We all are. Jesus calls us “sisters and brothers,” not “slaves.”
Jesus is a King and a High Priest.....since his rulership is over the earth, it is his co-rulers whom he calls his "brothers".....It was
to these, and
about these, that the NT was written. Not all Christians go to heaven. Only 144,000 are chosen for life in heaven as kings and priests. (Revelation 7:4; Revelation 14:1-5; Revelation 20:6)
According to Matthew 25:31-40...
“When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right: ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. 35 For I became hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you received me hospitably. . . .the King will say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
There is Christ....his "brothers"
and those who do good deeds for them. There are two ways to "inherit the Kingdom"....as 'chosen ones' who will rule with Christ in heaven.....and there are those who will become citizens of the Kingdom here on earth. (Revelation 21:2-4)
The 'chosen ones' are parties to the "new covenant" instituted by Jesus on the night before his death, and there are the beneficiaries of that covenant who will reap blessings from their rulership, bringing redeemed mankind back in to a reconciliation with God during the 1,000 years of their rulership.
Not all in the first century had the gifts of the spirit. They were used to persuade people that God had shifted his favor to a new arrangement....but Paul indicated that they would be done away with once they had accomplished their purpose.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians....
"But if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. . . . .When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, to think as a child, to reason as a child; but now that I have become a man, I have done away with the traits of a child. . . . Now, however, these three remain: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love."
Once the apostles died, the spiritual gifts were no longer necessary....as the Christian Congregation grew to maturity, the more important qualities of "faith, hope and love" became the identifying marks of Christ's followers.
Except that they are succeeded by their successors.
What successors?
After the death of the apostles, a great apostasy was to occur, which means that any "successors" would in time become apostate. The church itself by its despicable conduct proved that Jesus' words were true. (Acts 20:28-30)
All aspects of the church are human institutions and are imperfect.]
It is humans that are imperfect, but God has always used imperfect men to carry out his will.....he had no choice.
As long as they obeyed him, he blessed their efforts, but when they disobeyed, they felt his hot displeasure.
Tell me when "the church" after the first century obeyed Christ's teachings. The more time went on, the more corrupt they became. Is it any wonder that Christ says to those hypocrites...
"I NEVER knew you"....."never" means "not ever". I don't believe that Christ has ever set foot in Christendom.
Really? IMO, your Bible knowledge is sadly lacking, going by what you have posted to date.
Not the ones Jesus called out as “hypocrites” and “snakes.”
Jesus never called the people "hypocrites and snakes"...only the religious leaders. But since they held such powerful authority in Judaism, many simply followed what they had been taught by them....Jesus called it "leaven"...corrupted. The people who hailed Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, were a week later clambering for his death. Who you listen to makes a big difference to your attitude.
Yet, some Pharisees followed him, and he attended their dinner parties. So no, it’s not so obvious.
By and large, the Pharisees were trying to find something against him. He was making them look bad.
Just when the sect of the Pharisees had their beginning is not precisely known. The writings of the Jewish historian Josephus indicate that in the time of John Hyrcanus I (latter half of the second century B.C.E.) the Pharisees already formed an influential body. Josephus wrote:
“And so great is their influence with the masses that even when they speak against a king or high priest, they immediately gain credence.”—
Jewish Antiquities, XIII, 288 (x, 5).
During Jesus' earthly ministry, the Pharisees exerted such great influence that prominent ones among them were afraid to confess wanting to follow him openly. (John 12:42-43) One of such fearful ones evidently was Nicodemus. (John 3:1-2; John 7:47-52; John 19:39) There may also have been Pharisees who did not manifest bitter opposition or who later became Christians. Gamaliel for example, counseled against interfering with the work of Christians (Acts 5:34-39) and Saul of Tarsus (Paul) who became an apostle of Jesus Christ. (Acts 26:5; Philippians 3:5)
Not all will qualify to gain entry to the marriage feast.
In Matthew 22, Jesus gives another illustration about a wedding feast given by a King....
"When the king came in to inspect the guests [the reclining ones] he caught sight there of a man not clothed with a marriage garment. So he said to him, ‘Fellow, how did you get in here not having on a marriage garment?’ He was rendered speechless.” (Matthew 22:11-12)
This is picturing the "marriage of the Lamb", (the son of the King,) with his "bride". (Revelation 19:9)
The king had provided a marriage garment for every guest to wear at the wedding festivities, and so there was no excuse for the man to be without one. Jesus does not say that the man put it on to get in and then took it off. The king did not ask him, ‘Why did you take off the marriage garment?’ but, “How did you get in here not having on a marriage garment?” He refused to wear it. He declined to wear it at the feast table. He did not meet the requirements for being there at the table, and he did not belong there.
Verse 13 tells us the end for this man....
"Then the king said to his servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and throw him into the darkness outside. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be.’
14 “For there are many invited, but few chosen.”
Jesus doesn’t reject anyone.
I'm afraid he does. (Matthew 7:21-23)
Remember that Matthew is at odds with the Judaic Establishment. This is metaphoric “code language.”
Really.....? You have the secret code then do you? Where will I find that in scripture?
This is clearly Jesus judging false Christians who believe that they are doing good works "in Jesus name", yet are not "doing the will of the Father".
Read it....
“Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. 22 Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!"
There is no code...just outright rejection of those who got it all wrong and could not be corrected.
That’s what I disagree with. Your overwhelming entitlement and ease at throwing others under the bus. What you’re defending is your interpretation — not some secret “absolute knowledge.”
We get thrown under the bus every day......it goes with being a Christian. (John 15:18-21) What I am defending is the truth.
There is just one interpretation, and one judgment.....only one road leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14)...if we fail, there is no second chance. The only other road leads to destruction.
So then why are you all about the bullying?
Bullying? Really?
Telling you that I believe that you are on the wrong road is really an act of love because I want you to see the truth. Isn't that why Jesus preached to "the lost sheep"?...to save them?
This is not about me being right....its about those on the wrong road being dead. Believe it or not...I care.
I am under obligation to sound the warning. (Ezekiel 3:18)
Still about the business of dividing into wheat and weeds, I see.
That is what the preaching work that Jesus commanded is for.....
"And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14)
This is about delivering a "witness to all the nations" before Christ comes to end the rot. We have to know that what we believe is the truth because there is no time for second guessing. Our decisions are ours to make....when we choose the path, we choose the destination.
It appears as though you’re shoving it down our throats, and forcing us to your conclusions.
I am informing you about what I believe to be the truth from God's word....I am forcing nothing on anyone. I am giving people information from the Bible, which they are free to accept....or to ignore.
There is only one truth....if you believe that you have it, then nothing I say should have any impact on you.
If it makes you uncomfortable then perhaps you need to re-evaluate what you believe?