The Original Gospel<=
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"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial'> =
of Jesus Christ
What Did the Apostles Really Teach?
“Spiritual Truth of Scripture Can Only be
Understood by the Illuminating Revelation of the Holy Spirit”<=
/i>
Important Notice: The information in this book represe=
nts
the original, authentic Gospel of Jesus Christ. It proclaims the foundation=
al
truths that Jesus Christ is Savior and only way to God, that the Body of Christ is the only true Church
and that the Bible is the only source of revelation from God. Nothing
presented here is new or exclusive to any person or group. Even
though some of the material may seem different from traditional teaching, t=
here
are no new revelations, no new concepts, no new discoveries and no new gospels. This is the result of the Living Word ma=
king
the written word of Scripture come alive with truth and clarity. This i=
s God's
truth taught by the Holy Spirit and it is available to every Christian in t=
he
world. This is how the earliest believers came to know Jesus Chr=
ist
under the teaching of the Apostles.
{…} =3D Author’s clarifications and
opinions
NASB, unless otherwise noted.
Scr=
ipture
quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®
Cop=
yright
© 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
by =
The Lockman
Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
A True Gospel Ministries
Publication
www.TrueGospelOfJesusChrist.org
Written by Robert Olson
Copyright © 2008
Table=
of
Contents
Chapt=
er 1:
The Gospel in One Page. <=
/span>3
Chapt=
er 2:
Centuries of the Wrong Gospel 4
How We Lost the True Gospel of Jesus Christ …... =
4
Forgiven by the Cross … “Saved” by Grace
…=
... =
11
How to Recognize and Avoid Hybrid Gospels …<=
/span>... =
12
Chapt=
er 3:
The Original Gospel of Jesus Christ 14
Chapt=
er 4:
Mastering the Fundamental Issues. <=
/span>35
Chapt=
er 5:
Proving the Original Gospel with the Word of God. 38
Five Great Truths for Salvation and the Life of Faith. <=
/span>=
38
Nine Keys to Understanding the Original Gospel of Jesus
Christ=
=
41
Chapt=
er 6:
Symbolism in the New Covenant 47
Chapt=
er 7:
Comparison Chart: Original vs. Hybrid (Truth + Human Wisdom) Gospels=
48
Chapt=
er 8:
Q&A: Answering the Important Questions. 49
Chapt=
er 9:
My Story. <=
/span>55
Some =
Great
Passages in the New Testament
“Unveiled”
Judaism - True Christianity.........=
.......................................................... Romans
9 - 11<=
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There are a few essential points to consider:
·=
; =
The foundation of everything you read in this book rests upon the
immovable truth that Jesus Christ =
is the
eternal God and Creator.
·=
; =
Consider incorporating a simple prayer into your life: "Lord, o=
pen
my eyes to your truth."
·=
; =
Be skeptical ... don't believe what you read in this book, but don't disbelieve it either. R=
ather,
absorb the material with an open mind, not judging whether it is true or no=
t.
·=
; =
Then, take what you read to the Lord and ask, "Is this your tru=
th?
If it is, open my eyes so I can see it. If it is not, protect me from being
deceived.” By doing this, you will be depending on the Lord, not on y=
our
own mind and not on what you have been taught in the past.
Traditional Christianity, or “Christian orthodoxy,” is t=
he
beliefs of the vast majority of people who identify with the Christian reli=
gion
and who call themselves “Christian.” Many centuries ago orthodo=
xy
was drawn away from the original Gospel of Jesus Christ by human wisdom and
tradition. The resulting “hybrid” gospels, with their hundreds =
of
variations, go way beyond the boundaries of God’s Word and are domina=
ted
by human reasoning. This is why there are now so many denominations, divisi=
ons
and cults.
Although it may seem implausible, there are three factors that make =
this
not just a possibility but, in reality, a longstanding historical fact.
Centuries ago, [1] church leaders lost sensitivity to the fact that GodR=
17;s
spiritual truths from the Bible are understood only by the illuminating
revelation of the Holy Spirit. The church [2] turned away from the original
(Jewish) context of the New Testament writings and began interpreting Scrip=
ture
from a Gentile perspective. This changed the message substantially in the m=
ost
critical areas of doctrine including forgiveness, the believer’s righ=
teousness
and the person of Jesus Christ. Once the beliefs of the majority were
established, [3] the source of authority became formal “orthodoxyR=
21;
instead of Scripture as revealed by the Holy Spirit. This third factor beca=
me
the mechanism by which error has been passed down through the generations. =
As a
result, we now have a form of "systematic unbelief" that diminish=
es,
and at times even denies, the perfect work of the Cross and resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
No matter what anyone else might say, the real Gospel of Jesus Christ
proclaims the "Good News" that the
sins of all people were forgiven on the Cross 2,000 years ago, except f=
or
the sin of unbelief; every believe=
r is
clean, righteous and one with Jesus Christ in their born again spirit; =
and,
the life God designed for each and every Christian is to follow Christ in faith.
This easy-to-use book has many features to help you understand the
original Gospel of Jesus Christ. The strong emphasis is on the Word of God.=
It
is the Living Word, not the opinions of a writer, who makes the written Word
come alive in you, and it is the
Living Word who will set you free<=
/b>.
Note: This book does not
question the overwhelming love and sincerity that most Christians have for
Jesus Christ. The only issue is how the traditional Christian Church fell
victim to human wisdom and self-effort so many centuries ago. Also, this bo=
ok
fully recognizes that God prevails in all things. Throughout history,
God has used the Christian Church to present the Gospel and to save people =
in
spite of the different ways that the organized church has deviated from the
pure message of the Apostles.
Here is the “Go=
od
News” that the Apostles Peter, John and Paul taught over and over. Ea=
ch
of these “truths” and each of these “keys” have doz=
ens,
if not hundreds, of Scriptures verses that clearly demonstrate their
truthfulness.
It is the privilege of
every Christian to experience the union they have with Jesus Christ. Part of
that relationship includes knowing “the things freely given to us by God, w=
hich
things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those
taught by the Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2: 12b-13). God Himself
promises to teach us His truth! Paul told the Church at Thessalonica to exa=
mine
carefully the message that was being spoken; he urges them not to just acce=
pt
what was being said. This is not being disloyal to your pastor or your chur=
ch,
this is being a Christian as God designed it: look to God first, then other
believers.
Five Great Truths for Salvation and the Life of Fa=
ith:
· =
· =
· =
· =
· =
Nine Keys to Understanding the Original Gospel:
· =
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
· =
First, We Lost Our Spiritual "Eyes"
… As shocking as this statement may seem, sadly it is true: the authen=
tic
Gospel of Jesus Christ has nearly been lost and is no longer being properly
taught in most Christian churches. The reason for this is a longstanding
culture within the Church where people, often leaders and scholars, have
believed that they can understand s=
piritual
truth with their mortal human m=
inds.
It is God alone who opens our eyes to His truth as there can be only one=
interpretation of Scripture. When mortal minds try to do more than simply receive God’s illuminating revelati=
on,
the truth gets changed=
to “the wisdom of men.”
John
14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name=
, He will teach you all things,
and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you …
Note: Context is critical to understanding
Scripture. The wrong context is one of the leading causes of false doctrine=
. In
this verse, Jesus is
Mortal eyes and spiritual
eyes may read the same passage of Scripture, but spiritual eyes see somethi=
ng
completely different … they see the written word brought to life by t=
he
Living Word, Jesus Christ. Mortal human minds, even those of believers, can=
not
naturally understand the unfathomable truths of God.
1
Corinthians 2:10a, 11b-13a, 14, 16b For to us God revealed =
them<=
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{the things He has prepared for us} through
the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
[11] …
the thoughts of God no one knows e=
xcept
the Spirit of God. [12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the wor=
ld,
but the Spirit who is from God, th=
at we
might know the things freely given to us by God, [13] which things we a=
lso
speak, not in words taught by human
wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, … [14] But a natural m=
an
{even a believer thinking in human terms} does not accept the things of the
Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand th=
em, because they are spiritually appraise=
d
… [16] … but we have t=
he
mind of Christ.
As the Church began early on to live the “Christian life”
from human self-effort instead of faith, as the Jews had under the Law, cer=
tain
doctrines were incorporated into orthodox teaching. They made a lot of sens=
e to
the human mind and still do: since God is righteous and hates sin, our sins
must be the barrier that ruins our relationship with Him; since we still si=
n,
we must still be “sinners”; and, the role of the Holy Spirit is=
to
convict us when we sin and to help us live a life pleasing to God.
Scripture has long been debated as if it were an academic pursuit, l=
ike
physics or astronomy; theories are proposed and argued. Debates have lasted=
for
centuries … many never resolved. Human interpretation has caused a
significant shift away from the good news message of the Bible to the
sin-oriented, often condemning, sometimes excessive message of today’s
divided Church. The interpretation of God’s truth resides in the real=
m of
His Spirit, and His Spirit alone.
