Salvation is of the Jews

Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have.
Hope.
Do you want to know what it is?
It is all around us.
Even now in this very room.
You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television.
You can feel it when you go to work.
When you go to church.
When you pay your taxes.
It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
But we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ the Lord, and ourselves your servants, for Jesus' sake.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
You are a slave.
Like everyone else, you were born into bondage.
Born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch.
A prison for your mind.
Stand fast, therefore, in liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Unfortunately, no one can be told.
You have to see it for yourself.
John chapter 5 verses 28 and 29 is a real jaw dropper once you realize what you're reading.
Here the Lord says, The hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.
Now with just a simple cursory read of this passage penned by the Apostle John, you do see, do you not, just how clear it is that Israel, at the time of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, for salvation, had to have faith accompanied by their good works.
While conversely, today we are saved by faith alone.
Our faith alone is what's counted for righteousness.
Romans 4:5 tells us that the one who does not work, having no faith in themselves, but places their faith in the finished cross work, they are the ones who are justified and made righteous.
You know, the amount of fence straddling that goes on today simply amazes me.
You've got those who will teach John 5:29, they that have done good get the resurrection of life, and then they'll turn around and quote Ephesians 2, you're saved by grace through faith, and it's not of yourselves, it's a free gift of God, no works.
And they do this without giving it a second thought, not realizing the apparent contradiction.
If Christ in the book of John said those who do good, did you hear that, do good, if he said those who do good get the resurrection of life, then I've got easy to understand news for you.
This does not match what he later told Paul to tell us.
You can't stand up today and preach that you must do good to be saved, John 5:29, while at the same time say that salvation has nothing to do with what you do, Ephesians 2:8 and 9.
These are both sound biblical doctrines, they were just never meant to be preached at the same time.
Remember the words, rightly dividing the word of truth?
Well of course you do, and that's what we do, today and every day here on Truth Time Radio.
We honor the context, compare scripture with scripture, and rightly divide the word of truth.
And before we move on, think of this, in Ephesians 2:9 where it says salvation is not of works, lest any man should boast.
Hey, if you were back there in the Old Testament chapter of John, chapter 5, before Christ was made to be sin for anyone, guess what you could have done?
You could have boasted.
You could have first, by faith, believed in the name, not the cross, but the name of Christ, accepting him as Messiah, and then boasted in the fact that you have done good, just like John 5:29 says.
Just believe the Bible.
You see, what you've never been told is the book of John was never written to you.
Salvation was of the Jews, John 4:22, and Mr. John was appointed to deliver the gospel of the circumcision, not the gospel of the uncircumcision, but the gospel of the circumcision to the Jews of that day, Galatians 2:9.
And just as Peter and James never wrote the Gentiles, 1 Peter 2:12 and James 1:1, neither did John, 3 John 1:7.
Welcome to Truth Time Radio.
This is the second installment in our study of the book of John.
We learned last week that the book of John, while having valuable doctrine in it, was never intended to be read as having our salvation doctrine in it.
Salvation doctrine for the body of Christ church is just not there.
And if you've yet to hear the first installment covering the book of John, I strongly recommend you go into our website where you'll find it located in the archives.
The book of John is clear in chapter 4 verse 22 where Christ said, Salvation is of the Jews.
Now, by this we know for sure and certain that the book of John was not written to members of the body of Christ church.
Our salvation doctrine is not there.
It's later revealed to Paul that in Christ there is no longer a distinction, a division between Jew and Gentile, but not so in the book of John.
John 4:22 says, Salvation is of the Jews.
That, my friend, is a clear distinction being made between Jew and Gentile.
You can't miss it unless you do it on purpose.
And this is great news and liberating to learn.
Right believing brings right results.
And think about this one.
Just simply compare what Christ said in John 4:22, Salvation is of the Jews, with what was later revealed to Paul in Romans 11 verse 11, where Paul then says, Through Israel's fall, salvation is come unto the Gentiles.
Now come on, it's quite apparent that salvation is no longer of the Jews, because here we read that through Israel's fall, salvation is come unto the Gentiles.
So, on one hand you have, Salvation is of the Jews, John 4:22, that's back there prior to the cross.
And on the other hand you have, through their fall, salvation is come unto the Gentiles.
Do you see that?
Israel fell, and their salvation doctrine fell as well.
