Tuesday, November 7, 2017

What Is The Gospel?

...and for me, that utterance may be given unto me,
 that I may open my mouth boldly, 
to make known the mystery of the gospel, 
for which I am an ambassador in bonds:
 that therein I may speak boldly, 
as I ought to speak.
Ephesians 6:19-20 

     Jesus Christ is an example for us but not merely for the relations of man to man but also for the relation of man to God. There are two things that must be made clear if we are to be living and teaching Authentic Christianity. We love acronyms, and initials and we give meaning to words that are often given spiritual meaning: i.e., the word gospel. what does this word mean? The Greek is very clear as it means good tidings, or joyful news (εὐαγγελίου) and this word used here in the opening verse is genitive so we add the word "of" so literally it "of good news." This word has "εὐ" as its prefix and means "good," we use that sound when we see something that really pleases us. The main word "αγγελίου" means messenger and being genitive then it means the good news of the message. What is the message? It is the mystery of the gospel: it is a matter to the knowledge of which initiations is necessary: a secret which would remain such but for revelation. Paul was revealing this mystery to the Church and that mystery is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah promised long ago and that He died, was buried for three days, rose again to life, and ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God making intercession for all those who believe, those who have heard the word of God (Romans 10:17) and have received the free gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8). 
     A problem exists within the Christian Church that teach another gospel that is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is Jesus Christ, not miracles, not going about praying for healing to strangers, or receiving some revelation in the mind and not proving that which a person hears in their mind has Scriptural warrant. Here is a problem: it is using some sort of so-called translation that gives, not truth, but some denominations doctrine. Jehovah Witness are bad about interpolations: i.e., changing the Greek Word for God translating it as Jehovah. Might refer to Jehovah but that is not good translation, or adding the letter "a" in John 1:1 calling Jesus "a god" when the Greek does not allow for such a translation. So, then, a person must be wary of the translation that they are using in their study and understanding of God, or Jesus Christ, and our duty as an Authentic Christian holding Authentic Christian Faith. 
      Here is a present example where people, especially those of Pentecostalism, or Charistmatism, have: i.e., the Passion Revelation being passed off as a "good" translation. Let us look at this and examine whether or not we should use this translation. First: Brian Simmons, and his wife, maybe his children say that they have a translation for the generation. Well, only Brian Simmons made this translation and this translation, as they call it, has not been put to the test by any critical study group of the Bible. It does have endorsements by other Pentecostal men and women, those of the NAR (New Apostolic Revelation) movement. Secondly, Brian Simmons has not given us proof that he has studied Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic languages. When many of his verses that he has interpreted, as he states by the Peshitto documents (Aramaic) he has given interpolations and not what the Greek means, and is using documents that are translations many years after the original manuscripts were written (we have some 24,000 pieces of manuscripts and within that we have some 5,000 good manuscripts), why not use them? Is it because as with Jehovah Witnesses he wants to inject into Scripture his doctrinal view? Yes! The Passion Translation is at best a work that teaches a gospel that is not the Gospel and many people have fallen prey to this unsound translation. This translation is being promoted by men such as Bill Johnson pastor of the Bethel Church in Redding and by his School of the Supernatural that has made many inroads into churches around the world. Also, it i good to examine the person and he is the only one who has made the Passion Translation and sells that and many other of his writings, books, etc., in his Stairway Ministry store: it seems that this is all about making money and preying upon those who have fallen prey to the teachings of Pentecostalism and of the Charismatic where there is teaching outside of Scripture by people have revelations from God in their minds, that which cannot be proved to be true. But they feel godly, and they love a translation that feeds that feeling of godliness. 
     It is Jesus Christ and Him alone that is the Gospel and the mystery is that God came into our world and became man without losing His being God, but by the Holy Spirit God placed into the virgin Mary His essence so that Jesus was not of the line of Adam and did not receive original sin of Adam, therefore He was not born a fallen in soul, rather He was God come to die for all who put their faith in Him. This is what is found in the original manuscripts, this is what was taught from the early Christian Churches, not what is being promoted by those who think we need more, something different from what was handed down to us throughout the centuries. My recommendation: stay away from such that teach another gospel that is not the Gospel. Read God's word, it is inspired so that what was written was from God and not man. True, Authentic Christian Faith is found in thoe Bibles that are translations of the original manuscripts; i.e., the received text, the majority texts, the Bysantine text, all which are so similar to be the same and are translated the same. Why? Because that is the truth handed down and there is no need for another translation. PERIOD!

If thy brother, the son of thy mother,
     or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife
of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as 
    thine soul, entice thee secretly, saying,
Let us go and serve other gods, which thou
    has not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
namely, of the gods of the people which
   are round about you, nigh unto thee, 
or far from thee, from the one end of the
   earth even unto the other end of the earth;
thous shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken
   unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him,
neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou
   conceal him.
                   Deuteronomy 13:6-8

Follow Jesus and not some man

Richard L. Crumb               

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