The Main Thing Is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

I have heard someone in the Church of God say, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing".

But what is the main thing?

Some will say, "The main thing is to make it into the kingdom of God".

I disagree.

Others may add to that, "and to help others in the Church of God, our brethren, also make it into the kingdom".

Again, I disagree.

If that is what you think, you and I are not on the same page.

"What can be more important than making it into the kingdom and helping the brethren make it into the kingdom?", you ask.

I will tell you.

This is what I think is, "the main thing".

The eternal salvation of millions of people is potentially at stake.  And God's glory and name and reputation for love and fairness for all eternity is at stake, and thus the quality of life in the kingdom forever is at stake.  That is what is more important.  

Here is the situation.

Millions of Americans, Canadians, Britons, and others are headed for the great tribulation without a warning.  They are going to be punished for things like Christmas, Easter, Sunday, etc. they don't know are wrong.  They don't know because no one has told them.  

Without that warning God will seem unfair, and it will be hard for the people to ever trust God and repent.  Many may not be able to do it and will go into the lake of fire and lose salvation forever, and the rest of us can struggle for eternity to understand how God could be fair in not giving a warning while there was time for the people to repent and escape.

That warning has not gone out, and there is not a single Church of God organization that is faithful to qualify to do it, as far as I know.  NOT ONE!  All are disqualified.  

That is why some ordained minister must raise up a new group and be faithful to qualify to get that message out to the millions.  That is, unless a leader of an existing Church of God fellowship repents and follows Christ in the basic principles needed to get the message out powerfully, but that does not appear likely.

This is a lot more important than unity.

If the Church of God won't do it (to our shame), I trust God that He will get that message out even if He has to use a Protestant minister or a Catholic priest to do it.

We have to get the true gospel message and the Ezekiel warning out to all in the nations of Israel.  And if necessary, some full-time minister or local elder, someone ordained as a minister who can baptize, lay on hands for the receiving of the Holy Spirit, and receive tithes, must raise up a new group to do it.

To me, this is the main thing.

If a COG minister who is best qualified and has the opportunity to do it does not want to do it because he thinks some so-called "unity" with Laodiceans is more important, then the job must fall to someone else.

The responsibility is on the shoulders of every minister including local elders in the whole Church of God, whether they realize it or not.

Doing God's essential work for the sake of His name and reputation and glory and for the sake of the salvation of millions is more important than peace and unity in the Church of God in this Laodicean era.

To me, that is the "main thing".

Jason Fritts Sermons Removed from CGA Website

Someone mentioned in comments, and I have confirmed, that Mr. Jason Fritts's sermons have been removed from the CGA website.

This raises questions in my mind, and may in the minds of CGA members and former members.

Why?

What valid reason according to God's perfect law of love can there be for removing those sermons?

Is there something wrong with those sermons?  If so, why were they posted to the CGA website for so long?

Were those sermons beneficial and spiritually profitable?  Producing spiritually profitable sermons was one of the things CGA, out of members' tithes and offerings, was paying Mr. Fritts to do.  He was paid to feed the flock.  In a sense, the members paid him to feed them through their tithes and offerings.  In a sense, one could say that those sermons belong to the members and former members of CGA who paid Mr. Fritts to give them.

Did Mr. Fritts fail to do a good job with his sermons?  Apparently not according to CGA which posted his sermons for years.  If there was something wrong with them, why were they on the website for so long?  And why would CGA for years pay Mr. Fritts a salary if he was making bad sermons?

Have those sermons been helpful to members to go back and review past lessons?  I think so.

So why were they removed?

Were they removed because Mr. Fritts was causing division by raising up a new COG fellowship and trying to draw members out of CGA and into his own organization?  I don't think so.  I have heard no indication he has started a new group or is in the process of forming a new group.

Apparently he was fired for sticking to both the Bible and the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong, and then he quietly began to attend someplace else, not causing division, not starting a new group.  I have listened to his sermons for years and I cannot recall him ever saying anything that contradicted CGA, Mr. Monson, or Mr. Armstrong.  He left as quietly as one could.  He has done his best not to cause division, as far as I can see.

So why take down his sermons that can be helpful to both CGA members and non-members alike?  Why take down those sermons that can help Church of God members draw closer to God?  Is that love?