Truth Time Radio began to broadcast, and we continue to broadcast, for the purpose of stimulating your thinking.
It's time you began to traffic in the truth for a change, instead of operating according to, well, your fleshly predilections.
This program is on the air to bring you concrete, clear, and descriptive truth.
Just because the book of John is located in the section of your Bible that says, New Testament, does not mean that all of the doctrine found there is New Testament doctrine.
And if you're a Bible-believing, Bible student, you already knew this.
Hebrews chapter 9 verses 16 and 17.
These verses are made simple enough for anyone to understand.
Hebrews 9 says it's impossible to have a New Testament without the death of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Who, by the way, does not even begin to take his walk to the cross until the 18th chapter of the book of John.
Now, I know this is hard, not hard to understand, but hard to believe.
But listen, you don't have to be a genius to get this.
It's just this simple.
All chapters, now hear this, all chapters prior to the death of Christ contain Old Testament doctrine.
Write it down now, study it later if you're not near a Bible.
But this is ironclad evidence.
God's perfectly preserved word as found in your King James Bible in the book of Hebrews chapter 9 verses 16 and 17.
Write that down.
John chapter 4 verse 22, salvation is of the Jews, that's what it says.
However, the preacher stands there telling you that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, yet it's the same fellow that told you to go home and read the book of John.
Hello, in the book of John there is a distinction between Jew and Gentile.
Stop taking what Paul was later given and trying to cram it back where it doesn't belong.
Fact is, we have a plethora of unsaved men standing in pulpits around the world teaching from an unsaved understanding of the Bible, wrongly dividing the word of truth.
God gave different instructions to different people at different times and that is confirmed in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1.
The Bible says, God, who at sundry times and divers manners spake.
Well, have you studied out the sundry times to see where you fit?
Have you noticed the divers manners by which God spake?
Have you rightly divided the sundry times and the divers manners or have you fallen for the ever so popular smorgasbord of doctrines?
Just come on in and have a seat and we'll mix it all up for you.
These religious buildings should have a sign outside that reads, come on in and get a big helping of mud, m-u-d, mixed up doctrines.
That's what's popular today, places you can go to get multiple dishes of doctrine, all blended together.
You know what, that's not going to turn out well.
That's only going to lead to spiritual heartburn.
Meanwhile, down deep something just keeps nagging at you and you know, well, you know something is just not right and your spirit is longing to hear the rightly divided word of truth and to experience God's grace.
And it's that gospel of grace that awakens you to the simplicity that's found in Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:3.
Now listen, I'm not talking about the watered down grace, no, I'm talking about pure grace.
Not that perverted grace that's so popular, but the unadulterated, unperverted, pure gospel of the grace of God.
In what's commonly called the four gospels, what you are reading about is Christ, Israel's Messiah, coming to judge the earth.
John 5:22, For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.
And in John 9:39, Jesus said, For judgment I am come unto this world.
And in the very next chapter, John chapter 10, we find Jesus saying this, I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
The quote "they" is Israel and we know that from Matthew 10:5 and 6 chapter 15 verse 24 and Romans chapter 15 verse 8 just to mention a few.
And it was the "they," Israel, that were being offered an abundant life if they would only have faith that Christ was their Messiah and then they would have to demonstrate that faith by their works.
They had to have works attached with their faith in order to earn the resurrection of life we find in John chapter 5 verses 28 and 29.
If this were speaking to you back here as some claim, your life would be evaluated, and if you passed the test, you would get this everlasting life of abundance.
Jesus came to test and to judge the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
There's no way out of this.
There's no way of escaping the truth.
Well, unless you admit that you really do not believe the Bible.
Now, I'm not through yet.
There's more.
In Revelation chapter 6 verse 9, John writes, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not?
And what's the next word? Judge.
Judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth.
With that said, isn't it a beautiful thing when you come to the knowledge of truth?
It's outstanding.
According to the Ephesians 3:2 dispensation of the grace of God, God in this present day is not judging anyone.
What an outstanding discovery when you come to understand that you're not the Israel you're reading about in this Bible.
You are not being spoken of in John when salvation was of the Jews.
Isn't that wonderful?
Isn't that good news?
It's wonderful to know that you're not to operate according to the Old Testament doctrine found on the other side of the cross.
That's Old Testament doctrine found in the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
On this side of the cross, we're excited to know that our judgment was placed on Christ.
