Joseph Prince sacrilegiously said that what Jesus said and taught in the gospels was milk, not meat – By Rev George Ong (Dated 28 Apr 2023)
There are 4 points to this article:
1. The teachings of Jesus in the gospels are the same teachings as the Apostles in the epistles.
2. Christ describes His message as the gospel of the kingdom of God, and this same gospel was preached by Christ’s disciples both before and after Cross/Pentecost.
3. Joseph Prince sacrilegiously said that what Jesus said and taught in the gospels was milk, not meat.
4. Joseph Prince’s demarcation – that while the epistles in the New Testament are written to us, the rest of the scriptures are written for us, makes little sense in the end.
If you only have time to read just one of the 4 parts in this article, may I advise you not to miss Part 3:
Joseph Prince sacrilegiously said that what Jesus said and taught in the gospels is milk, not meat (which is also the title).
There are 2 important videos (3 in total) on Joseph Prince;
one at the beginning of this article,
and the other in Point Number 3.
(This article was also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.)
In a weekly Sunday sermon aired on YouTube 5 days ago, on 23 Apr 2023, Joseph Prince said;
Please click here to view the 1-minute video:
“But Jesus came preaching the kingdom (in the gospels), not about the church age.
But in the Upper Room, He began to unfold the truths about the church age.”
“Paul’s letters, you can go for it all the way.
For example, one part (in the gospels) Jesus actually told the disciples go not to the way of the gentiles. Go to the way of the lost house of Israel. Are we going to apply that today? But it’s in red (said by Jesus) in the gospels.
No, we must interpret in the light of the New Covenant. So, we got to spend more time (with the New Covenant).
And you said those are Paul’s letters, these are Jesus’ words.
Hey, Paul did not write out of his own words. He received the words from the ascended Christ (after the cross).
So, when Jesus was on earth all the things that He said, right at the end of what He’s saying,
‘I have many things to say unto you, but you are not yet able. When the Holy Spirit is come, he will guide you into all truths.’ (Jn 16:12-13).
You spend more time in the New Covenant, especially Paul’s letters. Peter’s letters. John’s letters, all of them, spend more time, that’s written directly to you.
But every book of the Bible is profitable for the man of God today.
It’s like some things are written to you, but some things are written for you. The New Testament is written to you.
Are you with me so far?”
Joseph Prince is doing nothing but driving a wedge
between what Jesus preached in the gospels
and what Paul preached in the epistles.
He is posturing the false notion
that the gospels, from which Jesus spoke and taught,
are under the Old Covenant,
but the epistles of Paul, Peter and John
are under the New Covenant.
He is promoting the deceptive and erroneous idea
that the gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached
is under the Old Covenant and just for the Jews,
while the gospel that Paul preached
is the New Covenant gospel for the Church.
Hence, we should spend more time
on the epistles of the New Testament by Paul, Peter and John,
as they contained New Covenant truths,
and by clear implication,
we should spend less time on what Jesus taught in the gospels,
as they are still under the Old Covenant.
He claimed that what Paul taught in the epistles
was according to the teachings of Jesus,
as Paul has received these teachings from Jesus
only after His ascension (after the cross),
and by clear implication,
what Paul taught isn’t what he had received
from the teachings and words of Jesus in the gospels,
as these are under the Old Covenant.
1. The teachings of Jesus in the gospels are the same teachings as the Apostles in the epistles.
The attempt by Joseph Prince to dismiss the very words of Jesus, particularly in most parts of the gospels
as under the Old Covenant law and not under the New Covenant grace,
is probably one of the most disturbing of them all.
It basically ‘wipes out’ most of the 4 gospels from the Bible
– since they are placed under the Old Covenant and are no longer binding on New Covenant believers.
a. Paul recognises Christ’s teachings in the gospels.
Paul’s attitude towards the words and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ found in the gospels
is distinctly different from Joseph Prince,
who states that the teachings of Jesus in the gospels are under the law, and that they are not binding on New Covenant believers.
Paul clearly states:
1 Timothy 6:3-4 CSB
3 If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions,
Where is “the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ” which Paul talked about in 1 Timothy 6:3 found?
Mainly in the gospels!
Before or after the cross?
Mainly before the cross during Jesus’ 3 years of ministry with His disciples!
