True Gospel versus False Beliefs and False Doctrines

Question: Can we learn the truth about the Lord Jesus and His Gospel from false doctrines and beliefs? How can we identify the true Gospel?

It is a common occurrence and a well-known fact, that to sell fake copies of some well-known product, the deceivers try to make the outer appearance or the presentation of the fake product as near to the genuine product as possible so that people are deceived into accepting and procuring that fake copy, in the belief that it is the actual product. It is only when people make use of that fake product, they realize that it is not what it was actually claimed to be – it’s qualities are not the same as the qualities of the actual product, neither is it as efficacious as it ought to be.

The same holds true for the true Gospel and teachings of God given in the Bible. Satan, to deceive the people, has brought into circulation many different varieties of fake copies of the Gospel and the Word of God. These fake gospels sound like the true Gospel, but they always have some errors and deviations from the true Gospel, which may not be immediately evident, but does come to the fore sooner than later. Also, to accept the contention that God warns us through false religions and false doctrines, is to say that God approves and uses falsehood and untruth to convey His message of “…the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6) – a patently false and untenable assertion, that contradicts the character and attributes of God, and is absolutely contrary to the teachings of God’s Word the Bible. In support, consider a few passages from the Bible in this context:

In Acts 16:16-18 we see that Paul casts out an evil spirit from a girl, even though the evil spirit through the girl kept saying that "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17) – a fact, but coming through someone unacceptable to God.

James says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (James 1:13); and “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

The Apostle John in his first epistle says, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

The Bible over and over again, emphasizes God’s absolute truthfulness, unwavering honesty, irreproachable integrity, impeccable justice, i.e. a behavior and character way above any reproach or doubt. There is no way that God has, or will use false doctrines and religions to spread His Word, when He already has given His true and Living Word to mankind, and has also given His people His Holy Spirit to teach them His Word (John 14:26; 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 2:11-14). The Lord Jesus, after His resurrection and before His ascension into heaven, in His Great Commission to His disciples has asked them to go and teach to the people of the world nothing contrived or from human wisdom, but that which is His Word (Matthew 28:18-20).

But Satan, to make his lies, false teachings and wrong doctrines etc. to be acceptable, makes his ploys appear and sound like God’s Word, cleverly disguising the wrong things behind a veneer of religiosity and seeming acceptability (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Colossians 2:4-8; 16-23). Therefore it is imperative that we firmly ground ourselves in God’s Word, and use the Bible and the Bible alone as the standard to check and judge all teachings, religions and doctrines (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). Anything that is not according to God’s Word, or contradicts it in any manner; or any teaching or doctrine that does not satisfy or does not fully go along with all that is said regarding any issue or topic; or anything adopted from and incorporated from ways of the world and/or from the wisdom and practices of men (Matthew 15:3-9) into the teachings and practices of Biblical Christianity, is a false doctrine, a false religion, something displeasing and unacceptable to God, and is to be discarded, disregarded.

The true Gospel, is stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 – “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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 is the ‘Gospel chapter’ of the Bible – study it to see and understand the various truths related to the Gospel). Please take note, the true Gospel is according to the Scriptures and is not of human ingenuity; in other words, there is nothing in the true Gospel that has not already been stated in the Scriptures.

Understand this from the Bible itself:
Hebrews 10:5-9 records the statement of the Lord Jesus just before He left heaven to come down to earth; it says: “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come-- In the volume of the book it is written of Me-- To do Your will, O God.' " Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second.” The Lord Jesus is specifically stating that His work has already been recorded “In the volume of the book ” and in carrying out that which has been written, He will be fulfilling the will of God; in other words, it is already recorded; Christ Jesus did not devise anything new.
When the Lord Jesus met the two disciples returning from Jerusalem to Emmaus after His resurrection, and engaged in conversation with them, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27) – another affirmation that all that the Lord did, had already been recorded in the then available Scriptures, even before He was born or started His ministry.
The Apostle Paul too, after accepting Jesus as his savior and Lord used the Scriptures – the Old Testament texts to speak about and prove the Lord’s ministry: “vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” and “he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening” (Acts 18:28; 28:23). Therefore, since there is nothing in the true Gospel that has not already been recorded in God’s Word, hence anyone preaching or teaching anything that does not already exist in the Scriptures, in the garb of the Gospel; anyone adding some new features or so called ‘new revelations’ to the Gospel is actually perverting the Gospel and is not to be believed or accepted.

Perversion of this Gospel had started straightaway, in the first century itself, and such was the attraction of these perversions, that within the time period of the Apostles and their ministry, the Christian Believers were already getting deceived and were falling for the wrong teachings. All the writers of the New Testament deal with these issues of wrong teachings and deceptions and Satan’s lies and deviousness in their writings, over and over again. All the epistles in the New Testament were written, and are meant to correct misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding Christ’s teachings, and to confront and nullify the wrong teachings being spread by the devil.