We cannot be judged again by a judgment that Christ already paid for.
No, that would be double jeopardy.
This is exciting.
This is the gospel, the good news.
The news that most don't hear today.
The news that is absent from the book of John.
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.
So you tell me, just how is it that John 5:29 could possibly be talking to me today?
Here, Christ says that they that have done good, that's good works, get the resurrection of life.
And they that have done evil, get the resurrection of damnation.
That's clearly performance for salvation.
And that's clearly a judgment.
Either Christ is imputing my sins unto me, or he's not imputing my sins unto me.
It can't be both.
It's obvious that John 5:29 can't be for us, for we just read that on this side of Calvary's cross, we have been reconciled to God, and he is not, he is not imputing our sins unto us.
There is simply no sins for him to judge.
If you're saved, you get it.
You get the resurrection of life.
And it's not according to your good works.
Listen, either you rightly divide the word of truth or you throw part out, because you cannot in good conscience possibly believe that both John 5:29 and 2 Corinthians 5:19 are meant for the same group of people.
That dog's belly down and just won't hunt.
According to the dispensation of grace, God is not judging anyone according to their good or their bad
for the purpose of deciding where they will spend eternity.
That would clearly go against the law of non-contradiction and negate what Christ did at Calvary.
Judgment has been placed on Christ our Savior.
The Lord Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied God's wrath against all humanity.
So then, Christ was judged in your place.
Christ was judged in my place.
And that, that is why God can now say, he is no longer imputing trespasses unto you.
Couldn't have said that in John chapter 5.
Hadn't happened yet.
Couldn't have said it in John chapter 6.
Hadn't happened yet.
Could not have said it in chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 and so on.
Hadn't happened yet.
Don't push the revelation that was revealed to Paul back into the book of John, it simply don't fit.
The word of reconciliation is what is supposed to be being preached today.
And is why the verse goes on to say that it's the word of reconciliation that has been committed unto us.
We are the "us" and we're supposed to be preaching it.
But most are not.
Most are still preaching, come to God to get your sins forgiven, which is a lie of the devil.
In John chapter 5 verse 27, we see here that God gave Jesus the authority to execute judgment.
And better than that, we learn that we are judged in him.
And in case you hadn't heard, that judgment took place at the cross.
Here's what happened.
He, God the Father, made him, God the Son, to be sin for us.
Why? So that we might be the righteousness of God in him.
So it only stands to reason that as far as salvation goes, I am not to be judged by Christ.
Hey, I was already judged in Christ.
Again, concerning salvation, concerning my eternal life, I will not be judged by Christ, for I have already been judged in Christ.
And that judgment declared me complete in him, Colossians 2:10.
Can you not see that if John chapter 5 verse 27 says Christ will execute judgment, that the book of John has to be talking about someone other than you or I?
Do you refuse to believe Jesus in John 9:39 when he said, For judgment I am coming to this world.
Can you not see that this pertained to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and not you?
Well, for those of you who do, who do understand who's being addressed in the book of John, it is certainly reverberating to know that, well, since our salvation is complete in Christ, we are not enduring unto the end and awaiting this judgment.
This day of judgment is exactly who the Bible says it's for.
Your apostle Paul tells you this, God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more than, and hey, don't miss this, this important three letter word, being now, now, justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Romans 5 verses 8 and 9.
There is an important timeline you simply cannot miss.
The time being referred to is now.
N-O-W, now.
Not back there in John chapter 5, that's time past.
That's on the other side of the cross.
You and I are not waiting the second coming of Christ to see if we made the dean's list.
You and I have something now.
Praise God, this is exciting when you submit to this truth.
This is truth not found in the book of John.
This is truth that some attempt to read back into the book of John, and they do so in their attempt to make it say something that it simply does not.
And in Romans 5:1, we find this, Therefore, being justified by faith, we have what? Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
When you finally take hold of this, your outlook will change.
Life suddenly takes on new meaning.
Listen closely, my friend, there is no peace in waiting on a judgment to see whether or not you've done good enough to get the resurrection of life.
And news flash, that is precisely what's going on in John chapter 5 verse 29.
You see, we need more straightforwardness and less indirect language.
Enough with the wordy roundabout expressions, let's get real.
If you want real peace, stop trying to walk on both sides of the track.
Stop trying to straddle the fence.
Grace on this side, works on that side, grace over here, works over there, back and forth you go.