One probable interpretation of 1 Timothy 6:3 is that
“the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ”
refers to the orthodox teaching of the Christian Faith as laid down by Jesus and passed on to Paul and His apostles.
But such a view must also include the teaching of Jesus in the gospels
as most of Jesus’ teachings on the Orthodox Faith are found there.
This reveals Paul’s commitment to the teaching of Christ in the gospels.
Paul recognises the teaching of Christ in the gospels as being under the New Covenant
as he wrote it in a New Covenant book of 1 Timothy (in 1 Timothy 6:3-4).
While Paul accepts the teachings of Jesus in the gospels, Joseph Prince rejects them as no longer applicable to us.
This one text alone is enough to declare Joseph Prince a false teacher.
This is because Paul declares in 1 Timothy 6:3 that any doctrine that
“does not agree with the sound teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ” (mainly in the gospels)
is “false doctrine.”
1 Timothy 6:3 CSB
3 If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ
This means Joseph Prince is preaching false doctrine
as he doesn’t recognise Christ’s teachings in the gospels for New Covenant believers as Paul did,
Only a false prophet preaches false doctrine.
How can Joseph Prince claim to have learned his grace theology from Paul when he did the opposite of what Paul did
by denigrating the teachings of Christ in the gospels as no more relevant to New Covenant believers
because he has placed them under the Old Covenant law?
b. John recognises Christ’s teachings in the gospels.
As with Paul, the Apostle John also upholds the teaching of Christ in the gospels.
2 John 9 NIV
9 “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
Where is “the teaching of Christ” as stated by John in 2 John 9 found?
Mainly in the gospels!
Before or after the cross?
Mainly before the cross during Jesus’ 3 years of ministry with His disciples!
This criterion alone, in 2 John 9, can confirm Joseph Prince as a false prophet and an unbeliever,
as John says it starkly clear that
“Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God.”
This means Joseph Prince
who “does not continue in the teaching of Christ”
because he says the teaching of Christ in the gospels
is no longer binding on New Covenant believers
“does not have God.”
One who “does not have God,”
isn’t a believer to start with.
c. Jesus recognises His own teachings in the gospels.
Next, our Lord Jesus Himself endorses His own teachings in the gospels:
John 14:26 NIV
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Our Lord Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would remind the disciples of everything He said.
So, when did Jesus say those things?
A large portion of what Jesus said must have been found in the gospels before the cross.
Why must the Holy Spirit remind them of those things that Jesus said and taught before the cross in the gospels
if they are placed under the Old Covenant, and if they are no more relevant to them (and to us)
as Joseph Prince falsely teaches?
Does it make sense?
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit
“will remind you of everything I have said to you,”
because the words and teachings of Christ in the gospels are critically important for New Covenant believers
and He doesn’t want them to be forgotten by His disciples (and us).
If they are that important to Jesus that He doesn’t want them to be forgotten by His disciples (and us),
it must plainly mean that they are still binding on New Covenant believers.
Furthermore, Jesus Himself said:
Matthew 24:35 NIV
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
This was repeated 3 times in the gospels – that
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (in Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33).
Jesus Himself said,
“my words will not pass away.”
What words?
Words of what Jesus said while on earth during the 3 years of His ministry before the cross that were recorded in the gospels.
These words will not pass away
because they are vitally important to his disciples and to us too, as New Covenant believers.
Here comes Joseph Prince, with the daringness to devalue and ‘cancel out’ those words of Jesus that Jesus said would not pass away
because Prince teaches that since they are under the Old Covenant law, they are no longer binding on New Covenant people.
d. The Great Commission recognises Christ’s teachings in the gospels.
The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20
also disproves Joseph Prince’s view
that Jesus’ words during much of His earthly ministry
are under the Old Covenant,
and hence, are not applicable to New Covenant believers:
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus categorically commanded His apostles to teach believers to obey everything that He had commanded them.
Every command of Christ is to be obeyed, and this is stated by Christ Himself.
Since Matthew 28:20 commanded us to teach them
“to obey everything I have commanded you”,
ask yourself – where is the
“everything I have commanded you” found?
In the gospels before the cross!
What is everything that Jesus commanded?
