| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"Carl" |
| Date: |
24 May 2007 08:48:24 PM |
| Object: |
Simple Christianity |
Ray Stedman turns to the book of Romans to show that Christianity is more
simple than a lot of folks think. There are many who think Christianity to
be complicated. There are some who try to make Christianity complicated. Ray
Stedman shows us from Paul's letter to the Romans that Christianity is NOT
complex. Read this and think about it. Turn to scripture as the Bereans.
May God bless,
Carl
website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
---
SIMPLE CHRISTIANITY
by Ray C. Stedman
I hope you already have your Bibles open to Romans as we are beginning our
study of this most powerful human document in the world: The Letter of Paul
to the Romans.
This book lit the fire in Martin Luther's heart that began the Protestant
Reformation and changed the history of the western world. This book lit the
fire in John Wesley's heart, resulting in the great awakening in England
that saved England from the fate of France in the French Revolution. This
book lit the fire in Karl Barth's heart in our own day and caused him to
write his study on Romans which called the theological world back from the
cold, barren deadness of liberalism to a much more vital and powerful
Christian message. This book, therefore, has become one of the most
revolutionary books of all time. The Communists think that the writings of
Karl Marx are revolutionary, but the writings of Karl Marx look like a Boy
Scout manual when compared to the revolutionary power of the book of Romans!
I mean that! It is just because this book has become so familiar to us that
we have lost some of the sense of its revolutionary power, but I hope we
will approach it now with a sense of freshness and newness -- as though we
had never read it before. Perhaps we will see and sense once again the
tremendous vitality, vividness, and power of this book.
As you know, this is a letter. It was written by the Apostle Paul to the
Christian community in Rome. As best we can determine, he wrote it while he
was in the city of Corinth, which was the cultural center of the Roman
world. Paul had never been to Rome when he wrote this letter, yet he knew
many of the people there. He had met them in various other places and some
he had even led to Christ. There is a tradition that says Paul began the
church at Rome, but this is most certainly not true. It is difficult to tell
how the church began. Some have felt that perhaps it began with the
remarkable visit from God in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. Strangers
from Rome were present that day. Some were possibly among the 3,000 who were
regenerated and became the first members of the Christian Church on the Day
of Pentecost. At any rate, a Christian church had begun in the city of Rome,
the capital of the empire, and it is to the band of Christians there that
this letter is addressed.
This letter is a magnificent explanation of Christianity. If you had nothing
but the book of Romans, you would have every vital Christian teaching in the
New Testament -- in capsule form at least. It touches upon all the basic
truths of Christian doctrine and teachings. So, if you master the book of
Romans, you have the key to all the Scriptures, Old and New Testaments
alike. This is why this is such a wonderful book with which to begin
studying the Scriptures. The first seventeen verses are the introduction to
Paul's letter, and, like any good introduction, they sum up the major themes
of the letter. We are calling this introductory message Simple Christianity.
As you know, there are several very brilliant writers who have attempted to
explain Christian faith to non-believers, and they have written excellent
books along this line. C. S. Lewis has put out a book that he calls Mere
Christianity. J. B. Phillips has written a book that he calls Plain
Christianity. J. R. W. Stott has written a book that he calls Basic
Christianity. But we have chosen Simple Christianity because that is more in
line with our mentality -- mine at least! I think it catches the idea that
this is simply putting forth the basic truths of what Christian faith is all
about.
In this introduction, you find these truths summarized for us. Paul writes
about three things: He writes about Christ, the Roman Christians, and
himself: He writes about Christ because there can be no Christianity without
him. Christianity is not a creed, it is a person. It is the life of that
person relived in our lives today. Therefore, you can't talk about
Christianity without talking about Christ. Paul writes about the Romans
because these Roman Christians were just like us. They were the basic
material within which God began his transforming work in human life, just as
we are the basic material within which God intends to show his work today.
Paul writes about himself because he is the pattern of what Christ will do.
