So let's see what the Gospels say about Christ's preaching:
From the very start, Christ's message was not one of bring the Jews to power but one of repentance:
"From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17
And from the beginning, there were people outside Israel who followed Christ:
"And there followed him great multitudes from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judaea and from beyond the Jordan." Matthew 4:25 (bold emphasis added)
And also from the beginning, Christ preached that we are to do good works:
"Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16
"whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." Mark 2:35
"Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Every one that cometh unto me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: ]because it had been well built. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation; against which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:46-49
And Christ warned that He was there not to ignore sin but to make us mindful that our very thoughts could be sinful:
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. " Matthew 5:19
See also verses 21-48, where Christ makes it plain that the expectation is "Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)
Now you, Frodo, have made much about Christ speaking 'only' to the Jews. Well, consider who Jesus singled out for His attention, help and praise:
Matthew 8:1-4 and Mark 1:40-45; Jesus heals a leper while ignoring the multitudes following Him at that moment (you should recall that lepers were outcasts, and observant Jews were not allowed to interact with them, but Christ not only did so, but showed immediate attention to the man).
Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:2-10; A Roman Centurion (by no means a Jew) asked Christ to heal his servant, and when Christ offered to go to his house the Centurion replied he was not worthy but that if Christ said it would be done, he knew it would be done. Christ made a point of praising the faith of the Centurion ("I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." Luke 7:9), saying "many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11), making absolutely clear that His mission included all.
I'm not even going to go into detail about the Good Samaritan, but seriously, you should think about just why Christ was so specific that a man from a group considered non-Jewish would be commended for loving his neighbor as God intends.
Now you, Frodo, may focus on Matthew 10:5, where Christ directed His disciples to only preach to the Jews (the lost sheep of Israel). But I would hope you understand that at that point those disciples were babies in faith, and for them to speak to Gentiles would be well beyond their scope at that time.
Yet John 1:29 tells us as Christ began his ministry, John the Baptist declared "Behold, the Lamb of God, that ]taketh away the sin of the world!"
Not save the Jews, but the whole world.
This is repeated in the third chapter, where Christ promises "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him." John 3:16-17
And by the way, in that same chapter Jesus confirms "But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, [h]that they have been wrought in God." John 3:21
That in no way means we are saved by works, but it's plain that Christ expects us to bear fruit, and no that does not mean going to church or posting scripture on a web forum counts as fruit.
From the very start, Christ's message was not one of bring the Jews to power but one of repentance:
"From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17
And from the beginning, there were people outside Israel who followed Christ:
"And there followed him great multitudes from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judaea and from beyond the Jordan." Matthew 4:25 (bold emphasis added)
And also from the beginning, Christ preached that we are to do good works:
"Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16
"whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." Mark 2:35
"Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Every one that cometh unto me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: ]because it had been well built. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation; against which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:46-49
And Christ warned that He was there not to ignore sin but to make us mindful that our very thoughts could be sinful:
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. " Matthew 5:19
See also verses 21-48, where Christ makes it plain that the expectation is "Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)
Now you, Frodo, have made much about Christ speaking 'only' to the Jews. Well, consider who Jesus singled out for His attention, help and praise:
Matthew 8:1-4 and Mark 1:40-45; Jesus heals a leper while ignoring the multitudes following Him at that moment (you should recall that lepers were outcasts, and observant Jews were not allowed to interact with them, but Christ not only did so, but showed immediate attention to the man).
Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:2-10; A Roman Centurion (by no means a Jew) asked Christ to heal his servant, and when Christ offered to go to his house the Centurion replied he was not worthy but that if Christ said it would be done, he knew it would be done. Christ made a point of praising the faith of the Centurion ("I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." Luke 7:9), saying "many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11), making absolutely clear that His mission included all.
I'm not even going to go into detail about the Good Samaritan, but seriously, you should think about just why Christ was so specific that a man from a group considered non-Jewish would be commended for loving his neighbor as God intends.
Now you, Frodo, may focus on Matthew 10:5, where Christ directed His disciples to only preach to the Jews (the lost sheep of Israel). But I would hope you understand that at that point those disciples were babies in faith, and for them to speak to Gentiles would be well beyond their scope at that time.
Yet John 1:29 tells us as Christ began his ministry, John the Baptist declared "Behold, the Lamb of God, that ]taketh away the sin of the world!"
Not save the Jews, but the whole world.
This is repeated in the third chapter, where Christ promises "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him." John 3:16-17
And by the way, in that same chapter Jesus confirms "But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, [h]that they have been wrought in God." John 3:21
That in no way means we are saved by works, but it's plain that Christ expects us to bear fruit, and no that does not mean going to church or posting scripture on a web forum counts as fruit.
That which does not kill me, will try again and get nastier
