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Beten Sie, dass diese Pandemie bald endet und der Postdienst wieder aufgenommen wird.
Beten Sie, dass diese Pandemie bald endet und der Postdienst wieder aufgenommen wird.
Subject 24 : Sermons for Those Who Have Become Our COWORKERS
[24-6] The Righteousness of Jesus Christ: An Absolute Necessity (Romans 8:1-11)
(Romans 8:1-11)
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
We are making mission homepages for our coworkers all over the world, and I have faith that they will make good use of these homepages we have made in order to spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit more effectively. Right now, we the workers of God are living out our lives loyally for the spreading of the gospel of the water and the Spirit. However, some workers go on working with the thinking that is like this: “If the spreading of the gospel turns out well, then it’s good. If not, let it be so too.” I feel deplorable whenever I see such reluctant workers. But I am sure that there are so many faithful and dedicated overseas coworkers who devote themselves to the spreading of the gospel. I thank God for their devotion, and we the domestic workers here think of them as the same workers of God as us. I am thankful because we are able to spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit to people all over the world.
And so, we should make our mission homepages in all the major languages throughout the entire world. If we do this, there will be a lot of news that countless souls have been saved from their sins each day. Not too far from now, in the messages that our coworkers in each country send us, there will be news that more than a thousand people a day are ordering our sermon books through their homepages. And they will also send us their testimonies of salvation of those who have been born again through the reading of our books containing the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Also, we will hear from them that they are waging a spiritual battle against the disagreeing souls by the faith of believing in the righteousness of God. I know there will be no other medicine that is better than this for those who are spiritually stagnant. And so, I hope our mission homepages in each country’s language will be finished soon. God will be very pleased when He sees all our workers, domestic and overseas, doing His work by uniting together. I am sure that both our overseas and domestic coworkers will be able to afford to carry out even more works of God. I am saying that if you have been saved from all your sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, then you must have already turned into a disciple of Jesus Christ, regardless of who you are.
For those who are still under sin, we must deliver the gospel of the water and the Spirit to them. It is the work that we who believe in this genuine gospel must do. To repeat, those who have received the remission of sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit must become disciples of Jesus Christ and carry out the work of God. If someone who believes in this true gospel does not carry out God’s good work, then that person would turn against God. The very proof that we reside inside the righteousness of God is the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. How then can we not carry out God’s work? Those who have received salvation from all their sins may be better than those who have not. But you must remember that if the righteous do things unworthily, then that in itself is a sin before God. We all hope that God’s work would be achieved even more successfully and soon.
As we make the URL’s of our mission homepages for each country, we are planning to make them by attaching ‘nlm’―the initials of our Mission―to each country’s name. For example, if we are going to name the Brazilian homepage of our mission, it will be ‘www.nlmbrasil.com.’ These homepages will be committed to the appointed coworkers in each country. I hope those who have received the remission of sins first in each country would become workers of God, rising up as devout workers fully serving the gospel. I am hoping that in doing so they would take on and manage their countries’ mission homepages and take care of the souls in their respective countries and do the same work of God over there as we do here.
We Were Ones Who Cannot Abide by the Law of God
In my previous sermon, I spoke to you about the last part of Romans chapter 7. And so today, I am going to share with you about the Scripture passage in the Book of Romans Chapter 8, verses 1 to 11. In today’s Scripture reading, the Apostle Paul said that our Lord came down to this earth in human flesh to take on all our sins and to fulfill the Law.
Dear fellow believers! We must think about whether or not there can be someone who can perfectly abide by the Law of God among you, but the end of the matter is that there can never be such a person. All the people in this world are not capable of following the Law of the Holy God. The reason for this is that human beings are fundamentally weak. It is because all people were born in a fleshly body that is weak. Therefore, no one can abide by the Law of Holy God perfectly.
We are beings who were born as the descendants of Adam, and so, from our birth into this world, we were the ones who did not know about the righteousness of God. Therefore, we must realize that we are a brood of evildoers (Isaiah 1:4), fundamentally born with 12 kinds of sin (Mark 7:21-23). All throughout our lives, we were incompetent people who could not keep the Law of God even if we had tried to do this, unable to not commit sins before God. In addition, living out our life on this earth, we were those who could not do true good before God. All human beings must realize and acknowledge that because we were born as descendants of Adam, we cannot carry out true goodness and also that because of the sins we have committed before God, we are those who must receive the punishment for our sins.
