If you can not answer the three title questions above in the positive, keep reading perhaps you will find some answers here. Most of us have read or we have heard that Jesus Christ never changes He is the same yesterday, today and for ever, and that is very true, but even though 'He' never changes, He does change the way He deals with men from time to time. These changes are called dispensations.
There is, one thing that I would really like to impress on your mind. In the dispensation of the grace of God, the Lord Jesus Christ only has one apostle for the Jews and the Gentiles alike and that apostle is the apostle Paul. The moment we believe the gospel we are baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit without a drop of water. We are the body of Christ and we have only one pattern for everlasting life and that pattern is the apostle Paul. Salvation for the world today can only be found in the Scriptures transcribed by the apostle Paul. All the other Scriptures are Jewish in origin but they are only for our learning.
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Christ's earthly ministry was to and for the Jews only to fulfill the promises made to the fathers. All of these promises can be found in the gospel of the kingdom Scriptures. The gospel of the kingdom declares that Christ was not sent to the Gentiles. Look at the next two verses.
Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
When I was a youngster, the church that I attended along with most of the churches of that persuasion preach continually you must ask Jesus Christ into your heart, repent and be baptized for the remission of sin to be saved. But wait just a minute, that is mixing law requirements of the kingdom gospel with grace requirements of the gospel of the grace of God.
Actually I can not find anywhere in the Scriptures that it says we must ask Jesus into our hearts, under law or under pure grace. In Israel's kingdom program the Jews had only to believe that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God and keep the law. Under God's grace the Gentiles have to believe in Christ's finished work on the cross. Believe the Gospel 1Corinthians 15:1-4.
What did the apostle Paul and Silas tell the Philippian jailer?
Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
According to this verse a very good question would be: What should I believe concerning the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved? The only answer would be believe the gospel. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ simply means to believe Paul's gospel 1Corinthians 15:1-4 and Romans 16:25 .
1Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
If we should choose not to believe the gospel as presented to us by the apostle Paul, take a look at the next two verses, speaking of that gospel. God said, the apostle Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles. And we are saved by the gospel he preached, because Paul's gospel comes directly from the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ.
2Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
According to Romans 16:25 Paul's gospel is the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery. 1Corinthians 15:1-4 is Paul's gospel in a nut shell. Paul's gospel was hid in the mind of God since the world began. Paul's gospel is not the same gospel preached by the Lord Jesus Christ and His twelve kingdom apostles while He walked here on this earth. He and they preached the gospel of the kingdom for Jews only. It took His death burial and resurrection before He could include salvation for the Gentiles.
In John 12:24 Jesus is speaking of His own death burial and resurrection before he can bring forth much fruit, here the fruit He is speaking of is salvation for the Gentiles the body of Christ.
John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
To be part of that fruit we do not have to ask Jesus into our hearts, we do not have to repent and be baptized nor any of the other requirements devised by men. All we have to do is believe the gospel as outlined in 1Corinthians 15:1-4. Many folks say, no, no, that is just to easy, that can not be right. Well don't be to quick to shout easy believism, because Christ did not save us just to sit, He saved us to serve. But all of salvations work was done by the Lord Jesus Christ, and yes the easy part is ours: Believe! and Serve!
To serve is to tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ, but before you start telling others, you must know what you are talking about. The Bible is comprised of 66 books, transcribed by 40 writers authored by God the Holy Spirit. The first 11 chapters of Genesis were written for all mankind and starting with chapter 12 it becomes all Jewish. Thirteen books were written by the apostle Paul; Six books were written before he received the complete revelation of the mystery and seven books after he received the complete revelation of the mystery. Take a look at at 2Tim.3:16:
2Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
We should read and study the entire Bible. But only Paul's writings are to us, for us and about us, the rest of the Bible is for our learning. Romans through Philemon is ours and we must read these books.
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
We use all Scriptures for our learning, but God gave us a certain portion for our appropriation and it is found from Romans through Philemon, but again do not neglect the other Scriptures, they are back ground for our learning and we must know them too.
Now let's see, where does the apostle Paul get the authority to say follow me as I follow Christ?
Acts 9:13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
Acts 9:14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto Ananias, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
1Corinthians 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
1Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Philippians. 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example.
In order to show that Paul's message is the one that we should be concerned with for our salvation take a look at 2Corinthians 4:3-4:
2Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
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 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The wages of sin has always been death, but here God is offering us the free gift of eternal life if we only believe the gospel.
The gospel in a nut shell is believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins He was buried and after three days and three nights He arose again, He ascended back to the Father's right hand to make intersession for us. 1Corinthians 15:1-4
Repent and be baptized for the remission of sin is no longer valid; it has been set aside, because it is part of the kingdom program under the Law. But, the church the body of Christ is not under the law all of our sins have already been forgiven at the cross; we were reconciled to God at the cross. Christ paid all of our sin debt at the cross all we can do now is believe God believe the gospel and receive His free Gift of eternal life. Just believe the gospel and be saved. On the other hand if we do not believe the gospel we are bound for the lake of fire for eternity. There is no middle ground! Believed and be saved or believe not and be forever lost.
If you have any questions or you would like to comments please email Bob at: becbobtr@redshift.com