20/07/2026
The Spiritual Pinnacle of Imprint Hermeneutics: Even Gospel Preaching Attains Its Highest Reward Only Through the Charity Doctrine Lifestyle
I give an example of the excellence of virtue and why boycotts do not work.
Acts 20:33–35 (KJV)
"I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."
1 Corinthians 9:16–18 (KJV)
"For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel."
In 1 Corinthians 9, the Holy Spirit already revealed that preaching the Gospel is not a big deal in itself, but is a duty (a curse or woe is pronounced on those who do not preach). However, if it is done in the path of virtue (God explains His rule for the Gospel), namely the Charity Doctrine way of not taking a salary or love offerings into one's personal bank account for it, then it carries a reward. Again, we see the Charity Doctrine as the pinnacle of virtue even in Gospel preaching according to Holy Scripture itself. The Holy Spirit allowed the Apostle St. Paul to even “boast” about this fact only next:
1 Corinthians 9:12, 14–15 (KJV)
"If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void."
That is why Christ called it "perfection" in Matthew 19:21. It is measured relatively by what is given (as Christ pointed out in Luke 21:1–3), meaning that no one is at any disadvantage. You do not need many converts (e.g., a few Charity Doctrine hundredfold types versus many thirtyfold types), nor do you need a stage in a church. You can preach even to one person face to face or via social media, because God is not counting the number of converts or the amount of "good ground" in the Parable of the Sower.
I already pointed this out in my book, Essays in Early Christianity (pp. 211 & 355) [1], showing St. Irenaeus of Lyons' quote that the "hundredfold" directly points to "entertainments given to the poor," which proves the confirmed way to attain the hundredfold-reward level through the Charity Doctrine. Can you see it?
Source [1]: Jonathan, Essays in Early Christianity, 211, 355.
All this means that God is fair, and no one can manipulate, give, or remove opportunities for anyone in secular job nor in church ministry and then call it "God's will," especially in this modern schism-cursed Christianity, as opposed to the time of St. Irenaeus, when there was no schism at all. This proves that he was a real and trustworthy bishop of the Church, anointed and third in succession from the Apostle St. John, who wrote the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. St. Irenaeus also heard directly from St. Polycarp, the disciple of St. John, from a young age, giving him long exposure to apostolic teaching.
The virtue of the Charity Doctrine, as the art of God's perfection, can also be seen in Christ's own Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37). The Samaritan showed charity to his enemy (a Jew, some of whom considered Samaritans to be low-class dogs) using his own possessions and money. Christ points this out clearly, just as He does in Luke 11:41, where almsgiving for sanctification comes from "what you have," implying one's own possessions rather than merely donation money, which is a lower standard, like the Pharisees practiced without lifting a finger in personal sacrifice, as Christ compared elsewhere. All these examples show how to make this virtue perfect in one's lifestyle so as to attain the hundredfold level, if mapped to St. Irenaeus' quote mentioned earlier.
The Church Fathers stressed such virtue in many ways, which later became more extreme in both Catholicism and Orthodoxy, where Christian monks and nuns also embraced this path. How far their devotion is considered outside or within Scripture, let God judge. However, what I admire is that they practiced this extreme Charity Doctrine lifestyle while also doing Gospel preaching and works of almsgiving, in contrast to Prosperity Gospel missionaries who receive comfortable salaries, accumulate wealth for retirement or family, and spend on holidays and other personal benefits, whereas the former sacrificed all these things.
