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| | In addition to the living and true God of the Bible being the object of faith and obedience, a primary aspect of the Biblical gospel is that neither the sacrifices or good works of man can enable him to escape from his future just and eternal punishment in hell-fire, (Mk. 9:43-48; 25:41,46; Rv. 14:11; 20:10) or merit him eternal life with an infinitely holy and just God.(Rm. 4; Titus 3:5; 2Tim. 1:19) But that instead man must be justified and sanctified by Christ, humble himself before God as a sinner, unable to justify himself, and then cast all his faith on the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom God sent to be the perfect sacrifice for sin, and Savior of the world. (1Jn. 4:10,14) By so (truly) doing, one is choosing ([[free will]]) the Lord Jesus over sin, light over darkness. (Jn. 3:19-21) | | In addition to the living and true God of the Bible being the object of faith and obedience, a primary aspect of the Biblical gospel is that neither the sacrifices or good works of man can enable him to escape from his future just and eternal punishment in hell-fire, (Mk. 9:43-48; 25:41,46; Rv. 14:11; 20:10) or merit him eternal life with an infinitely holy and just God.(Rm. 4; Titus 3:5; 2Tim. 1:19) But that instead man must be justified and sanctified by Christ, humble himself before God as a sinner, unable to justify himself, and then cast all his faith on the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom God sent to be the perfect sacrifice for sin, and Savior of the world. (1Jn. 4:10,14) By so (truly) doing, one is choosing ([[free will]]) the Lord Jesus over sin, light over darkness. (Jn. 3:19-21) |
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| − | ==False gospels==
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| − | The gospel of salvation has been subject to some confusion and much false teaching down through the ages, and which issue the Bible treats with utmost concern. The apostle Paul warned, "If any preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
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| − | Matthew Henry comments here, "This will not justify our thundering out anathemas against those who differ from us in minor things. It is only against those who forge a new gospel, who overturn the foundation of the covenant of grace, by setting up the works of the law in the place of Christ's righteousness..."<ref>Matthew Henry (1662 - 1714), Gal 1:6-9</ref>
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| − | "The gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24) is shown to be made clear enough that a false gospel can be discerned by way of comparison with it.<ref>Adam Clarke, LL.D., F.S.A., (1715-1832), Romans 1:6-9</ref> It is principally here that false religions are seen to be in foundational contrast to the apostolic gospel, and which manifests who or what they worship, in which, officially or by way of informal conveyance, they teach that one's own sacrifices and works (or those of their religion) can or must merit them salvation.<ref>Barnes, Rm. 3:20-25, Gal. 1:6-8</ref> The Bible also declares that man's own works, by which he supposes he is justified before the one true Holy God, are as filthy rags.<ref>Barnes, Is. 64:6</ref> (Is. 64:6) In this the Bible is particularly evidenced to most uniquely stand apart from thousands of beliefs, in that it declares that there is only One Way to be justified before God and gain eternal life with Him, that being through true faith in the risen Lord Jesus and His sinless shed blood. (Rm. 3:25) There are different degrees of critical deviations from the Biblical gospel in this regard, and in the West it is often seen that one may have an outward profession of faith in Jesus Christ but not the inward reality, not having experienced the new birth.<ref>[http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/rubornagain.html Are you born again? by J. C. RYLE - 1816-1900]</ref><ref>[http://www.precious-testimonies.com/General/a-e/BornAgainIndex.htm PRECIOUS BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN TESTIMONIES]</ref> (Jn. 3:3-7; Acts 10:43-47; 15:7-9; Gal. 4:6)
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| − | Another false gospel, among others, found within that which is broadly called Christianity, is one that that holds that one is saved by faith, but that a Christian no longer being "under the law", (Rm. 6:14,15) means that the Christian is not bound to the moral laws of the Bible. This teaching is called [[antinomianism]], of which there are different variations, but which basically enables "turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness",<ref>[http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/GO/gvcc/radio_trans/antinomianism.html Antinomianism, P. G. Mathew, M.A., M.Div., Th.M]</ref> (Jude 1:4) and which idea Paul, the "apostle of grace", expounded at length against, as does the Bible as whole. (Rm. cps. 6-8) Being freed from the law basically refers to the law not being a means of salvation, as well as not being bound to literal obedience as regards ceremonial aspects of it.<ref>Albert Barnes, (Mt. 5:18)</ref> (Gal. 4:10; Col. 2:16,17; Heb. 9:10)
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| − | Adam Clarke comments,
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| − | The Gospel proclaims liberty from the ceremonial law: but binds you still faster under the moral law. To be freed from the ceremonial law is the Gospel liberty; to pretend freedom from the moral law is Antinomianism.<ref>Clarke, Gal. 5:13</ref> {{See also|Leviticus 18}}
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| − | All false gospels are seen to be preaching a ''different'' Jesus, spirit, and gospel, formally or effectively. (2Cor. 11:4,13,14) Robertson comments, "It is a tragedy to see men in the livery of heaven serve the devil.<ref>Archibald Thomas Robertson, WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT</ref>
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| − | The [[Catechism of the Catholic Church]] (CCC) clarifies the actual meanings of '''Justification, Grace, Merit''' and '''Christian Holiness''', by emphasizing that each of these, and all of them taken together, is solely a result of the free and unmerited gift of God, and not a "doctrine of salvation by works alone".<ref>[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c3a2.htm Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part III, Section One, Chapter Three, article 2, numbers 1987-2029].</ref> "The merit of man before God in the Christian life arises from the fact that ''God has freely chosen to associate man with the work of his grace''. The fatherly action of God is ''first'' on his own initiative, and then follows man's free acting through his collaboration, so that ''the merit of good works is to be attributed in the first place to the grace of God'', then to the faithful. Man's merit, moreover, itself is due to God, for his good actions proceed in Christ, from the predispositions and assistance given by the Holy Spirit.<ref>CCC 2008</ref>
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| | ==Biblical means of Salvation== | | ==Biblical means of Salvation== |