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Chapter One: Faith in Christ |
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 VEN IN THE MARKET PLACES, in the busy streets of
Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces, one can
easily notice the proliferation of "instant
evangelists," although they only know three verses
in the Bible, with the prima facie evidence of their
real intention to collect money from every passerby.
One "instant preacher" has a host of Tong agents
(money collectors) from all sides of the streets,
bringing with them a pouch similar to that of the
excommunicated Judas Iscariot. And what do they have
to say? "Have faith in Jesus and you are saved!" OSAS at that!
(Once Saved Always Saved). With a
promise of miracles and blessings (more on the
material sense) they are able to attract people into
their baits according to Jeremiah 5:26
"For among my people are found wicked men: they lay
wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap,
they catch men."
Quite a number of hopeless Filipinos, hopeless
because they cannot even afford to pay the
consultation fee and the antibiotics that will be
given by a doctor, if they are sick of flu which may
amount to a thousand pesos, or a month’s wage of a
domestic helper in the Philippines, are easily
enticed with the promise of prosperity (you have to
jump three times and shout Hallelujah! Praise the
Lord!) and presto, by next week you will be a
millionaire, with brand new Mercedes Benz and a
certificate of holdings in the heavens. (It seems
that they have subdivided the heavens among
themselves) Who will not be enticed to join their
group? But what do you have to do? Just accept the
Lord Jesus Christ as your Personal Lord and Savior.
To a bookish like the writer, (bookish because the
Bible does not permit opinions and personal
interpretations) it sounds foolish and impertinent
because no one can prove that Jesus Christ is a
Personal Lord or personal savior to anybody.
Remember the titles ascribed to Jesus by the Holy
Scriptures—Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Lord of
Sabbath, Lord of the Church, and Jesus Christ is the
Savior of the Body (and not personal to anyone).
According to the book of Ephesians 5:23
"For the husband is “the head of the wife, even as
Christ is the head of the church, and He is the
savior of the body."
And the body is the Church according to Colossians
1:18
"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is
the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in
all things he might have preeminence."
How can a learned minister of the Bible claim that
Jesus Christ is a personal Savior? It does not only
sound foolish but it is extremely foolish! Christ
deals with the church and communicates with the
church as a body, and not personal to anyone. Even
the relationship received by a person from Christ is
not intended for him alone but for the congregation
as a whole as written in I Peter 1:10-12
“Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and
searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace
that should come unto you: Searching what, or what
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in
them did signify, when it testified beforehand the
suffering of Christ, and the glory that should
follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto
themselves, but unto us they did minister the
things, which are now reported unto you by them that
have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy
Spirit sent down from heaven; which things the
angels desire to look into."
And according to the book of Revelation 1:1
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto
Him, to show unto His servants things which must
shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it
by his angel unto his servant John:"
Note that the beholder of the vision is only one
person, John, but the vision is not intended for
him, but for the Church. A personal property, in the
strictest sense of ethics and personal hygiene, can
not be lent to anybody like your toothbrush and
personal garments. A man should not wear a woman's
garment and vice versa, according to Deuteronomy
22:5
"The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto
a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment:
for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy
God"
A wife maybe considered a personal property of a man
as mentioned in the writings of Saint Paul on I
Corinthians 11:3:
"But I would have you know, that the head of every
man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man;
and the head of Christ is God."
And no wise man (not even the Three Kings of the
Catholic Church because they are not wise, they left
their wives behind and they did not bring any
assistant with them) will share his wife with
another man, as written in the book of I Peter 3:7
"Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to
knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the
weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the
grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."
Even just looking at her with lust in the heart is
already adultery, according to Matthew 5:28:
“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a
woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with
her already in his heart."
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Doctrines of
Christ