All His teachings and commands during His 3 years of ministry that were recorded in the gospels,
which were then reflected in the teachings in Acts as well as in the epistles of Paul and the rest of the New Testament scriptures.
This means what Jesus said and taught in the gospels will continue to be relevant in the lives of every generation of disciples.
If much of the gospels is no longer relevant to New Covenant believers,
what Jesus commanded the apostles to teach them
‘to obey everything I have commanded you’, (and the everything is found in the gospels before the cross)
would not make any sense at all.
With all that I have shown and proven
that Joseph Prince teaches against
the Apostle Paul (1 Tim 6:3-4),
the Apostle John (2 Jn 9) and
the Lord Jesus Himself (Jn 14:26; Matt 24:35; Matt 28:18-20),
regarding the relevance of Christ’s teachings in the gospels for New Covenant believers,
how can Joseph Prince not be a wolf in sheepskin?
If Joseph Prince has the audacity to ‘wipe out’ all of Christ’s (who is God Himself) teachings and commands in the gospels before the cross,
how can he not be a heretic?
2. Christ describes His message as the gospel of the kingdom of God, and this same gospel was preached by Christ’s disciples both before and after Cross/Pentecost.
Joseph Prince said in the video 5 days ago;
“But Jesus came preaching the kingdom (in the gospels), not about the church age.”
Joseph Prince said in another 5-second video;
“… Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is Jesus still under the law. All his disciples were under Law.”
Joseph Prince’s main contention is that since Christ and His disciples were under the law in the gospels,
what Jesus preached were the Old Covenant law and not the New Covenant gospel.
The truth is that Christ’s predominant mission was to preach the good news, or the gospel of the kingdom of God,
which is the New Covenant gospel:
Luke 4:43 NIV
43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”
Luke 4:43 JUB
43 “And he said unto them, I must announce the gospel of the kingdom of God to other cities also because for this am I sent.”
a. Christ’s disciples preached the same gospel of the kingdom as He did.
Christ personally instructed His disciples to preach this same message:
Matthew 10:7-8 NIV
7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
In other words, the very same message of Christ about the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God found in the gospels
was going to be preached after Pentecost by His disciples.
Christ did not send them to preach the Old Covenant law.
Christ sent His twelve disciples and commanded them to preach the kingdom (Matt 10:7-8)
just as He had been doing (Lk 4:43).
Luke also records Christ sending the Twelve in a similar fashion.
They were to proclaim the same message of the kingdom
that they heard Christ proclaim:
Luke 9:1-2 NIV
1 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
Again, the twelve disciples were not sent out to proclaim the Old Covenant law
but to preach the New Covenant gospel of the kingdom of God.
So, Joseph Prince’s accusation that Jesus was preaching the Old Covenant law in the gospels
has absolutely no basis.
b. The theme of the kingdom of God’s grace in the gospels before the cross has not changed after the cross and the resurrection of Jesus.
The New Covenant gospel of the kingdom inaugurated by Christ before the cross
was the same gospel that Christ’s disciples preached after Christ had risen and after Pentecost.
Luke records that the risen Christ
spoke to His disciples about the kingdom of God:
Acts 1:3 NIV
3 “After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”
Before or after the cross, the message of Christ has not changed but remained utterly consistent.
The risen Christ was still talking to His disciples about the kingdom of God, or the gospel of grace.
I made a special effort to highlight this to counter the false view of Joseph Prince
that while Jesus preached the Old Covenant of law before the cross,
His disciples, and particularly Paul, preached a different gospel – the New Covenant of grace after Pentecost.
This is one big lie
as the gospel of the kingdom of God’s grace preached by Jesus before the cross
was the same gospel preached by His disciples after the cross and Pentecost.
The risen Christ commanded His disciples
to preach the gospel of the kingdom in Acts 1:3 (see above),
which He had introduced before the cross, to the whole world in Matthew 24:14:
Matthew 24:14 NIV
14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
The message that Christ expected His disciples to proclaim to the world
is the gospel of the kingdom,
the same gospel that He preached before the cross
and the same gospel we have today:
It was the same message that Christ and His disciples preached in the gospels before Pentecost (Matt 10:7-8; Lk 9:1-2).
Christ’s disciples knew this message well because they had heard it for three years.
