PART 2 of a three-part series of articles about the real gospel for salvation and its counterfeit "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1 Peter 1:23 The Power of a Seed Every tree begins with a seed. Within that tiny seed lies encoded the entire nature of what will grow—the root system, the trunk, the branches, the fruit, and the seeds for the next generation. You cannot plant an apple seed and harvest oranges. The nature of the seed determines the nature of the tree. In the same way, every gospel message contains seeds—foundational beliefs about the nature of sin and the nature of Christ. These seeds may seem small, even insignificant in theological discussions. But they determine everything that grows from them. They produce two entirely different gospel trees, bearing two entirely different fruits, leading to two entirely different destinies. One to eternal life and the other to death and eternal loss. The First Seed: The Nature of Sin The greatest single deception by the enemy of souls, leading millions of Christians to their spiritual destruction, is the belief in salvation while still consciously sinning. This is a terminator seed. The invention of the false doctrine of original sin is unbiblical in declaring you guilty the moment you are born and that you can only overcome sin when Jesus returns. It promotes a very misleading idea of the nature of sin. The Truth About Sin and Guilt You are not guilty when you are born. When you are old enough and know better and your conscience is fully developed, then if you act against the words of God you are sinning. You and I always have a choice, to sin, or to resist the temptation to sin. This is what is meant to surrender your will to the will of God. "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" (Hebrews 10:26). Understanding Guilt: Three Scenarios Recently in the news, a woman was shot by her dog whilst she was returning to her car after shopping. The dog moved around and the loaded gun in her car went off and shot her. Is the dog guilty of murder and deserves to be put down? Of course not. The dog had no knowledge of what a gun was, no understanding of cause and effect, no moral awareness of right and wrong. The dog cannot be guilty because the dog cannot know. What about a two-year-old toddler that did the same thing? Again, no guilt. The toddler lacks the developed conscience, the knowledge of good and evil, and the moral capacity to understand the consequences of their actions. Tragedy? Yes. Sin? No. The toddler is not guilty. What about a 17-year-old who intentionally shot his stepbrother? Now we have guilt. The 17-year-old knows right from wrong. His conscience is developed. He understands the consequences. He made a willful choice to harm another person. This is sin, and this brings guilt. The Principle of Moral Accountability This is the biblical principle: guilt requires knowledge, understanding, and wilful choice. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes." (Luke 12:47-48). God does not hold us accountable for what we cannot know or understand. But once we know better, once our conscience is developed, once we understand right from wrong—then we are responsible for our choices. The doctrine of original sin would declare the dog guilty, the toddler guilty, and the baby in the womb guilty. It makes a mockery of justice and slanders the character of God. It's a terminator seed that produces a distorted gospel tree. Gospel Tree #1: The Terminator Seed plants the belief that:
This tree produces Christians who expect continued defeat, who believe transformation is impossible until the second coming, and who live in perpetual guilt and powerlessness. It's a terminator seed—it cannot reproduce the victorious life God intended. Gospel Tree #2: The Biblical Seed plants the truth that:
This tree produces Christians with faith to overcoming sins and salvation and everlasting life. The Second Seed: The Nature of Christ The nature of Christ we believe determines the gospel tree that grows. This is where the deception deepens or the truth liberates. The Terminator Seed Gospel teaches: Christ came in the unfallen nature of Adam before the fall. He would have been no point to His sacrifice at Calvary if He came in our fallen, weakened nature. It would have been an example of a nice gesture of a caring God. Believing this would be like planting a terminator seed. If Christ came in Adam's pre-fall nature, then His victory means nothing for us. He overcame temptation with advantages we don't have. His example is irrelevant to our condition. We remain helpless, waiting for Him to return and fix us. The Fertile Seed in the Biblical Gospel teaches: The true nature of Christ in fallen human flesh makes His sinless life and complete sacrifice a world shaking defeat of Satan in the great controversy between good and evil. Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. In other words: Christ came in fallen human flesh and was subject to temptations as we are. He overcame by living a perfectly sinless life as an example for us. As well as taking away our penalty of death for our past sins by His sacrifice on the cross. This changes everything. If Christ took our fallen nature—the same weakened, temptation-prone flesh we have—and lived sinlessly, then His victory is our possibility. He demonstrated that fallen humanity, surrendered to God and empowered by the Holy Spirit, can overcome. The Power of the True Gospel Our sins may be forgiven because Jesus payed their penalty for us on the cross. And He offers to bless us with His presence to lead us away from temptation. Putting to shame the accuser who declares man cannot overcome sin. Fallen humanity combined with divinity can overcome sin. By faith, claiming the promises we can walk in the spirit overcoming temptation. This is the whole gospel:
Tree #1 - The Terminator Seed Gospel produces:
"The seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11). But not all seeds claiming to be God's Word produce the same tree and same fruit. The terminator seed gospel says:
The true biblical seed gospel says:
One gospel leaves you defeated. The other makes you an overcomer. One gospel produces spiritual death. The other produces abundant life. One gospel is a terminator seed. The other is the everlasting gospel. Which Seed Are You Planting? The gospel you believe will determine the tree that grows in your life. The tree that grows in your life will determine the fruit you bear. Salvation and life everlasting or death. The fruit you bear will also contain seeds that reproduce in others.
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