God Gave The Righteousness Of Faith Before The Law
Which one is easier to follow, faith or law? Faith.
The apostle Paul said that God gave us the righteousness of faith from the beginning. He gave it to Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Seth and Enoch,Noah, Abraham, Isaac and finally to Jacob and his twelve sons. Even without the Law, they became righteous before God through the righteousness that came from the faith in His Word. They were blessed and given rest through the faith in His Word.
Time passed and Jacob's descendants lives in Egypt as slaves for 400 years because of Joseph. Then, God led them out through Moses into the Land of Canaan. However, during the 400 years of slavery, they had forgotten the righteousness of faith.
So, God let them cross the Red Sea through His miracles and led them into the wilderness. When they reached the wilderness of Sin, He gave them the Law at mount Sinai. God gave Moses the Law which contained the Ten Commandments and the Law of Sacrificial System. He gave the Law so that they would have the knowledge of sin Romans 3:20 20 For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [ not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character].
All the people of Israel who had been enslaved in Egypt crossed the Red Sea. They had never met the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. While they were living as slaves in Egypt, they have forgotten the righteousness of God. Therefore, they needed to find their God again and meet Him because they had forgotten His righteousness. We have to bear in mind that God gave them the righteousness of Faith first and then gave them the Law, after they had forgotten the faith.
His purpose in calling them is to let them know that He had existed by establishing the Law and secondly, to let them know that they were sinners before Him. God wanted them to come before Him and become His people by being redeemed through the sacrificial system that He had given them through Moses. The people of Israel were redeemed through the sacrificial system of the Law by believing in the Messiah Who was to come.
Aaron Laid His Hands On The Scapegoat
The righteousness of God was demonstrated when all the sins of this world were expiated through the faith in the ordination of the Old Testament and the baptism of the New Testament. In the Old Testament, all the yearly sins of Israel were atoned through the High Priest, who laid his hands on the head of a live goat without any blemishes. Leviticus 16:21-22 21 Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. 22 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
This is how they were atoned in the days of the Old Testament. To be redeemed from daily sins, one brought a lamb or a goat without blemishes to the tabernacle and offered it at the altar. He put his hands on the head of the offering and then his sins were passed on to the sacrifice. Then, the sacrifice was killed and the priest put his blood on the horns of the altar. There were horns on the four corners of the altar. These horns symbolizes the Books of Works written in Revelation 20:12.12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sacrifice's remaining blood was sprinkled on the ground too. The ground represented the heart of man because man was created from dust.
To Redeem Us All
What's the meaning of Jesus? The saviour Who will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:20-22 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His nameJesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Our Father in Heaven borrowed the Virgin Mary's body to send His Son to this world to wash away all the sins of the world. Then how did Jesus save all of us from sin? The way Jesus took away all the sins of the world was through His baptism at he Jordan River. When John the Baptist baptized Him, all the sins of the world were passed on to Him. Matthew 3:13-17. Thus, it was fitting to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River and right at that moment according to the scriptures, all the righteousness of God that redeemed our sins were fulfilled. We must believe in the redemption of Jesus provided through His baptism, death and ressurection which contains the righteousness of faith to be saved by grace.
God had first promised Israel that all the sins of the world will be washed away with the laying on of hands and the sacrifice of sin offering. However, as it was impossible for everyone to lay hands on the head of goat individually, God consecrated Aaron to be the high priest so that he could offer the sacrifice for all people. In the same way, God raise John the Baptist form the Aaronic household who could lay his hands on the head of Jesus and pass on all the sins of the world on to Him. John the Baptist represented all human kind before Jesus Matthew 11:11 11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
This is what happened when He was baptized. The gates of Heaven opened up when He was baptized by John the Baptist and took away all the sins of the world. Matthew 3:13-14, Matthew 11:12.
Saturday 22 March 2014
Tuesday 18 March 2014
Elevation- Sinner to righteous
Since we all are fallen descendant of Adam, all of us are fundamentally born with sinful heart and minds. Then, how can we be elevated to become righteous even if we don't actually commit sins? We can never be righteous before God by ourselves. If we claim to be righteous, it is hypocrisy. Human beings are born as sinners and they sin before God throughout all their lives.
Then, what shall we do to inherit the Kingdom of God that belongs only to those who are righteous? We must ask for God's pity and depend on Him to be saved from our sins in accordance to Titus 3:3-5. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Only those who accept God's word admit that they are indeed sinners. They also know that to become righteous is only through faith in the Gospel of the water, blood and resurrection which contains God's Righteousness. A believer in this beautiful Gospel knows that ignoring and laying aside God's word without recognizing it is the most serious sin. Those who accept God's word are righteous even though they were sinner at one time. We are saved by Grace through faith in the ever living Word of God spoken and fulfilled by Jesus.
Those Who Try To Be Righteous Through Their Works Are Still Sinners
Who are still sinners even after believing Jesus? Those who try to be elevated to become righteous through their works. Galatians 3:10-11 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith. It simply means that those who think they believe in Jesus, yet try to be justified by their works to become righteous are cursed.
Why did God give us the Law? He gave us the Law so that we may realise our sins. Romans 3:20. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. He also wanted us to know that we are complete sinners who believe in the baptism of Jesus and the death on the cross can remitted from all sins and be born again to become righteous children of God.
Elevation to become righteous
What is the most arrogant sin in the world? To try to live by the Law. We are blessed by having faith in the absolute finished work of Christ who came by the water, blood and Spirit. God saves those who have faith in His word. Unfortunately today, among believers, there are many Christians who try to live by the Law. It is commendable that they try to live by Law, but it is an impossible act that cannot be done by the fallen nature. The more we try, the harder it becomes. God's Word says "faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God." We need to cast off our arrogance in order to be saved by Grace through Faith.
Now, what do we have to do to be saved and become righteous? We must give up our standards and fleshly thoughts arising from our carnal fallen nature. There are many who have not yet been saved and elevated to become righteous to enter God's Kingdom because they cannot give up their wrong beliefs and efforts. Those who believe that they may gradually become righteous by trying to live up to the Law after believing in Jesus are cursed. They are unbelieving believers in Christ but they still think they have to live according to the Law to be saved.
Dear friends, can we become righteous through our works? No!, we can become righteous only by believing in the Word of Jesus and to be elevated from sinner to righteous. Only by having Faith in the baptism of Jesus, his blood and His Godhead. This is the way God has prepared the law of Faith for us to become righteous. The redemption of the water and the Spirit does not lie in the works of people but in the faith in the Word of God. God delivered us through faith and that is how God planned and completed our salvation.
Why were those who believed in Jesus not redeemed and made righteous? They did not accept the Word of the the redemption of the Water and the Spirit just like in the days of Noah. However, we, who are as imperfect as they are, have been redeemed and made righteous through our Faith in the Word of God. If two people were to work on a grindstone, the one left behind will keep on working even after the other person is taken up. The one who is left behind represents one who has not been redeemed and made righteous. Why was one taken and the other left behind? The reason is because one listened and believe the Gospel Truth of water and Spirit while the other worked hard to keep the Law and was eventually cast down to hell. Those who are not yet born again and made righteous by Grace through faith need to cast off their stubbornness and admit that they are grave sinners before God.
Then, what shall we do to inherit the Kingdom of God that belongs only to those who are righteous? We must ask for God's pity and depend on Him to be saved from our sins in accordance to Titus 3:3-5. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Only those who accept God's word admit that they are indeed sinners. They also know that to become righteous is only through faith in the Gospel of the water, blood and resurrection which contains God's Righteousness. A believer in this beautiful Gospel knows that ignoring and laying aside God's word without recognizing it is the most serious sin. Those who accept God's word are righteous even though they were sinner at one time. We are saved by Grace through faith in the ever living Word of God spoken and fulfilled by Jesus.
Those Who Try To Be Righteous Through Their Works Are Still Sinners
Who are still sinners even after believing Jesus? Those who try to be elevated to become righteous through their works. Galatians 3:10-11 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith. It simply means that those who think they believe in Jesus, yet try to be justified by their works to become righteous are cursed.
Why did God give us the Law? He gave us the Law so that we may realise our sins. Romans 3:20. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. He also wanted us to know that we are complete sinners who believe in the baptism of Jesus and the death on the cross can remitted from all sins and be born again to become righteous children of God.
