Author: FCC Admin

Works and Salvation

Works and salvation cannot be separated.

Historically, Christianity has had more bad doctrine than good. Let’s just face up to that reality. One of the reasons we have such a hard time expressing the truth is because the bad stuff always floats to the top. Think about what happens when we try to introduce people to the Sabbath? They jump to “well, you don’t stone your kids when they misbehave, do you?” without understanding that stoning children meant ADULT children. It still sounds amazingly harsh to us today, but having that out there was probably more effective than threatening to put someone in time out.

One of the areas where traditional Christianity falls down flat is on the notion of works in relationship to salvation. This is through a history of abuses and increasingly bad doctrine by the church at Rome. The religions of antiquity were heavily works based. One notion was that if you could perfect yourself in this life, you would attain to a higher plain of existence in the next. Conversely, if you were bad in this life, your next would be bad. And to be good, you would have to do what the priests in the pagan religions said to do. You can see where this could go wrong, huh?

The Roman church adopted many of the practices and rites of the pagan churches in order to make a universal religion, which is what the word catholic actually means. One could say the Roman Catholic Church is the Roman Universal Church and it would be accurate. The penances, practices, and rites from pagan religions were “Christianized” to the point where the faith barely resembles first century Christianity at all. And it turned into a works based faith, with the works changing with each change in leadership. Some of the works, like charity and such, did tie into the Bible, but those are, well, universal principals. Other works, like adorning statues and keeping man-made days holy, are contrary to scripture. They came up with a system of penance where you could do stuff to make up for sins. Then came the indulgences, where you could substitute money for doing stuff to make up for sins, and well, that lasted for a thousand years coined “the dark ages”.

Then comes the reformation. 95 theses are nailed to a door. A lot of these are good. But out of this comes the notion that works are bad. John Calvin comes up with his idea and they are strained at best. The idea that works have nothing to do with salvation is introduced and takes on a strange life of its own. Martin Luther even wanted to remove the book of James from the bible.

Slide 2 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (Jas 2:20-26)

Luther didn’t want the book of James in the bible because of these verses. In fact,  he took out Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation because of his ideology. Apparently going too far is not a new phenomenon. What happened at the reformation was the people concluded works were bad because they had been mistreated and taught improperly. This is also not a new thing. When we have bad experiences, we tend to shut down or overreact. Unfortunately, these guys went way too far and we are still dealing with their bad ideas today. It’s understandable. When a government is totalitarian and revolution occurs, people generally swing the pendulum too far, and create something that at least sounds like the opposite of what they just left. This is the same with religion. The people had been abused under Catholicism for over 1000 years. Religion was used as a weapon to control the masses and enrich the elite through made-up rites, works, so the people rebelled against works all together. And they came up with the notion that works themselves are contrary to salvation. But that’s just an absurd notion. Beyond absurd, which is why James wrote what he wrote.

James wrote the verses on the screen to show that you cannot display your faith without works. If your doctor tells you your A1c is too high, do you stop eating sugar? Of course you do. Your works show that you believe the doctor, the test, and the treatment protocol. In our walk, we are to come to Yahweh as children, which we are. Children show their faith in their parents by doing what their parents tell them to do. As they grow, the then listen to teachers and mentors. While becoming their own people, they take instruction from those whom they respect. And they act on the new information, showing their faith in the people bringing them along.

James cites Rahab the harlot. This is a key example. She was a big time sinner in a pagan city. But she recognized the true God and His people. She helped them on blind faith. She helped the spies based on her trust that they would keep their words. When the wall of Jericho came down, Rahab and her whole family were saved. This was due to their faith displayed in works.

Let’s back up a little bit in history. What about the Exodus? The 10th plague? The people had to do something very strange to identify themselves. They had to listen to Moses, Yahweh’s prophet, and put the blood of lambs on their doorposts. They had to stay inside that terrifying night. They were literally saved by their works. Their works being a manifestation of their faith in Moses’ God. And it wasn’t just the Hebrews who obeyed. Those who saw Yahweh’s marvelous works for the previous 9 plagues joined in. Much like Rahab, they realized righteousness when they saw it, and their works displayed their faith.

Slide 3 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. (1Pe 4:15-19)

It’s hard to be saved. Did you know that? Even for the righteous, it’s hard to be saved. Sinning separates us from God and His Messiah. Sins are works, brothers and sisters. It takes works to be saved and it takes works to be condemned.