He is a living example of what God's grace can do. In summary, there is a
new power to appropriate, an old problem to be solved, and a clear pattern
to follow. Now that is simple Christianity, and these three themes find
themselves repeated in every setting forth of what Christianity is -- a new
power, an old problem, and a clear pattern. Now let's look at it in detail:
First, Paul writes about Christ, in
Verses 1-7:
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the
gospel of God which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy
scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David
according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the
Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ out Lord,
through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about obedience
to the faith for the sake of his name among the nations, including
yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. {Rom
1:1-7 RSV}
Since Christ is simply indispensable to Christianity, Paul sums up what we
might call the credentials of Jesus Christ. Now you have not been in a
Christian church very long before you have heard Christ set forth as the
only one who is capable of solving the human dilemma. Christians everywhere
stand fast and firm on the proposition that Jesus alone, of all the
religious voices that have ever been heard, is the only one who is capable
of solving the human dilemma. And anyone who has heard this claim who is not
a Christian, if he is thoughtful at all, has the right to say: "How do you
know this? What are the credentials of Christ that can make me believe that
he can do this?" Well, here they are:
First, he was predicted long before he appeared. Now that is an amazing
thing. Notice in Verse 2:
....He promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures...
Jesus Christ was predicted long before he appeared. And I may say that no
other 'manufacturer' of religious leaders can make that claim. He alone fits
the pattern, fulfills the outline, and matches the test. This is one thing
that sets him apart as unique among all the religious voices of the world.
None other was predicted long before he came.
During the days of World War II, in the French underground, they often had
occasion for agents to meet one another at various places to exchange
information and to carry on the work of the underground. Of course, it had
to be clandestine, and some of the agents had never met each other before.
They had a very simple means of identification so that each agent would know
without a doubt that the man he met under certain given conditions was the
man he could trust. All they did was to take a piece of paper and tear it in
half; they gave one man half of the paper and mailed the other half to the
other man. When they met, all they did was compare the two pieces of paper.
If the papers matched, the agents were identified and there was no doubt
about it!
This is the way that Jesus Christ fulfills the predictions of the Old
Testament. He himself said that he came by the accepted way {cf, John
10:1-3, 10:27-28}. The sheep heard his voice and they knew that this was the
one that came by the predicted route, and men could test his claims on the
basis of the Scriptures they had. Paul brings this out before us as one of
the unique marks that Jesus Christ is indeed God's intended deliverer of the
human race: He came according to the prophets and the predictions. The
second mark of his uniqueness is that he combined in himself the nature of
God and man. You see how we have it in Verse 3:
....the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to
the flesh and designated Son of God ... according to the Spirit of holiness
by his resurrection from the dead, {Rom 1:3-4 RSV}
Thus he combined in himself these two things: He came in the line of David,
which means he had a genealogy, an ancestry, that could be traced back to
David. His ancestry is traced for us in Scripture; therefore, he had the
right to the throne of David. It is interesting that not once in all the
time that our Lord ministered in the flesh did any man challenge his right
to sit on the throne of David, though he continually made claim to the fact
that he was David's son. No one ever challenged it -- it was too clear. He
came according to David's line of the flesh -- he was a human being. When he
was raised from the dead, Paul says it demonstrated, as we have seen here,
that he was the Son of God. He was the Son of God with the Spirit of
holiness. He tied together these two things. In fact, the word for
"designated" is the {Greek} word horizo, from which we get our word
"horizon." He filled the whole horizon of these believers with the
conviction in their hearts that he was the Son of God. This is what you find
flaming throughout all of the New Testament -- this deep conviction, because
of the resurrection, that these first believers are dealing with the Lord of
life himself! Because Jesus Christ is both God and man, he spans the great
gulf between God and man. This is the unsolved problem of all other
religions. They are always an effort to bridge the gulf from the human side,
reaching out toward God, but they never can span it, because man cannot live
on God's level. But there is one who came from God's side and bridged the
gulf across to man! In combining in himself both natures, Christ becomes the
bridge across the chasm between God and man. That is why Christ is unique,
and no other 'manufacturer' of religion can make this claim!
