The Protestants in Their Own Words
Back to The Work of God
Now let’s compare Mr. Armstrong’s explanation of the true gospel and the correct view of the apostles “eye-witnessing” Jesus Christ to the “witnessing” that LCG and the Protestants practice. Notice how these denominations connect witnessing “Jesus” to their gospel. Will you be sobered at the spirit these quotes reveal is being mirrored in your organization?:
United Methodist Church:
“As United Methodists, we have an obligation to bear a faithful Christian witness to Jesus Christ, the living reality at the center of the Church’s life and witness...striving to express faithfully the witness we make in our own time.”
“What does it mean to create a culture of witness in our churches, society, and world?..The answer is contained in one Name: Jesus the Christ!”
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
“All ELCA mission personnel are called to witness to the good news of Jesus Christ through their work.”
Presbyterian Church (USA):
“Who are we Presbyterians? As far back as 1837 the General Assembly declared that the church, by its very nature, is a missionary society whose purpose is to share the love of God in Jesus Christ in word and deed and with all the world. Witnessing to the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the world...preach the gospel, heal the sick, and educate new generations for the future.”
Episcopal Church:
“Let’s look more closely at what Jesus said. It’s true that the apostles had been witnesses of all that Jesus said and did during his earthly ministry, but what Jesus says in today’s reading is, ‘you will be my witnesses.’ Our testimony is about him, not just about what happened long ago and far away. We are to give evidence about what we ourselves have heard, seen, experienced. We can’t be witnesses unless we have met the Risen Christ—unless our lives have been transformed by him. If we could in good conscience go before a notary and sign a paper attesting of the presence of God in our lives and in the world, then, and only then, can we be his witnesses.
“This is something that we, as Christians, probably do a lot more often than we know. St. Francis of Assisi said it well: ‘Proclaim the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.’ How many persons in your own life have been witnesses, silent or otherwise, to you?..We are called to do the same, and this call is not issued just to teach us individually, but also to us as members of the Body of Christ—and, more specifically, to us as members of this congregation. We should be seriously considering how we are called, in this place and at this time, to be his witnesses.
“Probably we don’t think of ourselves in that way. Nevertheless, if the Lord Jesus calls us to be witnesses, we’d better not think of this as something optional.”
These mission statements leave no ambiguity about the intent of witnessing Jesus. But tragically, they could as easily have been written by certain splinter leaders. How long will it be before these men, like the apostates, urge their members to practice “personal evangelism”? (UCG has long condoned this, and its “gospel” is not nearly as far wrong as LCG’s.)
The larger splinters also seem to no longer preach against use of the cross—once clearly understood to be a pagan sex symbol.
Under the apostates’ influence, and the Protestants who taught those men, the supposedly at least generally faithful splinter leaders were conditioned to believe Christ’s command to the 12 apostles still applies today. Remember, Mr. Armstrong described the original apostles as having the additional responsibility, applicableonly in the first century and in Judea, to prove Jesus Christ was the Messiah—to serve as a kind of “jury of 12” in this regard, as Mr. Armstrong put it—or the Jews would not believe the message He taught.
This is just not difficult to understand.
Also remember, this responsibility applied before the New Testament was written! The recorded “gospel accounts” are our witness to Jesus Christ. Actually, some of the apostles are still eyewitnesses to Jesus Christ through the pages of the Bible. No one needs to witness this anymore because the Bible does this. Mr. Armstrong recognized this—and so should YOU! Of course, the roles of Jesus Christ must still be taught and explained, just not as part of the gospel—and not with the wrong, misguided nonstop emphasis given by the Living Church of God and by what are becoming their Protestant brothers.
One Classic Illustration
This section would not be complete without at least one well-known and classic example of how careless Bible reading inserts conclusions about Christ’s suffering and resurrection that are not in the text, and how some of these get merged into the “witnessing Jesus” thinking and practice.
Many get confused when they read I Corinthians 15:1-4, thinking that Paul contradicts himself from other passages we have seen by stating that “the gospel” (1 Corinthians 15:1) is “how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Get your Bible and simply notice that the gospel reference in 1 Corinthians 15:1 is not connected in context to Christ’s death for our sins and burial in 1 Corinthians 15:3 and 4. Careful reading reveals this! When correctly understood, rather than saying that Christ is the gospel, this passage confirms the opposite, and supports Acts 8:12, 20:21-25, 28:31 and II Corinthians 11:4!
LCG now openly cites I Corinthians 15 to prove the same thing in the exact same way the apostates did when they completely replaced the kingdom of God with Christ’s role as the gospel.