The three most important truths in the Bible regarding how God relat=
es
to humankind … that is, how the Cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ
allowed God to extend His grace to us … have been altered to such a
degree that they no longer reflect the true teachings of the Bible. These
doctrines, based on human reasoning, regarding our personal sins, the
righteousness of the believer and the person of Jesus Christ, are now almost
universally accepted in the Church. In fact, if you present the real truth =
of
Scripture, it will usually be rejected as false teaching.
Thankfully, there is the original, authentic Gospel of Jesus Christ which proclaims that R=
30;
·
Our sins are already forgiven and
forgotten …
·
As believers, God removes our old sinful
spirit and gives us a new, clean heart …<=
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style=3D'mso-bookmark:_Toc204881095'>
·
The Holy Spirit comes to live in us making=
us fully
righteous in our spirit by His indwelling presence …
·
We are in union with Christ, comple=
te
in spirit, redeemed fully and forever … our life is Christ’s li=
fe
as He lives through us, the members of His Body …
·
We live by faith in our yet-to-be-redeemed mortal body and
soul since we are not able to live righteously by our own human efforts.
Nearly all Christians, including pastors and teachers, are victims of
today’s false teachings. They are victims because the Church has held
these beliefs for so long that they genuinely sound like the truth … =
but
they are not. When we, as individual believers or as the Church, move away =
from
seeking truth directly and only from God, we will inevitably fall away from=
the
truth.
Ephesians=
4:21b … just as truth is in Jesus, …
John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were
realized through Jesus Christ.
Then, We Lost Our Biblical Perspective … Once the Church lost its spiritual eyes by rely=
ing
on human interpretation instead of the revelation of God, there was no way =
to
be certain what Scripture was really saying. Nearly two millennia later, th=
ere
are 9,000 “Christian” denominations worldwide (623 in the United
States, 253 in Britain, 145 in Canada, 130 in France, 109 in South Korea, 1=
28
in Kenya, etc.), according to the World Christian Database
(http://www.worldchristiandatabase.org/wcd/about/denominationlist.asp).
The human perspective led to monumental errors in interpreting the N=
ew
Testament. Probably the biggest mistake, and maybe one of the most far-reac=
hing
and consequential errors in human history, was to think that Judaism and
Christianity should be separate religions. The reasoning of course was that=
the
Jews had rejected Christ as Messiah, so their “religion” must be
false … but, the “Christians” had accepted Jesus, so thei=
rs
must be the “true religion.”
The
Jews were pushed away, in the minds of many, as no longer being truly conne=
cted
to God … after all, theirs was now a “false” religion. The
Gentile Christians owned the sp=
ecial
relationship with God. New Covenant truth was indiscriminately mixed with Old Covenant trut=
h to
form the many different “gospels” that we have today. These
“hybrid” gospels are combinations of truth, human wisdom and
tradition.
The
stage was set to destroy the faith of literally millions of people. =
The Law, which had clearly been understood as a
Jewish Covenant between God and the children of Israel, was now applied to =
all
humankind. The only source of true righteousness, Jesus Christ, was now bei=
ng
diluted with the Law. The new way of faith was now being mixed with the old=
way
of works.
Note: The term “Law” is
meant to be understood as the entire Old Covenant which included the Ten
Commandments.
There have been at least seven major areas of misinterpretation that
have turned the true Gospel of Jesus Christ into many “hybrid”
gospels.
1.
As stated, Jews and Gentile=
s Do
Not Have Separate “Religions”
God has only one “religion” and it includes both Jews and
Gentiles. The clear distinction in the Bible is that God related directly to
the children of
John 4:22 You worship what you=
do
not know; we worship what we know, for salvation
is from the Jews.
2 Corinthians 3:14 But their minds
{the Jews} =
were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of =
the
old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
2.
Jesus Lived and Taught Under the Law
The Law said that if you obeyed God’s laws, He would bless you,
but if you failed to keep His laws, He would curse you. Jesus was born u=
nder
the Law and taught the Law to the Jewish people.
Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God
sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,
Matthew 15:24 But He answered and said, =
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the
house of
New Covenant grace is different. Grace means that God initiates and
provides everything needed for
salvation and He initiates and provides everything
needed to live a righteous life. As Christians, we follow in faith. Law and
grace do not mix; they are total opposites. The Law was external and was li=
ved
out by human self-effort. Grace is internal and is lived from our spiritual
union with Jesus Christ.
Jesus must be understood in the context of the Law. The period of Law
was before the Cross. Jesus had=
to
fulfill the Law before He could go to the Cross … it was not until after the resurrection that New Co=
venant
grace was even possible.
3.
The New Testament was Written Primarily to the =
Jews
With the belief that Christianity and Judaism were separated into two
different religions, people began to think that the New Testament was writt=
en
to the Gentiles … this was not the case. The books of the Bible,
including most of the books of the New Testament, were written primarily=
to the Jewish people. Although the Apostle Paul was the “Apostle to t=
he
Gentiles,” this came later in his ministry; initially he was the Apos=
tles
to "the Gentiles and kings and the sons of
This is probably the single greatest reason why Scripture is
misinterpreted, especially as it relates to the forgiveness of sins and to =
the
gift of righteousness.
Romans 8:23 And not only this, but also we
ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan
within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the
redemption of our body.
The resurrection made it possible for God to remove our old, sinful
spirit and give us a new, clean heart. God must have a “clean
vessel” to indwell. This is how inherited indwelling sin is destroyed=
and
how we are “saved” into the
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; a=
nd this is the victory that has overcome=
the
world - our faith.
4.
Salvation is by Grace, Not the Law
Old Covenant Law must be understood in two dimensions: [1] as a stan=
dard
of God’s righteousness and [2] as a guide for the behavior of those to
whom it was given. As the standard of righteous, the requirement was to keep
the Law perfectly throughout one’s lifetime in order to be judged as
righteous before God and be qualified to enter into His presence. No person
except Jesus Christ was ever able to accomplish this. Scripture says this o=
ver
and over.
James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one
point, he has become guilty of=
all.
Galatians 2:16
nevertheless knowing that a man is=
not
justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus=
, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so tha=
t we
may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh
will be justified.
Instead of earning
righteousness before God by works (human self-effort), believers are given the gift of righteousness (r=
eal,
not imputed) by: [a] having their old, sinful spirit removed, [b] being giv=
en a
new clean spirit and [c] the Holy Spirit coming to live in that new spirit.
Christians become just as righteous as Christ Himself because He, in the fo=
rm
of His Holy Spirit, lives in us and becomes one with us in our spirit.
Romans 5:17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned
through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and o=
f the
gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Chri=
st.
As a guide for the behavior of those to whom it was given, only the
children of
5.
Mixing the Old and New Covenants Leads to False
Doctrine
The Law … the Old Covenant … was “not of faith.=
221;
Trying to combine the distinct teachings of Law and grace will always resul=
t in
error. Jesus taught this …
Matthew 9:17 Nor do people =
put
new wine {representing the New Covenant} into old wineskins {representing the Old Covenant}; otherwise the wineskins burst, and th=
e wine
pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into f=
resh
wineskins, and both are preserved.
Hebrews 10:9b … He ta=
kes
away the first {Old Covenant =
Law} in
order to establish the second {New Covenant grace}.
This is the root of many of the modern errors being taught today. For
example, many think that God is obligated to bless us and if we do not rece=
ive
His blessings it is because we have “sin in our life” or we
“do not have enough faith.” In reality, believers have been ble=
ssed
with every spiritual blessing.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ=
, who has blessed us with every spiritu=
al
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
God already accomplished everything we need for salvation and everyt=
hing
we need to live the life of faith. The abundant life is a spiritual life. T=
he
indwelling life of Christ gives believers the power to live and to accompli=
sh
the two critical missions of the Body of Christ: [1] loving one another and=
[2]
bringing the “Good News” to the world.
2 Peter 1:3 seeing that His
divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness<=
/b>,
through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and
excellence.
6.
Mixing Temporal and Eternal Matters Also Leads =
to
False Doctrine
The temporal things of this world have to do with the physical dimen=
sion
that we live in … it is separate and distinct from the spiritual worl=
d.
The example that is always relevant to every Christian is the distinction
between our spirit and our mortal body and soul. Our spirit is already clea=
n,
already righteous and “born again,” living in union with Christ.
Our spirit resides in the eternal realm.
Our mortal body and mortal soul are not yet redeemed and are still d=
ead
to sin … our mortal body and soul live in the temporal realm.
Romans 8:10 If Christ is in you,
though the body is dead because of=
sin,
yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
Many of the hybrid gospels focus on the mortal realm for evidence of
power to “do the works of the Lord.” God works through our
weaknesses … our “earthen vessels” … to display His
power. The best the mortal self can muster is a form of self-righteousness,=
or
works-righteousness, that does not honor God.
The life of every Christian is living in union with Christ in our sp=
irit
and following Him by faith in our mortal body and soul. In fact, the whole
reason that faith is even a part of our life is because we continue to live=
in
this mortal “tent” that cannot live righteously on its own. It =
is
from the Eternal Life that is already in us that we live. This is why the B=
ible
says …
2 Corinthians 4:18 while we look not at the things which are seen=
,
but at the things which are not se=
en;
for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
7.
