-gospel

Although every man at any time is saved by the grace of God through faith, the content of faith differs from one dispensation to the next. That is, the message that is offered and believed for righteousness and salvation varies according to God’s progressive revelation.

As discussed in ‘What are the different gospels in the Bible?’ various people at sundry times were counted righteous as a result of faithful obedience to separate messages.

Where Abraham was counted righteous as a result of his obedience of faith to a promised nation, Moses taught the obedience of faith in the law for righteousness (Genesis 15:6, Deut 6:25). John the Baptist taught water baptism for remission of sins, and Jesus taught the ‘seeking the kingdom’ as a gospel worthy of righteousness (Mark 1:4, Matt 6:33).

Later the disciples witnessed the death and resurrection of the Messiah and testified of the endurance of the saints for attaining salvation (1 Peter 1:7-9). The message taught by Peter, James, and John was that Jesus was the promised Son of God, and whomever believed this truth and followed the commandments would be counted worthy of eternal life (Acts 3:26, 1 John 5:12).

Righteousness with the law
Since the beginning ministry of John the Baptist, the disciples taught the necessary obedience of faith to the covenant laws for righteousness. Although faith was always required for justification, it was the active obedience of faith to God’s instructions that would gain a righteous standing before God.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus taught, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20)

James says, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17).
John says, “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (1 John 3:7).

Even the New Covenant promised to ‘write the laws in your hearts’ and ‘cause you to do them’ (Heb 8:10, Eze 36:27).
Therefore it was no surprise when if anyone failed to keep the strict standard of righteousness taught by Christ, then they would be condemned! [See ‘What is the New Covenant’]

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” – 1 John 3:9

“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” – Hebrews 10:26-27

Righteousness without the law
However, Paul taught the contrary. Instead of preaching the obedience of faith towards the law for righteousness, he taught righteousness by faith only.

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested …” – Romans 3:21

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” – Romans 4:5

In his exposition of salvation, Paul explains that we are reconciled to God while we were his enemies, disobeying the commandments and ‘strangers from the covenants’ (Eph 2:12).

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” – Romans 5:10

Whereas under the message of the disciples righteousness was indicated by their deeds, Paul’s message indicates righteousness as a product of the work of Christ on the cross imputed upon those that believe (Romans 3:22-24, 2 Cor 5:21).

A Different gospel
Based upon the necessary conditions for righteousness, we can see that Paul not only taught a different message but a different gospel than the disciples. Whereas, the disciples taught faith in the Christ as the Son of God and commandment-keeping as their standard for righteousness, Paul revealed a message of trusting the function of the death and resurrection for justification (Romans 3:24-25).

Peter taught the crucifixion as the ultimate example of unjust persecution (Acts 2:23, 1 Peter 2:20-24). However, the blood of Christ was something that was necessary for the glory of the gospel preached by Paul (Col 1:14, Romans 3:24).

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” – Gal 6:14

He taught the faith in Christ’s righteous atonement that grants justification apart from any works of the law (Romans 4:5). This message and gospel of grace is first taught by the Apostle Paul as it was revealed to him by Christ for he had not learned it from the disciples (Gal 1:11-12).

Misunderstanding this gospel distinction is the cause of so much confusion about salvation. To become assured of our eternal destination, a proper understanding of the righteousness without the law is needed.

Top of the Page
Topical Index Page
Published: Thursday, May 18th, 2006
Last Modified: April 1, 2016Related posts:

-The Many Gospels of the Bible
-Handling Gospel Transition
-When Can Works Justify
-Ignorant Abraham and His Righteousness
-By Faith and Through Faith
-The First to Preach the Gospel
-Did Peter Preach Paul’s Gospel at Pentecost?

patrick jane · Apr 13, 2018

A Gospel Without the Cross

By Justin Johnson

Let’s start with a cliché: the word gospel means good news (something we don’t hear much of these days).

Meanwhile, there are multiple times in the Bible that God’s messengers bear good news (‘good tidings’ is the Biblical phrase). The news is not always the same. The news is not always good for everyone.

Not every gospel in the Bible is yours.

John the Baptist and Jesus, in his earthly ministry, taught the gospel of the kingdom. The good news was that the long promised kingdom to Israel was finally “at hand”, it was “nigh”.

“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” – Mark 1:14-15

Without the Cross

Salvation according to the gospel of the kingdom meant deliverance from the unrighteous rulers all over the world. God’s people, and the faithful nations, would be ruled by God’s Messiah in obedient Israel.

What is certain is that the gospel of the kingdom did not require knowledge of the cross of Christ, not to mention understanding what it meant.

In Luke 9:1-2 Jesus gave power to his disciples and sent them to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Nine chapters later, Jesus tells the same disciples that he must die, and they were clueless about it.

“And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.” – Luke 18:34

The preaching of the gospel of the kingdom is without the preaching of the cross.

The Gospel of the Cross

However, Paul’s gospel does include the cross, moreover, it is the preaching of the cross.

“I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you…By which also ye are saved,… how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” – 1 Cor 15:1-4

The disciples in the red letters were ignorant of the gospel of the cross. Yet the preaching of the cross is the power of God unto salvation for the church today (1 Cor 1:18).

Rightly Dividing the Gospels

As a result, a fundamental thesis of mid-Acts Pauline right division is established.

