Saved or Lost? #17

Saturday, September 17, 2022

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you” (Galatians 4:19,20 KJV).

Are these people really saved—or really lost?

Returning to 2 Corinthians 11:3,4: “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. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” We can “preach Jesus” and yet not preach the Jesus whom the Apostle Paul preached.

Second Corinthians chapter 5 explains: “[16] Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. [17] Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” While the Lord Jesus Christ conducted His earthly ministry, He did so on the basis of the distinction between “Circumcision” (Israel, Jews) and “Uncircumcision” (nations, Gentiles). Notice how Christ Himself said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). “Now I say that Jesus Christ was [past tense] a minister of the circumcision [Israel] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers” (Romans 15:8). Also see Ephesians 2:11,12, how the “Uncircumcision” (non-Jewish, Gentile world) was “without Christ” in “time past,” but “now,” as per verse 13, that difference between Jew and Gentile has been abolished by virtue of Christ’s shed blood allowing both classes to come by faith into the Church the Body of Christ (“new creature;” “the one new man” of verse 15).

“Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.” We now know Jesus Christ according to the mystery, Paul’s revelation, not His earthly ministry (Romans 16:25,26). Therefore, to follow Matthew through John as our pattern today is to embrace “another Jesus,” Satan tricking us without us even knowing it….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Can you explain ‘reproof’ and ‘reprove?’”