The Entire Bible is True
The Bible is true from cover to cover, but it is understood only thr=
ough
the illuminating revelation of the Holy Spirit, not through our own
intelligence. The Bible does not need to make sense to our mortal mind R=
30;
as God opens our spiritual eyes it does make sense.
Resistance to the full acceptance of the Bible is a symptom of the
mortal mind not being able to reason through Scripture. As a result,
understanding of forgiveness, the believer’s righteousness and the
indwelling life of Christ is greatly diminished for those who try to figure=
out
Scripture instead of simply receiving understanding from God. The written w=
ord
of God, the Bible, is not like any other book; it is supernaturally and
spiritually understood. It is Christ Himself who gives us understanding. In=
fact,
Jesus Christ and truth are so inseparably intertwined in Scripture that Jes=
us
is actually called the “Word of God.”
Revelation 19:13b … and His
name is called The Word of God.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the
Word {Jesus}, and the Word was=
with
God, and the Word was God.
Next, We Lost Our Identity … The Church lost its spiritual eyes and wa=
s no
longer able to interpret Scripture properly. The Jewish context of the New
Covenant was replaced by a Gentile perspective. Many false doctrines sprang=
up
to become the majority (orthodox) beliefs of “Christianity.”
Religion and science then laid claim to their separate “turf” w=
ith
religion taking on all things non-physical and science taking on the physic=
al.
The proper place of the soul was lost and people could no longer distinguish
between the inner spirit and the outer mortal soul.
This led to confusion which remains strong
today. Questions like, “What is the soul?” and “Where does
the soul go after death?” are still unanswered in the minds of most
people. Many say that we are “triune” (three-part) beings with a
separate and distinct body, soul and spirit. Others say that our spirit and=
our
soul are really the same thing. The Apostle Paul tells us that we are spirit people living in human R=
20;tents.”
2 Corinthians 5:4 For indeed while we are =
in
this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be
unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swall=
owed
up by life.
People are spiritual
beings living in mortal bodies.=
The
part of us that has been redeemed so far has no physical substance and does=
not
exist in the physical realm … this is our spirit and it is eternal. O=
ur
spirit has the capacity to relate to God, and it is the place in us where J=
esus
lives. The spirit of every believer is righteous and preserved forev=
er.
We also have the mortal part of us, our bo=
dy and
our soul, which cannot perceive the spiritual world very well but whose pur=
pose
is to live in and relate to the physical world. This is the part of us that
will be replaced with a perfect body some day.
1 Corinthians 15:45, 50, 53 So also it is
written, the first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam=
{Jesus} became a life-giving spirit. … [50] Now I say this,
brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
Whereas the material body of a person is
fairly well understood; however, the immaterial soul, often defined as our
“mind, will and emotions” or our “personality,” rem=
ains
cloaked in mystery. There is actually a simple way to understand the soul. =
Our
soul is the immaterial product,=
or
expression, of our physical body. Our body creates our soul through =
its
normal physiological activities. We all have an intuitive understanding of
this, but since we have been so consistently taught that the soul is too
mysterious to understand, most have never “connected the dots.”=
All of us have “electrochemical̶=
1;
brains that generate the thoughts we think. Our brain is made up of billion=
s of
neurons that have the ability to pass electrical and chemical messages back=
and
forth. This is how we think and how we have the ability to learn and rememb=
er
… and how we turn thoughts into speech or action. People who suffer
severe brain trauma usually do not think in the same way as they did before
their injury … and their emotions and personality are generally affec=
ted
as well. Even though it was their brain that was physically injured, it is
their mind and emotions … the=
ir
soul … that suffer the re=
sults
of the trauma.
Every human emotion we
experience is the direct result of biochemical activity in our brain. Even
though our emotions are highly influenced by very complex relationships amo=
ng
both physical factors (diet, health, exercise, etc.) and non-physical facto=
rs
(spiritual, emotional, relationships, stress, etc.), specific neurochemicals
… that is, “brain chemicals” … produce the actual emotions we feel. These hum=
an
emotions are not the same as the “emotions” of the spiri=
t,
the transcending joy and peace that come from the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Nearly all psychiatric disorders are now
clearly understood to be physical disorders of the brain … yet it is =
the mind and emotions that suffer from these diseases … it is the soul that is tormented by these
illnesses. In clinical depression, for example, medications have become very
effective in reducing or eliminating symptoms. This is because antidepressa=
nt
drugs change how the brain processes certain neurochemicals such as seroton=
in,
dopamine and/or acetylcholine. These medications bring all of the
neurochemicals back into a better “balance.” If the soul did not
have a direct connection to the=
body,
physical substances would have no effect on it.
Does this all sound too simple? All along =
it
has really been the spirit that is so mysterious, not the soul. The physiol=
ogy
of the soul is enormously complex but the concept is quite simple ... the b=
ody creates the soul through its normal
everyday functioning.
You might be thinking, “Everybody kn=
ows
that when we die, our soul goes to heaven.” Actually, it is the spirit of a believer that goes to =
be
with the Lord; the soul ceases to live just like the body. The real you is =
your
spirit; prior teaching and popular culture have mixed these terms up. There=
is
a simple way to know that the soul dies when the body dies: the minimum
requirement to stand in the presence of God is absolute righteousness (see
Chapter 3). So, ask yourself, “Are my thoughts and emotions completely
righteous?” If not, your soul cannot possible go the heaven. Your spi=
rit
is made righteous when you believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. That is the p=
art
of you that is “saved” and goes to heaven.
Finally, We
Lost Our Understanding of "Salvation" … Besides [a] not knowing that the Bible can only=
be
understood as God opens our eyes, [b] not recognizing the Jewish context of=
the
New Testament and [c] not realizing that all people are spiritual beings
At some point in the
future, separate from our initial “salvation” experience, belie=
vers
will get a new perfect body to go along with their presently redeemed and
righteous spirit. This is referred to in Scripture as the “redemption=
of
our body.”
Romans 8:23 And not only this, but also we
ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan
within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the
redemption of our body.
God loved us so much that He took the first step by forgiving our si=
ns
through the Cross of Jesus Christ. God forgave all sins of all people ̷=
0;
except the sin of unbelief … by the sacrifice of His Son. This was
God’s gift of reconciliation to the entire world.
2 Corinthians 5:19 namely, that <=
/span>God was in Christ reconciling the world=
to Himself, <=
b>not
counting their trespasses against them,
and He has committed to us {believers} the word of reconciliation.
John 1:29 The next day he {John the Baptist} saw
Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world!”
Matthew 12:31-32a Therefore I {Jesus} say to yo=
u, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people<=
/b>, but blasphemy against=
the
Spirit shall not be forgiven.
This can be an extraordinary revelation for many Christians since
“salvation” and “forgiveness” have always been so
closely aligned. Unbelievers have been forgiven of their sins. Whether they
have been “good” people or overtly evil people is not a
factor. This can “sound” really wrong on two different fronts: =
we
have all been conditioned with the message, even outside the church, that
“only good people go to heaven,” and we have all heard the
consistent message inside the church that if we trust Jesus, our sins will =
be
forgiven. All the sins of unbelievers and believers were placed on J=
esus
Christ and paid for in full as He hung on the Cross of Calvary.
Romans 5:10a For if while we were enemies, we were recon=
ciled
to God through the death of His Son,
Yet unbelievers have two things that stand in the way of their
“salvation”: [1] they have the sin of unbelief, the rejection of
Jesus Christ as Savior, which is unforgivable, and [2] they remain
unrighteous in their spirits. They still have a sinful heart, without Chris=
t living
in them. They are still lost. Only faith in Christ can change this.
Most of us have wondered what we must do to approach God in faith. D=
o we
have to correct all our faults before we can ask God to save us? Are we too=
far
gone for God to bring us back? The answer to these and similar questions is
very simple, “Come just as you are.” God knows that we are not =
able
to be righteous by our own efforts; if we try, we will only be learning the
same bad habits of “self-effort righteousness” that so many peo=
ple
are caught up in today. Righteousness comes from deep within, from our spir=
it,
where Christ lives.
God sent His Son to correct =
everything
that was wrong with our relationship with Him. Jesus came to earth without a
sinful nature and lived a sinless life under the Jewish Law. Jesus never
succumbed to the temptations of Satan as Adam did. That is what qualified H=
im
to be the perfect lamb … our substitute … to die on the Cross to
pay for our sins, and to die for our unrighteousness.
Jesus went to the Cross and paid for all the sins of all people for =
all
time … except unbelief. He also bore in His body the sinful nature th=
at
is inherent in us all. It is when, by faith, we accept the “gift of
righteousness” that we are saved.
This is the essence of God’s grace. Grace means that God initi=
ated
and accomplished everything nee=
ded to
bring us into His family, and He initiates and accomplishes everything needed to live the
“Christian life” through His indwelling Spirit. We simply follo=
w in
faith.
Understanding Orthodoxy and Heresy
… Orthodoxy means the teaching of the majority while
heresy means a teaching that goes against the majority position.
