The Spiritual Revolution of Jesus Christ

The Spiritual Revolution of Jesus Christ
and How the False Church
Opposes It (Pt. 6)

By William Handschumacher

A Rock of Offence Special Commentary

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This is part 6 of a six-part Bible study.
To access the other parts click on the
appropriate link below:

Part 1 ----- Part 2 ----- Part 3

Part 4 ----- Part 5

Return To Home Page

Return To Basics of Salvation Page
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Final Thoughts and
Warnings

Front-Loading the Gospel

Whenever an effort is made to expose unbiblical doctrines, problems can occur. It's often necessary to dig beneath the surface and examine some of the deeper truths of God's Word. This is where we risk losing readers, due to confusing and mind-numbing theological terminology. Galatian religion and its close relative, Calvinism, take advantage of this confusion as a way to discourage any close examination of its corrupt tenants. This is an area where certain words or phrases using various illustrations can be helpful.

'Front-loading the Gospel' is a term created by Bible scholars to help us develop a mental picture of what these dangerous teachings are doing. Scripture clearly states that righteous works, the avoidance of sin and Christ-like character are to be part of Christian life ... but for reasons other than obtaining and keeping God's gift of eternal life. Receiving eternal life is the very first thing that happens in the life of anyone seeking to be an authentic Christian. However, it must always be received by Grace through faith - which is not connected to human merit or works. Paul warns, that if even one righteous work or character attribute is added to Grace ... it cancels or invalidates Grace. Unfortunately, when Grace is canceled, it also cancels our ability to be saved - since salvation, after the cross, only comes by Grace.

"And if by Grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work." (Romans 11:6)

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

Galatian religion and its close
relatives of Calvinism and
Catholicism, move these
meritorious works and character
attributes from their position
under 'Sanctification', which
occurs after eternal life is
is received - and 'front-loads
them ahead of eternal life'
where they are redefined as
'preconditions'. Through this,
illegal act, God's gift of
eternal life - ceases to be
a gift and becomes a benefit
earned through human merit.

Saint Paul refers to this as;
"perverting the Gospel"...
an act that carries a curse.
(Galatians 1:6-8)

Front-Loading the Gospel
takes away assurance
of Salvation

For those who profess to be 'Christian', failing to have total assurance of salvation is a warning that you may not have authentic faith in Christ. Rather, you could possess a 'counterfeit faith' in personal works and merit - where you strive to 'earn' eternal life. As a result, according to this popular brand of theology, it's impossible to know when God considers these requirements to be satisfied - and when eternal life is actually received. This unknowable condition is what prevents such individuals from having total assurance of salvation. Yet, the New Testament tells us that the evidence of authentic faith in Christ is having a total and unwavering assurance.

"And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you might know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to beleive in the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:11-13)

Why knowing these differences
are important?

The crucifixion of Christ changed all the previous rules that governed how salvation is received. After the cross, salvation comes through the tenants of the New Covenant, where the believer is freely given everything necessary for salvation ... not according to their own imperfect life, but according to Christ's perfect righteousness and holiness as the Son of God. As a result of their faith, God credits (the Bible uses the word "imputes") Christ's perfect life to the one who simply trusts and believes in Him. Bible Scholars often refer to this as "the exchanged life" or "the substitutionary death of Christ". Saint Paul said it this way ...

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

“Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin." (Romans 4:4-8)

“For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of Grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act (Jesus Christ) the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:17-19)

However, those who trust, in any measure, their own righteous works and piety to earn eternal life - are not believing (or trusting) in Christ ... but in their own meritorious works (also called 'works of the law'). As a result, they are displaying an outward 'appearance of godliness' which does not allow them to possess the same benefits. Instead of freely receiving everything they need for salvation from Christ's abundant resources - they must strive to acquire these benefits through their own efforts. It means they must perform meritorious works to be righteous ... and worthy of salvation. According to the New Testament, this always ends in failure. The Bible refers to this misguided way of believing the Bible as; "walking according to the flesh". Saint Paul said it this way ...