No, if you want real peace, it's found in and through Christ alone.
He is our peace, Ephesians 2:14.
It's impossible to conclude that John chapter 5 and Romans chapter 5 are both written to the same people.
That wouldn't hold up in a court of law.
And just how do you suppose that those of us who are in Christ and cannot be condemned, Romans 8:1, can also get the resurrection of damnation, John 5:29?
Damnation?
Condemnation?
You see where this is going?
If we follow this to its logical conclusion, it becomes evident that John 5:29 does not harmonize with Romans 8:1.
They must be rightly divided in order for this book to make any logical sense.
With precision, we need to streamline our focus and hone in on God's concrete, practical truths.
And how do we do this?
By becoming workmen and workwomen who are not afraid of adversity, not afraid of opposition.
We need to get in this book and compare Scripture with Scripture to better position ourselves to understand and enjoy God's word.
After wading through muddy waters for so long, just what degree of truth are you now willing to walk in?
Let's collect the dots and target our efforts.
At every turn, we must cease every opportunity to usher in this grace truth to those who are still without.
Conveying the message that even though salvation was at one time maintained by works, it's not anymore, Romans 11:6.
Conveying the message that Paul indeed is God's chosen vessel, Acts 9:15, with a new doctrine for today, Acts 17:19.
Conveying the message that Paul's epistles are where the body of Christ church finds its marching orders.
And Paul was not only given new information for unbelieving Israel, but new information for the Gentiles as well, Romans 11:13.
Physical works of obedience are no longer a requirement for maintaining one's salvation.
It's now about obedience from the heart, about obeying the doctrine that Paul wrote in his epistles, Romans 6:17.
We are not a part of Israel's performance program. Why not? Because we're over here on the other side of Calvary's cross.
And it's the finished crosswork of Christ that we put our faith in for salvation.
Not my endurance, not my forsaking, not my asking, none of that. Christ performed on my behalf and God accepted his performance as being satisfactory.
I perform good one minute, but not the next.
I may perform good part of the day, but what about the other part?
Are you sure you're willing to trust yourself for salvation?
Not me.
In Luke chapter 9 verse 62, Jesus said, No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Well, unlike those that Jesus addressed here in Luke prior to him becoming sin for anyone, hey, today if you're fit, if you're suitable and acceptable, it's because of what he accomplished on your behalf at the cross.
And it has nothing whatsoever to do with your works.
It was Christ and Christ alone that made you fit.
It was his substitutionary atonement that was pleasing to God.
You see, the problem we're faced with today is teachers mix truth with lies.
I had a Truth Time listener tell me that the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are written to the body of Christ's church.
And he said in Matthew chapter 5 verse 20 is where it talks about us going to the kingdom of heaven.
And I asked him, Where is the kingdom of heaven?
He replied, In heaven.
And I said, Well, no, it doesn't say kingdom in heaven. It says kingdom of heaven.
And if you'll just go up a few verses and look at verse 5, you'll see where this kingdom of heaven is located.
You see, he had not been taught to honor the context.
Matthew 5:5 speaks of inheriting the earth.
So where is Matthew 5:20, the kingdom of heaven located?
On earth, not heaven.
It's Christ who only later reveals to our apostle Paul about us and our destiny being heaven.
A kingdom in heaven, not of heaven.
Kingdom in heaven and of heaven are not the same.
You see, an apparent problem we see today is many are in denial.
I choose to rely on the objective evidence.
And the evidence strongly shows that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were not written for the body of Christ church.
We don't go there to find our salvation doctrine.
It's time you come out from under that tombstone marked denial.
It's only left you six feet under and dead to the truth.
Listen, in the garden, Satan mixed the truth with a lie to form a false doctrine.
He said to Eve, Ye shall not surely die.
That was a lie.
But then he said, For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened.
And ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
That was the truth.
Mixing a lie with the truth makes the lie more deceptive.
And remember, at the end of the day, a half-truth is a whole lie.
Since we know there have been so many that were told to go home and read the book of John to find your doctrine, we're not surprised that they become the very ones attempting to mix grace and works for salvation.
They do so even though Romans 11:6 absolutely forbids it.
The book of John does not have our salvation doctrine in it.
And this becomes apparent when we simply allow the Bible to speak for itself.
Until next time, check out TruthTimeRadio.com.
I'm Trey Searcy, and now you know the truth.