Orthodoxy does not mean that t=
he
teaching is true and heresy does n=
ot
mean that the teaching is false. Originally being called a heretic was not a
negative term but simply meant that the person brought “another”
idea to the discussion. In New Testament times, the Pharisees and rulers of=
the
people were “orthodox” while Jesus and the Apostles were
“heretics.”
How to Avoid Being Deceived …=
Everyone<=
/span> has been deceived. Today’s
“Christianity” inherited significant non-Biblical teachings that
were “set in stone” 16 to 18 centuries ago. Anything that old s=
eems
trustworthy. It is what Christians have trusted as the “Gospel
truth” for most of the history of Christianity. So, there is nothing
unusual in having been deceived. But, if you now know that there is even a =
possibility
that you have been deceived, instead of rejecting it, why not go to the Lord
with a prayer something like this, “Lord, open my eyes to your truth =
and
protect me from being deceived.”
By far, the best way to avoid being deceived by hybrid
teachings is to depend only on the Holy Spirit to teach you. Then, in the s=
ame
way as it is said of counterfeit money, the best way to detect false teachi=
ng
is to know God’s authentic truth, the Gospel that the Apostles taught=
.
Signs and Symptoms of Hybrid Gospels
… this is only a partial list of symptoms that show how
traditional “Christian” teaching is really a different Gospel, a hybrid mix of Biblical wisdom and human wis=
dom:
1. The dominant teaching today is “how to” be a
Christian. There are no “how-to’s” in the New Covenant. Y=
ou
have Christ living in you and He
lives His righteous life through you.
In your yet-to-be-redeemed mortal body and soul, you follow Christ in faith. How-to is self-effort.
2. The indwelling life of Christ is rarely taught in churches =
even
though it is the central theme =
of the
Christian life.
3. Rarely, if ever, is it mentioned that spiritual truth is
spiritually discerned, that it is understood only by the teaching of the Ho=
ly
Spirit. God’s truths are not understood through intellect and human
reasoning.<=
span
style=3D'mso-bookmark:_Toc207301963'>
4. Teaching about the Cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ
concludes with the belief that believers are credited or “impu=
ted”
with Christ’s righteousness, and that our sins are forgiven only when “we come to
Christ” in faith. In truth, our sins were
forgiven on the Cross and believers are
made literally righteous in our spirit by the indwelling presence of the Ho=
ly
Spirit.
5. Teaching tends to focus on sin instead of righteousness. Ch=
ristianity
is all about righteousness since both personal sins and the indwelling natu=
re
to sin were defeated by the Cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The only
issue today is our still very m=
ortal
body and soul; that is why we live by faith.
6. Hybrid teaching is often defended with logic such as,
“This is the long established position of the Church.” Also, th=
ere
is significant “adding to” many verses to the point that their
meaning is changed.
7. People with credentials (scholars, pastors) are assumed to =
be
teaching the true gospel, particularly when they are under the auspices of
well-established denominations. Scripture tells us that we should critically
evaluate all teaching.
1 Corinthians 14:29 Let two or three prophets
{teachers} speak, and let the othe=
rs
pass judgment.
Acts 17:11 Now these {the Bereans} were more
noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with gr=
eat
eagerness, examining the Scriptures
daily to see whether these things were so.
8. Heavy reliance is placed on “human wisdom” phra=
ses.
These phrases are often true, but as they are used to defend
“hybrid” doctrine, they are usually out of context, irrelevant =
or
simply not true.
a.&n=
bsp;
“We must receive the gift of forgiveness in order to be forgiven,” or “we
must appropriate forgiveness before it becomes real in our lives.”
It is the “gift of
righteousness,” not forgiveness, that we receive by faith since all s=
ins
were forgiven on the Cross.
b.&n=
bsp;
“I am just a sinner saved by grace.”
This is used to support the false b=
elief
that Christians retain their sinful spirit even after being born again. You=
were
a sinner and you were saved by grace, but now you are a righteous sa=
int
and a member of the Body of Christ.
c.&n=
bsp;
“We are imputed (credited) with Christ’s
righteousness, but we really are still sinners.”
Every believer has been made litera=
lly
righteous in their spirit by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Bu=
t,
the mortal body and soul is still “dead because of sin” (Romans
8:10). That is why we follow Christ in faith.
d.&n=
bsp;
“The Holy Spirit convicts us when we sin.”
e.&n=
bsp;
“The Holy Spirit helps us live a life pleasing to
God.”
The Holy Spirit, or the indwelling =
life
of Christ, is our life. The Holy Spirit does not help our
yet-to-be-redeemed mortal body and soul in a struggle to live a life pleasi=
ng
to God. Rather, the Holy Spirit lives the life and we follow =
in
faith.
f.&n=
bsp;
“This is God’s instruction manual, follow
it.” Or “If God said it … I believe it …. and that
settles it.”
Statements like these do not discer=
n the
context of Scripture, particularly when applying Old Covenant truth to
believers today.
Jesus, the perfect Lamb, shed His blood on the
Cross as full and final payment for all sins, except unbelief. Both believe=
rs and
unbelievers no longer nee=
d to
seek forgiveness from God. All have been forgiven … but not all are
“saved.”
Colossians 1:20 and through Him to reconcile=
all
things to Himself, having =
made
peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether th=
ings
on earth or things in heaven.
God took the first step toward us by forgiving =
all
of our sins. The Cross did not merely create the possibility of forgiveness
… as is commonly believed … it accomplished that forgive=
ness
forever.
1 John 2:2 He is the sacrifice for our sins.
It was the blood of the Cross that
reconciled us to God, not our faith response to the Cross. Yet, f=
aith
is absolutely essential for salvation, but for a reason other th=
an
forgiveness.
Revelation 1:5b ... To Him who loves us and
We were forgiven before we were even
believers. How could we have repented, confessed, believed or been baptized=
as
a condition of forgiveness while we were still the enemies of God?
Romans 5:10a For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son …
This is how we also know that the sins of
unbelievers are forgiven as well … “while we were enemies
{unbelievers}, we were reconciled to God {this is God’s first =
step
toward humankind by forgiving all of our sins} through the death of His Son
....”
Initially, this may seem contradictory to
God’s word because Scripture often ties both “salvation” =
and
“repentance” directly to the forgiveness of sins. For example
…
Luke
1:77 To give to His people the kno=
wledge
of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins,
Acts
2:38 Peter said to them {Jews at the day of Pentecost}, "Repent, and each of you be baptized i=
n the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will rec=
eive
the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The short answer to this apparent dilemma is th=
e context
of the particular passages. These verses are referring directly to the chil=
dren
of
All sins, except unbelief, were forgiven on<=
/u>
the Cross. Ask yourself, “When will Mark 3:28 come true if it is not =
true
already?” Jesus, speaking bef=
ore
He went to the Cross, said …
Mark 3: 28a Truly I say to you, all sins sha=
ll
be forgiven the sons of men …
It is finished!
Hebrews 10:12, 18 but He, having offered one
sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, …
[18] Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is<=
/u>
no longer any offering for sin.
Sadly, people tend to interpret the Scriptures
according to the teaching of their tradition instead of what the Bible actu=
ally
says. The prevailing belief is that our sins are not forgiven until we
“accept Christ as our Savior,” or until we “receive the g=
ift
of forgiveness.”
So for example, a verse like this ...
John
1:29 The next day he {John the Baptist} saw Jesus coming to him and said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God =
who takes away the sin of the world!”
is assumed to say ...
John
1:29 The next day he {John the Baptist} saw Jesus coming to him and said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God =
who takes away the sin of the world!”… where the word
“world" {kosmos in the Greek} means “believers only.&#=
8221;
Or, a verse like this ...
Matthew
12:31a Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven m=
en,
gets interpreted as ...
Matthew
12:31a Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven m=
en
… when we
accept Christ as Savior.
Or, a verse like this...
Hebrews
2:9b … Jesus, because of=
the
suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone<=
/u>.=
is understood as ...
Hebrews
2:9b … Jesus, because of=
the
suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone<=
/u>.
… where
"everyone" means only those who repent of their sins and believe<=
/i>.
Here is the problem with these implied additions to interpretation: they are not found in
Scripture and they are NOT true.
Fortunately, the solution is only one prayer aw=
ay,
"Lord, open my eyes to your truth and protect me from teaching based on
human wisdom." Any believer who seeks the truth from God will receive His truth.
John 16:13a But when He, the Spirit of truth,
comes, He will guide you into all =
the
truth …
Note: In this verse, Jesus is speaking directly to His disciples. It is
important to understand if promises such as this carry forward to all
believers; in this case, it does because all believers receive the same Holy
Spirit. (This statement is not meant to imply new revelation, but it does m=
ean
that God will open your eyes to His already-revealed truth.)
Still, personal comfort is very compelling and =
many
will choose to stay with what is familiar to them rather than run the
“risk” of seeking truth from God by faith.
You may ask, “Well, what about those God
appoints as teachers? Surely, they know the truth.” They do. Scripture
tells us that God “gifts” some to teach. However, these legitim=
ate
teachers are becoming more difficult to find and more difficult to
differentiate in a world where “Christian” teaching has moved a=
way
from the truth in so many different directions. As part of seeking truth fr=
om
God, pray that He will make your eyes see the difference between the true
teachers and those who are not from Him.