Since Jesus preached “repent and believe the gospel,” it should now be clear WHY He emphasized both. His role must certainly always be preached in conjunction with the kingdom of God, because one cannot enter the kingdom unless he understands and accepts that “Christ died for our sins,” and that person has repented of his sins.
It would be helpful to offer a clarification at this point regarding Paul’s reference several times in his epistles to the “gospel of salvation” or “gospel of grace.” While these are being used today to bring Christ’s role into the Christian being able to receive salvation, they are merely other ways of referring to the gift of membership in the God Family. “Salvation” means being in the Family of God. The chief meaning of “grace” is unmerited pardon. Salvation cannot be earned on merit. It is a free gift of God for those who meet the qualifiers. (The previous chapter carried an inset showing how much literature we offer that teaches the truth of salvation.)
Does the Gospel Include Healing?
Some in the world have preached a gospel of healing or one including healing. Did you notice that the Presbyterians include healing with their gospel—meaning alongside it, but not part of it?
Roderick Meredith, in his article “A ‘Missing’ Part of Christ’s Gospel,” makes another giant leap away from the truth of the gospel by asserting that healing should be part of it. (Recall that even the Presbyterians do not go this far with their gospel!) His rationale: Since Christ’s sacrifice is part of the gospel—and part of that sacrifice was Christ’s physical beating, which made possible forgiveness of physical sins—and also since Christ healed the sick—then healing must be part of the gospel.
The problem? This thinking cannot be found anywhere in Scripture! Healings and other miracles certainly didaccompany the gospel message, but these were to show that Christ and the disciples bore God’s AUTHORITY for preaching what they did. The Bible nowhere states that they are part of the gospel.
This drift in thinking is what always happens where Satan is able to lead an organization into even a partialfocus on Jesus Christ as within the gospel. Next naturally comes “witnessing” Him. Then could come healing. After that could be “personal evangelism,” and then on to anything else into which the devil—at this point established firmly at the helm for those looking—wants to take an organization. Later in the chapter we will see the next step involves a “social” connection, tied to the gospel.
How soon before more of God’s people recognize all of this as a walk down memory lane, when it was the apostates teaching the things they are now hearing for the SECOND TIME?
Nowhere did Mr. Armstrong ever suggest, or even speculate, that healing or other miracles are included within the gospel. I was warned 40 years ago (as were all other students) of this pseudo-“gospel” by my first Bible instructor at Ambassador College—the very man who wrote the above article!
The above leader openly bemoans in his article a lack of healing in his organization, while testifying to healings in the Worldwide Church of God. Here is what this leader acknowledges about the past:
“We must remember that when Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong led the Church, thousands of people were healed of all kinds of sicknesses, ailments and maladies. I know. I talked to them. I read the letters that came pouring in during those days.”
This report is true! But how incredible that this man cannot connect the many healings of the past to Mr. Armstrong’s defense of the true gospel, to his unwillingness to compromise it by adding any other elements—Christ’s person, witnessing, healing, social improvement or anything else that does not belong—that dilute the announcement of THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Mr. Armstrong could read the Galatians 1:6-9 curse! And he FEARED GOD! But he also understood a key biblical connection. The following, partially-repeated statement from earlier becomes Mr. Armstrong’s last one in this chapter:
“When the curtain lifts on that ‘LOST CENTURY’ of Church history, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God was no longer preached to the world. Jesus and His apostles had carried on a dual ministry—proclaiming the Kingdom of God and healing the sick. But after that ‘Lost Century’ neither the Gospel of God’s Kingdom nor healing was going out to the world.”
Co-Worker Letter, February 21, 1974
How many leaders will read this and correctly place blame for a lack of healings in a matter Mr. Armstrong well understood was a problem with a SPECIFIC IDENTIFIABLE CAUSE? He knew “the Gospel of God’s Kingdom” must be preached, or healing will not “go out to the world”—or, I would add, occur in the Church. Again, this is just not hard to understand.
On Christ’s authority, and in agreement with Mr. Armstrong, I tell you that the splinters—any splinter—focusing on these wrong ideas will never receive the gift of healings. And here is ANOTHER great reason: The Bible lists healing as a gift given within the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:9). LCG (with UCG and other groups) has adopted the world’s view that the true Church and Christ’s Body now consists of many organizations. Of course, this thinking is totally false! More on this momentarily.
In contrast, The Restored Church of God sees—and its brethren experience—healings (some dramatic), and on a regular basis. But then the gospel of God’s kingdom IS going out to the world from THIS CHURCH! We also still recognize Christ leads and therefore gives the gift of healing—of course, not in every case—to only ONE ORGANIZATION! (Again, read THE TRUE CHURCH for more on this topic.)
Back to The Work of God