Christ intended for His three years of the earthly ministry of grace in the gospels
to continue after Pentecost in Acts and thereafter through the ‘Church age’.
His disciples through the apostles (Peter and John) and deacons (such as Philip) obeyed Christ
and preached the same message of grace and the kingdom after Pentecost
as Christ did before the cross:
Acts 8:12 NIV
12 “But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”
Acts 8:25 NIV
25 “After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.”
“The good news of the kingdom of God”
that Philip proclaimed in Acts 8:12
is the same gospel of grace
as and when Peter and John came
“preaching the gospel” in Acts 8:25.
In other words, the same gospel of the kingdom that was initiated by Christ in the gospels
was preached after Pentecost by His apostles and deacons.
c. Paul preached the same message as Jesus did – the message of the kingdom of God, or the gospel of God’s grace.
Joseph Prince stubbornly insisted in his many sermons, in the light of little evidence that Jesus was preaching the Old Covenant law in the gospels,
and then, the New Covenant grace was proclaimed by Paul and the apostles after Pentecost.
Prince falsely teaches that the message of the Apostle Paul was distinctly different from the message of Christ in the gospels.
But the bare facts of the scriptures would debunk Prince’s view:
Acts 19:8 NIV
8 “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.”
Acts 20:24-25 NASB
24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry
which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” 25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.”
Acts 19:8 clearly states that Paul was preaching the kingdom of God,
which is the same gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached in the gospels.
Furthermore, Paul says in Acts 20:24-25 that he testified to
“the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24 NASB).
In the next sentence, he describes this activity as
“preaching the kingdom” (Acts 20:25 NASB).
In other words, Paul declares that “preaching the kingdom”
is the same thing as preaching “the gospel of the grace of God.”
This means Paul is preaching the same message of grace
that Jesus Christ preached before the cross and Pentecost.
Joseph Prince falsely alleges that the gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached is about law
is different from the gospel of grace that Paul preached.
To say that the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus is not about grace but about law
would be to contradict the Apostle Paul, as he preached what Jesus preached
– the gospel of the kingdom, which is the gospel of grace.
The gospel of the kingdom found throughout the 4 gospels
is always about grace and has never been about the law.
Even when Paul was placed under house arrest in Rome, that did not stop him from preaching the kingdom of God:
Acts 28:23 NIV
23 “They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them
about Jesus.”
Paul’s message was about the kingdom of God,
the same gospel of grace that Jesus Christ preached in the gospels.
Paul preached the kingdom of God consistently for two years:
Acts 28:30-31 NIV
30 “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with all boldness and without hindrance!”
Paul’s message about the kingdom of God in Acts
is the same as Christ’s message in the gospels.
Luke, who is the writer of both the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of Luke and a close companion of the Apostle Paul,
never draws a distinction between the messages of Paul and Christ in the gospels.
He calls the messages of both Paul and Christ
“the gospel of the kingdom” repeatedly in both books.
How can Joseph Prince claim to have learned his grace theology from Paul when he did the opposite of what Paul did
by denigrating the gospel that Christ preached as being under the law and no longer binding on New Covenant believers.
The kingdom message that Christ preached in the gospels is not under the Old Covenant of law that Joseph Prince falsely alleges
but under the New Covenant of grace.
In fact, it is the gospel of grace.
The theology and the gospel of grace did not originate with the Apostle Paul,
but with Jesus Christ Himself, which then got passed on to Paul.
Jesus and Paul preached the same gospel.
Don’t you ever believe Joseph Prince, who tells you
that Jesus preached the Old Covenant of law,
and Paul preached the New Covenant gospel of grace.
God forbid!
Not only did Jesus and Paul preach the same gospel,
but they both also associated it with the kingdom of God.
In other words, when Paul preached the gospel of grace,
he was proclaiming the kingdom,
and when Jesus preached the kingdom,
He was proclaiming the gospel of grace.
Hence, Joseph Prince’s claims that Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom under the Old Covenant law to the Jewish people who lived at that time
and that only after His death and resurrection was the message of grace released to the Church through Paul, Peter, and the other apostles,
is absolutely untrue and patently false.