I find so many times that people completely miss this point. I received a
letter from a college girl some time ago. It was a very earnest letter. I
suspected when I read it that she had probably been influenced by the
Jehovah's Witnesses, though I am not sure -- at least her questions were
along the line that they often take. She said this:
"I don't understand how you can say that Jesus Christ is God. Now, to whom
was he praying? Was he praying to himself?"
She went on to list several other instances of the same type. It was obvious
her problem was that she thought Christians were claiming that the man Jesus
was nothing but God -- that he was God appearing on earth, but that he was
not man. Now, this isn't the claim that Christians make: They claim that he
is both man and God -- that is the point. It is not that he is God, Holy
God, praying thus to himself, but that he is man also. This claim of Christ
to be both man and God is absolutely unique, and it is what makes him the
one bridge between God and man.
There is a third credential here that marks the supremacy of Jesus Christ,
and that is the method of working, as seen in Verse 5:
....through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about
obedience to the faith for the sake of his name among the nations, including
yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; {Rom 1:5-6 RSV}
In other words, how does Christ effect his work in the world? How does he do
it? All other religious leaders come and begin an organization, found a
movement, or create a party, which, working through the usual ways of human
propaganda and activity, spreads its doctrine. People then become convinced
of a creed and follow that particular teaching. Now, this is not what Christ
has done! He began what we might call a secret society through which his
life would touch man. It is not an organization. It is not a political
party. It is not a mass movement. And wherever the church has become this,
it is a false thing. No, as Paul points out, the Lord's designated way of
working is to call men into a unique relationship with himself, that,
through their very lives and personalities, he imparts his own nature and
life to others and touches and changes them. It is sort of another
incarnation, when 'the word becomes flesh' {cf, John 1:14} all over again.
The strange thing about the church is that the world never sees Jesus Christ
until it sees him incarnate in another Christian. But when he has become
flesh in another person's life, then, suddenly, somebody becomes aware that
here beside him is something of Christ, and they see Jesus Christ once
again. That process is to go on until it touches the entire world, as Paul
says, "for the sake of his name among all the nations." Thus, it is a
worldwide process of touching others through the lives of those men who are
saturated with God, the men who are captured by Christ.
These are the marks of the true messenger of God, and, in line with modern
marketing, we might add the slogan, "Accept no substitute." Christ was
predicted long before he appeared, he combined in himself the natures of God
and man, and his method of working in the world is to impart his nature and
life through men. In Verses 8-13, Paul writes about the Roman saints:
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your
faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve
with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you
always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last
succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you
some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that we may be mutually
encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know,
brethren, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been
prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among
the rest of the Gentiles. {Rom 1:8-13 RSV}
There is not much we know about the Roman Christians, but Paul starts out by
listing the evidence that they were indeed Christians. Their faith had been
talked about all over the world -- something had happened to these people.
Now, I confess to you that I get suspicious about people who call themselves
Christians and nobody knows that they are Christians. I remember hearing of
a boy who had been away working in a logging camp all during the summer.
When he got back home, somebody said, "How did you get along? Did the fact
that you were a Christian make any difference?" He said, "Oh no. They never
found out that I was a Christian." Well, there is something wrong in such a
situation. But here in Rome were Christians whose faith had been talked
about around the world.
I remember Dr. Carl Armstrong telling us about a time when he was down in
Cuba. He was in a city where he had never been before. He wanted to try to
locate a Christian assembly if he could. He thought he would just start out
from door to door to see if he could find any Christians. He knocked on a
few doors, and asked, "Are there any Christians here?" "Well," somebody
said, "there are some Presbyterians, and some Methodists, and a few
Baptists, but I don't know of any Christians." Well, there is something
wrong, you see. Christianity ought to be visible, and it was visible in the
lives of these Roman Christians.