The gospel taught by Peter and the Lord in his earthly ministry was without the cross. Nobody could be saved in Matthew-John by the gospel of the cross, which is the only gospel that brings salvation to all men today.

Today, preaching the gospel without the cross is vain (1 Cor 1:17-18). There are other gospels in the Bible given to Israel that are without the cross. They would not be vain according to God’s promises to Israel, but they need to be rightly divided from the gospel that saves into the church.

God is not bringing in his kingdom to Israel today, but he is ministering the good news of Christ crucified and resurrected for the sins of all men. A gospel without the cross is no gospel to lost sinners. The only gospel that saves today requires the cross of Christ.

Top of the Page
Article Index
Published: July 6, 2013
Last Modified: March 7, 2018
Related posts:

-The Gospel Missing in John
-The Twelve Did Not Preach the Cross
-The Baptism Gospel
-The First to Preach the Gospel
-Did Jesus Preach the Cross for Salvation?
-The Cross as Bad News
-The Cross According to Prophecy and Mystery

patrick jane · Apr 14, 2018

[h=1]GRACE AMBASSADORS
MINISTRY UPDATE[/h]
April 14th, 2018
Convinced People

Imagine trying to persuade someone at the airport to switch their destination to match yours. How ludicrous! They already bought the ticket, checked the luggage, and are about to board their own plane. They were convinced of their destination when they showed up.

This is what its like to evangelize someone with strong opinions contrary to the Bible.

Wouldn’t it be better to find someone not yet persuaded and talk to them about your destination? Of course. People not persuaded are easier to teach a new thing. (Be fully persuaded.)

However, if you meet someone with strong opinions don’t try to sell them another ticket. It will end in an argument or debate, and will waste your time.

Your approach with people of strong opinions should change from teaching to listening. Ask questions and let them speak. The more they talk the less persuaded they may become if you ask the right questions. Resist the temptation to answer for them.

If you can’t listen to them, then leave. It’s not our job to argue with everyone, but to make all men see (Eph 3:9). Some people aren’t looking, so, move on.

You can’t convince someone against their will. So, don’t try to convince them. Listen or leave.

For His glory,

Justin "convictions" Johnson

[h=2]Your Child-Like Faith Needs to Grow Up[/h]Too many times people give the excuse not to study because supposedly God wants us to have “faith like a child." The problem is that the Bible never says we should have faith like a child.

Read More

[h=2]The Sign of the Time[/h]While many see the signs of the times in the modern headlines, an old Bible teacher rightly said that we do not see the signs of the time, because we do not live in the times of the sign. That teacher was dispensational.

Read More

[h=2]The Number One Killer of Grace Ministries[/h]It comes in different forms and is not always apparent, but Paul gave strong warning and instruction to Timothy to avoid this sure fire way to destroy what would otherwise be an effective ministry for God.

Read More
[h=2]OUR MISSION[/h]Grace Ambassadors exists to clearly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, encourage Bible belief, and edify the church by teaching mid-Acts Pauline dispensational right division.
(Read more about us)

Find more free resources at www.graceambassadors.com

[h=2]THE GOSPEL THAT SAVES[/h]"I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved ... how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

- 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJB)

patrick jane · Apr 15, 2018

[FONT=&quot]The Gospel Missing in John[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]By Justin Johnson[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The purpose verse for the book of John is John 20:31.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” – John 20:31[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
John did not write his book as an historical narrative of every word or deed of Jesus. He confesses that there are many things that Jesus did that he did not write (John 20:31). He left them out because John is not an historical narrative, it is written to prove that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. This was John’s gospel.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]John’s gospel was the gospel of the name of Jesus. This was also the gospel preached in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The gospel missing in John is the gospel given to the Church today for eternal life.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Gospel of Jesus’ Name[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Before entering the promised kingdom it was important for covenant Israel to correctly identify their Messiah and follow him.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The good news to Israel in Matthew-John was that the Messiah had come and was identified by the greatest of the prophets as Jesus of Nazareth.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Jesus had been sent from God to minister to God’s chosen people: Israel (John 1:11).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Whosoever believed in the authority (name) of Jesus, as sent from God to be King of Israel, and followed him into the kingdom would find life (John 5:24).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Whosoever denied the name (authority) of Jesus as the Messiah would not find life, even if they claimed to be a part of covenant Israel.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Messiah king of Israel would be given power to grant life and take it away (John 5:21).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What’s His Name?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This gospel of the kingdom and the name of Jesus can be found also in the three narratives of the Lord’s ministry.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]At the turning point in Jesus’ earthly ministry, he asks a question evaluating how successful their preaching of the gospel of his name had been.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” – Matthew 16:13[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Their ministry would have been a success if the overwhelming response of Israel was, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Instead, only his few disciples believed this.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Rejected Messiah[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Eventually Israel rejected their Messiah, and crucified him instead of welcoming him as King.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A dead king, a dead Messiah, was no Messiah at all.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Yet, the authority of Jesus was not yet finished. As he was indeed the Son of God, and death had no power over him, he resurrected and commissioned the apostles to continue preaching the kingdom and the king, the gospel of his name.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Messiah of Israel left and ascended to heaven, and would return in the future to judge and make war in establishing his kingdom (Acts 3:21).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]But the apostles continued to preach the gospel of the name. Jesus was truly the Messiah of Israel, and his resurrection proved it.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Missing Gospel[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Jesus is the Christ, and he is the Son of God. He is the promised Messiah to Israel, and yet he has not yet returned to setup his kingdom as Peter preached at Pentecost.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Instead, the kingdom ministry of the twelve apostles was interrupted by an unknown return of the Lord to give to Paul a dispensation of the gospel (1 Cor 9:17).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Lord returned to his chief persecutor to further reveal another gospel for salvation sent to all men. The gospel of his name has been superseded by the gospel of the grace of God.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This greater gospel includes the good news of the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection for salvation, which Paul calls the preaching of the cross (1 Cor 1:18).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]How could the cross be good news? The answer is in the revelation of the mystery of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 2:7-8, Rom 16:25).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The mystery of Christ is that he is not only the Messiah to Israel, but is the Saviour to all, Jew and Gentile, without Israel’s kingdom, Israel’s law, and without Israel’s faith (Rom 11:32).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]While Israel would be saved by Jesus name as the promised kingdom Messiah, the world can now receive the gift of eternal life by what Jesus did on our behalf on the cross.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Through his death on the cross sins could be forgiven, death could be destroyed, and eternal life freely given to Gentiles who were never given a promise from God (Eph 3:6).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Conclusion[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The gospel of his name found in John 20:31 was the theme of the Lord’s earthly ministry to Israel in the book of John. Not one verse in John mentions the mystery gospel of the glory of the cross (Gal 6:14).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]There is a difference between the gospel of his name, and the gospel of his finished work on the cross. John’s gospel of his name does not include the good news of his death, burial, and resurrection as found in the mystery of Christ later given to Paul.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]For this more glorious gospel we must continue reading in our Bible to Paul’s ministry (starting with his epistle to the Romans), where the Lord returned to reveal the manifold wisdom of God (Eph 3:9-10).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]While John 20:31 will always be a true testimony of who Jesus is, it will always be missing the gospel that saves today which concerns what Jesus did for us.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top of the Page[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Article Index[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Published: March 2, 2013[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Last Modified: February 7, 2018[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Related posts:[/FONT]