I also give the example of Blessed Sadhu Sundar Singh's vision of the spirit world. In that vision, a notable Indian Protestant Christian saw that a regular church attendee, who worked a secular job, attained a higher final heavenly position than the well-known pastor of that church, who had converted many, baptized many, preached weekly from the pulpit, received a salary, and possibly accepted love offerings. This illustrates my point that the Charity Doctrine lifestyle (e.g., ordinary work but great giving, especially helping a wounded person even unto death), which demonstrates humility in action, is greater than a prosperity lifestyle by comparison. Here it is:
“Seeing this, the minister “in a blustering voice called out, ‘What right have you to leave me half-way up to that glorious country, while You take this other man away up near to it? Neither in holiness, nor in anything else, am I in any way less than this man.’” The angels replied: “The man who has just been promoted above you… was a member of your own congregation… People hardly knew him at all, for he was an ordinary working man… All who came in contact with him recognized his Christian character… There, one day, as he was helping a wounded comrade, he was struck by a bullet and killed… His promotion depends, not on favouritism, but on his spiritual worthiness. His life of prayer and humility, while he was in the world, prepared him to a great extent for the spiritual world.” Then they said to the minister: “The pride that you displayed… prevents you from seeing Him, and from going up higher. Humility is the cure for this pride.”[2]
Source [2]: Sadhu Sundar Singh, Visions of the Spiritual World: A Brief Description of the Spiritual Life, Its Different States of Existence, and the Destiny of Good and Evil Men as Seen in Visions, trans. Rev. T. E. Riddle (London: Macmillan, 1926), 12–13, accessed July 20, 2026, https://endtimemanna.org/magnusson/Data/Sundar/Visions_of_the_Spiritual_World_by_Sadhu_Sundar_Singh.pdf.
Which spiritual vision sounds more credible: the Prosperity Gospel type, where they use it to earn millions through books, preaching, and other means, with most of it used for themselves, their families, and holidays while living in luxury and claiming to be favored by God; or Sundar Singh's vision here, which agrees with some of the Blessed Church Fathers whom he most likely had never even read? After claiming to have met Christ, he left his wealthy family and became penniless to preach the Gospel, giving every dollar from his book sales to missionary work, the poor, and Church work literally.
Unless, of course, a person works either a secular or ministry job and, at the end of life, balances it by giving through a will (a modern adaptation in principle) to family, the Church, or charity instead of spending on luxury, holidays, and similar pleasures. This demonstrates the virtue required to fulfill Christ's command regarding almsgiving and perfection beyond earthly enjoyment. No one is perfect, but this path is clearly implied by Christ.
There is no shortcut for me or for you in virtue. This is unlike the Prosperity Gospel model, where becoming a pastor enables one to collect tithes and love offerings and gain extra financial advantages, falsely placing oneself above others without any New Testament Bible verse teaching such a thing. In contrast, every claim I have made here is based on New Testament Scripture, not the Old Testament with the bonus of St. Irenaeus and Sadhu’s testimony.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/spiritual-pinnacle-imprint-hermeneutics-even-gospel-its-ramachandran-qjgvc
About the author:
Jonathan Ramachandran is an ecumenical Christian, a Malaysian theologian, missionary blogger, and operations manager who bridges mathematics and ministry. A self-taught enthusiast of Chiliasm Church Fathers, he has published in peer-reviewed journals and runs www.AnonymousChristian.org. He is an International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) coach for Malaysia, guiding students in advanced competition mathematics. A graduate in actuarial science and Bank Negara scholar, his professional path spans seismic engineering, education, charity, and freelance preaching, including baptizing students into Christianity . He holds honorary doctorates in theology, divinity, and ministry, dedicating his life to scholarship, service, and mathematical coaching.
Education: B.Sc., Th.D. (Hon.), D.Div. (Hon.), D.Min. (Hon.)
Bsc. Actuarial Science (National University of Malaysia, 2006) with Honors.
Dr. Jonathan Ramachandran obtained his Honorary Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) from University of Jerusalem (UJ, Chennai, India, 20 August 2025; Reg. No.: 11230), Honorary Doctor of Divinity (D.Div.) from Triumphant Christian University of America (TCUA, Illinois, USA, 20 August 2025, Cert. ID.: 7704247) and Honorary Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from Open Christian University (OCU, California, USA, 31 August 2025, Cert. ID.: OCU250124/831208-14-6517MY).
Works & Links:
1) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Anonymous Christian. Accessed October 30, 2025. https://www.anonymouschristian.org/
2) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Coach Jonathan Ramachandran (pages). https://www.facebook.com/CoachJonathanRamachandran/, or https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057109853813, or https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070978834712
3) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Defense of Honorary Doctorates. Accessed October 30, 2025. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dLffkOnLe8BPz9vd3RMPbhZmn6puY7op/view?usp=sharing
4) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Elementary School Math Olympiad Facebook Links. Updated October 26, 2025. Problems 1–264, https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.ramachandran/posts/pfbid0wkPqT9UULb6G4x1qRVRceBzqARRuWajpKdeVT7d2YfGkD28z7hcqB7yvMFRE3Wpal; Website listing, https://www.anonymouschristian.org/blog/elementary-school-math-olympiad-facebook-links/
5) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Essays in Early Christianity: Chiliasm Prophecy Model and Non-Elect Salvation Possibility. Cambridge, OH: Christian Publishing House, 13 July 2025. ISBN 978-1949586435. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1949586421.
6) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Free High School Math Olympiad: 546 Problems & Solutions. 5 Loaf 2 Fish Publications, May 28, 2026. https://books.google.com.my/books/about?id=eaHdEQAAQBAJ or https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1d0go0yKivMwt7mseVcJucot_E56h1po7?usp=sharing.
7) Ramachandran, Jonathan. High School Math Olympiad Facebook Links. Updated October 26, 2025. Problems 1–340, https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.ramachandran/posts/pfbid0AwdYEToSrX8B2W1KJyzuKoCyWv3VXAHPAtt5bSfwd3tF2oMEbnmgwCoacyPxczppl; Problems 341–545, https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.ramachandran/posts/pfbid0hJeHxUuJp5kRwWJQ5QFhoNPS4Ym2mmh3ciei2nctqsThbNhWuTAJYvRzk3AU5APil; Website listing of Problems 1–545, https://www.anonymouschristian.org/blog/high-school-math-olympiad-facebook-links/
8.) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Hope Beyond the Elect: Revisiting Early Christian Views on Prophecy and Salvation. Cambridge, OH: Christian Publishing House, 2025. www.amazon.com/dp/1949586405.
9) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Jonathan’s Math Video Solutions. YouTube channel. https://youtube.com/?si=oKVTC4hLTK7iRKSf
10) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Jonathan Ramachandran – Independent Researcher (Academia.edu profile). Accessed October 30, 2025. https://independent.academia.edu/RamachandranJonathan
11) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Sample CV. 14 September 2025. https://drive.google.com/file/d/19YuhL31EpC4l3JnHcbbQNio-ueogAEXQ/view?usp=sharing
12) Ramachandran, Jonathan. School Math Facebook Links. Updated October 26, 2025. Problems 1–154, https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.ramachandran/posts/pfbid025mCA6wGPKLJ4ERhfLBzUwooHBJez59wdhJuHnbKZ9F9ZdaDpEmvX4vinwmoNjdsUl; Website listing, https://www.anonymouschristian.org/blog/school-math-facebook-links/
13) Ramachandran, Jonathan. Thank God Regardless: Math, Merit, and Being Unapologetically Christian. 5 Loaf 2 Fish Publications, 2026. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1d0go0yKivMwt7mseVcJucot_E56h1po7?usp=sharing or https://books.google.com.my/books/about?id=3KPfEQAAQBAJ.
14) Ramachandran, Jonathan. “Jonathan Ramachandran – Google Scholar Profile.” Accessed October 30, 2025. https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Bv7IFrAAAAAJ
15) Ramachandran, Jonathan. “Non Elect Salvation Possibility.” American Journal of Biblical Theology (AJBT) 26, no. 6 (February 2025). www.biblicaltheology.com/Research/RamachandranJ01.pdf.
16) Ramachandran, Jonathan. “ORCID 0009 0008 4669 1077.” Accessed October 30, 2025. https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4669-1077
17) Ramachandran, Jonathan. “The Personhood of the Holy Spirit and the Unity of the Trinity.” JOY! Magazine, theology section, April 2026. Accessed April 3, 2026.
https://joygifts.co.za/product/https-joygifts-co-za-joy-april-2026/.
18) Ramachandran, Jonathan. “Thousand Year Gap for Prophecy in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and 1 Corinthians 15:52 with Chiliasm Church Fathers.” Journal of Biblical Theology (JBT) 8, no. 3 (June 2025).
19) Ramachandran, Jonathan. “Thousand Year Gap for Prophecy in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and 1 Corinthians 15:52 with Chiliasm Church Fathers.” American Journal of Biblical Theology (AJBT) 26, no. 22 (June 2025). www.biblicaltheology.com/Research/RamachandranJ02.pdf.
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