It is evident, from these words, that Paul wrote to what we call "babes in
Christ" {cf, 1 Cor 3:1}. That is, they were new Christians. They had become
Christians by an encounter with Jesus Christ, face to face, and that
encounter has transformed their lives so that their faith was known
throughout the world. Notice, they did not become Christians by
understanding the plan of salvation (nobody ever becomes a Christian that
way). Rather, now that they had become Christians, they need to have the
plan of salvation explained to them so that they might grow to maturity.
Now, as newborn babes in Christ, they were like all other babies. I have
discovered that babies have one great characteristic -- they are almost
continuously in need of something! I speak as an authority along this line:
New Christians often don't act very Christ-like. I think this is why there
are so many misunderstandings about Christians. We need to remember that
Christians begin their lives as babies, and they need to grow. I am always
running into someone who says, "Well, I meet so many Christians who don't
have the qualities that I expect a Christian to have." Well, I do too, but
it is oftentimes because we fail to realize that these are new, baby
Christians. We have a new baby in our home, and I have been watching her,
and observing quite a few interesting things:
First of all, she is very lazy: She just lies around the house all day long,
and never does a thing to help. Everything has to be done for her. She is
the most lazy person I think I have ever seen. Second, she is very
thoughtless: She wakes people up in the middle of the night, and has no
regard for their sleep at all. She never hesitates to interrupt a
conversation to express her own desires or needs. She is also very rude:
She'll burp right in your face and be completely unabashed about it! She is
very uncooperative in many ways too: As I have watched that little life, I
have said to myself, "Well, if that is what a human being is, then I don't
want to be one -- lazy, uncooperative, rude." Now, of course, I really
haven't said that. I recognize that she is a baby, that she is going to
grow, and that all the qualities I admire in human life will take their
place in her life, and be brought into her being and character, as she grows
and develops properly. This is what we need to remember about babes in
Christ -- they need to grow. Throughout this letter, in the background, are
these men and women of great need, just like you and me -- normal human
beings who need to be transformed by grace into the likeness of Jesus
Christ. That is why this letter was written, and why it is so wonderfully
instructive to us today. The last thing that Paul writes about in these
seventeen introductory verses is himself, Verses 14-17:
I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and
the foolish: so I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation for
everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it
the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is
written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live." {Rom 1:14-17 RSV}
This is the other side of the picture. The Roman Christians represent new
Christians, and, at the moment, the most he can say of them is that they
have faith -- obvious, visible, manifest faith. But now, of himself, Paul
says three things. These three are the marks of Christian maturity. He says
"I am" three times:
"I am under obligation," that is, "I am concerned about others." "I am
eager," that is, "I am committed, ready to fling myself without reserve into
the work." And, third, "I am not ashamed," that is, "I am confident, resting
on unshakable experience in Christ." Now, these are the three marks of the
man that God uses: The mature Christian is concerned, committed, and
confident. The minute the Spirit of God begins to really work in your life
and mine, these marks begin to show themselves, in this order. I have seen
this so many times in talking to somebody just at the very threshold of
Christian faith, a person who has been brought to the sense of his need for
Christ. After a person has yielded his life to Christ, almost invariably the
first thing he says is, "You know, I have a friend I would like to tell this
to." Or, "I want you to meet my mother" (or my father, or my brother, or my
sister). Or, "I want to bring somebody else to talk with you." The first
mark of the Spirit's work in our lives is that he begins to create a concern
for someone else.
