Subject 15 : The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the GALATIANS
[Chapter 3-3] Now We No Longer Have to Be under the Curses of the Law (Galatians 3:1-29)
(Galatians 3:1-29)
“O
foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the
truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as
crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the
Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so
foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by
the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in
vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles
among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith?—just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for
righteousness.’ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons
of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the
Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying,
‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of
faith are blessed with believing Abraham. 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.’ But that no one is justified by the law in
the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’ Yet
the law is not of faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse
for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’),
that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ
Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s
covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to
Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to
seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ.
And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years
later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in
Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the
inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it
to Abraham by promise. What purpose then does the law serve? It was
added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the
promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a
mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there
had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness
would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under
sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those
who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law,
kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law
was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by
faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you
are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you
as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor
female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s,
then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
The
Book of Galatians was written to warn against the false teachings of
circumcisionists. Among the saints of the Galatian churches, there were
some people who were advocating physical circumcision. These people
argued that to become God’s people, the saints had to be physically
circumcised even after believing in Jesus, but such beliefs were utterly
wrong. This is similar to the widespread fallacy of the doctrine of
prayers of repentance that plagues today’s Christians. This man-made
doctrine has misled many Christian sinners to try to wash away their
sins through their own endeavor even after believing in Jesus. From the
Book of Galatians, we can see just how profoundly mistaken such
legalistic beliefs are before God.
There Were Advocates of Physical Circumcision among the Galatian Believers
It
is written in Galatians 3:1-5, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched
you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ
was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn
from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are
you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many
things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the
Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works
of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Like this, with a frustrated
heart, the Apostle Paul argued against those who claimed that people
could become God’s own people if they were circumcised. The Apostle Paul
asked rhetorically, “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the
law, or by the hearing of faith? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now
being made perfect by the flesh?” The reason why Paul said this is
because the advocates of physical circumcision were blaspheming the true
gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Paul’s
faith was one that believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
When Jesus came to this earth, He was baptized by John the Baptist and
took upon all our sins once for all through this baptism. He was then
crucified to death, rose from the dead again, and has thereby saved us,
who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, to perfection
once for all.
The
Galatians, however, were truly foolish, for they were teaching that
they had to be physically circumcised to become God’s people. Many
members of the churches in Galatia had foolishly believed in physical
circumcision. So the Apostle Paul continued to reproach their mistake,
wanting them to turn around. In spite of this, many in the Galatian
churches still believed that they could become God’s people completely
only if they received circumcision in their bodies.
Can
we become God’s sons just by receiving and believing in physical
circumcision? No, we are made God’s people only if we believe in Jesus
Christ as our Savior who truly came by the gospel of the water and the
Spirit. Yet despite this, even today, there still are those who claim
that their sins can be washed away by giving their own prayers of
repentance, which is equivalent to physical circumcision.
Most
Christians today believe and argue that they can wash away their sins
through prayers of repentance. This is the very evidence proving that
such legalistic beliefs are widespread among modern Christians also.
Those in today’s Christianity who advocate such legalistic beliefs are
drifting away from God and turning into Satan’s servants. As such, we
need to find out here how the doctrine of prayers of repentance is such a
profoundly fallacious doctrine of Christianity.
The Fallacy of the Claim That Sin Can Be Washed Away through Prayers of Repentance
Today’s
belief that one can wash away his sins through his own prayers of
repentance is the same as the belief of those in the Early Church who
had argued that they could become God’s people only if they were
physically circumcised. Just as these physical circumcisionists in the
days of the Apostle Paul had led many Christians to destruction by
propagating their mistaken teachings, so are today’s false pastors
sending countless Christians to hell by teaching the fallacious doctrine
of prayers of repentance. As a result, almost all Christians today
misunderstand and misbelieve that once they believe in Jesus as their
Savior, they can wash away their personal sins through their own prayers
of repentance. However, we must realize here clearly that just because
they give prayers of repentance to the Lord, this does not mean that all
their sins are blotted out whenever they pray. Such teachings are based
on doctrines of man’s own making, and therefore they are nothing more
than falsehoods that stand completely opposite to the Word of God.
Nowadays,
whenever Christians commit sin in this world after believing in Jesus
as the Savior, they give their prayers of repentance as the following:
“Lord, please forgive me. If You would forgive my sins just this time, I
will never commit such sins again.” They then think that their sins
were washed away with just these few words of contrition. Since they do
not have the gospel of the water and the Spirit, they think there is no
other way but this to solve the problem of their sins. They believe that
they are remitted by praying to God to forgive their sins. Nonetheless,
even their consciences would admit that their sins do not disappear
with just a few words of prayers of repentance.
Those
who are still relying on prayers of repentance to try to cleanse away
their sins must grasp this fact, turn around, and believe in the gospel
of the water and the Spirit. If mankind’s sins could indeed be removed
just by giving prayers of repentance to the Lord, then there would have
been no need for the Lord to come to this earth and be baptized by John
to deliver sinners from their iniquities, nor would He have had to die
on the Cross. Why was Jesus baptized by John? He was baptized by John
the Baptist to accept our sins onto His body all at once. It is Jesus
who has delivered us from sin by taking upon the sins of the world
through His baptism and shedding His blood on the Cross; it is
absolutely not our own prayers that wash away our sins. The difference
between these two faiths is colossal.
Almost
all Christians throughout the whole world, however, believe at present
that their sins are washed away through their own prayers of repentance,
and therefore it is no exaggeration to say that their lives of faith
begin with prayers of repentance and end with prayers of repentance.