Once we know the characteristics of the true Gospel, we can always use them as the standard to compare every other doctrine and determine whether or not it is genuine. The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul gives us some pointers to identify the wrong Gospel in Galatians 1:3-9, and warns us that other than the Gospel already stated, even if Paul himself or an angel tries to modify it or re-state it in a different manner, it is not to be accepted. 

The text of Galatians 1:3-9 is as follows:

Galatians 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

Galatians 1:4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Galatians 1:5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 1:6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,

Galatians 1:7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

Galatians 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

Galatians 1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

We can glean the following facts and characteristics regarding the true Gospel from this passage:

Verse 3. The true Gospel brings God’s grace and peace with it; it is not a source of differences, contentions or strife. Any teaching that does not place God and the Lord Jesus as the source of all grace and peace in our lives, instead if it emphasizes on any kind of human efforts and works to attain God’s grace and peace, or asking to do something to “earn it” instead of receiving it by faith through the grace of God, is not the true Gospel. Since the peace of the Lord Jesus is already granted to every disciple of His (John 14:27; 16:33), so why would anyone have to make any efforts of his own to obtain it?

Verse 4. Any teaching or doctrine or religion that speaks of anything other than, or of anything in addition to the accomplished work on the Cross of Calvary by the Lord Jesus, to save us from our sins and to justify us before God, is a false Gospel, a false doctrine, a false teaching; and ought to be rejected outright. Nothing, absolutely nothing, not even things like Baptism, participation in the Lord’s Table, Confirmation, or any other ritual or practice can in any way supplement or supplant what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for the salvation and redemption of mankind.

Verse 5. Adherence to and following the true Gospel always glorifies God and the Lord Jesus. The true gospel never ever glorifies man; rather, it exposes the sinfulness of man, provides the grace of God as the remedy to sin, and causes the redeemed and saved by God’s grace to glorify God rather than exalt or venerate any human being in any manner, for anything related to salvation, Kingdom of God, and restoration to fellowship with God. That which glorifies any human being, or in any manner takes away from God’s glory, is not the true Gospel.

Verses 6, 7. The ‘different gospel’’ is different because instead of emphasizing and presenting the ‘grace of Christ’ as something of first and foremost importance, leads people away from this primary requirement for salvation - grace. The ‘different gospel’’ may emphasize on things like ‘good works,’ ‘pious or holy living,’ ‘working of miracles’; it may focus on worldly gains and prosperity rather than accumulating heavenly gains (Colossians 3:1-2); on alms, penances, pilgrimages, veneration of saints and other humans; on philosophy, Bible knowledge, status in Church hierarchy, etc. but the one crucial thing missing in that ‘different’ or false gospel will be the emphasis and sole necessity of the grace of Christ for being right with God, for being acceptable to God (Colossians 2). The false Gospel will eventually lead to problems, strife, contentions, hurt and broken relationships, one-upmanship, ego problems, desire and efforts for gaining temporal status and things, etc. instead of the grace and peace of God, as stated in vs. 3.

Verses 8, 9. The Gospel that has once and for all times been delivered is immutable, and cannot be added to or subtracted from, but has to be diligently defended from Satan’s devious ploys (Jude 1:3). No one, not Paul, not any angel, not anyone – howsoever accomplished or worthy of honor he or she may be, can ever make any changes or modifications to the Gospel delivered once and for all times at the beginning of the first Church (Acts 2:37-40; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Anything not found in this primary Gospel, is a ‘different gospel’ – a perversion of the true gospel that has come from the devil, and is not to be accepted or given any credence, let alone be followed. God’s Word calls the purveyors of this false or ‘different’ gospel as ‘accursed’ and it would be patently false and naïve to expect anything blessed from someone or something accursed from God.

By following Paul’s exhortation “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), and subjecting all teachings and doctrines related to God, salvation, and Christ Jesus to the above criteria (and of teachings from 1 Corinthians 15; Colossians 2 & 3), and through the help and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit the genuine can readily be separated from the false.

Will Back-Sliders go to Heaven?

Question:

Once a person is saved, if he back-slides, then will he go to heaven?

Answer:

Whosoever has been saved, i.e., voluntarily and with a true heart, has repented of his sins, accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior, has asked for forgiveness of his sins from Him, and has submitted his life to Him, only that person will go to heaven by the grace of God – but only God knows the actual spiritual condition of man, therefore it is only God who can decide on who will go to heaven, and who will not.