Slide 4 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. (Rev 20:11-12)

This is pretty simple to understand. The house of God, which I believe to refer to those who know the truth in this life and have accepted the Messiah, is judged in real time. Those who do not know Yeshua today, will be resurrected and judged at the end of the 1000 years. And that judgment will be based on what they did in their prior lifetimes. The books will be opened and all they did, their works, will be made known. And some will make it into the kingdom while others are destroyed. This is based on works.

What do we think will happen to those who have taught works are meaningless and that salvation is just some ethereal thing you have to “believe” in?

Slide 5 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. (Jas 3:1)

I wonder if this verse had anything to do with Luther’s desire to remove James from the bible? But this is a terrifying thing for those who stand and preach the Word of God. We have to be very careful with our words, and this is something very easy to mess up! But telling people they won’t be judged on their works when they will clearly be judged on their works, well, I hope they all repent of that and correct the record.

Which brings me to the crux of today’s message. Works and salvation. They are intricately aligned. They are tied together. We cannot separate the two. Why?

Slide 6 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luk 22:19)

Do. To remember Yeshua’s sacrifice, we have to DO something. We have to do something very specific and unique. We have to wash each other’s feet, have some bread, and have some wine on the annual date of His betrayal, with was Abib 13. That’s Thursday, April 14 this year on our calendars. We have to take actions to show we believe Yeshua is the Messiah and we believe that His ministry, His death, and His resurrection are real. We have to do what He said to do. Works display our faith.

And this is unique to those who believe like us. We do what He said to do exactly how He said to do it. And then we follow it up by observing Passover, also in remembrance of Him. We do things to display our faith. We don’t do it to become saved, we do it because we are saved. And our works are the evidence of our faith.

Hospitality is a Commandment!

Abraham’s example of hospitality resulted in him entertaining angels. His example is exemplified throughout the entire bible. Let’s be generous with our unique knowledge of the Word and hospitable in our gatherings this Passover season.

Hospitality is a commandment

2 Abraham entertained angels. Genesis 18 meshes up to Hebrews 13:1-2 Genesis 24:14 is generosity and hospitality are used to identify Rebekah as the future wife of Isaac.

3 No harvesting the corners. Shows the entire society was to be generous both to the poor and to the needy. The needy had to work to get their food, and they could go get it when nobody was looking. It provided hospitality and dignity.

4 Don’t take money or extra clothes. They were to rely on those who followed the generosity of Torah.

5 Passover season is here. Open the door. Welcome people. Introduce them to Yahweh and His Son. We have the precious information that leads to eternal life. Thursday the 14th we will keep the only remembrance Yeshua commanded us. We will observe the night He was betrayed. Friday the 15th, we will observe Passover. But we will do this in the light of the New Covenant, looking forward to the time when we do it in the New Jerusalem.

Let’s be hospitable, like Abraham was with the angels. And if you look into it, you’ll see they were eating unleavened bread. The bible doesn’t contain coincidences.

It’s time

This website is a miracle. And it’s time to start using it.

I started this path over 20 years ago. My wife challenged me to find Sunday worship in the bible. I took the challenge and lost. Like most people who have come to the knowledge of the truth, that initial reading of the bible started a change that I could not control. Not only is Sunday not in the bible, the other key doctrines of mainstream Christianity aren’t either. In fact, they often contradict the bible. Just reading the words in a normal modern translation uncovered so many errors that it was alarming.

What happens to us when we undergo this transformation is rather, well, violent, for lack of a better word. We go through a period of testing literally everything that we learned in church. And we often alienate our families and friends, trying to drag them along. Our world has been shaken to its core. And the urgency of “getting it right” seems immediate. Each error corrected seems like we were just snatched from the fire, so we keep moving, in search of doctrinal perfection regardless of the consequences. This time period is usually 3-4 years fore each individual.

Once I settled into the faith once delivered, I miraculously found a local congregation that was quite aligned with my new belief system. These folks allowed me to continue growing. They had patience, helped me to learn administration, and learn how to be a public speaker. This website was born, roughly 15 years ago, while I was in that congregation. I asked God, “why did you show me all this? What am I supposed to do with it?” Then I got a new computer that made the creation of websites remarkably easy. Then began FirstCenturyChristianity.net.

This website has effectively sat idle with just the key doctrines we hold dear for over 8 years. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is in the top searches for those seeking the truth about the Trinity, Easter, and Christmas. It has never had any paid marketing or search engine optimization (other than the automatic stuff). In April of 2021, this site got more traffic in one day than I’ve seen on my other sites for a month. And it was people looking for the truth about Easter.

