Discovering the TRUE Gospel
There are a thousand answers
all claiming to be true
To solve the age-old question
“What must I do?
To enter life eternal and pay salvation’s cost
If I’ve got faulty doctrine will I be lost?
What dispensation must I claim to qualify for Heaven’s gain?”
What does our Father require of you?
What has He shown to be good?
Act justly; love mercy; walk humbly with your God
Act justly; love mercy; and walk humbly with your God.
It’s not so complicated; it’s rudimentary
If you confess your sins His pardon you’ll see
If you show true repentance and step into His light
Our God will hold you close for you’re His delight!
Don’t let your sorrow weigh you down;
One day He’ll offer you a crown!
What does our Father require of you?
What has He shown to be good?
Act justly; love mercy; walk humbly with your God
Act justly; love mercy; and walk humbly with your God.[1]
Questions will always remain about which of our cherished doctrines truly reveal the Character of God. In our family, with our children, we have found that perhaps the simplest way to look at who God is and what He is truly like with regard to His Word and His Character are these words from the prophet Micah (6:8):
“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does AHYH require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
More powerful words have perhaps never been said. Solomon summed it up this way,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.”[2]
And what are God’s TRUE Laws and Commandments? Anything that attempts to change our unchanging God is likely not of God. Anything that requires the temporary is likely also not of God. For instance: Paul’s so-called “New Testament” (or “New Covenant”) unilaterally changes God’s plan of salvation. Furthermore, Paul is the only real witness of such a massive change in the Character (Word) of our Creator. Second, the sacrificial system implemented “things” that were obviously temporary; the Temple, the Ark, the Priesthood, etc. These things have all passed away and are no longer with us. To tie forgiveness via sacrifice to the Temple and priesthood is to foundationally illustrate that these things were not of God to begin with!
“Hear the word of AHYH, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah! The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?” says Yahweh. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. …
Your hands are full of [sacrificial] blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed [rebuke the oppressor]. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
“Come now, let us reason together,” says AHYH. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of AHEYEH has spoken.”[3]
My friend Shelly who grew up in Satanism – having to participate in both animal and human sacrifices – has fiercely embraced the concept that “GOD can forgive without blood!” That really is the BEST kind of news – the best “Gospel” to someone who has grown up in a culture of actual blood and death!
Shelly still has many flashbacks to rituals that trouble her a great deal. A very dear SDA friend whom I’ll call Gia[4] often helps Shelly out on days when she is having trouble with her past memories. The other day Shelly was having a “call back date” to the cult, and Gia was kindly making sure that Shelly couldn’t actually respond and return to the cult. In situations like this, you sometimes have to hold Shelly down because she is having multiple flashbacks to some very horrible abuse, much of which is blood-related. She can easily hurt herself if she is not gently restrained.
Being a devout Christian, Gia had been quite upset that Shelly had embraced the “God does not desire sacrifice” message. So she told her, while holding her tightly to keep her safe, “You are covered with the blood of Jesus.” She repeated this over and over, and started singing Christian “blood” songs. When you SAY something like this to someone very suggestible who has been through years of satanic blood-related abuse, to him or her it is practically the same as doing it! All of a sudden, Shelly was, in her mind, again “covered in blood!” She panicked, and started screaming until she had no voice left. The mental scar from that experience remains.
This incident REALLY helped cement to me from a practical standpoint that instead of preaching that “I’m gonna be the ultimate blood sacrifice”, Jesus’ good news was, “My Father is not like that!!! He’s not like the pagans! He doesn’t need blood to forgive!”
The TRUE Gospel is not the tale of a harsh Father who has condemned you on sight and considers you flawed from birth. It is not the fable of a bloodthirsty tyrant who can only forgive if he is appeased with the blood of an innocent man. It is not the cruel account of an unforgiving judge who can only stand to look at you if he sees someone else – Jesus – instead of you. It is not the legend of a brutal despot who plans to make you “burn in hell” forever if you do not “believe” the right doctrine or have enough “faith”.
Neither “complicated” nor a “mystery”, the true Gospel is the beautiful story of how the Creator of the universe made you in the image of God and has nurtured and cared for you ever since. It is a narrative of a loving Parent who smiles when seeing your true colors; who laughs when you do something funny; who encourages you when you are feeling down; and who truly understands the pain of your darkest hour and will help you get through it. Your Creator longs to pick you up when you fall, smile at you when you reach up out of the depths of your heart, and comfort you when you are hurting.
Most importantly of all – your Creator is a God who longs to have you see Him for who He really is – merciful, compassionate, kind, and long-suffering. He wants you to see Him without the bloody glasses of paganism and realize that He forgives you without sacrifice! Nothing had to die in order to purchase His forgiveness, for His forgiveness is freely given. All you have to do is repent! That is the true definition of God’s amazing grace and His unfailing love for you!
Are you ready to step out and begin your own journey of discovery? By traversing down this “road less traveled”, you, too, will find that even though your belief system will experience necessary changes, your faith in and love for God will grow stronger. Rather than depending on the Bible alone to be the purveyor of truth, you will learn how to reach out directly to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Your journey will be hard, but satisfying beyond measure.
A sincere seeker’s earnest journey of faith will bear its own reward. Like countless others, my own spiritual quest has shown that once the facts and history of my faith are openly “on the table” in full view and I am able to fully consider this data with the God-given logic and sound reason He has provided, my change in perspective has been quite astonishing. Because He has helped me overcome my fear of challenging the hypocrisy and illogic and untruths that are prevalent within the orthodox Christian (and even orthodox Judaic) faith, the Biblical contradictions have melted away and my loving Heavenly Father has became much more real and personal in my life.
By discovering the really good news of the true Gospel that Jesus talked about, I have finally started to see a true picture emerging of Aheyeh, the amazing, astonishing, and above all loving God that Jesus knew. And I have never seen anything more beautiful…