According to God’s Word, the Bible, it is very clear and firmly established that salvation is forever, i.e. is eternal. The writer of the epistle to Hebrews, writing about the Lord Jesus Christ’s work to provide salvation to mankind writes, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,” (Hebrews 5:8-9). The Lord Jesus also said that He will give eternal life to all who believe in Him (i.e. an endless and indestructible life for all eternity, eternal life) and at the same time also assured that no one will be able to take the saved ones out of the Lord’s, or God’s hands (John 10:27-29) – this statement of the Lord has very serious and extremely important implications. On the basis of this promise from the Lord, to lose one’s salvation implies that, somehow Satan has been able to snatch away the saved persons from the Lord’s, or God’s hands, and taken possession of them again. If at all somehow this were to be possible, it would mean that three impossibilities have become possible – first, that Satan is more powerful than God; second, that the Lord Jesus spoke a lie, He gave a false assurance that no one will be able to take away a saved person from the hand of the Lord or of God; and third, that the Lord does not know about Satan’s power or His own power, or God’s power; He is just saying things without any basis! Since any and all of this is an absolute impossibility and can never happen, therefore it is evident that any person who has been saved, on the basis of John 10:27-29 can never ever lose his salvation. And since those who are saved are no longer under any condemnation (Romans 8:1), therefore those who are actually saved, will most certainly enter heaven, whatever be their state of maturity in faith and standing in spirituality.

But it is only the Lord God who knows, who is an actual Christian Believer and who is not. For example, take Judas Iscariot; he was called to be a disciple by the Lord, he stayed in fellowship with the Lord, he learnt from the Lord, he too went for preaching in the power and instructions from the Lord, along with the other disciples, and along with the disciples he too preached the gospel, he too did miracles, but in the end he was called ‘the son of perdition’ and ‘the only one lost’ (John 17:12), and went into eternal destruction. The Lord Jesus towards the end of His Sermon on the Mount had said that not everyone who calls Him ‘Lord’ will enter into heaven, even though they may have abundantly preached, worked miracles and done other remarkable works in the Lord’s name – the Lord called all such works as ‘iniquity’ – and made it clear that only they will enter heaven who are obedient to God and work according to the will of God (Matthew 7:21-23). Therefore on the basis of the evident behavior, preaching, and works of any person we can never say for sure that all those who claim to believe in the Lord and everyone who preaches or works in His name, is actually a saved person! Paul also cautioned and exhorted that Satan and his angels come as angels of light and apostles of Christ to deceive people (2 Corinthians 11:3, 13-15). Therefore it is only God who knows the fact of a person’s being saved, and only He can decide, and does decide, about a person’s being saved or not.

The Bible also says that there will be Christian Believers who truly repented and came to the Lord with a true heart, they were really saved, but they did not do anything that could be considered worthy of being rewarded by the Lord. At the time of judgement when their works are evaluated, they will surely enter heaven because they are saved, but will enter empty handed, without any rewards, and remain so forever for all eternity (1 Corinthians 3:9-15). Like for everyone else in the world, even the Christian Believers will face judgment on the basis of their works, rather, the beginning of judgement will be with the Christian Believers (1 Peter 4:17-18), but the judgement of the Christian Believers will not be for their salvation, but for giving them eternal rewards based on the evaluation of their works – salvation is not based upon works, but rewards are based on works. Salvation is only by the grace of God through repentance from sins and coming to faith in the Lord Jesus; not through any works of any kind, nor by fulfilling any traditions, or rituals, or carrying out religious observances of any kind (Ephesians 2:1-9).

There are many such people who after coming into the Christian Faith, for some reason or the other, back-slid or fell away from the Faith, but the Lord in accordance with His promise (Hebrews 13:5) did not leave or forsake them. Sooner or later, through some way, Lord brought them back into the Faith, and subsequently they were used mightily for the Lord, and through their witness and example of returning back into the Faith they became a source of encouragement and courage to others who were weak in, or had fallen away from the Faith. If we look at it from our current context, then the time when the Lord Jesus had taken the penalty of the world’s sins upon Himself, at that time we had no physical existence. Also, nowhere is it written in the Bible that the Lord took upon Himself and suffered the penalty of only those sins of the people which they had committed before coming to the Lord – i.e., the sins they had committed before being saved; and the Lord has left the remedy of their sins committed after their being saved in their own hands, by virtue of their works – this is an impossibility – how can a part of salvation be dependent upon the grace of God, and the remaining part be based on the works of a person? 

The Lord has paid in full, the penalty for all the sins of all the people committed in their entire life-time, at whatever time in the history of the world they have existed. He has made available not a just partial but the complete way out from the deadly consequences of every person's entire sin burden of their entire life-time; now there is nothing left for any person to accomplish by his own efforts to live a saved life. When the Lord has taken upon Himself all the sins of every person, from their birth to their death, has paid in full for them, then which sin is left that will hinder the person from entering heaven? Is his sin of back-sliding or falling away from the Faith not a part of the sins of his lifetime, the price for which has already been paid in full by the Lord? 