-John’s Gospel: Proof Jesus was God
-The First to Preach the Gospel
-What About John 3:16
-Handling Gospel Transition
-A Gospel Without the Cross
-The Gospel According to Paul
-Did Paul Preach A Different Gospel?

patrick jane · Apr 15, 2018

The New Covenant Can Rob You

By Justin Johnson

Have you ever signed something without knowing what you were getting into? Don’t!

This is a sure recipe for getting robbed.

Sure, it’s a free trial* until next month when they automatically bill you for $39.95 (per month). Been there? Me, too.

God is not a cheater, but many pastors will cheat you of your riches in Christ when they wrongly put you back under Israel’s covenants.

Old Covenant Warnings

Consider the Presbyterian pastor who puts you under the old covenant given to Moses. He might attract you with the covenanted promises of blessing when you obey, but he will wait until <strike>tithe</strike> tax season to warn you about the curses that come if you fail to comply.

Know ye not that you are “not under the law” (Rom 6:14), you are at liberty from its bondage (Gal 5:1), and that Christ was made a curse for us (Gal 3:13)?

Under the old covenant you are obligated to a required tithe, or else you have robbed God and can be cursed (Mal 3:8). If you can be cursed, you have been robbed of Christ by your pastor putting you under the old covenant.

When you accepted old covenant preaching for the physical blessings it promised, you didn’t know what you were getting into. Beware. You need something better than the old covenant.

New Covenant Warnings

Hebrews describes something far better than the old covenant: the new covenant (Heb 8:6-8). The Baptist preacher says the old covenant was inadequate, but the new covenant requires Christ, and is better in most every way.

Be careful before you get robbed.

You say, “What’s wrong with the new covenant?”

Nothing, if you are a Hebrew whose salvation is incomplete, ignorant of the mystery, waiting and laboring to receive your promised blessings in an earthly kingdom.

Know ye not that, if you believe, you have atonement now (Rom 5:11), forgiveness now (Eph 1:8), salvation as a present possession (1 Cor 1:18), a completed position in Christ (Col 2:10), and have all sufficient grace right now by the gospel (Eph 1:3; 2 Cor 12:9)?

The new covenant is promised salvation for Israel. Since their covenant has not yet been complete, Israel’s salvation is incomplete today (Heb 8:11-13; Rom 11:25-27). Their forgiveness, grace, day of atonement, and complete salvation provided by Christ is yet future (Acts 3:19; 1 Pet 1:13).

Is the new covenant better than the old? Yes, in that it requires Christ. Is it complete? Not yet.

If you are put under the new covenant it robs you of your complete standing and present possession of the unsearchable riches of God’s grace (Eph 3:8).

When you accepted new covenant teaching of the Hebrew epistles for the Christ it taught, you didn’t know what you were getting into. Forewarned is forearmed. You need something better if you want to possess complete and finished salvation now.

Things Excellent

Paul prays that the Philippians would “approve things that are excellent” (Phil 1:10). This is what you need to do before you accept any covenant teaching your pastor tries to pull over your eyes.

What is better than the old covenant? The new covenant. What is better than the new covenant today? The mystery of Christ excels where we find the dispensation of God’s grace offered freely to you.

The church today is not operating under Israel’s covenants which are either inadequate or incomplete.