They are convinced that they were first saved by believing only in
Jesus’ blood on the Cross, and they believe that the sins committed
thereafter are washed away by giving prayers of repentance. So how
pitiful are they? Each and every one of them is deceiving himself. They
have also replaced true faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit
with their own legalistic faith based on morals and ethics. But unless
they turn around from such a line of faith, they will forever be unable
to wash away their sins.
If
sin is blotted out by giving prayers of repentance, then this would
mean that our salvation does not depend on Jesus, but on our own efforts
and works, and this, in turn, would mean that the merits of Jesus have
nothing to do with our salvation. We must not believe like this. On the
contrary, the advocates of prayers of repentance and physical
circumcision should now realize that they are actually rendering the
baptism of Jesus Christ and His precious blood on the Cross in vain, and
they must cast aside their mistaken faith.
If
they otherwise continue to lead their lives of faith relying on their
own prayers of repentance, they will forever remain sinners. Why?
Because even though Jesus Christ has blotted out all our sins once for
all and saved us by being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan
River, dying on the Cross, and rising from the dead again, they do not
believe in this gospel of the water and the Spirit as the real Truth of
salvation!
Aren’t
today’s Christians who misconceive and misbelieve in Jesus relying on
their own prayers of repentance to solve the problem of their sins? The
adherents and advocates of prayers of repentance think that Jesus Christ
failed to blot out all our sins once for all with the gospel of the
water and the Spirit. Such beliefs are wrong. Yet in spite of this, the
belief that one is washed from his sins by giving prayers of repentance
is still prevalent today, while those who know that this is a fallacious
Christian doctrine are extremely few. Since the adherents of prayers of
repentance have unfounded faith, they have no idea that their beliefs
are mistaken, nor do they realize that by propagating their fallacious
faith, they are actually rendering even more people incapable of being
washed from their sins to be forever destroyed.
Having
blotted out our sins once for all with the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, the Lord is now sitting at the right hand of the throne of God
the Father. The Lord came to this earth to deliver sinners from sin; He
was baptized by John the Baptist, died on the Cross, rose from the dead
again, thus blotting out our sins once for all; and He ascended to the
Kingdom of Heaven and promised that He would return again. So why would
anyone not believe in this Word of Truth? We must believe in the gospel
of the water and the Spirit. The gospel Word of the water and the Spirit
that God has given us is the way of true salvation.
Our
Lord came to this earth over 2,000 years ago, took upon our sins once
for all by being baptized at the age of 30, went to the Cross and was
crucified to death, rose from the dead again, and has thereby blotted
out our sins all at once. By saving us, who now believe in the gospel of
the water and the Spirit, from all our sins once for all, the Lord has
become our true Savior. Therefore, our Lord is the true Savior who has
perfectly blotted out all our sins, and He is the true Judge who will
judge everyone justly.
Thus
the Truth of real salvation that we should believe in is the gospel of
the water and the Spirit. In contrast, the doctrine of prayers of
repentance that many Christians now believe in is nothing more than a
falsehood derived from man’s own concept of “the principle of
causality.”
For
today’s Christians who say that they are remitted from their sins by
giving prayers of repentance, the remission of sin is received not in
the present perfect tense, but in the present progressive tense. So this
kind of faith is wrong. Does our Lord really blot out our sins in the
present progressive tense? No, that is absolutely not the case. The Lord
already blotted out all the sins of the world in the past with His
righteous act, and thus we have received the remission of sin by
believing in this Truth. Our sins are not blotted out little by little
everyday by giving prayers of repentance, but the Lord has already
blotted them out once for all with His baptism and His blood on the
Cross, and therefore anyone who believes in this Truth receives the
everlasting remission of sin all at once.
As
such, we should grasp that for those who believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit, the blessing of the remission of sin has already
been completed in the present perfect tense. Since we have been remitted
from all our sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, we no longer have any sin that needs to be forgiven. For those
who have been born again by believing in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, the foolish times of falsehood, when they had tried to be
remitted from their sins through their own prayers of repentance, have
all ended. Now, everyone must be washed from sin and receive everlasting
life by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit given to
the entire human races by the Lord.
Christians
who, bound in false doctrines, have not been able to be born again
believe in a falsehood called gradual salvation: Salvation of
justification, sanctification, and glorification. In other words, they
have been taught and believe as the following: “Although we have been
saved from all our past sins by believing in the precious blood of the
Cross, since we still commit sin at present, our salvation must be
attained gradually by giving prayers of repentance everyday, and when we
thus walk on the path to sanctification, we will be completely
sanctified at our death and reach our final, glorious salvation.”
So
when they are asked, “Have you been saved from sin completely?” they
roll out a gibberish answer, saying, “Yes! I was saved from sin, am
being saved, and will be saved.” Does this make any sense at all? If
someone who is drowning says, “I was rescued, am being rescued, and will
be rescued,” then this man is still drowning.
One
lie requires ten more lies to hide its deception. False doctrines are
the same. It’s because Christianity allowed falsehood once that
countless falsehoods have tagged along to enter it. That is why the
Christian doctrine of salvation has become so complex with many
different types of salvation. With such concepts as “salvation of
justification,” “salvation of sanctification,” and “salvation of
glorification,” the false teachers explain salvation as if it were
achieved in gradual stages. Actually, they don’t even define salvation
in concrete terms. They just consider it as one of God’s blessings. But
the concept of salvation refers to the remission of sin. Put
differently, salvation is the abridged word that denotes “salvation by
the remission of sin” (Luke 1:77).
Is
the remission of our sins received all at once by believing in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit? Or must we receive it everyday in
the present progressive tense by giving prayers of repentance day after
day? We should of course receive the remission of our sins through our
faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Yet despite this, if
today’s Christians still insist that they were saved from all their past
sins by believing in Jesus as their Savior, are also being saved now
through their prayers of repentance, and will continue to be saved in
the future, then what they have is a doctrinal faith, not the faith of
believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is the real
Truth. Those who believe that they can wash away their sins through
their own prayers of repentance do not possess true faith, and therefore
they cannot help but always remain and live as sinners.