The obvious truth according to Scripture is that
all sins of all people for all time were forgiven on the Cross. Even
logic dictates that the Cross of Jesus Christ must have accomplished someth=
ing
more than just creating the potenti=
al
for the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus died on the Cross to forgive our sins. Th=
en,
God raised Him from the dead as the magnificent and final demonstration that
sin and death are conquered forever! When we believe, and the last s=
in
of unbelief is defeated. God removes our old sinful nature and gives us a n=
ew,
clean spirit. Then, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us to make us literally
righteous by His indwelling presence. We are “born again” and a=
re
now members of the family of God. We are transferred forever from the kingd=
om
of darkness into the glorious Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who he=
ars
My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has
eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death =
into
life.
Important Note about the Law:=
Orthodoxy seems to assume that people are under Law, or were<=
/i> under
Law before faith in Christ. This is not true although it is nearly a univer=
sal
belief within the Christian Church. There is a simple way to understand why
Gentiles have never been under the Old Covenant Law. Jesus came to this ear=
th
to fulfill the Law … this
qualified Him to become the perfect Lamb and to die on the Cross. Upon His
resurrection, when sin and death had been defeated, Christ ended “the=
Law
for righteousness” to all who believe. So, the question is, “Wh=
en
were the Gentiles ever given the Old Covenant Law?” Never! Christ end=
ed
the Law before the Gentiles were ever offered salvation through fait=
h in
Jesus Christ. By that time, the Old Covenant Law had already become the
ministry of “death” and “condemnation” since it had
never been able to make anyone righteous.
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who<= o:p>
=
believes.
Hebrews 10:9b … He {Jesus} takes away =
the
first {Old Covenant Law} in or=
der to
=
establish the second {New Covenant}.
A
believer’s relationship to the Law today is also simple to understand=
. The spirit of the Law, i=
ts
representation of God’s holiness, is eternal. But the doing of the Law was replaced 2,000
years ago by Jesus Christ. The Law under the Old Covenant was external, pow=
ered
and accomplished by human self-effo=
rt.
The “Law” under the New Covenant is internal, powered and
accomplished by the spiritual power=
of
Jesus Christ in the heart of every believer. The Old was imperfect beca=
use
of human weakness … the New is perfect because of Jesus Christ.
Not only are our personal sins not an issue in
salvation since the Cross, they
There are several Scriptures cited to support t=
he
belief that the Gentiles are or were under the Law; one is …
Galatians 3:24 Therefore the Law has become our tuto=
r to
lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
Two others are …
Romans 7:6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by whic=
h we
were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of=
the
letter.
Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curs=
e of
the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is
everyone who hangs on a tree" -
The “us” and “we” in th=
ese
verses refer to the Jews; besides, Romans, Galatians was another letter wri=
tten
by Paul primarily to Jewish believers.
God does not charge people with their personal =
sins
in the absence of formal law in the same way that most societies do not cha=
rge
people with crimes in the absence of formal laws. For example, lying may be
wrong but the government will not charge you with lying unless, as in the c=
ase
of perjury, lying is specifically forbidden. Only when there is a defined l=
aw
from God are the people held accountable for their individual sins.
Romans 5:13 for until the Law sin was in the wo=
rld;
but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
A law from God is His command that defines His
standard; by it He judges the deeds of those to whom it was given. God gave
Adam and the woman one law …
Genesis 2:17 but from the tree of the knowle=
dge
of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it=
you
shall surely die.
Since this was the only law that was ever given=
to
them, they never “transgressed” another law again. That does not
mean they never “sinned” again; rather, it means that there wer=
e no
other laws to transgress. The
Gentiles were never given the Law … ever.
Romans
2:14a For when Gentiles who do not=
have
the Law
Romans
9:4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs
the adoption as sons and the glory and the
covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service =
and
the promises,
From Moses to the Cross, the Jews had the Law to
guide their actions; all other people still had their conscience.
Romans
2:14b-15 … these {Gentiles}, not
having the Law, are a law {a law, not the
Law} to themselves, [15] in that they show the work of the Law written in
their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternate=
ly
accusing or else defending them, {their consciences were
“telling” them when they did right or wrong}.
Where there is no law, there is no transgressio=
n.
Why? “Transgression” is a violation
of law.
Romans 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for =
where
no law is, there is no transgression. (KJV)
You might say, “How could God let all of =
our
sins go unpunished?” The simple answer is that He did not; God poured=
all
sins (the violations of His hol=
iness)
and all transgressions (the
violations of His Law) ever committed onto Jesus Christ as He hung on the C=
ross
(except for the one sin of unbelief in Christ as Savior). But, God does not
charge people individually with their sins where there is no Law. Therefore,
our sins were not charged to us personally.
Romans 3:25b … because in the forbearance=
of God
He passed over the sins previously committed;
=
Note:
Most scholars argue that Romans 3:25 refers only to the sins committed before the Law because of the past=
tense
of the verse. The assumption is that since the Law had now been given, God
could no longer pass over sins any longer. This verse is simply a statement=
of
historical fact … thus, the reason for the past tense of the verse.
Because of Adam’s one transgression, God
placed all humankind under condemnation; this occurred at the beginning of humankind.
Romans 5:18a So then as through one transgression {Adam’s sin} there
resulted condemnation to all men, …
God did this in order to show His mercy. (Someh=
ow
this is good even though it does not seem that condemnation can be good. Wh=
at
is obviously good is that mercy is shown to all.)
Romans 11:32 For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show =
mercy
to all.
Instead of being held accountable for our
individual personal sins, we are under general condemnation because of
Adam’s transgression. This one transgression caused the spiritual dea=
th
of all people. Death passed on to all people through the nature to sin that=
is
inherent within all people. As a result, all became sinners.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as th=
rough
one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because a=
ll
sinned -
The Jews died because of sin … their death
came through their transgressions o=
f the
Law, whereas the Gentiles died because of sin … their death came
through Adam’s transgression<=
/i>.
Therefore, before faith in Christ all people are unrighteous but forgiven sinners who are destined =
for
separation from God. Gentiles under Adam’s sin need a Savior just as =
much
as the Jews did under the Law. The only difference is the issue of the Law.=
Romans 2:12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law<=
/span>;
and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;
The Cross did not forgive one specific s=
in
… the sin of unbelief,
the rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior. This is the barrier that
unbelievers place before God. This one sin prevents God from making them cl=
ean
in their spirit and prevents the Holy Spirit from coming to live in them
… unbelief is what keeps God from “saving” unbelievers. T=
heir
sins are forgiven but they are not<=
/i>
saved because they remain unrighteous sinners.
“Unbelief̶=
1; is the sin known as “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus talked about it with His disciples in the “upper room”
shortly before His arrest.
John 16:8-9 And He {the Holy Spirit}, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin,
and righteousness, and judgment; [9] concerning sin, because they do not
believe in Me;
Therefore, the issues in salvation are two-fold:
[1] unbelief in Christ as Savior and [2] the indwelling nature to sin (sinf=
ul
spirit) that is inherent in all people.
Upon faith in Christ, the sin of unbelief is
destroyed so that God can save =
the
“believer.” The general condemnation under Adam is removed. But=
for
the unbeliever, the condemnation remains.
John 3:18 He
who believes in Him {Jesus} is=
not
judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he =
has
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
As mentioned, it is impossible for people to be
under the Law since the Cross because the Old Covenant Law became the minis=
try
of death and condemnation. Those who are teaching Law today are inadvertent=
ly
teaching eternal separation fro=
m God.
2 Corinthians 3:6-9 who also made us adequate as
servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit =
gives
life. [7] But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on
stones, came with glory … [8] how will the ministry of the Spirit fai=
l to
be even more with glory? [9] For if the ministry of condemnation has glo=
ry,
much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.
Because external Law required human effort and
because no one could measure up to the Law, it left those under the Law
condemned. But Jesus fulfilled the Law; He lived under the Law righteously =
like
no one else ever had. Therefore, as we trust Him, He comes to live in us an=
d we
receive the “gift of righteousness” by His indwelling presence.=
We,
in our spirit, are righteous and, therefore, accepted into the family of Go=
d.
Romans 8:3-4 For what the Law could not do, =
weak
as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likene=
ss
of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the fles=
h,
[4] so that the requirement of the=
Law
might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but
according to the Spirit.
Misunderstanding about the Law has become one of
the great tragedies in the Christian church. Not only has it been a very
divisive issue, it has nearly destroyed the faith of millions of Christians.
The Cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ ended “self-effort
righteousness” and replaced it with “indwelling Christ
righteousness.”
God is perfectly righteous and we must b=
e just as righteous if we are to be =
in His
family. To most, this seems impossible … to God, this is the very ess=
ence
of the Cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was Adam who threw the en=
tire
human race into sin and separation from God with one single transgression of
God’s commandment. (It can be argued that Adam’s sin was one of=
the
least serious sins ever committed, equivalent to, “Johnny, don’t
eat that cookie before dinner.” God’s righteousness is absol=
ute.)