If you are saved by the gospel of Christ today, you receive salvation now freely by grace through faith in the blood, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and all the unsearchable riches that come with that according to the mystery.

Why contract for something you already have for free?

Don’t let anyone beguile you of your reward with talk of shadows and types of Hebrew prophecy or judgments according to Israel’s laws (old or new).

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” – Col 2:17

You are in a mystery Body, not a covenant. If you are saved today and have the unsearchable riches of God’s grace be careful of being robbed of your riches by signing up for one of Israel’s covenants.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Find more about the New Covenant here, and in our Hebrewsstudies.

Top of the Page
Article Index
Published: May 28, 2016
Last Modified: May 31, 2016
Related posts:

-Promise in Christ or in a Covenant
-Differences Between the Old Covenant, New Covenant, and the Fellowship of the Mystery
-Unsearchable Riches
-Without Israel, Without Covenants, Without the Law
-Are We Under Any Covenants?
-Losing Salvation in Hebrews
-Israel’s Future Salvation

patrick jane · Apr 16, 2018

Differences Between the Old Covenant, New Covenant, and the Fellowship of the Mystery

By Justin Johnson

The old covenant, new covenant, and the fellowship of the mystery all describe different ways in which people receive God’s blessings.

Ignoring the differences causes people to claim blessings or curses belonging to someone else, miss blessings belonging to them, and resort to sundry religious behaviors they think invoke God’s blessing.

What are the differences between the old covenant, new covenant, and the fellowship of the mystery?

Old Covenant

The easiest place to start is with the old covenant, or the Law of Moses. This law was intended to be a blessing to the world through Israel’s separation and obedience.

The law was declared to be their righteousness if Israel performed all that God instructed. It would also be a curse if they disobeyed, and it was this latter lesson that Israel would learn. They could not keep the law, and required a multitude of sacrifices to cover their sin.

Israel as a channel of God’s blessing was not done away by their failure to keep the law.

God had made promises to the fathers of Israel to make Israel the nation through which the world would be blessed. The promises of God cannot be revoked because Israel did not fulfill them by their own power.

Old Covenant
Israel is a nation separate from the Gentiles
The law given to obey
Covenant to make Israel the channel of blessing to the world
New Covenant

Israel was given promises from God to be the nation through which the world would be blessed. The old and new covenants were both intended to fulfill this promise. This is why both the old and new covenants are made with the house of Israel and Judah (Jer 31:31; Heb 8:10-11).

Both the old covenant and the new covenant include the law, priests, a kingdom, and sacrifices for sin. Both were intended to provide the blessing of the world through Israel.

Both are the subject of prophecy, and were not part of God’s mystery kept secret since the world began.

The new covenant was made better for Israel in that God would perform all that they could not do on their own. He would be the better priest, he would give the Spirit to cause them to keep the law, and he would send Christ to establish the kingdom.

The new covenant is merely the old covenant blessing, the promises to the fathers, made possible through the provision of God (John 1:17).

Whereas the old covenant emphasized man’s performance, the new covenant was God performing for Israel what they could not. The old failed to fulfill the promises, but the new would not fail (Heb 8:7-10).

Old Covenant

New Covenant

Israel must perform on their own

God’s grace for Israel to perform by the Spirit

Israel is a nation separate from the Gentiles

The law given to obey

The law written on their hearts to obey (Jer 31:33)

Covenant to make Israel the channel of blessing to the world

More about the new covenant found here.

The Fellowship of the Mystery

Since the new covenant described God’s performance on behalf of Israel, many are confused by the difference between the new covenant and the fellowship of the mystery thinking they both require God’s grace and so must be talking about the same thing.

The difference here is critical.

The new covenant is God’s blessing of grace through Israel, their covenants, and their law written in their hearts. The fellowship of the mystery is God’s grace given to all freely without Israel, without their earthly covenants, and without their law written in hearts.

Whereas under the old covenant God was the law giver, and under the new covenant God in Christ was the law keeper, under the fellowship of the mystery God in Christ is the law remover (Rom 6:14; Col 2:14).

Whereas the old covenant was given to Israel, and the new covenant was given to believing Israel, the fellowship of the mystery is for all that believe the gospel of Christ: Jew or Gentile (2 Cor 5:17; Eph 2:15; Col 3:11). There is no place in the one body of the mystery for a separation between Israel and Gentile.

Whereas the old and new covenants are the subject of prophecy to fulfill God’s promise of blessing through Israel, the fellowship of the mystery was not revealed in any promise from God since the world began (Rom 16:25).

The fellowship of the mystery is not the fulfillment of any covenant, prophecy, or promise given to Israel. The dispensation of grace was hid in God until revealed to the apostle Paul for the church today (Eph 3:1-2; Eph 3:9-11).

New Covenant Fellowship of the Mystery
God’s grace for Israel to perform by the Spirit God’s grace to all without Israel
Israel is a nation separate from the Gentiles Israel is fallen; no Jew nor Gentile in the Body of Christ
The law written on their hearts to obey Blessing without the law; Not under the law; walk by the Spirit
Covenant to make Israel the channel of blessing to the world All spiritual blessings in Christ without covenants for a kingdom, nation, circumcision, or priesthood.
A Word about 2 Cor 3:6

Despite the clear differences between the covenants and the mystery, Paul’s statement in 2 Cor 3:6 is often used to place the new creature back under Israel’s new covenant.