Let’s
assume here that I got a birthday gift from someone. If I were to say
to him, even while holding this gift in my hands, “I’ll get a birthday
gift from you,” then this person would think I’ve gone mad. The same
story applies to salvation. Our salvation is fulfilled once for all by
faith, for it has come through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
We receive the remission of our sins once for all by believing in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit given by Jesus Christ; this remission
is never received continuously through our own prayers of repentance.
People
must therefore realize that it’s a mistake to believe that their sins
are washed away by giving prayers of repentance. It is by believing in
the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we have been saved from our
sins once for all and received everlasting life. You have to grasp that
this is the right faith. Faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit
has brought the conviction of true salvation to many Christians. We
must realize that it is completely unbiblical to believe that our sins
are washed away by believing in Jesus as our Savior and then giving our
prayers of repentance, and that this belief is no more than a legalistic
doctrine stemming from man’s own logic.
There
is a colossal difference between faith in the gospel of the water and
the Spirit and the belief that one is washed from his sins through
prayers of repentance. If one believes in the gospel of the water and
the Spirit, he will receive the everlasting remission of sin and become a
righteous person without sin. But if he were to try to be washed from
his sins through his own prayers of repentance, then he will never
receive the remission of his sins and fall into legalistic beliefs.
While the former faith enables us to attain everlasting life in Heaven
and serve the Lord in His grace, the latter faith only makes us spend
all our lives struggling to receive the remission of our sins, only to
be condemned to hell.
You
should therefore once again examine right now whether your faith is one
that is placed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, or one that
is placed in your own prayers of repentance trying to wash away your
sins on your own. And if you are indeed hanging onto the mistaken belief
that the remission of your sins is received by giving prayers of
repentance, then I beseech you to throw away such faith and believe in
the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
We
should know and believe that only the gospel of the water and the
Spirit is the real Truth of salvation. To save sinners from sin, Jesus
came to this earth, shouldered all the sins of the world by being
baptized by John the Baptist, died on the Cross, rose from the dead
again, and has thereby blotted out all our sins. Just as the Lord said
on his death, “It is finished!” He has indeed completed everything, so
that He may not lack anything to save those who now believe in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit. And the Lord promised that He would
descend from Heaven again to take away the righteous who believe in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit. It’s because these believers in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit are God’s people that the Lord will
return to this earth to take them away.
It
is a fallacious belief to think that we are remitted from our sins
through prayers of repentance, rather than believing in the salvation
the Lord has completed for us, and therefore through this kind of faith
we can never enter the Kingdom of the Lord. We must believe in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit and engrave it in our hearts. We must
realize that when today’s Christians believe that their sins are washed
through their own prayers of repentance, their faith is an extremely
mistaken faith. To believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit is
to have the same faith as that of Abraham.
How Are We Blessed Like Abraham?
In
Galatians chapter three, the Apostle Paul explains true faith by using
the example of Abraham’s faith: “Just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it
was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Therefore know that only those
who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that
God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham
beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then
those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Galatians
3:6-9).
Paul
is explaining here that Abraham was approved by God and became the
father of true faith precisely because he believed in the Word God had
told him. Therefore, those who have the same faith as Abraham’s faith
are accounted by God for righteousness together with Abraham.
Do
you want to become Abraham’s descendants by placing your faith in the
Word of God? Then believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit with
all your hearts, just as Abraham believed in what God had told him. By
believing in the Son of God as our Savior who has saved from our sins,
and through our faith in the God-spoken gospel Word of the water and the
Spirit, we can live forever. I want all of you to also attain the same
faith as Abraham’s faith. As Abraham became God’s son through his faith
in the Word of God, I truly want all of you to emulate his faith. Then,
just as Abraham received all blessings by believing in God’s Word, you
will also receive all the same blessings.
You,
too, should receive the remission of your sins from God by placing your
faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Put differently, you
must believe that our Lord came to this earth, was baptized by John the
Baptist to accept the sins of the world, died on the Cross, rose from
the dead again, and has thereby saved us from sin. At the very moment we
believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit given to us, we are
made God’s people, and we also become Abraham’s spiritual descendants.
Just as Abraham was approved by God as a righteous man for believing in
His Word, it is through your faith in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit that you are made God’s people. God says that Abraham’s faith is
the same as the faith of those who now believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit.
We
must realize that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the Truth.
Now, as people all over the world will come to believe in God’s gospel
Word of Truth, they will be approved by God like Abraham. That’s because
God has already determined that those with such faith should become
righteous by faith, and be saved from all their sins. We must remember
what is written in the Bible: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God
would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham
beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed’”
(Galatians 3:8).
What Kind of Faith Is Abraham’s Faith?
In
the Old Testament’s time, Abraham and his nephew left their country,
their families, and their fathers’ houses in Ur of the Chaldeans to go
to the land where God showed him. Soon after entering the Promised Land,
their herds increased greatly, which was then a measure of wealth. So,
eventually, Abraham’s servants and the servants of his nephew Lot came
to quarrel over property issues. Abraham realized from this that he had
to separate himself spiritually from his nephew Lot.
So
Abraham said to his nephew, “Leave me. If you take the right, then I
will go to the left; if you take the left, then I will go to the right.
You choose first. You don’t even respect me as your uncle, and now that
you are prospering, you wish to leave me. So choose. Where will you go?
Go wherever you want to go.”
Lot
then chose the fertile land of Zoar and left Abraham. After Lot’s
departure, God said to Abraham, “Lift your eyes now and look from the
place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for
all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever”
(Genesis 13:14-15). What God said here was the gospel Word of covenant,
that Abraham would be blessed through Jesus Christ.