Elevation to become righteous
What is the most arrogant sin in the world? To try to live by the Law. We are blessed by having faith in the absolute finished work of Christ who came by the water, blood and Spirit. God saves those who have faith in His word. Unfortunately today, among believers, there are many Christians who try to live by the Law. It is commendable that they try to live by Law, but it is an impossible act that cannot be done by the fallen nature. The more we try, the harder it becomes. God's Word says "faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God." We need to cast off our arrogance in order to be saved by Grace through Faith.
Now, what do we have to do to be saved and become righteous? We must give up our standards and fleshly thoughts arising from our carnal fallen nature. There are many who have not yet been saved and elevated to become righteous to enter God's Kingdom because they cannot give up their wrong beliefs and efforts. Those who believe that they may gradually become righteous by trying to live up to the Law after believing in Jesus are cursed. They are unbelieving believers in Christ but they still think they have to live according to the Law to be saved.
Dear friends, can we become righteous through our works? No!, we can become righteous only by believing in the Word of Jesus and to be elevated from sinner to righteous. Only by having Faith in the baptism of Jesus, his blood and His Godhead. This is the way God has prepared the law of Faith for us to become righteous. The redemption of the water and the Spirit does not lie in the works of people but in the faith in the Word of God. God delivered us through faith and that is how God planned and completed our salvation.
Why were those who believed in Jesus not redeemed and made righteous? They did not accept the Word of the the redemption of the Water and the Spirit just like in the days of Noah. However, we, who are as imperfect as they are, have been redeemed and made righteous through our Faith in the Word of God. If two people were to work on a grindstone, the one left behind will keep on working even after the other person is taken up. The one who is left behind represents one who has not been redeemed and made righteous. Why was one taken and the other left behind? The reason is because one listened and believe the Gospel Truth of water and Spirit while the other worked hard to keep the Law and was eventually cast down to hell. Those who are not yet born again and made righteous by Grace through faith need to cast off their stubbornness and admit that they are grave sinners before God.
Thursday 13 March 2014
Realization- Born Sinner
People are confused and lived under their own illusions
First of all, I would like to ask you a question. How do you see yourself? Do you think you are good or bad? What do u think?
All people live under their own illusions. You may not be as bad as you think, nor quiet as good as you think.
Who, then, do you think will lead a better life of faith? Will it be one who thinks of himself/herself as good or one who thinks of himself/herself as bad? Let me ask you another question. Who is more likely to be redeemed, the one who has committed more sins or the one who has committed few sins?
The one who admits that he/she has committed countless sins is more likely to be redeemed because the person accepts that he/she is born as a sinner. Such a person can better accept the Word of redemption prepared by Jesus.
Who are human beings? A human beings is only "a seed of evil doer" inherited from the fallen Adamic nature. In Isaiah 59, it states that there are all kinds of iniquities in the hearts of people. Jesus further validates this truth in Mark 7:20-23. If we honestly look at ourselves, it is clearly obvious that we are fundamentally born as evil beings. Those who are honest with themselves must arrive at this very same conclusion. True spiritual faith in Christ only begins after this sober realization of oneself.
However, it seems that most people refuse to admit and confess before God their inherent sinful nature. What about you? Many live their entire lives not considering themselves as sinners and are unable to meet the true Saviour. However, God given conscience provides a sense of guilt and today many sinners hide themselves behind our vile culture just like Adam and Eve who hide themselves among the trees.
People are deceived by their own illusions. They think themselves to be more virtuous than others. So, when they hear about some bad news they cry out in rage, "how can a person do such things?", "how can a man do that?", "how can a son do that to his own parents?" They themselves believe that they would not do such things
Dear friends, it is so hard for you to know yourselves. In order to truly know ourselves, we must first receive the remission of sins through the Gospel Truth of the water and Spirit wherein contains the Righteousness Of God. There are so many people in this world who do not know their true natures. They have deceived themselves and end up living their lives completely wrapped up in their own deceptions. They do not understand that they are throwing themselves into hell because of their self deception.
God Did Not Redeem Those Who Have "a bit of sin"
God only deliver those who know and admit themselves to be masses of sin, a brood of evildoers according to the Word Of God and not according to their fleshly thoughts.
