New Beginnings with Faith

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul (Sha’ul) and his ministry focused on proclaiming the Good News (Gospel) message of God’s forgiveness, salvation, grace, righteousness, and peace with a new spiritual life and new beginnings that come to all wholehearted believers in Jesus the Messiah (Christ) as Lord and Savior. This newness of divine spiritual life comes to everyone by God’s grace and mercy through repentance with faithful and dependent obedience, belief, and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, believers of Jesus get a reset button with a fresh start and a new heart, where we are reborn from heaven and adopted into God’s Kingdom as His children. The Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth sent His Holy Son, Jesus the Messiah so His Son could give His sinless life and precious blood as a ransom and the final sacrificial Passover Lamb of God for our sins (propitiation) to deliver (redeem) us from Satans’ dark and wicked living and bring everyone back (reconciliation) together united as one people (Jews and non-Jews) into God’s Kingdom. According to the Apostle Paul, the Gospel message that brings heaven’s righteousness (justification) and new spiritual life only requires wholehearted repentance (turning from Satan’s evildoing) with faithful and dependent obedience, belief, and trust to Christ Jesus (Yeshua) as Lord and does not require Gentiles (non-Jews) coming to Christ Jesus first to become Jewish, circumcised, nor converted to Judaism. The Apostle Paul bases his Good News message of salvation by God’s grace and not our works on the Old Testament Scriptures and God’s promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Old Testament book of Genesis before the Law of God given to Moses at Mount Sinai (Torah or Oracles of God). Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul and the other New Testament writers do not ignore nor disregard the importance of the Old Testament Law of God, the holy prophets, godly and good living, nor the command of circumcision given by the Sovereign LORD God to Abraham for his descendants. The Apostle Matthew specifically wrote through his Gospel message proclaiming that Jesus, who is Jewish, is the Promised Messiah (Christ, Chosen, Anointed One) and Immanuel (“God is with us”) predicted in the Old Testament (Hebrew) Scriptures and that Jesus continued the Old Testament storyline of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, as well as the teachings of Moses and the holy prophets of God.  Since the Old Testament into the New Testament, the Sovereign LORD God has called ALL PEOPLE (Jews and non-Jews) to circumcision of the heart, which is walking blamelessly with wholehearted and loyal love, trust, and obedient faithfulness to Him and His commands as the only one and only true God of heaven and earth. The Sovereign LORD God is goodness and light, and He wants EVERYONE to turn from Satan’s dark deeds and faithfully walk with Him and His Son Jesus in dependent love and produce His good and holy fruit of righteousness - love, mercy, fairness, humility, truth, forgiveness, and peace. Jesus is LORD!