Two Gospels?

[Gerr]

1.

Jailer: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

Paul & Silas: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..." Ac 16:30-31

Paul: "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Rom 10:9

2.

Lawyer: "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus: "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?"

Rich Young Ruler: "God Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"

Jesus: "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." Mt 19:16-17.

Lawyer: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

Jesus: "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." Lk 10:25-28

Gerry

[Robert]

1. Jailer: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

Paul & Silas: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..." Ac 16:30-31

2. Lawyer: "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus: "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?"

Lawyer: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

Jesus: "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." Lk 10:25-28

Gerry

I believe using the following solves this conundrum:

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” [James 4:6/1 Peter 5:5]

1] Notice God opposes the proud.

2] He gives "grace" to the humble.

Now let's look at the preconverted Paul:

"If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh [pride in his spiritual attainments], I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless. [Phil 3:4-6]

Both the rich young ruler and the lawyer were both proud men. They were especially proud of their law performance. So when they asked Christ what good thing they should do to gain heaven, Christ gave them the law to break their pride. In other words He made it hard on them just as He did Israel when they came out of bondage.

But to the humble He gives His grace. That doesn't negate the fact that believers grow in grace, but no longer are they proud of their performance.

I already quote Paul before his conversion: "As to the law, blameless." But after his conversion we see a different Paul:

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." [1 Tim 1:15]

Please take note that "of whom I AM chief" is in the present continuos tense. Years after his conversion Paul saw himself as a sinner and not a proud, blameless law keeper. This is not to say that Paul did not grow in grace because he did!

God opposed Saul, but gave grace to Paul. In like manner (and I know you do not agree with this one) God opposed Job, but gave grace to Job after He humbled him.

Does EGW back this concept up? Yes:

“What is justification by faith [grace]? It is the work of God in laying the glory of man [his pride] in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself. When men see their own nothingness [i.e., they are humble], they are prepared to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ [grace].” [FLB 111]

Make sense?

Robert

[Robert]

Let's look at another story where Jesus gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud:

John 8:3 The teachers of the law [lawyers] and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”

To the proud He replies: "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Did anyone throw a stone? No. Why? Because Jesus exposed their pretended righteousness and thereby placed their pride in the dust.

To the woman, who knew she was a sinner, He replied: “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin [adultery].”

To the self-righteous - in this case the Pharisees and teacher of the law - Jesus opposed them by exposing them. But to the humble He gave grace instead of what the law demanded - death!

[Robert]

One more....Yes, this one is controversial, but please hear me out.

I believe that Job had a pride problem. It was progressive and therefore there came a time when God had to oppose Job.

Job's problem was that he was a braggart. He was so busy looking at all the good things he was doing that he failed to see his shortcomings with respect to God's righteousness. That's why God backed off or opposed Job.

Let's look at Job's pride:

“I [Job] hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go." [Job 27:6 NASB]

“If I [Job] have walked in falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit— let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless. [Job 31:5,6 NIV]

Do you remember what the preconverted Paul stated? "As to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless." [Phil 3:6]

After Job's so called friends make matters worse, God sends Elihu to Job:

"...The anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned, because he [Job] justified himself before God. [Job 32:2 NASB]

Shortly after this God approaches Job:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" [Job 38:1,2 NASB]

What was Job's claim?

"I am blameless!"

But after God fully exposes him, Job repents:

“Behold, I [Job] am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.” [Job 40:4 KJV]

“You [God] asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” [Job 42:3 NIV]

”Wherefore I [Job] abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.“ [Job 42:6 KJV]

Job's self-righteous attitude needed to be opposed. But after Job humbles himself before God, God restores grace into Job's life:

"The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first" [Job 42:12]

[LifeHiscost]

I believe that Job had a pride problem. It was progressive and therefore there came a time when God had to oppose Job.

Job's problem was that he was a braggart.

It is clear from Jesus' words that there is nothing that can be done apart from Him.

...apart from me ye can do nothing.

John 15:5 KJV

OTOH, do we believe the second part of Jesus' instruction. There is no doubt if we don't believe the second part of His word we will not be able to accomplish what He says we will.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit..."

John 15:5

""Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. "

John 14:12 NASB

Regards!