When we look across the vast wasteland that is Christendom, we may ask ourselves how has the faith fallen so far? Of the approximate 2.5 Billion professed "Christians" in the world, the vast majority are sacramentalists (over 60%). And that number (percentage) has grown since 2010 (Pew Research/World Christian Database).
Many of the rest preach a false gospel based on a mix of law and grace. And even among those who outwardly embrace the doctrines of Grace Alone and Faith Alone and Christ Alone, their hierarchical systems put believers under bondage. Pentecostalism has exploded in numbers over recent history. A system that utterly rejects the revelation of Paul in Ephesians. Though not alone in that (as most what we call denominations reject Paul), their embrace of the teachings to Israel in the Lord's ministry and in the Acts cements their rejection.
The false teaching that the New Covenant is somehow the gospel of Ephesians is destructive to our calling today. It has mixed law and grace and confused God's plans for Israel, the Kingdom, the earth, and his plan for blessings in the far above the heavens. We have covered that covenant elsewhere.
Let's turn to root cause of the confusion and the embracing of this man-centered, earth-centered religion.
Paul and his revelation of the Mystery age were rejected in the first century. Believers abandoned his teachings (he’s still hated today) and some believers even sought to make his bonds even harder.
You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me.
-2 Timothy 1:15
Second Timothy was Paul’s lase epistle.
Some [believers] indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of partisanship, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
-Phil 1:15-17
One can be a believer, have the hope and free gift of resurrection by grace through faith, and still be an enemy of the current calling and even be an enemy of the cross of Christ. Certainly many are the enemies of Paul and his revelation.
Christ was still preached while Paul was in prison (for which he gives thanks), but many who preached sought to silence and diminish Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, the one to whom alone the revelation of the unsearchable riches in heavenly places was revealed. A revelation unknown to the Moses, the Prophets, or the sons of men.
Brethren, join in imitating me, and mark those [believers] who so live as you have an example in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction [Greek: apṓleia, waste, loss], their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
-Phil 3:17-19
You may have heard of the administration of the grace of God which was given me for you, how by revelation He made known to me the mystery, as I have written briefly already, by which, when you read it, you may understand my knowledge of the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed
-Ephesians 3:2-5a
Paul’s message of blessings in the far above the heavens was abandoned for ordinances, hierarchy, and ritual. So, while Christ is still preached by some, they have turned their eyes and their listeners’ (congregations’, seminaries’, denominations’, etc.) eyes and minds away from Paul’s doctrine of blessings “in the heavenly places.”
We are to consider ourselves dead to earthly hopes and ordinances.
If you have died with Christ to the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you imposed upon with ordinances (Greek: dogmatízō, subjected to ceremonial rules imposed on you)?
-Col 2:20
We are to hold fast to the Head and not be subject to men. As I often note, one of the curses on the faith is the clergy/laity system. And from that, the system of Jewish ordinances and earthly rituals.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh [Gentiles], He has resurrected together with Him, having forgiven you all sins. He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us and contrary to us, and He took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.
-Col 2:13-14
And because the ordinances of Israel and the earthly calling were taken away as a source of separation of Gentiles (even believing Gentiles) Don’t let yourself be judged by the ordinances of the earth.
Therefore let no one judge you regarding food, or drink, or in respect of a holy day or new moon or sabbath days. These are shadows of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
-Col 3:16-17
Colossians 2 and 3 should be read closely and in full. We just note these few passages here and point the reader to his own responsibility to "compare the things that differ" in Paul's epistles between his Acts Age epistles and his Post-Acts epistles. We must all individually "study to show [ourselves] approved of God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth."
- Paul's Post-Acts Ministry
- Cross out Old Testament and New Testament from You Bible
- Scriptural Mysteries
- The Non-Prison Epistles
- The Old and New Covenants Veil Liberty in Christ
- Law-Keepers: The Enemy Within