I have learned to recognize this as the sign of a genuine transformation, a
regeneration. Normally our lives are built around self, and the longer we
live that way the more self-centered we get. But, at the moment of personal
encounter with Jesus Christ, this vicious circle of self-involvement is
broken into, and, for the first time, there comes a gleam of light that
begins to manifest itself in a concern for somebody else. As that Christian
life develops, that concern deepens until, like Paul, it encompasses the
whole of the world and every kind of person in it:
I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and
the foolish: {Rom 1:14 RSV}
It makes no difference to Paul who it is, because his heart has been
captured by the Spirit of God, who creates a concern for someone else. The
second mark is commitment, and I think that this is where the great struggle
comes. Paul could say, "I am eager to fling myself into this thing." Most
Christians are not ready to make that statement. The Christian life is very
predictable. In a sense, you can trace its workings: It begins with the
non-Christian, who says, in great, large, capital letters: "I." This is the
trouble with men -- "I" trouble. Then, as one becomes a Christian, another
note is added. It becomes: "Christ and I." But that is still not right. As
that Christian life grows and develops, the "I" becomes smaller and smaller
until, at last, there is just "Christ" -- "Not I, but Christ" {cf. Gal
2:20}. This describes the committed person, who is no longer thinking about
what he is going to get out of it, or what blessings are going to be given
to him, or what glory, admiration, or advancement he can get out to the
Christian cause -- but only "Christ."
This is an interesting thing: Commitment always means excitement. A lady
came to me recently, and said, "I have been to you with problems before in
which I needed an answer to a spirit of depression and despondency, but this
time I have come to ask if it is wrong for me to be so excited about the
Christian life." I wish more would come with that kind of problem -- I love
to have that kind. Of course, I told her, "No, it isn't wrong!" We need to
temper our zeal with knowledge, and we can become overzealous very easily,
but to feel and sense the excitement of Christian living is only the normal
thing for a Christian. It means that here is a committed heart, a life that
is wholly Christ's. Finally, the third mark of Christian maturity is
confidence:
....I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation for
everyone who has faith... For in it the righteousness of God is revealed...
{Rom 1:16a-17a RSV}
In other words, the gospel, as Paul says here, supplies the two things that
men crave more than anything else in life -- power and righteousness. Now,
every heart longs for power -- you know that. And, usually, we think that
power is shown by the number of people we can control. If we can get so many
people to jump at our command, this is a sign of power. We have so many
people under us at the office. We love to order people around. We call in
our orders to the store and get them delivered out to us. This is a sign of
status or power. The whole human society is based on that concept of power.
But, in describing the Last Supper, John said that the Lord Jesus, knowing
that all power was committed into his hands, rose and laid aside his
garments, girded himself with a towel, and began to wash the disciples' feet
{see John 13:3-5}. In other words, here is the manifestation of real power.
Real power is the power to be humble, because then the power of God can
work.
***** Halverson was telling some of us a few weeks ago about speaking at a
college conference where they were asking a lot of questions. One of the
questions asked was, "How can I make the gospel relevant to this modern
world?" ***** said that he was just about to answer it with some of the usual
clichés, when the period came to a close and he had to leave the question
until the morning. He had the whole evening and night to meditate on his
answer. He said that as he began to think about that question, he was struck
by the sheer ego that was that was revealed in it: "How can I make the
gospel relevant to this modern world?" When he got up to answer the question
the next morning, he said, "I would just like to say this: You can't make
the gospel relevant. In fact, you don't need to make the gospel relevant,
because Paul says that the gospel is 'the power of God.' Now, let's
substitute that for the word 'gospel' -- 'How can I make the power of God
relevant to this modern age?' You see how egocentric that is? 'How can I
make God important?'"
The gospel is the power of God. It is the secret by which the pride of man's
heart is broken and the real power that is manifest in God begins to
manifest itself through a humble heart. That's where power is. That is the
power of Jesus Christ that won hearts, and captured them, and carried them
after him throughout his life. But the second facet of the gospel is
righteousness,
....in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; {Rom
1:17a RSV}
And, again, righteousness is something that every heart longs for. Let me
show you what I mean. Suppose somebody starts to criticize you to your face.
What do you do? Instinctively you start explaining why you did this, or you
supply a good reason for it. You start justifying yourself. Now, that is the
word used here -- righteousness, being justified. And we all want to be
justified. We are continually seeking to be justified in people's eyes, in
our own heart, and in our own eyes, but the trouble is that
self-justification never satisfies. Have you noticed that? Once you have
explained why you did something, and you go away, you are still not
satisfied. You are never satisfied until the other person has agreed with
it. We are continually seeking justification in another's eyes. Now, it is
this that the gospel supplies, because power and justification are found
only in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is no longer self-justification, but
it is God who says to the believer in Jesus Christ: "You are justified in my
sight! You are righteous in my sight by virtue of Christ's work for you!"
