Enemies of the Gospel: An Account of the Apostles’ Struggles to Preserve the Gospel Truth

By Veronica Ligteringen

In the accounts of the early church and in the letters of the apostles to the beloved brethren, time and again there are references to people who systematically thwarted the apostles efforts to preach the pure gospel message. As Christians we are often challenged about our beliefs. This work will release Christians who are trapped by misconceptions and who may be bound by false teaching. Such people will be liberated from the shackles of the mind, which hold them back from the full appreciation of the Spirit of Gods power in their lives.

This book will also serve to clarify questions of non-Christians who are curious about the conflicting ideas from groups who purport to be Christian but who cannot agree. Finally and most powerfully, this book will free people to embrace the gospel and to bask in the gift of God: eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490857183

Veronica Ligteringen

Australian born, Veronica now lives in New Zealand on the South Island coast by a river mouth. She is the mother of four adult children and the grandmother of six delightful grandchildren. Ever an avid student of the Bible, Veronica is keen to understand God’s love and mind through its pages.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 Veronica Ligteringen.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Unless otherwise noted scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scriptures taken from The Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Company Ltd.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5716-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5717-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5718-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014918949

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/26/2014

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1   Persecution against Jesus and His Message

Who Sought to Kill Jesus?

What Made the Pharisees and Sadducees Angry?

Weeds and Camouflage

The Jews Rejected Jesus

Chapter 2   Understanding the Gospel

Knowing the Gospel

Jesus is the Path to Life

Repent and Believe

A New Commandment

Chapter 3   Early Indicators of Church Troubles (Highlights From the Book of Acts)

Early Martyr in the New Church

Paul Called to be an Apostle

As the Church Grew, So Did the Persecution

Unlocking the First Misunderstanding Regarding the Gospel

Peter’s Error

The Jerusalem Church Council

The Opposition

Peter’s Defense

The Decision of the Jerusalem Council

Opposition and Persecution from Various Quarters

Paul’s Warning

What the Liars Said About Paul

Paul Arrested

Freedom in Christ

Chapter 4   The Letters to Thessalonica

Trouble for the Church

Counterfeit Religion

Chapter 5   Paul’s Letter to the Galatian Church

A Counterfeit Gospel?

Jew and Gentile are One in God’s Eyes

Faith Trumps the Law

Christians are Free

Using False Doctrine to Control the Church

This Passage Has Been Misinterpreted

By Grace You Have Been Saved, Through Faith

Chapter 6   Epistles to the Corinthians

Identifying Division in the Congregation

The Church Must Judge Matters Regarding Sin

Paul Responds to Various Enquiries

Deception Addressed

Paul’s Great Love for the Brethren

Further Evidence of False Ministers

Paul’s Credibility as Christ’s Apostle was Being Undermined

We have a Responsibility to Remain Pure

A Spiritual Battle to Protect Our Minds

The Church is Betrothed to Christ

The Church Exposed and Vulnerable

False Teachers Sought to Dominate the Church

Chapter 7   Paul’s Letter to the Church at Rome

Suppressing the Truth

All One in Christ

The Law Does Not Make People Righteous

Righteousness Comes Through Faith

There Was No Law in Place for Abraham, But He was Righteous

Faith in Christ Brings Us Peace

We Died to Sin at Baptism

The Law Produces Only Death in Us

When God is For Us Who Can Be against Us?

A New Race of People – United by the Spirit, not Genealogy

God’s People No Longer Israel, But a New Nation

Israel’s Time Will Come After the Time of the Gentiles is Complete

Redeemed By Christ’s Blood, We Are No Longer Our Own

The Church is a Single Functioning Unit – Made Up of Many Parts

Honoring the Lord, By What We Observe

Harmony, Through Supporting One Another

Warning to Those Who Cause Such Division

Key Points, From the Letter to the Romans

Chapter 8   Paul’s Letter to the Colossians

Fine Sounding Arguments

Christ Nailed the Written Code to the Tree

Other Errors of Doctrine – Worship of Angels and False Humility

Explanation of Israelite Laws

Freedom in Christ in How We Worship and Honor God

The New Man

Chapter 9   Paul’s Letter to the Ephesian Congregation

Our High Calling

The Gentiles Now Have Hope Too

We Are a Temple

We Are to Become Like Jesus

Law and Grace

Chapter 10 Paul’s Letter to the Church at Philippi

Be Gentle and Humble

Trouble for the Church in Philippi

Christian Living

Chapter 11 Paul’s letters to Timothy

Timothy’s Role — To Rebuke Certain Men

Law versus the Real Gospel and Love

Timothy to Defend the True Gospel and Thereby Protect the Church

Evil Spirits Prevail Through False Teaching

How to Be a Good Overseer of the Church

Godly Ministers versus False Teachers

Protecting Himself from the Confusing Arguments

About Being Faithful

Qualities an Overseer Ought to Develop

Warnings for the End Times

Being a Strong Leader in the Faith

Summary of Paul’s Advice to Timothy

Chapter 12 Paul’s Letter to Titus

Titus Was to Appoint Elders in Every Town

The False Gospel Gathers Momentum

How Ought We to Behave?