And if, supposing, having been cleansed on being saved, a person is able to maintain his life pure and sinless by his own efforts, works, and abilities, then he could have done the same before being saved as well – then the Lord's coming has been in vain; rather, the sinful, mortal man, actually has become greater than the Lord God! Since if this were possible, then man merely by his works, can accomplish that for which the Lord had to leave heaven and come down as a man to earth, suffer ignominy and torture, and had to sacrifice His life – this is an absolutely inconsistent and impossible contention! Moreover, which saved person can in all honesty say that since salvation, he has never – physically, mentally, or in thoughts, ever committed any sin? The Apostle John says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8, 10) – take note that though he was a saved person and an Apostle, yet, through the use of the word "we" he is including himself amongst the sinners referred to in this verse. Therefore what difference if any is left between those who have back-slid or fallen away from the Faith, and those who haven't? The one falling away has also sinned, and those who are still in the Faith, they too have sinned or do sin – and since the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), therefore both of them are in a similar situation, and both are justified before God not by their works of any kind, but solely by the grace, forgiveness, and love of God, and both are made acceptable for entry into heaven through the grace and forgiveness of God.

Therefore for those who have back-slid or fallen away from faith, instead of criticizing and condemning them, we should pray for them; and we should leave their returning back into the Faith and being useful for the Lord in the hands of the Lord, to be accomplished according to the time and plan of God.

Healing by the Stripes and Blood of Lord Jesus

Question: What does the Biblical phrase “By His stripes we are healed...” mean? Are we healed, both spiritually and physically, by the blood of Jesus Christ?

        The most common error in interpreting Scripture is to take a particular passage or verse, or even a portion of a verse (as here) out of its context, give it meanings and interpretations according to one’s liking, and then not only accept but also share those interpretations with others as ‘truths’; even when those meanings do not stand up to the requirements and evidence of the context, and are therefore unrealistic, untrue, and unacceptable. God’s Word, the Bible exhorts us to “diligently present ourselves approved to God (not to any man)” and to “rightly divide the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15); and not fall for the trap of following teachers who do not teach Biblically sound doctrine but things that the audience want to hear (2 Timothy 4:2-4). To avoid falling for Satan’s ploys to misuse God’s Word (which he had the audacity to do so even with the Lord Jesus – Matthew 4:1-11), we all need to take heed to do according to 1 Thessalonians 5:21 “Test all things; hold fast what is good” and be like the Berean Christians, who have been commended in the Bible for first cross checking everything from the Scriptures and only then believing in what was taught (Acts 17:11-12) – even though it was Paul who was teaching them.

        The Bible verse from which this phrase has been taken is Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Peter too quotes this verse in his first epistle – “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Incidentally, other than these two verses, there is no other verse in the Bible containing the terms “stripes” and “healed” together. In both of these verses we see that the ‘healing’ being mentioned is the spiritual healing from effects of sin; and not a physical healing of the body from any disease, or sickness, or deformity, or any other physical ailment.

        Since in common usage, the word ‘healing’ is predominantly associated with physical infirmities, with ailments of the body, hence without giving it much thought, it is taken for granted that the ‘healing’ mentioned in these verses is physical healing as well. Unfortunately, many preachers and teachers who would like to have us believe it to be so, continue to emphasize and teach the misinterpretation, basing it upon verse portions taken out of context and continuity with the actual text of the Scriptures. They neither themselves pay heed to the context and related things in appropriately interpreting the verse or passage, nor encourage and allow their audience to study the context and related things of the complete verse and its passage, before accepting or coming to a conclusion about it.

        Another very pertinent fact to be considered is that nowhere in the whole of the Bible, have either of the phrases “by His stripes we are healed” and “by whose stripes you were healed” ever been used or alluded to in any form of miraculous healing, by any Prophet, Apostle, or Man of God – and there is no dearth of instances of physical healings in either the Old or the New Testaments. Consider some examples related to physical ailments and healing from the New Testament: Paul instructing Timothy says to him, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23). Clearly, Timothy was distressed because of some recurrent physical ailments, and Paul is asking him to use “a little wine” as a medicine – why has he not asked Timothy to use and claim healing on the basis of the stripes of the Lord Jesus? Consider Paul’s own “thorn in the flesh” – Paul says “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me” (2 Corinthians 12: 7, 8). Why did Paul have to plead with the Lord to deliver him from the problem of the flesh; instead, why did he simply not claim the healing made available through the stripes of the Lord? And the “faith” of Paul and Timothy in the Lord and the Lord’s ability to heal in answer to prayer cannot be doubted! We see in the book of Acts that when Peter healed the lame from birth person sitting at the entrance to the Temple, in Acts 3, he did not say to the lame man “by the stripes of the Lord Jesus you are healed and made whole;” rather, “Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk"” (Acts 3:6). Is there any instance of physical healing through applying or claiming the phrase “by the Lord’s stripes you/we have been healed” recorded anywhere in the Bible? If not then, why is such a usage and interpretation being so enthusiastically preached, taught and accepted? More importantly, why are people being so gullible and not asking the purveyors of untruth to either justify their stand from God’s Word about it, or to stop preaching and teaching these wrong things?

