'Reductionist' versus 'Complete' view of the Gospel

John the Baptist didn't come preaching circumcision, neither did the Lord.

Exactly! It still amazes me (to this day) that I used to think and feel that I was some sort of a Biblical Master, though I have never even read the Old Testament. Sure, I had read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and then petered out after that. And yes, I've read portions of the Old Testament for several decades . . . but I had never taken the time to read not only the entire OT, but I began to read it in a timeline, chronological order so that I could begin to understand the Story of God. And what is the Story of God? Well, that just happens to be the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It's easy to tell, when talking to another person, if they understand the Bible in a timeline, chronological order, for by the simple way that they talk about the Bible makes it obvious. When a person begins to read the Bible with the below question in mind, THEN they will begin to understand.

What is the Gospel? What is the Mysterious Plan of God?

Note below that Paul asks for prayer that he be given the ability to clearly speak of and reveal this plan. That tells me that the Plan is not some simple little "thing" that we can disclose in simple terms like, "The Gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ!" No, it is much more than that. In fact, it is so much more than Phillip needed to get up and in the Eunuchs chariot and have a seat. It takes time to fully explain. There is a context that spans all the way into the Old Testament, just as Phillip and the Eunuch made evident.

Ephesians 1:9 NLT - "God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.

Ephesians 6:19 NLT - "And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God's mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike."

Colossians 2:2 NLT - "I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself."

Someone recently posted how the Bible can be read in chronological order. I forget who it was but I’m thinking it was you. I downloaded the site that was shared and am about to read the Bible in that manner. If that was indeed you, thank you. 😊

Wow! That is GREAT news! I am so happy that you have chosen to do that . . . it gave me goosebumps. I am so jealous of you that you get to read the Story this way for the first time. It’s like being in a theater watching the most thrilling movie you’ve ever seen. For me, that movie was Saving Private Ryan and Silence of the Lambs. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing. It will be the same as you read the Bible in the timeline, chronological order (TLC). Let me give you a few pointers.

Use the Triangle of Truth (as I have coined it) diagram below as your base . . . your foundation of Scripture. If you ponder these text sets as you read the entire Bible, your entire understanding of this Holy and remarkable Book will change completely.

When you get to the “Law,” I realize that it can be challenging to read through, but here is something that I think might help you with that. Consider how difficult it was to live under these insane laws for the Jews! They didn’t have time to work, for they were too busy slaughtering animals and making paying the penalty for their sin (such as leaving camp for extended periods of time). Feel their pain and sorrow, for they lived through it! Be thankful that you only have to read about it . . . it won’t take forty years. 😊

First and foremost, . . . recognize every moment where God says something like, “Then they will know that I am the Lord their God!” This is a statement of Power. More than anything, God wants you to recognize how Powerful He is, for when you really grasp this concept, you will develop genuine Fear of the Lord. We MUST have Fear of the Lord! To qualify this, I mean that when a person has True Fear of the Lord, they will revere Him. And when a person obeys, they will not fear Him in an unholy, worldly way, but they will fear Him in knowing that if they don’t change their evil ways, they will be vaporized. Thus, when a person changes and realizes that they are no longer in danger, their Fear becomes Holy and Reverent.

So again, note all times when God shows Himself to be Powerful. One example is when He informs the Jews that times will become so rough for them that they will literally murder their children, cook them, eat them, and then hide the bodies for later consumption. And, of course, the Lord made these things happen! Multiple times does the Bible reference such stories of remarkable Power.

Power, Power, Power . . . throughout the OT. It is constant! God takes control of human minds, forcing the Philistines to kill one another beyond their own free will. The Lord uses Pharoah to demonstrate that unrelenting Power, both in how He occupies Pharoah’s mind to do and say certain things, and then there is the parting of the Red Sea. There is the provided Manna. There is the fact that the clothing of the Hebrews never wears out. There is the fact of how the Lord keeps the Hebrews in Egypt until He clears the land of overwhelming beasts. It is a story of constant Power and Control over all of His Creation.

You will be taken through all of the battles in proper sequence. You will be amazed at how the Chosen ones are taken captive and released (all as predicted). Eventually, you will find your way into the New Testament. You will find yourself meeting Paul for the first time in Acts 7. You will see his remarkable conversion unfold and then . . . then . . . you will literally see how the rules and guidelines were created and changed on-the-fly. You will see how the Apostles didn’t really understand the full implications of their Faith, for they even promoted and pushed the Law of Moses upon Christians, only later to recant those ideas (hence, the teachings of Freedom In Christ). Finally, you will find not only the development of our Faith, but you will notably find the development of the Apostle Paul himself.

