The reason that the Pharisees rejected Jesus was because they already had a savior. The Torah. The Torah was the way, the truth and the life and no man could come to the Father but by the Torah. What the Jews said about the law, (The Torah) John took it and applied it to Jesus, John 14:6.
Catholicism is the Catholics Jesus, just like Calvinism is the Calvinists Jesus. Religion is man's preoccupation with his own spirituallity, which is himself. You seldom if ever, hear religious people talk about Christ and his Gospel. It is always about them and their religion. Religion is a diversion away from Christ and his Gospel. Paul wrote, "The Just Shall Live By Faith" Romans 1:17. He was quoting Habakkuk 2:4. Things have not changed, the just still live by faith and not by law and religion. Faith in Christ and his Gospel.
Religion is not of the Spirit, religion is of the flesh. That is why there is no power in it. Paul said that... "The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation" Romans 1:16. There is power in the Gospel because the Holy Spirit is in the Gospel. There is no power in the law or religion. Paul said that the Law or religion made him want to sin, Romans 7:8, 9, 10. Look at the Catholic church, which is a law based religion, it is full of sexual deviants. And what about Pentecostalism? which is another law based religion. All of the TV preachers fell into sin because they had no power in their lives, what they had was religion and no Gospel
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
The Gospel is about Jesus Christ, it is not about us. We had nothing, absolutly nothing to do with the Gospel. The Gospel is about what took place between Jesus and God. We are the benefactors of the Gospel, not the creators of it. The scripture says, "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. Our position in the Gospel is that we are the sinners. In the Gospel Jesus comes into the world as the new Adam and embraces our humanity and becomes one with us, but not one of us. All that Jesus is and all that Jesus did was for us. By his sinless life he offers to God a life of perfect obedience to his Holy Law. He does this in our name and on our behalf, just like we did it ourselves. It was the life of Jesus that was lived for our justification, Romans 3:26.
That was not enough, something had to be done about our sins and the sins of the world. This is why God, "Made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" 2 Corinthians 5:21. As far as God is concerned sin, death and the devil have been abolished and Jesus is Lord. Because of the doing and the dying of Jesus it is now possible for, "Whosoever that shall call upon the name of the Lord to be saved" Romans 10:13. Salvation by doing nothing more than calling on the name of the Lord.
Catholicism is the Catholics Jesus, just like Calvinism is the Calvinists Jesus. Religion is man's preoccupation with his own spirituallity, which is himself. You seldom if ever, hear religious people talk about Christ and his Gospel. It is always about them and their religion. Religion is a diversion away from Christ and his Gospel. Paul wrote, "The Just Shall Live By Faith" Romans 1:17. He was quoting Habakkuk 2:4. Things have not changed, the just still live by faith and not by law and religion. Faith in Christ and his Gospel.
Religion is not of the Spirit, religion is of the flesh. That is why there is no power in it. Paul said that... "The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation" Romans 1:16. There is power in the Gospel because the Holy Spirit is in the Gospel. There is no power in the law or religion. Paul said that the Law or religion made him want to sin, Romans 7:8, 9, 10. Look at the Catholic church, which is a law based religion, it is full of sexual deviants. And what about Pentecostalism? which is another law based religion. All of the TV preachers fell into sin because they had no power in their lives, what they had was religion and no Gospel
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
The Gospel is about Jesus Christ, it is not about us. We had nothing, absolutly nothing to do with the Gospel. The Gospel is about what took place between Jesus and God. We are the benefactors of the Gospel, not the creators of it. The scripture says, "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. Our position in the Gospel is that we are the sinners. In the Gospel Jesus comes into the world as the new Adam and embraces our humanity and becomes one with us, but not one of us. All that Jesus is and all that Jesus did was for us. By his sinless life he offers to God a life of perfect obedience to his Holy Law. He does this in our name and on our behalf, just like we did it ourselves. It was the life of Jesus that was lived for our justification, Romans 3:26.
That was not enough, something had to be done about our sins and the sins of the world. This is why God, "Made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" 2 Corinthians 5:21. As far as God is concerned sin, death and the devil have been abolished and Jesus is Lord. Because of the doing and the dying of Jesus it is now possible for, "Whosoever that shall call upon the name of the Lord to be saved" Romans 10:13. Salvation by doing nothing more than calling on the name of the Lord.
