2016.10.02_Be Saved From Sin

Believers who belong to the Holy God

God is Holy. There are many gods. He is nothing like those gods, and He is the only God. He is the Father of Jesus Christ, the Father of all who have united with Jesus Christ. Not all men who call God the father become the children of God. Only those who have eaten and drunk the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ are children of God. In John 17:3 Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” You need to know Jesus, whom God had sent, in order to receive eternal life.

In general, sin is considered a matter of conscience. The law also regards sin as the conscience of faith. Hence people think that they are without sin, unless they feel guilty. Nonetheless, every human being is a sinner. Sinners are originally considered equal to slaves. Slaves belong to their masters. In the past, slaves had a branding mark, which was seared with a hot iron, on their body to tell to whom they belong. Sinful mankind has become the Devil’s slaves and have earned the branding mark of sin. Just as a slave never becomes free once they have been marked as a slave, mankind, with the mark of sin, could never be set free as a sinner.

Salvation by the works of Christ

Why do people believe in Jesus? All Christians are supposed to be able to answer this question. Christians are people who believe in the name Jesus. The name ‘Jesus’ means, “God saves His people” (Mt 1:21). Our faith begins with knowing in confidence that we are saved from sin. Those who are not sure about this would abandon the name of Jesus for an imminent benefit, even if they go to church.

Humans are religious; therefore, they find and serve their own gods in their own way. However, a Christian’s faith is different from that. God has sent the Son, who was in His bosom, and we have come to know God through the Son. Knowing God also means belonging to Him. Unless you belong to God, you still live under the Devil’s control (Eph. 2:2). Even though they have a church life, they will fall away. Hence, we must know for sure whether we belong to God or not.

However, one who has no trace of sin has appeared in the world. The Son of God, with the duty of Christ, came to the Earth. Pilate, the judge, could not find sin in Jesus. Even though he tried to turn down the Jews who wanted to kill Jesus, he ended up sentencing Jesus to death. Jesus was stripped and flogged. The astoundingly truth is, by that, the mark of sin on us was completely cleared away (Pt. 2:24).

We were originally doomed to destruction by sin. Nonetheless, the work of Christ have opened up the way to life for us. Acknowledging this truth is our faith. We must guard this faith to the end. Without knowing that we have gained the evidence of righteousness by the works of Christ, we do not have the guarantee of salvation.

The duty fulfilled by the Holy Spirit

God anoints the people who are saved from the sin with the Holy Spirit (2Cor. 1:21~22). Thus, you can only be filled with the Holy Spirit when you hold fast the faith that you are saved from sin. No matter how hard you pray or fast, without faith, you cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, came into us making us saints. Becoming a saint means becoming dutiful to God’s work.

In Acts 10:38 it says, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good.” “Doing good” is not referring to ethics or morals but referring to the fulfillment of the will of God the Father. Before the fulfillment, Jesus had received the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, it could not have been done. Jesus had told his disciples to also receive the Holy Spirit before they leave Jerusalem. For it is impossible to save souls without the work of the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit is most fundamental in bringing the love of God.

If you refuse to do the work God gives you, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit may no longer be with you. If the work of God is not being processing through you, it means you are not filled with the Holy Spirit. In John 4:34 Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” Our food is also to do the will of him. We have received a duty from God, that is to love our neighbors and love our brothers.

Men of the Holy Spirit who bring the Truth

Those who will be glorified in heaven with Jesus Christ are those who have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. They follow wherever the Lamb leads them; moreover, no lie is found in their mouths (Rev. 14:1~5). On the other hand, liars will be consigned to the burning sulfur (Rev. 21:8). Likewise, God will clearly distinguish between those without lie and liars.

There are habitual liars among Christians, too. In John 7:38~39, it says, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” If you were filled with the Holy Spirit, only the truth must come out of your mouth. If you have received the evidence of the Holy Spirit in your faith, you must not tell lies. Pretending to be faithful when there is no faith is also lying. When teaching, you must teach what you also believe. You should only tell truths to your family and to other church members as well. You have to be steadfast not to lie to others although you have lied to hundred times.

We are the believers of Jesus. When we accepted the works of Jesus Christ, the mark of sin on us completely disappeared. Then, God has sent us the Holy Spirit. That is God made us to think through the Holy Spirit, speak through the Holy Spirit, and work through the Holy Spirit. Menial or great, we must fulfill every work through the Holy Spirit. For the rest of our lives, think through the Holy Spirit, speak through the Holy Spirit and work through the Holy Spirit. We must become men of the Holy Spirit.