Man is not very good at putting first things first; they are wont to put the cart before the horse. As an example, we throw out the first commandment, love God, and make the second (the Royal Law) the Golden Rule, love your neighbor. We fail to put first things first.
Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
James 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
Here in lies the error in thinking, in putting the last first and the first last, or eliminating the first, all is lost.
This post was inspired by this article: https://medium.com/backyard-theology/if-jesus-did-not-save-us-from-our-sins-what-then-was-his-mission-3aa6a3322d36. In which, it is supposed that Christ did not make a substitutionary atonement for sin, but came only to bring us into the kingdom with all its benefits. Denying Christ Jesus’ payment for sin is typical of many heretical teachings. However, all blessings flow out from the substitutionary atonement for sins. The first thing needs to be first.
John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
Before entering into the kingdom, you must put first things first, be redeemed from the debt owed to the law.
Galatians 3:13-14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
All the blessings spoken of in that article are due to and follow after the substitutionary atonement for sin.
Sins must be washed away first to make us clean to be able to enter the kingdom.
Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Entrance into the kingdom of God is obtained by being washed in Christ Jesus’ blood and indwelt with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit could not indwell you until the atonement for sins was accomplished.
John 7:38-39 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Yes, the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, joy, love, and all that spoken of in that article, but it comes with the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. To be in the Holy Ghost, the Spirit must be in you.
Romans 8:9-10 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Our righteousness will not allow us to enter the Kingdom of God.
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Our iniquities must be paid for and cleansed away before we can receive the righteousness that will allow our entry: God’s righteousness.
Romans 10:2-3 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
All the blessings spoken of in that article flow out from putting our faith in the substitutionary atonement
for sin made by the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
To be a citizen of an eternal kingdom, you must have eternal life.
1 John 5:10-12 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
There is a caveat. Faith cannot be put in Christ Jesus if it is not in the whole of God’s word, not understanding it all, but believing it all.
Luke 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Acts 24:14 Butthis I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
Entrance into the Kingdom of God comes after faith in Christ Jesus as the Savior of the world.
1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.