By
believing in God’s Word, Abraham’s faith was approved, and he became
the father of faith for all those who have thereafter believed in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit. When God said to Abraham, “All the
land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever,” He meant
that people would enter the spiritual land of Canaan through Jesus
Christ. Jesus was born on this earth to deliver sinners from sin, was
baptized by John the Baptist, died on the Cross, rose from the dead, and
has thereby become the Savior of sinners. That is why God said that He
would give Heaven to those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior
who came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The
Apostle Paul knew that this Truth was one that would be preached to the
Gentiles to bring salvation to them. God the Father had prophesied that
Jesus Christ would be born as a descendant of Abraham, and He said that
just as Abraham’s faith was approved by Him, those who believe in Jesus
Christ as their Savior who came by the gospel of the water and the
Spirit will get their faith approved by God. That is why the Apostle
Paul said, “So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing
Abraham” (Galatians 3:9).
As
such, by believing in the Word of God, that is, the gospel of the water
and the Spirit in this age, the Gentiles can also receive the same
blessings that Abraham had received. The Word of God that Abraham had
received, and the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, which is the
Word of salvation that we have received, both brought salvation to the
believer, and therefore when it comes to the faith that saves us, there
is absolutely no difference. That is why the believers in the gospel of
the water and the Spirit are to receive the same blessings that Abraham
had received, as they are to receive the same gifts and rewards alike.
Now as Before, There Still Are Misbelievers
The
reason why Paul especially mentioned Abraham’s faith here is because
the Jewish Christians had continued to be engrossed in their own
thinking that they would become God’s people and Abraham’s descendents
if they were physically circumcised. So, in order to explain the true
faith that saves one from sin, Paul first pointed out their false
beliefs. That is why the Apostle Paul once again spoke about the true
nature of the faith of Abraham.
In
this age also, for us to have Abraham’s faith, we must believe with our
hearts in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that God has given to
all of us. If anyone believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
then his sins will disappear from his heart and he will become one of
God’s own people. Did you become God’s people by receiving physical
circumcision? No, it is only if you believe in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit that you are made God’s people.
However,
those who believe that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the
real Truth of salvation are indeed few and far between. Today’s
Christian faith has gone astray like this precisely because people
believe in God’s Word by interpreting it too literally and too
carnally.
During
the Reformation in France, there was a man named John Calvin, who later
emerged as one of the most influential Protestant theologians. Calvin’s
trouble began when he wrote a public address for his friend Nicholas
Cop, rector of the University of Paris, supporting church reforms. This
led the Catholic Church to accuse him of heresy, and he had to flee
France as a fugitive. While on the run, he wrote a book called
Institutes of the Christian Religion, which was revised several times
later on. Calvin’s views expressed in this book are called the “Five
Points of Calvinism.”
The
so-called “Five Points of Calvinism” are as follows: Total Depravity
(also known as Total Inability and Original Sin); Unconditional
Election; Limited Atonement (also known as Particular Atonement);
Irresistible Grace; Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved
Always Saved). Here, the doctrine of “Unconditional Election” argues
that some people are predestined to Heaven and others to hell.
Calvin’s
ideas were criticized by many for being too intolerant. Nonetheless,
his ideas were consolidated into a school of theology, despite the fact
that they were fallacious doctrines, and those who were influenced by
this school became unable to realize that the gospel of the water and
the Spirit was the Truth even when they heard it. Later on, based on
Calvin’s arguments, Christians came to believe that as far as the sins
committed after believing in Jesus were concerned, they must be washed
away from these sins by giving prayers of repentance.
The
Bible says that God has blotted out our sins once for all. However,
Calvin argued that even before people are born, some people were already
predestined to be saved while others were predestined to be forsaken.
This is a man-made doctrine and a falsehood fitted together according to
what man knows by instinct.
God’s
real predestination is the following: God the Father in Heaven
predestined us in Jesus Christ, and in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit; He predestined the believers in this gospel to be delivered from
all the sins of the world and made into His people. We must remember
that true salvation is attained by believing in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit. The Bible says that the believers in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit are those who have been born again from sin and
received eternal life (John 3:5).
Everyone
was born as a sinner from his very birth in this world, destined to
commit sin throughout his life and incapable of avoiding the punishment
of hell for this sin. However, Jesus Christ accepted such people like us
as God’s people—that is, those who believe that Christ has delivered us
from the sins of the world through the gospel of the water and the
Spirit. We must believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior within the gospel
of Truth.
However,
the Lord is saying that those who do not believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit will be deservedly cast into hell. Which, then, is
the right gospel, and what is true faith like? None other than the
gospel of the water and the Spirit that our Lord speaks of in the Bible
is the gospel of Truth and the infallible Word of salvation.
Who Is under the Curse of God?
Let
us turn to Galatians 3:10-14. “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.’ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God
is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’ Yet the law is not of
faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’ Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for
it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the
blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that
we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
It
says in the above passage that those who are of the Law are under the
curse. The Apostle Paul said, “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’” (Galatians 3:10). Similarly, the Apostle James also
said, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one
point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).
God
made it clear here that those who are of the works of the Law are under
the curse. The Law does not bring salvation to anyone who keeps it.
After all, who could possibly keep the Law to perfection, when there are
no less than 613 statues of the Law of God written in the Old
Testament?
The
role of the Law is to point out our sins and make us realize them, and
thereby lead us to the gospel of the water and the Spirit. That’s
because the Law is God’s decree dispensed to everyone. Prosecutors
investigate and bring criminal charges against suspects. It’s their job
to bring a criminal action against the indicted suspects as criminals.