        The plain and simple fact of the matter is that these verses are referring to the suffering Christ endured in our place, for our sins, which He had taken upon Himself (1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 3:5). Because of His taking up our punishment, He had to bear those stripes and the agony of suffering on the cross for us, and by the Lord’s bearing all this for us we have received deliverance from our sins, and the healing that was required for our spirits broken down by sin, which had been prophesied by Isaiah and its fulfillment was claimed by the Lord (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18). The phrase “By His stripes we are healed...” is not referring to physical healing from diseases and infirmities, but to being healed from the deleterious consequences of our sins.

        Similarly, nowhere does the Bible say that the blood of Jesus heals us from physical diseases and infirmities. The blood of Jesus is said to be efficacious for other things, and is the one and only remedy for them – all of them are spiritual and related to our relationship with the Lord God, e.g. – our propitiation (Romans 3:25); our justification (Romans 5:9); bringing us near to God i.e. reconciling us to God (Ephesians 2:13); cleansing of our conscience from dead works (Hebrews 9:14) and giving boldness to enter the Holiest (Hebrews 10:19); our redemption (1 Peter 1:19); cleansing of our sins (1 John 1:7); washing away of our sins (Revelation 1:5). But there is no mention of any physical healing through the blood of Lord Jesus Christ, and neither have any of the Apostles or writers of the New Testament at any place claimed or taught the use of “Blood of Jesus Christ” for any healing or recovery from physical ailments. 

      Therefore teaching people that we ask for or claim some portion of the Bible, in a manner or for something that the Word of God neither teaches about nor asks us to claim, is certainly not in accordance with God’s Word, is extraneous to it, does not stand up to 2 Timothy 2: 15, therefore doing these things is quite unacceptable and ought to be rejected.

Lord's Table and Baptism

Question: Is it mandatory or necessary to take baptism before participating in the Lord’s Table?

 Answer:

        The Lord’s Table and related matters are a very big subject, and it is not possible to deal in detail about them here. This is an attempt to answer this question quite briefly through some Biblical references and examples.

        Take note that the Lord Jesus established the Holy Communion or the Lord’s Table while participating in the Passover feast with His disciples. We find the description of the Passover feast in Exodus Chapter 12 and it says in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that the Lord Jesus was that sacrificial lamb of the Passover. In Exodus 12:3-4 we see that God had instructed that one lamb was to be sacrificed for one household or family, and in case the family is small the Passover can be celebrated with the neighbor’s family. The implication is that, the people who would gather to eat one lamb, they were one family or household – that is to say that any outsider on seeing them eating from one Passover lamb would infer that the participants all belong to one family or household. But it was not essential that the ‘apparent’ family had to actually be a blood related family – two different families could also get together to fulfill the requirements of this feast. When the Lord Jesus asked for the Passover feast to be arranged, He did not do so with His ‘immediate’ or ‘blood-relation’ family nor did He invite them to be with Him in the participation, instead He celebrated the Passover with those of His disciples who stayed with Him night and day. The families of those disciples were also not invited to participate. The Lord Jesus Christ became that ‘sacrificial lamb’ and those who participated in that feast were considered His ‘family,’ the members of His Church; even though they were not physically related to the Lord, but now because of their coming to faith in the Lord now they are all one family – the family of God (Ephesians 2:17-19)।

        Participating in The Lord’s Table is not a formality or ritualistic observation that can be carried out by anyone calling himself a “Christian” or a “Believer.” Besides those twelve disciples the Lord had other disciples as well; in Luke 10:1 में we have the mention of 70 other disciples, and in Acts 1:15 a 120 disciples used to gather together to pray; but the Lord had not invited them to be with Him in this Last Supper, and neither did He instruct the disciples to also “distribute it among the other disciples too.” Then, while instituting the Lord’s Table He said to those disciples present there with Him: “…With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:14-15). All this shows us that in the Lord’s eyes, only those are worthy of participating in the Lord’s Table who in practical day-to-day life maintain a continual fellowship with the Lord Jesus, and are members of His family/household by coming to faith in Him.