Now, that is why Paul could say, "I am not ashamed of the gospel." I am
confident because I have seen it do what men are longing to discover. I have
seen the gospel release the power in men's lives to be what they want to be.
I have seen the gospel justify men so they no longer are straining
continually to justify themselves. It has completely delivered them from all
efforts at self-justification and self-centered explanations of why they are
doing things. The gospel delivers men from self-confidence, and brings them
out into the fullness of the liberty of God. Such liberty is only found in
believing that Jesus Christ can run a human life. This is simple
Christianity, isn't it? This is why Paul was able to say, "I am confident! I
am not ashamed!"
Title: Simple Christianity
By: Ray C. Stedman
Scripture: Romans 1:1-17
Date: April 29, 1962
Series: Romans (Series I)
Message No: 1
Catalog No: 5
Copyright © 1962 Discovery Publishing, a ministry of Peninsula Bible Church.
This data file is the sole property of Discovery Publishing, a ministry of
Peninsula Bible Church. It may be copied only in its entirety for
circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain
the above copyright notice. This data file may not be copied in part,
edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial
publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other
products offered for sale, without the written permission of Discovery
Publishing. Requests for permission should be made in writing and addressed
to Discovery Publishing, 3505 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto, CA. 94306-3695.
.
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| User: "Pastor Steve Winter" |
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| Title: Re: Simple Christianity |
24 May 2007 09:22:25 PM |
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"Carl" <saints@nettally.com> spake thusly and wrote:
Ray Stedman turns to the book of Romans to show that Christianity is more
simple than a lot of folks think.
A lot of false-christian scum do that, but they are just fishing
for fools since the Book of Romans is a LETTER TO CHRISTIANS!
Please have a look at my Bible studies at
http://www.prerapture.org/Biblmain.html since many of your
questions are answered there already.
Here is a study that I hope will be a blessing to all. We need
to remember that Romans is a letter written to people who had
already been baptised in Jesus Name and had received the Holy
Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.
Always remember that the book of Romans was a letter that was
written to the Church at Rome. It was a letter written to
Christians, to people who had ALREADY become Christians.
Rom 1:6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be
saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Rom 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,
that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
The Epistles of the Bible were all letters written to Christians
instructing them how to STAY Christians, and how to please the
Lord.
Many antichrist preachers like Carl Mccaskey will use verses that
were written to people who had ALREADY been "born again". They
will use these verses to deceive people who have never become
Christians. For example notice these verses that were written to
people at Rome who were ALREADY Christians.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
These verses are excellent instructions for people who have
ALREADY obeyed Acts 2:38 and become Christians (we see in Acts 19
that when Paul founded churches he preached Acts 2:38). A
Christian that will obey Romans 10:9-10 will remain strong and
will endure to the end and will be saved.
The filthy antichrist preacher, though, will use Romans 10:9-10
to deceive sinners into thinking that all they have to do is
mouth a few words and they are suddenly "Christian" and "saved".
If we simply understand that Romans was a letter written to
people who had ALREADY become Christians by obeying Acts 2:38,
then we can spot those accursed false preachers when they attempt
to deceive people into disobeying the Word of God.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and
to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God
shall call.
Notice the phrase, "as many as the Lord our God shall call."
Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you,
let him be accursed.
II Corinthians 11:12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may
cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein
they glory, they may be found even as we.
II Corinthians 11:13 For such [are] false apostles, deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
II Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light.
II Corinthians 11:15 Therefore [it is] no great thing if his
ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be according to their works.
Don't be surprised that Satan's ministers like Carl Mccaskey will
pretend to be Christian preachers, the Bible says that they will
do that; and it is their job to convince YOU that you can be
saved without obeying the Bible.