There is no reason to do so, especially since doing so robs the church of spiritual blessings not found in Israel’s covenants.

When Paul says he is an able minister of the new testament, it is because of what the new testament and the fellowship of the mystery have in common, namely, they both concern God’s gracious provision (sufficiency is the word used in context).

The old and new covenant are both made to Israel, but in the new covenant God performs where they could not.

It makes perfect sense, then, that the apostle of grace would be an able minister of the new covenant, since grace is what sets the new covenant apart from the old, and it is grace which sets the mystery apart from everything (Israel, the law, the covenants – 2 Cor 5:17).

More is written about this here, and here, and here.

Conclusion

Once the differences between the old covenant, new covenant, and the fellowship of the mystery are understood, then the riches of God’s grace according to the revelation of the mystery will be better appreciated.

Grace and faith were always necessary to receive blessings from God, but today grace stands alone in the fellowship of the mystery without Israel, the law, or covenants as the way God blesses the world.

Grace can stand alone because of the fellowship of the mystery of Christ which is different from the old and new covenants.

Top of the Page
Article Index
Published: February 6, 2016
Last Modified: February 6, 2016
Related posts:

-Did Gentiles In the Old Testament Get Salvation?
-Without Israel, Without Covenants, Without the Law
-Are We Under Any Covenants?
-Peter Taught Gentiles. Yawn.
-Promise in Christ or in a Covenant
-What Is the New Covenant / Testament?
-Abraham’s Seed of Promise

patrick jane · Apr 16, 2018

<article class="message-body js-selectToQuote" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px;">My overall view is that anybody and everybody that believes and trusts in Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God with power, that He was sent to the lost sheep of the 12 tribes of Israel, they rejected Him, bringing in the Gentiles, US !!! He died for our sins, was buried and rose the 3rd day and appeared for 40 days, ascended into heaven and is at the right hand of God. Christ who is God Incarnate, The Word made flesh who dwelt among us.

Anyone that believes that is saved and sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise.

So I suppose I'm saying that every denomination thinks they have the real truth and that causes divisions among the brethren. We are to be of one mind and preach no other doctrine than what the Risen Ascended Lord Jesus Christ told Paul to write. That's why Paul is the pattern and he beseeches us to be followers of him.

1 Corinthians 2:2-5 King James Version (KJV)
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

</article>
<aside class="message-signature" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 10px; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(20, 20, 20); border-top-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(24, 88, 134); padding: 120px 20px 20px; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", sans-serif; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254);">1 Timothy 4:10 KJV - For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. - Romans 3:4 KJV - God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 is the gospel of our salvation -
</aside>

patrick jane · Apr 17, 2018

2 Timothy 3 - KJV -

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their's also was.

10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

patrick jane · Apr 17, 2018

patrick jane said:
Differences Between the Old Covenant, New Covenant, and the Fellowship of the Mystery

By Justin Johnson
The old covenant, new covenant, and the fellowship of the mystery all describe different ways in which people receive God’s blessings.
Ignoring the differences causes people to claim blessings or curses belonging to someone else, miss blessings belonging to them, and resort to sundry religious behaviors they think invoke God’s blessing.

What are the differences between the old covenant, new covenant, and the fellowship of the mystery?

Old Covenant
The easiest place to start is with the old covenant, or the Law of Moses. This law was intended to be a blessing to the world through Israel’s separation and obedience.

The law was declared to be their righteousness if Israel performed all that God instructed. It would also be a curse if they disobeyed, and it was this latter lesson that Israel would learn. They could not keep the law, and required a multitude of sacrifices to cover their sin.

Israel as a channel of God’s blessing was not done away by their failure to keep the law.

God had made promises to the fathers of Israel to make Israel the nation through which the world would be blessed. The promises of God cannot be revoked because Israel did not fulfill them by their own power.

Old Covenant
Israel is a nation separate from the Gentiles
The law given to obey
Covenant to make Israel the channel of blessing to the world
New Covenant
Israel was given promises from God to be the nation through which the world would be blessed. The old and new covenants were both intended to fulfill this promise. This is why both the old and new covenants are made with the house of Israel and Judah (Jer 31:31; Heb 8:10-11).

Both the old covenant and the new covenant include the law, priests, a kingdom, and sacrifices for sin. Both were intended to provide the blessing of the world through Israel.

Both are the subject of prophecy, and were not part of God’s mystery kept secret since the world began.

The new covenant was made better for Israel in that God would perform all that they could not do on their own. He would be the better priest, he would give the Spirit to cause them to keep the law, and he would send Christ to establish the kingdom.

The new covenant is merely the old covenant blessing, the promises to the fathers, made possible through the provision of God (John 1:17).

Whereas the old covenant emphasized man’s performance, the new covenant was God performing for Israel what they could not. The old failed to fulfill the promises, but the new would not fail (Heb 8:7-10).

Old Covenant
New Covenant
Israel must perform on their own
God’s grace for Israel to perform by the Spirit
Israel is a nation separate from the Gentiles
Israel is a nation separate from the Gentiles
The law given to obey
The law written on their hearts to obey (Jer 31:33)
Covenant to make Israel the channel of blessing to the world
Covenant to make Israel the channel of blessing to the world

More about the new covenant found here.

