Things New and Old: Fine, believe what you want but live with the necessary implications!

Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things" 2Ti 2:7.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Fine, believe what you want but live with the necessary implications!

1Corinthians 15
12 ¶ Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead,
how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
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Apostle Paul has a wonderful way of dealing with errors; o.k., let us suppose that the error is true, then see some of its necessary implications.

Often Christians can be sincerely muddled in their beliefs, believing the very opposite of the gospel truth revealed in the Bible. However, they failed to see such a belief's necessary and dangerous implications. They are unable to see that such beliefs actually deny the very gospel that they have embraced.

One example concerns the resurrection of the dead dealt with by Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 15. It is not consistent to claim that you believe the gospel, and yet deny the resurrection of the dead. They are inseparable twins, two sides of the same coin.

Let us suppose that there was no resurrection of the dead, what are some necessary implications then?

- Then not even Christ has been raised,

- Then our preaching is vain,

- Then preachers are false witnesses of God,

- Then believers are still in their sins,

- Then even those who died in Christ have perished,

- Then believers are of all men most pitiable – they are deluded and most mistaken about an empty hope, and

- Then living for Christ is vanity and pitiable.

Fine, believe what you want but live with the necessary implications!

The same can be used to deal with fables like justification by faith alone, free offer of salvation, gospel regeneration, etc.

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Joe Holder
Yes. Beliefs, no less than actions, have unavoidable consequences.