Pastor sTeve Winter
--
Apostolic Oneness Pentecostal /*/ PreRapture Ministry
http://www.apostolic.biz for Bible studies (text and audio)
Have you obeyed Acts 2:38 as Paul taught in Acts 19:4-6?
http://tinyurl.com/mxu7o for trinity is antichrist sermon
"That's factual; but not true."- deceiver Robert Sowle 2007
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| User: "John Fraser" |
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| Title: Re: Simple Christianity |
25 May 2007 07:45:54 PM |
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Good morning Steve;
"Pastor Steve Winter" <steve-.NO--SPAM@-prime.org> wrote in message
news:ethc539efbg9dr9r4kav6vho9q8d60ebkd@4ax.com...
"Carl" <saints@nettally.com> spake thusly and wrote:
Ray Stedman turns to the book of Romans to show that Christianity is more
simple than a lot of folks think.
A lot of false-christian scum do that, but they are just fishing
for fools since the Book of Romans is a LETTER TO CHRISTIANS!
It was a letter written by Paul to resolve issues of division within the
church.
Please have a look at my Bible studies at
http://www.prerapture.org/Biblmain.html since many of your
questions are answered there already.
Here is a study that I hope will be a blessing to all. We need
to remember that Romans is a letter written to people who had
already been baptised in Jesus Name and had received the Holy
Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.
Always remember that the book of Romans was a letter that was
written to the Church at Rome. It was a letter written to
Christians, to people who had ALREADY become Christians.
Rom 1:6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be
saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Rom 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,
that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
The Epistles of the Bible were all letters written to Christians
instructing them how to STAY Christians, and how to please the
Lord.
Many antichrist preachers like Carl Mccaskey will use verses that
were written to people who had ALREADY been "born again". They
will use these verses to deceive people who have never become
Christians. For example notice these verses that were written to
people at Rome who were ALREADY Christians.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
These verses are excellent instructions for people who have
ALREADY obeyed Acts 2:38 and become Christians (we see in Acts 19
that when Paul founded churches he preached Acts 2:38). A
Christian that will obey Romans 10:9-10 will remain strong and
will endure to the end and will be saved.
The filthy antichrist preacher, though, will use Romans 10:9-10
to deceive sinners into thinking that all they have to do is
mouth a few words and they are suddenly "Christian" and "saved".
If we simply understand that Romans was a letter written to
people who had ALREADY become Christians by obeying Acts 2:38,
then we can spot those accursed false preachers when they attempt
to deceive people into disobeying the Word of God.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
And then Peter said unto them, Repent.
I draw the reader's attention to your Basic Salvation sermon, Becoming
Christian sermon, Repent or Perish sermon, Basic Biblical Salvation sermon.
You recognize these titles as they're listed on your Audio Sermons webpage
with a literary link appended to them. Unfortunately, repentance is only
vaguely defined if mentioned at all. It makes me wonder if your emphasis is
mainly baptism with repentance taking a distant second.
What precisely does biblical repentance mean? Does it mean going to
church? Avoiding obvious dens of iniquity? Becoming Community leaders?
Replacing our ZZ Top albums with Keith Green, or the Steve Winter Band?
What exactly is meant by biblical repentance?
Acts 2:36
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made
that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Acts 8:36-37
36 And as they went on [their] way, they came unto a certain water: and
the eunuch said, See, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.
And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
This is the message Paul writes to the Roman church. And, it's the same
message in Acts, Chapter 2.
Romans 10:9-10
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.
This is what defines our initial repentance, and it's what Peter meant
in Acts 2:38. This is the message Paul sought the Jews and Gentiles to
understand at Rome as there was no longer a difference between Jew or
Gentile regarding salvation. Peter confirmed this when he writes in 2 Peter
that the act of baptism is the sign of a clean conscience, or changed heart,
toward God.
Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you,
let him be accursed.
My feeling is you use this verse because it's really the only resource
you have. And, you use it for yourself. While you may disagree with
his opinion on the Trinity, Mr. McCaskey has not said anything regarding
salvation you should be disagreeing with. If anything, you should be
building from his posts to explain the follow-up water baptism ceremony and
the subsequent Holy Spirit baptism you emphatically teach. Instead, you
choose to make war only because Mr. McCaskey doesn't recognize you as a
spiritual advisor of any kind. Can you blame him, or anyone else if that's
how you handle discussions?
II Corinthians 11:12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may
cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein
they glory, they may be found even as we.
II Corinthians 11:13 For such [are] false apostles, deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
II Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light.
II Corinthians 11:15 Therefore [it is] no great thing if his
ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be according to their works.
Don't be surprised that Satan's ministers like Carl Mccaskey will
pretend to be Christian preachers, the Bible says that they will
do that; and it is their job to convince YOU that you can be
saved without obeying the Bible.
Pastor sTeve Winter
Regarding belief, what steps do you take before you baptize someone?
Cheers,
John
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| User: "" |
|
| Title: Re: Simple Christianity |
25 May 2007 07:55:12 PM |
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|
On May 25, 5:45=EF=BF=BDpm, "John Fraser" <jfra...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
Good morning Steve;
"Pastor Steve Winter" <steve-.NO--S...@-prime.org> wrote in messagenews:e=
thc539efbg9dr9r4kav6vho9q8d60ebkd@4ax.com...
"Carl" <sai...@nettally.com> spake thusly and wrote:
Ray Stedman turns to the book of Romans to show that Christianity is mo=
re
simple than a lot of folks think.
A lot of false-christian scum do that, but they are just fishing
for fools since the Book of Romans is a LETTER TO CHRISTIANS!
=A0 =A0 It was a letter written by Paul to resolve issues of division wit=
hin the
church.
Please have a look at my Bible studies at
http://www.prerapture.org/Biblmain.htmlsince many of your
questions are answered there already.
Here is a study that I hope will be a blessing to all. =A0We need
to remember that Romans is a letter written to people who had
already been baptised in Jesus Name and had received the Holy
Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.
Always remember that the book of Romans was a letter that was
written to the Church at Rome. =A0It was a letter written to
Christians, to people who had ALREADY become Christians.
Rom 1:6 =A0 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
Rom 1:7 =A0 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be
saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Rom 1:8 =A0 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,
that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
The Epistles of the Bible were all letters written to Christians
instructing them how to STAY Christians, and how to please the
Lord.
Many antichrist preachers like Carl Mccaskey will use verses that
were written to people who had ALREADY been "born again". =A0They
will use these verses to deceive people who have never become
Christians. =A0For example notice these verses that were written to
people at Rome who were ALREADY Christians.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
These verses are excellent instructions for people who have
ALREADY obeyed Acts 2:38 and become Christians (we see in Acts 19
that when Paul founded churches he preached Acts 2:38). =A0A
Christian that will obey Romans 10:9-10 will remain strong and
will endure to the end and will be saved.
The filthy antichrist preacher, though, will use Romans 10:9-10
to deceive sinners into thinking that all they have to do is
mouth a few words and they are suddenly "Christian" and "saved".
If we simply understand that Romans was a letter written to
people who had ALREADY become Christians by obeying Acts 2:38,
then we can spot those accursed false preachers when they attempt
to deceive people into disobeying the Word of God.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
=A0 =A0 And then Peter said unto them, Repent.
=A0 =A0 I draw the reader's attention to your Basic Salvation sermon, Bec=
oming
Christian sermon, Repent or Perish sermon, Basic Biblical Salvation sermo=
n=2E
You recognize these titles as they're listed on your Audio Sermons webpage
with a literary link appended to them. =A0Unfortunately, repentance is on=
ly
vaguely defined if mentioned at all. =A0It makes me wonder if your emphas=
is is
mainly baptism with repentance taking a distant second.
=A0 =A0 What precisely does biblical repentance mean? =A0
snip
It means doing what ever "pastor" (tm) Winter says to do, pay him
respect, ask him for permission to do anything. Basically he decides
what "repentance" means. As far as the bible is concern he could care
less.
.
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