“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” – Hebrews 1:1-2
Unless you are willing to say that these verses are not true, the only possible conclusion is that everything, we need to know, was given to us solely by Jesus Christ.
In fact, Jesus says this of Himself:
“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” – John 12:48-50
If you want to know how to attain salvation, then you need to know by what you will be judged. As stated clearly throughout Scripture, we will be judged by the word of God. That “Word” was and is Jesus Christ. (See John 1 & 5)
It is concluded that we will indeed stand before the judgment seat of Christ and be judged by His Word.
The problem lies in the fact that most people (even in the Lord’s Church) do not believe that Christ Himself delivered all we need to know. Let’s examine what was preached in the “New Testament days.”
Paul writes to the churches in Galatia:
“But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” – Galatians 1:11-12
Did Paul or any other New Testament writer preach anything that took away or added to the teaching of Christ? I don’t believe they did. In fact, Paul even said in verse 8 of Galatians chapter one that “if we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” When Paul mentions “we” and “him,” he is including himself.
Jesus said in the Great Commission:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” – Matthew 28:19-20
We ONLY have the authority to teach what Christ taught.
Are we teaching anything as doctrine that Christ did not teach?
Do we “make the word of God void through our tradition”?
If you are teaching or believing anything that Christ did NOT teach, then you should abandon completely whatever that teaching is.
Christ taught us how to be saved; he taught us about worship, living, and all things pertaining to eternal life.
Salvation: Mark 16:16
Worship: John 4:21-24
Living: Matthew 22:37-40
Eternal Life: John 6:63-64
If Christ told us to do something, then we better do it. If He told us not to do something, then we had better not do it. If He did not teach on something, then it is not important for our eternal salvation. To say that Christ did not give us everything important for eternal salvation is to call Him a liar. And that is blasphemy.
“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
– Luke 6:46-49
The Lord Jesus Christ alone is our foundation for faith. Any doctrine built on anything but the teaching of the Son of God alone, is heresy.
Sermon by Luke Jackson
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