And it’s the defense lawyer’s job to advocate on behalf of the suspects
on trial. Essentially, the Law is like a prosecutor to us, while Jesus
is our defense lawyer. Let’s then examine here in more detail the
relationship between the works of Jesus and the function of the Law.
Those
of the works of the Law try to become Abraham’s descendants by
receiving physical circumcision, but the Bible clearly says that such
people are under God’s curse. There is no one who can become a righteous
person by keeping the Law. It is written, “The law is not of faith, but
‘the man who does them shall live by them’” (Galatians 3:12). There is
no one in this world who can practice the Law of God perfectly.
Therefore,
Jesus Christ Himself came to this earth, took upon our sins by being
baptized, was crucified to death to be cursed, and rose from the dead
again, thus saving us His believers. It is Jesus Christ who accepted all
the sins of everyone in this world by receiving the baptism given by
John the Baptist, and bore all the curses of mankind by being crucified
and shedding His blood to death. That is why the Apostle Paul said,
“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy
21:23).
In
Jesus’ time, the Jewish nation was under the colonial rule of the Roman
Empire, and the Roman law condemned the most atrocious criminals to
death by nailing them to a tree. Put differently, execution by
crucifixion was a punishment reserved for the most heinous and accursed
criminals.
Why,
then, was Jesus Christ hung on a tree? That’s because He had accepted
all our sins once for all by being baptized from John the Baptist. It’s
because Jesus Christ had taken upon our sins through His baptism that He
died on the accursed tree. You and I have so many sins that Jesus could
pay their wages only if He was crucified and bore all curses.
It’s
because Jesus Christ had shouldered the sins of the world through His
baptism that He was crucified on a wooden cross. The crucifixion of
Jesus was a consequence of the fact that He had taken upon all our sins
through His baptism to be cursed for them. This means that just as the
Bible says, “That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles
in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith” (Galatians 3:14), Jesus Christ has indeed saved us perfectly
through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
That
is how the same blessings bestowed on Abraham have now been bestowed on
us, who believe in what Jesus Christ has done for us. Just as Abraham
was blessed by God and became the father of faith, whoever believes in
the gospel of the water and the Spirit can receive such blessings and
become God’s child.
God
has enabled us to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit through faith
by believing in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14). If anyone receives the
remission of his sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, he will receive God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
therefore dwells in the hearts of those who believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit.
If
we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, then this means that we have
received everlasting life through the Holy Spirit. That is why God said,
“The just shall live by faith.” Since God has given the gift of the
Holy Spirit to those who believe in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, you and I are now able to live forever through our faith in
God’s Word. So, if anyone has indeed received the remission of his sins
into his heart by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
then it’s not hard for him to live by faith in God.
The Believers in the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit Can Be Freed from All Curses by Believing in This Truth
Is
it difficult to receive the remission of sin through faith in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit? It can’t be any easier than this.
“Brethren,
I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet
if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his
Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of
many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ. And this I say,
that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot
annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it
should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the
law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of
transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made;
and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a
mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then
against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law
given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been
by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the
promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the
faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our
tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But
after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians
3:15-25).
The
Apostle Paul said here that he would take an example from everyday life
to explain what he meant. He pointed out that even when it comes to a
promise made by one man to another, once it’s made, no one can annul it
or modify it.
Let’s
once again turn to the promise God made to Abraham. As conflicts arose
between Abraham and his nephew Lot over property issues, Abraham asked
Lot to choose wherever he wanted to go and leave, and Lot chose the land
of Zoar and departed. God then called Abraham to a high mountain and
made him look all the land below. And God promised Abraham, “All the
land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.”
This
is God’s covenant that Jesus Christ would be born from Abraham. In
other words, God was saying that He would send Jesus Christ born as a
descendant of Abraham, and that to those who believe in this Jesus
Christ, God would give the same blessings that He gave Abraham. And by
indeed sending Jesus Christ to this earth, God completely fulfilled the
blessing that allows us the believers to enter Heaven just as He had
promised. Now, we are of those have received such blessings like
Abraham, all by believing in Jesus Christ. As God gave the land of
Canaan to Abraham, He has given us the gift of His promised Kingdom,
precisely because we believe in His Word.
However,
after 430 years since giving His Word of promise to Abraham, God gave
the Law to the people of Israel. This Law was given to us also. Yet
through this Law, we could not be freed from all our sins, and therefore
we had to remain under the curse.
But
this Law cannot abolish God’s promise that was made first. In other
words, God gave the Law to the people of Israel after 430 years had
passed since He promised to bless them, and this Law could not nullify
the promise and blessing that God had given to Abraham. This is an
extremely important promise and the indispensable Truth for both the
people of Israel and us alike. That we are saved through our faith in
the gospel of the water and the Spirit is a crucially important,
veritable belief, and it is the Truth of the real remission of sin. Like
this, in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, it is very easy to
attain the salvation of the remission of sin.
Let’s
read Galatians 3:18-20. “For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no
longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. What purpose
then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till
the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed
through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not
mediate for one only, but God is one.”
The
Apostle Paul used the subjunctive mood with “if.” Paul said here that
if becoming God’s children and inheriting His Kingdom are of the Law,
then they are no longer of promise. In other words, if it is by keeping
the Law faithfully that we are made righteous and inherit God’s Kingdom,
then this is of our own acts, not of the blessed promise that God made
to Abraham, saying, “I will give this land of Canaan to you and your
descendants.”
The
remission of our sins is also received by faith in the Word of God. It
is by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we
receive the remission of our sins, and it is also by our faith in the
Word of God—that is, by believing in Jesus Christ and in the Word He
promised to us—that we attain Heaven after receiving the remission of
our sins.
