Baptism - The Required Wedding Garment That Christians Lack

 

Baptism - The Required Wedding Garment:

The modern Church states that Salvation is a free gift that is guaranteed to all who believe and call upon the name of the Lord -- stating:  "You must believe in salvation by grace alone, and that salvation is immediate and eternal upon acceptance of Jesus as a one-time sacrifice for your sins, and not obtained through works, sacraments, traditions or merits of our own".   Yet, the brother of Jesus who was the first leader of the Jerusalem congregation stated: "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:20).   Why?   Because in order to be a follower of Jesus, the person must live in the manner that he taught.  What works was James making reference to?

The Gospel teachings of Jesus and the New Covenant known as TheWay, has specific Sacraments -- and the spiritual significance of these sacraments are not at all understood today. In the parable of The Call to the Wedding Feast, what is portrayed as the required "wedding garment" is in fact the sacrament of baptism. But the original teachings on baptism was totally abandoned by the segment of early Gentile Church which portrayed itself as Orthodox, and it is this man-made dogma that has caused the original teachings on baptism to be very different than what is practiced or understood today. 

In total rejection of the modern dogma of the Church, Paul writes that "...For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries." (Heb 6:4-6;10:26-27 RSV). Peter confirms the foregoing in the words: "It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." Paul again warns that those who sin after coming to the Lord "eateth and drinketh damnation to himself". And while Christians have blindly chosen to ignore these warnings, they are confirmed in the Homilies of Clement who was the first century disciple of the Apostle Peter where he is quoted as stating with respect to the sacrament of Baptism: "He has commanded us to go forth to preach, and to invite you to the supper of the heavenly King, which the Father hath prepared for the marriage of His Son, and that we should give you wedding garments, that is, the grace of baptism; which whosoever obtains, as a spotless robe with which he is to enter to the supper of the King, ought to beware that it be not in any part of it stained with sin, and so he be rejected as unworthy and reprobate." Contrary to the modern usage of the sacrament of baptism, according to Peter, once the "wedding garment" is received, if the person then willfully sins, then the wedding garment is stained, and there can be no further repentance -- i.e., you "...ought to beware that it be not in any part of it stained with sin, and so he be rejected as unworthy and reprobate."

The most popular and accepted scripture over the first three centuries was the Shepherd of Hermas (see Shepherd https://nazirene.org/shepherd_of_hermas.htm  ), which states that once one receives the sacrament of baptism which is the "wedding garment", there is only one opportunity for repentance from any future sins -- i.e., "For he that hath received remission of sins ought no longer to sin, but to dwell in purity. ...But I say unto you', saith he, `if after this great and holy calling any one, being tempted of the devil, shall commit sin, he hath only one (opportunity of) repentance." While this original teaching will be rejected by the modern dogmatic Church who uses the Jesus-god of Constantine as an exemption from being required to live in accord with the Commandments and the Original Gospel Teachings, this statement in the Shepherd of Hermas is in fact confirmed by Paul in the warning: "For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who ...then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.. For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries." (Heb 6:4-6;10:26-27 RSV). Thus, Acts 3:19 confirms the original teachings that baptism -- as the required wedding garment -- must constitute a total repentance from sin, and the living of a life where the believer does not consciously commit any future sin: "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you...". To repent and turn to God, requires a total change of mind and lifestyle. Those who truly accomplish this, will personally receive the Anointing (Messiah/Christ), which will open their minds and enlighten them in accord with their Spiritual Condition.

As older pre-Nicene collections and copies of ancient scriptures are recovered through archaeological discoveries, they continue to demonstrate the existence of an entirely different Christianity that is totally foreign to the Church that enlists under the name of Christ today. In fact, even with the documentation long possessed by the modern church, it is easy to literally pull the proverbial rug right out from under the very foundation of popular Christian thought. In a surviving excerpt of what has been historically known as the Gospel According to the Hebrews, which was reported to be the "original version of Matthew" that was composed in the Hebrew language, of which our present day gospel is a lesser Greek version of, it was written: "If ye be in my bosom and do not the will of my Father which is in heaven, out of my bosom will I cast you away". In the late nineteenth century a library of scriptures was uncovered which is today known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri -- wherein this verse is found reading: "Though ye be gathered together with me in my bosom, if ye do not my commandants, I will cast you forth". And to the horror of modern Christians who reject the Gospel of the Nazirenes (see Gospel Of The Nazirenes http://gospel.nazirene.org/gospel_three.htm#bosom  ) and all its strange readings, we once again find this same verse: And I say to you, "Though you be gathered together in my bosom, if you keep not my commandments I will cast you forth. For if you keep not the lesser mysteries, who shall give you the greater." This same verse of scripture is quoted in what is historically known as the 2nd Epistle of Clement, where it is written: "Let us, then, not only call Him Lord, for that will not save us. For He saith, 'Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall be saved, but he that worketh righteousness' …For this reason… the Lord hath said, 'Even though ye were gathered together to me in my very bosom, yet if ye were not to keep my commandments, I would cast you off, and say unto you, Depart from me; I know you not whence ye are, ye workers of iniquity’". Of course, Christians can no longer read this important teaching, because the Church of Constantine censored and removed Jesus' words from the canonical Bibles used today.

What this means is that the religion of Jesus in its original form was one of spiritual transformation as restored at The Law Of The Gospels http://TheLawOfTheGospels.com  -- and those who willfully sin after coming to the knowledge of Christ -- being initially clothed in the "wedding garment" of Spiritual Baptism -- crucify the Son of God afresh when they then willfully sin -- and in the warning of Paul, "...there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries." This is why Paul stated with respect to those who call themselves Christian, and continue to live a sinful life: "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor" (Gal 2:17-18). Which confirms the alternate ending of the Gospel of Mark which reads: "This Age of lawlessness and unbelieving lies under the sway of Satan, who will not allow what lies under the unclean spirits to understand the truth and power of God; therefore, they said to Christ, reveal your righteousness now. Christ answered them, The term of years for Satan's power has now expired, but other terrors are at hand. I was delivered to death on behalf of sinners, that they might return to the truth and sin no more, that they might inherit that glory of righteousness which is spiritual and imperishable in heaven" (Moffatt, quoting Gospel Of Mark in Codex W - Also quoted by St. Jerome as being the authentic ending of the Gospel of Mark). Thus, Jesus warned those who would call upon the Lord and expect to have earned salvation: “But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). And, “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 7:21). That the very people who with their lips proclaim themselves to believe, continue to lie "...under the sway of Satan" -- or, in the words of John: "Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning" (1 John 3:7-8).