FULL ARMOR OF GOD – PART 2

A) RECAP/ SUMMARY

In part one of the “Full Armor of God” study, it shows that:
(1) Before “Putting on” the Full Armor of God, believers have to “Put off” the old self, which is the deed of darkness, and sexual immorality first. (See Ephesians 4,5 and 6).

It also shows that true believers have the POWER and ABILITY to “Put off sinful lifestyles.” It means when people accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, they are given with certain spiritual power. This is against modern teaching that says no one can sin-not, except Christ Jesus.

(2) Secondly, it is only when believers “Put Off” or get rid of deeds of darkness, they shall then “Put On” the Full Armor of God. That means the Full Armor of God is not there to cover believers’ sins, sexual immorality, and deeds of darkness.

Similarly, no one expects to Put On new clothing before bathing, hoping the new clothing can clean their dirty bodies.

(3) Thirdly, it is when believers “Put off” deeds of darkness and “Put on” Full Armor of God”, they can then start to PRAY effectively. Living a clean life and with the Full Armor of God, without prayer life, the believers might not be able to combat the evil powers. PRAYER is the key.

(4) Fourthly, the Full Armor of God is not to ensure believers live a victorious, prosperous, healthy, sick-not, lack-not life as suggested by modern teachings. The fact that Paul, Peter, John, and early Christians weren’t living life prosperous, victorious, without lack and sickness.

Importantly, St Paul, under the guidance of the Spirit becomes the pioneer and writer of Full Armor of God. Yet, he didn’t live a prosperous, lack not life. Unless we are saying that we are better than Paul.

In this part 2 study, I shall look at the metaphor according to the Book of Isaiah 59 to understand what exactly the Full Armor of God is.

Essentially, Isaiah 59 is deemed as a parallel message of the Armor of God for those modern teachings.

B) SUBTITLES
The subtitles given in the GNT Bible of the Book of Isaiah 59 are as below:-
-Prophet condemns the people’s sins (verses 1-8)
-The people confess their sin (verses 9-15a)
-The Lord prepares to rescue His people (verse 15b-21)

C) PORTION ONE: – PROPHET CONDEMNS THE PEOPLE’S SINS (VERSES 1-8)
(Subtitle given by GNT Bible)
In the first portion of Isaiah 59, the Prophet opens with the condemnation and confrontation message from God. Prophet Isaiah is saying “Don’t think that the Lord is too weak to save you or too deaf to hear your call for help! (Verse 1 GNT).”

Prophet Isaiah continues to say that the problem for God not hearing and hiding His face from them because of their misdeeds, and sinful life that separates them from God. Not only that, their hands are stained with blood and their lips are speaking lies.

Furthermore, Isaiah says that no one sues honestly and no one pleads truthfully. They depend on webs as clothing that can’t substantially cover their deeds of malice and their feet run to evil, shed innocent blood, and with destructive thoughts.

Besides, their ways are unjust and without peace. Their roads are crooked paths. (Verses 1-8)

D) PORTION 2: – THE PEOPLE CONFESS THEIR SIN
(Subtitle given by GNT Bible)
The second portion of Isaiah 59 is found in verses 9-15a. It witnesses that they realize their sinfulness and confession of their sins after the Prophet Isaiah’s condemnation in verses 1-9.

They come to realize that because of all their injustice, the Holy God is far from their rescue. In other words, His presence is far from them. They expect light but only darkness. They stumble at noonday as if living in the twilight.

They are waiting for salvation but they are far from it. Their sins testify against them. Truth and honesty are missing them. Anyone turning from evil is being plundered (verse 15).

You see, how dark it is. Whoever wants to live a righteous, godly life makes himself prey (verse 15). Let’s compare and contrast verse 15 in two different translations as below:

Verse 15 GNT	Verse 15 NKJV
15 There is so little honesty that those who STOP DOING EVIL find themselves the victims of crime.”	15 So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a PREY.

Isaiah 59:15

E) THIRD PORTION
It is good to read the third portion of Isaiah 59 in at least two translations and allow the word of the Lord to speak to individuals. The verses are as follows:

Isaiah 59 (GNT)
Third Portion:- The Lord Prepares to Rescue His People (GNT’s Subtitle)
15b The Lord has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice.
16 He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed. So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory.
17 He will wear justice like a coat of armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to PUNISH AND AVENGE THE WRONGS that people suffer.
18 He will punish his enemies according to what they have done, even those who live in distant lands.	18 According as their deeds deserve, so will He repay wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; on the foreign islands and coastlands He will make compensation.
19 From east to west everyone will fear him and his great power. He will come like a rushing river, like a strong wind.	19 So [as the result of the Messiah’s intervention] they shall [REVERENTLY] fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight [for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives].
20 The Lord says to his people, “I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that TURN FROM YOUR SINS.	20 The Lord says to his people, “I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that TURN FROM YOUR SINS.
21 And I make a covenant with you: I have given you my power and my teachings to be yours forever, and from now on you are to OBEY ME and TEACH your children and your descendants to OBEY ME for all time to come.”	21 As for Me, this is My covenant or league with them, says the Lord: My Spirit, Who is upon you [and Who WRITES THE LAW OF GOD INWARDLY ON THE HEART], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your [true, spiritual] children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from henceforth and forever.

Isaiah 59:15b-21

F) PERSONAL UNDERSTANDING
My understanding of this third portion of Isaiah 59 is that God is astonished because of sin, no one is fit to intervene for those who are in oppression. He is upset by the injustice.

Thus, God decides to bring victory and uphold righteousness with His arm. From the scripture, it appears that God is determined to bring justice to those who are living righteously but being oppressed in verse 15. For those who sinned, God has already chosen not to listen to them. The scripture is not saying that God is redeeming those sinful living people.

Hence, verse 15 is the key to this portion of His truth. His word is not saying God is “Putting on” the Armor of God to rescue those who are living in sins. Unfortunately, modern teaching likes to omit or generalize verse 15. This is how the whole truth of His word is distorted.