Titus Was to Avoid Useless Arguments

Summary of Paul’s Letter to Titus

Chapter 13 Peter’s Letters to the Scattered Brethren

Bible Greats Deeply Desired to See That Which God Has Given to Us

We Are the Living Temple of Which Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone

We are Like Sojourners in a Foreign Land

Our Attitude Must Be like Our Savior’s

Christian Living

Appropriate Leadership in the Church

False Teachers

Summary of Peter’s Letters

Chapter 14 Jude’s Letter to God’s Loved and Chosen People

Earnestly Contend for the Faith

Where Does Our Protection Lie?

Summary of Jude’s Epistle and Brief Commentary Regarding False Teaching

Chapter 15 Hebrews

Supremacy of Jesus

It is By Faith that We Enter God’s Rest

Jesus Is Our High Priest

We Ought to Be Maturing in Faith

A High Priest of a Heavenly Order

Mediator and Guarantee of a Supreme Covenant

It Is Not the Old Covenant Which Failed but the People Who Lacked Faith

The Old Covenant was Temporary

All Rites and Ritual in the Old Covenant Were a Shadow Resembling Christ

Rather than a Barrier, Christ Invites Us In To the Inner Sanctuary

Faithful Examples

Welcome to Zion, the Heavenly City of God

Understanding our Place is with God - not Influenced by False Teaching

Importance of Hebrews Letter

Chapter 16 The Three Letters of John

Eye Witnesses

Jesus Is the Light We Need

Obey Jesus and Walk In the Light

False Doctrine Again

We Are Meant to Be Different

Love Is Most Powerful to Save

False Prophets

Love Expressed through the Spirit of God

Prayer and Love

Chapter 17 The Revelations Given To John, For the Church

Jesus’ Focus Is the Church

Message to Each of the Church Congregations

Innocence in a Corrupt World

The Church Is Completed

Jesus’ Final Triumph over Satan and His Servants

God Harvests the Earth

The Fate of the Beast and the ‘Whore’ and the False Prophet

Resurrections

The Utopian End — the Beginning of Forevermore

Chapter 18 Summary and Conclusions

Falsehood Obscures the Truth

The New Supersedes the Old Covenant

Preface

This is a humble work originating in the curiosity of a genuinely interested party to understand the gospel and the church in its early days. I was intrigued by intrigue. In the accounts of the early church and the letters of the apostles to the beloved brethren, time and again there are references to people who were systematically thwarting the efforts of the apostles whose primary aim was to preach the pure gospel message. It was my endeavor to understand both who the antagonists were, and what they were teaching that was undermining the faith of the church.

Almost exclusively, I have relied on the pages of my own Bible to glean an understanding from accepted scripture of what problems plagued the early church. I have searched evidence from the eye-witnesses to Jesus’ earthly ministry and have referred frequently to Paul, that early and great emissary to the Gentiles.

These people were privy to the problems the church faced and they often were the targets of abuse and degradation, while they shielded the fledgling church. Their words of warning are preserved for us today and by piecing together and merging their individual works, a comprehensive picture emerges.

Readers may ask what compelled me to research this particular topic. As Christians we are often challenged about our beliefs. One such challenge came to me via a gentleman during an internet conversation. He challenged my observance of the Sabbath, saying the Law was nailed to the cross. This led to a study and a paper on the place of the Torah in the Old and New Covenants, which to some may seem like a no brainer, but for myself answered a host of questions regarding Moses, Israel and the Law plus the role of Jesus in fulfilling the Law.

However, I remained intrigued regarding the ‘false gospel’. What were the apostles referring to in their epistles? I wanted to understand what this was about, and who it was who dared to pervert the gospel truth. I wanted to understand what they were teaching, why it was so hotly spoken against, and what implications this had for the church. The church was quite gullible at times, in its infancy, and needed the apostles to clarify what is, and what is not ‘gospel’.

I hope you find this study as fascinating as I have, and that through the reading of this you gain further insight into the gospel of Christ, as this will protect you from deception. In reading this book, one must not come to false conclusions about any one group of people, whether by race or religion. This research must not add to bigotry and prejudice, but to enlightenment, especially regarding the gospel.

