What Must You Get Right?

I have heard it said often; "The question is, how much can you get wrong and still be a Christian?"  That seems like a logical question, because we all get something wrong.  I'll be the first to admit that I am wrong about a GREAT many things.  Thanks be to God my trust is not in myself, but solely in the only One who is right, Christ Jesus, the Son of the living God.

Protestants say Catholics are not saved and Catholics say Protestants are not saved.   Even within Protestantism there is much yammering. I cannot look at social media without seeing someone proclaim someone else as being hell bond. It seems that if you don't meet up to the expectations of someone else's brand of Christianity you are dammed. 

I think the better question to ask is what must you get right?  In Matthew chapter 16 there was much talk among the crowds as to Who or Whom they thought Jesus was.  Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was. 

"Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ." (Vs. 16-20). 

Peter came to Christ on the water, but after becoming frightened he began to sink (Mat.14.30).

Peter rebuked the Lord when He told His disciples what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem (Mat.16.22).

Peter began speaking at the transfiguration when he should have been silent and worshiped (Mat.17.4).

Peter said that he would not deny the Lord but did exactly that three consecutive times (Mat.26.33,35,74).

The Lord was grieved and asked Peter to stay up with Him but Peter slept (Mat.26.40).

Peter was rebuked by Paul for caring what men thought of him if someone were to see him eating with Gentiles. (Gal.2.11,12)

In all Peter got many things wrong, but he got the one thing right that he needed to get right. He believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Jesus promised eternal life not to the one who is perfect, but to the one who believes in Him (John.11.25-27).

Change Your Mind

Jesus said, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark.1.15). I would like to take the time to define and explain to you, those three words; REPENT, BELIEVE, and GOSPEL, because they are clouded with much misunderstanding and misrepresentation by men.

First of all the Bible was not written in the English language. In fact, the English language did not even come into existence as a language until about 1000 years after the Bible was completed. The Old Testament (the first 39 books of the bible) was written primarily in an ancient language called Hebrew and some Aramaic. The New Testament (the last 27 books of the bible) was written in Greek, because Greek was the written language at the time of Jesus and His apostles.

The English word GOSPEL is translated in scripture, into English from the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον (EUAGGELION); which means good news. Now here is a summary of the good news about Jesus that I also received. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John.3.16). Jesus came in human flesh, and lived a righteous, perfect life; a life that you and I have not lived nor even can, but nonetheless is the life required by God for eternal life with God in His Heaven. Jesus promised eternal life, not to everyone who is perfect, but to everyone who believes in Him. This is good news, because we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the punishment for sin is death and hell. Jesus willingly laid down His own life on the cross for His sheep, for our sins against God. He was crucified, nailed to a cross of wood and died. He was buried, then on the third day the very Man who promised eternal life to everyone who believes in Him, walked out of the grave alive. After His resurrection He first appeared to the women, then to two men on the road to Emmaus (a city outside of Jerusalem), then to Peter, then to His other apostles, and then to over five hundred brethren at one time; presenting Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the Kingdom of God.

The English word BELIEVE is translated in scripture, into English from the Greek word πιστεύω (PISTEUŌ); this type of believing is more than a simple acknowledgement of the truth, it is an implicit trusting, to entrust. Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" She *said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world." (John.11.25,26). She trusted in Him.

The English word REPENT is translated in scripture, into English from the Greek word μετανοέω (METANOEŌ); which means to change one's mind, to think differently. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John.3.3).

Change your mind towards the way that you see God the Father, and Jesus the Christ, His only begotten Son, through Whom and for Whom all things were made; that the world was not made for you, but for Jesus, and you were made to worship Him. Change your mind towards the way that you see your neighbor; that they are either a man or woman created in the image of God and should be loved. Change your mind towards the way that you see yourself; that you are a sinner fallen short of the glory of God, and are deserving of death and hell.

Change your mind from unbelieving to believing, from mistrust to trust, and come follow Jesus! Jesus said; "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John.10.27-30).

Change your mind and believe that Jesus is the Christ the only begotten Son of God, trusting in His promise of eternal life given to everyone who believes in Him. "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark.1.15).

The Gospel, Faith, and Repentance

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark.1.15).

I would like to take the time now to explain to you three words; gospel, faith, and repentance. These three words are clouded with much misunderstanding and misrepresentation by men. You may be thinking or even saying "What is this babbler talking about, why is he doing this?" I am doing this for two reasons, both of which are given in this passage from Romans chapter 1. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “ But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (16,17).

The first reason: I am not ashamed of the Gospel! I am preaching as an act of worship of my Lord who saved me; as a gift, by His grace. The word grace means unmerited favor, I don't deserve it, nor can I earn it. He did this through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. He gave me faith in what Jesus alone accomplished. Jesus promised eternal life to His sheep, that is everyone who follows Him by faith. He lived a righteous life, the life that God requires for eternal life with Him in heaven. He was crucified dead and buried, then on the third day, the Man who promised eternal life to His sheep walked out of the grave alive.

The second reason: I love you! I know that if you have faith in Jesus, God will declare you right with Him. Now what is faith? Scripture says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). The apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans (a book of the Bible) in chapter 10 said, "for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” (13,15)

You may be thinking or even saying, "Well I don't see anyone believing." He addresses that. "However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” (16). I cannot make anyone trust in Jesus, I cannot even convince someone to believe in Him, but I can tell you about Him. If a man is going to call on the name of the Lord; trusting in Jesus alone as Lord and Savior, he first has to believe in Him, and in order to believe in Him he first must hear about Him. "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (17).

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve." (1 Corinthians 15:3-5).
"To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, " Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:3-11)
"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31)

Now this word repent is not a modern English word, it is actually a Middle English word, derived from the Old French word repentir. Translated in scripture, into English, from the Greek word metanoeo; which means to change one's mind, to think differently, to have a new nature. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John.3.3). Change your mind towards the way you that you see God the Father and Jesus Christ His only begotten Son. Change your mind towards the way that you see yourself ; a sinner fallen short of the glory of God. Change your mind towards the way that you see your neighbor; a man or women created in the image of God. And come follow Jesus.

Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27-30).

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark.1.15).



References

New American Standard Bible. (1995). The Lockman Foundation.

My Sheep Hear My Voice Picture. Retrieved on-line at http://www.cataldolife.com/my-sheep-hear-my-voice-31-days/