This is why the Apostle Paul tells us that we are those in absolute need of the righteousness of Jesus Christ who is our Savior. We can receive salvation from all our sins by faith of knowing and believing in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We can live eternally by having received the remission of all our sins by believing in the righteousness of Jesus Christ our Savior. I give thanks to our God who is truly righteous.
You Can Receive the Remission of Sins by Believing in the Righteousness of Our Lord
Because we are weak, we could not abide by the Law of God. This is why Jesus Christ came down to this earth, took on all the sins of this world once and for all by the baptism He had received from John the Baptist, received the judgment for all those sins by shedding His blood vicariously on the Cross, and thereby became our true Savior. And so, we must believe in this Truth: Jesus Christ had taken on all the sins of this world once and for all by the baptism He received from John the Baptist. Thus, all of us are able to know the righteousness of God by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We can attain new and eternal life by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit which is the righteousness of God. That is the key message of the Apostle Paul, when he said, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
Many people in this world profess that they believe in Jesus as their Savior, but among those Christians, we must think about how many of them believe in Him with the knowledge of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The reality is that there are so many people who have not as yet received salvation from all their sins. Among today’s Christians, do you know what kind of people truly abide in the righteousness of Jesus Christ? Those who abide in the righteousness of God are those who believe with the heart the baptism Jesus received from John the Baptist, His death on the Cross, and His resurrection. Those who acknowledge the righteousness of God cannot but admit the gospel of the water and the Spirit. This is why we must be able to possess the faith that enables us to be with Jesus Christ. Those who have already entered Jesus Christ by believing in the righteousness of God were in all those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. When Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist, He was taking on all the sins of this world thoroughly onto His body. Those who have already entered the righteousness of Jesus Christ are those who truly believe in the baptism Jesus Christ received from John the Baptist, along with the fact that He had taken on the sins of this world, His death on the Cross, and His resurrection. We are able to receive the remission of all our sins by the faith of believing in this Truth.
Now, there can never be sin inside the hearts of those who have come into the righteousness of Jesus Christ by faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit even if it wants to be there. Such sinless people are the ones who have already entered the righteousness of God. There is no sin inside the heart of a man who believes in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and also, no sin can be found there even when God looks into that heart. Therefore, even in our eyes, those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit have become one without sin.
In Romans 8:1, it is written, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” This Scripture passage tells us that people can never have sin inside their hearts due to their faith in the righteousness of Jesus. This means that believing in the righteousness of God is to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Anyone who believes in the righteousness of God can be delivered from all their sins. As for those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, there can no longer be sin inside their hearts. As it is written, “There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,” because we were able to receive the remission of sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, it is absolutely clear that that we have entered the righteousness of God by faith. This is why there can never be sin inside the hearts of you and me who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Dear fellow believers, isn’t this true? Yes, it is true. It became possible for us to be cleansed of sin by believing in the righteousness of God which was fulfilled once and for all by the Lord. Hence, as for those of us who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, there can never be sin inside our hearts. We who believe in the righteousness of God are those who have been baptized into Jesus Christ, died with Him on the Cross, and been resurrected with Him (Romans 6:1-9). As for those who now have the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, there can never be sin inside their hearts.
Yet, There Are So Many Christian Sinners
There are so many Christian sinners who still do not know the righteousness of Jesus and are unable to believe in it. Such people have not believed in Jesus to receive the remission of their sins. They like to put up their own rightness rather than the salvation in the righteousness of Jesus.
When we read the Word in Matthew chapter 25, we see that there are people who were able to enter Heaven by putting on the wedding garments of the righteousness of God prepared by the Lord when they were invited to the feast of Heaven, but those who did not put on the wedding garments could not participate in the feast. For us humans to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the righteousness of God is absolutely necessary. If so, how can we all put on the wedding garments of salvation? The wedding garment of salvation God has prepared is none other than the truth of salvation made by the righteousness of God. The Lord said that only those who have received the remission of sins can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is because they believe in the righteousness of God. For this reason, such nominal Christians who still have sins inside their hearts are those who actually do not yet believe in the righteousness of God. Such nominal Christians cannot enter the Kingdom of God despite having received an invitation.