As
the Apostle Paul was a man with a thorough knowledge of the Old
Testament, he connected Jesus Christ to the Old Testament. He said,
“What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of
transgressions” (Galatians 3:19). This means that it’s because we commit
sin that God gave us the Law. In other words, because Abraham’s
descendants were unaware of their sins, the Law was given to them so
that they may realize and know their sins; it was not given so that they
would be saved by keeping this Law. Therefore, the Law is effective
until the coming of the promised Seed. Who, then, is this Seed promised
in the Law of God? It is none other than Jesus Christ.
God
gave the Law to human beings because they did not realize their own
sins even as they committed them. What was the condition of mankind
after 430 years passed by since God promised Abraham salvation by faith?
People did not know God that well, nor did they know sin, for there was
no law. That is why God appeared before Moses and said, “I am Jehovah. I
am the Lord God who led you out of the land of Egypt. First, you shall
have no other god before Me. Second, you shall not make idols, bow to
them, or worship them. I am Jehovah”; thus, He gave the Law to the
people of Israel so that they may know who God was.
In
short, the reason why God gave us the Law is so that through this Law,
we would realize ourselves as grave sinners and look for Jesus Christ
and find Him. That is why God had bound us under the Law until the
coming of Jesus Christ. And when the time came, Jesus Christ came to
this earth for us, was baptized by John the Baptist, died on the Cross,
rose from the dead again, and has thereby saved us from the sins of the
world.
Therefore,
if anyone tries to become a righteous person before God by keeping the
Law, living virtuously, or receiving circumcision, then his faith is a
faith of works, that is, a legalistic faith. This legalistic faith is an
extremely mistaken faith before God. It entails a futile attempt to
reach salvation by oneself, premised on the erroneous assumption that
human beings are capable of attaining salvation on their own by living a
faithful and virtuous life of piety.
In
contrast, the Apostle Paul said, “We can never be saved through our own
deeds, for we cannot help but sin until we die. However, the Mediator
is here now. He is one with God. Our Mediator is Jesus, who, though
being God Himself, came to this earth incarnated in the flesh of man and
became our Savior. This Mediator does not mediate for one party only.
He mediates for both God the Father and us alike. It’s because He worked
for both sides that He became our Mediator.” This Mediator, Jesus
Christ, took upon our sins once for all, died on the Cross, made us
God’s people, and fulfilled all the justice of God, all His love, and
all His righteousness.
The
Bible continues on to say the following: “Is the law then against the
promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which
could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.
But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith
in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith
came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which
would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us
to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:21-24).
As
such, today’s claim that the remission of sin is attained by giving
prayers of repentance, or the old claim of the Early Church era that
people are made Abraham’s descendants and his people by receiving
circumcision, is all a mistaken belief. The notion that today’s
Christians are made God’s people only if they are sanctified is wrong,
just as it is wrong to claim that they can be washed from their sins and
become God’s people if they give prayers of repentance diligently. Just
because someone gives prayers of repentance diligently, it absolutely
does not mean that God would somehow make him sinless.
Whoever
believes in Jesus Christ as his Savior who came by the gospel of the
water and the Spirit can receive the remission of his sins and become
God’s child. It’s all nothing more than a lie to say that just by
offering prayers of repentance diligently, people can be washed from
their sins, find God, and receive His power. Yet tragically, so many
Christians still adhere to this mistaken belief, trying to reach
salvation by relying on their own prayers of repentance and through
their own works of the Law. It breaks my heart to see how Christians all
over the world got their faith so wrong, and how such people’s faith,
claiming that they are washed from their sins by offering prayers of
repentance, is so rampant in today’s Christianity.
Listen
to what the Apostle Paul said: “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the
Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3)
By this, Paul was pointing out the unquestionable fallacy of the claim
that one is washed from his sins by giving prayers of repentance in
carnal terms. In other words, Paul was asking why on earth we would try
to wash away our sins through our own prayers of repentance, when the
Son of God has clearly saved us from our sins by coming to this earth,
taking upon our sins, dying on the Cross, and rising from the dead
again. When we can clearly see this Jesus Christ who was baptized by
John and died on the Cross, why would we bring out another gospel and
try to wash away our sins through prayers of repentance?
When
the Apostle Paul spoke to the saints of the Galatian churches here, it
hadn’t even been that long since Jesus actually came to this earth, was
baptized, died on the Cross, rose from the dead again, and ascended to
Heaven. Yet despite this, the Galatian saints had already forsaken their
faith and were seeking a different faith, trapped in Satan’s thoughts.
And what is worse is that they did not even realize just how fallacious
this faith was.
If Not Careful, Today’s Believers in the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit May Also Fall into Such Errors
Even
those who have received the remission of their sins by believing in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit may also think like this: “Although
I’ve received the remission of my sins, since I still commit sin, I
still would like to give prayers of repentance. Only then, I think,
could my sins be forgiven.” Even for someone who has received the
remission of his sins, once he commits another sin, he is remorseful
before God and feels as if he has to do something to redress it, and so
he may very well think like this.
However,
in cases like this, we should admit to God that we have committed sin
and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, rather than
resorting to our own prayers of repentance; just because someone gives
prayers of repentance, this absolutely does not mean that his sins are
blotted out. All our saints throughout the world must realize this fact,
and those all over the world who consider themselves to be good
Christians, and yet have not known the gospel of the water and the
Spirit until now, must also realize that the doctrine of prayers of
repentance is wrong.
Why
did the Apostle Paul rebuke the circumcisionists and denounced them so
harshly in the Book of Galatians? That’s because under their bad
influence, there had sprung up too many believers in the Galatian
churches who did not know the gospel of the water and the Spirit
properly. Now, every Christian, from ministers to church officers and
laymen alike, must realize how theologians have taught them so wrong all
this time. Because there are so many things that they have taught
wrong, it’s impossible to preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit
in this present age without the foundation of the clear Word of Truth.
