the dynamite of the Evangel

07-08-2015 - Posted by Andre Piet

why, yet, tell the Evangel?

How often haven’t  I heard the objection: why should we tell the Evangel, when God will save all mankind, regardless? What a fallacy! The message that God is the Saviour of all people, precisely is the Evangel!

the Evangel at odds with (Christian) religion

The Evangel of grace is diametrically opposed to all religion, including the Christian religion. Characteristic of all religions is that people are presented hope… with conditions. What conditions or how many is irrelevant. The Evangel, on the other hand, as Paul preached it among the nations, means that there is hope for every human being! Without limitation and conditions.

to Convert Christians is well-nigh an impossibility…

There is nothing as difficult as to convince Orthodox Christians of the truth of the Evangel. An orthodox Christian believes in order that God will be his or her Savior. Try to imagine what it means for such a person to learn that God, in advance, is already a Savior of all people … It means cutting off the ‘limb of faith’ they are sitting on. What I mean is aptly illustrated in the following reaction: “Why should I believe, if there is no hell, anyway?” to save sinners The phrase “this is a faithful saying and worthy of all welcome” occurs twice in 1Timothy. The first time in 1 Timothy 1:15:

Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all welcome, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, foremost of whom am I.

There is a logical connection between this statement and the one in 1Timothy 4:9. Because if Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and even save the chief of sinners … it can not be but that He actually is a Savior of all the people. Indeed, this conclusion is confirmed, in black on white, in 1Timothy 4:10.

What was Paul’s drive?

What was the enormous drive of Paul to travel entire continents without letting any difficulty hinder him? Remember that he, everywhere, encountered opposition, slander and persecution (from the religious side). What empowered Paul? This is his answer:

Faithful is the saying and worthy of all welcome (for for this are we toiling and being reproached), that we rely on the living God, Who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of believers. These things be charging and teaching.
1Timothy 4:9-11

Church vs. Paul

“The Church” has in all ages, despised the Message of God being the Savior of all mankind as “implausible” and “worth every rejection. And she commanded her servants, on pain of ex-communication: do not teach this.

death abolished or eternal death?

…Christ Jesus, Who, indeed, abolishes death, yet illuminates life and incorruption through the evangel of which I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher of the nations.
2Timothy 1:10,11

The Evangel brings life and immortality to light through Christ Jesus, Who abolishes death. This is an announcement. A message. Christianity has made this statement to be a sales item. Her version is that imperishable life can be obtained only by those who meet the conditions. The consequence is that the death will not be undone, at all. After all, a large part of humanity will end up in (what is called) “eternal death.” In spite of the beautiful ‘Easter’ Songs, Jesus Christ’s death does not defeat death. Is not this a blatant denial of the core of the Evangel for which Paul had been appointed “a herald, apostle and teacher of the nations”?

What is a herald?

A herald (“preacher”) of the Evangel makes announcements. He or she gives a message. Paul proclaimed that Christ Jesus abolishes death and that God is the Savior of all mankind. This is a notification, because, no matter what or who, it is true. Whether you believe it or not.

evangelists merchants

Already in Paul’s day they relegated the Good Message to a sales item (2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God…; (NKJV)”. A ‘product’ that has to be ‘sold’. Give a little, take a little. Many evangelists (I know it sounds hard) are religious merchants. Initially, they impassionedly speak about ‘free’ and ‘gratuitous’ grace, but at the end of the ‘advertising message’ it becomes clear that man without any action does not obtain the “article”. They loudly proclaim ‘it is finished’, but they mean that man must supply the finishing touch.

Is one to be careful with the Evangel?

Among those who believe that God is a Savior of all people, there are many who believe that this concerns ‘higher education’ (while a toddler can understand it!). They think you have to be extremely careful with this message. To ‘Christian people’ you better not tell it, because “most are not ready for it. It is sad that this type of reasoning keeps the Best News untold and precisely by those who know it so well. Indeed, for who risks to stick out his neck to tell it, there is no place for him within the the orthodox religious communities. To believe it within church walls is, at best, tolerated to believe the Evangel… but talk about it, let alone, preach it from the pulpit (!?) – That is totally excluded. But how would people be able to believe it, if they, first, do not get to hear it?

all mankind belongs to Christ – they are His property!

… for this is ideal and welcome in the sight of our Saviour, God, Who wills that all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator of God and mankind, a Man, Christ Jesus, Who is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all (the testimony in its own eras), for which I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the nations in knowledge and truth.
1Timothy 2:3-7

The truth is that God wills all mankind to be saved. Since there is only one God, i.e. only One determines everything, it can not be, but that God is, indeed, the Savior of all people. After all, the price has been paid for EVERYONE and for that reason Jesus is Lord (i.e. owner) of all the people! Yes indeed, every human being is Christ Jesus’ property. Only, most people do not know this. But, yes, who is there to tell them this? The institutes which have the reputation to be Jesus Christ’s representatives on earth (the churches), are even the most explicit opponents of this message!

Error or hope of the Evangel?

and through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens. And you, being once estranged and enemies in comprehension, by wicked acts, yet now He reconciles by His body of flesh, through His death, to present you holy and flawless and unimpeachable in His sight since surely you are persisting in the faith, grounded and settled and are not being removed from the expectation of the evangel which you hear which is being heralded in the entire creation which is under heaven of which I, Paul, became the dispenser.
Colossians 1:20-23

The mutual reconciliation of all, is here called the “Evangel of hope”. It is from this hope that Christianity, en masse, has allowed itself to have been removed. Indeed, anyone who cherishes this hope (expectation) is considered to be an adherent and supporter of one of the most serious, most subtle and most difficult to unravel, unbiblical teachings, extant.

Faith or works?

In orthodox Christianity, ‘believing’ belief” has become a job. An act for which they receive pay (and for what!). In contrast, according to Paul ‘believing is the opposite of working. Having faith is precisely the recognition that there is nothing to be earned.

Now to the worker, the wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as a debt. Yet to him who is not working, yet is believing on Him Who is justifying the irreverent, his faith is reckoned for righteousness…
Romans:4,5

A believer is one who puts his trust in Him, “Who justifies the ungodly.” Can it be said any stronger?? Does God then justify all mankind? Indeed! Read Romans 5:18. When a man is relying on ‘working’, i.e. something he has to do (e.g. choose for Jesus!), he relies on his own righteousness. Such a person is locked out from accepting the ‘gratuitous Evangel’. Romans 9:31-33

Delen: