1. Why Should We Believe in Jesus Christ?
I have summarized the answers in the following presentation (8 pages total: #1 to #8), so please read them carefully to find the answers.
1. God’s creation and His purpose
2. Humanity’s problem (Identify your problem as a sinner and recognize
why you need salvation.)
3. God’s solution (Find out God’s salvation work based on
God's nature: God's justice and love)
4. Our response (what should we do?) for the application of God’s salvation.
Questions:
1. Do you believe in God and Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
2. If you die tonight, can you go to heaven? How do you know?
3. Do you witness Jesus Christ to people?
_Page_01.jpg)
Presentation (No.1~ No.8):
No.1
The Bible teaches that in the
beginning, God created the world and everything in it. God is
the source of all things in the world. God the Creator is worthy to
receive glory and worship from all things(Genesis 1:1, 26-28; Revelation 4:11,
14:7; John 4:24; Romans 11:36). In fact, God created all things to reveal God's
glory (Isaiah 43:7). Therefore, we must glorify God (1
Corinthians 10:31). God the creator exists as three Holy Persons: the
Father, the Son(Jesus), and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; 1 John 5:5-10;
Genesis 1:1). The three persons have perfect and the same divinity(John
10:30). Therefore, we call the creator God the Triune God(the only God
exists as three persons)(Deuteronomy 6:4).
When the Creator God made
Adam, the first man, God formed him from the dust of the ground and breathed
His Spirit into his nose, so that he became a person with living soul who
resembles God's holy image (Genesis 2:7).
After that, God took one
of Adam's ribs and closed up the place with flesh and made his wife Eve and
blessed them. God told them to give birth to many children and thrive to fill
the earth, to give power over all living things, and gave them food to
eat (Genesis 1:27-30, 2:21-22).
God placed His sovereignty over the tree of good and evil. Therefore, if Adam and Eve do not eat the forbidden fruit, it would be their acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. Unfortunately, however, Adam and Eve broke God's command and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When they ate of the forbidden fruit, it meant that they wanted to live according to their own independent opinion and will, not God's will. The essence of sin is that man becomes the master and acts according to his own will, ignoring the sovereignty of God the Creator and the will of God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed the Word of God, the Spirit of God departed from them, their spirit ceased to function, and they lost the image (character) of God, their conscience became inoperable, and their spiritual relationship with God were broken. As a result, their souls were supposed to endure all kinds of mental pain (anxiety, fear, worry, anxiety, doubt, hatred, despair, etc.) and their minds were supposed to be deteriorated, and their bodies were supposed to be sick and weak and suffered, and eventually die.
_Page_03.jpg)
No.2
Adam and Eve disobeyed God's word because they
were tricked by the lies of Satan(devil, evil spirit) who approached them to
overthrow them. Satan approached Eve and told her that if she eats the fruit of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, her eyes will be opened and she can
become like God knowing good and evil. She was deceived by Satan's words, ate
the fruit, gave it to her husband, Adam, and he ate the fruit too(Genesis
3:1-5; Revelation 12:9).
Satan, a fallen evil angel, deceives and attacks people in various ways, causing them to sin. Sin means that man does not believe in God the Creator, ignores God's Word, lives according to his own will, commits evil and violates God's justice (Genesis 3:6; 6:5-6; Exodus 20:1-19; John 16:9; 1 John 3:4).
Adam and Eve completely broke God's sovereignty and justice by
the incident, and were sentenced to death for their sins(Genesis 2:16-17). That
death refers to both spiritual and physical death.
Because of the ancestor of mankind, the first
man, Adam, sin entered the world, and all men have sinned, and as a result,
death has come to all mankind.
"Sin entered the world through
him(Adam), and death through him, and in this way death came to all men because
all have sinned."(Romans 3:10, 23, 5:12; Ephesians 2:1, 4:1;
Isaiah 64:6)
All mankind, descendants of Adam, are born with the sinful nature of Adam (depraved nature). People do not believe in God the Creator and has no fellowship with God because they are born separated from God for their sins, so they become slaves of Satan and live in sin(2 Corinthians 4:4; John 8:44). Satan's deception is discussed more in web blog No. 2. "How Can We Know That God Really Exist." Please read that article.
God created man to be glorified, and man does
not glorify God, does not give thanks, and lives by sinning according to his
imperfect will and greed, not by God's perfect will, instead, follows his
sinful and corrupted ways and becomes wicked and continue to sin. We all
deserve God's wrath (Romans 1:18-32; Hebrews 2:15). The following
is the list of sins that people commit.
" People did not think it worthwhile to retain the
knowledge of God....., so that they do what ought not to be done. They
have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.
They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are
gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they
invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no
understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s
righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not
only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who
practice them." (Romans 1:28-32)
By committing such numerous sins, mankind brought suffering to the earth, and
as a result, became the object of the wrath and judgment of a just God (Romans
1:18-32; Hebrews 2:15).
Thus, every person born as a descendant of Adam cannot escape the judgment of God's wrath unless their sin problem is resolved (unless they are saved from sin) while they live on this earth. ----> So, we must first recognize the necessity of salvation, and then we must follow God's way of salvation. This is because God the Creator has already prepared a special way to solve the problem of our sins.
However, without knowing God's way of salvation, some people try to be reconciled to God by doing good deeds, keeping the items of God's law, practicing religious practices, or solving their sins through some training. (Proverbs 14:12)
However, since we are born sinners, no matter how good we do, no matter how much we keep the law, and no matter how much we practice religious teachings, we can never wash away the sins that exist in us. Why? For our works can never reach the absolute and perfect level that the holy God has required from us by law. So, we sinners continue to sin no matter how hard we try. What is the result? We cannot come to the just and holy God, we cannot be reconciled to God, and we still live separated from God (the point: no one can be saved by works).
"Therefore no one will be declared
righteous in his(God's) sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we
become conscious of sin." (Romans 3:20)
"...no one will be justified by
observing the law." (Galatians 2:16)
Then, after living separate from God, where does
the sinner go to the end?
_Page_05.jpg)
No.3
This separation leads only to death and certain judgment
because God is just and extremely holy. Our sins destroy not only our own
lives, but also our relationships with God and our neighbors. So every sinner
is judged by God's just law according to his sinful works(Romans 6:23;
Mark 9:47-49). According to God's justice, human's sins must be paid.
"The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23; 5:12; James 1:15).