We must realize that we are born as sinners and our hearts were never become sinless, no matter how much we try to remove it. This is because, we commit sins throughout our lives. We can only become sinless and Righteous by believing the Word Of God that has perfectly saved us by the water, blood and Spirit.
When someone does not realize that he/she is indeed a born sinner, he/she will continue to hide his/her sinful nature. How long do you think this will go on? It goes on until the day the person dies. People act sinfully until their dying days. This is why we have to believe in Jesus to be redeemed. To be redeemed, we need to first know ourselves.
First of all, I would like to ask you a question. How do you see yourself? Do you think you are good or bad? What do u think?
All people live under their own illusions. You may not be as bad as you think, nor quiet as good as you think.
Who, then, do you think will lead a better life of faith? Will it be one who thinks of himself/herself as good or one who thinks of himself/herself as bad? Let me ask you another question. Who is more likely to be redeemed, the one who has committed more sins or the one who has committed few sins?
The one who admits that he/she has committed countless sins is more likely to be redeemed because the person accepts that he/she is born as a sinner. Such a person can better accept the Word of redemption prepared by Jesus.
Who are human beings? A human beings is only "a seed of evil doer" inherited from the fallen Adamic nature. In Isaiah 59, it states that there are all kinds of iniquities in the hearts of people. Jesus further validates this truth in Mark 7:20-23. If we honestly look at ourselves, it is clearly obvious that we are fundamentally born as evil beings. Those who are honest with themselves must arrive at this very same conclusion. True spiritual faith in Christ only begins after this sober realization of oneself.
However, it seems that most people refuse to admit and confess before God their inherent sinful nature. What about you? Many live their entire lives not considering themselves as sinners and are unable to meet the true Saviour. However, God given conscience provides a sense of guilt and today many sinners hide themselves behind our vile culture just like Adam and Eve who hide themselves among the trees.
People are deceived by their own illusions. They think themselves to be more virtuous than others. So, when they hear about some bad news they cry out in rage, "how can a person do such things?", "how can a man do that?", "how can a son do that to his own parents?" They themselves believe that they would not do such things
Dear friends, it is so hard for you to know yourselves. In order to truly know ourselves, we must first receive the remission of sins through the Gospel Truth of the water and Spirit wherein contains the Righteousness Of God. There are so many people in this world who do not know their true natures. They have deceived themselves and end up living their lives completely wrapped up in their own deceptions. They do not understand that they are throwing themselves into hell because of their self deception.
God Did Not Redeem Those Who Have "a bit of sin"
God only deliver those who know and admit themselves to be masses of sin, a brood of evildoers according to the Word Of God and not according to their fleshly thoughts.
We must realize that we are born as sinners and our hearts were never become sinless, no matter how much we try to remove it. This is because, we commit sins throughout our lives. We can only become sinless and Righteous by believing the Word Of God that has perfectly saved us by the water, blood and Spirit.
When someone does not realize that he/she is indeed a born sinner, he/she will continue to hide his/her sinful nature. How long do you think this will go on? It goes on until the day the person dies. People act sinfully until their dying days. This is why we have to believe in Jesus to be redeemed. To be redeemed, we need to first know ourselves.
Wednesday 12 March 2014
Barrier- Separation from God
From the 1st book of the Old Testament to the last book of the New Testament, there is one consistent theme, and that is God and man experienced an alienation - a barrier, that cannot be remove and God says He already removed it.
Every error ever taught regarding man's relationship with God has historically begun with an improper understanding of sin and its devastating effect on man. There is no use talking about who Jesus was or why He came by the water and the Spirit until we first understand the nature of the barrier that exist between man and his God.
The Fourfold Barrier
We can condense into 4 categories the blocks we have erected one on top of the other in the barricade that separates man from God. This wall is so inpenetrable that all the religions, philosophies, idealisms, good works and ingenuity of man can't pull it down.
1. God's Holy Character
There is not a person who ever lived who could stack his life up against the holy character of God. Man's failure to measure up has incurred the just sentencing of God, the death penalty. Romans 1:18-(For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness). The justice of God burned in wrath against man for outraging God's holiness, God's love equally yearn to find a way to justly forgive him and bring him back into fellowship with Himself.
