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Author
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Topic: THE SECRET OF THE GOSPEL
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Eden
unregistered
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posted
Dear WildB, how are you. Cornelius Stam said quote:
ignificantly, it was to Paul, not Peter, that "the secret of the gospel" was first revealed. (See Eph. 3:1-3; 6:19). It was he who was first sent forth to proclaim the doctrine of salvation, and to reveal all that had been accomplished at Calvary.
Why was it significant that "the secret of the gospel" was first revealed to Peter? I didn't get why. Thanks for explaining.
Cornelius Stam also said, quote:
Little wonder St. Paul calls his preaching "the preaching of the cross.
I don't think that Cornelius Stam should use St. Paul since anyone who believes in Jesus's substitutionary work automatically becomes a saint. That's more something a Roman Catholic would do, but Prostestants like Cornelius Stam should not say things like "St. Paul", in my opinion.
love, eden
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Michael Harrison
Advanced Member
Member # 6801
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posted
You remove yourself from His presence when you sin. Who wants to be anywhere but in His presence? Do you feel comfortable anywhere else? See, we get this idea that it is drudgery to escape from it. That is the wrong idea altogether. In a world full of turmoil, which will only get worse, the eye of the storm is the only place to be.
But to approach this from a standpoint of sin as a matter of discussion makes it much more difficult, rather than less. Condemnation tries us as we consider the so called problem. The voice that says you lose, you can't do it, nags you. So look at it like this, do you want to be in His presence, or are you ok out there where slings and arrows are flying all the time, where you are pinned down. If you remember back: when you are in the mall with your mom (when you are very little) do you want to be lost in the crowd not knowing where she is, or how to find her? Do you know the feeling of being lost? Remember the panic when you realize that you do not know where she is when she was standing beside you the last time you looked? God wants to guide us with His presence. That is the meaning of the cloud and pillar of fire in the book of Exodus. This is what He wants to give you. He wants to guide you with His presence.
The sin, some silly little thing that hinders, hooks you in your nose and pulls you out into harms way, though you may be reaching out and holding on with one hand, to that which you know is your security, which seems right behind you somewhere. There is no comfort or security crossing the highway of speeding trucks and vehicles that could smash you down, leaving you in fear of the next one coming.
But His presence can get you across the highway. So it isn't about the sin as much as, do you want the security of His presence? Remember that to love darkness is to wander out into the highway.
Posts: 3273 | From: Charlotte N.C. | Registered: Sep 2007
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Michael Harrison
Advanced Member
Member # 6801
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posted
quote:
Christ credits His Righteousness to our account when we believe and after death we will have the fulness of His righteousness forever.
"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." (2Pe 3:14)
Be found of Him... Humnnnn! That means when He comes - before we die!
Without spot, and blameless.... Humnnnnn! Humnnnnn!
Consider this!
"Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him." (1Jn 3:6 )
Whoa! Whosoever abideth in Him, sinneth not! Humnnnn! Then the only conclusion that one can come to is that, if they sin, as in 'they are sinners', they abide not in Him. Humnnnn!
This is a really strong statement in that it goes on to say that they haven't known Him. Well, he is after all talking to Christians. Then what does He mean? He means that you haven't known Him the way He intends for you to. So what do you say, "Oh, He doesn't really mean that. Grace covers it?"
Humnnnn!
Donyewannaseek? Do you want Jesus; or is it something that He gives you that you want?
Posts: 3273 | From: Charlotte N.C. | Registered: Sep 2007
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Michael Harrison
Advanced Member
Member # 6801
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posted
quote:
That righteousness is never ours but remains His in us. Only the Righteousness of Christ "exceeds that of the Scribes and Phaisees" as Jesus insisted was necessary to enter the Kingdom of God.
Excellent statement! It remains His, but in us. How so? By Him in us.
quote:
If the believer has his own righteousness, then why are we still sinners?
The believer does not have his own righteousness. It is imparted, which confirms statement one in this discourse, that his righteousness is in us through belief.
quote:
Christ credits His Righteousness to our account when we believe and after death we will have the fulness of His righteousness forever.
We have the fullness of His righteousness now, not waiting for death if.... He more than 'credits' His Righteousness to us. We are to live by it. Yet, not so if we do not believe unto it. But, "For with the heart man believes unto what? Righteousness! (Rom10:10) (Which makes it alive, or not, belief, or doubt.)
Which will ye?
quote:
If the believer has his own righteousness, then why are we still sinners?
Who says that we are still sinners. If:
"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Rom 6:14)
If sin shall not have 'dominion' over you, which means that it cannot make you, why then are you a sinner. This is the scriptures. Albeit, universally, everyone wants to read the second part, and discard the first. However, concerning it, being under grace is what enables you to rise to the provision which He is providing. Grace! Grace + the cross = alive to righteousness.
Grace is universally mistaken to mean "I approve of you anyway, even though you are a pathetic sinner" which it is not! (That comes under forgivness, tolerance.) Grace is the very power of a resurrected life. You are a sinner - delivered! Therefore, you are not a sinner whose guilt is covered (hidden). You are a sinner who is free from it. Else He died in vain.
If you make it future tense, you nullify the scriptures.
Righteousness is not ours, but remains His? Now that we have clarified that it is His, it is ours after all, because He is ours, and apart from Him we can never have it, because we cannot do it. But by Him we can have it. It is wholly (Holy) beautiful. It is simply a matter of putting Him first. Understanding will not come before then.