CGA has repeatedly emphasized the point that they will not change Mr. Armstrong's doctrines.  They will not add to or change the doctrines he taught.  They think that they are holding fast to the truths he taught, thinking they are Philadelphians to whom Christ says, "hold fast", yet not holding fast to the way of life he and Loma practiced, the way of learning new things from the Bible and believing the Bible more than any man or church.

How ironic that the one issue that has seriously divided CGA was not some new doctrine or change someone proposed but one of the very points of doctrine that Mr. Armstrong was right about.  Mr. Armstrong taught that Jesus Christ is part of the true gospel.  That is also what the Bible teaches.

This was not "new truth".  This was what Mr. Armstrong taught.

And yet, here we seem to have a case where a leading minister was put out for sticking to what Mr. Armstrong correctly taught.

How unnecessary all this has been.  Anyone can make a mistake, and CGA could simply have admitted the mistake in not following Mr. Armstrong and the Bible correctly, and fixed it.  The members could have accepted that.  It would even be refreshing to hear the leader of a group say, I made a mistake.

So apparently CGA picks and chooses what teachings of Mr. Armstrong to keep and which ones to throw out.  Makeup also comes to mind.  Mr. Armstrong telling the Church before he died to follow the next pastor general (Mr. Tkach) also comes to mind.

And CGA is willing to divide the entire fellowship over the choices of what to retain and what to throw out from Mr. Armstrong's doctrines, but not according to God's word.

So what is the motive for removing Mr. Fritts's sermons?  Love?  Love for God and love for the brethren?  Agape love?  Philadelphia love?

Christ told Peter, "Feed My sheep".  For years, Mr. Fritts has done that.  Then, CGA removes that good spiritual food from the website.

So again, what is the motive?  Love?  Spite?  Fear?

Fear of what?  Mr. Fritts drawing members after himself?  But he has gone out of his way not to do that.  He has not started a new group nor apparently does he want to.  You couldn't leave more quietly and peacefully than he did.

It gets worse than that.  Every service has an opening prayer in which the man giving the prayer asks God's blessing on the service and asks God to bless the speaking.  Presumably God does that.  God the Father and Jesus Christ help to inspire the sermon.  That does not mean that the sermon speaker cannot make a mistake or always follows exactly where Christ leads.  They are human and can make mistakes.  Nevertheless, to the degree God answers the opening prayer for inspiration and blessing on the service, God is involved.

So those sermons that CGA has removed are not just the work of Mr. Jason Fritts but also the work of Christ.

So what Christ has built, CGA has torn down.

Removing Mr. Fritts's sermons from the CGA website has been a serious mistake in judgment.

I hope CGA will reconsider and restore Mr. Fritts's past sermons to their website.

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:20).

If you have not done so yet, check out my last post for some details about what has happened and been happening.  This was published shortly before this one, so if you only check my blog every few days and look at the most recent post, you might miss noticing it.  Check it out.

Recent Comments about Jason Fritts and the Issue of Christ Being Part of the Gospel

For those who are following the situation with Mr. Fritts, and also the issue of Christ being part of the gospel, there have appeared a number of informative comments under the posts regarding Mr. Fritts I have published since the first one I published on 5/25/26. I have published 6 posts so far including this one.  I suggest, for those interested, that you look at the comments under each one.  There are a number of new comments, some of them mine, but not together - they are under a number of different posts.

In one of my comments I referred to one or more past posts of mine on the subject of Acts 5, Ananias lying to Peter.

I have searched for that post, and found it.  Perhaps there is more than one if you search earlier than this one.  Look at the post titled, "Is It Ever Right for a Christian to Lie?", dated October 18, 2020.

I make the point that Peter did not accuse Ananias of lying to an apostle or to a minister.  Ananias lied to God.  How?  By lying to an apostle or minister?  No, it doesn't say that.  He lied to God by lying to the Holy Spirit.  How did he do that? By lying to a member who had the Holy Spirit in him.

In other words, the Bible doesn't say that this was serious in God's sight because Peter was an apostle.  It was serious because Peter had the Holy Spirit.

But by the same principle, it can also be serious when if a minister lies to a Church of God member who has the Holy Spirit.  As I understand this lesson, a minister who lies to his members who have the Holy Spirit is lying to God!