3. Joseph Prince sacrilegiously said that what Jesus said and taught in the gospels was milk, not meat.
Joseph Prince said in the sermon 5 days ago on 23 Apr 2023;
“But Jesus came preaching the kingdom (in the gospels), not about the church age.”
“Paul’s letters, you can go for it all the way.”
“And you said those are Paul’s letters, these are Jesus’ words.
Hey, Paul did not write out of his own words.
He received the words from the ascended Christ (after the cross).
So, when Jesus was on earth all the things that he said, right at the end of what he’s saying,
‘I have many things to say unto you, but you are not yet able. When the Holy Spirit is come, he will guide you into all truths.’ (Jn 16:12-13).”
In another sermon, Joseph Prince also said along the same lines as above in the 50-second video;
“But don’t forget that the words of Paul, the words of Peter, the epistles after the gospels,
are the words of the ascended Christ through them.
Because even at the end of Jesus’ physical life in the upper room what did He say?
‘I have many things to say to you, but you are not yet able (Jn 16:12).’
I mean, I thought He said everything already.
‘Now I have many things to say to you but you are not yet able (Jn 16:12).’
See the difference.
‘But when the Holy Spirit is come, He will guide you into all truth (Jn 16:13).’
Which means whatever He (Jesus) taught (in the gospels) alright, is not the, shall we say, the meat; they were drinking milk.
That’s how you need to see the words of Jesus in the gospels.
Are you with me so far?”
Joseph Prince alludes to John 16:12-13
to advance his claim that what the Apostles preached and the gospel that they preached in the epistles
is based on the words of the ascended Christ after the cross,
and not based on what Jesus said in the 4 gospels before the cross:
John 16:12-13 NASB
12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them at the present time. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
What Joseph Prince has done is that he is using the half-truth trickery again to deceive people.
While Prince unfolded John 16:12-13, he ‘hid’ from you John 14:26:
John 14:26 NASB
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.
As I have stated under Point Number 1,
our Lord Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would remind the disciples of everything He said.
So, when did Jesus say those things?
A large portion of what Jesus said
must have been found in the gospels before the cross.
Why must the Holy Spirit remind them of those things that Jesus said and taught before the cross in the gospels
if they are placed under the Old Covenant, and if they are no more relevant to them (and to us) as Joseph Prince falsely teaches?
Does it make sense?
Jesus said, the Holy Spirit
“will remind you of everything I have said to you,”
because the words and teachings of Christ in the gospels are critically important for New Covenant believers
and He doesn’t want them to be forgotten by His disciples (and us).
If they are that important to Jesus that He doesn’t want them to be forgotten by His disciples (and us),
it must plainly mean that they are still binding on New Covenant believers.
Both John 14:26 and John 16:12-13 must be taken together.
One must not be pitted against the other, and both must be seen as one harmonious whole.
But what Joseph Prince does is that he only surfaces John 16:12-13,
and pretends that John 14:26 doesn’t exist.
Though Christ may have revealed more things to His disciples
through the Holy Spirit after His ascension in John 16:12-13,
what the Holy Spirit revealed
must never contradict, or undo, or cancel out
what Christ has said to His disciples
in the gospels before the cross in John 14:26.
Leon Morris, in ‘Expository Reflections on the Gospel of John’, and in exegeting John 16:12-13, wrote (Page 546):
“The disciples should not think that they have learned all there is to know. Jesus goes on to tell them that he has many things yet to say to them (v 12).
Believers should be very careful here, for from time and time through the history of the Christian church, people have arisen who have said that they had new revelations and they have led people astray.
It is important for us to keep a firm hold on the truth that the definitive revelation has been given in Scripture.
Christian teaching is the teaching God gave through Christ and Christ’s apostles.
Nothing can claim to be authentic Christian teaching that does not agree with this.”
What Leon Morris is stating is that whatever new revelation Christ gives through the Holy Spirit after His ascension (after the cross),
must ultimately agree with whatever teachings and truths that have already been revealed in the scriptures (in the gospels before the cross),
What Christ would say through the Holy Spirit after His ascension in John 16:12-13,
would definitely reinforce what Christ has already taught in the gospels in John 14:26.
For example, there is one concrete thing that Christ said through the Holy Spirit after His ascension in Revelation chapters 2-3 to the 7 churches of Revelation.