2nd Timothy is Paul’s final letter . . . and you will be sad as you read it, for you know that there will be nothing more coming from Paul. Your relationship with him will have developed, and again, your heart will be broken knowing that his death is just around the corner . . . likely one to 1.5 years later. You will see how Paul changed from flaming the Galatians and Corinthians, for realizing that instead of flaming Timothy for the fact that he was leaving the “children” of Ephesus in harm’s way (to the two false, renegade teachers that had overtaken it), Paul realized that he needed to build Timothy’s confidence. Paul realized that instead of tearing people apart, he needed to build them up.

So again, I am jealous of you because once you read the Bible all the way through in this TLC order, you will never have that “first” read ever again. It is the most exciting Story ever written. And know this . . . when you are done, you will want to do it all over again. And more, you might even begin to hold Righteous Anger for the pastors that never ordered you to read this Holy Book in such a manner. You will have a fantastic advantage over those around you as you discuss our Faith. You will note the difference between your understanding and the understanding of those around you. In fact, your new knowledge and awareness of this Book may become your burden, for you will begin to separate yourself from them, realizing a massive distinction in understanding.

Stand firm. Do not doubt yourself. Believe in the Power of God!

Edit - I can't believe that I forgot to mention that the Bible revolves around Circumcision of the Heart . . . Colossians 2:9-15. This is why it is at the top of the "pyramid" below. It is the apex of our Faith, and you will notice this right from Day 1 of the TLC reading plan. Jesus is the Tree of Life, for it is He that grants Eternal Life. Thus, the act of reaching out and eating from the Tree is the equivalent of Colossians 2:9-15 . . . it [is] the Circumcision of Christ. So as you read, constantly be aware of Spiritual Circumcision, for this is how and why all men and women of the past could be considered Pure, Righteous, Wholehearted, and Holy. You will see this with Joshua and Caleb (as well as Moses).

Wow, I’m very humbled that you put so much effort and enthusiasm into what you have shared. I truly appreciate your guidance and will keep you updated from time to time on my reading. Thank you and God bless you. 🙏
PS: Put the lotion in the basket. 😁

1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 5-7 NLT - "I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you--something that even pagans don't do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. 2 You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship. ... 5 Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns. 6 Your boasting about this is terrible. Don't you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old "yeast" by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us."

But what pastors remove wickedness from their churches? And what if they did? Would the collection plate be as full so as to pay the man's rent, food bills, college fees for his children? Retirement? Is this why pastors of today to not teach the True Gospel? That if they did, there would only be a handful of people to refer to as a flock?

Not game playing but straightening out spiritual confusion. Repentance followed by faith followed by baptism is what we see in Scripture. The point is that water baptism is Christ's command for every Christian. Regardless of whether a person can fully understand its implications. Later on people will see how important it is.

Was the thief on the cross baptized? No.
Is the thief on the cross saved? Yes.

You don't know that...do you? so you are wrong.
Un supported conclusion....wrong and bad approach to God's word........very bad.

You don't know that...do you? so you are wrong.
Un supported conclusion....wrong and bad approach to God's word........very bad.

But, faith comes before repentance...thus the reason we commit. Baptism follows repentance.

What is the basis of Snack's opinion being wrong? My guess is that there are millions of people who would and do agree with Snacks. What then?

Jesus told the thief he would be with Him in paradise. I’ll take Jesus’ word for it, and that’s the best approach possible.

There are millions which agree with...wrong...all the time. So what is new?
He doesn't know if the thief was baptized or not. The Bible doesn't give us that details.
The thief could have been a..... back slider...who had repented, been baptized and fell in his commitment. Also, Christ could have gave him special dispensation, etc.
We cannot say he was not baptized. There is no prove of that.

What is so absurb or difficult about those conditions?

It is not. Deal with the facts is in order here.
Christs' word is not the issue.

Well, to answer your question of what is so absurd . . . I would say this: That according to your thinking that you are absolutely right is what you are belittling in Snacks. You say that Snacks doesn't know for sure of the status of the thief, therefore, Snacks is wrong. But do you know, for sure, that Snacks is wrong and that you are right?

Do you see what I mean? Snacks could absolutely be right. Or, do you know with utter assurance that you're right?

Forget about me...the Bible is correct. It doesn't support that the thief was not baptized. It is a unfair conclusion I hear often.
There is no PC in relation to God's word.
"Tickle my ears and tell me what I want to hear"...is not something I want or will extend about God and His word.(period)
I am belittling no one...just the facts when it comes to the Bible.

Possibly faith and repentance come together, but regardless of that, water baptism is for those who have repented and believed the Gospel. Now here is a verse which was expunged from all the modern bible versions, but it is a key verse in genuine Scripture -- Acts 8:37 (KJB).

And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest [be baptized]. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

This one verse should be sufficient to show that baptism comes after believing (and repentance). And baptism is NOT an option (as the Ethiopian realized). Surely Philip must have taught him about Christian baptism, therefore he was eager to be baptized. And then he went on his way rejoicing. He had obeyed the Gospel and obeyed the commandment to be baptized.