Later, when God gave the Law to the children of Israel through Moses, one
violation was considered the same as transgressing the entire Law. T=
o be
judged as righteous before God under the Law, one could never violate a sin=
gle
law even one time … ever! The Jews could not perform to that standard=
of
righteousness; God did not even ask the Gentiles to try.
Romans 10:5 For Moses writes that the man who
practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.
James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has
become guilty of all.
It is evident that we cannot achieve righteousn=
ess
through our own best efforts. Someone must make us righteous. Jesus =
told
us that if we want to see the kingdom of God, we must be born again.=
This
is how we are made righteous.
John 3:6-7 That which is born of the flesh is
flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. [7] Do not marvel
that I said to you, "You must be born again."
Only through faith in Christ as Savior does God remove our old na=
ture
to sin and replace it with a clean spirit (a new heart).
Ezekiel 36:25a, 26 Then I will sprinkle clean w=
ater
on you, and you will be clean<=
/span>;
I will cleanse you from all your filthiness … [26] Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you=
; and I will remove the heart of stone=
from
your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Faith in Christ is the only way to God b=
ecause
Jesus is the only one who can make us clean and the only one who can
make us righteous. He did this by taking our sin (that is, our sinful spirit or indwelling nature to sin) and becoming that sin on our behalf. =
He
died for us so that we would, following faith, be made clean and
righteous.
2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to =
be
sin on our behalf, that we mi=
ght
become the righteousness of God in Him.
This is what Scripture means when it says that =
we
are crucified with Christ. The result is that we are completely freed fr=
om
sin forever in our “born
again” spirit.
Romans 6:6 knowing this, that =
our
old self was crucified with Him=
, in order that our body of sin {old sinful nature or spirit} might be done away with, that we =
would
no longer be slaves to sin;
2
Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyo=
ne is
in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; beh=
old,
new things have come.
Romans 6:22 But now having been freed from sin and enslav=
ed to
God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the
outcome, eternal life.
You may ask, “If Jesus paid for all of the
sins of all people and became ‘sin on our behalf,’ why do we ha=
ve
to believe … in other words, why do we have to have faith
… for God to make our spirit clean and for Jesus to come to live in
us?” Jesus directly addressed this question when He said …
Luke 17:33 Whoever seeks to keep his life sh=
all
lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it.
We lose our life … our “old self=
221;
… when we believe in Jesu=
s Christ
as Savior. Our participation, our belief, is necessary before the last barr=
ier
… the sin of unbelief … is torn down. It is only then that God
removes our “old self” and gives us a new, clean spirit. Our
consent (faith) is required before<=
/i>
God crucifies us with Chr=
ist.
=
Note:
Some people have a sense of loss when they become believers. They are proba=
bly
experiencing the death of the “old man.” The old “manR=
21;
has died and the new “man” has been born.
The forgiveness of sins was accomplished for
But, upon faith in Christ as Savior, we are mad=
e new
creations ... sinless in our spirit and as righteous as Christ Himself
since He lives in us. It is the indwelling presence of Christ that makes us
righteous. If God did not indwell us, we would be “clean” in our
new spirit but we would not be righteous. Thus, Christians cannot boast of
their own righteousness. It is Christ’s indwelling righteousness that
makes believers righteous.
For righteousness to be realized in everyday li=
fe,
it must be Christ who lives the life instead of our mortal body and soul
attempting to live our life. “Self-effort” Christianity is a re=
cipe
for disaster, but sadly one that most Christians are caught up in. This is
because our mortal body and soul have not yet been redeemed. This part of us
can sin, and still does sin. Most Christians are trained to believe that the
Christian life is struggling with sin and trying to improve our mortal self.
This is impossible. The reason we live by faith is because our mortal body =
and
soul have not yet been redeemed; “we,” in our mortal body and s=
oul,
have no capacity to live righteously.
Romans 8:10 If Christ is in you, though the =
body
{not yet redeemed} is dead because of sin, yet the spirit {redeemed}=
is alive because of righteousness.
Philippians
3:3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and
glory in Christ Jesus and put no
confidence in the flesh,
Our righteousness is the subject of the third t=
ruth
of the Gospel. But first, the reality of our “body … dead becau=
se
of sin” is important to understand if we are to experience true Chris=
tian
holiness, and if we are to live the life of faith that God designed for eve=
ry
believer.
Scripture tells us that all people are spiritual beings
living in mortal, human bodies. Yet, the Christian community tends to deny
this; many just do not believe that people are two distinct and separate pa=
rts,
a spirit living inside a mortal body with a mortal soul. But, by not believ=
ing
this truth, it is impossible to recognize that believers have been made both
clean and literally righteous. =
By not
seeing the dichotomy of spiritual perfection living inside mortal imperfect=
ion,
absolutes like "clean" and "righteous" seem impossible.
Consequently, the teaching that many people find “reasonable” is
that Christians are “imputed,” or credited, with Christ’s righteousness ̷=
0;
this misses the grace of God completely.
Among the best chapters in Scripture that explain how t=
he
eternal spirit is separate and distinct from the mortal body is 2 Corinthia=
ns 5
… and it explains it within the context of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
(This is long but worth reading.)
2 Corinthians 5:1-2, 4, 6b, 8b, 16-21
For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house
is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, ete=
rnal
in the heavens. [2] For indeed in this house we groan, lon=
ging
to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, … [4] For indeed
[16] Therefore from now on we
recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Chri=
st
according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. [17]
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed
away; behold, new things have come. [18] Now all these thin=
gs
are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the
ministry of reconciliation, [19] namely, that God was in Christ reconci=
ling
the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them,
and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. [20] Therefore, we a=
re
ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we =
beg
you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. [21] He made Him w=
ho
knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousn=
ess
of God in Him.
The true Gospel tells us that all of our sins are forgi=
ven.
Not only that, if we accept Christ as Savior, God removes our old, sinful
spirit and replaces it with a new, clean heart. Then, the Holy Spirit comes=
to
dwell in our new, clean heart to make us literally righteous by His indwell=
ing
presence. Thus, our inner spirit is redeemed and made righteous even though=
our
outer mortal body and soul remain the same as they were before faith. Our body waits to be redeemed at some point in t=
he
future.
Romans
8:23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of t=
he
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bod=
y.
So, even though the Bible clearly teaches that =
we
are spiritual people living in mortal “houses,” as the Apostle =
Paul
refers to our body and soul, in traditional teaching the objection that is
often heard is, “You can’t divide people into parts.” Thi=
s is
in spite of one of the clearest statements in Scripture:
2
Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet
Without knowing the difference between our rede=
emed
“inner {spiritual} man” and our unredeemed ... or rather, ye=
t-to-be-redeemed
... “outer {mortal} man,” it is impossible to understand that we
are literally righteous i=
n our spirit
but still can sin in our mortal soul and body.
The common teaching is that we have Christ̵=
7;s
righteousness “imputed” or credited to us but that we really are
the same old sinners with the same sinful spirit active within us. Experien=
ce
often makes this seem to be tru=
e as
many Christians struggle with sin. It appears
as if there is a great battle between our old, sinful spirit and a new,
righteousness-oriented spirit. As a result, millions conclude that they are
spiritual failures. They become caught up in an endless “confess R=
30;
repent … repeat” cycle. Victorious living and the abundant life
elude them.
But this is a myth, a false teaching. The appar=
ent
battle is not between two natures; rather, it is the conflict of a right=
eous
inner spirit living in a very mortal tent. Our eternal spirit is righte=
ous
and alive while our body is dead because of sin. Scripture is very direct as
this now familiar verse in Romans tells us …
Romans 8:10 If Christ is in you, though =
the
body is dead because of sin, =
yet
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
Important Note About Your Mortal Body and Soul: It was God’s decision, not yours, to redeem only your spirit at the moment whe=
n you
believed in Christ as Savior. Your mortal body and mortal soul did not chan=
ge
and are still dead because of sin. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT! Even the
Apostle Paul “groaned” because of his mortal “house.̶=
1;
2 Corinthians 5:2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clot=
hed
with our
=
dwelling from heaven.
There=
fore,
you do not need to be burdened about the fact that your mortal flesh (body =
and
soul) does not always think and act in the way that you think it should. The
solution is not to dwell on sin and to feel guilt … that only
makes the problem worse. Christianity is all about ri=
ghteousness,
not being occupied with remorse about sin. God has given you His very life =
as your
power to live the life that He designed for you.
Every
second you spend trying to make your flesh righteous and every ounce of ene=
rgy
you spend in wishing your mortal flesh was better than it is, is time and
energy taken away from God’s solution … the indwelling life of
Jesus Christ. Yes, you have the power to make minor adjustments to your body
and soul (lose weight, exercise, stop some habit, have a new attitude); but=
you
can never make your “still dead because of sin” mortal flesh undead. Every effort you make anal=
yzing
and managing your flesh is making the problem worse. It is God al=
one
who transforms you mind with His spiritual truth and it is God alone who gi=
ves
life to your mortal flesh through His Spirit who dwells in you.
