New Direction by Thomas

Bible Matters 566: New Direction by Thomas

Thomas traveled to India preaching the gospel of Love that Jesus delivered.  Thomas did not compile a gospel or testimony of his walk with Jesus.   His gospel consists of sayings or verses that Jesus shared.  Some of these verses bear witness to verses quoted by other New Testament witnesses.  The following verses are taken from, “The Gospel of Thomas” by Mark M. Mattison.  This translation has been committed to the public domain and may be freely copied and used, changed or unchanged, for any purpose. It is based on the Coptic text of Nag Hammadi Codex II, 2.

Like the other eight New Testament witnesses, Thomas’s verses include those that compile the six-point gospel of Love. Thomas’s God gospel of Love is presented in Bible Matter 526 in this ministry as well as Chapter 27 in “God’s GOLD” by Rick Hutchinson. God’s gospel of Love presented by Thomas, was right on!  Jesus tells you to believe and worship God the Father.

• Believe in one God – the spirit, who no one has ever seen.

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 15 – Worship

Jesus said, “When you see the one who wasn’t born of a woman, fall down on your face and worship that person. That’s your Father.

It is not surprising that God’s New Direction for his church is contained in “The Gospel of Thomas” by Mark M. Mattison.  Let’s review.

In God’s gospel of Love, enduring to the end for God’s gift of everlasting life is not available unless you understand the beginning.  That beginning is believing in God.

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 18 – Beginning and End

The disciples said to Jesus, “Tell us about our end. How will it come?”

Jesus said, “Have you discovered the beginning so that you can look for the end? Because the end will be where the beginning is. Blessed is the one who will stand up in the beginning. They’ll know the end, and won’t taste death.”

To enter into the kingdom, you must be born again as a child of God.  Born again by repenting and turning from sin, and turning the body and soul into one.  The soul in the spirit, leads the body away from the things of the flesh and serving the things of God.  Both the inner (soul) and the outer (flesh) working as one.  Only then will you enter into the kingdom. 

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 22 – Making the Two into One

Jesus saw some little children nursing. He said to his disciples, “These nursing children can be compared to those who enter the kingdom.”

They said to him, “Then we’ll enter the kingdom as little children?”

Jesus said to them, “When you make the two into one, and make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and so make the male and the female a single one so that the male won’t be male nor the female female; when you make eyes in the place of an eye, a hand in the place of a hand, a foot in the place of a foot, and an image in the place of an image; then you’ll enter [the kingdom].”

The inner soul and the outer flesh walking as one, follows the circumcision of the spirit. 

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 53 – True Circumcision-His disciples said to him, “Is circumcision useful, or not?”

He said to them, “If it were useful, parents would have children who are born circumcised. But the true circumcision in spirit has become profitable in every way.”

Your salvation is within you.

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 70 – Salvation is Within -Jesus said, “If you give birth to what’s within you, what you have within you will save you. If you don’t have that within [you], what you don’t have within you [will] kill you.”

With the two made into one, you have one responsibility and that is to walk in the light and light up the whole world.  Never to walk in darkness again.  Your light is sharing God’s word, his gospel and performing Good Works.

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 24 – Light -His disciples said, “Show us the place where you are, because we need to look for it.”

He said to them, “Anyone who has ears to hear should hear! Light exists within a person of light, and they light up the whole world. If they don’t shine, there’s darkness.”

Good works producing fruit and bringing good things to light.  A heart full of love, sharing God’s light with good works with acts of charity.

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 45 – Good and Evil -Jesus said, “Grapes aren’t harvested from thorns, nor are figs gathered from thistles, because they don’t produce fruit. [A person who’s good] brings good things out of their treasure, and a person who’s [evil] brings evil things out of their evil treasure. They say evil things because their heart is full of evil.”

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 95 – Giving Money – [Jesus said], “If you have money, don’t lend it at interest. Instead, give [it to] someone from whom you won’t get it back

Look for the living one, while you are still alive.

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 59 – The Living One -Jesus said, “Look for the Living One while you’re still alive. If you die and then try to look for him, you won’t be able to.”

Rest and pray so that you won’t be eaten. 

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 56 – The World is a Corpse – Jesus said, “Whoever has known the world has found a corpse. Whoever has found a corpse, of them the world isn’t worthy.”

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 60 – Don’t Become a Corpse – They saw a Samaritan carrying a lamb to Judea. He said to his disciples, “What do you think he’s going to do with that lamb?”

They said to him, “He’s going to kill it and eat it.”

He said to them, “While it’s living, he won’t eat it, but only after he kills it and it becomes a corpse.”

They said, “He can’t do it any other way.”

He said to them, “You, too, look for a resting place, so that you won’t become a corpse and be eaten.”

Many of you may choose to disagree with the New Direction or the gospel of Love that is being offered by Thomas.  You like the one verse salvation messages that man has plucked from Acts or Romans.  You may also like the works of religion that you do weekly on Sunday.  Like the disciples, you wonder who to follow and what is the truth.  God tells you, twelve times, to know the truth from the mouth of two or three witnesses.  Confused?  Jesus told the disciples to go to James the Just for direction.

The Gospel of Thomas: Saying 12 – James the Just – The disciples said to Jesus, “We know you’re going to leave us. Who will lead us then?”

Jesus said to them, “Wherever you are, you’ll go to James the Just, for whom heaven and earth came into being.”

James the Just is Jesus’s brother who wrote the General Epistle of James in the New Testament.  James wrote the perfect edition of God’s gospel of Love in Bible Matters 470, James Gospel of Love.  James got it.  Looking for a book to read in the bible?  Read and perform good works according to the General Epistle of James.

• Love your Neighbor

James 2:8 – If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well

• Keep yourself in the love of God, unto eternal life.

James 1:12 – Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James 5:20 – Let him know, that he which converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

It is time for you to believe in God, to live and share God’s gospel of Love.  That is God desire.  God wants your good works!

To God be the glory in all you do, Amen.