And members who support and follow that minister have to bear some responsibility, if they stay with him after knowing that he lies, because God says, "Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked" (Exodus 23:7).  Also, "You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness" (Exodus 23:1).

I am not trying to be overly harsh, but that is what God says.

Also, God does not have kind words for ordained ministers who abandon the flock.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep" (John 10:11-13).

"And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: 'Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.' " '  Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock' - therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them' " (Ezekiel 34:1-10).

"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Feed My lambs.' He said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Tend My sheep.' He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed My sheep' " (John 21:15-17).

Sometimes it takes time for a minister, or any member, to sort things out and come to know God's will for them.  I understand that.  Nevertheless, it is good to be reminded of the overall truth, regardless of how details fall, that an ordained minister has a calling to serve God's people, and in some cases, to preach the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to Israel to prepare our nations for the great tribulation that is coming.  This should be motivated by love for our neighbors and for our brethren in the Church of God.

 
 

Did Herbert W. Armstrong Teach that Salvation through Christ Is Part of the Gospel?

The question, what is the true gospel, has been controversial in the Church, even today, to the extent it was a contributing cause for a split.  

As I see it so far, and I am yet to hear both sides fully, one side says that the true gospel is only the good news of the coming kingdom of God and that salvation through Christ is not part of that gospel, even though it also should be taught.  The other side says that salvation through Christ is definitely part of the true gospel.

What did Mr. Armstrong teach?  Did he teach that salvation through Jesus Christ is part of the true gospel when that gospel includes the kingdom of God?

This question may be important to some because some people and groups think that Mr. Armstrong's teachings should never be changed.  So if such a person or group follows Mr. Armstrong more than the Bible, the question for them can be important.

In examining Mr. Armstrong's teaching on this subject I will examine his teachings in two books, Mystery of the Ages and The Incredible Human Potential.  

Mystery of the Ages does not have a lot on what is included in the term, the true gospel.  It teaches all the major truths of the gospel, but does not say a lot about that term, "gospel".

On page 200 of Mystery of the Ages, top half of page, Mr. Armstrong writes that Jesus Christ taught His disciples the true gospel of the kingdom of God, and that this included the whole purpose of God in creating the human race.

On page 257, top half, he writes that the churches of this world omit the teaching that Christ is coming as king and ruler, and thus reject Christ's gospel message.  This agrees with what I have said that a message about Christ but without the teaching of the coming government of God is a false gospel.

From the bottom of page 278 through page 279, Mr. Armstrong says that false teachers taught a false gospel, teaching Christ as savior but omitting the teaching that sin is the transgression of the law of God, omitting the coming kingdom of God, the removal of Satan, the government of God ruling the earth, and the opening of salvation to all of humanity, snd that men can become literal sons of God and members of God's family as actual God beings.  By the way this is worded, Mr. Armstrong is implying that all these things that a false gospel message omits are part of the true gospel.

In The Incredible Human Potential, page 1 bottom half through page 2 top half, Mr. Armstrong says that the true gospel, when fully understood, reveals the incredible human potential, the way to peace and happiness, the most necessary information about the human race, the true values, and how man's awesome human potential may be achieved (in other words, how we can be saved).

In the last part of page 10 through all of page 11 he says that the gospel explains the origin of Satan the devil and how he became the great deceiver of mankind.  He says that the true gospel, had it been heeded, could have prevented all the human misery that has occurred, thus indicating that the true gospel includes knowledge of the law and ways of God.  He says that the true gospel includes all these truths: the earth's first prehistoric inhabitants, the reason man was created, the cause of evil and suffering, the nature of the human mind, and what spiritual salvation is and why we need it.

Can we see from this how all-encompassing is the truth included in the true gospel according to Mr. Armstrong?  Since it includes information about salvation, it must include everything about Christ and His sacrifice so we can be saved.

On page 12, middle, he says that the true gospel reveals a wide range of knowledge from God.

On page 15, bottom half, he says that a complete understanding of the message Christ brought from the Father, the gospel, involves an overall understanding of everything.  

On page 16, top half of page, Mr. Armstrong writes that if those in the world who preach what may be called a gospel of salvation really understood and taught what salvation is and how we can be saved, it could be part of the true gospel.  