There can never be sin inside the hearts of those who have entered inside the righteousness of Jesus by faith. Dear fellow believers, if you want to know whether or not you are in the righteousness of God, you must first look and see if you have this genuine faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit inside your heart. It is because there can never be sin inside the hearts of people who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit even they want to. A person who believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit is someone who has already entered inside the righteousness of God.
We mustn’t forget that all human beings, being born as the descendants of Adam, are a brood of sin that cannot but fundamentally commit sin. Each and every one of us was fundamentally supposed to have suffered destruction due to our sins. Put differently, all of us were doomed to go to hell due to the sins inherent in us. But God had given such wretched beings like us His Law so that we may realize our own sins; and by giving us the gospel of salvation by which one can receive the remission of sins from those sins, He gave us new life.
We Must Realize This Fact to Reach the Truth
By giving us the Law of God prior to the righteousness of God, God had each and every one of us realize that we are sinners first. He had us realize that we have sins because we cannot live according to the commandments of the Law of God and that we must be judged for our sins. The Law teaches all of us about our sins and trespasses, and it teaches us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). This is the function of the Law of God. For this purpose, God gave everyone His Law. Hence, no person can say that they are without sin before the Law of God. Because we are all sinners before God’s Law, we cannot avoid His judgment and curses in the end. Like this, all human beings were born under the Law of God, that is, the law of sin and death; and we could not but be those who deserve the wrath of God.
Fundamentally, we were those who could not but receive the judgment for our sins because we cannot abide by the Law of God. This is why God had allowed the law of salvation through which we can attain new life. What is the law of life or the law of salvation given to us by God? The law of salvation is that God the Father had given true salvation to those who believe in His righteousness through His Son Jesus Christ. This is the law of Spirit of life in our Lord.
God the Father had fulfilled the law of life of salvation once and for all through His Son. The law of life of salvation says that Jesus Christ the Son of God came down to this earth and was baptized by John the Baptist to take on all our sins. And it also says that He had taken on all our sins justly. God’s justness is that Jesus Christ has saved us by being baptized, crucified, and being resurrected from the dead. God the Father had allowed us to receive the remission of sin by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that Jesus Christ had accomplished for us. God the Father had given true salvation as a gift to those who believe in His righteousness that His Son Jesus Christ had fulfilled.
In Romans 8:1, the Apostle Paul Spoke about the Gospel of the water and the Spirit by Using the Conjunction, ‘Therefore’
In Romans 8:1-6, it is said that if one were to believe in the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, by that faith that person would receive salvation from all sins. Put differently, by believing in the righteousness of God, we can receive salvation from all sins and live eternally. This is why those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit can be liberated from the curse of all sins. How can we receive salvation? We can receive true salvation by believing in the righteousness of God that our Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled once and for all. We can receive salvation by faith of believing in the law of salvation that Jesus gave us. This law of the Spirit of life was accomplished by Jesus Christ who become our Savior by being baptized to take on all our sins, getting crucified, and being resurrected from death. Today, we are able to receive salvation from all our sins by believing with the heart this God-given gospel of the water and the Spirit. This is the gospel of the water and the Spirit that the Apostle Paul is telling us about, and this is the law of salvation that you and I must possess today.
Romans 8:3-4 Tells Us How the Lord Has Saved Us from the Law of Sin and Death as well as the Sins of the World
Let us read this passage all together. “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4).
It tells us that God did what the law could not do because of the weakness of our flesh. God gave everyone the Law but because everyone’s flesh is weak, that law could not be kept. Yet, it says that “God did” what the Law could not do. In other words, the Lord fulfilled that Law by being baptized and shedding His blood in order to blot out all our sins. Like this, our Lord has delivered us from hell. In order to blot out all our sins, God the Father sent His Son down to this earth in human flesh and had Him receive the baptism. In doing so, He passed on all the sins of people upon the body of His Son. It means that John the Baptist, the representative of the people, passed on all the sins of humankind by baptizing Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ bore the sins of the world on His back, walked to the Cross, was crucified by being nailed onto it, shed His blood, died vicariously on the Cross, then was resurrected, and through this have became the Savior of those of us who believe in this Truth. Hence, by believing in this Truth, all our sins were washed away cleanly. Through His Son Jesus Christ, God had blotted out all our sins once and for all and delivered us from eternal death.
Like this, God the Father had allowed those who believe in this righteousness of salvation He has given us through His Son to receive salvation from all sins, curses, death and destruction perfectly. God the Father had passed on all the sins of us humans to His Son through the baptism and had His Son’s flesh hold all those sins. God the Father put His Son to death and then raised Him up again. All this work was accomplished to give eternal new life to those of us who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Therefore, you and I must know and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit in order to be delivered from sins, death, and the judgment.