Before examining further, it might be good to compare and contrast verses 17 and 18 in different translations to draw its meaning as shown below.

Verse 17 GNT	Verse 17 AMPC
wear justice like a coat of armor	righteousness as a breastplate or coat of mail
saving power like a helmet.	salvation as a helmet upon His head
clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right	garments of vengeance for clothing
and to PUNISH AND AVENGE the wrongs that people suffer.	clad with zeal [and furious divine jealousy] as a cloak.

Isaiah 59:17

Verse 18 GNT	Verse 18 AMPC
18 He will PUNISH his enemies according to what they have done, even those who live in distant lands	18 According as THEIR DEEDS DESERVE, so will He REPAY WRATH to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; on the foreign islands and coastlands He will make compensation.

Isaiah 59:18

By saying God put on the cloth of Righteousness as a breastplate, the helmet of salvation (saving power), and garments of vengeance (to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer.) that means:-

God wasn’t “Put on” those 4 pieces of garments before verse 17.
The purpose of these pieces of garments are:-

# Punish the injustice and avenge those who are wrongly suffered and oppressed. It means He is justificating those who are “Right living” but are oppressed people. Those not living rightly are His enemies (Verse 18).

# He “Put On” these 4 pieces for redemption and revenge. In short, He is judging people not living according to the “Garments” of righteousness. That sounds very scary, isn’t it? But that could be the truth.
# I doubt according to the context that He is justifying for those who are living in sin. If it does, He can just choose to hear people who are living in sin, He needs not to send Prophet Isaiah for the rebuking of sins. Prophet Isaiah can just tell them to confess their sins alone.

Verse 18 shows God is there to punish misdeeds.

Next, verse 20 says the Redeemer will come to 2 groups of people. Namely:-

To Zion
And to Jacob (Israel),

for those who turn from transgression.

The second group is supposed to be referring to Israel (Jacob). Nevertheless, it suggests that a transgression needs to be “PUT OFF” or “TURNED AWAY”, before His redemption.

And just to be certain, this message is referring to God’s people. Not referring to pre-believers. His word is not saying that he is there to punish nonbelievers alone.

It is not right to draw the context from just a verse or half a verse. The AMPC bible put it very nicely in verse 21.

God’s law which is the Holy Spirit is being written inwardly on His people’s hearts. All His true children know His way (of doing things) and words. His way includes verse 1. That means sin shall separate His people from Him. And avenge and punishment shall be on those rebellious until they turn away from sinful deeds.

Both Hebrews 8:8-12 and Romans 11:25-27 echo the same thing. God put the New Law into His people’s hearts. No longer can His people claim that they don’t know the Law. The Law is from within, by the prompting of the Spirit. And, no one can claim there is any law under New Covenant.

In contrast to modern teachings, no law under the New Covenant. Think twice.

To be sure, God is still on His cloth of vengeance towards Israelites today. They haven’t all returned to Him yet.

(G) CONCLUSION
The entire Isaiah 59 does not say that even if believers are clothed with sins, and deeds of darkness, God shall fight for them. Their sins should be turned away first.

In comparison, modern teaching is saying that believers can still declare that “They are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus”, even if they are falling into sins. However, that is not what Isaiah 59 is saying.

In contrast, modern teaching is saying no law under the New Covenant. Think twice.

To be sure, God is still on His cloth of vengeance towards Israelites today. They haven’t fully returned to Him yet.

The entire Isaiah 59 does not say even if believers clothe with sins, or deeds of darkness, God shall fight for them. Their sins have to be turned away first.

In comparison, modern teaching says that believers have to declare that “They are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus”, even if they are falling into sins. Unfortunately, that is not what Isaiah 59 is teaching. The truth of the word is that believers need to “Turn Away” from their sins first.

In closing, Prophet Isaiah did not rebuke His people for being self-righteous. Rather, Prophet Isaiah is rebuking the sin of His people. It is about “Sins”.

In conclusion, the reason God put on His armor is to redeem those being oppressed by righteous living and bring punishment for deeds of darkness, based on Isaiah 59. If any preaching omits verse 15, the whole context is distorted. In short, He is judging people not living according to the “Garments” or Cloth of righteousness. Amenbible

TOP POSTS:-
As He Is, So Are We In This World
See Jesus: (1 Corinthians 10)
End Times:- The Book Of Life Opens
Arise, Shine
Cast Your Net On The Right Side

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As a Christian, I have been asking:-
– What to believe in?
– What is the gospel?

Of course, different Christians believing God differently. For instance:-
– Some belief in godly career direction.
– Some looking for a godly life partner
– Some are struggling in finance and need a godly financial breakthrough.
– Some are seeking peace
– Some just inspire to worship God, etc.

Should we continue with the list, perhaps we can safely and surely say that at different stages in life, we are having different needs or checklists.

THE CRUCIAL QUESTION

But, when Christians are saying that they believe in the bible or Jesus, what does it mean exactly? If we are believing in the gospel, what exactly to believe in? What are the gospel and baptism? And what is their interrelationship then?

Before we look into the “Crucial Question”, let’s look at how and what apostle Paul warned the Corinthians churches in Second Corinthians chapter 11.

According to Paul, Eve fell, lured away because she entertained the smooth tongue of slightly seductive words from the snake. Paul continued by saying that should the believers tolerate the snake’s clever lies as Eve was, is like accepting:-
– a different Jesus
– a different Spirit
– a different Gospel.

The full context is as below:-

2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬-4 ‭GNT
‬‬3 I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake’s clever lies.
4 For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a DIFFERENT Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the GOSPEL you received from us! (‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭3-4 ‭GNT‬‬)

2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭3-4 ‭GNT | amenbible.com

Apparently, Eve only tolerated the snake slightly. She might never have thought of being fallen away from God’s presence with just a slight belief being deviated from His word.

Paul was making a compare and contrast in the Book of Second Corinthians. A slight twist in God’s word or a slight difference in believing God’s word is treated as:-
– minds being corrupted
– being abandoned from pure devotion to Christ
– deceived by Satan.

