Kingdom Truth: Volume Two

Christian preachers and teachers maintain that Christians do not have to worry about righteous behavior as long as they believe in Jesus. In this essay we will attempt to show that even though numerous Christians do believe such error, the New Testament does not agree with them. They are blindly following their traditions, not perceiving what the Bible teaches.
The problem is, they are not making a clear distinction between believing about Jesus and believing in Jesus.
The purpose of this essay is to briefly set forth the big picture of what God has done, is doing, and yet will do with His creatures. A glimpse of the overall plan may help us avoid side trips into doctrines and practices that are not central to the Divine purpose. Although God’s scheme is infinitely complex in its carrying out, it actually consists of a few simple ideas.
The atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross of Calvary is the centerpiece of the Christian salvation. All forgiveness and all deliverance derive their authority from the canceling, appeasing, purifying, reconciling authority of the blood.
It appears in some instances we are employing the blood in a manner not intended by the Lord God of Heaven. We are attempting to use the blood as a covering of our sin such that God cannot see our behavior. The blood then becomes an alternative to righteous behavior rather than the means of attaining righteous behavior. The goal of the new covenant is to produce righteous people.
The purpose of the blood shed on the cross of Calvary is to forgive our sin and then cleanse our behavior; not to hide from God what we are doing.
When the tribes of Israel invaded Canaan they brought the Ark of the Covenant with them into the land of promise. The Ark of the Covenant was so named because inside the Ark was the Covenant, the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments are the Divine judgment on Satan. The nations that inhabited the land of Canaan were worshipers of demons. Their sin had reached its full measure. The invading army of Israel was the coming of the Throne of God, the judgment of God, to drive from the land and destroy utterly every remnant of the demons.
This precisely is what will take place when the Lord Jesus appears with His saints.
Our traditional Christian thinking is that the New Testament teaches a state of grace; that we stand in grace; that we are saved by the merits of Jesus Christ and our behavior is of little consequence. Perhaps we better do some hard thinking, find out what the goal of salvation actually is, and then look again at our traditions.