"It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the
judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)
As the wages of sin, all human beings suffer from mental and physical diseases on this earth (Deuteronomy 28:20-22), and when they die (finally), they will go to hell and suffer eternal torment. (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 21:8)
“...each person was judged according to what he had done…
and was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:13, 15)
So, those who know this fact are bound to be miserable and
live in fear of death. (Luke 16:19-31)
However, God never wants us to suffer forever in the lake of
fire, no matter how vicious sinners we are. It is because God loves us and has
mercy on us as our Creator. So, God has patiently put us on hold until the
point of final judgment on us, and He wants us to repent and be saved, so that
no one will perish. (Psalms 117:2; James 5:11; 2 Peter 3:9;
Ezekiel 33:11; Jonah 4:10-11)
What is God's solution? How can just God save us
sinners from eternal punishment of hell? How can God judge us and forgive us at
the same time? Because it seems like a dilemma in our opinion. It is because
judgment and forgiveness are contradictory.
_Page_07.jpg)
God does it through the sacrifice of Jesus.
God proclaimed the word of the covenant earlier in order to solve
the problem of mankind's sin caused by the fall of Adam (Genesis 3:15). And,
the covenant was repeatedly proclaimed to Abraham, the ancestor of Israel(Genesis
12:1-4), to Moses (Exodus 19:3-6), and to the prophets (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The
covenant was God’s promise to mankind’s salvation through His son Jesus. The
Son of God, Jesus was supposed to be sent to this earth as a descendant of a woman through the
Holy Spirit and be shed his innocent blood and be resurrected and destroy the
works of the devil. As the result, whoever believes in Jesus as the Lord and savior
will be forgiven from sins and be reconciled to God and worship Him alone.
God,
before sending Jesus to this earth, instituted the sacrificial law. The purpose
is that whenever the people of Israel commit a sin, they offer a sin offering
so that God can forgive their sins. So, after they had committed a sin,
whenever they became aware of their sins, they had to take a clean animal to the temple and kill it and sprinkle its blood on the altar through the
priest. As the result, they could be saved from their sins and death. That is the sin offering.
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul." (Leviticus 17:11)
"There is no forgiveness for sinners without shedding of
innocent blood." (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews
9:22)
We can never be forgiven from our sins by any means. The wages of sin must be paid, and the wages are death. So, in order for us to be saved from sin and death, we must offer sacrifices to God only through the shedding of the blood of a pure ransom. Because the life of the flesh is in the blood, and the shedding of innocent blood means death. The sin offering through the blood of clean animals (sacrifices) in the Old Testament times foreshadows the atonement through the blood of Jesus. Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, sent by God the Father to this earth to save us from our sins (Matthew 16:16). Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the body of his Virgin Mary, and came to earth in a physical body (Matthew 1:18-25). For three and a half years, Jesus proclaimed the Word of God and the plan of salvation of Jesus, but Jesus was accused of blasphemy by those who did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah, and was crucified to the cross and shed His innocent blood and died.
“...This is my blood
of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins...” (Matthew 26:28;
Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25)
However, Jesus was resurrected on the third day after being buried in the tomb,
visible to many disciples and ascended to the throne of heaven. On the day of
Pentecost, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples who earnestly asked for
the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised to them so that they witnessed of Jesus,
and upon hearing their testimony many Jews repented and accepted Jesus as the
Messiah and the Lord were saved. Jesus still saves people when they repent and
receive Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah. (Hebrews 9:11-12; Hebrews
10:1-14; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 5:8; Ephesians
2:14; John 3:16; 14:16; Acts 2:38)
“...... For Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
God's work of salvation for sinners was made available to all through the shedding of the innocent blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23).
“He (Jesus) was pierced for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him; and by his stripes (wound: bruise) we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24)
** The Atonement of Jesus Christ brings the forgiveness of our sins and the healing of our diseases (healing is God's will).
Through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, God showed His justice and love, and He acknowledges those who believe in Jesus as righteous. (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Romans 3:25-26)
"God presented Christ as a
sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood - to be received by
faith. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance
He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. He did it to demonstrate
His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who
justifies those who have faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:25-26)
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans
5:8)
"Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the
unjust, that He might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)
It is the Good News. (You hear now.)
Did Jesus do that for all of us?
_Page_09.jpg)
No.5
Yes. Cleansing by the blood of Christ is offered to all(Roman 6:23). So, if you listen to this Gospel, repent, and accept Jesus as your Savior, you will be forgiven of your sins and come to God. We can only be washed away from our sins by the blood of Jesus.
Jesus is the only bridge to God(John 14:6). Only Jesus can solve our sins.
"There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ
Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all." (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
We need to know exactly who Jesus is. Jesus is God who came to this earth in a physical body. Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). God came to this earth in a physical body, and that is Jesus. So, Jesus is both a perfect God and a perfect man. All people born on this earth are born sinners following the lineage of Adam, the ancestor of mankind. However, Jesus was not born of the lineage of Adam, but was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a virgin's body, and took on a physical body, so he was not a sinner like us, and he did not sin at all. Therefore, Jesus was the only One who could atone for our sins, and actually, he died on the cross, shed his pure blood, and rose from the dead on the third day to become our Savior.
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5).
There are two kinds of people on this earth. The first kind is those who are born of the flesh, and the second is those who are born of the Spirit.
John 3:6: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (NKJV)
"One born of the flesh" refers to a person born on this earth following the lineage of Adam, the ancestor of fallen mankind. In 1 Corinthians 2:14, such a person is said to be a natural (or unspiritual) person. People born from the flesh do not have the Spirit of God, so they have no choice but to live according to the flesh and commit sins and go to hell as the price for their sins. So, God does not let us remain in that state, but by giving birth to us by the Spirit of God, so that we can become children of God and live a holy life according to the Holy Spirit, and lead us to finally enter the kingdom of heaven. So, Jesus said that we can enter the kingdom of God by being born of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, all who are born of physical parents must hear the gospel of Jesus' atoning death and resurrection and be saved by being born again from the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-6).
People wonder if they are born again or not. However, we do not need to wonder or worry about being born again. This is because we are not born spiritually through our own efforts, but we can be born spiritually when God gives birth to our spirit through the Holy Spirit. In other words, we don't have to worry about being born again, because there is absolutely no role for us to be born again, and it is entirely God's work. The only thing we need to do is to listen to the gospel and respond to that call when God calls us through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is because God uses the gospel of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ to regenerate us.
God uses the gospel of Jesus Christ to create our spirits by the Holy Spirit. God raises our dead spirits as we hear the gospel. As the result, we will have a new spirit and new heart and clean conscience (Ezekiel 36:26) and through the new heart, we receive Jesus as the savior and Lord. Thus, the salvation is entirely a gift from God.
So, now, we can know who is born again. Who is born again? Anyone who accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord had already been born again (regenerate). John 1:12-13 clearly testifies to that fact.
"As many as received Him(Jesus), to them He(God) gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His(Jesus') name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13; 1 John 5:1; 1 Corinthians 1:22; Romans 8:14-16)
When we
receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord in our hearts, we can come boldly to God by
being one body with Jesus. (We come to God in union with Jesus).
Our salvation is the unique work of the Triune God. Heavenly Father calls us to the gospel of Jesus' cross and resurrection, and when we hear that gospel, He regenerates us by the Holy Spirit and enables us to accept Jesus as our Savior, so that God makes us the children of God.
"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent
me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death
to life." (John 5:24)
The Holy Spirit guides and helps the lives and ministry of regenerated Christians. So, born-again (regenerate) Christians, as Jesus commanded, should be baptized with the Holy Spirit like the disciples of Jesus at Pentecost, their hearts filled with the Holy Spirit, and live according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8, 2:4). In order for us to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, we must recognize the necessity of baptism with the Holy Spirit and seek with whole heart until we receive it(Acts 1:13-14; Luke 11:13).
However, once we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, the filling of the Holy Spirit does not automatically continue. It is because we still have a fallen flesh, the temptations of the world, and the attacks of the devil. Therefore, we must continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and in order to do that, we must meditate on, pray, obey the Word of the God in the Bible every day, and maintain close fellowship with Jesus (Ephesians 5:18- 21). When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and remain filled with the Holy Spirit, we will receive the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), and resist Satan's temptations and attacks (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9), overcoming the desires of our flesh (old man), we are able to fulfill our duties well. In addition, with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can resemble the image of God (the image of Jesus) that Adam, the father of mankind, lost by eating the fruit of good and evil and sinning, and bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit (it is called sanctification: Philippians 2:12; Romans 12:1-2; James 1:21-22; Gal. 5:22-23) and become a witness of Jesus and expand the kingdom of God on this earth (Acts 1:8; Mt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15-18).
We will be called one day by God(It is physical death). When we receive God's call, our body will be buried in the earth, and our spirit and soul enter heaven (paradise). At the Second Coming of Jesus, the dead body reunites with the spirit and soul to be resurrected as an eternal body, and we will enter the millennial kingdom to live on this earth. And, at the end, we will enter the eternal new heaven and new earth and will live in eternal blessings.
_Page_11.jpg)
No.6
You have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ so
far, and the choice is up to you. Everyone must decide individually
whether to receive Jesus Christ(Deuteronomy 30:15-16; 2 Corinthians 6:2). Which
position are you on right now? If it's on the left, you have to receive Jesus
Christ right now.
Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at
the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in
and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
How does a person receive Jesus Christ?
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord and believe in
your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans
10:9)
"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit." (Acts 2:38)
_Page_13.jpg)
Jesus said, "If you ask anything in My
name, I will do it." (John 14:14)
Therefore, if you want to be saved from your sins and eternal punishment, pray like this (God will answer your sincere prayer).
"Dear
God, I
confess that I am a sinner and your Son Jesus died for me and was risen. I
receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins and heal my body
and give me the gift of eternal life. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!"
If you invited Jesus Christ to be your
savior, the Bible says that your sins are forgiven and now you have eternal
life:
"And this is the testimony: God has given eternal life, and this life
is in His don. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does
not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son
of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John
5:11-13)
No.8
Jesus ascended to heaven, will come back to earth, judge all people according to their behaviors, and reign directly. Until then, He will send the Holy Spirit to those who believe on Him (John 7:39). So, the next step you must do is to seek the promised Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13; Acts 1:4-5). When you receive the Holy Spirit, He will testify that you are a child of God and guide your life in Jesus (John 14:16-17; Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:16; 1 John 2:27). In the name of Jesus and by the power of the blood of Jesus, overcome the world and resist the false tricks and attacks of the devil. (John 14:12-14; 16:23-24; Ephesians 6:11; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9)
_Page_15.jpg)
From now on, by faith, obey God's Word and walk with Jesus. Do not live according to flesh, but spirit. Then you will receive God’s more blessings and reward. Follow the steps. (Matthew 16:24-28; John 14:16-21; Romans 1:17; Romans 8:1-4; Revelation 22:7, 12)
- GO to church and be baptized with water and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 16:18; John 20:22; Acts 2:38-39)
- Stop idolatry and WORSHIP God. (Hebrews 10:25; John 4:23-24)
- READ the Bible and know God's will in it and PRAY to God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 6:9-13; 7:7; Luke 11:13; John 15:7; 1 John 2:15-17)
- LOVE God and LOVE your neighbors. (Matthew 22:37-40; 1 John 3:23)
- In the name of Jesus, RESIST the devil (Satan). (Ephesians 4:27; 6:11; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9; Mark 16:17)
- When you sinned, REPENT through the blood of Jesus.
- Be filled with the Holy Spirit and be WITNESS of Jesus Christ. (Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:18; Matthew 10:1, 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; 2 Timothy 2:3-4)
_Page_16.jpg)
<Questions and
Answers about God's Salvation>
Question 1.
Because God is love, I think He will forgive our sins as long as we realize our sins and ask Him for forgiveness. But, why do Christians say that if Jesus did not die on the cross for us, and if we do not accept Jesus as our Savior, we cannot be forgiven of our sins? (Actually, Muslims don't think they need any sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sins. Are they right? They are not.)
<Answer>
1. God cannot save us by confessing our sins alone. Because God is most righteous, He cannot tolerate any sin. So, God always judges and punishes sinners. If God only forgave us without punishing our sins, God would no longer be righteous and the justice of the world could not be maintained. So, God must rule mankind and punish sinners according to the laws that God has established. God's punishment for sinners is not simple. A sinner goes to hell after his death. However, because God created us, He loves us and wants to save us who are sinners. So, how can God punish our sins and forgive us at the same time? (It seems like a dilemma to our eyes)
2. God created the first humans, Adam and Eve, but they fell by eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge. All those born as their descendants have committed various sins (ie, actual sins) because of the sin (ie, the original sin) inherited from Adam. God chose Abraham to save sinful mankind, made a covenant of blood with him, and through the prophet Moses, He established the Ten Commandments, the Law, and the sacrificial law for the children of Israel who were born as His descendants. The purpose of the law is not to make the people of Israel justified by keeping the law, but to make them aware of their sins when they do not serve God properly and do not love their neighbor as it is written in the law. Also, the purpose of enacting the sacrificial law for them is that when they commit sins without keeping the law and realize their sins, they must bring the clean sacrifice (sheep, cattle, doves, etc.) to the temple, lay their hands on the sacrifice's head to transfer their sins on it, slaughter it, and have the priest sprinkle its blood on the altar so that their lives may be saved from their sins. By the death of the sacrifice, God forgave the person who committed the sin. That is the sacrifice. We can discover God's attributes through God's law and sacrifice. What is that? The truth is that God is a God of justice and a God of love.
3. The God of justice, the God of love, wanted to save all mankind, not through the sacrifice of animals, but through the eternal sacrifice of Jesus (Please see the reason in Answer 2 to Question 2 below). Jesus, as the Son of God and as the Lamb of God prophesied in the Old Testament (John 1:29), came to this earth, became a sacrifice on the cross, and offered a sacrifice by shedding his own pure blood. As a result, He atoned for the sins of all mankind (He performed the work of the high priest) and was resurrected from the dead on the third day, breaking down the barrier between God and fallen mankind and opening the way of salvation (Jesus sacrificed Himself for the reconciliation between God and mankind). So, Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life by which we can come to God, receive the forgiveness of our sins, and be reconciled to God (John 14:6).
<Caution>: If people say they believe in God but have not received Jesus as their Savior, the Christ (Messiah), or the Son of God, it means that they do not yet believe in God the Creator and are not saved from their sins because Jesus is the only way to God.
4. Jesus is our only savior. So, we must receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord to be saved. When we realize and confess our sins, accept Jesus as our Savior and ask God for forgiveness, God, through the merits of Jesus' sacrifice, saves us from all our sins (justifies us) and makes us children of God (Galatians 3:26).
Galatians 3:26: "...You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."
5. After we are justified, what happens if we sin again?
Even though we are children of God, we are not completely free from sin but tend to sin frequently. The reason is that, as Christians, although our spirits have already been regenerated, we still have the imperfect soul (mind) and the fallen flesh. So, sometimes we sin with our mind. For example, we hate, envy, or resent people. We also sin in our body. We do not keep God's laws perfectly. We lie or commit immoral acts. So, what happens to us when we sin like that? We have problems in our fellowship with God. When we sin, God's discipline follows us (Hebrews 12:6). As a result of sin, sickness can come to our bodies, or suffering can come into our lives. If we do not repent at all, we may even face death (1 Corinthians 5:5). So, the children of God who believe in Jesus and are justified must be careful not to commit sins. It is because the devil takes advantage from us (Ephesians 4:27; John 10:10).
However, if we are already born-again Christians, our privileges as children of God will not be lost even if we are tested and suffered for our sins. In other words, we do not need to be born again. Because we are eternal children of God. The children of God already have the inheritance of heaven. However, our sins interfere with our fellowship with God. So, if we unknowingly commit a sin and realize that sin, we must repent and confess our sin to receive forgiveness from God. God is so faithful to the covenant of salvation that if we confess our sins according to the merits of the blood of Jesus, He will forgive us all our sins and make us clean.
1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
If we have been forgiven of our sins, we must live in obedience to the Word of God so that we do not commit the same sin again. For that we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. We must always work out sanctification (sanctification is a change in our thinking, so that we can live holy lives) (Phil. 2:12). Then we will receive blessings on this earth, and great rewards in the Millennial Kingdom and in the new heavens and new earth.
Question 2.
God, in the Old Testament times, when the Israelites sinned, they brought clean animals (sheep, cattle...) and offered blood sacrifices, and God forgave their sins. But, why do Christians say that without Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, they cannot be saved? Why? <Actually, Most Jews believe in the Old Testament sacrifice, but do not believe in Jesus as the Savior, who came as the Lamb of God and took away the sins of mankind. It's the contradiction.>
<Answer>
1. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to this earth in the flesh, was accused of blasphemy by the Jews and was crucified and put to death. However, Jesus was resurrected from the dead three days after his burial, and as Jesus had already foretold, He proved to all the world that He came to this earth as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. So, the Jews eventually turned out to be obvious sinners.
Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, is the very essence of God (Philippians 2:6; Hebrews 1:3). Thus, the fact that the Jews crucified Jesus proved how much the Jews did not know God correctly, how disobedient they were against God's Word, and how much they resisted God. However, we are no exception. We too have been living in disobedience without knowing the Creator God. Our sins are, in essence, the same as the Jews crucifying Jesus.
2. Then, why did God have to save us through the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God, on the cross, not the sacrifice of animals?
It was because animal sacrifices could not completely cleanse the conscience of sinners. Only the pure blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ was needed to cleanse sinner's conscience (Hebrews 9:9, 14; 10:22).
When the Israelites in the Old Testament times sinned, they brought a sacrifice and went to the temple, and the priests offered sacrifices on their behalf by sprinkling animal blood on the altar to wash away their sins. However, the problem was that even though they offered sacrifices and their sins were forgiven, they continued to commit sins. So, they had to offer sacrifices over and over again. However, the purpose of God's institution of sacrifice system was not simply to forgive their sins. The purpose of the sacrifice was to transform those who have been forgiven of their sins. However, their sacrifices did not bring such an effect. They did not live according to God's will, but still repeated their sins. So, they had to come to the temple to offer another animal sacrifices in order to be forgiven for their sins, and countless innocent animals were continuously killed. What does it mean? It means that there is a limit to the function of the animal sacrifice (a sin offering). It, on the one hand, shows how much people's hearts were hard and how arrogant they were. So, the writer of Hebrews testifies that "the sacrifice of a clean animal cannot make sinner's conscience perfect." (Hebrews 10:1, 4; Hebrews 9:9).
Hebrews 10:1, 4... "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming - not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship..... (4) It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."
Hebrews 9:9… "This (the sacrificial offering in the tabernacle) is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper."
3. So, God has prepared a greater grace to solve their problems. He sent Jesus, the Son of God, to this earth. Jesus borrowed the body of the virgin Mary and came to this earth in a physical body (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:35). When Jesus grew up, He preached the word of God, declared that He was the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ), performed God's miracles, forgave sinners, and did only good deeds (He committed no sin at all). However, the Jews arrested Jesus for blasphemy and crucified him to death. However, it was Jesus' sacrifice for sinners. The high priest Jesus did not offer sacrifices of animals, but offered eternal sacrifices once and for all with His own body. He offered eternal atonement with one sacrifice to save sinners from spiritual death (this is physical death and eternal torment in hell after resurrection).
Hebrews 9:11-12… "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. (12) Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."
So, Jews and Gentiles no longer have to offer animal sacrifices. By resurrecting Jesus from the dead, God declared to all nations that Jesus was the Christ sent to this earth as the Son and Savior of God. God made Jesus the Savior and Lord of all of us. It is because Jesus paid for all our sins on the cross. The incident of Jesus' crucifixion and death revealed to the world how much mankind has been living against God on a daily basis and how much graciously God tried to save sinners.
Isaiah 53:5-6... "He (Jesus Christ) was pierced for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. (6) We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Acts 5:30-31…."The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree, and exalted Him to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins."
4. The purpose of God stopping the sacrifice of clean animals and allowing the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus is so that God can regenerate our spirit and revive our dead conscience. As a result, we fully realize our sins, repent, and accept Jesus as our Savior, so that all our sins are forgiven and our broken relationship with God is restored. After we are saved and become children of God, we can be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, and we can be led by the Holy Spirit, overcome the lusts of the flesh, and live by doing the will of God (Hebrews 10:22).
Through the crucifixion of Jesus, we can see how great and wonderful God's grace and love are. God saves us from the punishment of hell through the salvation of Jesus on the cross so that we may be transformed into the holy image of God and live holy lives. So, those who believe in Jesus Christ and become children of God must be baptized with the Holy Spirit, continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit, have intimate fellowship with God daily, be transformed into the image of God, and obey God's Word.
Titus 2:14... "He (Jesus Christ) gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."
Only through the merits of the blood of Jesus we can be saved and become children of God. Our salvation came only through the sacrifice of Jesus. We have no merit whatsoever. Jesus gave us all of his life. We have all of Jesus. As such, God loves us all completely. So, we must accept Jesus as our Savior. And, we must give our all to Him. God wants us to live that way.
Question 3.
When we ask Catholics if they have the assurance of salvation (the assurance of being saved and entering the kingdom of heaven), we find that the majority of them do not have the assurance of salvation. Even though they say they have accepted Jesus as their Savior, why are they not convinced of their salvation?
<Answer>
The fundamental reason is that they think that they cannot be justified by their faith alone. They think that they can enter the kingdom of heaven not only by believing in Jesus, but also doing good deeds. The reason they think like that is that they do not think of God's salvation spiritually according to the Bible, but according to their imperfect reason. They deny the very doctrine of salvation by faith alone because they believe that justification by faith alone has nothing to do with doing good works. However, being justified by faith alone is closely related to doing good. Those justified by faith cannot intentionally do evil, but are destined to do good. We who have been saved by believing in Jesus alone know the reason why Jesus Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross. His purpose is that we might die to sin and live to righteousness through faith (1 Peter 2: 24).
We can summarize three reasons why God calls us righteous when we believe in Jesus with our hearts. (1) This is because Jesus paid the full price for our sins by shed His pure blood on the cross (Romans 8:1-2). (2) Because no one can be justified by works (Galatians 2:16). (3) Our faith is obtained as a result of our spirit being born again by the Holy Spirit of God, and those who believe become children of God (John 1:12; 1 John 5:1). All of God's children inherit Heaven, the home of God's Father.
We must know the truth. God only gives salvation to those who accept Jesus Christ. In other words, salvation is God's exclusive gift to the believer:
Ephesians 2:8: “By grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
<<If we properly understand God's way of salvation, we must say that we can be saved when we believe in Jesus alone. No one will ever say: "You cannot be saved when you believe in Jesus alone, but you must believe in Him and do good works to be saved.">>
Please understand God's way of salvation through the following.
1. The history of God's creation and the fall of mankind
God made the body of the first man, Adam, out of dust, and then breathed the breath of life (God's Spirit: Holy Spirit) into his nostrils, so that he took on the image of God, became a living soul, could recognize God as God, and had fellowship with God (Genesis 2:7). Adam's soul was created when the Spirit of God entered his physical body, and had the functions of thoughts, emotions, and will. The physical body was made up of flesh, blood and bones. Likewise, man was made of spirit, soul, and body (Genesis 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
<The structure of human: Spirit, Soul, and Body>
.jpg)
Eve, the wife of the first man, Adam, was also created in the image of God. However, God used the rib of her husband, Adam, to create her body. It indicates that her husband and wife are one flesh with each other. God allowed Adam and Eve to eat all the plants in the Garden of Eden, but only forbidden the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, and blessed them so that they could be fruitful and multiply and rule over all the living things of the land.
However, Eve was deceived by the lies of Satan (the devil) and took the fruit that God had forbidden and gave it to her husband, so they sinned and broke God's justice. Sin is a violation of God's Word and holy will. According to the word of God, the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) left Adam and Eve. They experienced spiritual death. Through them, sin entered this world, and all mankind, their descendants, inherited Adam's sin and did not have the Spirit of God. That sin is called original sin. So, everyone is born a sinner and commits sins. This is the history of God's creation of man and the fall of man.
2. Scope of God's Punishment for Sinners
We have always lived our
lives our way, our stubbornness, our own way. We have been under the control of
the devil and have lived as slaves to him (Ephesians 2:2). Because we did not
know the God who created us, we disregarded God's sovereignty, God's law, and
God's order and good will, and we have lived only for ourselves and according
to our will. So, in this world, God's order is disturbed and sin abounds. The
Creator God is so righteous that our sins must be paid for. The wages God
ordained for sin is death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23).
So, all humans, without
exception, die for our transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1, 5). Death refers
to physical death and spiritual death (Genesis 2:17). Our body will die
someday. However, although our body dies, our spirit and soul are not destroyed
(death of the body is the departure of the spirit and the soul from the body:
Matthew 27:50; Luke 23:46; Acts 7: 59; Gen 35:18; Rev 6:9). No matter how much
we pay for our sins and die on this earth, our spirit and soul will not
disappear. When our body dies, our spirit and soul enter the Hade. However, our
dead body, united with spirit and soul, will be resurrected as an eternally
incorruptible body, receive God's final judgment, and will suffer eternally in
the lake of fire of hell. That judgment will be made by Jesus Christ, who will
return.
So, there is a first death and a second death in the death of the sinner (the wicked). The first death is the death of the body. It means that breathing ceases, spirit and soul leave the body, and the body dies and is buried. The second death refers to the body resurrected from the dead, receiving God's final judgment and going to hell and suffer eternally (Mark 9:43-48; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10-15; 21: 8). Hell is a place of eternal torment, separated from God, and is a place of punishment originally prepared for Satan, but those who do not accept Jesus and follow Satan will also go to hell as the price for their sins.
Every person, sinner or righteous, without exception, experiences the first death. However, a person whose sins are forgiven (the righteous) by accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior on this earth will spend a thousand-year kingdom on this earth after their body is resurrected, after which they will enter heaven and enjoy his eternal life. So, they are saved from the second death, Hell.
3. God's way of salvation:
"God justifies us and makes us children when we accept Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord!!"
As mentioned earlier, all
people after Adam, the ancestor of mankind, are born with a sinful nature.
There are two elements in sinful nature.
The first is guilt. When we sin, we are bound to feel guilty because of God's justice and God's law. That guilt makes us sinners. The penalty for that sin is death. However, because God loved us, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to save us from the punishment of hell, and He had Jesus to be nailed to the cross of Calvary and sacrificed by the shedding of precious blood. It is to set us free from all our guilt. So, if we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our Savior, God acknowledges us as righteous and makes us His children (Justification: past tense). That's a sure reason why we can be saved only by faith.
The second is corruption. We inherited Adam's sin from birth. There is no perfect goodness in us, but an evil character exists. It means that no matter how hard we try, no matter how much we train, we cannot achieve perfectly good works. That is why our spirit must be born again to new life. So, God proclaims the gospel of Jesus and calls us to regenerate our dead spirits through the Holy Spirit when we hear the gospel. When we are born again (to have new spiritual life) our dead conscience is revived, so that we repent and receive Jesus as our Savior and begin to live as Christians. However, at that stage, we are still immature personally, so God baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, we are filled with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, and we are given the power of the Holy Spirit. So, while we live on this earth, we can overcome sin and live a holy life through the sanctification of our souls (Sanctification: present continuous). And after we die on this earth, when Jesus returns, our bodies will be resurrected, and our souls will experience complete sanctification. A complete sanctification refers to a glorification. Glorification is a state in which our bodies are completely free from the existence of sin (Glorification: future tense).
Thus,
the logical sequence of the process of salvation is as follows:
(1)
God calls us by proclaiming to us the gospel of Jesus Christ through His
servants.
(2)
When we hear the gospel, God regenerates our spirits by the power of his Holy
Spirit. (Thus, we must listen to the gospel very carefully.)
(3)
When our conscience is restored, we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as
our Savior and Lord, God saves us sinners and gives us eternal life (John
5:24).
Man is composed of a spirit, a soul, and a physical body (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12). However, the real man is a spirit, not a soul and a body. It is because God is SPIRIT (John 4:24), and God has given the Spirit of God to man and communicates with our spirit (John 4:24; Romans 8:16; Galatians 4:6). In the beginning, when God created the first man, Adam, He made his physical body out of dust and breathed into his nostrils the Holy Spirit, so that he became a living soul(Genesis 2:7). However, due to the fall of Adam, all who are born in his lineage are born with a dead spirit so that the spirit is separated from God(Ephesians 2:1), and the soul becomes polluted and corrupted and experiences mental pain (anxiety, fear, worry, anxiety, doubt, anguish, despair) (Psalm 90:10), and the physical body get weaken, sick, and eventually die (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8). So, when God saves a person, He saves both spirit, soul, and body (but without the salvation of the spirit, the soul and body can never be saved). So, salvation will be completed in three stages: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification.
1) Justification:
Restoration of sinner's relationship with God happens through our repentance of
sins and faith in Jesus Christ. God grants us justification
through Jesus' blood, a once-for-all when we believe in Christ. Justification is the salvation of our spirit because our dead spirit is born again or regenerate and have new heart and clean conscience as children of God through the Holy Spirit. We had been changed from sinner to righteous one in a legal sense. We are justified (or
freed) from an obligation to suffer death for our crime by the work of Christ. It is a removal of guilt and condemnation and a right to
life. We were separated from the penalty for our sins. We are
declared as an innocent person (Galatians 2:16; 3:11; 5:4; Romans 3:28;
4:3; 4:25; 5:1; 5:18; 9:30; Acts 13:39; 1 Corinthians 6:11). The
one justified is assured of the completion of his salvation (John
10:28-29; Romans 8:30).
(Requirement: All believers enter into
this state when they are born of God. Sinner's spirit should be
regenerated or born again. Regeneration is
the inward working of the Spirit which induces the sinner to respond to God's
calling. God is convincing of our sin and misery, enlightening our
minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills to persuade and enable
us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us.)
We are justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:28 “Therefore we
conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”
The Apostle Paul, in Romans 3:25-26, says that in the midst of
long-suffering with sinners, God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to
be the propitiation sacrifice with his pure blood, in order to show his
righteousness. And, at the same time, it was to justify those who believe in
Jesus. So, we are forgiven of our sins and justified only by believing in Jesus
(in our hearts). Because no one can be justified by works.
<<However, Catholics and other religious people and heretics raise objections as follows>>: “If we are justified by faith alone, does that mean that we are free to do anything?” “For example, does it mean that there is no problem in our salvation even if we lie, steal, or even murder?” How could that make sense?
Why would they raise such objections? Because they deny that we
are justified by faith. They speak so ignorantly because they do not know what
kind of life is destined for those justified by faith. That is, they say it
because they do not know that those who are justified by faith cannot
intentionally live the life of the wicked.
God saves (justifies) us through faith alone. The reason is that
we can never be justified by our works (Galatians 2:16).
Galatians 2:16..."And we know that
a man is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ;
so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, for we are justified not by works of
the law, but by faith in Christ. that by the works of the law there is no flesh
to be justified.”