And, to Paul, a slight difference is not God’s word at all but it is Satan’s truth. Similarly, a slight unbelieving is total devastation and destruction.

With that in mind, we shall then look into “The Crucial Question”, on what exactly the gospel, baptism, and belief are and their interrelationship.

Of course, modern-day teaching is saying:-
– the gospel is “GOOD NEWS.”
– any preaching on poverty, suffering for Christ, or the wrath of God is not “Good News”. Thus, that teaching is not from God.
– the gospel is the “Gospel of Grace.”
– whatever believers need, Christ has not just paid it all, but also fully supplied it all. It only needs faith for the believers to take from God all the blessedness and good gifts.
– baptism is merely a public declaration that they are Christ’s followers. It is just symbolism. Nothing significant.

There are many verses talking about baptism, the gospel, and belief. However let’s look at Mark 1:1-5 and Matthew 3 below:-

Mark 1:1-5, GNT
1 This is the GOOD NEWS about JESUS CHRIST, the Son of God. 2 It began as the prophet Isaiah had written: “God said, ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.’ 3 Someone is shouting in the desert, ‘Get the road ready for the Lord; make a straight path for him to travel!’” 4 So John appeared in the desert, baptizing and preaching. “TURN AWAY FROM YOUR SINS and be baptized,” he told the people, “and GOD WILL FORGIVE YOUR SINS.” 5 Many people from the province of Judea and the city of Jerusalem went out to hear John. THEY CONFESSED THEIR SINS, and he baptized them in the Jordan River. (Mark 1:1-5, GNT)

Matthew 3:1-3 GNT
1 At that time John the Baptist came to the desert of Judea and started preaching. 2 “Turn away from your sins,” he said, “because the Kingdom of heaven is near!”
3 John was the man the prophet Isaiah was talking about when he said, “Someone is shouting in the desert, ‘Prepare a road for the Lord; make a straight path for him to travel!’” (Matthew 3:1-3, GNT
—
6 They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan. (Matthew 3:6, GNT)

Mark 1:1-5 and Matthew 3:1-3 | amenbible.com

WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS?
What do these two portions of scripture highlight?
Firstly, from Mark’s account, the gospel begins or starts from John the Baptist in preparing the path for Jesus’ earthly ministry.

That means the gospel is not just merely a simple verse or phrase of “GOOD NEWS” that can be covered. In brief, the gospel covers the entire life of Jesus and His mission to release the Holy Spirit for mankind.

Secondly, in any case, the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are known as the Gospel Books. It involves the story of the entire life of Jesus, His callings, His way of doing things, and His mission.

Thus, believers/ preachers have to draw the integrated meaning from all four gospel Books, look at different angles and perspectives to understand the purpose of Christ, and comprehend His gospel.

Should we just take a verse or half a verse to draw its definition, we would say:-

The thief who was crucified with Jesus never went through water baptism. He never produced any good work/ fruit after believing in Christ at the cross.
Romans 10:8-9 only requires the mouth to declare and the heart to believe that God raised Jesus from death and shall be saved.
John 3:16. Just believe alone.
Don’t need evidence of fruits and good work for full salvation.
Water baptism is insignificant.
Once saved, always saved, by reciting the sinner’s player alone.
Similarly, there are many disputes and wrong teaching of cessationism of prophesying, tongues, and healing.
Bible readers will discover many of the scriptures, verses can never identify or even against each other and etc
Should that be the case, the bible is full of contradictions, errors, and disputable.
People like to cover up those disputes by suggesting not just 4 Gospel books but need to add in some more books like “The Gospel from Thomas” etc

THE BOOKS OF THE GOSPELS
Nevertheless, based on past studies, prove that fruits, good works, and conduct of believers are paramount for full salvation. Do revisit these studies, if needed:-
– END TIMES:- THE BOOK OF LIFE OPENS
– JESUS IS MY FRIEND – PART 1

There again, if we go back to both Matthew and Mark’s accounts, the gospel is a call for non-believers to turn away from their sins by confessing them and be baptized subsequently. The scripture continues by telling us “AND GOD WILL FORGIVE YOUR SINS.”

Putting Mark 1 and Matthew 3 into perspective, it is never the case for non-believers to declare all their sins are being forgiven at the salvation call prior to admitting and confessing their sins first.

And, baptism is not just symbolism or mere public declaration as Christ’s followers alone. It has to turn away from its sins first.

Besides, Jesus was commanding His disciples to baptize those who want to give their lives to Jesus in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Perhaps, this is the only commanding verse in the entire bible where three Names (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) appear at the same time. It shows the seriousness and importance of baptism. That suggests baptism is not just symbolic. It is renouncing sinful living.

Please do not read that verse by saying believers are protected by the trinity God. Because they have to abandon their sins first. And the next verse, in Matthew 28:20, is saying, “AND TEACH THEM TO OBEY EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED YOU.” This is another commanding verse for the obedience of God’s people after they have received baptism. It is not a protection verse.

Should we take the Great Commandment from Mark’s account, it states clearly that:
– Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16, GNT)
– It is a “AND” condition for believing and baptism in order to be saved.

The scripture reference as below:-

Matthew 28:19-20, GNT
19 Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: BAPTIZE THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
20 and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, GNT)

Mark 16:15-18, GNT
15 He said to them, “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.
17 Believers will be given the power to perform miracles: they will drive out demons in my name; they will speak in strange tongues;
18 if they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be harmed; they will place their hands on sick people, and these will get well.” (Mark 16:15-18, GNT)

Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15-18 | amenbible.com

BE BAPTIZED
Let’s look at another verse to confirm Mark’s teaching below:-

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭4-5; 8‬ ‭GNT
‬‬4 And when they came together, he gave them this order: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift I told you about, the gift my Father promised.
5 John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭4-5; 8‬ ‭GNT‬‬

Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭4-5; 8‬ | amenbible.com

Obviously, some scholars are saying Mark 16 was added in verses. They are saying the original manuscript comes without those verses. Nevertheless, these verses are in line with Acts 1:8 which says the power of the Holy Spirit will manifest until “THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.”

