Follow Christ or Salvation

 

(This paper is an excerpt from my book: "Thoughts and Intents of the Heart" available on Amazon) 

By 

Charlie Edwards, Th.D.

 

Paul wrote, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Amos wrote: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it" (Amos 8:11-12).

Paul knew that in the last days there would be a time when people departed from the words of scripture and gradually drifted farther and farther from the true word of God. Paul isn't referring to the people of the world, at all. Far from it. He wrote his epistles to the church and church leaders! The passage given from Amos, was written in approximately 787 BC. It is a general rule of thumb in scripture that man will naturally drift farther and farther from God. This is revealed over and over again in God's word. The Body of Christ is no different. The world's enticements lure the Born Again Christian just as the lost sinner. A regular daily diet of Bible reading will offset the world's enticements (2 Tim. 3:14-17).

I submit to you that even the Christian that reads his Bible through once per year is on a continual slide from the truth. How does this happen? How is it that Christians unknowingly distance themselves from the truth and turn to fables? Every year new Bible versions are published. What makes each new edition different from the one before is simple: The words have been changed. There is no standard in today's churches. When a pastor reads a passage from scripture in a typical congregation of, say 300 people, there may be a dozen different translations in the hands of the people. Each one is worded differently. This paper is not about Bible translations, but rather the end result of a multitude of translations, all differing one from another.

The scripture says, "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever" (Psm.12:6-7). God said His words are pure. They have been tried and purified seven times. He said He would keep them and PRESERVE THEM from this generation forever. There is no need to change the words nor is there is any need for another new version of the Bible. God's words are interlinked together. When you change them you break the chain link and miss the truth. One passage interprets another by its words. Isaiah wrote, "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken" (Isa. 28:9-13). Notice the repetition in the Isaiah passage. This indicates the need to go through it again, and again, and again in order to get the truth. It also indicates that the truths are scattered throughout the scripture and one passage unlocks another as long as you don't change the words.

The modern translations break all the links to truth. How? The words have been changed. Any word that is offensive to this world is immediately removed. This is main reason for the introductory passages given in this paper. This is the reason for Christians turning away from the truth and given to fables. This is why there is a famine in the world from hearing God's words. THEY'VE ALL BEEN CHANGED!

Now let's look at the purpose of this paper. Are you "Following Christ" or are you Saved? Satan never rests. He's always doing his job to fowl up Christians and cause them to wander away from the truth. Simon Peter wrote, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" (1 Pet. 5:8). I must admit that I had not heard the "message" of being a "Christ Follower" until a couple years ago. I guess it's the latest thing in Laodicean Christianity. How is this term used? During a sermon the speaker inquires, "Are you a Christ Follower?" Or, "If you'd like to Follow Christ, please meet with me after the service and I'll share some scripture." What could possibly be wrong with "Following Christ," you ask? Remember we spoke of "words?" Satan is subtle (Gen.3:1) Satan would rather you “follow Christ” than get saved.

Where does "Follow Christ" come from? It is found several times in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It was a Jewish admonition by Christ as The Jewish Messiah. It was for Jews only. It had to do with John the Baptist’s Gospel of the Kingdom of God that was rejected by the Jews. It had to do with the New Covenant with the House of Israel (Jer. 31:31, Heb. 8:8, 13, 12:24) and NOT the Body of Christ. This New Covenant (Testament) was subsequently rejected by the Jews. It was also before the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. In plainer words, the Christian’s sin debt had not yet been paid (Heb. 9:16).

In Mark 10 the rich young ruler came to Jesus Christ wanting eternal life (vs. 16). Jesus told him to keep the commandments. The man said he had kept all those since his youth and asked what lack I yet? Then Jesus said, “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” After the man walked away Jesus said, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” Again, we see the “follow me” command had to do with the Kingdom Gospel of John the Baptist and NOT Paul’s Gospel of Grace.

The present day "Church" or the Body of Christ get its marching orders or doctrine from Paul's epistles and not the four gospels or The Acts of the Apostles. The Mystery of the Body of Christ was revealed to Paul (Eph. 3:3). The Body of Christ came about as result of Christ's death and resurrection. The "Follow Christ" message was to the Jews largely before Calvary. The exception is John 21 when Christ spoke with Simon Peter. At that point in time the Jews still had opportunity to receive a crucified and resurrected Messiah and the Kingdom of God. It was later rejected again in Acts 7 and 28. This was during the "Apostolic Age" when Christ's apostles (and seventy elders) still had power to do miracles. This period ended with the death of John.

What did Paul say about following Christ? He said, "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another" (Rom. 14:19). Paul also said, "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy" (Phil. 3:12). He said, "See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men" (1 Thes. 5:15). Paul also said, "Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us" (2 Thes. 3:9). But not one time did Paul ever said, "Follow Christ" to anyone.

What's wrong with following Christ? Why is it not the message for the lost person in this age? There has to be a point in time when a sinner realizes he is a sinner and on his way to hell. There has to be a change. Simply deciding to follow Christ doesn't necessitate any change. Paul said, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Rom. 3:23). "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom. 10:13). The message from the pulpit should be, "Are you saved?" Not, "Would you like to follow Christ?" Sometime during the last quarter of 1974 I came to that "point" where I realized I was on my way to hell. I dropped to my knees and begged God to save my retched soul. Thank God there was someone who witnessed to me and told me what the scripture says about salvation. Thankfully they didn’t tell me to follow Christ!

After a sinner gets right with God in salvation, then he is “in Christ.” The Bible says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” (Rom. 8:1). “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness,” (Rom. 8:10).” “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another,” (Rom 12:5).  The Christian doesn’t have to follow Christ. Wherever the Christian goes, he is “in Christ.” Jesus Christ is present at all times for the Christian. Let me repeat: The message to the unsaved is salvation through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ and NOT "follow Christ."

Throughout scripture the Holy Spirit gives warnings like the verses at the beginning of this paper. These warnings are given against those who find themselves in the ministry and give the wrong message to the unsaved. We find the following passage in the book of Jude: "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 3-4).

We are in the last days before the trumpet sounds. These are the days when certain Christian leaders want to get away from the old tried and true message of salvation by the shed blood of Jesus Christ and replace it with something new.