However, we must not misunderstand that when God justifies us by
faith, not by our works, it is by no means intended that we will not be judged
no matter what evil life we lead. Rather, it is for us to live a righteous
life (Ephesians 2:10).
Ephesians 2:8-10...
"For by his (God's) grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (10) For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we
should walk in them."
Those who have been justified by faith (Christians, children of
God) must live by faith alone. We must live only according to God's will, not
our own will. We must firmly believe that we have already died to sin with
Jesus and lived only with God to God, and we must reject Satan's control of our
thoughts, feelings, and wills. And, only according to the word of the Lord, we
must present our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness (Romans
6:11-13). That is how we live by true faith.
2) Sanctification:
Sanctification is the salvation of our soul. Our corrupt (polluted and perverted) souls are constantly being sanctified (our minds are being holy). There are two aspects of sanctification:
(1) Positional Sanctification: Believers are referred to as already sanctified (1
Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:10; Ephesians 5:26; Romans 6:11).
(2) Progressive Sanctification: The continuous operation of the Holy
Spirit, by which he delivers the justified sinner from the pollution of sin,
renews his soul(mind) in the image of God, and empowers him to perform good
works.
While we are justified from every sin by the blood of Christ, we know that we
still sin (1 John 1:10). That’s why we need a practical
experience of our separation (or holiness) unto God (1 Peter
1:15). When we sin again, we must repent our sin for forgiveness and live
by faith in Christ. God guides us to maturity, a practical
holiness. Sanctification is the effect of obedience to the Word of God in
one’s life (John 17:17). It is the spiritual growth in the Lord (2
Peter 3:18) or spiritual maturity (Ephesians 1:4; 5:27; Colossians
1:22; 1 Peter 1:15-16).
Sanctification is a change of character(mind) by the
work of the Spirit within us. We
are sanctified little by little, every day through our faith and obedience
to Jesus so that we can be separated from the power of sin. God
makes us become like Christ, and He continues it (Philippians
1:6). God changes the saved people (souls) through the Holy Spirit to be
holy like Him so that they can live according to God's will in this
world.
Romans 7:22-25: “From groaning to thanksgiving.”
: (22) “I delight in the law of God according to the inner man, (23) but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captive to the law of sin which is in my members. (24) O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (25) I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
The apostle Paul enjoyed the law of God in his heart
(inner man: refers to spirit and soul), but his body followed the law of sin
(the power of sin in his flesh, that is his corrupted body). When he saw that
he was being led to sin, he groaned deeply and despaired for his condemnation and
was seeking who could rescue his body from death. But graciously, he found out
the solution in our Lord Jesus Christ and thanked God. How could he overcome
the problem of sin in his flesh? Romans 8:1-4 testifies the answer.
Romans 8:1-4 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…., (2) for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death (3) for God has done what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to deal with sin: He(God) condemned sin in the flesh (4) that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
From the words of the Apostle Paul, we can discover
two things. First, he had the assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ, and
second, he could not only enjoy the law of God with his heart, but also live
according to the will of God with his body. How amazing is that? What could
have caused him to achieve such an amazing result?? It is because he fully
believed in Jesus Christ and tried to live by that faith.
Since we have already received Jesus Christ as our
Savior and became children of God, we have been living in sin. Because of such
a problem, we even wondered whether or not we are saved. But we didn’t realize that
there is nothing good in our flesh so that we have made decisions by the flesh.
The spirit of a person who believes in Jesus and is
saved can never sin again. It is because the Holy Spirit is united with our
regenerated spirit, and the Spirit keeps our spirit from the evil one (1 John
5:18; 3:6, 9). Therefore, as Christians, when we sin, we sin with our soul and
our physical body. The reason is because our soul (mind) is still immature like
a child and not fully sanctified and there is sin in the flesh (Sinful body).
So, we should no longer follow the flesh, but we must believe that we died to our flesh when our Lord Jesus Christ atoned for our sinful body through shedding His innocent blood. And also, we must live to the word of God by the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-4). Only then we can accomplish God's purpose of salvation(: Sanctification)
3) Glorification:
Glorification is the salvation of our mortal bodies through resurrection. Our mortal physical bodies will be resurrected
after death, and we will experience glorification. Resurrection of the dead (bodies) will happen when Jesus comes back to this
world. God will give us glorification, a permanent, ultimate holiness. It
means the completion and final redemption of the whole person. The people of
God will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29; 1 John
3:2; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). We will be separated
from the presence of sin. Heaven is the destination for those who have
been saved.
<Question> Why do people still say that we cannot be saved only by believing, but only by doing good works and sanctification with faith? Why do they have such a wrong idea? The reason is that they still do not properly understand the truth of salvation.
In John 8:11, Jesus forgave the woman who had committed adultery, telling her not to sin again. The reason Jesus forgives our sins is so that we can live holy lives without sinning again. However, we need to know. Even if we confess our sins and receive Jesus as our Savior and are justified, there is no guarantee that we will not sin again. Because just because we are born again by the Holy Spirit and become a new person, the old self does not disappear from within us. The old self still exists in us (Romans 6:1-14). In other words, the old man and the new man exist at the same time in us who have been saved. That means, within us, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit exist at the same time. So, if we follow the lust of the flesh and not the lust of the Spirit, we will sin. Conversely, if we live according to the Spirit rather than according to the lusts of the flesh, we can accomplish God's will without sinning. So, sin is not automatically stopped. This is possible only when we destroy the old man and follow the new man. That is why we must be baptized with the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will live with Jesus alone as our Lord, instead of following our flesh. For, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we become convinced that our old self was already crucified with Jesus and rose again with Jesus, and we will live for the righteousness of God (Gal. 2:20).
However, looking at the following words, the question may not disappear and may still remain.
1 John 3:9: "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for the seed of God remains in him, and he cannot sin because he has been born born of God."
1 John 5:18: "We know that all whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him."
The above scriptures seem to say that those who are saved (those who have believed in Jesus and are born again) never sin. However, it is not. The verb in above sentence is present tense. Present tense verbs express an action that is currently in progress or is occurring. Therefore, the above statement means that those who have been saved, that is, those who are born again from God, do not habitually and repeatedly commit sins. Because with God's protection and help, they can overcome sin by living according to the desires of the Holy Spirit. But, on the contrary, what if people do not follow the Spirit, but the flesh? People will sin. That means that even those who accept Jesus are never excluded from the possibility of sinning. Because the fallen sinful nature still remains in them.
Then, how should we interpret the words of 1 John 3:9 and 1 John 5:18, “He who is born of God does not sin”? We don't have to worry. Why? Because it is saying that our spirit, not our soul and body, does not sin. So even if we are disciplined for our sinning in mind and body, if we are Christians, we will still enter the kingdom of heaven. It is because we are still children of God. However, when we sin in mind or body, God's discipline will follow us. So, we must do our best not to sin. And, when we sin, as soon as we realize our sin, we must immediately repent and be forgiven.
However,
people still worry that if they sin again, they might lose their salvation.
Such concerns and doubts are further fueled by those who claim this: "How
can you be saved even if you still sin just because you believe in Jesus? It is
not reasonable. You must believe in Jesus and must do good works to be saved.
You must prove that you are sanctified." At first glance, it seems to make
sense. However, such a statement is tricky. Why? It is because Christians are
children of God who have already been born again by the Holy Spirit. The Bible
testifies:
"By
grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it
is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
“… A
man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even
we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we
might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law;
for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians
2:16)
Christians
are no longer under the condemnation of the law, but only in the grace of God.
Because Jesus Christ set us free from the law of death by dying on the cross,
shed His pure blood, and resurrected (Romans 8:1-2).
God
truly hates our sins and must punish sinners. Thus, God condemned our sins and
saved us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross made us His children. God
never wants us to sin again, so He commanded us to live a holy life, fulfilling
the requirements of the law, by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. So,
we must understand the process of sanctification more deeply. Sanctification
refers to the transformation of our Christian minds and lives to be holy (It is
progressive). Sanctification does not happen overnight because sinful nature
still remains in us. We sin unintentionally. However, God never ignores us when
we sin. We may experience discipline by God because God is just and in control
of everything. However, the discipline is an expression of God's love and a
tool that makes us holy. Through that process, we will realize our own sins and
repent. If we repent thoroughly of our own sins and again rely on the merits of
Jesus Christ and ask God for forgiveness, God will forgive us and we can go
back to holy life.
So,
the Bible testifies: 1 John 1:8-9: "If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; (9) if we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just and to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
So,
we need to know that our sanctification as well as justification will be done
by faith, not by our good works. God only saves those who believe in Jesus
Christ. For our sanctification, we must believe that we have already died on the cross with Jesus
for our sins, and have been made alive only for righteousness through our
resurrection with the Lord (Galatians 2:20). We must no longer follow
the desires of the flesh, but live according to the desires of the Holy Spirit.
What is needed for the filling of the Holy Spirit in us? Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5:18-21..."Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns,
and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always
giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
So far, we have looked at the question: "Why are
we saved (justified) through faith alone, and not through faith and good works?
Salvation can only be obtained through faith. Our good works are the result that
we can get when we repent of our sins and follow the Lord. So, we must always
live by faith (Romans 1:17). Faith in Jesus is the power of our life. So, we
always trust in God. We must worship God and give praise and thanks and honor
to Him, and obey His word with joy.
<Conclusion>
God saves all who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and
Lord. Those who believe in Jesus become children of God, are saved from the
punishment of sin and death, and inherit the kingdom of heaven (John 1:12).
Even though we die physically on this earth, our spirits and souls go to
paradise (Luke 23:43; Acts 2:27; Psalm 16:10; Revelation 6:9; Ecclesiastes
12:7; Matthew 27:50). And, at the time of the resurrection when Jesus comes
again, our spirit and soul are reunited with the resurrected body to be
transformed into an eternal body (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), and after living on
this earth for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4), we will enter the kingdom of
heaven (the new heavens and the new earth) and enjoy a blessed life with Jesus
forever (Rev 21:1-4). How amazing and grateful it is!!
We must realize how great and wonderful God's grace
and love are for us and how great and beautiful God's salvation is, and we must
praise God.
I sincerely hope that all of you will respond with joy
to the wonderful grace of God who loves you so much and invites you without any
conditions to save you from the punishment of eternal death.
References:
If you try to read the following articles on
your smartphone or tablet or computer, please click on it.
1. "BRIDGE TO GOD" Presentation :
: in Greek (Ελληνικά), Hebrew (עִברִית), German (Deutsch), Turkish (Türkçe), Russian (Русский), French (Français), Portuguese (Português), Italian (Italiana), Arabic (عربي), Japanese (日本語), Chinese (中文), Spanish (Española), English (영어), and Korean (한글: 생명의 다리):
Click on the web address below and read the tract in your language: 아래의 웹사이트를 클릭하여 당신의 언어로 전도지를 읽으십시오:
https://bedfordparkch.blogspot.com/
2. Subject: "The Fall of Mankind and the Application of God's Salvation." Please click below link to read.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19U5aTILBtgq2c7eoLUmKnr9zFwBY2ggN/view?usp=sharing
3. Notes for each presentation of God's salvation (#1~#8): This material is the biblical basis for the eight presentations above. Please click below link to read.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HTqtcyI85sjrAVClWvUJQ8rgDXE-Loew/view?usp=sharing
4. The following is a web blog
written in Korean. This blog has 11 TOPIC articles on salvation, including a "Bridge to God"
presentation. Please refer.
다음은 한글로 작성된 웹블로그입니다. 이 블로그는 "Bridge
to God" 프리젠테이션을 포함하여, 구원에 관한 11가지 TOPIC의 글이 있습니다. 참조하시기 바랍니다.
: Http://blessednews.blogspot.com
or
: Http://m.blog.naver.com/yjp292000
<Note>:
This web page contains eight articles with the following headings.
You can open any article by directly clicking on the website under each heading.
7. The Faith and Life of the Christian:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2022/06/7-faith-and-life-of-christian.html
6. When is the End Times?:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-is-going-on-in-this-crazy-world.html
5. How Can We Obey God's Will?:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-kinds-of-spiritual-journey-do-most.html
4. Why Does Evil Exist?:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2012/12/why-doesnt-god-protect-us-from-evil.html
3. Do All Religions Lead to God and Salvation?(Attached: Religions and Christianity):
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2012/12/3-why-are-there-so-many-religions.html
2. How Can We Know That God Really Exist?:
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_2910.html
1. Why Should We Believe in Jesus Christ?: (This is in this page)
https://eternallifeforyou.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post.html
_Page_01.jpg)
.jpeg)
Comments
Post a Comment