And we saw many spiritual powers and breakthroughs happen in the book of Acts. Unless we believe that “THE ENDS OF THE EARTH” is already over if not, the spiritual power will continue to manifest.

That is not in line with cessationism theology that says all the healing, prophecy, and speaking in Tongues are over. Besides, our next and future generations do need those manifestations to believe and witness Him too. Spiritual powers and wonders had not ended in the first century and are not going to end in our generation. Rather, it has to be till “THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.”

On one extreme, people are saying that God/ Jesus never comes to prosper believers. Prosperity is a bad word, to some denominations.

Nevertheless, apostle John did pray for Gaius to be prospered in 3 John 1:2 [Recap: 3 JOHN (PROSPER IN ALL THINGS)]

Besides, God did prosper Abraham, Isaac, King David, and King Solomon in the Old Testament.

On top of that, in Deuteronomy, Moses reminded God’s people that He was the one who gave power for them to become rich. We are serving the same God, regardless of the old or New Testament. Those blessings and prosperity are not just spiritual, but tangible ones.

SEEK YE FIRST
Of course, on the other extreme, it is wrong to camp on prosperity and guarantee all believers to be wealthy and healthy universally.

At least we don’t see monetary prosperity for all first-century apostles. Indeed, the apostle Paul was living by tents-making to earn his living (Acts 18:3).

There again, there are many verses talking about how God provides for His people. One of the famous scriptures is known as “Seek Ye first.”

Matthew 6:33, GNT
33 Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with WHAT HE REQUIRES OF YOU, and he will provide you with all these other things.

Matthew 6:33, NIV
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33, AMPC
33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

Matthew 6:33 | amenbible.com

Modern teaching likes to camp the above verse on Christ’s righteousness. It is not about believers’ righteousness, they said. According to their teaching should the believers behold His glory, His imputed righteousness, God will give them all things.

On the other hand, some interpret Matthew 6:33 as spiritual blessings, got nothing to do with bodily, earthly blessings.

But the context is talking about the physical beauty of those flowers and the earthly edible food for those birds.

Furthermore, it is saying “Do not worry about what you eat, or wear.” It is not about spiritual beauty and spiritual food. Jesus did not talk about spiritual beauty and food. Rather, Jesus was referring to physical wellness and not future spiritual glory.

In addition, the context is not referring to God shall provide for the “Need and not the want” of the believers. The author was comparing and contrasting to a super wealthy King Soloman, who was living not just in need but a luxurious life. The fact is, rich or poor, God is their provider.

THE TRUTH ABOUT MATTHEW 6:33
From “CAST YOUR NET ON THE RIGHT SIDE”, shows that the resurrected Jesus was concerned about the continuity of His earthly evangelism and mission. Jesus was beseeching His people to continue in the propagation of God’s kingdom. Personally, I believe this is the meaning of “Seek first His kingdom.”

And based on GNT and AMPC, the second part of the context talk about His requirements for the believers. It is not about His imputed righteousness. It is about believers’ right doing. [Further reading about the word righteousness can be found here]

SLIGHT UNBELIEVING IS NOT BELIEVING. SLIGHT TWISTED TRUTH IS NOT THE TRUTH
In summary, scripture does not contradict itself. Should believe need to paraphrase, alter the bible’s original context, interpret every verse with the lens of grace, and see Jesus fulfilled or supplied in every verse, that is not believing. THAT IS SELECTIVELY BELIEVED.

And should we need to interpret verses by saying cessation; all the healing, prophecy, and speaking in Tongues are over, that is not inclined with God’s word. That is not just doubt, but strips Church’s power and reduces it to be like any earthly social community; without godly, spiritual powers. That is partial believing and constitutes unbelieving.

CONCLUSION
May the Lord help me/us in believing Him and His word absolutely, simply like a child/ Children.

By upholding and endorsing paraphrasing or cessation theologies, it will bring ruin to God’s words, and strip His spiritual powers and His truth. Let God be God. He is having personal assignments, plans, and purposes for each and every one. He is holding on to every believer’s destination.

Certainly, God is the One who blesses and prospers all His people. Nevertheless, Jesus’ primary first earthly mission was to point the way for believers to seek God’s kingdom, live a godly life, and bear witness to His kingdom with His spiritual powers till the ends to come.

Yes, the bible does mention of “Gospel of Grace.’ It means by grace people are giving the gospel. It doesn’t mean Jesus came to pour out His financial blessings for nothing. Jesus also said, “Come follow me; take up your cross, etc.”

Jesus’ primary role is not here to bless and bless; supply and supply His people for nothing. His spiritual powers are manifesting with a purpose.

In conclusion, the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are known as the Gospel Books. The gospel is not just merely a simple verse or phrase of:
– GOOD NEWS
– Gospel of Grace
that can be covered. Truly, the gospel is covering the entire life of Jesus and His mission to release the Holy Spirit for mankind. Believers have to embrace His heart to seek God’s kingdom in witnessing His glory.

Again, Eve might not know that she could be fallen away from God’s presence with just a slight belief deviating from His word. Nevertheless, her story is written to forewarn believers from adopting her step.

Believe absolutely. And not selectively or partially. Amenbible.
Read:-
RIGHTLY DIVIDE HIS WORD (1)
BALAAM
AS HE IS, SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD

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December 7, 2023

Uncategorized

cloth of vengeance, Garments of righteousness, Isaiah 59

CAST YOUR NET ON THE RIGHT SIDE

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There is a beautiful story on miraculous catches of fish in John 21:2-11.

BACKGROUND IN JOHN CHAPTER 20
Perhaps, it is good to look at the background of the story a chapter prior to the miraculous catches of fish; in chapter 20, before drawing a conclusion. Because of space, I shall not attach any verse from John 20. Individuals are encouraged to read their own bible in John chapter 20. A short outline of the story of John 20 unveils below:

– Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene visited the tomb. But she found that the tomb’s entrance was open. She ran to inform Jesus’ disciples (Peter and John) in John 20:1-2.

