በኮቪድ-19 እና በዓለም አቀፉ የመላላኪያ አገልግሎት መዛባት ምክንያት ‹ነጻ የታተመ መጽሐፍ አገልግሎታችንን› ለጊዜው አቋርጠናል፡፡
በዚህ ሁኔታ ምክንያት በዚህ ጊዜ መጽሐፎቻችንን ለእናንተ መላክ አንችልም፡፡
ይህ ወረርሽኝ በቅርቡ እንዲያበቃና የፖስታ አገልግሎት እንዲጀምር ጸልዩ፡፡
ይህ ወረርሽኝ በቅርቡ እንዲያበቃና የፖስታ አገልግሎት እንዲጀምር ጸልዩ፡፡
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)
“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.
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Copyright © 2021 by The New Life Mission