It is so much more than its being 'credited' to us. It is ours, but not 'by' us, but for us.
If we go under the cross, as is our requirement to follow Him, we die by that event, and we rise with Him, that is to say By Him, which is to rise by Him unto righteousness. Therefore, if we do not stay dead, we sink beneath His imparted righteousness. We abide in sin.
When ye put on the Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
....ye do so from the innermost heart outward. Therefore you put on righteousness, who He is, and Ye make no provision to fullfill the lust of the flesh, by 'putting on' the Lord Jesus Christ.
"For me to live is Christ!" (Php 1:21)
For Christ to live (and you not: remember, you are under the cross) is for righteousness to live in you/me.
Do you want Jesus; or is it something that He gives you that you want?
Posts: 3273 | From: Charlotte N.C. | Registered: Sep 2007
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waynemlj
unregistered
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by WildB:
by Cornelius R. Stam
Significantly, it was to Paul, not Peter, that "the secret of the gospel" was first revealed. (See Eph. 3:1-3; 6:19). It was he who was first sent forth to proclaim the doctrine of salvation, and to reveal all that had been accomplished at Calvary.
The Old Testament Scriptures had predicted that the sins of others would be laid upon Christ, but they had not explained how Christ’s death would be the basis for the sinner’s justification.
Many a criminal has gone free because his crimes have been "pinned on" another, but this has by no means justified the criminal! Some sincere Christians seem to think that substitution is the very acme of Bible truth, when in fact it is but the beginning, for substitution in itself does not imply the sinner’s justification.
It is also true that salvation had been offered before Paul. Men were told what to do to be saved -- though the terms varied from time to time -- and were even instructed, upon Christ’s arrival, to believe in Him for salvation. At that time sacrifices, circumcision, water baptism, etc., were still required for the remission of sins -- and any believer would approach God in His way. This is why these religious rites were observed throughout our Lord’s earthly ministry and even through Pentecost.
The Apostle Paul, however, was later raised up to make known "the secret of the gospel," and to proclaim the glorious accomplishments of Christ at Calvary. All the rich blessings so thrillingly set forth in Paul’s epistles flow to us from Calvary. Ours is a heavenly position because He came to earth to die for our sins. Ours is "the hope of glory," because He suffered our shame. Ours is the blessing of "peace with God" because He bore God’s wrath upon sin. Ours is relief from the load of sin because He bore that load. Every one of our "all spiritual blessings" comes to us from Calvary. Paul’s "secret of the gospel" centers in Calvary. Little wonder St. Paul calls his preaching "the preaching of the cross."
Hi WildB,
This is an excellent truth you have posted here!
As I read your message, I kept looking for another part of the story that I didn't find in the message.
Even if Christ takes away our sin ... and he certainly does that ... we would still not merit Heaven. We would only return to the same state Adam was in before the Fall.
There is a double transfer involved according to my understanding of Scripture.
Christ takes the punishment for our sin AND transfers His RIGHTEOUSNESS to each of us. That is what the Father sees when he looks at the heart of all of us who believe in Jesus Christ for Salvation.
That righteousness is never ours but remains His in us. Only the Righteousness of Christ "exceeds that of the Scribes and Phaisees" as Jesus insisted was necessary to enter the Kingdom of God.
If the believer has his own righteousness, then why are we still sinners?
Christ credits His Righteousness to our account when we believe and after death we will have the fulness of His righteousness forever.
Paul asserts in 2 Tim. 2:8, "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing."
waynemlj
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Carol Swenson
Admin
Member # 6929
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posted
Excellant! Makes me want to fall to my knees and praise Him again and again and again...
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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WildB
Moderator
Member # 2917
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posted
by Cornelius R. Stam
Significantly, it was to Paul, not Peter, that "the secret of the gospel" was first revealed. (See Eph. 3:1-3; 6:19). It was he who was first sent forth to proclaim the doctrine of salvation, and to reveal all that had been accomplished at Calvary.
The Old Testament Scriptures had predicted that the sins of others would be laid upon Christ, but they had not explained how Christ’s death would be the basis for the sinner’s justification.
Many a criminal has gone free because his crimes have been "pinned on" another, but this has by no means justified the criminal! Some sincere Christians seem to think that substitution is the very acme of Bible truth, when in fact it is but the beginning, for substitution in itself does not imply the sinner’s justification.
It is also true that salvation had been offered before Paul. Men were told what to do to be saved -- though the terms varied from time to time -- and were even instructed, upon Christ’s arrival, to believe in Him for salvation. At that time sacrifices, circumcision, water baptism, etc., were still required for the remission of sins -- and any believer would approach God in His way. This is why these religious rites were observed throughout our Lord’s earthly ministry and even through Pentecost.
The Apostle Paul, however, was later raised up to make known "the secret of the gospel," and to proclaim the glorious accomplishments of Christ at Calvary. All the rich blessings so thrillingly set forth in Paul’s epistles flow to us from Calvary. Ours is a heavenly position because He came to earth to die for our sins. Ours is "the hope of glory," because He suffered our shame. Ours is the blessing of "peace with God" because He bore God’s wrath upon sin. Ours is relief from the load of sin because He bore that load. Every one of our "all spiritual blessings" comes to us from Calvary. Paul’s "secret of the gospel" centers in Calvary. Little wonder St. Paul calls his preaching "the preaching of the cross."
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That is all.....
Posts: 8775 | From: USA, MICHIGAN | Registered: Mar 2004
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