– The disciples went to the tomb. And the bible records verses 8 to 10 as below:-

(John 20:8-10, GNT)
8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in; he saw and believed.
(9 They still did not understand the scripture which said that he must rise from death.)
10 Then the disciples went back home.

John 20:8-10, GNT | Amenbible

– Ironically, those disciples believed Jesus wasn’t in the tomb. In other words, it was an emptied tomb.

– Let me repeat again that yes, they believed the tomb was emptied. But after believing that it was an empty tomb, they chose to go home (John 20:8-10). Their hearts weren’t warmed by the fact that Jesus was being resurrected.

– Apparently, after being with Jesus for 3 ½ years, they did not know His way of teaching. They had not understood from Jesus’ sharing that He must rise from death.

– Indeed, Mary Magdalene returned with those disciples a second time. But she remained there and wept outside the tomb even when the disciples went back to their home.

– Obviously, from John 20:13 to 16, Magdalene couldn’t recognize the resurrected Lord who appeared to her.

– Jesus revealed Himself and wanted Mary Magdalene to inform His disciples that: ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ (John 20:17, NIV). Magdalene took heed of Jesus’ instruction in verse 18, by informing His disciples. This time around, she told them not only that the tomb was emptied, but that she had seen the resurrected Jesus physically.

– The following verses on John 20:19 to 29 tell us that Jesus went and appeared twice to His disciples. However, Thomas wasn’t with them in the first round then. On His second visit, Jesus allowed Thomas to put his finger into His wounded hands and told Thomas: “Stop your doubting, and believe!” In a matter of fact, He was clearing Thomas’ doubt.

– Without a doubt, the above demonstrated that the resurrected Jesus:-
1) was very much concerned about His disciples and the continuity of His earthly mission work.
2) wasn’t recognized by Magdalene and His disciples. That means the resurrected Jesus could be totally different bodily.

– Based on John 21:14, the miraculous catch of fish was the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples.

John‬ ‭21‬:‭12-‭14‬ ‭GNT‬‬
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.
13 So Jesus went over, took the bread, and gave it to them; he did the same with the fish.
14 This, then, was the THIRD TIME Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from death.

John‬ ‭21‬:‭12-‭14‬ ‭GNT‬‬ | Amenbible

With that, we should have completed the short exposition in John 20.

Just to highlight that there are numerous sermons saying that the resurrected Jesus came to declare peace not just to Jesus’ earthly disciples but it includes new covenant believers.

Thus, believers should have all the peace needed in life no matter whatsoever circumstances they are undergoing, they said. Furthermore, they are saying should you are receiving the right gospel, it shall be living troubleless, carefree lives.

However, let’s look at Luke’s account, below:-

(Luke 24:36-46, GNT)
36 While the two were telling them this, suddenly the Lord himself stood among them and said to them, “PEACE BE WITH YOU.”
37 They were TERRIFIED, thinking that they were SEEING A GHOST.
38 But he said to them, “Why are you alarmed? Why are these doubts coming up in your minds?
39 Look at my hands and my feet, and see that it is I myself. Feel me, and you will know, FOR A GHOST DOESN’T HAVE FLESH AND BONES, as you can see I have.”
40 He said this and showed them his hands and his feet.
41 They still could not believe, they were so full of joy and wonder; so he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
42 They gave him a piece of cooked fish,
43 which HE TOOK AND ATE IN THEIR PRESENCE.
44 Then he said to them, “These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms had to come true.”
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
46 and said to them, “This is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later,

Luke 24:36-46, GNT | Amenbible

Prominently, Luke’s account tells us that Jesus was there to claim His dismayed disciples that He was not a ghost by saying “Peace be with you” and by eating with those disciples.” A ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones”, said Jesus. In any case, a ghost can’t eat. The idea of eating with the disciples was to demonstrate that He wasn’t a ghost

Jesus did not tell the believers peace from all the troubled, tribulations, and the unwanted world, as what the modern-day teaching like to claim. He said “Peace be with you” to claim the terrified disciples that He wasn’t a ghost.

From there, the story of miracle catches of fish unfolding in chapter 21 as below:

‭‭John‬ ‭21‬:‭2‬-‭11‬ ‭GNT‬‬
2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael (the one from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of Jesus were all together.
3 Simon Peter said to the others, “I am going fishing.”
“We will come with you,” they told him. So they went out in a boat, but all that night they did not catch a thing.
4 “As the sun was rising, Jesus stood at the water’s edge, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5 Then he asked them, “Young men, haven’t you caught anything?” “Not a thing,” they answered.
6 He said to them, “Throw your net out on the RIGHT SIDE of the boat, and you will catch some.” So they threw the net out and COULD NOT PULL IT BACK in, because they had caught so many fish.
7 The DISCIPLE WHOM JESUS LOVED said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken his clothes off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples came to shore in the boat, pulling the net full of fish. They were not very far from land, about a hundred yards away.
9 When they stepped ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it and some bread.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”
11 Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore full of big fish, A HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE in all; even though there were so many, STILL THE NET DID NOT TEAR.”

John‬ ‭21‬:‭2‬-‭11‬ ‭GNT‬‬ | Amenbible

Indeed, this is not just a lovely but a marvelous, candid story. Jesus appeared to them a third to reinstate His identity and strengthen their faith. As a matter of fact, after appearing to them a second time, they had yet to revive their vision and mission of spreading His gospel. They setback to their old habit as fishermen rather than their call as fishers of men (Mark 1:17).

RECEIVE GOD’S WORD WITH REVELATION
Nevertheless, I am very puzzled by some of the modern-day teachings. Among those, there is a teaching saying that believers need to “Receive God’s word with revelation (Let’s give a short name as RGWR)”.

The meaning of “RGWR ” is not the same as “Rhema Word”. It is not the same as God giving Spiritual revelation with certain insight, inspiration, vision, and dreams for upcoming events ahead either.

