"How can a man be right with God? How? By the righteousness of God being given to him by faith in Christ. How non-negotiable is this gospel? Go back to Galatians 1. How non-negotiable is this gospel? Verse 6: “I’m amazed that you’re so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another;” – because there isn’t another; all the rest is not good news, it’s bad news – “only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”

So you have a different gospel in verse 6, or a distorted gospel in verse 7. And then he says, “Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be anathema! And say it again: if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be damned, anathema, cursed!”"


"...Revelation chapter 5, John sees the throne, verse 6: “There is the Lamb standing. The Lamb steps forward, takes the title deed to the universe out of the hand of God on the throne, and praise begins. The four living creatures, who are angelic beings, twenty-four elders representing the glorified church, fell down before the Lamb – the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb – with harps, golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song.” Now you’re going to find out which gospel is being celebrated in heaven. “Worthy are You to take the book and break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”

How do we come into God’s presence? We were bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. That is the substitutionary blood atonement of Christ. By that, “God has made them to be a kingdom and priest to our God; they will reign on the earth. And I looked,” – John says – “I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, the elders. The number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.’ And every created thing in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.’ And the four living creatures” – representing the angels – “kept saying, ‘Amen.’ And the elders” – representing the redeemed believers – “fell down and worshiped.”

All of heaven’s worship goes toward the Lamb who shed His blood. That is the only gospel celebrated in heaven. This is the gospel that Paul proclaims and defends."


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