2 A Debt of Sin
Man owes God perfect obedience to His holy law as summarized in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. By his failure to live out to this standard of perfection, man has become an offence to the very character of God, and the eternal court of justice has pronounced the death sentence upon man. This debt of sin has become another piece of the barrier that separated God and man. The good news of the Gospel of the water and Spirit is that God so loved the world that, at infinite cost to Himself, He provided a means of removing man's debt of sin and of dealing with the nature of sin in man.
3. Slavery to Satan
The sellout of Adam to Satan is how the world got into the mess it is in today. With Satan as the legal ruler of this planet, it became one great big slave market and everyone born into it of Adam's seed is born a slave of Satan. This was clearly taught by Jesus and His disciples. The apostle John wrote, "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" 1 John 5:19b. The great defender of the faith, Paul, called Satan "the god of this world" and said he had blinded the minds of the unbelieving from seeing the light of the Gospel. 2 Corinthian 4:4. In Ephesians 2:1-4, Paul spoke of Satan as "the prince of the power of the air" and called him "the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience."
Satan knows how to masquerade as an "angle of light" his heart is black and evil, full of hate and bitter revenge against God and man. Until man finds this out, he will continue to be under slavery to Satan
4. Spiritual death
Adam and Eve had no idea how utterly disasterous it would be to be spiritually death in relationship to their wonderful Creator. Likewise, they didn't comprehend the horror of eventually being cut off from each other and their loves one by physically death. Finally, they fail completely to realize the implications of eternal death, that condition of separation from God for eternity. Although all three aspects of this death sentence impose upon them went into effect immediately, only one was instantly evident to man himself. He knew that something irrepable had happened to his rapport to God. That something was SPIRITUAL DEATH
Jesus gave us eternal redemption. There is no one in this world who cannot be redeemed if anyone believes in Jesus as his/her Saviour. He redeemed us all. We should all know and believe in the secret of salvation. Jesus took all our sins with His baptism and has borne the judgement for our sins by dying on the cross. He then rose from the dead to secure our justification of faith in the Righteousness of God. We should believe in the salvation of the water and the Spirit, the eternal redemption that has the power to remove all the barriers that has beset us. We must believe this beautiful Gospel that has already made us sinless and righteous in the Spirit
Every error ever taught regarding man's relationship with God has historically begun with an improper understanding of sin and its devastating effect on man. There is no use talking about who Jesus was or why He came by the water and the Spirit until we first understand the nature of the barrier that exist between man and his God.
The Fourfold Barrier
We can condense into 4 categories the blocks we have erected one on top of the other in the barricade that separates man from God. This wall is so inpenetrable that all the religions, philosophies, idealisms, good works and ingenuity of man can't pull it down.
1. God's Holy Character
There is not a person who ever lived who could stack his life up against the holy character of God. Man's failure to measure up has incurred the just sentencing of God, the death penalty. Romans 1:18-(For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness). The justice of God burned in wrath against man for outraging God's holiness, God's love equally yearn to find a way to justly forgive him and bring him back into fellowship with Himself.
2 A Debt of Sin
Man owes God perfect obedience to His holy law as summarized in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. By his failure to live out to this standard of perfection, man has become an offence to the very character of God, and the eternal court of justice has pronounced the death sentence upon man. This debt of sin has become another piece of the barrier that separated God and man. The good news of the Gospel of the water and Spirit is that God so loved the world that, at infinite cost to Himself, He provided a means of removing man's debt of sin and of dealing with the nature of sin in man.
3. Slavery to Satan
The sellout of Adam to Satan is how the world got into the mess it is in today. With Satan as the legal ruler of this planet, it became one great big slave market and everyone born into it of Adam's seed is born a slave of Satan. This was clearly taught by Jesus and His disciples. The apostle John wrote, "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" 1 John 5:19b. The great defender of the faith, Paul, called Satan "the god of this world" and said he had blinded the minds of the unbelieving from seeing the light of the Gospel. 2 Corinthian 4:4. In Ephesians 2:1-4, Paul spoke of Satan as "the prince of the power of the air" and called him "the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience."