No
Christian is excluded from this truth; no Christian has a righteous
mortal flesh. If you think about sin, you will live a defeated life. If you
remain dependent on Christ to live His righteous life through you, you w=
ill
live the life of faith.
You m=
ight
say, “I study Scripture all the time trying to understand the spiritu=
al
truths that will transform my mind, but nothing happens.” Generally,
there are two problems: [1] the transformation is God’s effort, not y=
ours
and [2] most people study in the framework of their tradition and repeat the
same errors over and over.” The solution: “Lord, open my eyes t=
o your
truth.”
Being born again means that God removes =
our
old, sinful spirit and replaces it with a new, clean spirit … thus, we
cannot possibly have two natures since our old spirit (nature) was removed
… “our old self was
crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with,
… “ (Romans 6:6).
Our mortal body/soul does cause us many problems
… so many that it often makes us “groan.” We want to get =
rid
of it … we long for our body to be redeemed just like our spirit.
2
Corinthians 5:2 For indeed in t=
his
house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling =
from
heaven,
2
Corinthians 5:4 For indeed whil=
e we
are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do
not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be
swallowed up by life.
There
is something deep inside of every believer that longs to shed this h=
uman
exterior of ours. Paul goes even further to say that, if given a choice, he
would have left his “tent” so that he could be with the Lord.
Philippians<=
/span> 1:21-23 For to me, to live=
is
Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this wi=
ll
mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both dire=
ctions,
having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much
better; …
The entire creation is anxiously waiting for the
day when we believers can strip this mortal outer “shell” and be
revealed for who we really are – the “sons of God.”
Romans 8:19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons {and
daughters} of God.
Our
mortal flesh is our physical body consisting of an immaterial soul and a m=
aterial
body … one single entity that is unified and integrated. On its own, =
our
flesh has no capacity, nor will it ever, to live a righteous life … <=
u>it
has not yet been redeemed. Only Christ can live His righteous life in a=
nd
through us. (Christ dwells in our redeemed spirit … therefore, He can=
not
be tainted by sin in our mortal body and soul.)
Our
bodies are dead because of sin; yet the Holy Spirit in us (the indwelling
Christ) gives life to our mortal flesh. This is the only source of l=
ife
for our mortal flesh, never our own self-effort.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who rai=
sed
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the =
dead
will also give life to your mortal
bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
It is the Holy Spirit who gives life to our bod=
y as
we are transformed by the renewing of our minds through God’s pure and
uncompromised spiritual truths.
Romans
12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may
prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfec=
t.
Most Christians put the responsibility for livi=
ng a
righteous life on their own mortal soul and body because they have never be=
en
taught that the abundant life=
of
Christ is in their spirit.
John 10:10b … I came that they might h=
ave
life, and might have it abundantly.
It is Christ Himself who lives His righteous li=
fe
in and through each Christian … and He will do so unless He is blocke=
d by
our own human efforts trying to take the initiative to live the
“Christian life.” In that case, we are asking our unredeemed=
mortal self to be righteous instead of our redeemed spirit, the part=
of
us that God prepared especially for righteousness; we are asking the flawed,
ill-equipped part of us to do something it could never do before while igno=
ring
the part of us that has been made for holiness.
The real Christian life is living from our union with the Holy Spirit while, =
in our
yet-to-be-redeemed mortal body and soul, we follow Christ in faith.<=
/strong>
Note: The
phrase, “living from our union” with Christ is the same as the =
more
common expressions such of, “living in dependency,” or “an
attitude of dependency.” The term “union” is used so that there is no implication that this i=
s an
effort of our mortal body and soul.
If we think we are simply a mix of good and bad, we will
likely focus our efforts on "cleaning up" the bad parts in order =
to
be acceptable to God. We will do this through self-effort and we will spend=
our
entire lives trying to get to that "acceptable" place ... faith
becomes a meaningless concept. We live life on the outside looking in,
wondering why we do not experience the abundant life of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4: 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has b=
een
created in righteousness and holiness of the truth;
=
Note:
There are three elements in the salvation process: forgiveness, cleansing a=
nd righteousness.
The last two are what Scripture means when it speaks of being “born
again.” They probably occur simultaneously; however, explaining them =
as
two parts helps clarify how God “saves” us.
How many Christians are really aware that God l=
ives
in them? The usual perception is that God is up there somewhere and we are =
down
here. Teaching about the indwelling Holy Spirit is frequently vague or far
removed from what the Bible really teaches. Sadly, for many, the supposed r=
ole
of the Holy Spirit is to “convict” them when they sin and to
“help” them live a life pleasing to God. In reality, the Holy
Spirit is none other than the very life of Christ within every believer!
Romans 8:9b … if indeed the Spirit of =
God
dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he =
does
not belong to Him.
Galatians 2:20a I have been crucified with Chri=
st;
and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; …
Ephesians
3:17a so that Christ may dwell in =
your
hearts through faith;
Even though the forgiveness of our sins was
essential to bring us to the new birth, the concept of “salvationR=
21;
is really more specifically related to the elements of cleansing and being =
made
righteous. If we are not cleanse=
d,
the Holy Spirit cannot come to live in our unclean spirit and we cannot be =
born
again; thus, we will not =
be
“saved” into the family of God.
Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, havi=
ng
been reconciled {this is where forgiveness is realized}, we shall be
saved {born again} by His {indwelling} life.
It is only when the last sin of unbelief is
destroyed that we can be saved … this is the moment of faith.
Jesus … or if you prefer, the Holy Spirit … is joined a=
s one
to our spirit in exactly the same way that the Spirit of God was joi=
ned
as one to Jesus at His baptism. Believers have the very same resource to liv=
e life
that Jesus had – we have the eternal life of God within us!
Luke 4:1a, 14a Jesus,
full of the Holy Spirit, returned, … [14a] And Jesus returned to
Galilee in the power of the Spirit=
,
…
John
14:10b-11b … but the Father
abiding in Me does His works. [11] Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me …
While we were enemies (unbelievers), we were fo=
rgiven
of all our sins except unbelief; we are “saved” only as Eternal
Life (the Holy Spirit, or the indwelling life of Jesus Christ) comes to liv=
e in
us. Righteousness joins as one to our spirit so that we stand blameless bef=
ore
God. Someday a new, perfect body will be given to us so that we will be
righteous on the outside as well on the inside.
In spite of not having yet received our new bod=
y,
we are now fully and always acceptable to God … =
we
are members of His family. God has taken us out of the kingdom of darkness =
and
transferred us into the
Colossians 1:13 For He delivered us from the
domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
Righteousness is what separates true Christiani=
ty
from all other religions … and why Jesus is the only way to God. Only
Jesus can make us clean … and then come to live in us to make us
righteous. Then we can stand before God … and live!
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the =
way,
and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me<=
/b>.
Romans 5:17b ... much more those who receive= the abundance of grace and of the g= ift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.<= o:p>
Christians are now righteous spirit people living in the same yet-to-be-redeemed mortal “tent<=
/u>.”
It was our spirit that was redeemed thus far, not our mortal body and s=
oul.
It is possible for our mortal flesh … our
soul and body … to cover up the experience
of Christ, and it can keep others from seeing
Christ in us. Yet, He is always there living perfectly in us.
1 Corinthians 3:16, 17b Do you not know that
This statement from the Apostle Paul comes just=
a
few verses after he told the
Corinthians how unspiritual they were and how much they were acting just li=
ke
unbelievers.
1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not sp=
eak
to you as to spiritual men, but as=
to
men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.
Only as Christ lives His life through us will we
experience His abundant life. If we attempt to live the Christian life by o=
ur
own human efforts, we will fail. This is why Jesus said …
John 15:5 I
am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in =
him,
he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Most Christians are frustrated and puzzled by G=
od's
command to be holy. We often do not feel holy and most certainly, often do =
not
act holy … we cannot be h=
oly.
So then, how is it possible?
1 Peter 1:16 because it is written, "You
shall be holy, for I am holy."
The reason that this truth is difficult to gras=
p is
the previously mentioned general denial in Christian orthodoxy of the
difference and distinct separateness of our born
again spirit and our yet-to-be-=
redeemed
mortal body and soul. When God saved us, He redeemed our inner spirit by
removing our old sinful nature and replacing it with a new, clean spirit. T=
he
Holy Spirit then came to join as one to our new, clean spirit.
The
powerful sixth chapter of Romans explains this very clearly … its tru=
th
is helpful once again.
Romans 6:6 knowing this, that
Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that <=
strong>all of us who ha=
ve
been baptized into Christ Jesus have
been baptized into His death?
We
were crucified with Christ. This means that Christ Himself bore not only our
personal sins but also our indwelling nature to sin (sinful spirit).=
He
took our sinfulness into Himself and paid the penalty of death.
2 Corinthians 5:21a He made Him who knew no=
sin
to be sin on our b=
ehalf
...
Colossians 1:22 yet He has now reconciled yo=
u in
His fleshly body through death, in
order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach =
-
Christ
became our sin in His body so that our indwelling na=
ture
to sin (“sinful spirit”) could be removed completely by His dea=
th.