Rather, the “Receiving God’s Word with Revelation (RGWR)” is focusing on certain words or verses in the bible to draw their meaning.

For instance, in ‭‭John‬ ‭21‬:‭4‬-‭11, the “RGWR” is citing 4 Revelation Words as below:-

1) Right Side
The “Right Side” is deemed as the key to the miraculous catch of fish (Verse 6). To RGWR, the right side speaks for God’s favor, honor, etc, they say.
2) Empowerment
The appearance of Jesus empowered Peter to pull the net on the seashore (verse 11) that few strong guys couldn’t drag in the fishing net from the sea (Verse 6)
3) 153
Not only that, the other Revelation Word for RGWR is “153 fishes”, in verse 11. To them, in Greek/ Hebrew, “153” represents:
# victory,
# I am God,
# I the God,
# wisdom, etc
4) The disciple whom Jesus loved
The next Revelation Word for RGWR is “The disciple whom Jesus loved” (verse 7).
It is a form of self-boosting and self-declaring the love of Jesus. Based on this verse, many teachings and believers are self-declaring that they are “THE DISCIPLE WHOM JESUS LOVED” among the Christian community.

MY PERSONAL FINDINGS AND SUMMARY
In the light of seeking His truth, my personal study on this RGWR is as follows:-

(1) RIGHT-SIDE
Truly, there are quite many verses talking about the “Right Hand” in the bible. Some of the verses of “Right Hand” speak for God’s favour and honour”. But John 21 is talking about “Right SIDE”, not “Right HAND”.

And there aren’t any connecting elements on the “Right Side” as God’s favour or honor in the bible.

However, there is a similar or parallel event in the miraculous catches of fish in Luke 5: 1-6. The context in Luke 5:4-6 as follows:

(Luke 5:4-6, NIV)
4 When He (Jesus) had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “PUT OUT INTO DEEP WATER, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. “

Luke 5:4-6, NIV | Amenbible

Should we compare and contrast both scriptures in John 21 and Luke 5, we would find out that there are commonalities and differences between these two events, as below:

There isn’t any mention of the “right side” in Luke’s story.
In Luke 5, those people were not Jesus’s followers yet.
Whereas, John 21, was about the downcast of Jesus’ earthly disciples after Jesus was crucified on the cross.
There were miraculous catches of fish in both stories.
In Luke 5, Jesus told the pre-disciples to “put out into deep water and let down the nets” (Verse 4).
Whilst in John 21 verse 6, Jesus told His disciples “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”
With two different instructions given by Jesus, both stories resulted in miracle catches of fish.
And in Luke 5, there wasn’t recorded the exact number of fish caught.

(2) 153
Neither do I comprehend Greek nor Hebrew. Thus, I can’t really explain the meaning of 153. However, I am skeptical about those explanations of the figurative of 153 as victorious, I am God, I the God or wisdom, etc. The Bible doesn’t show another 153 for further study and comparison.

Nevertheless, in Genesis 14:14, it is recorded that Abram rescued his nephew with 318 trained men. I don’t hear any consistent explanation of the meaning of 318 from those same group of bible teachers who teach 153. Thus, no comment.

On the other hand, it seems that Jewish should be the ones demonstrating higher proficiency in the Hebrew language. But most of them have not come to know Jesus as their personal savior.

Since Jewish can master the Hebrew language greater than any non-Jewish but have not come to know the Lord, is the bible originally written in Hebrew that important?

Furthermore, those bible teachers who come up with the explanation of 153 might not be able to communicate and command the Hebrew language in day-to-day conversation. Can they really teach the Hebrew language correctly?

Besides, many scholars are saying that there are differences between modern Hebrew and ancient (Biblical) Hebrew. It is just like modern English versus ancient English. There were drastic differences between the two in terms of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and spelling.

Hence, I can only say that the bible is very precise in small detail. Even the exact number of 153 fish being caught and 318 trained men are being recorded.

(3) THE DISCIPLE WHOM JESUS LOVED
Should we continue the story in John 21:15-19, we would notice that Jesus appeared to Peter first after the miraculous catch of 153 fishes. Importantly, Jesus did not appear to the “disciple whom Jesus loved” first. And Jesus appointed Peter as the chief of those disciples. Not John.

The point here is, we can self-declare or proclaim “I am the disciple whom Jesus loved”. But Jesus did not appoint John as the chief. Three times, Jesus did not entrust His sheep/ lamb to “THE DISCIPLE WHOM JESUS LOVED”. In life, usually, we entrust important tasks to our closest friend, especially as the will’s executor or an administrator.

And the resurrected Jesus could be so different bodily that all His disciples and Mary Magdalene can’t recognize Him. That includes “The disciple whom Jesus loved.”

When Peter knew it was Jesus, he was the first to react and jump into the sea and not John… “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” That speaks for his heart for Jesus rather than John.

(4) EMPOWERMENT

Physics would suggest that it is easier to drag a fishing net on the seashore than in the sea that is subject to gravity force and sea tiding. It is not the appearance of Jesus that empowered Peter with physical strength per se.

CONCLUSION
Personally, I believe it is not the “Right Side” or left side that is paramount in life. The most important thing in life is to hear the instruction from Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They know where the fishes are in the river and ocean.

The Holy Spirit might be revealing and asking individuals to move into the “Right side” or “launch their vessel into the deeper ocean.” Similarly, the Holy Spirit might want individuals to switch careers, change ministry, or relocate to another country. Pure obedience to His instructions is the key to success. I pray that I would take heed and be attentive to His calling.

In conclusion, personally, I believe the “Receiving God’s Word with Revelation (RGWR)” teaching alters the meaning of John 20 and 21. At least, it does not portray these two chapters of scripture rightly.

I would describe John 20 and 21 as Jesus’ appearance to those eye-witnessed disciples:-
– to reinstate His identity,
– strengthen the disciples’ faith,
– focus on His written word and
– urging them to continue spreading His gospel on the earth.