        It is necessary to keep another very important thing in mind – The Lord’s Table was not served to Judas Iscariot; at the time when the Lord distributed to bread and the wine saying this is my body and blood, by then Judas had left the place. We see in John 13 that on gathering together for the Passover, the Lord first washed the feet of His disciples, then they sat down to eat the meal, and then the Lord dipped and gave the first piece of bread to Judas, on accepting that piece immediately Satan entered him and he left the place (13:26, 27, 30). This was not the institution of the Lord’s Supper; rather it was the beginning of the meal. The Lord instituted the Lord’s Supper, while the meal was underway, that is while they were eating the meal: “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body"” (Matthew 26:26), and Judas had already left them by this time.

        Based on all these facts we can draw the conclusion that the Lord instituted the Lord’s Supper only for those who were His closely associated disciples, accepting them as members of His family, those who were fully dedicated to Him, always stayed with Him (even though they were not perfect). Today, the only way we become members of the Lord’s family is by coming to faith in Him and accepting Him as our personal savior (John 1:12-13; Romans 8:14-17), and diligently participating in the Lord’s Table is one way of being in close fellowship with Him; the others are being diligent in studying His Word, Prayer and fellowshipping with His other children (Acts 2:42).  

        Now take note, that when the Lord’s Supper was instituted for the first time, then at that time, no question about any of the disciple’s having been baptized or not baptized came up and neither did the Lord say anything about it. It is also clear from the Bible that baptism neither makes a person a child of God, nor a member of God’s family. The fact of the matter is that those that come to faith in the Lord Jesus, they get baptized (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41), and not that those who get baptized they then come to faith in the Lord. Getting baptized is a public testimony of having come into the Christian Faith; nobody becomes a “Christian Believer” by getting baptized, but those who become Christian Believers, they give a public testimony of their having come into the Christian Faith in accordance with the Lord’s commandment, by undergoing immersion baptism. Therefore taking baptism is no pre-condition or necessity for participating in the Lord’s Table.

        When the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11 taught about the misconceptions and gave instructions regarding the wrong behavior in context of the Lord’s Supper, then in writing about those errors and their rectification nowhere was it written that ‘the people should examine themselves whether or not they have been baptized, and only those who have been baptized can participate in the Lord’s Table.’ There is no such restriction mentioned in the Bible. Neither does baptism provide salvation for us nor does it make us members of God’s family. Instead, a valid baptism is only of those who are first saved by repentance and faith through the grace of the Lord; and they become members of the Lord’s family from the very moment that they repented of their sins, asked for the Lord Jesus’ forgiveness or their sins and submitted their lives to Him.

        Therefore all who have been saved by voluntarily and with a honest heart repenting of their sins and have accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior can participate in the Lord’s Table; as per the Bible they are under no compulsion to first get baptized and only then participate in the Lord’s Table. But in order to fulfill the Lord’s command, they should get baptized by immersion at the earliest possible opportunity to do so. To be baptized and to participate in the Lord’s Table are both commandments of the Lord, and they both have to obeyed, they both are required of a Christian Believer. But the Bible does not speak of the necessity of being baptized to participate in the Lord’s Table.

Where does it say in the Bible that one has to go to the Church?

Question: Some people say that it is not necessary that we have to go to the Church; we listen to God’s Word through You Tube and say our prayers while at home. Is this correct?

Answer:

        To understand the answer to this question it is essential that we understand the meaning of the word “Church” according to the Bible. The word from the original Greek language translated as Church is ecclesia. According to the Bible the Church is not a physical building made of bricks and stones, but a gathering of the people of God’s household (1 Timothy 3:15), it is the dwelling place of God (Ephesians 2:22). The definition of the Church as given in the Bible is: “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2).

        At the time of the establishing of the first Church the Christian Believers regularly daily gathered together, and the purposes of their gathering together were: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). At that time they did this either in the place of worship or in house-holds, and it was the Lord who joined those who were saved into His Church “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:46-47). In other words, the gathering together of the members of the ecclesia was a daily event, and its purpose was to learn the Word of God, to Fellowship together, to Pray together, to participate in the Holy Communion together, and to Worship the Lord together – and they “continued steadfastly” in this, i.e. their gathering together like this was taken very seriously, and had a great importance in their lives.

        Wherever the Gospel of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus went, and the people accepted this Gospel, and they incorporated the Word and life of the Lord into their own lives, there this gathering together was also accepted and emulated, and Churches started to gather in the houses of the Christian Believers (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2). Therefore, it is apparent that for a Christian Believer it was expected and necessary to gather together in this manner, as something according to and in the will of the Lord. In the Epistle to the Hebrews we find another instruction from the Lord about this that as the second coming of the Lord approaches, the gathering together of the Christian Believers should not diminish but increase even more: “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

        Hence going to the Church is not a ritual or a formality that can be fulfilled this way or another and considered as accomplished. But this is gathering in the House of God, it is coming into the presence of God so that we may increase in His nearness, learn of His Word, and being members of God’s spiritual household we need to fulfill our part and responsibilty towards God’s family; and by doing so we get the opportunity to learn about and take care of the other members of our spiritual family and grow together with them, and it is also essential to ensure the spiritual growth and progress of a Christian Believer.