That’s because even when the gospel of Truth is explained to them with
the Word, they do not want to listen and stand against us blindly.
One
must have a definitive evidence of the Word of God for his deliverance
from his sins, and to have this, he must have the salvation that came by
the water and the Spirit. If anyone does not have the evidence of his
salvation attained by believing in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, then he cannot give the testimony of true salvation.
Too
many Galatian believers had lost this evidence already. So, in the Book
of Galatians, the Apostle Paul said, “How fallacious is the faith of
those who advocate circumcision? Do you seek to practice the Law? Do you
seek to be justified through the Law of God? Then you are obligated to
practice the Law in its entirety. You seek to be made perfect by your
own works of the Law, but ask yourself if you can really keep it all.
Aren’t you incapable of this? So why are you then trying to reach your
salvation by keeping the Law, through you own works? Our true salvation
is attained not through our own works, but through our faith in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit. The belief that Jesus Christ came to
this earth and has blotted out our sins with the gospel of the water
and the Spirit is the very faith that brings the real remission of
sin.”
Our
salvation is not found in our own acts, but it depends on our faith,
that is, whether we believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit or
not. Yet for all this time, we had mistakenly thought that we would be
blessed by God if we do certain virtuous deeds and cursed if we don’t.
All this is a legalistic belief, not the faith of believing in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit. It is by faith that we are made
sinless, and it is those who find Jesus Christ in the gospel Truth of
the water and the Spirit, and accept Him into their hearts, that receive
the blessing of salvation. If some people are still trying to become
sinless otherwise, by giving prayers of repentance, then this means that
they have fallen into fallacious beliefs. Such people must repent as
soon as possible, turn around, and believe in Jesus Christ properly.
When Faith in the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit Comes to Us, We Can Be Freed from All the Curses of the Law
“But
after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all
sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were
baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for
you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are
Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:25-29).
The
Apostle Paul said here, “After faith has come, we are no longer under a
tutor.” The tutor here refers to the Law. By pointing out our sins, the
Law enables us to realize that we are sinners and therefore bound to
hell. That is why it’s said that the Law leads us to the Savior.
Now,
once we have met Jesus in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and
once we have received the faith that He is our Savior, we are no longer
under the Law. Because of this faith, we are not under its curse
anymore. Even if we find ourselves committing sin again by any chance,
the right thing for us to do is to frankly admit our wrongdoings to God
and move on, once again confirming by faith that we have indeed been
remitted from all these sins as well. Therefore, even though we are
insufficient, all that we have to do is just live by faith from now on.
Jesus Christ already bore all our curses hung on a tree.
By
accepting our sins through His baptism and being crucified, Jesus
already bore all our curses once for all. Now, not only do we no longer
have to fear our curses, but we have absolutely no worry whatsoever. All
that we have to do is just admit our insufficiencies as they are and
march forth by faith. That is what the Lord has told us.
It
is written, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”
(Galatians 3:26-27). The Apostle Paul said here that by believing in
Jesus Christ the Son of God as our Savior, all of us have also become
sons of God. That we have become God’s sons means that we have become
sinless.
By
what faith have we become sinless? As Galatians 3:27 says, “As many of
you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ,” we have become
sinless by believing that Jesus came to this earth incarnated in the
flesh of man, and that He accepted all the sins of mankind, your and
mine alike, by being baptized by John the Baptist, the representative of
mankind. All the sins of the world were passed onto Jesus Christ as
John the Baptist laid his hands on Christ’s head. It is because Jesus
had accepted all the sins of mankind by being baptized that He was
crucified to be cursed in our place. And rising from the dead again, He
has become our Savior.
That
is why the Apostle Paul said, “As many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). That we “were baptized into
Christ” means that we believe the following: that Jesus took upon our
sins when He was baptized; that He had to therefore die on the Cross;
that He rose from the dead again to show us He is God Himself and to
raise us back to life; and that through all this, He has become our
Savior. Like this, it was to blot all our sins with the gospel of the
water and the Spirit that Jesus was born on this earth.
Thus
in Galatians 3:27, the Apostle Paul was confessing his faith when he
said, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
Paul’s faith was faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Unless
one believes in the baptism of Jesus and His blood on the Cross, he
will be cast into hell. Because Jesus had taken upon mankind’s sins once
for all by thus being baptized by John the Baptist, He could be
crucified to death and bear our curses, and rising from the dead again
in three days, He became our Messiah, our true Savior. To complete all
our salvation, Jesus had to live again, and that is why He rose from the
dead again after being baptized and dying on the Cross, thus becoming
our true Savior.
There
is so much more to discuss here, but let me draw my conclusion by once
again referring to the Apostle Paul’s mind. Paul said in Galatians 3:28,
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there
is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
This
means that everyone is one in Christ. In Jesus Christ, we were able to
receive the same remission of sin. We are all one, since it is by
believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we can receive
the remission of our sins, become God’s people, and be made into His
workers. We can become one the very moment we are made God’s people.
Paul
continued on to say, “And if you are Chris’s, then you are Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). With this
passage, Paul was saying the following: “It is not by being circumcised
that you become Abraham’s descendants, but it is by believing in Jesus
Christ as your Savior who came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit
that you are made Christ’s and unite with Him. Only if you have come
into Jesus Christ have you become Abraham’s descendants by faith. If you
are indeed of this faith, then you are heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven
according to the promise.” This is the Truth.
