Pick and Choose - Keep and Ignore

 

Doug says Paul was referring to the Hebrew Scriptures when he spoke, because the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) had not been written yet. But then he turns around and says Paul teaches that we are to keep everything Scripture says in both the Old and New Testaments.

Which is it?

The fact of the matter is that LCG, like every other Church of God group, picks and chooses what it wants to keep and what it doesn’t. We’ve heard COG leaders and writers accuse mainstream Christians of doing exactly that for decades, yet not a single COG actually does everything Scripture commands. They claim the law is binding and must be kept, yet they selectively obey only the parts they want, while making convenient excuses for the commandments they choose not to follow.

Is the Old Testament Obsolete? 

 

Many Christians today believe that the Old Testament was for the Jews and the New Testament is for Christians. However, Jesus taught that we are to live “by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). The Apostle Paul wrote that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Paul was primarily referring to the Old Testament when he wrote these words—because the New Testament did not yet exist. When Jesus and the Apostles quoted scriptures, they quoted from the Old Testament. Paul also told Christians in Corinth that the Old Testament examples were “written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:1–11). He was clearly stating that we need to learn from the instructions and the examples in both the Old and New Testaments—which is why Jesus emphasized that we must live by “every word of God.”
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

Pamela Redd: Finding and Reclaiming Yourself - Black and Cultivated and Apostate Sisters Interviews

The book is a memoir by Pamela Redd that details her journey of self-discovery, personal recovery and identity rebuilding after being disfellowshipped from the Worldwide Church of God, formerly known as the Radio Church of God.

 

Only 3 more episodes left in Season 1 of Black and CULTivated. And the final eps are diving headfirst into my own cult, The Worldwide Church of God. ⛪️🚩 First up, Ms. Pam Redd, a brilliant educator and musician who attended WWCG from age 5 to adulthood. And chile, the stories she drops… 😳🔥 From meeting the church's leader Herbert W Armstrong and listening first hand to his racist ass sermons, to being disfellowshipped, — Pam does 👏🏾 not 👏🏾 hold 👏🏾 back. I’m so honored that she can use this platform to tell her story. 🖤 👉🏾 Link in bio to subscribe and catch all the final episodes! If you or someone you know has been affected by cult involvement and is seeking help, the following resources are available: Nikki G Speaks (Black owned religious trauma therapist) https://www.nikkigspeaks.com/ Dr. Dylesia Trauma therapist (Black owned) https://www.radicalchangetherapy.org/... Freedom of Mind https://freedomofmind.com/ Cult Education Institute https://culteducation.com/ Cult Awareness & Information Center https://web.archive.org/web/201706281... International Cultic Studies Association https://www.icsahome.com/ Cult Escape https://cult-escape.com/ Cult News 101 https://www.cultnews101.com/ Thank you for listening. / @blackandcultivated

USEFUL CHARTS: The Pacified and Pro-Roman Messiah Jesus and Gospel

 

 

About Matt Baker:

Matthew James Baker[ is a Canadian educator and designer who was born in 1975.[

In a YouTube video, Baker said that he was born into a family who were members of the Worldwide Church of God. He described the church as a cult and has since converted to Progressive Judaism.

In 2003, he cofounded Beacon Hill Academy, a non-profit school in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, where he had previously worked as a teacher. When he moved to Vancouver in 2009, he uploaded around 100 educational charts online covering various topics which earned him money through Google AdSense advertisements on his website. He later began selling physical posters on Amazon.com and was able to rely on income from the UsefulCharts business by 2011.

Baker has a PhD in education, with his dissertation titled "Psychological type and atheism: why some people are more likely than others to give up God."

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Dr Matt Baker addresses Joseph Atwill's Caesar's Messiah

Matt gives an honest and nicely balanced view on the topic of who or what created the pro-Roman, pacified Christianity, we find in the New Testament and Messiah Jesus after the defeat of militant Judaism and Christian zealotry and the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE. 

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Bonus From Useful Charts

Mandatory Belief: The "Or Else" of Faith

 

This was a billboard along the Interstate in South Carolina typical of the Southern Baptist mindset and motivator to accept Jesus. 

I personally, have always had a faith problem with forgiveness being impossible without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22), redemption by execution and "I am the way, the truth and the light. No man comes unto the father but by me". (John 14:6)

If the Romans or whoever wrote the story of the pacified Jesus Messiah meant to make it uncomfortable to reject, they did it well. 

Sorry, that's just me

I don't believe anyone would argue that accepting Jesus, however one defines that, is an either/or else proposition.

There is no free will involved. You can only choose wrongly  if you do not choose rightly. There is only one right answer. 

Belief and acceptance of the story of Jesus as presented with all that can be questioned, doubted or suspect, is mandatory if one is to be on the right team.

Whether one accepts the theology of Jesus the first time or the second first time or after a good beating, there is no other way. 

"Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey" as I sang with gusto as a kid and yet it bothered me as well. Seemed risky and rather dictatorial with no good or any alternatives allowed. 

