To this letter we owe the conversion of some of the greatest church leaders of all time:
Augustine, is one such conversion story, who throughout his life had embraced paganism, hedonism, philosophy and the heretical Gnostic teachings of Mani. He was highly educated and it was not long before he recognized the foolishness and utter hopelessness of each of these systems. In a moment of utter despair, finally, he cried out to God. Then he claims to hear a child’s voice saying, pick up and read. He took this as a sign from God to read the Bible and so he states of his conversion experience: “I had heard of Anthony, that coming in during the reading of the Gospel, he received its admonition…[and] he was forthwith converted unto [God]. Eagerly then I returned to the place where…I laid the volume [the letter to the Romans] of the Apostle [Paul]…I seized, opened, and in silence read that section on which my eyes first fell: not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts (Rom 13:13,14). No further would I read; nor needed I: for instantly at the end of this sentence, by a light as it were of serenity infused into my heart, all the darkness of doubt vanished away.” (“The Confessions of Saint Augustine:” Book XIII, Paragraphs 28 and 29).
Then there is the case of Martin Luther:
Martin Luther was a 16th century Roman Catholic priest and theology professor. By this time in history the church in Rome had long since degraded to promoting a ritualistic works-based religion. Luther, a priest and scholar of this unscriptural religion, describes his spiritual state as such: “I hated that word “righteousness of God,” which, according to the use and custom of all the teachers...[means] God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner…I was angry with God…it is not enough, that miserable sinners…are crushed…by the law…and also by the gospel threatening us with his righteousness and wrath…I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience.” But eventually, he went on to change the course of Western civilization when: “At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, ‘In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, He who through faith is righteous shall live’…There I began to understand…merciful God justifies us by faith…Here I felt that I was altogether born again” (Luther’s Works Volume 34, Career of the Reformer IV, St. Louis, Concordia Publishing House, 1960, p. 336-337). His enlightenment sparked the Protestant Reformation, which brought untold millions out a religion of death through works and into a relationship of life with God through grace by faith.
The letter to the Romans drove others, already saved by grace, to a more fruitful walk in the Lord. As is true of John Bunyan, a Puritan preacher who in 1658, was indicted for preaching without a license. In that same year, the British monarchy, which was previously overthrown some years earlier by Parliament, was restored and the throne was assumed by Charles II. And England returned to a strict support of the Church of England only. As such, all non-sanctioned churches were closed and all citizens were required to attend their respective parish church. It became a punishable crime to conduct church service except in accordance with the rituals of the Church or for one not in the Church of England’s religious orders to address a congregation.
Bunyon was subsequently arrested for these crimes against the government sanctioned Church of England and suffer imprisonment in 1660, until 1672, when King Charles II issued the Declaration of Religious Indulgence. In that year John Bunyon became pastor of St. Paul's Church and on May 9, 1672, he was the recipient of one of the first licenses to preach under the new law. However, in March 1675, he was again imprisoned for a period 6 months when King Charles II withdrew the Declaration of Religious Indulgence, but was once again released when enforcement of the law was relaxed. It was during this second stint in prison, while studying Romans that he wrote “Pilgrim’s Progress,” which since the 17th century has taught countless believers how a Christian relates to the world.
Finally, there is the case of John Wesley, who while listening one day as Luther’s preface to his commentary on Romans was being read, found his own heart “strangely warmed” and out of that came the great evangelical awakening of the eighteenth century.
I do not agree with everything that these men taught, but one thing is sure, in their studies of Paul’s letter to the Romans they unquestionably found the “power of God [unto] salvation.” Romans is an intense and soul-penetrating line of reasoning, which makes clear, under the conviction or illumination of the Holy Spirit, all of the “whys” we as humans have concerning God. And it portrays the clearest presentation of the Gospel, which is the ultimate display of God’s almighty power—for the Gospel is the “power of God [unto] salvation.”
The letter to the Romans is the New Testament document that every Christian ought to be thoroughly familiar with. If you, who call yourself a Christian, cannot think through the book of Romans without your Bible in front you, then I urge you to make that your goal. Master this book—be so well acquainted with it that you can outline it and think of its great teachings without referring to your Bible. This will require careful and more importantly prayerful reading, study and working through the details—I have spent nearly three years in this endeavor and barely have I scratched its surface!
“So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God [onto] salvation to everyone who believes,
to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written,
“BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH” (Romans 1:15-17).
As already stated, Paul, the Apostle of the risen Savior, is the author of Romans. He penned this letter by way of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit sometime between A.D. 56-58, while he was in the Greek city of Corinth. He wrote the book less than a mere thirty years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Lord Jesus. Surely, the memories of these events were still sharply etched in the minds of Christians all over Rome’s empire. And this letter was sent to teach and instruct them, to remind them of the meaning of these events and to incite them to action in fulfilling their God-commissioned duty with regard to the unfinished work of Christ in the world, which is: “repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47).