Since then, I have been wondering what Yahweh was trying to tell me with the traffic. The site had been static for a very long time with decent traffic. That increase in April of 2021, and subsequent spikes, had to mean something.

If we take a step back and realize what has happened in the last two years, I think it becomes clear. People have exited the mainstream churches in favor of online only. Without the influence of the paid ministers, they are searching the scriptures on their own. Without the peer pressure of attending large congregations, they are more likely to make doctrinal changes. And they need to find the truth. Short, simple truth, packaged in a way they can understand.

So now is the time. I will ask you all to pray for this ministry to reach the people being called out of Babylon. And pray for me, that the Ruach ha Kodesh, the Holy Spirit, guides my words and my keyboard. All for Yahweh’s glory, in the Name of His Son, Yeshua.

The Creator

The foundation of our faith is to understand who the Creator is. Genesis 1 is written for our benefit, so we can learn how to create as our Father in heaven did. We also need to learn the value of creations and how easy it is to destroy.

Yahweh goes by many Names besides, well, Yahweh. His Names are descriptive, reflecting His character. The Name we pronounce as Yahweh, YHVH, means “self existent one” or “one who exists”. It’s the ultimate display of His existence. He is eternal, without beginning or end, and without explanation. In Exodus 13:14, Yahweh tells Moses what to call Him after being pressed. Our bibles say “I Am Who I Am” but literal translations struggle to represent this accurately. Some say “I will be what I will be” others “I Am that which I will Be”. The meaning behind this is “Self Existent One” which means that nothing was done to create this Being. This Being simply “is”. He cannot stop existing and is the only self-existent being in existence. Our belief that He is the only self-existent, eternal being is what is meant by mono-theism.

Slide 2 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting Elohim, YHVH, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. (Isa 40:28-29)

Another word used as a Name for YHVH is the Creator. Which He is. Being self-existent and the possessor of all knowledge and power, He is the power that created the universe and all it contains.

Bereshit bara Elohim et shamayim v’et eretz. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

The beginning is there for our sakes. YHVH has no beginning nor ending. He just “is”. This creation has not always existed. It was made in the beginning. This earth has been destroyed once in a flood. This was an era. From Noach to Moses can be considered another era. From Moses to Yeshua another. From Yeshua until His return another, then the 1000 year era, then comes the end. We have a series of cycles that teach us lessons. Each era has building and destroying, with the end being the destruction of this creation and replacing it with the perfect. Some say it will be a replacement of the garden, like a restoration, but I believe it will be much, much more. There are many mansions in YHVH’s house. There were no mansions in the garden.

Slide 3 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and Ruach Elohim was moving over the surface of the waters. (Gen 1:2)

The beginning was chaos. Our bibles don’t give this justice. The beginning was a chaotic mess that YHVH then ordered. YHVH’s process of creation started with brainstorming, making the raw substances and then putting them in order, adding energy, and setting things in motion. He created in a process over 6 days. He took His time. He did not need to make the universe and all it contains over 6 days but could have done it in one. For us, creating takes time. Creating a blog, a scarf, building an automobile, learning a song, building organizations, all of these things take effort. They take vision. They take determination.

This is a fundamental difference between believers, whether they are like us, traditional Christians, or traditional Jews, and those of the world. We understand that YHVH made something out of nothing. That it was purposeful. They believe something came out of nothing as an accident. We understand that YHVH created the universe as raw material that He then ordered. They say that order cannot come from disorder. But then they believe our ordered universe was created from chaos accidentally. It’s intriguing how unbelievers accuse us of inconsistencies, huh?

Creating takes planning and materials. You have to have a vision, acquire the necessary materials, apply skill to assemble, and then end up with waste that needs to be managed. Years ago when they built the house next to us, they would burn the waste each day. The leftover boards, tar, and anything combustible got tossed in a pile and consumed.

Slide 4 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (2Pe 3:10-13)

This creation has waste. It will be allowed to build up until the very end. Yeshua told us that the wheat is allowed to grow with the tares. This is literal, but also analogical, metaphorical, and prophetical. In life, when we build we create waste. Some pieces of the puzzle just don’t belong. Others belong in other projects. This life is often a mess. At the end of Genesis 1, YHVH made man in His image. The word “man” includes women, it’s mankind. To be in his image doesn’t just mean appearances. It means we are to build. We are to tend this creation. We are to create ourselves, because that’s what our Creator did. And when we build, we have to plan. We have to tame some chaos and bring it into order. And we have to deal with waste and things that belong in other projects.