The Fellowship of the Mystery

Since the new covenant described God’s performance on behalf of Israel, many are confused by the difference between the new covenant and the fellowship of the mystery thinking they both require God’s grace and so must be talking about the same thing.

The difference here is critical.

The new covenant is God’s blessing of grace through Israel, their covenants, and their law written in their hearts. The fellowship of the mystery is God’s grace given to all freely without Israel, without their earthly covenants, and without their law written in hearts.

Whereas under the old covenant God was the law giver, and under the new covenant God in Christ was the law keeper, under the fellowship of the mystery God in Christ is the law remover (Rom 6:14; Col 2:14).

Whereas the old covenant was given to Israel, and the new covenant was given to believing Israel, the fellowship of the mystery is for all that believe the gospel of Christ: Jew or Gentile (2 Cor 5:17; Eph 2:15; Col 3:11). There is no place in the one body of the mystery for a separation between Israel and Gentile.

Whereas the old and new covenants are the subject of prophecy to fulfill God’s promise of blessing through Israel, the fellowship of the mystery was not revealed in any promise from God since the world began (Rom 16:25).

The fellowship of the mystery is not the fulfillment of any covenant, prophecy, or promise given to Israel. The dispensation of grace was hid in God until revealed to the apostle Paul for the church today (Eph 3:1-2; Eph 3:9-11).

New Covenant Fellowship of the Mystery
God’s grace for Israel to perform by the Spirit God’s grace to all without Israel

Israel is a nation separate from the Gentiles Israel is fallen; no Jew nor Gentile in the Body of Christ
The law written on their hearts to obey Blessing without the law; Not under the law; walk by the Spirit

Covenant to make Israel the channel of blessing to the world All spiritual blessings in Christ without covenants for a kingdom, nation, circumcision, or priesthood.

A Word about 2 Cor 3:6

Despite the clear differences between the covenants and the mystery, Paul’s statement in 2 Cor 3:6 is often used to place the new creature back under Israel’s new covenant.

There is no reason to do so, especially since doing so robs the church of spiritual blessings not found in Israel’s covenants.

When Paul says he is an able minister of the new testament, it is because of what the new testament and the fellowship of the mystery have in common, namely, they both concern God’s gracious provision (sufficiency is the word used in context).

The old and new covenant are both made to Israel, but in the new covenant God performs where they could not.

It makes perfect sense, then, that the apostle of grace would be an able minister of the new covenant, since grace is what sets the new covenant apart from the old, and it is grace which sets the mystery apart from everything (Israel, the law, the covenants – 2 Cor 5:17).

More is written about this here, and here, and here.

Conclusion

Once the differences between the old covenant, new covenant, and the fellowship of the mystery are understood, then the riches of God’s grace according to the revelation of the mystery will be better appreciated.

Grace and faith were always necessary to receive blessings from God, but today grace stands alone in the fellowship of the mystery without Israel, the law, or covenants as the way God blesses the world.

Grace can stand alone because of the fellowship of the mystery of Christ which is different from the old and new covenants.

Top of the Page
Article Index
Published: February 6, 2016
Last Modified: February 6, 2016
Related posts:

-Did Gentiles In the Old Testament Get Salvation?
-Without Israel, Without Covenants, Without the Law
-Are We Under Any Covenants?
-Peter Taught Gentiles. Yawn.
-Promise in Christ or in a Covenant
-What Is the New Covenant / Testament?
-Abraham’s Seed of Promise

Are We Under Any Covenants?
By Justin Johnson - Are We Under Any Covenants?

When the Bible speaks of covenants in the specific sense, it is speaking of the covenants given to God’s chosen nation Israel. No one today in the dispensation of Grace is a partaker of the covenants which are made between Israel and God.

Hebrews 8:7 speaks of the first covenant and the second covenant given to Israel. The first covenant describes the Law as given to Israel at Horeb:

“The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.” – Deuteronomy 5:2

The second covenant, or ‘better covenant’, is the ‘new covenant’ also given to Israel (Heb 8:13, 12:24).

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord;…” – Hebrews 8:10
And again in Jeremiah:

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:” – Jeremiah 31:31

Knowing that the covenants were given to Israel and Judah, Paul stated concerning his brethren according to the flesh, Israel,

“…to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;…” Romans 9:4

Gentiles and the Body of Christ
The covenants were between God and Israel regarding their future redemption as spoken of by the prophets since the world began. However, Gentiles in time past as well as those in the body of Christ today are not a part of the covenants.
Paul says,
“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:” – Ephesians 2:12

In order for a Gentile in time past to get the blessings of God they had to follow the provisions of the covenant. (See “Did Gentiles in the Old Testament get saved?” for more.) However, they were estranged from the covenants given to Israel.

During the dispensation of Grace, believers receive the benefits of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross outside of any covenant relationship. It was purely by God’s grace that we receive eternal life and the blessings associated with salvation. Otherwise grace would not be grace (Romans 11:6).

Today there is neither Jew nor Gentile. There is no special status before God for any nation today.

