THE TRUTH IN
WHICH WE MUST STAND FIRM AND WHO REALLY DEFEND THE TRUTH
Tagalog Version:
THE expelled claim that they are the ones who stand firm and defend the side of God. They say that’s the reason they rebel against the Church Administration and got expelled from the Church. Now, they even encourage those inside the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) to go out of the Church. However, are they really the ones on God’s side? Are they holding firm and defending what the Bible says that we must stand steadfastly in?
For a true member of the Church Of Christ, the Bible is the only basis of faith. It is in the Bible where the words of God are written. Thus, if a person claims he is on God’s side and defends the side of God but he goes against the very things the Bible says we must be steadfast and firm in standing in, that person is indeed a “fake INC defender”.
WHO IS ON THE SIDE OF GOD AND WHO IS AGAINST GOD?
Actually, those expelled contradicted and against what the Bible teaches that we must be steadfast and stand our ground. This is what Apostle Paul says in Colossians 1:23:
“The only condition is that you fully believe the Truth, standing in it steadfast and firm, strong in the Lord, convinced of the Good News that Jesus died for you, and never shifting from trusting him to save you. This is the wonderful news that came to each of you and is now spreading all over the world. And I, Paul, have the joy of telling it to others.” (Colossians 1:23 TLB)
The Bible explicitly says, “The only condition is that you FULLY BELIEVE THE TRUTH, STANDING IN IT STEADFAST AND FIRM.” The TRUTH that the Bible teaches is what we must be steadfast in, be firm and defend. It is the TRUTH OF THE BIBLE we must defend and not “mere accusations”. Thus, those opposing the truth the Bible teaches are not on the side of God; they are against God.
THE TRUTH THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT WE MUST DEFEND
Which is the TRUTH the Bible teaches that we must be steadfast in and defend? This is the TRUTH the Lord Jesus Christ teaches:
“So Jesus spoke again: In very truth I tell you, I am the door of the sheepfold…I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe...” (John 10:7 and 9, REB)
Christ clearly said, “In VERY TRUTH I tell you”. What is the very truth the Lord Jesus Christ told us? He also said, “anyone who comes into the FOLD through me will be safe”. The fold or flock the Lord Jesus Christ referring to is the Church Of Christ:
“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts 20:28 Lamsa)
Since the fold that the Lord Jesus Christ mentioned is the Church Of Christ, when the Lord Jesus Christ said “anyone who comes into the FOLD through me will be safe”, that is equivalent to saying, “anyone who comes into the CHURCH OF CHRIST through me will be safe”. This is the “very truth” the Lord Jesus Christ taught.
Thus, the truth that Apostle Paul was writing about when he said “The only condition is that you fully believe the Truth, standing in it steadfast and firm” is what the Lord Jesus Christ taught, that people must be inside the Church of Christ in order to be saved. It is not only Apostle Paul who said that we must be steadfast and be firm in the truth, but also our Lord Jesus Christ Himself:
“But he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13 NIV)
Why did the Lord Jesus Christ command us to stand firm to the end in order to be saved? What else is the truth about the Church Of Christ according to Apostle Paul?
“What business is it of mine to judge those OUTSIDE THE CHURCH? Are you not to judge those inside? GOD WILL JUDGE THOSE OUTSIDE. ‘Expel the wicked man from among you.’” (I Corinthians 5:12-13 NIV, emphasis ours)
Are we truly on the side of Christ? Are we truly on the side of the TRUTH taught by the Bible? Let us stand firm in our membership in the Church Of Christ. Thus, it is in our membership in the Church Of Christ that we must be steadfast and be firm. It is this that we must defend. Thus, according to the Bible, true “INC defenders” are those who are steadfast and firm in their membership in the Church Of Christ and defend their membership from the enemies who want to snatch us away from the path of salvation.
THE EXPELLED CONTRADICT THE TRUTH TAUGHT BY THE BIBLE
When the expelled who call themselves “INC defenders” encourage members of the Church Of Christ to also get out of the Church, they contradict the truth written in the Bible when the Savior said, “In very truth I tell you…anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe”. When they say that it is them (the expelled from the Church) who will be saved and not those inside the Church, they contradict Apostle Paul, who says “GOD WILL JUDGE THOSE OUTSIDE.” When they are expelled, they failed to follow the teachings of Christ, who said, “he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” So how can the expelled be the true “INC defenders” when they are against the truth written in the Bible? Indeed, they are “false defenders,” fake and impostors.
Actually, what the expelled defend are not the truth of the Bible but the “mere accusations” they throw against the Church Of Christ. THUS, THEY ARE NOT “INC DEFENDERS” BUT “DEFENDERS OF THE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST THE INC”.
CONCLUSION
The real “INC defenders” are those who remain steadfast and firm in their membership in the Church Of Christ. They are the ones who defend their membership especially from those who want to snatch us away from the path of salvation. The expelled are not “INC defenders” but “defenders of the accusations against the INC” which only shows that they are indeed the fulfilment of what Apostle Jude Thaddeus said:
The real “INC defenders” are those who remain steadfast and firm in their membership in the Church Of Christ. They are the ones who defend their membership especially from those who want to snatch us away from the path of salvation. The expelled are not “INC defenders” but “defenders of the accusations against the INC” which only shows that they are indeed the fulfilment of what Apostle Jude Thaddeus said:
“As for you, beloved ones, call to mind the sayings that have been previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how they used to say to you: “In the last time there will be ridiculers, following their own desires for ungodly things.” (Jude 1:17-18, NWT 2013)
WE CONTINUE TO BE ONE WITH THE CHURCH
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