Those disciples were with Jesus physically for 3 ½ years, but they weren’t recognized His way from the bible. Much more can happen to new covenant believers. We can be very familiar with the stories but without knowing the Savior’s heart. I pray that may the Lord unveils my and our eyes to Him from the written word.

Last but not least, it is good to check the biblical meaning by reading the bible, chapter by chapter; verse by verse on the whole portion of the entire message rather than trying to draw His truth with just a few so-called Revelation Words.

Jesus always spent time in His earthly ministry alone with God the Father was an example for believers. Private devotion to Jesus and the Holy Spirit is paramount as a Christian. Hear Him daily.

We all want the presence of the Lord to help us, prosper us, and guide us. But altering the biblical meaning by replacing it with a few so-called Revelation Words might be diluting His truth. Amenbible

GOLDEN CALF (NAMES REMOVE)

(A) INTRODUCTION
This is part 2 of my study of the book of Exodus Chapter 32. Part 1 of the “Golden Calf (Intercession1) can be found here.

Just to sidetrack, it is incorrect for one of the famous teachings using Exodus 32 to suggest that the Law kills but the New Covenant gives life. The fact that God killed 3,000 in Exodus 32, was because of the sin of His people. Somehow, modern teaching likes paraphrasing His word to avoid educating sinful lifestyles but exalting “Grace” messages. That alters the whole of the truth of His word.

Before reading the remaining verses of Exodus 32:30-35, the previous verses say that Moses succeeded in intercession and calming God from destroying Israelites and making another great generation after his name (verses 9-14).

Despite that God relented, He still commanded Moses to kill 3,000 men. Moses obeyed and did what God commanded. Indeed, Moses did not intercede from killing the 3,000 men this time round (verses 27-28).

And verse 29 says that after killing the 3,000 men, they still had to “SET APART” or be “CONSECRATED” so that the blessing may flow again.

(B) EXODUS 30:32-35
With that, the scripture reading for today of Exodus 30:32-35 continues. What is alarming me is verse 30.

Exodus 32:30 GNT
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin. But now I will again go up the mountain to the Lord; perhaps I can OBTAIN FORGIVENESS for your sin.”

Exodus 30:32-30 NIV
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can MAKE ATONEMENT for your sin.”

Exodus 32:30 GNT/ NIV | Amenbible

The successful intercession in verses 9-14 and the killing of 3,000 men was not enough. In short, the killing of 3,000 men did not mean that sin was forgiven.

Moses still needed to meet God on the next day to ask for His FORGIVENESS or ATONEMENT.

In other words, there is a difference between:-
-Intercession,
-Consecution/ Set apart and
-Atonement

Next, the remaining story of Exodus 32:31-35 unfolds as below:-

Exodus 32:31-35 GNT
31 Moses then returned to the Lord and said, “These people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a god out of gold and worshiped it.32 Please forgive their sin; but if you won’t, then REMOVE MY NAME FROM THE BOOK in which you have written the names of your people.”
33 The Lord answered, “It is those who have sinned against me whose names I will remove from my book.

NIV
32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then BLOT ME OUT of the book you have written.”
33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I WILL BLOT OUT OF MY BOOK.

GNT
34 Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Remember that my angel will guide you, but the time is coming when I will punish these people for their sin.”
35 So the Lord sent A DISEASE on the people, because they had caused Aaron to make the gold bull-calf.

Exodus 32:31-35 GNT/ NIV | Amenbible

(C) ATONEMENT, INTERCESSION & CONSECRATION
Frankly, I am even more alarmed by this last portion of the scripture. Clearly, the true meaning of “Atonement/ Forgiveness” is again different from “Intercession, and Set Apart/ Consecration.”

Indirectly, Moses was pleading with God to remove his name from the Book than those Israelites’. This would be the true meaning of the word “Atonement”. The Bible outlines in Exodus 32:31-35 as:-
– Blot out the Redeemer’s Name instead.
– It can mean judging the Redeemer instead.

Nevertheless, God answered Moses with a clear no. God is saying: “Whoever has sinned against me I WILL BLOT OUT OF MY BOOK…”

Subsequently, God sent a disease to His people to punish them (verses 34-35). Certainly, this was the punishment sent out apart from killing the 3,000 men earlier.

Apparently, even a Christian’s name that is written in the Book of Life can be blotted out if he is living in sin. Of course, I heard of sermons that said, the “Book” mentioned in verses 32-34 is not the Book of Life. It is “Once saved, always saved”, those preachers said.

But I know that the Book of Life is the only book that records all believers’ names. And, in the New Testament, Jesus warns the Sardis church in the Book of Revelation chapter 3 on the names being blotted out from the Book of Life.

Without a doubt, Jesus is saying only those clothes who have not been soiled, their names shall never blot out from the Book of Life. Again, Jesus does not say that a believer’s righteousness (that is denoted as the cloth) is based on His righteousness (Jesus’ cloth). Indeed, Jesus is saying the individual’s clothes are being soiled. It is not what modern-day teaches that “it is His (Jesus) righteousness.”

The problem is that modern teaching only likes to quote a singular or even half a verse in Revelation 3:5. They are not quoting in context.

Rightfully, the word “Righteousness” can be “Right Doing and/or Right Standing” under AMPC Bible. A better explanation can be found in one of my earlier posts “RIGHTEOUSNESS (PART 1)”

The scripture reference in Revelation 3:4-5 as below:-

Revelation 3:4-5 NIV
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis WHO HAVE NOT SOILED their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
5 The one who is victorious will, LIKE THEM, be dressed in white. I will never BLOT OUT the name of that person from the Book of Life but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

Revelation 3:4-5 NIV | Amenbible

(D) CONCLUSION
In conclusion, from these parts 1 and 2 of my study of the Book of Exodus 32, I learned that:-
(1) Any Bible interpretation has to be consistent and not paraphrased partially.
(2) Similarly, Typology Bible Interpretation can not be camped on selective verses.
(3) Names that are written in the Book of Life, can be blotted out if they continue living in sin.
(4) Based on Exodus 32 and Revelation 3, God is judging believers based on individuals’ cleanness/ righteousness rather than His righteousness as claimed by many theologians.
(5) It is unbiblical for modern teaching to claim when the Law was given, 3,000 people were killed, and when the New Covenant was given, 3,000 people were saved, based on Exodus 32. It was the building of the altar of Golden Calf that provoked God to kill 3,000 people. Amenbible

Related Postings:-
Golden Calf (Intercession 1)
RIGHTEOUSNESS (PART 1)

Top Posts:-
As He Is, So Are We In This World
See Jesus: (1 Corinthians 10)
End Times:- The Book Of Life Opens
Arise, Shine
Cast Your Net On The Right Side

Others:-
Full Armor Of God Part 1
Full Armor Of God – Part 2
FULL ARMOR OF GOD – PART 3

Back to Main Page

As a Christian, I have been asking:-
– What to believe in?
– What is the gospel?