On page 32, Mr. Armstrong says that the subject of the kingdom of God is an all-encompassing subject.  It includes the pre-history of the universe.

On page 160, top half of page, Mr. Armstrong states that the kingdom of God is both the government of God and the family of God.

It is clear that Mr. Armstrong taught that the true gospel, the good news of the coming kingdom of God, is a broad subject that includes much Bible truth including matters of salvation through Christ made possible by His sacrifice.

If someone today teaches that salvation through Christ is not part of the true gospel of the kingdom of God, they are contradicting Mr. Armstrong.

I recently heard a sermon published by Living Church of God by Mr. Wallace Smith entitled, "The Centrality of Jesus Christ".  In it he shows by quoting from Mr. Armstrong that Mr. Armstrong taught that salvation through Jesus Christ was part of the gospel.  He quotes from letters or other publications of Mr. Armstrong besides the parts of Mr. Armstrong's books I referred to.  I thought the sermon was good and I reccmmend it.

As I explained in a previous post, the word "and" in a passage such as Acts 8:12 where it says, "But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized", does not necessarily mean that the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ are separate things, but that word "and" can be used for emphasis.  This is saying that both were preached, not that one or the other is not part of the gospel.

For someone who teaches that Mr. Armstrong's teachings should not be changed or added to to say that the name of Jesus Christ and salvation through Jesus Christ are not part of the gospel seems inconsistent to me.  If you are going to change Mr. Armstrong's teaching on this point, at least admit you are changing his doctrine.  To just say that the name of Christ and the gospel should both be preached but are distinct but related things is not sufficient.  The name of Jesus Christ is definitely part of the gospel.  And if you want to say that this is only a matter of terminology - what's the difference as long as we preach both? - then why should it be so important as to split the Church of God over it?

If terminology is important - do we call salvation through Christ a part of the gospel or say it is something separate though related that must also be taught? - then those who say that it is not part of the gospel are wrong according to Mr. Armstrong, they are wrong according to the Bible, and they are wrong - period.

They should admit error, publicly correct their mistake, and teach the truth.

But they will accept correction only if they are wise.  "He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning" (Proverbs 9:7-9).

Mr. Jason Fritts

I don't have any new solid information about Mr. Fritts.  There are more questions than answers at this point.  But I hsve a few thoughts I will share.

It is apparent that he does not want to raise up a new Church of God fellowship.  That actually says something good about his character, that he is humbled by the responsibility of leading a new group and that he does not want to create more division than already exists in the whole Church of God.  I can empathize with him on that.

But God has ways of moving us in directions we do not want to go.  

When Mr. Fritts separated from Church of God Assembly (regardless of whether he was fired or quit), he may have thought he could join an existing group.  He has, after all, a lot to offer in terms of ability and experience.

Yet, his very experience and ability may make other groups hesitant to hire him.  There may be a fear he will leave after a while taking brethren with him.

How often do any of us set out to do something, assuming things will be a certain way, and finding they are not, whether or not we know the reason?

And if God is involved, He can easily block Mr. Fritts from being hired by any existing Church of God fellowship, if that is His will.  He may want Mr. Fritts to raise up a new group even if that is not Mr. Fritts's first choice.

I am curious about what Mr. Fritts has been doing the last several Sabbaths.  Does he attend someplace?  Does he tune in to live services someplace on the Internet (there are many available)?  Does he preach a sermon to a small group of his family and friends and a few Church of God members he knows, but without broadcasting services on the Internet?  Or does he broadcast to a few people but does not otherwise make himself known to everyone at this time?

I cannot imagine him only praying, reading the Bible, and sleeping on the Sabbath.

I would love to hear or read him explain in his own words what he believes the true gospel is.  If I am wrong in my views of what the true gospel is, maybe I could learn from him and be corrected.

He probably needs more time for God to work things out for him.  But the Feast is approaching, and there may be a lot of members whose plans are up in the air because of this.  And Oh, what a wide spectrum of views various ministers and members or former members of Church of God Assembly may have!

Is it safe to say this whole situation can be complicated?


On the world scene, the whole world, allies and enemies alike, is seeing the divisions and the weakness of the United States.  They also see our reluctance to be fully committed to defending their interests and their safety.  At the same time there are signs of weakness in the leadership of Russia and China.  Russia may have a new leader soon, and the same is possible for China.