        The Lord is not in the least interested in every person who comes in and records his or her presence in the physical building made of bricks and stones, called as the Church, because He is not pleased with fulfilling of formalities and rituals but by obedience to Him (1 Samuel 15:22-23; Job 35:7; Isaiah 1:11-20; Malachi 1:10), and as shown from Hebrews 10:25 above, it is the Lord’s command that Christian Believers gather together more and more. Listening to a message on the You Tube and saying prayers may fulfill a formality or a ritual, but can never be seen or accepted as fellowshipping with other Believers. And, as is stated in Acts 2:42 it is not possible for Christian Believers to gather together for the “breaking of bread” i.e. participating in the Holy Communion through the You Tube.

        Therefore going to Church is not a ritual or formality, rather, because of growing in the nearness of the Lord, of learning His Word, of being a member of His family it is a way of fulfilling our responsibilities towards our spiritual family, a means of knowing, learning about and taking care of the members of our spiritual family, it is essential for the spiritual growth and progress of of a Christian Believer. Therefore it should be a priority for every Christian Believer to come to Church or the House of God and they should eagerly look forward to the opportunities to be in the House of God and fellowship with the other children of God (Psalms 84:1-2, 10; 122:1). But those who only think and care about fulfilling the requirements of the christian ‘religion’, they are not serious and sensitive towards the instructions and commandments of God, rather they are only interested in fulfilling the rituals and formalities of a ‘religion’, for which they have made their own concepts and remain entangled only in them – which Biblically is wrong, and unacceptable.

Following non-Christian marriage rituals, ceremonies and practices.

Should the people coming into the Christian Faith from non-Christian backgrounds continue to follow their former non-Christian matrimonial rituals, or should they leave them? Should we wait for the Lord to change them?

  

Answer:

        God’s word the Bible has many things to say and teach about marriage and marital relationships, but there are no specific instructions given regarding particular marriage rituals, ceremonies, and practices – neither in the Old Testament and the Law given through Moses, nor in the New Testament teachings of the Lord Jesus or in the epistles written under the inspiration and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. Momentarily, this may seem quite odd and unacceptable, but in fact it is a proof of God’s wisdom and foresight. Had it been written at any place in the Bible what the marriage related rituals and ceremonies ought to be, then all marriages not solemnized according to those rituals and ceremonies would have become Biblically ineligible and illegal. In such a situation, on the acceptance of the Gospel by the Gentiles and their coming into faith into the Lord Jesus, all their marital relationships (not having been solemnized according to the Biblically stated rituals and ceremonies) would have become ineligible and illegal, resulting in disruption of families, and causing a social chaos, making it even more difficult, rather well-nigh impossible for people to accept the gospel and come to Faith in the Lord Jesus. But in the existing situation, there is neither any need nor instruction to annul marital relationships on accepting the Gospel and coming into Faith in the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 7:10-14).

        All the marriage rituals, ceremonies and practices that we see amongst Christians, are actually not Biblical practices and ceremonies, but those brought by the European settlers from their places. Wherever they went in the world and wherever the Gospel was carried by them, they also carried their rituals, practices and ceremonies with them; and the local people of those places also started to emulate them and follow their “christian” practices. But at the same time over a period of time, some local practices also got mingled into those “christian” practices. Nowhere in the Bible has this been said to be an unacceptable or wrong practice. All that the Bible teaches and asks is that whenever a matrimonial relationship is entered into it should be lived out with all faithfulness and fidelity, as the Lord Jesus does with His Bride –the Worldwide Church, and as the Church is expected to live towards the Lord (Ephesians 5:22-32). Therefore for Biblical marital relationships, there is no other prescribed practice to be followed. Generally speaking, what the world accepts as “Christian” marital practices and ceremonies, are not from the Bible but from the European settlers who brought with them the Gospel of Salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus and spread it in the lands they settled in.

        Marital practices, e.g. wearing of Sindur (Vermilion) on the forehead, Mangal-sutra (Marriage Necklace), Marriage Bangles, and other similar practices etc., are all local practices of different regions of the Land. But all of them have some religious implications or significances attached with them. When these practices are followed, then automatically the understanding that goes out amongst the people is that the religious implications and significances associated with those practices is also being acknowledged and given due honor, even though the now Christian person has no intention of conveying such an implication. But on seeing the presence of those signs and their observances, inadvertently the message that goes across is that a religious acknowledgement and honor is being accorded to those non-Christian practices and rituals.