"...not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:5-7)

"You have become estranged (separated or cut-off) from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from Grace." (Galatians 5:4)

So then ... those who possess authentic faith in Christ rely only on Christ's limitless resources to be saved, while the counterfeit group must rely (either in full or in part) on their own righteous works and piety to be saved. This is why those who possess authentic faith in Christ will always have an unwavering assurance of salvation - since it depends only on the finished work of Christ. But, the group with counterfeit faith can never have this kind of assurance - because they can never know if they have successfully met all of God's conditions. This is a false religion (Galatian religion) that is governed by conditions that can't be satisfied ... and its ministers often accuse you of disobeying God when you fail. In the following Scripture, Paul calls this popular religious belief; 'bondage'.

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free (the New Covenant of Christ), and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage (or Old Covenant Law)." (Galatians 5:1)

Thank God that Jesus met all the conditions on behalf of those who have placed their trust in Him!

Two accusations the adherents of
Galatian religion and Calvinism
use against those who expose the
error of 'Front-Loading the Gospel'

ACCUSATION #1:
You're teaching the error of
"Antinominism"

The following quotation is from the "Got Questions" website on the subject; "What is antinomianism?" The original full-length commentary is available HERE

Answer: The word antinomianism comes from two Greek words, anti, meaning "against"; and nomos, meaning "law." Antinomianism means “against the law.” Theologically, antinomianism is the belief that there are no moral laws God expects Christians to obey. Antinomianism takes a biblical teaching to an unbiblical conclusion. The biblical teaching is that Christians are not required to observe the Old Testament Law as a means of salvation. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He fulfilled the Old Testament Law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15). The unbiblical conclusion is that there is no moral law God expects Christians to obey.

(Note: This subject was previously addressed, so we will only repeat the most important points.)

Accusations involving the word 'Antinominism' often come from a failure to properly define certain terminology. As the above quotation correctly states; Christians are not required to observe Old Testament Law as a means of salvation. Paul warned in Galatians 5:4 ... "You have become estranged (separated or cut-off) from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from Grace." Paul repeats this same truth in Romans 6:14 ... "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." By restricting our discussion to only these Scriptures, one might come to the erroneous conclusion that Paul's position is "against the Law", which also suggests that Christians are under no obligation to obey the Law's moral code (also known as "The Ten Commandments" - or just "The Commandments").

Paul's position of 'savation by Grace apart from the law and its works' disproves a major tenant of Galatian religion and its modern-day variants of Calvinism and Catholicism. As a result, the many supporters of these doctrines are quick to associate Paul's teachings - and those who embrace them - with the error of "Antinominism". Yet, Paul never taught that a Christian is free from obeying the Law's moral code. Paul only said that obedience to this code is not a requirement to be saved. As we previously learned ... following the cross, the moral code operates in its new role as 'a reference guide' to help Christians identify the sin they should now avoid. Yet, contrary to many popular church teachings ... this 'code of righteous conduct and behavior' no longer has the authority, as it did under Old Testament Law, to prevent anyone from receiving eternal life - or to take it away once it is received. This is why God can now offer eternal life (salvation) as a free unmerited and undeserved gift.

As a result, we can now see that, following the sacrificial death of Christ, obeying the Law's 'moral code' is no longer a requirement for receiving or keeping eternal life. However, God does require Christians to observe this code to place their life in agreement with why Jesus went to the cross; to take away our sins and give us new life. By living contrary to the Law's moral code, we are also living contrary to Christ's entire redemptive program (also known as "The New Covenant").

Once again, Saint Paul said it this way ...

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:1-4)

So, when we hear words such as 'Antinominism' in a sermon, it can be a red flag warning us that Christ's Gospel of Grace is under attack by those who embrace one of the many brands of Galatian religion. On the other hand ... it can also be viewed as a word of correction to 'carnal Christians' who mistakenly think they can use God's Grace as a way to ignore the Bible's moral code - and practice a sinful lifestyle.

ACCUSATION #2:
You're teaching the error of
"Hyper-Grace"

It's important to remember that Galatian religion and all its various expressions (such as Calvinism and Catholicism) embrace an 'anti-grace theology' based on out-of-context Scripture. Since Grace, in the New Testament, means that salvation is given without works according to God's unmerited favor (or Grace) ... those who embrace 'anti-grace' take a contrary position - that salvation is dependent upon works and personal merit to earn God's favor, which also earns salvation. Anti-grace theology is empowered by out-of-context methods of Bible interpretation - so it looks and sounds Biblical on the surface. It considers anyone who agrees with the removal of all work and personal merit as requirements for eternal life (as Paul taught in his New Testament Epistles) ... to be guilty of teaching 'Hyper-Grace'. This term is often used against those who condemn and expose popular anti-grace teachings. Yet, it’s actually an attempt to discredit or cast doubt on the Grace-based New Testament teachings of the Apostle Paul, who condemns their doctrine as being unbiblical and false.

Saint Paul expressed his oppostion to 'the anti-grace gospel' in the following way :

"And if by Grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work." (Romans 11:6)

When you hear the term 'Hyper-Grace'
used in a sermon, it almost
always originates from the
anti-grace theology of Galatian
religion or one of its many
expressions.

The Continuing Collapse
of Evangelicalism From
Within

At this point, some readers might comment: "Evangelicalism isn't collapsing ... because we hear the term constantly used throughout the Christian Church." What many fail to understand is how our enemy (the devil) operates. He targets a particular term (or name) - and changes the definition and language behind the name - while leaving the name unchanged. We see this happening in the Bible with the word 'gospel' and the name 'Jesus'. This is why Paul continually warned that there is 'a different gospel and another Jesus' (today we call them 'spiritual counterfeits') - that are being taught within Christendom. Nearly all churches and denominations claim to preach 'the gospel'. However, if you believe everyone is teaching the authentic New Testament gospel, you're in danger of being led astray.

Previously in this study, we discovered how Evangelicalism is being infiltrated by those who embrace the works-based theology of Calvinism, which is actually a form of Galatian religion. The situation has disintegrated to the point where "the Southern Baptist Convention", one of the largest Evangelical groups in the world, is now severely compromised.

However, Calvinism is not
their only problem.

Beginning around the late 1990's, something new arrived on the scene known as; The Emergent Church movement. After being immediately exposed as an aberrant Christian group by various Bible scholars and apologists - it repackaged itself into what's currently known as "The Gospel Coalition" - a far more deceptive name. Over the last twenty years or so, its leaders have established thousands of 'new churches' throughout the United States. However, 'the gospel' preached by "The Gospel Coalition" is not the one from the New Testament. According to Saint Paul, it matches the description of "a different gospel", which carries a curse. (Galatians 1:6-8)

Due to the time and detail required,
we will not discuss the Emergent
Church movement or The Gospel
Coalition in this study. For more
information, visit the following links
which contain a more detailed
discussion of these dangerous
movements.

Important Note: We endorse and
recommend the commentaries listed
below - but restrict our agreement
to the subject being discussed.
Both of these men are 'Christian
Apologists', who "contend earnestly
for the faith" (Jude 1:3-4).
However, this does not mean that
Brannon Howse and Eric Barger are
'inerrant' - or that we agree with
all of their teachings.

What is the emerging / emergent church
movement? (Got Questions Website)

Is your Church New Age, Emergent,
or Christian? - By Eric Barger

The Gospel Coalition is The Emergent
Church Repackaged & Popular Pastors
Are Part of It (Brannon Howse)

The Emergent Church Movement, Gospel Coalition, Classical Calvinism and 'New Calvinism' - are all attempting to redefine the New Testament-based 'Evangelicalism' of the Southern Baptist Convention WITH THE GOAL OF SPREADING THEIR INFLUENCE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EVANGELICAL WORLD. With the old guard being unable or unwilling to resist ... the struggle is nearly over. What we now see is 'A New Evangelicalism', which possesses the same name with a radically different definition and mission. However, God warns that He opposes the doctrine of this new brand of Evangelicalism ... and all those who embrace it.

We will end this rather long
Bible study with an important
warning ...

Let no man deceive you:

Luther's Reformation
Is Not Over.

The religious errors and heresies
that both angered and motivated
the Reformers nearly 700 years
ago - are even more powerful and
influential today. These same
errors, cloaked in different
religious 'packaging', must be
confronted if we are to preserve...

"The truth of the Gospel."

We sincerely hope this study is
beneficial in your relationship
with our Lord Jesus Christ.

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This is part 6 of a six-part Bible study.
To access the other parts click on the
appropriate link below:

Part 1 ----- Part 2 ----- Part 3

Part 4 ----- Part 5

Return To Home Page

Return To Basics of Salvation Page
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