It is fitting that Paul penned this letter, because he is Christ’s chosen apostle unto the Gentile world; making this letter in no way limited to the generation of Roman believers to whom he initially wrote, but it has relevance to all generations of mankind (cf., 2 Timothy 3:16). Paul is the Christ-chosen declarer of the Gospel of Grace (Acts 20:24) for this dispensation of grace, to which the Church belongs (Romans 11:6). He is the revealer of the heavenly character (Ephesians 2:6), calling and destiny of the Church as the Body of Christ and as God’s House (Ephesians 1:3-14; 1 Corinthians 12:27; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21). In fact, every doctrine essential to Christianity has been laid down by the Apostle and no one else, other than Christ through the Spirit, is associated with the message that was given to him (Ephesians 3:7, 8 ).
So much so are these facts proven that throughout church history, to depart from the teachings of Paul has been heresy (cf. 2 Peter 3:15, 16). But to receive Paul’s gospel is salvation,—“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1 & 2). We dare not glory in a man—“to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever”—not even Paul is due any praise, as salvation in all of its wondrous workings is completely of God’s sovereign grace. However, our Lord Jesus said: “he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (John 13: 20).
What did Paul preach? What is his Gospel? With regard to the preaching of Christ and his cross it is not unique. His Gospel is none other than the witness of all believers, beginning with the Twelve, down through all those whose chief desire is to serve and glorify our God; the one and only true God! And this is that Gospel:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried, and that He was raised
on the third day according to the Scriptures,
and that He appeared…to all the apostles;
and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also”
(1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Again, this is the Gospel. There is nothing fancy or outwardly attractive about it and yet the preaching of the Gospel finds its purpose in one great Scriptural word: Salvation. This is a word that covers more than deliverance from the penalty and condemnation of sin; which has been imputed to all mankind through Adam (Genesis 5:1; cf., Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 5:22). It also conveys the deliverance from the present power of sin in those who are born again. Of this present power of sin in the believer’s life Paul says, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature…I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out…When I want to do good, evil is right there with me;” because sin still clings to the believer in the form of our sin natures. This nature we have inherited from our parents (Romans 7:14-25). Of this pitiful state he continues, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” But of our deliverance he says, “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Additionally, the ultimate working of salvation is seen in the final unfolding and development of the saved one into the image of Christ; this is possible because all believer are in Christ and His righteousness is imputed in them (Romans 8:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:27; Philippians 1:6). Finally, the word salvation includes a whole series of other great doctrines and revelations in which the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are seen working toward the transformation of the individual, body and soul, into a celestial being and a partaker with Christ of the heavenly glory: “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Salvation, which includes “righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” is the mighty working of the Triune GOD toward the heavenly perfection of everyone who believes. Blessed indeed are all who yield themselves totally to His saving power! However: “our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”—and because of the universal Satanic blindness upon the minds of unregenerate people (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4), the scope of the transforming work of salvation is neither always understood nor clearly presented. And there is another force of the Devil at work. Even where such knowledge of the Gospel is boldly assumed, that is within the Church, many so-called Christian religious leaders are in fact unregenerate, therefore they are blind. Being unable to see, they have ignorantly turned away from the real Gospel, which they cannot know anyway and they boldly proclaim a “different gospel” of social reform, ethical culture, humanitarianism, morality and other weird, unscriptural doctrines of demons (cf., 1 Timothy 4:1).
In turning from the true Gospel, (1 Thessalonians 2:9) “for a different gospel; which is really not another,” they reveal their rejection of the one Gospel of Grace and display their unbounded enthusiasm for unworthy substitutes because of their “desire to distort the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6 & 7). It is clearly evident that the riches of the glorious Gospel of Christ have not dawned on them (John 8:44).
I became a Christian during the early half of the 1980’s, through grace by faith in the risen Savior. This was an exciting time to be saved. At this time the liberal theology of those who espouse the Christ-less social gospel held no sway in the Church as it does today. While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with morality and social reform, when these become the goals of the Church and are substituted as the way to salvation rather than the finished work of Christ on the cross, these ideals are mere doctrines of demons. Oddly enough, though predictable, the Christ-less social gospel has taken root today in many churches of God, through the teachings of Pastor Rick Warren and others. It is even influenced, too, by President Obama’s 20-year indoctrination under the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. For the record, President Bush is also guilty of espousing and promoting a form of liberal theology.
