Ancient Gnosticism in Pauls time was already infiltrating the Church. The word Gnostic comes from the Greek word Gnosko... which means to know. A central feature of Gnosticism was knowing. Its all in the mind. According to ancient Gnostics... sin wasnt real. It was in your mind. In fact, in their thinking, Jesus came as a phantom... a revelation of truth that would free the human mind... but He wasnt flesh. He had no real body. Thats why John the Apostle wrote that we touched Him... our hands handled Him... we saw Him with our eyes and heard Him with our ears. He was fighting Gnosticism. Today, theres a modern version of Gnosticism... knowing... still floating around the Church. Well, Bob! Peter said that we were saved by the blood of Christ... the Lamb... that was chosen BEFORE the creation of the world [1 Pet. 1:19-20] and grace was given us in Him BEFORE the beginning of time! So... [the argument goes]... any problem since then wasnt with sin. It was in THINKING we were sinful. And Christ coming in the flesh was not to take away REAL sin... but to undo the false perception of it. Bob ...[the Gnostic would say]... there has never been any REAL sin-barrier between mankind and God! The problem... was all... IN... OUR... MINDS! Gnosticism. Friend, I AGREE... that the provision of grace... and the payment for it... had all been pre-planned and pre-determined in the mind of God before Creation... BUT... Hebrews 10:4-10 says that: Because the blood of bulls and goats couldnt take away sins... Christ would come into our world... saying... A BODY you have prepared for me... And the writer of Hebrews goes on to say that... we have been made holy through the sacrifice of ...THE BODY OF JESUS CHRIST... once for all. Thats why the Bible says that AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME... and AT THE FULLNESS OF TIME Christ CAME to make the sacrifice for sin. The Word couldnt remove sin in Gods mind! The Word... must first... BECOME FLESH... to do so! [Jn. 1] This removal of sins didnt happen BEFORE time. It happened ...IN ...time. 2000 years ago! No, friend. BEFORE the Cross... people who were righteous by faith like David and Abraham... COULD NOT have the Holy Spirit living inside of them like we do... WERE NOT new creations like we are... and COULD NOT speak in tongues like we do! BEFORE THE CROSS... the Bible makes clear that all mankind was REALLY dead in sins... REALLY lost... REALLY condemned... and REALLY under the curse of the Law. This wasnt just in our minds. We REALLY, REALLY, REALLY had a sin and death problem... and we REALLY, REALLY, REALLY needed a REAL Savior to save us from it!! And we GOT ONE... in Jesus!! Those six wonderful... glorious... history-changing... man-saving... hours... from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m... on that Cross... just outside of the walls of Jerusalem... 2000 years ago... changed... EVERYTHING!! Mankinds sinful condition before God was... and is... not mental. It was... and is... REAL!! And it took REAL rugged timber... REAL glass and iron bearing whips... REAL blood soaked dust... REAL choking, gagging flesh... and the huge heart of a REAL... IN-THE-FLESH Savior... to provide for us... a REAL way out!!
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 16:48:26 +0000
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