Hebrews
10:10 By this will we have been sa=
nctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
This
is a critical point: since Christ bore our sin and died for it, our natu=
re
to sin was removed completely when we were by faith born again.
Colossians 2:11 and in Him you were also
circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ<=
/b>;
It
is only when we are made clean that the Holy Spirit can come to live in us.
This is what makes us righteous and what gives us the right to be in the fa=
mily
of God. This is what Peter meant when he said that we are "partakers&q=
uot;
of the divine nature ... we are=
not
deity but deity comes to live in us and joins as one to our spirit.
2
Peter 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent
promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of=
the
divine nature,
1 Corinthians 6:17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit.
Minimally,
this makes all Christians royalty.
1
Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that
you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light;
Note: This verse specifically refers to the
children of Israel … Gentile believers are included because they were
“grafted” into this same Jewish
salvation.
Jesus, in the form of His Holy Spirit, came to =
live
in us, making us literally righteous by His indwelling presence. We are one
spirit with the Lord. He is righteous, therefore we are righteous. He is life, therefore we have life.
Romans 11:16b-17 … if the root {Jesus} is=
holy,
the branches {Jews} are too.
[17] But if some of the branches {Jews} were broken off, and you, being a w=
ild
olive {Gentiles}, were grafted in among them and became partaker with th=
em
of the rich root of the olive tree,
1
John 5:11-13 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. [12=
] He who has the Son has the life; =
he who
does not have the Son of God does not have the life. [13] These things I
have written to you who
believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have
eternal life.
The
Bible ... God's Word ... declares us to be righteous. Yet, this is not the =
same
as the teaching of “imputed” righteousness which says that we a=
re
not really righteous but rather are only "credited" with being
righteous because of Christ's righteousness. We are righteous because Christ
lives in us and has joined as one to us in our redeemed spirit. Thus, our
spirit is just as righteous as Jesus Christ and is, therefore, secure forev=
er.
Romans 5:10b … much more, havi=
ng
been reconciled, we shall be saved=
by
His {indwelling righteous} lif=
e.
Jesus
makes us literally righteous here and now, not righteous some day in the
future. In fact, the entire concept of being "in Christ" requires=
us
to be righteous; we can only be in<=
/i>
Christ and He in us if we are c=
lean
so that He can live in us. God has set us free from “indwelling
sin” in our spirit, our inner man. We are now slaves of righteousness=
.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life=
in
Christ Jesus has set you free =
from
the law of sin and of death.
Romans 6:18 and having been =
freed from sin, you became slave=
s of
righteousness.
Romans 6:22 But now having been freed from sin a=
nd
enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in
sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
Scripture
defines this truth of our righteousness even further ... our new, redeemed spirit has nev=
er
sinned and cannot sin. Jesus cannot sin, therefore we cannot
sin in our born again spirit.
1
John 3:6a, 8b, 9 N=
o one
who abides in Him sins … [8] … The Son of God
appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. [9=
] No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in h=
im;
and he cannot sin,
because he is born of God.
Note:=
Don’t believe the
false teaching that says “he cannot sin” means that we cannot l=
ive
a “lifestyle” of sin. God’s holiness is absolute … =
our
holiness must be a lot more than just some trend toward sinning less.
Because
of our union with Christ, God has placed in our hearts the desire to live h=
oly
lives. However, if believers do not have the awareness of their union,
sometimes this desire for righteousness gets pushed far from their minds. T=
hey
have been conditioned to believe they are sinners. Some, therefore, give ov=
er
to this belief and no longer expect or even think about holiness. Consider,
though, the declaration of God Himself …
Jeremiah
31:33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Is=
rael
{Gentiles were grafted into the covenant} after those days," declares =
the
Lord, "I will=
put
My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their
God, and they shall be My people."
This same truth is quoted by t=
he
writer of Hebrews.
Hebrews
10:16-17 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those
days,” says the Lord: “I
will put my laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them,=
”
He then says, [17] "And their sins and their lawless deed I will remem=
ber
no more."
We
are children of God ... we are righteous ... we are holy. Thank God that He=
has
made us clean. Thank God that He came to live in us to make us righteous. T=
his
is the “Good News” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
John
1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave =
the
right to become children
of God, even to those who believe in
His name,
It is evening and the Jewish Passove= r is about to begin. After Jesus had washed the feet of His disciples and after Judas had left the room, the Passover Lamb begins to speak ...<= o:p>
John 14:1,10a, 11a Let not your hear=
t be
troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me=
... [10] Do you not believe that I
am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? ... [11]
The last
thing that Jesus taught his disciples was union
... the union that He shared with His Father and the union that they themse=
lves
would soon come to know. Jesus said that He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. What did He =
mean?
Jesus spoke about the union of
spirit. It was the Spirit of the Father, the Holy Spirit, who descended upon
Jesus at His baptism to become one with Him in spirit. In this union Jesus
became one with His Father and His Father became one with Him.
Jesus now had the power to live life= . He could have lived out of the nearly limitless resources of His own human body and soul (His mind, emotions, personality and strength of character) but th= at would not have been faith. Jesus lived from His oneness with the Father ... Jesus lived by faith. Thus, the life Jesus lived is our model of fai= th.<= o:p>
John 5:19b ... the Son can do nothing of Himsel= f, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like mann= er.<= o:p>
John 5:30 I can do nothing on My own initi= ative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own w= ill, but the will of Him who sent Me. = <= o:p>
When we come to know, by the teachin=
g of
the Holy Spirit, what God’s grace did for us through the Cross and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can begin to understand that Jesus lived t=
he
very same life that God designe=
d for
all Christians to live. We have the Spirit of God ... the same Holy Spirit =
that
Jesus had ... living in us, and we have the same resources and power to live
life that Jesus had.
The difference is that Jesus did not
have the issue of a “tent” corrupted by sin. The solution for o=
ur
condition in this present “house” is found in our union with
Christ, not in the effort of our
mortal body and soul.
John 14:20 In that day you shall know
that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
Ephesians 3:16 that He would grant y=
ou,
according to the riches of His glory, to
be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man;
The term “union” is
synonymous with having the life of Christ in us … living from our union is synonymous with =
being
dependent on Christ. As we experience life from our inner spirit union, it =
is
Christ living His life in us and
doing His work through us. In o=
ur
mortal soul and body we follow =
Christ
in faith.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified
with Christ; and it is no longer I=
who
live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in =
the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, =
and
delivered Himself up for me.
God designed us to live our lives and
relate to Him primarily in our spirit, where Eternal Life lives, not in our
soul. Our spirit is where the abundant life of Christ is lived and
experienced. When Jesus came to this earth, He changed forever the relation=
ship
that people were to have with God. No longer is it by mortal self-effort
living; now it is by spirit-power living … the life of faith.
John 4:23-24 But an hour is coming, =
and
now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and tru=
th;
for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. [24] God is spirit,
John 10:10b ... I came that they might have life=
, and
might have it abundantly.
Life is in Jesus Christ. Our union w=
ith
Christ has given us everything we need to live godly, rewarding live=
s.
Jesus lives in us and it is His=
power
that is our power to live life.=
Ask
God to let you understand and experience Christ in you so =
that
you live your life from your union with Him.
2 Peter 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to =
us
everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the tr=
ue
knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Colossians 3:4a When Christ, who is our life,
...
John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the
vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Our unity with Christ also extends to
our fellow believers, all equal members of one Body.
Ephesians 4:3-7 being diligent to
preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit,=
just
as also you were called in one hope of your calling; [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in
all. [7] But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure =
of
Christ's gift.
Division within the Church has been,=
and
is, devastating for millions of people. But, part of this is the reality of=
the
“corporate” life of the “church.” True believers have always grown up beside false believers.
Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus presented
another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared =
to a
man who sowed good seed in his field. [25] But while his men were sleeping,=
his
enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. [26] But when the
wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. [27] The
slaves of the landowner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good see=
d in
your field? How then does it have tares? [28] And he said to them, An enemy=
has
done this! The slaves *said to him, Do you want us, then, to go and gather =
them
up? [29] But he *said, No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may
uproot the wheat with them. [30] A=
llow
both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I w=
ill
say to the reapers, First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to b=
urn
them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.
For many centuries, the doctrines of=
the
false believers have dominated. To “survive,” true believers are
forced into dependency on Christ instead of looking to “the wisdom of
men.” Christ is the Head of His Body. He lives … we respond. Th=
is
union protects us from any false elements within the “Christian
Church.”
=
Note:=
The
following section is a hard teaching for many people. Reminder: You are encouraged to read with an open mind … =
don’t
believe what you read but don’t disbelieve it either. Then,
ask the Lord to open your eyes and separate truth from error. You will n=
ever
come to know God’s truth if you only listen to teaching that is famil=
iar
and comfortable. It is difficult to change you core beliefs; besides, we li=
ve
in an age of cults and deceivers. But, Jesus and the Apostles were constant=
ly
accused of being false teachers. Your protection is God Himself …
“Lord, teach me your truth and protect me from error.”