Everything is in flux.  The world is fast-changing.  AI is growing.  

Europe, especially Germany, feels the need to become stronger militarily, independent of the United States.  They are rearming.  Things may take time, maybe several years, to work out.  But things are definitely moving in the direction that Bible prophecy predicts.

More on Salvation through Christ Being Part of the True Gospel

I have written on this in the last two posts, but I have something to add.  I want to give an analogy to show that information and details about good news is part of the good news itself.

The true gospel is the good news of the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of God is the family of God ruling the earth and the universe as the government of God.  Christ will return to set up His kingdom on this earth and with the resurrected saints as the family of God will rule the nations of the earth and bring happiness to all mankind.  That is good news.

I have said and maintained that any information and details about that kingdom is part of the good news and therefore part of the true gospel, provided the core teaching of God's kingdom being set up on this earth is included.  Without that core teaching about the kingdom, any information or details about salvation become a false gospel if presented as the gospel.  But with the core teaching of God's kingdom being set up on this earth, information about that kingdom, including how to enter that kingdom through salvation through Christ, becomes part of the good news and is part of the true gospel.

Here is the analogy.

Suppose you have an eighteen year old daughter living in your house.  She is a good driver and has always wanted a car but cannot afford one.  So you say to her, "I have good news.  I am going to give you a car".  

She is overjoyed.

Then you tell her some specifics.  "I have already purchased the car and it will be delivered sometime next week.  You like convertibles, so I got you a Cadillac convertible.  It is brand new.  I know red is your favorite color, so I ordered a red convertible.  Also, since you do not have a lot of money, I am paying for the insurance and gas for a full year".  You also tell her about all the features and accessories of the car.

Are those details not part of the good news that you are giving your daughter a car?  Of course they are.  They enhance the good news and are part of the good news.  Your daughter is happy she is getting a car - any car - but she is delighted that it is new, a convertible, and her favorite color, red.  She is even more happy when you tell her you are paying for the gas and insurance.  All of that is part of the good news.

But without the core message that she is getting a car, what good are the details?  Telling her you are giving her something red is not good news - it could be an apple!  It could be a radish and she doesn't like radishes.

Likewise, the main part of the true gospel is that God will set up His kingdom on the earth that will bring happiness to the earth.  For the establishment and the authority of that kingdom see Daniel 2:37-45.  For the happiness that will exist all over the earth, see Isaiah 2:2-4, Isaiah 25:6-8, Isaiah 11:6-9, Isaiah 35:5-7, Psalm 98:4-9, and many other passages you can find in the Old Testament.  With that as the core and focus of the message, all the details and information about that kingdom - how to enter that ruling family of God through salvation made possible by Christ's sacrifice, the law of God that will be practiced in the kingdom, the happiness that will spread all over the earth - all that becomes part of the good news of that kingdom and part of the true gospel.

Paul and others often focused on the sacrifice of Christ and salvation through Christ because the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles already knew about the government aspect and other aspects of the kingdom of God from the Old Testament.

They knew that God would set up a kingdom to rule this earth from the account in Daniel about Nebuchadnezzar's dream.  They knew that the earth would be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the oceans are full of water (Isaiah 11:9).  They knew that men would beat the swords into plowshares and would learn war no more (Isaiah 2:4). They knew that the wolf would dwell with the lamb and the lion would eat straw like the ox and no one would hurt or destroy (Isaiah 11:6-9).  They knew of the happiness that people all over the earth would enjoy because of God's rule.  Paul must have reminded them of those things from time to time, no doubt, but he concentrated on the parts they did not know - the sacrifice of Christ and salvation through Christ.  And the things he taught them about Christ and salvation through faith, not works, were definitely part of the true gospel because they included the good news of how men could be forgiven and enter that kingdom.

For someone to say that the kingdom is good news but information about that kingdom and why and how it will be happy is not part of the good news is, frankly, a little bit nuts.

Common sense should tell you that if something is good news, details and information about that thing is also part of the good news.

Now, this raises a question.  What should the Church of God focus on in preaching the true gospel?  What should we spend most of our time and money on, salvation through Christ or the family of God ruling the earth?

That is not a matter of doctrine but of policy.  What should our policy be?  How should we do the work?  How should we organize and present our material?

