Since Abraham was tested and approved by God, his people became God’s chosen nation on earth, confirmed by an eternal covenant and sealed by the sign of circumcision. This is not a topic for debate; it is a consummated and unchangeable fact, as God reminded Israel several times throughout history that the covenant is perpetual. The Gentile who desires blessings, deliverance, and salvation must join this people, for it is only through Israel that one has access to the Messiah. We join Israel by following the same laws that the Father gave to Israel. The Father is pleased with our faith, humility, and courage in the face of adversity and leads us to Jesus. This plan of salvation makes sense, as it is the true one. | The foreigner who joins himself to the Lord, to minister to him, and to be his servant… and holds fast my covenant, I will bring to my holy mountain. (Isaiah 56:6-7)
When we die, each soul goes to the final destination it has chosen. The prophets and Jesus taught that we must obey the Father to inherit eternal life. Many claim, however, that disobeying God’s laws does not affect salvation. Do not accept this, as there will be no other chance after death. What needs to be done to ascend with Christ must be done now, while we are alive. The Gentile seeking salvation in Jesus must follow the same laws that the Lord gave to the nation He set apart for Himself with an eternal covenant. The Father sees the faith and courage of this Gentile, despite the challenges. He pours out His love on him, unites him with Israel, and leads him to the Son for forgiveness and salvation. This is the plan of salvation that makes sense because it is true. | The foreigner who joins himself to the Lord, to minister to him, and to be his servant… and holds fast my covenant, I will bring to my holy mountain. (Isaiah 56:6-7)
Rahab and Ruth, two well-known figures in the Scriptures, were not part of God’s people by birth. Like all Gentiles, they had to accept the God of Israel and obey His laws to receive the blessings and protection promised to Abraham in the eternal covenant. Nowhere in the Gospels did Jesus indicate that this process of including Gentiles in God’s people changed with His coming. Jesus did not create a new religion for the Gentiles. The Gentile who wishes to be saved by Christ must follow the same laws that the Father gave to the chosen nation for His honor and glory. The Father sees the faith and courage of this Gentile and pours out His love on him, unites him with Israel, and leads him to the Son for forgiveness and salvation. | The foreigner who joins himself to the Lord, to minister to him, and to be his servant… and holds fast my covenant, I will bring to my holy mountain. (Isaiah 56:6-7)
The Bible is full of promises from God to those who obey Him. There is no promise for those who ignore His laws. However, if the doctrine of “unmerited favor” were true, then God’s promises would not be for those who seek to obey Him, but for those who do not earn it: liars, slanderers, violent people, and all who do not strive to deserve God’s goodness and salvation in Christ. In reality, many Gentiles in the church ignore God’s Law based on this false doctrine. What they do not realize is that they are being deceived by the serpent and tested by God, just as happened with Adam and Eve in Eden and with the Jews in the desert. Obey while you are alive. | God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. Deut 8:2
Jesus, our Savior, was Jewish. He never befriended anyone outside the religion of His parents and only chose Jews as apostles. He died as a Jew and, upon resurrecting, made a point of meeting with His friends, all Jews. Do not be deceived by what they are teaching the Gentiles. It is only through Israel, Jesus’ people, that we receive liberation, forgiveness, and salvation. The Gentile seeking salvation must follow the same laws that the Lord gave to the nation He set apart for Himself with an eternal covenant. The Father sees the faith and courage of this Gentile, despite the challenges. He pours out His love on him, unites him with Israel, and leads him to the Son for forgiveness and salvation. This is the plan of salvation that makes sense because it is true. | The foreigner who joins himself to the Lord, to minister to him, and to be his servant… and holds fast my covenant, I will bring to my holy mountain. (Isaiah 56:6-7)
Jesus made it clear that no one can come to Him unless the Father sends them. This leads us to the question: what is the Father’s criterion for sending someone to Jesus? According to the doctrine of “unmerited favor,” seeking to obey the laws given by God through the prophets of the Old Testament is ”trying to earn salvation” and leads to condemnation. But if obedience is not God’s criterion, then the only option would be to ignore or disobey the Father to be sent to the Son. It is with this thinking that almost no one in the churches seeks to obey the commandments, but in none of the Gospels did Jesus teach this absurdity. No Gentile will ascend without seeking to follow the same laws given to Israel, laws that Jesus and His apostles followed as our example. | “You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.” Psalms 119:4
When someone reads about the love of the psalmists for God’s Law and is enchanted by what they read, but has no intention of obeying the holy Law of the Lord, that person does not realize they are gathering evidence against themselves for the day of final judgment. The Lord’s laws save and condemn, and it is by them that all souls will be judged, receiving eternal life or death. Those who, like Abraham, David, Joseph, Mary, and the apostles, sought to faithfully follow the laws will be purified by the blood of the Lamb, but those who ignore them will carry their own sins. Do not follow the majority just because they are many. Obey while you are alive. | Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked… but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalms 1:1-2
The doctrine of “unmerited favor” sounds beautiful, full of amazing details, and according to this teaching, we Gentiles can ignore the laws that God gave us through the prophets of the Old Testament, and still be welcomed into heaven. It sounds perfect. The only problem is that in none of the four Gospels did Jesus teach this absurdity, nor did He say that any human would come after Him with the authority to create such a doctrine. It is a clearly false doctrine, yet the majority rely on it to blatantly disobey God’s laws. Salvation is individual. Do not follow the majority just because they are many. Obey while you are alive. | “You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.” Psalms 119:4
God made us physical beings, and that is why many of His laws involve physical actions. None of these laws should be neglected, and we should never be so proud as to treat them as trivial or be ashamed of them. Jesus and the apostles followed all of God’s laws as they were given: they kept the Sabbath, were circumcised, wore the tzitzit, did not consume unclean foods, and maintained their beards. If we truly wish to live like Jesus and His apostles, we must follow these same commandments. At no point in the Gospels did Jesus say that Gentiles could live differently from His apostles. Do not follow the majority just because they are many. Obey while you are alive. | “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word [the Old Testament].” John 17:6.
Defenders of the false doctrine of “unmerited favor” believe that the God of the Scriptures is flexible, that His laws do not need to be obeyed to the letter. Therefore, they often say that, although a person does not need to do anything to be saved, they ”should seek” to obey the commandments. This ”should seek” implies something non-mandatory, but merely optional. God knows exactly what they are doing, and they will have a bitter surprise at the final judgment. God gave us His laws through the prophets and Jesus to be obeyed. The Lord is not a God of uncertainties, but of clarity. Those who love and obey Him, He sends to Jesus; but those who know His laws and ignore them, are not sent to the Son. | “You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.” Psalms 119:4