Belief in the story of Jesus, which must be accepted on faith, and the theology that follows from it is compulsary, mandatory, obligatory and required...OR ELSE.

No one on the planet will ever meet the Father God if they don't go through the Son God. 

The "Or Else" factor in mandatory belief and practice has always been the Biblical approach towards those less inclined to believe. 

Zechariah 14:16-21

 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

 

This is just one of my personal stuggles with Christianity and belief since when I first believed. 

Trust and Obey is always risky in human hands and compliance, or else,  is no reason to believe anything. 

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https://godliberationcathedral.org/posts/what-happens-if-you-fail-to-accept-jesus-christ

The Eternal Consequences of Rejecting Gods Gift of Salvation

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36 (KJV)

 

The question what happens if you fail to accept Jesus Christ is one of eternal significance. It is not a question of religious preference or theological debate—it is a matter of life and death, heaven and hell, eternal blessing and eternal judgment.

The Bible provides clear, unambiguous answers to this crucial question, and every person must face it honestly before their time on earth ends.

Rejecting Jesus Christ means turning away from the greatest gift God has ever offered humanity: His grace, forgiveness, and salvation. It means refusing the only remedy for sin that God has provided. The stakes could not be higher, and the consequences could not be more serious.

This is not meant to frighten but to inform, for God has revealed these truths in His Word so that we might choose wisely and escape the judgment that awaits those who refuse His Son.

The Biblical Reality of Rejection

What happens if you fail to accept Jesus Christ? Scripture answers this question directly and repeatedly:

You Remain Under Gods Wrath

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36, KJV). This verse reveals a sobering truth: those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ remain under Gods wrath. They do not move from wrath to grace—they remain in the state of condemnation they were born into.

Gods wrath is not arbitrary anger or uncontrolled rage. It is His holy, righteous response to sin—His settled opposition to all that is evil and rebellious against Him.

Every person is born under this wrath because all have sinned and fallen short of Gods glory (Romans 3:23). The only escape from divine wrath is through Jesus Christ, who bore that wrath on our behalf. To reject Christ is to remain under the wrath you were born into.

You Will Not See Eternal Life

The same verse declares that those who do not believe in the Son "shall not see life". Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6, KJV). There is no other way to eternal life except through Jesus Christ.

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12, KJV).

Gods plan of salvation centers exclusively on Jesus Christ. No other religious leader, no other religious system, no amount of good works or moral improvement can save you. Christ alone is the Savior. To reject Him is to reject your only hope of eternal life.

You Remain Unforgiven

Without faith in Christ, your sins remain unforgiven. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, KJV). But this forgiveness is only available through Jesus Christ, who died to pay the penalty for our sins.

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7, KJV). Forgiveness comes through Christs blood shed on the cross. Those who reject Christ reject the only means of forgiveness God has provided. They remain guilty before God with no covering for their sins.

 The Exclusivity of Christ

Some find it offensive that Christianity claims Jesus is the only way to salvation. But this is not arrogance—it is what Jesus Himself taught. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). We did not invent this exclusive claim; Jesus made it Himself.

The Biblical Doctrine of Hell

What happens if you fail to accept Jesus Christ? Scripture teaches that those who die without Christ face eternal judgment in hell:

Hell is a Real Place

Jesus spoke more about hell than anyone else in Scripture. He described it as a place of eternal fire, darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28, KJV).

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched" (Mark 9:43, KJV). Jesus describes hell as a fire that is never quenched—indicating eternal, unending suffering.

Hell Was Not Created for Humans

An important truth often overlooked: hell was not originally intended for human beings. "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41, KJV). Hell was prepared for Satan and his fallen angels—not for people made in Gods image.

Humans go to hell only by rejecting the salvation God offers through Christ. God does not send people to hell capriciously—they choose hell by refusing the remedy He has provided. Every person who ends up in hell will be there because they rejected Gods gracious offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Eternal Separation from God

Hell is ultimately eternal separation from God and all His goodness. "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:9, KJV). Those in hell will be separated from Gods presence forever—cut off from all light, love, joy, peace, and every good thing.

This separation is eternal and irreversible. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matthew 25:46, KJV). The same word translated everlasting for punishment is used for eternal life. If eternal life lasts forever, so does eternal punishment. There is no second chance after death, no escape from hell once judgment is pronounced.

Conscious Eternal Suffering

Some attempt to soften the biblical doctrine of hell by suggesting annihilation—that unbelievers simply cease to exist. But Scripture teaches conscious, eternal suffering. Jesus described hell as a place where "their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44, KJV). The rich man in Jesus' parable of Lazarus and the rich man was conscious and in torment in hell (Luke 16:19-31).

In Revelation, we read: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10, KJV). This is not annihilation but eternal, conscious torment.

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The remedy for doubt seems to be faith, which is belief without evidence and trust in the word of God, (Romans 10:17) which is what one doubted to begin with. Seems rather circular much like the Bible being true because it says it is true.