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Pledges, Oaths, and Service to the Nations of This World?

In the Hebrew Torah, pledges and oaths, along with the service which flows from them, are regarded as sacred responsibilities to God and/or ...

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Even Artificial Intelligence Can Define the Gospel: Why Can't the Armstrong Churches of God?

"The gospel message is the good news of Jesus Christ, which encapsulates His life, death, resurrection, and the offer of salvation and redemption to all who believe. The central truth of the gospel is that God has provided a way of salvation for men through the gift of His son to the world. Jesus suffered as a sacrifice for sin, overcame death, and now offers a share in His triumph to all who will accept it. The gospel is a message of hope and restoration." -- Artificial Intelligence

Indeed, the writings which we now refer to as the New Testament are very clear that this was the message which his disciples preached to the world:

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it...Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"

--From Peter's Pentecost Sermon (Acts 2:22-24 and 36-38, ESV)

The Apostles before the Jewish Council: "when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus."

--Acts 5:40-42, ESV

"Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ."

--Acts 8:4-5, ESV

After reading a passage from the book of Isaiah the prophet: "And the eunuch said to Philip, 'About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?' Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus."

--Acts 8:34-35, ESV

Paul in a synagogue in Thessalonica: "and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, 'This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.'"

--Acts 17:2-3, ESV

Paul at Corinth: "When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus."

Apollos at Achaia: "When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus."

--Acts 18:5, 27-28, ESV

Paul to the elders of the Church at Ephesus: " I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ."

--Acts 20:20-21, ESV

Paul in Rome: "When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets."

"He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance."

--Acts 28:23, 30-31, ESV

Paul to Christians at Rome: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ."

--Romans 1:1-6, ESV

Paul to the saints at Corinth: "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

--I Corinthians 1:4-9, ESV

"Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

--I Corinthians 1:22-24, ESV

"Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ."

--Galatians 1:1-7, ESV

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."

--Ephesians 1:3-10, ESV

Please note that the message was ALWAYS focused on Jesus Christ, what he did for all of us, and his teachings. There is NO warning to Israel. There is no focus on calling out sin within the larger society. Take another look at that AI statement about the Gospel.