In the earlier post, we saw that many Christians reject the teachings of Jesus by replacing Him with the Bible from being the authoritative Truth. In this post, we will explore how Christians reject the teachings of Jesus by replacing them from being the way to the Father with someone’s words spoken with His name.
Jesus, the only way
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:6
Jesus Christ being the only way to the Father isn’t just about a title or an attribute of Him. It’s all about walking on the path He showed.
Then He said to [them] all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Luke 9:23
The only way we can walk on the way mentioned by Jesus is by following Him. There is no other way we can follow Him except by denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily and following Him.
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide [is] the gate and broad [is] the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow [is] the gate and difficult [is] the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matt 7:13-14
Jesus also taught us that the way that leads to eternal life is difficult and only a few will find it.
Rejecting the way
The way Jesus showed us to follow Him is difficult and much stricter as we read in Matthew 5. It is being holy and righteous before God.
If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast [it] from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast [it] from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
Matt 18:8-9
The teachings of Jesus have zero tolerance to sin and only those who are sinless will attain life.
“When a righteous [man] turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. Again, when a wicked [man] turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?
Ezek 18:26-29
Just as the Son taught zero tolerance to sin, the Father also taught through the prophets that He has zero tolerance to iniquity, which He explains it as the way of the LORD. Jesus is the way of the LORD prophesied by Isaiah (Isa 40:3) and prepared by John the Baptist (Matt 11:10).
But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
Luke 6:46
Satan is very clever and doesn’t want Christians to reject the name of Jesus but only His teachings. This way, he can deceive many Christians in giving them an illusion of following Jesus but showing them a different path that Jesus did not show.
Whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matt 7:21-23
Jesus very clearly taught that calling on Him will not save anyone. He even added that He will declare to them that He never knew them. Let’s explore how Christians find excuses to reject the words of Jesus which never pass away.
Paul: For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Rom 10:12-13)
Peter: And it shall come to pass [That] whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. (Acts 2:21)’
Joel: And it shall come to pass [That] whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls (Joel 2:32)
Zechariah: I will bring the [one]-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This [is] My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD [is] my God.’ (Zech 13:9)
Nearly every Christian who rejects the words of Jesus always uses the Bible as their authoritative truth, not Jesus Christ. They also treat the Bible as the Word of God, not Jesus Christ. In the above example, they reject what Jesus said about calling on Him will not save, by using Paul’s letters. In addition to that, they also use Peter’s where both are quoting Joel. Joel is yet again quoting Zechariah. God spoke to Zechariah where He will pass the remnant through fire and refine them with tribulations, persecutions, sufferings and after that, He will test them as gold is tested, then they will call on His name and the LORD will answer them. This is exactly what Joel is quoting regarding the remnant of Israel. This is also the same context were Peter is quoting it to a Jewish crowd who were the remnant and asking them to repent of their sins (Acts 2:37-38). But Paul is lying to a gentile audience by misquoting it and applying it to all gentiles.
Christians now have an excuse to reject the teachings of Jesus, that is, to be holy and righteous to attain eternal life, by replacing it with a different path to salvation using His name showed by Paul. There were also other easy paths created in history shown by popes called indulgences. The above is just one example of how Christians reject the teachings of Jesus. Here is a simple list of many teachings of Jesus which the church rejects.
Conclusion
“He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
John 8:47
Are you of God who hear the words of Jesus to walk on the way He showed? Or, are you listening the words of someone else showing a different path using the name of Jesus?