Creating takes time, effort, planning, and materials. Creating is hard. When something is created, often it takes maintenance to keep it up. The temple is a great example of this. YHVH allowed Solomon to build the House. It was a magnificent structure. And it required a lot of maintenance. It required the Priesthood to serve, the Levites to support, and the entire nation to be faithful. When Israel was faithful and had either temple, it required the maintenance of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. Yes, I said millions. The moment the House was built was just a moment in time. For that temple to function, it took effort. Lasting effort. It took the entire nation obeying Torah to provide the supplies to the Levites and Kohen so they could keep the Temple in operation. When the people strayed, the effort waned, When the people strayed, it started a cascading failure that started to defile the temple so its perfection and functionality ultimately ceased and the people were carried off into exile. Yet another cycle of creation, obedience, sin, and then destruction. `

This is another distinction between us and the world. The world thinks the universe is accidentally improving over time. They believe that we are evolving into ever better, or at least different, beings. It’s a difficult thing to describe when one doesn’t believe it, but even I have this predisposition. I want my kids to have better lives than I did. We all do. So we strive to improve our children’s secular and religious education so they have opportunities we did not. This philosophy is good and wise. But as a species, we are not evolving into something better than we were in the beginning. We are actually going in the opposite direction. For those of us who believe in the bible, we know that Adam and Eve were created as perfect immortal beings. We also believe that the future of believers will be to have similar bodies. And through sin death entered the world and this death is an increasing decay of our physical bodies and more. The flood changed the ecology of the planet further. Prior to the flood, plants were watered by a mist. After the flood, rain is required for us to have drinking water and to have our crops grow. Earthquakes, volcanoes, tidal waves, and the like are a result of the fall and subsequent flood. This planet was changed for the worse, and we cannot escape this, and it is not evolving into something better. Quite the contrary.

It’s interesting to note in our movement it is very common for people to believe that if they were to return to the diet and lifestyle of Moses or of Adam and Eve that somehow we would achieve a better mortality rate. It’s natural for these ideas to creep in. But we must remember that Adam and Eve were not going ever going to die before the fall and without respect to their diet. They were forbidden from eating of the tree of life after the fall, which ensured their mortality. While it is a commandment to eat according to Leviticus 11, and I do so, I don’t eat that diet for health reasons. I do it because the bible simply tells us so. While it likely is healthier for us to eat according to the commandment, our health is not directly tied to just those commandments. Our health, to have long lives, is tied to overall Torah keeping, which we do because it’s a commandment. If we have longer lives for it, then praise YHVH, but if not, then the commandment remains. And while I believe and encourage people to eat healthy, that will not stave off death. All of us except the chosen few remnant when Yeshua returns are appointed to die once, so we will most likely suffer that first death. I’m afraid the fruit of the tree of life will not be available in stores any time soon.

Slide 5 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. For YHVH will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, YHVH will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you. And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. When you enter the land which YHVH will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite. And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to YHVH who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.'” And the people bowed low and worshiped. Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as YHVH had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. (Exo 12:21-28)

Returning to the main theme of the Creator today, it’s time to draw the contrast. When we think of the destroyer, what normally comes to mind? Satan, that’s what. Satan was the agent of destruction in the Garden. He deceived Eve knowing that death would enter the world. He is the source of all the false gods and demons. His desire is to sew chaos and draw people away from the Creator. I want to point something out here that is pretty obvious to us: Building is significantly harder than destroying. I’ve articulated how YHVH created the world and how the Temple had to be maintained today. How hard was it for Satan to destroy YHVH’s creation? All it took was one bite of the forbidden fruit for death to enter the world. A couple chapters after that, YHVH was forced to destroy the planet and start all over again. All of men’s thoughts were evil continually. Evil is separation from YHVH. Satan had succeeded. Granted, it was all in YHVH’s plan of salvation, but we can be quite confident that YHVH took no pleasure in destroying the planet and creatures He created.

Passover season is upon us. It is time for us to remove the leaven from our homes as a memorial to many things, not just the Exodus. It’s a memorial to Abraham and Isaac, the Exodus, and Messiah’s sacrifice. The murder of Yeshua, which was fomented by Satan, was also a requirement for the fulfillment of the plan of salvation. YHVH uses evil for good pretty often. The blood of the Messiah covers our sins so we do not put blood on our doorposts anymore. But we do remove the leavening, which is an annual renewing process to remove the impurities that have built up in our lives and start fresh each spring. As we move forward with another blessed season, let’s remember how precious building and creating is, keep working in the image of our Creator, and be on guard against the destroyer.