That is a judgment call the leaders and ministers of the Church must make.

I will offer my thoughts on that.

In Paul's day, most people knew about the government aspect of God's kingdom ruling the earth, but they didn't know about Christ.  Today, it is the opposite.  Most people in our western nations who believe in God know teachings about Christ but not about the government of God ruling the earth.

Paul often concentrated his teaching on Christ because that was the part they did not know.  Today, we can concentrate on God having a family and ruling the earth as the government of God because that is the part most people do not know.

Yet, there may be occasions when it is best and most effective to lead with the truth about salvation through Christ.  This would be for the purpose of establishing common ground with our audience.  You first talk about what you agree about, then from there lead your readers and listeners to new knowledge they do not have.  Paul sometimes used this approach.  "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:19-22).  Also see Acts 17:22-23.

When to use what approach is a judgment call, but neither approach is wrong when used under the right circumstances.  It is all God's truth.


A word about Jason Fritts.  So far, I have not yet heard or read any information about what he is doing.  He may be very busy getting organized and setting things up.

But it occurred to me that he is better prepared to raise up a new fellowship than most leaders who have done so.  

He is young, energetic, and intelligent.  He has had recent experience working closely with Mr. Sheldon Monson setting up Church of God Assembly when that group came out of Living Church of God.  So he must know how these things work.  He probably has a todo list built into his brain with "how to" instructions for each item.  Most leaders who set up a new group were doing it for the first time.  This is a second time for him.  He has that advantage.

We will see.

More Evidence that Salvation through Christ Is Part of the True Gospel

Last post I talked about what is the true gospel.  I said that the heart and core of the true gospel is the family of God ruling as the government of God over the earth and the universe forever.  God is reproducing Himself, and it is His family made up of the saints made immortal as His children that will be that kingdom, and that kingdom will rule over the earth and the universe for eternity.  Christ will return and establish His kingdom over the earth and will, with the saints made immortal children of God, rule over the nations of this earth for one thousand years, and after that the white throne judgment, and after that the universe forever.

Salvation through Christ and everything about Christ is part of that true gospel as long as the family of God ruling as the government of God is maintained as the central theme of the gospel.  Without the message of the family and government of God - the kingdom of God - salvation through Christ becomes, by itself, a false gospel.  But with the message of the family and government of God as the kingdom of God, salvation through Christ becomes an important part of that gospel for two reasons.  It shows us how we can enter and be part of that kingdom, that ruling family of God, and that makes it good news for us.  But also, everything about Christ is part of the gospel of the kingdom of God because Christ will be king of that kingdom.  It adds necessary detail and information about that kingdom because it tells us about the king of that kingdom.

Since that post I remembered something else in the Bible that is evidence that salvation through Christ is part of the true gospel of the kingdom of God.

Study the book of Galatians.

It starts out, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:6-9).

This letter starts out by warning against a false gospel.  This sets an important theme of the whole letter.  This is not about some false teaching that is not a part of the gospel.  Whatever this pertains to, it involves the true gospel or a part of that true gospel.  It is not outside the gospel.  Someone is teaching something contrary to the true gospel of the kingdom of God, and Paul is warning the Galatians that by perverting the gospel of the kingdom of God they are in effect preaching a different and a false gospel.

So what does Paul talk about?  And what were the false teachers saying?  Were they denying the millennial rule of Christ?  Were they denying Christ returning to the earth to set up His kingdom?  Were they denying the family of God?

They were teaching circumcision and salvation through works.

After recounting how he learned about the gospel, Paul states, "Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised" (Galatians 2:3).

Notice, this is about circumcision.

Then Paul says, "And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you" (Galatians 2:4-5).

Ok, what has this to do with the millennial rule of Christ over the earth when He returns, the government aspect of the kingdom of God?  Or what has this to do with the family aspect of the kingdom of God, that God is reproducing Himself in mankind and that His family will be that kingdom?

Nothing.  Paul is talking about circumcision and liberty vs. bondage - right now in this life.  He is talking about the liberty we have in Christ.  That is a salvation issue, an issue regarding how we are justified and saved through Christ.  Yet he said he opposed this false teaching so that the truth of the gospel might continue in the Galatians.  So this is about salvation through Christ, but also about the true gospel.  Does that not show that salvation through Christ is part of the gospel?

