The Gospel Articles
Nowhere does the Bible say the gospel is that Jesus Christ came to die for our sins! Instead, the true gospel tells us why He did so. More than that, it reveals the momentous purpose that God is accomplishing, what it means to be born again, how to receive eternal life, what salvation is, and the reason reconciliation through the blood of the Lamb is necessary.
A Christian Nation? Reprise
Summary: Several weeks ago, this column commented on the state of American "Christianity" ("A Christian Nation?", January 4, 2002). ...
Basic Doctrines: Salvation
Summary: Are you saved already or are you being saved? What is salvation anyway? What part do we play in our own salvation? These are important questions that we must answer from God's Word.
Basic Doctrines: The Reward of the Saved
Summary: Before going on a trip, it is a good idea to have a destination in mind, and so it is with Christianity. Just where do true Christians go after they die? What is their reward? Where is their reward?
Caught Up in the Rapture
Summary: Is the rapture biblical? If so, when will it occur? Where do the saints go? Richard Ritenbaugh clarifies this sometimes confusing subject from the Bible.
Damnable Heresies
Summary: Indeed, many heresies crept into the church over the past several years. John Ritenbaugh explains the difference between heresy and apostasy, how Satan works to introduce heresy into the church, and most importantly, what we can do about it!
Dan Brown's Thirty Pieces of Silver
Summary: By now, everyone in the Western world has heard of Jesus Christ's betrayal in exchange for some coinage. Depending on which version of the story one may have heard, though, the betrayer was named Judas and received either thirty pieces of silver, or he was named Dan and raked in the royalties from 40 million book sales and box office receipts of $150 million and counting. Two thousand years of inflation makes a big difference in what men are willing to shell out for treachery, but the treacherous prefer to forget that the wages of such sin remains unchanged throughout time (Romans 6:23). ...
Do We Have 'Eternal Security'?
Summary: Are we "once-saved, always-saved"? Once God grants us His grace, are we assured eternal life? Richard Ritenbaugh exposes the fallacies of this Protestant doctrine of "eternal security."
Eternal Torment?
Summary: When the incorrigibly wicked are thrown into the Lake of Fire, will they be tormented forever? Richard Ritenbaugh sets the matter of Revelation 20:10 straight.
God's Master Plan
Summary: Like any good builder, God has a master plan to accomplish His purpose for humanity. We find the blueprint for His creation in the pages of the Bible.
God's Promises Are Sure!
Summary: Using primarily the story of Joseph, John Ritenbaugh expounds the lessons we can learn and the encouragement we can glean from God's dealings with men during the time of the Feast of Trumpets.
Holy Days: God's Plan in the Holy Days
Summary: Leviticus 23 not only reveals God's holy days--it also provides, in symbol form, a detailed schematic of God's plan!
Is God a False Minister?
Summary: John Ritenbaugh exposes the deplorable contraditions in the arguments of those who advocate doctrinal change. By their reasoning, they portray God as 'a confused and false minister who lacks the power to instruct his chosen leaders to 'get it right." But that is not the way the Bible portrays Him!
Is Heaven the Reward of the Saved?
Summary: Most of Christianity believes humans go to heaven or hell after death, but is this so? John Plunkett contends that this belief does not originate in the Bible—and in fact, the Bible reveals a very different Christian destiny.
Is the Christian Required To Do Works? (Part Five)
Summary: Jesus Christ came to this earth with a message of salvation, which the Bible calls 'the gospel of the Kingdom of God.' John Ritenbaugh, in setting up the final article in the series, describes just what Christ's gospel is and its relationship to Christian works.
Is the Kingdom of God Within You?
Summary: Luke 17:21 has tripped up Protestants for centuries. Using the context and the meaning of the Greek, Richard Ritenbaugh explains that this verse's meaning is very plain!
Jesus and 'the Spirits in Prison'
Summary: Peter's statement that Jesus 'preached to the spirits in prison' (I Peter 3:19) has for years baffled many a Bible student. Richard Ritenbaugh examines this verse in context, showing that the traditional interpretation is woefully off-base to the point of suggesting a totally unbiblical conclusion.
Nicolaitanism Today
Summary: Three of the seven churches of Revelation 2 receive warnings from Christ to beware Nicolaitanism. What is it? Richard Ritenbaugh shows how Nicolaitanism--a form of Gnosticism--still plagues the church today.
The Elements of Motivation (Part Six): Eternal Life
Summary: If you knew you would live forever, how would you live? John Ritenbaugh explains that, biblically, eternal life is much more than living forever: It is living as God lives!
The Four Horsemen (Part Two): The White Horse
Summary: At God's command, the white horse and its rider gallop over the earth 'conquering and to conquer.' Richard Ritenbaugh analyzes the symbolism of this horseman, a precursor of the destruction that is wrought by its fellows.
The Power of the Holy People
Summary: Over the last decade or so, as the church of God has come to terms with its splintering and scattering, a frequently quoted verse has been Daniel 12:7:
Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered [KJV, scatter[ed]], all these things shall be finished. ...
The True Gospel
Summary: There are many 'gospels' in the world but only one true gospel--the message that Christ brought about the good news of His coming Kingdom! It is the ONLY gospel that will bring us salvation. We need to hear it!
Was God's Law Nailed to the Cross?
Summary: Many use Colossians 2:14 to 'prove' God's law is done away. Is this really what Paul means? Earl Henn uses the Bible to explain the apostle's intent in this verse.
What Do You Mean . . . Salvation?
Summary: Do you realize not one in a hundred knows what salvation is--how to get it--when you will receive it? Don't be too sure you do! Here, once for all, is the truth made so plain you will really understand it!
What Is a False Prophet?
Summary: The Bible warns us that a great False Prophet will soon arise to sway mankind into idolatry. In addition, numerous passages speak of other false prophets and false teachers in the church and in the world. David Grabbe, in exposing the differences between false prophets and true ones, explains what we need to look out for as the end nears.
What Is the Book of Revelation?
Summary: Everyone knows what the book of Revelation is all about, right? The end of the world, strange and fearsome symbols, and enigmatic clues about the shape of things to come. David Grabbe, however, argues that, though those are included in its pages, the real subject of Revelation is readily apparent.
Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part One: False Knowledge
Summary: "Gnosticism" sounds like an old and very dry Greek philosophy, the subject of a somnolent college lecture. Not so, says David Grabbe. Gnosticism is very much in vogue today in books and movies--and in the belief systems of a great many people who profess to be Christian.
Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part Three: Satan's Three Heresies
Summary: When Satan confronted humanity's first parents, Adam and Eve, he fed them three heresies that he continues to promote to deceive the world today. David Grabbe expounds on these three lies, revealing how Gnosticism incorporated them into its parasitic philosophy and way of life.
For more on the true gospel, God's plan, mankind's destiny, and the coming Kingdom of God, see the Gospel Sermons page.
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The Gospel