One of the key things that Christ said through the Holy Spirit after His ascension was to warn 5 of the 7 churches to repent.
And repentance was exactly what Jesus taught
at the beginning of His ministry in Matthew 3:2 and Matthew 4:17,
and throughout His ministry in Luke 13:3,5, in the gospels before the cross,
and at the end of His ministry, after His resurrection but before His ascension, in Luke 24:46-47.
Whatever truth Jesus may have said through the Holy Spirit after His ascension,
must never trivialised or repudiate,
but it must harmonise with what Christ has already revealed in the scriptures and the gospels before the cross.
However, Joseph Prince only uses only one half of God’s word in John 16:12-13,
and completely ‘obliterate’ the other half of God’s word in John 14:26,
giving the impression that one contradicts the other.
God’s word can never contradict itself.
Let me give you an illustration:
Let’s say John relates that Jimmy told him A (John 14:26).
Then Jimmy tells John B (John 16:12-13).
Just because Jimmy tells John B (John 16:12-13),
John went on to conclude that A (John 14:26) is no longer applicable or that important,
when Jimmy has not said anything to that effect.
What is worse is that when Jimmy tells John both A (Jn 14:26) and B (Jn 16:12-13),
John only reveals to his friends the half-truth of B (Jn 16:12-13),
and he ‘hid’ from them that Jimmy actually told him A (Jn 14:26) too,
giving people a false impression of what Jimmy actually said.
That’s what Joseph Prince has craftily and irreverently done to God’s word.
Thus, Joseph Prince’s ploy of using John 16:12-13
to paint the picture of what Christ has revealed through the Holy Spirit after His ascension,
differs from what He taught and said in His 3 years of earthly ministry,
is exposed to be a lie.
Joseph Prince said;
“Which means whatever He (Jesus) taught (in the gospels) alright, is not the, shall we say, the meat; they were drinking milk.
That’s how you need to see the words of Jesus in the gospels.”
Joseph Prince is maligning Jesus and ruining what He came to do,
when he said that all that Jesus taught and said in the gospels was milk, not meat.
No true teacher of God’s word can take this lying down,
at such repulsive and disgusting remarks that Joseph Prince has uttered
against the Lord Jesus, who is God Himself.
If what Joseph Prince said doesn’t evoke a righteous anger to arise from within you,
then something is seriously wrong, not only with Joseph Prince, but with you too.
By saying that the words of Jesus in the gospels are milk, not meat,
Joseph Prince is also saying that what Jesus said;
John 11:25 NIV
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
John 14:6 NIV
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,
words that were mentioned by Jesus in the gospels before the cross,
are also milk, not meat.
This is outrageous!
You mean the fact that Jesus announced that
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,
in which He declares Himself as the cornerstone of the gospel,
is milk not meat?
Only a heretic who dares to mock God, would venture to say that.
Joseph Prince said;
“Which means whatever He (Jesus) taught (in the gospels) alright, is not the, shall we say, the meat; they were drinking milk.
That’s how you need to see the words of Jesus in the gospels.”
Joseph Prince is clearly implying that whatever Jesus taught in the gospels is milk, not meat,
because they are under the Old Covenant.
But why would Jesus pour His whole life into the 3 years of His ministry, investing in teaching His disciples,
and only for Him to undo all that He did by placing everything He said and taught under the Old Covenant
that has no applicability to New Covenant believers?
Do you honestly believe Jesus would do that
– that He would be that foolish, and so lacking in common sense, in wasting all His 3 years of ministry,
the only kairos moment He had on earth and throwing them down the drain?
Joseph Prince, by his teachings, is actually insulting the intelligence of Christ, who is God Himself
– that He would do such a foolish thing by placing all He said and taught in the gospels under the Old Covenant,
and hence, possessing little or no value to New Covenant believers.
Why does Joseph Prince want to reject the words, teachings and commands of Jesus in the gospels?
The unmistakable and stark answer is that Jesus’ words and teachings clearly don’t square with and agree with his Grace Theology.
As a matter of fact, they are at loggerheads with each other.
Jesus’ teachings in the gospels call for a serious commitment to deny ourselves and take up the cross, and His words demand costly discipleship,
which doesn’t fit with Joseph Prince’s feel-good Grace Doctrine that
“God doesn’t demand anything from you, and all you need to do is just believe (without repenting), rest and enjoy the wealth, health, long life and youthful looks that He has come to bless you with”.