As an individual who was misled by falsehood, it is my earnest desire to clarify for those still so entrapped, that Jesus freed us from deception and showed us the path to life. He taught that the path to life is in the gospel of faith. It lies in the love of God which he gives freely. It lies in God’s goodness, rather than in our striving to be perfect. It is my desire to open up the Bible, tracing the path of deception and conflict through its pages, in order to understand what it was that vexed the apostles, and by doing this, to switch on the light regarding what the gospel is and what that means for the follower of Jesus.

My earnest prayer is that people will be released from the shackles of the mind that constrain them and which hold them back from the full expression of the power of the Spirit of God in their lives. My deep desire is that they will allow God to sway their passion into the promotion of the true gospel of grace. Please join me in that prayer of faith in the name of Jesus, the Christ.

Once again please do not read this paper and think it is a diatribe against Jews. This would never be an acceptable stance in any generation of the church. God calls people out of every nation and he did entrust Israel, and specifically the tribe of Judah, to preserve the sacred writings of prophecy and praise for coming generations. God has a place and a precious plan for Israel and even a cursory reading of the scripture reveals God’s ultimate plan for them, a place of high honor in the New Heaven and New Earth. This paper is merely an attempt to expose false teaching for what it is and to bring the reader to understand what the gospel is and what it is not. Guard yourself against bigotry for it is not godly.

I have endeavored to review the relevant writings close to the chronological order of them being penned. May God bless the eyes and minds and hearts of those who read this work!

Approximate Chronological order of New Testament Epistles (as referred to in this book)

The Two Letters to Thessalonica

Galatians

The Two Letters to the Corinthians

Romans

Colossians

Ephesians

Philippians

1Timothy

Titus

1 Peter

Jude

2 Timothy

2 Peter

Hebrews

1, 2, 3 John

Revelations

Chapter One

Persecution against Jesus and His Message

(Biblical references are primarily from NIV, unless otherwise stated.)

The church, starting from its very early days suffered persecution from without and tensions from within. This study traces the efforts of the apostles to protect the church. More specifically their key interest was not so much to spare the brethren trials, but to preserve their minds and faith.

As the public face of the church, the apostles were usually the ones who were attacked and hounded by the church’s enemies. At times they were slandered by unpleasant sorts who had infiltrated the church’s ranks. They pleaded with the church to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered. What exactly was going on? What does New Testament history reveal to us about this conflict? What can we discover from the pages of the Bible; from the very letters these apostles were penning to the beloved brethren?

Who Sought to Kill Jesus?

All church goers know the story of Jesus. The magi seeking him out from the east, to honor the new king, alerted Herod, Rome’s vassal king, that there was, what he thought to be a new prince, a contender for the throne he occupied. From the time he was born, Jesus’ life was in danger. Herod sought to kill him, by commanding the murder of all little boys born in that area. Read this story in Matthew, chapter two. Only after Herod died was it safe for his parents, Joseph and Mary, to return to Judea from their refuge in Egypt. They settled in Nazareth and Jesus grew to manhood.

Jesus had a mission. He was indeed born to be a king, but a king of a new kind of kingdom, one based on righteousness and purity of heart: a kingdom administered by God, where mercy and love preside. But before he was able to declare the Kingdom of God to mankind, Jesus had an almighty spiritual battle to win. Satan, mankind’s enemy, the famous serpent from the Garden of Eden, sought to thwart God’s plan by corrupting Jesus. Satan tempted Jesus in an effort to have Jesus worship and obey him, rather than the great God of Heaven, our maker (Luke 4:1-13, v. 7).

In the opening passages of the Bible, we read of a similar challenge by Satan. Read Genesis chapters one through three. Unlike Jesus, Adam and Eve were overcome by the subtlety and cunning of the Enemy. They gave in to temptation, but Jesus did not.

Jesus, by winning his battle with Satan fulfilled that great promise of victory through the woman’s offspring, a promise made in the garden. You will recall that after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, earning only death for us all, that God prophesied about Eve’s descendant. He said that her child would battle with the Serpent’s offspring, but the woman’s progeny would crush the Serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). This child of the woman is Jesus. In defeating the enemy, Jesus offers us life, reversing that terrible penalty earned by Adam and Eve’s failure — death. Dust you are and to dust you will return (Gen 3:19).

That famous battle, in which Jesus gained victory over the serpent, was the contest God had predicted. It is the turning point for humanity. The Devil sought to bring Jesus into subjection to him, but this decisive contest for mankind was won by our Savior. Overcoming Satan’s temptation, Jesus could now open up eternal life to mortal humans. When we humans succumbed to Satan we were declared mortal, and hope for living endlessly was lost. Death entered our lives. We surely die. Jesus’ victory over Satan paved the way back to our first father, God, and to immortal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is the gospel that Jesus was now ready to proclaim (Gen. chapter 3, Mark 1:9-15, Matt. 4:1-11, 17, Luke 4:1-21). This message of