Satan knows how to masquerade as an "angle of light" his heart is black and evil, full of hate and bitter revenge against God and man. Until man finds this out, he will continue to be under slavery to Satan
4. Spiritual death
Adam and Eve had no idea how utterly disasterous it would be to be spiritually death in relationship to their wonderful Creator. Likewise, they didn't comprehend the horror of eventually being cut off from each other and their loves one by physically death. Finally, they fail completely to realize the implications of eternal death, that condition of separation from God for eternity. Although all three aspects of this death sentence impose upon them went into effect immediately, only one was instantly evident to man himself. He knew that something irrepable had happened to his rapport to God. That something was SPIRITUAL DEATH
Jesus gave us eternal redemption. There is no one in this world who cannot be redeemed if anyone believes in Jesus as his/her Saviour. He redeemed us all. We should all know and believe in the secret of salvation. Jesus took all our sins with His baptism and has borne the judgement for our sins by dying on the cross. He then rose from the dead to secure our justification of faith in the Righteousness of God. We should believe in the salvation of the water and the Spirit, the eternal redemption that has the power to remove all the barriers that has beset us. We must believe this beautiful Gospel that has already made us sinless and righteous in the Spirit
Sunday 9 March 2014
Born Again by Water and Spirit
We Must Be Born Again Of Water And The Spirit
God when He created the heavens and the earth in the beginning, also created the eternal worlds. Heaven and hell. He created mankind in His own image, but, since the first man, Adam, sinned before God, all people have to die once. "27 And just as it is appointed for [all] men once to die, and after that the [certain] judgment" Hebrew 9:27
The death of our flesh is the pass away to eternal life. Those who are without sin shall enter the eternal world of Heaven and everlastingly enjoy being the children of God, while sinners will be thrown into "the lake of fire and brimestone... and be tormented day and night for eternity. Revelation 20:10
Therefore, all of mankind must be born again. We have to be born again through our faith, be redeemed from all our sins and become righteous. Only then can we enter the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. The Bible says, "unless a man is born of water and [[a]even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God." John 3:5. To be born again of water and the Spirit is the only way we can enter God's Kingdom.
What, then, is this "water" and "the Spirit" that allows us to be born again? The "water" in the Bible refers to "the baptism of Jesus" 1 John 5:6 6 This is He Who came by (with) water and blood [[a]His baptism and His death], Jesus Christ (the Messiah)—not by (in) the water only, but by (in) the water and the blood. And it is the [Holy] Spirit Who bears witness, because the [Holy] Spirit is the Truth.
why was Jesus, who is God, baptized by John the Baptist? was it to show His humility? Was it to proclaim Himself the Messiah? No, it wasn't!
When Jesus was baptized by John the baptist by means of "the laying on of hands." Leviticus 16:21 (21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over him all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions, all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat [the sin-bearer], and send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man [a]who is timely (ready, fit).)
It was "one Man's righteous acts" which took away all the sins of human kind.
Romans 5:18 18 Well then, as one man’s trespass [one man’s false step and falling away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man’s act of righteousness [leads] to acquittal and right standing with God and life for all men.
In the Old Testament, God gave Israel the merciful law of redemption. This was so that on the Day of atonement, all the sins of Israel for that year could be expiated through the High Priest, Aaron, by laying his hands on the head of the "scapegoat" and passing all the sins onto the scapegoat.
These were the words of revelation, which foretold the sacrifice of eternal atonement. It revealed the truth that all the sins of humanity would be passed onto Jesus all at once, Who came in the flesh of a man, according to the will of the Father. He baptized by John the baptist who was the descendant of Aaron and the representative of all humankind.
When jesus was baptized, He said to John, 15“Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”. Here, "for thus" means "by the laying on of hands," Matthew 3:15 in order to pass all the sins of the world onto Jesus, so that all righteousness might be fullfilled for all of us. The word all righteousness might be fullfilled for all of us. The word "righteousness" means "The fairest state" of being righteous or fitting.
Jesus had fulfilled all righteousness for all people through His baptism in a just and fitting manner. Jesus took on all the sins of people through his baptism, the next day, John the Baptist testified 29 “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29
With all the sins of humankind on His shoulders, Jesus walked towards the cross. He vicariously took the judgement for all the sins He had taken on Himself through His baptism. He died on the cross, saying "It is finished" John 19:30. He took all our sins onto Himself and received the complete judgement for them in our place
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)