The Strand Study Bible

GENESIS GENESIS The promise of grace via the Gospel of Christ preached by David (II Sam 7:11 - c. 1041 BC) (Acts 3:24) The promise of grace via the Gospel of Christ preached by Isaiah (Isa 53:1 - c. 700 BC) (Rom 10:14-16) The promise of grace via the Gospel of Christ preached by Nahum (Nah 1:15 - c. 628 BC) (Rom 10:15) The promise of grace via the Gospel of Christ preached by Malachi (Mal 3:1-3 & 4:2 - c. 425 BC) (Rom 3:20-28) The promise of grace via the Gospel of Christ preached by CHRIST (Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn - c. 1 BC - AD 33) * Post-Jewish Messianic movement (AD 33 - 2007 BC) (Jewish/Gentile Church): Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed Church, Mennonite (Anabaptist), Baptist, Quaker, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, Church of God, Nazarenes, Non-denominational churches and Bible churches ( Gal 3:1-3 ). EVERY RELIGION IN THE WORLD FALLS UNDER ONE OF FOUR CATEGORIES (Gal 3:1-3) 1. Grace (Eph 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5) According to the doctrine of salvation ( Jonah 2:9 ), salvation is by “grace” ( Gen 49:18 , Exo 14:13,30- 31 , Psa 74:12 , Hab 1:5 , Mt 7:13-14 , Lk 7:50 , Jn 4:14 & 5:29 & 6:28-29 , Rom 13:11 , Titus 3:5a and Heb 6:1c ), not works. NOTE – The following post-Jewish Messianic movements (for the most part) believe in salvation by grace: Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed Church, Mennonite (Anabaptist), Baptist, Quaker, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, Church of God, Nazarenes, Non- denominational and Bible Churches . 2. Works (Mt 19:16-26) According to the Scriptures, people will attempt to enter Heaven one of two ways: (1) Their way (works - Jn 6:28-29 ) Note the following seven NT verses that religions like to quote in order to prove that “keeping the law” (good works) is a necessary part of salvation: Mt 19:17b , Lk 10:28 , Rom 7:10 , Gal 3:21 , Jn 5:29 , Heb 12:14b and Jms 2:14a,b. NOTE – The following religions believe in “works” as a means to salvation: Judaism , Hinduism ( karma ), Buddhism ( nirvana ), Taoism , Confucianism , Islam , Seventh-Day Adventists , and Jehovah’s Witnesses . (2) God’s way (grace through Jesus’ WORK on the cross - Exo 14:13,30-31 and Rom 4:1-6 & 11:6) 3. Grace and works (Rom 11:6 and I Cor 1:17) Note the following seven NT verses that religions like to add to “ grace ” in order to prove that “ works ” (baptism) is a necessary part of salvation: Mk 16:16 , Acts 2:38 , I Pet 3:20-21 , Mk 1:4a,b , Acts 22:16a , Jn 3:5 and Titus 3:5b,c . NOTE – The following religions believe in a combination of “ grace and works ” as a means to salvation: Unitarian Universalism , Catholicism , Mormonism , Apostolic Church , Disciples of Christ , Church of Christ , United Pentecostal , United Church of Christ , and House of Yahweh . 4. Grace then works (Gal 3:1-3) Note the following seven NT verses that some post-JewishMessianic movements like to quote in order to prove their “ grace then works ” doctrine: I Cor 6:9a & 15:2b , Phil 2:12 , Heb 3:6b & 6:4-6 & 10:26-31 and II Pet 2:20-22 ). They use these seven N.T. verses to question the doctrine of eternal security (See – Psa 37:28 , Jn 10:28-29 , Phil 1:6 , II Tim 1:12 , Eph 1:13-14 & 4:30 , and Heb 7:25 ). NOTE – The following post-Jewish Messianic movements believe in “ grace then works ” as a means to securing their salvation: Pentecostal , Assemblies of God , Church of God , and Nazarenes . 2. To prevent the promised MESSIAH from fulfilling the Gospel (His death, burial, and resurrection). Now begins the trail of the Serpent, as he slithers in and out among men and seeks to prevent the birth of the SEED of the woman, or to destroy Him when He is born, or to prevent Him from coming again. The second goal of Satan, since the fall of man, has been to stop the promised MESSIAH from fulfilling His purpose. Two thousand years before Satan took up opposition to Abraham and the Jews, he tried on a number of occasions to destroy According to Genesis 4:26-5:6, Satan almost succeeded in destroying the line to our Lord when he directed Cain to murder Abel. In fact it took over two hundred years after the death of Abel for men to come back to the Lord again. Seeing that didn’t work, Satan tried another approach. He thought to himself, “If I can’t destroy the children of God, then I’ll corrupt their seed by appealing to the woman” ( Gen 6:2 ). * His second recorded attempt was through the union of the sons of God with the daughters of men (Gen 6:1-2) According to Genesis 3:15, Satan knew that the REDEEMER of mankind must be a member of the human race, therefore, Satan set about to corrupt all flesh upon the earth by the union of the sons of God (angels) with the daughters of men. Both the early church fathers and Jewish historians (the Septuagint translators 11 , the Book of Enoch 12 , Philo of Alexandria 13 , Josephus Flavius 14 , Justin Martyr 15 , Irenaeus 16 , Athenagoras 17 , Clement of Alexandria 17 , Tertullian 18 , Lactantius 19 , Eusebius 64 and/or corrupt the children of God and thus prevent the birth of the promised One: * His first recorded attempt was through Cain (one of his own - Gen 4:1-8 & I John 3:9-12)