While liberalism was a shade of what it is today, the predominate “different gospel” movements of the 80’s, were dominion/replacement theology and “charismania.” The first of these was promoted by the Reverends Jerry Farwell and Pat Robertson. Their basic claims are: that the Church is endowed by God to enter the realm of politics for the purpose of forcing moralistic virtues on the unregenerate (as seen in the agendas of the anti-abortion, anti-gay, prayer in school, etc., proponents). Replacement theology, which some in the dominion camp rejected, puts forth the unscriptural notion that God has completely reject Israel as His covenant people because of her constant sin, taken back all of the promises and blessing He bestowed on her and transferred them to the Church.
Furthermore, dominion/replacement theology, besides its unscriptural doctrines, helped give rise to the modern conservative movement and its apostles: the conservative talk show hosts. These false apostles make claim that the movement is a godly continuation of America’s “Judeo/Christian heritage” (whatever that is). In doing so they seek to lump together Mormons, Catholics, orthodox Jews and so-called evangelical Christians as peoples of common shared beliefs.
Once again, for the record, let me empathically state that I share no beliefs, neither common nor uncommon, with Mormons, Catholics, orthodox Jews and many so-called evangelical Christians—I hope you can see, as a regenerate person not blinded to the wiles of Satan, the dangerous “different gospel” that right-wing talk show hosts and their so-call conservative Christian sympathizers are foisting on the Church for the sake of political gain. Please call to mind that this same group of self-anointed apostles of the “Judeo/Christian heritage” proclaimed themselves and their leaders as saviors long before that title was usurped by political liberals for Barrack Obama.
The other Christian movement and the most dangerous “different gospel” of them all, has been widely identified as “charismania.” Before I go any further it behooves all of us for me to state and you to hear this: “Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). By “charismania” I am not speaking of the average Christian who believes that the charismatic sign gifts have continued in an unbroken line from New Testament times. While the Bible states that the sign gifts would eventually cease, there is no objective evidence to prove that they have in fact ceased. Speaking in tongues or merely believing that there are, “varieties of gifts…varieties of ministries…varieties of effects…to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good,” does not qualify one as a “charismaniac.” No, “charismania” occurs when one takes their understanding of the gifts of the Spirit to extremes. So that, eventually, it becomes the understanding of the “charismaniac” that anyone who does not believe and practice as they do are not experiencing full Christian blessing or not at all saved by grace.
Charismania is the most dangerous “different gospel,” because of its seemingly scriptural basis, due to many of its leaders’ creative talent for twisting God’s Word for personal gain and the individual followers of this movement who lust after these teachings because it speaks to their flesh.
Furthermore, Charismania has perpetuated and increased the false idea of a full gospel or second blessing. This idea has no scriptural basis, is not associated with and is in fact contrary to the Gospel of “righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” through the finished work of Christ on the cross. It has also bred and given birth to the heresies of the health and prosperity gospel; an unhealthy emphasis on signs, wonders, miracles and angelic visitations; self-proclaimed apostles and prophets; eastern mysticism and pagan spiritism (Emerging Church movement); and its worse child, the one-world religious order of ecumenicalism through the combined abominations of worshipping mammon (commercialism, globalism) and compromise with idolatry, science and philosophy. This final heresy is even now breaching the womb and will find fruition in the coming worldwide political, economic and spiritual order of Anti-christ and his false prophet.
I realize that I have offended most if not all of you. So, once again for the record, let me unambiguously state: I do not believe that all theological liberals, evangelicals with a conservative political agenda and all or at least most charismatics are in need of salvation. I do believe that some of the persons so classified above, especially those who are Christian conservative and charismatic, are believers of the risen Christ our Savior. I hope that those of you whom I offended can forgive me. I have purposely not given an in-depth dissertation of any of the above mentioned “different gospel” movements tainting the pure Gospel of Scripture and the minimal descriptions I have offered are, no doubt, the cause of any offense—I hope that each of you will undertake careful study of this subject. However, any of you who are truly saved and yet: 1. Define your Christianity by a humanistic worldview; 2. Seek to ride the backs of Christians for political power; 3. Annul Israel’s place in God’s heart in an misguided attempt to claim her covenant blessings or for any other reason; 4. Or if you are one “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14); I encourage you to fully investigate for yourselves what the Bible teaches; and not what I or any other teacher expounds!
To any who fall into one of the above classifications, as I have no desire to further offend anyone with my words, I’ll let Paul speak:
“If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain” (1 Timothy 6:3-5).
And then he says:
“This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless” (Titus 3:8, 9).
In my own loose interpretation of Paul: “don’t major in the minors.” And this at the expense of your one true calling, which is completing Christ’s unfinished business in the world that He left to His Church: the proclamation of the Gospel, “the power of God unto salvation” to every one that believes Christ is the only Savior.