“For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” – Romans 11:32

Instead of a covenant providing the necessary terms of redemption, believers today are of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel of the grace of God (Eph 3:6, Titus 1:2-3). We receive the mercy and the grace of God apart from our adherence to any covenant given in time past, we receive it by faith (Romans 5:1, 8-10).
Published: Tuesday, February 21st, 2006
Last Modified: March 29, 2016
Related posts:

-Without Israel, Without Covenants, Without the Law
-Written in Their Hearts
-I Am Not a New Testament Christian
-30 Reasons We do not Operate Under the New Testament
-No More Strangers and Foreigners
-A Strange Teaching on the New Testament
-What Is the New Covenant / Testament

patrick jane · Apr 18, 2018

I may have posted this already but it's a good lesson and worth a repeat.

[FONT=&quot]Link:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]How To Be Saved From Death To Life[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]How To Be Saved From Death To Life[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]By Justin Johnson[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Bible speaks about things for which many people are searching. For example it tells us of the creation of the world; the cause of evil in the world; and man’s purpose of existence.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Bible also speaks about the cause of death. It says, ‘Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned’ (Romans 5:12). The Bible tells the story of how the first man, Adam, was disobedient towards God and introduced sin and death into the world.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As a result there are two things we can be sure of in life, ‘it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment’ (Hebrews 9:27). Every person will die because of their sin, and then their every word, deed, and thought will be judged by God’s righteous standard.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]How will the judgment turn out? Well, ‘‘to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil” (Romans 2:8-9).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The evil will be punished for eternity with anguish and wrath, the righteous will be rewarded with eternal life. Yet, there is a problem: There is none that are righteous. We are all headed for eternal damnation in hell![/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]How can we make such a harsh and absolute statement? How can we know that we are not good enough to get into heaven? We can determine our fate on Judgment Day by using God’s standard of judgment.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Read ‘Am I good enough to go to heaven?‘[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]God’s Act of Salvation[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This life is only for a moment, and yet our eternal destiny lies in the balance of what we do in this brief moment.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Will we continue to live, even seemingly good lives, knowing that we will still be found guilty by God? Or do we seek for salvation from the wrath to come and seek for the righteousness that can gain eternal life for us.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Because of God’s love towards us, and his unwillingness that we should face eternal damnation, He provided for us a way of salvation through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Knowing that we are all sinners, and that there are none righteous (Romans 3:10), God sent Jesus Christ to take your place on the cross (Romans 3:25). The wrath and judgment of God was poured out upon His perfect Son, who did not deserve death or punishment.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This righteous sacrifice was made sin for us so that we could gain his righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). Now we can receive righteousness apart from the law of God, which is the righteousness that comes by faith of Jesus Christ (Rom 3:21-22). Though we did not deserve any rescue from our own sinful condition, God showed his love for us by dying for our sins:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The gospel of God’s Grace[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Grace is a gift received but not deserved. The Bible says that when we put our faith in what Christ did on the cross by His grace then we are saved from the wrath of God (Eph 2:8). We are justified [made righteous] freely by the redemption in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If we put our faith in the Lord Jesus and his propitiation on the cross, then we can stand before God on judgment day and know that Jesus has provided a complete payment of our sins. Therefore we are saved not by how well we act or perform, because we are all guilty of God’s righteous standard, instead we are saved by what Christ did and performed on our behalf (Eph 2:9, Titus 3:5).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Yet we have been graciously given an opportunity to participate in the glory of God through our trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If you are not sure if you are going to heaven, reread this page, then determine in yourself how you will fare on judgment day. Will you be guilty when God judges you by his righteous standard? The Bible says we all have fallen short.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Are you saved from God’s wrath?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Do you see the need for salvation from sin and death? If so, then read the gospel of the grace of God on this page again or in your Bible in Romans 3:19-26, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, or Titus 3:3-7.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Do you trust and believe that Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is able to perform that which he promised for you, eternal life? Trust in him, as you would a life preserver on judgment day.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Your faith is rewarded by eternal life:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ” – Romans 6:23[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Bible says that if you have heard of the gospel of your salvation and you have trusted in Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection, then you have been given the Holy Spirit as a seal and a promise of what God will give you for eternity – which is life everlasting.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If you have trusted in the gospel, you may not feel like much of anything has changed. But know, by faith in the word of Truth, that you are now forever changed from a child of sin and disobedience to one of God’s children who will reign and rule with Him for eternity in heavenly places.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]You are saved from the wrath of God, and have been given eternal life by the grace of God![/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

-Now That I Am Saved By Grace, May I Sin?
-Does God Punish Sin After I’ve Been Saved By Grace?
-What Is Sin?
-God is Always Right
-Can We Lose Our Salvation By Grace?
-How Do I Know I Am Saved?
-Are There Many Ways To Salvation?