        Since it is the purpose of the life of Christian Believers to glorify and honor the Lord Jesus through their lives and to preach and propagate the life of salvation received from the Lord Jesus, therefore the presence of these practices and signs inadvertently and unknowingly negates this very important and primary purpose of a Christian Believer’s life, it runs contrary to the Christian Believer’s life of witnessing for the Lord Jesus. Moreover, it provides an opportunity for non-Christians to raise the question that when you can accept and follow these marriage related practices and signs then why can you not also accept and follow other religious practices and ceremonies of our religion? In such a situation if the Christian Believers says that they only accept them as signs of marriage, but do not accept any of their religious implications and significances, it can be a stumbling block for the people of other religions, and provoke them into giving an adverse reaction, they may take it as an affront or insult to their religion and religious practices, which can have serious adverse outcomes. Therefore it is better to observe and follow only those rituals and practices which the community and people know and accept as “Christian”; and after coming into faith in the Lord to leave aside all the other rituals, practices and ceremonies (1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 5:15)।

   The Lord has given the responsibility of taking His teachings to other people and of helping them in understanding and following His teachings to us Christian Believers (Matthew 28:19-20)। Therefore it is our responsibility to convey this message regarding the truth and implications of the marriage rituals, ceremonies and practices to those still engaged in following them. We cannot compel or forcibly ensure that people accept and follow these teachings – that is God’s work, He will do it in His way. But to bring God’s teachings to the people so that God can work in their lives is our responsibility. Therefore prayerfully and humbly explain the situation and its implications to the people, and God will use the seed of His Word sown by us in His own time and method to bring about the required change in the lives of the people (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).

What is Salvation according to the Bible, and how can it be obtained?

Take a look at some verses from the Bible related to the spiritual condition of man, its consequences and the way out of the situation, taken from the letter written by the Apostle Paul to the Christian Believers in Rome:

Romans 3:20-30 :-

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 3:24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

Romans 3:26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.

Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

Romans 3:29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,

Romans 3:30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

According to the Bible man is a sinner by nature i.e. he sins because of his inherent sin nature and not that because of sinning he becomes a sinner. In other words man is under the control of an inherent tendency to sin, because of which man is separated from the fellowship and life of God – because sin separates man from God: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2). This separation from God is death, i.e. the eternal separation from God in hell. Just as a person drowning in water is incapable of pulling himself out of the water by pulling on his head or hairs, and he needs someones help; similarly a person in his sins is incapable of either saving himself from the deleterious consequences or attaining to the standards of God’s righteousness and holiness. All of man’s righteousness is like filthy rags in the sight of God “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6), and because of their spiritually unclean state nobody is capable of bringing out anything clean from themselves “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!” (Job 14:4); “Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin"?” (Proverbs 20:9). Therefore, “How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?” (Job 25:4)।

The work of deliverance from their sins that man is incapable of doing, has been accomplished for mankind by God. God was born as man - the Lord Jesus Christ. Despite living as a man in the world the Lord Jesus lived a sinless and pure life “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The Lord took upon Himself all the sins of the entire world, He who knew no sin became sin by taking upon Himself the entire sins of the whole world “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), “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree")” (Galatians 3:13), “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24); and then in that state of having become sin, the Lord bore for them the death that mankind had to bear – i.e. He took upon Himself and suffered the full punishment for all the sins of entire mankind. The Lord sacrificed Himself and died on the Cross, He was buried, and to prove His Deity and being victorious over death, He rose up from the dead on the third day in His physical body – “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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 15:3-4). The life, death and resurrection from the dead of the Lord Jesus are not mere beliefs or concocted stories, rather they are irrefutable historical facts whom no one till date has been able to disprove despite innumerable efforts to do so, and there are sufficient proofs for these facts outside God’s Word the Bible, in the writings of people from those days.

Because the Lord Jesus has, for each and every person of the world, whosoever he may be – of any time period, place, race or nation, religion etc. paid in full for their sins, therefore no man needs to seek a solution for their sins through their own efforts. Now whosoever believes on the Lord Jesus and, asks Him for forgiveness of their sins, and voluntarily with a honest heart accepts the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross, His death, burial and resurrection from the dead on the third day, and submits his life to the Lord Jesus, he receives the pardon for his sins from the Lord, and gets reconciled with God “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2); and this person then becomes a child of God, a member of His family – “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13)।

This is Salvation or Being Saved or being Born Again – being delivered from the perishable worldly state and eternal damnation of hell i.e. “death”, by the grace of God through coming to faith in the Lord Jesus becoming a child of God and receiving the life of eternal blessings and God’s fellowship and protection for eternity – being delivered from the state of death and coming into the state of eternal life; not through any works but solely by the Grace of God, through faith in the Lord Jesus.

Ephesians 2:1-9 :-

Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

Ephesians 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

Ephesians 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Ephesians 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.