Joseph Prince repeatedly said that the cross is the dividing line between the Old Covenant of law and the New Covenant of grace.
Again, what he means is that everything that Christ said and taught in the gospels before the cross
is considered to be under the Old Covenant, and hence, it is not binding on New Covenant believers.
Do you know what that means?
What that means is:
We can disregard the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.
We can disregard Jesus’ command to take up the cross and deny ourselves.
We can disregard Jesus’ call to leave everything behind and follow Him wholeheartedly.
We can disregard Jesus’ teaching that we are to seek first the kingdom of God.
We can disregard our call to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
We can disregard Jesus’ warning to avoid the broad way that leads to destruction.
We can disregard Jesus’ exhortation to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
We can disregard Christ’s teaching that we are to love God with all our hearts and our neighbours as ourselves.
We can disregard all the parables filled with profound and insightful lessons that Jesus came to teach us.
We can disregard the warnings of Jesus about greed and covetousness which would lead to destruction.
We can disregard Christ’s warnings about hell, even for believers.
We can disregard Christ’s teaching that if we don’t forgive others, our Father won’t forgive us.
We can disregard Christ’s declaration that He is the resurrection and the life and all who believe in Him shall never die (because these were said by Jesus before the cross).
We can disregard Jesus’ claim that He is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him (because these were said by Jesus before the cross).
For a Christian to disregard all these (and much more that is not reflected in the gospels)
would be pure madness!
Anyone who dares to disregard that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and that He is the way, the truth and the life
is, undoubtedly, a heretic.
Yet, the horrendous thing is that this is what Joseph Prince teaches!
Why would any true Christian want to disregard the words, teachings and commands of our Lord Jesus?
And isn’t denying Jesus’ words, teachings and commands also the same as denying Him as a person?
How can a so-called Christ-centred preacher like Joseph Prince ‘wipe out’ most of Christ’s teachings in the gospels?
What this means is that all the blood, sweat and tears that Jesus spent teaching His disciples (and us),
and all that He did in His 3 years of ministry in the gospels,
have all gone to waste as they are no longer binding on New Covenant believers.
This is unthinkable!
This is an absolutely horrendous doctrinal heresy that must be exposed and demolished.
Only an antichrist like Joseph Prince would do that,
but a Christ-centred person would always honour all the teachings of Christ, which are given in the gospels before the cross.
4. Joseph Prince’s demarcation – that while the epistles in the New Testament are written to us, the rest of the scriptures are written for us, makes little sense in the end.
Joseph Prince said;
“You spend more time in the New Covenant, especially Paul’s letters. Peter’s letters. John’s letters, all of them, spend more time, that’s written directly to you.
But every book of the Bible is profitable for the man of God today.
It’s like some things are written to you, but some things are written for you. The New Testament is written to you.
Are you with me so far?”
To bolster his teaching that the epistles in the New Testament are New Covenant teachings that are meant for us,
Joseph Prince said these are written to us, and we should spend more time on,
while the rest of the scriptures, including the gospels, are written for us.
Joseph Prince is making a distinction that is rather useless and meaningless.
What is worse is that his facts are wrong.
Please tell me,
did Paul write the epistle of Corinthians to us?
No, Paul wrote it to the church in Corinth.
Did Paul write the epistle of Philippians to us?
No, Paul wrote it to the church in Philippi.
Did Paul write the letter of Philemon to us?
No, he wrote it to Philemon to receive back his slave, Onesimus, with forgiveness.
Did Peter write the book of 1 Peter to us?
No, Peter wrote it to believers in some regions of Asia Minor who were experiencing great persecution and suffering.
Did John write the book of Revelation to us?
No, he wrote it to strengthen the 7 churches of Revelation preparing them for suffering and martyrdom.
No epistle or book, regardless of whether they are the Old Testament or New Testament scriptures, was written directly to us,
but every epistle or book in the holy scriptures was written for us, and for our benefit:
2 Timothy 3:16 NASB
16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
Romans 15:4 GNT
4 “Everything written in the Scriptures was written to teach us, in order that we might have hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us.”
