What Blocks The Gospel
Frank
With professing "Christianity" being
the largest number of people by religion,
at about one-third of the total population
of the earth, what blocks the real Gospel is
that so many people either believe that they
already have been saved or are being saved.
That, more than anything else, blinds those
who have a "Christianity" background
from seeing the real Gospel.
Almost all of those are either
wandering in the clouded Gospel
or perishing by the false "gospels".
By the preaching of the real Gospel comes faith in
Christ alone to be our righteousness and salvation.
The clouded Gospel clouds the real Gospel by adding
baptism and sacrament as ways in which that faith comes.
The false "gospels" claim to be the real Gospel but add to faith
more as if required for salvation, often repentance or baptism.
The real Gospel is hardly known today,
except for the relatively small saved remnant
scattered among the thousands of denominations.
Christ showed the Scriptural Gospel
to enable the Protestant Reformation:
When Christ gives us faith to stop trusting
our own "righteousness" and start trusting
him to be our Righteous Substitute,
he regards his righteousness ours
so that we have eternal life.
But by the Protestant retention
of Catholic glorification of baptism and sacrament,
that real Gospel was clouded up.
Today the clouded Gospel is still common
among some older Protestant denominations
(notably some Lutheran and Presbyterian).
Meanwhile the false "gospels"
are very popular today among
the other thousands of denominations,
including the Catholic denominations.
Baptism is glorified in the clouded Gospel
as though a way to receive faith for salvation,
causing many to trust in their baptism, often infant baptism.
Usually things definitely to be done but never to be trusted in
for salvation, such as repentance, baptism, church, sacrament,
giving, deeds, endurance, are glorified in the false "gospels" as
though causing salvation so that people trust in those things.
The two things that keep most people
from trusting in Christ alone for salvation
are trust in baptism and trust in repentance.
Both baptism and repentance should
definitely be done but never trusted
for salvation since Christ rather than us is
the righteousness required for salvation
so that all trust must be on Christ
for anyone to be saved and have eternal life.
Since most people professing "Christianity"
attend denominations that practice infant baptism
(such as Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox,
Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist),
many people are baptized as infants and believe
that their baptism as an infant has saved them.
And so they shut out the real Gospel that shows their
only hope for salvation and eternity is Christ by faith
in him alone to be their Righteous Substitute to be
all their righteousness and salvation.
--
http://roines.home.mindspring.com
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