Book Review-Return from the Nicene Creed TO THE GOSPEL OF THE WATER AND THE SPIRIT

After reading book 69 titled "Return from the Nicene Creed TO THE GOSPEL OF THE WATER AND THE SPIRIT! ( I )", I have come to confirm that the Gospel of the water and the Spirit as recorded in "1 Thessalonians 1:5—For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance"—has much assurance and power.
Through the book, I have come to know about the spiritual robbery that the Nicene Creed has committed against the souls who follow it. Even though it has a positive side of establishing faith in the triune God, it erased the process of how this God has saved the entire human race from the sins of the world through His water baptism, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.
This book also helped me understand that even the faith of the modern church today is no different from the faith of the Roman Catholic Church. Although they may hold the hour of worship differently, they still share the same faith in only the blood of Jesus as their salvation.
Also, the Catholic doctrine of confession is the same as the modern church doctrine of prayers of repentance. Even though the reformers separated themselves from the Catholic Church, they still had their faith rooted in the Nicene Creed. It can be said that today`s protestants, that is protestant churches, are organizationally separated from Catholicism but are still partially connected doctrinally. Even after the reformation, Protestantism still emphasizes only the blood of the cross as the basis of salvation and has not sufficiently accepted the Gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The book clearly explains the Gospel of the water and the Spirit—the truth of salvation that has set us mankind free from sins forever when we believe in the Beautiful Gospel. This book also pinpoints the truth that the church of today has lost the Gospel proclaimed by the early church. Because it lost the Gospel, it has become a religion. The faith of the Nicene Creed is the cursed faith mentioned in Galatians 1:6-9.
The intention of the author is clearly seen: he doesn`t want to criticize false faith blindly, but he contrasts the faith of the water and the Spirit with other faiths so that he may enable the reader to make the correct choice of faith by following the faith written in the Bible—the faith in the full work of the water and the Spirit. The church of today must return to the Gospel of the water and the Spirit, departing from the faith in the Nicene Creed.
This book also teaches that the leaders of Christianity should be the first to return to the Gospel of the water and the Spirit, followed by their followers. In doing so, the contemporary Christian will face some losses: theological loss, institutional loss, social and economic loss, and also human loss.
The book discusses the narrow and wide path, stating that the narrow path refers to the Gospel of the water and the Spirit that Jesus talked about in John 3:5: "Jesus answered, `Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.`" Believing in the Gospel of the water and the Spirit is not a mere suggestion but the narrow path that everyone must pass through. God had already planned our salvation in His Son Jesus Christ even before the creation, and this salvation is the Gospel of the water and the Spirit—the narrow way.
In contrast to the narrow way that only demands faith from the believers, the wide gate signifies all the ways by which people try to achieve salvation according to their own righteousness. When Jesus said that we should enter through the narrow gate and that the wide gate leads to destruction, He destroyed the law-centered faith and formal religious belief that oppose the gospel.
We can also see, even from the Didache, that the early church fathers believed in the baptism of Jesus as the point where He took away our sins. So, the omission of the baptism of Jesus from the Nicene Creed was intentional. Regarding the Didache, it’s important for us to know that the source of salvation doesn`t lie in human works but in the righteousness of God: the baptism of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross.
Rev. Paul C. Jong states: "The Didache is a valuable record showing the actual faith life of the Early Church, but it has a clear difference from the depth of the redemptive gospel testified in the Bible... it was insufficient to reveal the complete gospel of redemption." Therefore, we need to launch a reformation of faith today—not to establish a new denomination or doctrine, but to return to the core truth of the Bible regarding the water and the Spirit.
The church must be established on the faith that believes in the Gospel word of the water and the Spirit. Jesus said to Peter that He would build His church on Peter`s faith. As clearly explained in the book, Peter possessed the faith that even though there are many idol gods in this world, Jesus Christ was the living God who created all things. He also believed that Jesus was the Christ—the anointed one. In the Old Testament, three offices were anointed: High Priest, King, and Prophet. Jesus is the one who held all three offices. He is our King who created us, our Prophet who teaches us the Word, and our High Priest who has saved us by the water and the Spirit (His baptism, death, and resurrection).
According to Matthew 16:18, the word "MY" in "My church" signifies that the church doesn`t belong to a certain institution or person, but to Jesus Himself. The church must escape from the worldly religious system that uses the name of God but has lost the faith. Revelation 18:4 says, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins.” These words presuppose that God’s people are already within that Babylonian system.
Religion is man’s attempt to go to God, but the gospel is the path of grace by which God came down to man. It is very safe to say that today`s Christianity has declined into mere religion. The book also uses the account of John chapter 8 to explain how Jesus solved the sin of the adulterous woman. Jesus eliminated her sins by receiving them through His baptism and paying the price on the cross. That is why He told the woman He couldn`t condemn her. The Apostle Paul also declares that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah! If one were to attempt to resolve the sin problem within the theological structure of the Nicene Creed, it would be possible only through the sacrament of confession (Catholicism) or prayers of repentance (modern Christianity). We need to stay away from such a faith that relies on human will rather than the work Jesus already finished.
Today`s Christians must return to the Gospel recorded in the Bible—the Gospel of the water and the Spirit. It’s not yet too late for them to turn around. God is still calling them: “Come now, and let us reason together... though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). “I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions... Return to Me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22).
We are currently living on the edge of the end of the world. Christians must not let this golden opportunity pass them by. They should believe this true Gospel before they stand before the Great White Throne—the judgment seat of God. I am waiting to receive the printed copy of the book so that I can continue learning more. It`s a beautiful book that has stirred my heart’s love for the Gospel, knowing that only the Gospel of the water and the Spirit is the truth written in the Bible. God bless Rev. Paul C. Jong and all the members of The New Life Mission.
Your coworker, Bright Kwaku