patrick jane · Apr 19, 2018

[FONT=&quot]Does God Punish Sin After I’ve Been Saved By Grace?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]By Justin Johnson[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sin is the same in any dispensation. Sin is always rebellion and disobedience against God (See ‘What is sin?’ for more on this.) Sin will always face God’s justice in righteous judgment and wrath. Yet, it was not until the revelation of the mystery given to Paul that it was explained how[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]God could be just and the justifier of those who are disobedient to his commands. The answer lies in the payment for sin made by Christ on the cross (Romans 3:21-26).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]It is easy for most of us to assess how God deals with sin according to his just law. Anyone who disobeyed God’s command was considered a sinner and deserved the just punishment according to the law. Yet, the wages of all sin is death, and no amount of good behavior can annul the penalty that we have all incurred. James wrote:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” – James 2:10[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Under the Jewish dispensation of the Old Covenant, God provided a system of personal sacrifices which could be offered in response to sin. When offered by faith, these sacrifices would show repentance of sin, and an appeal for forgiveness toward God. The heathen and Gentiles had no sacrifice for sin, except what was offered on their behalf by the mediators of God’s blessing – the Jews.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Under the current dispensation of Grace, the nation Israel has fallen from their privileged state under the Old Covenant. When given miracles, laws, blessings, and even a Messiah, Israel failed to obey righteousness even as the Gentiles. Now, their failure proves that despite help from God, every person is under the influence of sin, as Paul writes:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“…for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” – Romans 3:9-10[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And in another place,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” – Romans 11:32[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The most self-righteous do-gooder is considered no better than the most vile wicked heathen, they are both unrighteous and deserving of[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]God’s punishment (see if you are good enough to go to heaven). In this dispensation there is no system of sacrifices or behavior that can prevent the indignation and wrath that God has against sin in this world. As a result, God’s wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of every man (Romans 1:18).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Yet, we see so much ungodliness and unrighteousness in the world that goes unpunished. Where is his wrath poured out? Is God ignorant of the evil in this world? The Scriptures tell us he is not.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]For instead of pouring out his wrath upon the world nearly two thousand years ago, he ushered in the age of Grace.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]God put the sins of the entire world upon Jesus Christ when he died on the cross. This propitiation satisfied the demand for justice from God (Romans 3:26).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Since God was in Christ ‘reconciling the world unto himself’, he does not impute trespasses to any man today. Instead the entire world is reconciled to God, so that we can preach reconciliation to every man without distinction (2 Cor 5:19-20). The whole world is given a period of grace paid by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in order for men to come to salvation.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This payment for sins reconciled the entire world, but will justify only those who believe.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” – Romans 3:22[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]For every man that believes, we are not only reconciled, but declared righteous and worthy of the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23). For every man who does not believe, they are reconciled as by God’s grace, but do not receive righteousness worthy of eternal life.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Those who do not accept the grace of God or his free justification by faith will end up facing the wrath of God at the judgment for their ungodly rebellion against God’s grace in this age.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]At the end of this age of unprecedented grace, God will return ‘in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (2 Thessalonians 1:8).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]For the believer, sin is placed upon Christ and we are declared righteous by his grace. For the unbeliever, sin is not imputed in this age because of Christ, therefore there is no immediate punishment. However, he will have to answer for his own unrighteousness at the great white throne judgment of God (Rev 20:11).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]God’s punishment for sin was taken by Christ on the cross, who was made sin for us so that we can be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor 5:21).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Therefore, for us who are justified by faith are at peace with God, and do not live in fear of judgment or punishment (Romans 5:1). The lives we live now we live by faith in the Son of God, following after the righteousness for which we were ordained to walk (Gal 2:20, Eph 2:10, Phil 3:12-14).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top of the Page[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Topical Index Page[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Published: Monday, September 21st, 2009[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Last Modified: July 1, 2016[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Related posts:[/FONT]

-Now That I Am Saved By Grace, May I Sin?
-What Is Sin?
-How To Be Saved From Death To Life
-What Is the Function of the Law?
-God is Always Right
-Can We Lose Our Salvation By Grace?
-Are There Many Ways To Salvation?

patrick jane · Apr 20, 2018

Complete In Christ

By Justin Johnson

When Paul writes that we are complete in Christ he is in the same context warning us about vain deceit and the tradition of men (Col 2:10).
When it comes to salvation, Christ has done it all for you. There is nothing else that needs to be added to him.

It is not uncommon for churches to wrongly teach that you need to perform a membership ritual in order to be counted among God’s people. They teach that it is a custom or tradition required by God.

At one time circumcision functioned as the token of entry into God’s people. But Paul says that Christ circumcised you without hands from the body of your sins (Col 2:11).

Likewise people are confused about the need for water baptism in order to be saved.
Yet, Paul makes it clear that our baptism as well as our resurrection is through the faith of the operation of God (Col 2:12). We are baptized into Christ’s death, not a pool of water, in order to be saved (Rom 6:1-3).

Most common is the teaching that although Christ did so much at the cross, we now need to submit to at least a few ordinances of the law in order to prove that we are saved.

Sadly, many are vainly deceived that their church-going, tithing, or good behavior keeps them in the body of Christ.
About this Paul strongly writes that Christ blotted out the ‘handwriting of ordinances that was against us’.

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” – Col 2:16

It was on the merits of Christ’s shed blood on your behalf that you are saved from God’s wrath. Neither circumcision, baptism, nor ordinances can add one ounce more to what Christ has already accomplished for you.

What will make you complete and finish the work of salvation is the shed blood of Christ on your behalf. Put your faith in this and nothing else and you will be complete in Christ!

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” – Romans 4:5

Top of the Page
Article Index
Published: September 2, 2008
Last Modified: May 4, 2016Related posts:

-Following the Lord in Baptism
-The Baptism Gospel
-List: Baptisms in the Bible
-Explain Yourself
-One Lord, One Faith, Three Baptisms!
-The Most Important Baptism
-Should I Be Water Baptized?

patrick jane · Apr 23, 2018

Philppians 3 - KJV -

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Theology Club: Grace Revealed - From Grace Ambassadors Ministry Update -

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED

BANNED