Of course, different Christians believing God differently. For instance:-
– Some belief in godly career direction.
– Some looking for a godly life partner
– Some are struggling in finance and need a godly financial breakthrough.
– Some are seeking peace
– Some just inspire to worship God, etc.

Should we continue with the list, perhaps we can safely and surely say that at different stages in life, we are having different needs or checklists.

THE CRUCIAL QUESTION

But, when Christians are saying that they believe in the bible or Jesus, what does it mean exactly? If we are believing in the gospel, what exactly to believe in? What are the gospel and baptism? And what is their interrelationship then?

Before we look into the “Crucial Question”, let’s look at how and what apostle Paul warned the Corinthians churches in Second Corinthians chapter 11.

According to Paul, Eve fell, lured away because she entertained the smooth tongue of slightly seductive words from the snake. Paul continued by saying that should the believers tolerate the snake’s clever lies as Eve was, is like accepting:-
– a different Jesus
– a different Spirit
– a different Gospel.

The full context is as below:-

2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬-4 ‭GNT
‬‬3 I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake’s clever lies.
4 For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a DIFFERENT Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the GOSPEL you received from us! (‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭3-4 ‭GNT‬‬)

2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭3-4 ‭GNT | amenbible.com

Apparently, Eve only tolerated the snake slightly. She might never have thought of being fallen away from God’s presence with just a slight belief being deviated from His word.

Paul was making a compare and contrast in the Book of Second Corinthians. A slight twist in God’s word or a slight difference in believing God’s word is treated as:-
– minds being corrupted
– being abandoned from pure devotion to Christ
– deceived by Satan.

And, to Paul, a slight difference is not God’s word at all but it is Satan’s truth. Similarly, a slight unbelieving is total devastation and destruction.

With that in mind, we shall then look into “The Crucial Question”, on what exactly the gospel, baptism, and belief are and their interrelationship.

Of course, modern-day teaching is saying:-
– the gospel is “GOOD NEWS.”
– any preaching on poverty, suffering for Christ, or the wrath of God is not “Good News”. Thus, that teaching is not from God.
– the gospel is the “Gospel of Grace.”
– whatever believers need, Christ has not just paid it all, but also fully supplied it all. It only needs faith for the believers to take from God all the blessedness and good gifts.
– baptism is merely a public declaration that they are Christ’s followers. It is just symbolism. Nothing significant.

There are many verses talking about baptism, the gospel, and belief. However let’s look at Mark 1:1-5 and Matthew 3 below:-

Mark 1:1-5, GNT
1 This is the GOOD NEWS about JESUS CHRIST, the Son of God. 2 It began as the prophet Isaiah had written: “God said, ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.’ 3 Someone is shouting in the desert, ‘Get the road ready for the Lord; make a straight path for him to travel!’” 4 So John appeared in the desert, baptizing and preaching. “TURN AWAY FROM YOUR SINS and be baptized,” he told the people, “and GOD WILL FORGIVE YOUR SINS.” 5 Many people from the province of Judea and the city of Jerusalem went out to hear John. THEY CONFESSED THEIR SINS, and he baptized them in the Jordan River. (Mark 1:1-5, GNT)

Matthew 3:1-3 GNT
1 At that time John the Baptist came to the desert of Judea and started preaching. 2 “Turn away from your sins,” he said, “because the Kingdom of heaven is near!”
3 John was the man the prophet Isaiah was talking about when he said, “Someone is shouting in the desert, ‘Prepare a road for the Lord; make a straight path for him to travel!’” (Matthew 3:1-3, GNT
—
6 They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan. (Matthew 3:6, GNT)

Mark 1:1-5 and Matthew 3:1-3 | amenbible.com

WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS?
What do these two portions of scripture highlight?
Firstly, from Mark’s account, the gospel begins or starts from John the Baptist in preparing the path for Jesus’ earthly ministry.

That means the gospel is not just merely a simple verse or phrase of “GOOD NEWS” that can be covered. In brief, the gospel covers the entire life of Jesus and His mission to release the Holy Spirit for mankind.

Secondly, in any case, the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are known as the Gospel Books. It involves the story of the entire life of Jesus, His callings, His way of doing things, and His mission.

Thus, believers/ preachers have to draw the integrated meaning from all four gospel Books, look at different angles and perspectives to understand the purpose of Christ, and comprehend His gospel.

Should we just take a verse or half a verse to draw its definition, we would say:-

The thief who was crucified with Jesus never went through water baptism. He never produced any good work/ fruit after believing in Christ at the cross.
Romans 10:8-9 only requires the mouth to declare and the heart to believe that God raised Jesus from death and shall be saved.
John 3:16. Just believe alone.
Don’t need evidence of fruits and good work for full salvation.
Water baptism is insignificant.
Once saved, always saved, by reciting the sinner’s player alone.
Similarly, there are many disputes and wrong teaching of cessationism of prophesying, tongues, and healing.
Bible readers will discover many of the scriptures, verses can never identify or even against each other and etc
Should that be the case, the bible is full of contradictions, errors, and disputable.
People like to cover up those disputes by suggesting not just 4 Gospel books but need to add in some more books like “The Gospel from Thomas” etc