Theologians
often summarize Paul’s faith as “justification by faith.” That is
correct. The problem, however, is that they say this without even
realizing exactly what it is that Paul believed in that he was justified
by faith. This is why, being ignorant of the gospel of the water and
the Spirit, they have no other way to speak of salvation but only as
something attained by believing in the blood of the Cross alone, and, as
a result, they have come to argue that for anyone to be saved, he has
to reach sanctification. It’s because these people speak of such
mistaken beliefs that their listeners end up going astray. Even though
God has enabled us to attain our salvation by placing our faith in the
God-given gospel of the water and the Spirit, they have added their own
works-oriented doctrines, and thus ruining God’s salvation of grace.
How
should we then believe to belong to Jesus Christ? We have to believe
that Jesus has blotted out all our sins without consulting us beforehand
at all. Our true salvation is reached by believing that it was Jesus
Himself who was baptized by John the Baptist; it was Jesus who carried
the sins of the world to the Cross to be crucified; it was Jesus who
suffered and died on the Cross to be cursed; it was Jesus who rose from
the dead again; and it is Jesus who has become our Savior. That is how
the Lord Himself accomplished all our salvation. It’s because He loved
us so much that He saved us out of His own will. This was no one else’s
but God’s own work. And now, what all of us must do is believe in this
gospel of the water and the Spirit. We will then be saved by faith.
What
did we receive when we believed in the God-given gospel of the water
and the Spirit? We received the gift of the Spirit of God. As the Holy
Spirit has come into our hearts as God’s gift for us, the Holy Spirit
now works through us. Is there anything that we have to add on our own
to receive our salvation from God? No, there is absolutely nothing.
Was
there anyone who made even the slightest contribution to our salvation
achieved by the Son of God when He came to this earth? I’ve heard some
people praising a Cyrenian called Simon, going as far as to say that he
was a partner in the Lord’s work of salvation, on account of the fact
that this man carried Jesus’ Cross on His behalf (Mark 15:21). However,
even if this Simon had not borne the Cross on Jesus’ behalf, it does not
mean that the Lord’s work of salvation would have been rendered
imperfect. Back in those days, Cyrene was a thriving city in Libya, and
Simon was most probably a Hellenized Jew who had come to Jerusalem for
the annual Passover festival. However, just because this man was of some
help to Jesus, would he have gone to Heaven for this deed? No, that is
not the case.
My
fellow believers, it is only by believing in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit that we can receive God’s promised blessings. It is by
our faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we are saved,
it is by this faith that we enter Heaven, and it is by this same faith
that we are made righteous.
Many
Christians say, “We must receive the remission of our sins by giving
prayers of repentance.” But whenever we hear such a claim, there is one
thing that we absolutely must remember: While this may seem virtuous at
first, it is in fact nothing more than a fraud. These are words of the
vilest people. You probably have such people around you as well, saying,
“How can you not offer prayers of repentance? Anyone who doesn’t offer
prayers of repentance is wrong.” They roundly condemn everyone who
points out that such prayers of repentance are not necessary for
salvation.
But
when these people say that their sins are blotted out only if they give
prayers of repentance, they are actually committing a great evil before
God. This is to render the death of Jesus in vain. How could we ever do
this, and still expect to be saved?
As the Born-again, What Should We Do When We Commit Sin?
Given
this, then, what kind of prayer should we give when we the born-again
commit sin? We should give prayers of confession, saying to God, “Lord,
I’ve committed such and such sins. I am sorry. And I believe that You
have also blotted out these sins with the gospel of the water and the
Spirit.” We should admit our sins like this, and from the gospel, once
again confirm that the Lord has already blotted them out.
And
we should turn around from our transgressions. Since Jesus has already
saved us by taking upon all our sins through His baptism, bearing all
our curses on the Cross, and rising from the dead again, we no longer
have anything to be cursed, and therefore all that we have to do is just
turn around from our wrongdoings.
We
should always confess our wrongdoings to God whenever we commit them.
Affirming with our faith that the Lord has blotted out all our sins with
the gospel of the water and the Spirit, all that we have to do is just
follow the will of the Lord who has become our perfect Savior, and never
to be bound by guilty feelings again.
Sometimes,
even I am saddened. That’s because so many people in this world believe
that the remission of sin is received by giving prayers of repentance.
But it is unmistakably clear, beyond all doubts, that no one can receive
the remission of his sins unless he believes in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit. For those who do not believe in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit, prayers of repentance spring forth in their hearts
instinctively. It’s an ingrained habit for them to say, “Lord, please
forgive me. Please wash away this sin also.”
Yet
anyone who has not been baptized into Christ cannot put on Christ. Do
you now realize what is wrong? While those who believe in the gospel of
the water and the Spirit will put on Christ and become God’s children
and people, all these blessings are beyond the reach of those who do not
believe in this gospel. Only when a clear boundary of Truth is drawn in
your hearts can you believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
and receive the remission of your sins, the greatest treasure in the
world.
If,
on the other hand, anyone does not believe in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit, and instead believes that the remission of his sins is
received by giving his own prayers of repentance, then he will always
remain a sinner waiting only for the day of his destruction. That’s
because his faith is one that renders the baptism of Jesus Christ and
His death all in vain.
Would
you render Jesus Christ’s love of the water and the Spirit useless?
Some people may think, “While such beliefs are wrong, they are not that
seriously wrong.” However, to believe in the doctrine of prayers of
repentance is to commit a monstrous sin that destroys every Truth of
God. You must remember this.
And
now, as the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, we
must preach this genuine gospel throughout the whole world until the
very end. Strengthening our faith, we must save all the sin-stricken and
hopeless Christians from the fallacious faith of the doctrine of
repentance, through the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.
I
thank the Lord for entrusting us with such a task. Trusting in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit, we must fulfill what has been
entrusted to us.
No comments:
Post a Comment