When Paul wrote, “All Scripture” in 2 Timothy 3:16
and
“Everything written in the Scriptures” in Romans 15:4
he is referring to the Old Testament scriptures.
When Paul wrote 2 Timothy 3:16 and Romans 15:4,
he could not have been referring to the New Testament,
as it was not even written and compiled yet at the point of Paul’s writing.
All the New Testament scriptures were written and compiled many years after the ascension of Christ;
with the last Book of Revelation written in about AD 90.
So what Paul was referring to when he said,
“All Scripture?”
in 2 Timothy 3:16 is inspired by God for teaching, etc
– he was referring to the Old Testament scriptures.
This would shut the mouth of Joseph Prince from ever uttering his ignorant and deceptive line again,
“Oh, that is Old Testament stuff, and it was written for us, but it was not written to us.”
In fact, everything in the Old Testament that is not abrogated or superceded by the New,
is authoritative as a rule of faith
and applies as much as the New Testament to New Covenant believers.
What is worse is that Joseph Prince blatantly contradicts his assertion that the epistles were written to us,
when in the same vein,
insisted that the first chapter of 1 John was written to unbelievers, the Gnostics.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones in ‘An exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20, The Christian Soldier’ said;
“The Scripture commends itself to us in this way. Take the Old Testament for instance.
There are many foolish people who say that there is no point in a Christian reading the Old Testament.
‘Ah,’ they say, ‘we have finished with that, we are in the New Testament. Old Testament Jewish history is quite interesting in its way, but it has nothing to give us as Christians.’
That is not what the New Testament says about the Old Testament.
The Apostle Paul for instance, in 1 Corinthians 10:6, refers to a part of Old Testament history.
He reminds us that the children of Israel were led by Moses out of Egypt and that they passed through the Red Sea.
‘Now,’ he says, ‘these things were our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.’
In other words, you can learn much from the children of Israel in the Old Testament.
Verse 11 adds: ‘Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.’
In other words, here is a man in New Testament days confronted by the devil and all his wiles and by principalities and powers.
How is he to be made strong?
A very good way, says the New Testament, is to read your Old Testament. Not exclusively of course.
Read the New as well, but certainly read your Old Testament, because there you will find some very wonderful warnings.
The children of Israel were God’s people; but look at their history. Look at their shameful behaviour, look at the defeats to which they were subjected.
Shame came to them because they did not remember that they were the children of God. They began to rely on themselves, their armies, their own power. They made alliances with Egypt and with Assyria and were defeated; simply because they were fools; they did not realize who they were and did not rely upon the power of the Lord’s might.
Read their story, says the New Testament, it was written for our learning.
Do not make the same mistakes; look at them and take warning.
So as you read your Old Testament you are warned in this way against this very danger. As you see how others have gone astray you are made strong yourself.
It is an obvious argument, is it not?
A wise man always learns from the mistakes of others who are in the same business, whatever it may be.
He sees a man going to disaster, and he asks, ‘Well, what exactly did that man do that he should not have done? Where did he go wrong, where did he make a mistake?
‘Ah’, he says, ‘it was at this or that point. Very well, I am going to watch that point’. Now that is wisdom.
That is precisely the argument used here: ‘These things were our examples.’
Or turn to Paul again in Romans 15:4:
‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.’
That is why the early Church decided to incorporate the Old Testament with their new documents.
The same God, speaking in both Testaments; the same people of God are the subjects of the record.
We can learn, and learn tremendously, from the Old Testament.
Let us then make use of it, let us read it, let us take it in; and it will make us strong.
As we see the warnings and the dangers we are strengthened, we are on guard, and we are ready to quit ourselves as men. Let us all work out its lessons for ourselves.”
Let me quote what Martyn Lloyd-Jones said;
“That is why the early Church decided to incorporate the Old Testament with their new documents (Testament).
The same God, speaking in both Testaments; the same people of God are the subjects of the record.”
In summary, Joseph Prince said that we, as New Covenant believers,
should spend more time on the epistles of the New Testament as they were written to us,
while the Old Testament scriptures and the gospels were written for us.
The truth is that none of the Old and New Testament scriptures were written directly to us,
but all of them are written for us, for our learning, to warn us, and to strengthen us in our faith.
Rev George Ong