Part
3 of 11
The
Corruption of
Christianity
What
is it of Christianity that became so corrupted as to have prompted the
Protestant Reformers to rise up and declare the “Five Solas”?
The
Reformers “Five Solas” are a five-fold set of absolute
doctrinal truths that Christ gave the Apostle Paul for this age of “the
dispensation of the grace of God.” These
truths had become corrupted as they still are in the church at large
today. These five absolute
doctrinal truths
are set forth below in Latin and English.
These
five are statements of the core “doctrines” that the Reformers of the
16th century found to be too important or valuable to be
interfered with or added to by manmade religious edicts.
To some the word “doctrine” sounds dry and academic, but these are
critical to the believer’s faith,
life, and eternal security in Christ. Christians need to esteem and
stand upon these “absolute doctrinal truths.”
Corrupted
doctrine still prevails today in more Christian “churches” than not.
This corruption is mainly because the Apostle Paul’s exclusive “gospel
of the grace of God” for today is not preached and not clearly
differentiated from the “gospel
of the kingdom” that “the
Twelve” were instructed by Jesus to bring only to the Nation Israel
(see Matt 15:24, 10:5-6). Jesus exclusively called Paul to be “THE
Apostle” sent
specifically “to
the Gentiles” (Rom
11:13, Eph 3:1-4). Paul and his “grace
gospel” have largely been opposed, marginalized, corrupted, and/or
watered down in the churches of every century since Paul’s day.
Whereas
Israel
was under the Mosaic “Law,” Paul clearly says “the
body of Christ” is not under “the Law.” “YE
(believers)
are NOT UNDER THE LAW, but UNDER GRACE.” (Romans
6:14b)
Any
observant Christian believer will note that we today still have religious legalists
among us; they promote keeping external Laws in order to be saved or to
please God. They place their versions of
“the Law” along with their manmade
religious laws above God’s “gospel
of grace” for today.
Trying to keep any of
Israel
’s Laws and/or religion’s
manmade
religious laws
cannot justify, save, or keep
anyone in God’s favor. Paul clearly
wrote; “A
MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH (in
Christ ALONE) WITHOUT THE DEEDS
OF THE LAW.” (Romans
3:28b)
The
false idea that Christians have to keep any external “Law”
of God, which is impossible for fallen humans, is clearly contrary
to the word of God for Christians today under Paul’s gospel.
Galatians
3:10b “…
Cursed is everyone who does not
abide by ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.”
Thankfully,
we today live under the pure “grace of God” by which we are saved
through faith alone.
Ephesians
2:8-9 For
BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH
FAITH; AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES: IT
IS THE GIFT OF GOD: 9 NOT
OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.
Galatians
2:16
Knowing that a man
is NOT justified by the works of the law, but
by the faith of Jesus Christ, even WE
HAVE BELIEVED IN JESUS CHRIST, THAT WE MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED BY THE FAITH
OF CHRIST, and NOT
by the works of the law: for by
the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Reliance
upon one effort to keep “the
Law” in order to be saved, or to keep one saved after salvation, or
to win and keep God’s favor or blessing is anathema to God’s “grace.”
It denies the efficacy and sufficiency of God’s “grace”
found in Christ Alone. Grace
means “UNMERITED
favor.” Our relationship with the Lord as His children is not based
upon our good works or any sort of merit; rather His favor toward us is to
simply be received as the “gift
of God”
(Eph 2:8 above). The idea of
meritorious works to earn salvation and or favor
with God denies the absolute worth of Christ’s blood and death that once
and for all time fully satisfied God’s righteous requirement for
us. Reliance on our works would make Christ’s death to be “in
vain (worthless)” (Gal 5:4).
Likewise,
our ongoing relationship with the Lord as His literal re-birthed offspring
is based upon His powerful and enduring love
and grace. Genuine love and grace makes no demand – rather we are
inwardly constrained and
respond positively to God when we have ears to hear and receive of His
love and grace. Paul not only tells us we begin our relationship with the
Lord by
grace through faith, but also that… we
are kept in the same way, by
His grace through faith after our salvation. This is how Paul
expresses that truth;
Col
2:6 As
ye have therefore received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so
walk ye in him:
We
all have moral failures at times. Our moral failures, rebellion or
disobedience may bring us loss of reward (1Cor 3:15), but never separate
us from Him, His love, or His grace. “If
we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He
remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for
He cannot deny Himself”
(2 Tim 2:13 (AMP). Oh, the love of the
Lord who never withdraws His love and grace toward us as His children.
Paul says “Christ died for us while
we were yet sinners.” The Lord’s dealings with us are always
underpinned with His love and grace, always seeking
the greater good for us regardless of the disorder we may be in.
Paul
teaches us these absolute truths. We ought to listen to Paul who wrote: “If
any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge
that THE THINGS THAT I (PAUL)
WRITE UNTO YOU ARE THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD.” (1
Corinthians 14:37)
For
those believers who see the corruption of Christianity and also see the
truth of Paul’s pure grace gospel for this day, the answer is to release
and share the unadulterated
“grace gospel.” Again,
these truths were given to and delivered to us by the Apostle Paul in the absolute
terms of; by Grace
ALONE, through faith ALONE, in Christ ALONE. Our
Lord Jesus Christ is
not nameless.
Obviously,
the simple answer for scarcity of the gospel is to “preach
the word” (2Tim 4:2). This simple answer can be seen in the words of
the great preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892). Spurgeon remains
highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom
he is known as the “Prince of Preachers.” Spurgeon was once asked if
he defended the Bible and quickly responded; “Yes,
the (same) way I would defend a lion, I would open the cage and let him
out.” Oh that “the Word of God” would be let out in this age of
Biblical illiteracy and gospel scarcity.
Sadly,
the
USA
and the vast majority of church members and the world have yet to hear
Paul’s pure grace gospel in
its simple clarity. Paul wrote: “But
I fear, lest by any
means, as the serpent beguiled Eve
through his subtilty, so your
minds should be corrupted from THE SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST.
“ (2 Corinthians 11:3)
The
church’s forsaking of Paul’s pure grace gospel for today is condemning
the vast majority of mankind to eternal loss. This is due to the doctrinal
pollution that comes by religion’s
corrupting traditions and the “enticing
words of man’s wisdom.” Paul never resorted to the deceit of
Madison Avenue marketing techniques to deliver “the
gospel” message. Paul’s preaching of the “gospel
of grace” was powerful because he and his message rested in the
“THE SPIRIT AND…POWER” of
God ALONE.
Romans
1:16 For
I (Paul) am not ashamed of THE
GOSPEL OF CHRIST: FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION to every
one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
1
Corinthians 2:4-5 (Paul writes) And
my speech and my preaching was
NOT WITH ENTICING WORDS OF MAN'S WISDOM, but in demonstration of THE
SPIRIT AND OF POWER: 5 (so)
THAT YOUR FAITH SHOULD NOT STAND IN THE WISDOM OF MEN, BUT IN THE POWER OF
GOD.
This
great formerly “secret gospel,” that was then revealed to and through
Paul, has rightly been called the capstone of divine revelation, for it
concerns God’s eternal purpose in Christ. Through Paul, the chief of
sinners saved by grace, God has now made this glorious secret known to us
(Eph. 1:9) that we, in turn, might also be saved and make it known to
others (Eph. 3:9).