A little later, Paul continues, "We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified" (Galatians 2:15-16).

Paul is saying that salvation comes through faith in Christ not the works of the law.  This is a salvation issue.  Yet, it is apparently part of the gospel because Paul is refuting a false gospel - that is the theme of the whole letter!

Paul continues by stating the importance of obeying God's law and not sinning in verses 17 through 19.

Then Paul writes, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain" (Galatians 2:20-21).

This is still on the theme of the letter, the true gospel vs. a false gospel.  And still in this theme, Paul talks about the grace of God, righteousness not coming through the law, and Christ dying not in vain.

This is about salvation through Christ and His death, not about the millennium and the kingdom of God ruling the earth.  Yet it is about the gospel.  This is evidence that the gospel includes salvation through Christ.

Then, continuing in the theme of the true gospel vs. a false gospel, Paul says, "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? - Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain - if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Galatians 3:1-5).  Paul is talking about the crucifixion of Christ and about the works of the law vs. hearing of faith.  These things are not about the millennial rule of Christ and the saints over the earth.  These things are about the sacrifice of Christ, his suffering and death, and the importance of faith.  These are matters of salvation not government.  Yet it is about the gospel.

Paul did not switch subjects when he said, "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth" after starting his letter with "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ".

Paul is on the same theme.  There were false teachers who were teaching a form of salvation by works, and Paul calls that a false gospel.  Yet they were not denying God setting up a kingdom on the earth.  So the government aspect of the kingdom of God is not the only thing that is the true gospel.  Salvation through Christ is part of the true gospel, otherwise denying salvation through Christ would not be a false gospel.

Later Paul writes, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.  You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.  And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!" (Galatians 5:1-12).

You can sense the emotion Paul feels as he makes his case.  This is all about salvation through Christ, faith, we are not justified by the works of the law, we do not have to be circumcised, etc.  

Yet, Paul starts his letter by talking about a false gospel vs. the true gospel.  And Paul spends nearly the whole letter persuading his readers of what the true gospel is!

And there is not a word in this epistle about Christ returning to rule the earth, about God reproducing himself in mankind, or about the millennial rule of Christ over the earth, all key aspects of the gospel of the kingdom of God.  But what Paul talks about is PART of the true gospel.  It ties in with the rule of Christ over the earth.  But salvation through Christ is a definite part of the true gospel.  And it is important, or else Paul would not call its perversion a false gospel.

So not only is salvation through Christ a part of the true gospel, it is a vital part, so vital that Paul calls its perversion a false gospel!

So, suppose someone came along today and preached that Christ would return and rule the earth with the saints.  That would be the true gospel of the kingdom of God, right?  Now, suppose they also taught that salvation is by works not faith.  Suppose they denied the sacrifice of Christ to pay for our sins.  Paul says that that false teaching is so serious it makes their message a false gospel.  And that could only be true if the truth about salvation through Christ were part of the true gospel.

The good news of the kingdom of God includes salvation through Christ.

Some might wonder why Paul's epistles do not contain more about Christ's return to rule the earth - the government aspect of the good news of the kingdom of God.

The answer may be that that was already known.  The Jews and those Gentiles that feared God and believed the scriptures already knew that God would establish His kingdom over the earth.  They knew that from the book of Daniel and many prophecies.  Paul emphasized that which they had to learn - salvation through Christ and all that that means.

And God did not need to inspire Paul to write about things that are made abundantly clear in other parts of the Bible, but God inspired Paul to write about other necessary parts of the gospel, namely, salvation through Christ and how we should be living today.

We can all agree, I think, that the millennial rule of Christ with the saints over the nations of the earth and the family of God into which we can enter are important parts of the good news of the kingdom of God, and I hope we can agree that they are the core parts, the focus of the message.  But to say that details of that message, information about how we can be saved through Christ and enter that kingdom, information about the king of that kingdom Jesus Christ, information about the law of God and way of life to be lived in that kingdom - and many other areas of knowledge about that kingdom - are not part of the true gospel is ludicrous.  

If the true gospel is the good news of the kingdom of God, than any information about that kingdom is also part of the true gospel.

In the broadest sense, that can include the whole Bible.