Do you currently believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit? Do you believe that God the Father sent His Son down to this earth and had His Son receive the baptism in order to deliver us from death and the curse? God the Father passed on all our sins to His Son’s body by having Him receive the baptism. Do you believe in this Truth? Do you also believe in the fact that John the Baptist who baptized Jesus is the representative of all humanity, that is, the greatest among those born of women? Jesus Christ took on all our sins once and for all through the baptism given by John the Baptist by obeying the will of God. If you have realized what kind of a sinner you are through the Law which is the law of death and sin, you must now accept the remission of your sins and new life by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit as given by our Lord.
God the Father had His Son take on all the sins of us humans through John the Baptist, and Jesus Christ vicariously received the judgment for all our sins on our behalf. We humans had to die for our sins. But God the Father had given us His Son; and by making Him bear all our sins by receiving the baptism, God the Father had Him die in our place for our sins and thereby has become the eternal Savior for all humanity. God the Father liberated those of us who believe in the righteousness of His Son from the sins of the world. God the Father has saved us from the sins of the world and from the curse of the Law and judgment once and for all, and has given us eternal life.
The gospel of the water and the Spirit is the Truth of salvation which was perfected by His Son. And God the Father allowed the believers of this true gospel to receive salvation from all their sins. To those who believe in such a salvation, the requirement of the law has already been fulfilled, as it is written, “That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.” God the Father transferred all the sins of humankind over to His Son because He loves all human beings from His side. He allowed His Son to take on the judgment for all the sins of all humanity. Because God loves us, He allowed every believer in the gospel of the water and the Spirit to receive true salvation. And so, we must know and believe in the righteousness of God. Should there be anyone who still does not believe in the God-given Truth of salvation, then He has allowed them to receive His curse as stated in the Law. God has justly realized our salvation once and for all like this so that no one may say, “God is an unfair God.” He allowed only the true believers to receive salvation.
To be saved from our sins can only be possible when we believe in the righteousness of God from our side. It is not something that becomes possible by certain acts or efforts exerted by ourselves. God told us the work accomplished by His Son Jesus Christ, and also, He allowed us to receive salvation by knowing and believing in that very gospel. Therefore, you and I must keep in mind that the gospel of the water and the Spirit has saved us from the sins of the world. The Apostle Paul said that it was because of our sins that Jesus Christ had to be baptized by John the Baptist and vicariously put to death. This is why he said, “That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4).
What Does It Mean to Walk According to the Flesh?
The Book of Romans chapter 8 verses 5-8 tells us, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
God said, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” In other words, to live according to the flesh means to have confidence in one’s own thoughts and to follow it; and to live according to the Spirit refers to believing in and setting the mind on God’s Word and the work He has done. If we believe in and follow the Word of God, we will receive salvation from all our sins as it is written, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). In other words, people who believe in the gospel Word of the Scriptures will receive salvation from their sins and receive new life. Also, they will receive peace at heart, and in the future, they will enter and live in the Kingdom of God. Yet, there are so many nominal Christians about today. They profess to believe in Jesus as their Savior only with their fleshly thoughts. Then, have they received the remission of sins perfectly yet? Some people do not accept the fact that Jesus Christ has saved us by the gospel of the water and the Spirit which He gave us. But they should remember that whoever does not succumb to the gospel of the water and the Spirit will most surely receive the judgment for his or her sins.
Then, what kind of people are those who follow their own carnal minds today? They are those who follow and believe in Christian doctrines that are made up of human thoughts. Those who believe in Christian doctrines still have sins inside their heart even though they believe in Jesus Christ. Today’s Christians all over the world believe in Jesus as their Savior, but the sins inside their hearts still have as yet not been blotted away. I am saying that these are the ones who follow the flesh.
People of Such Fleshly Faith Refute, “How Can You Say You Have No Sin When You Constantly Commit Sin from Your Very Birth to Your Death?”
Such are the ones who don’t believe in the Word of God; rather, they are the ones who follow their own carnal minds. Once I met and spoke to a pastor who did not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. I said to him, “I believe that Jesus Christ came down to this earth, took on all the sins of us humankind by being baptized from John the Baptist, vicariously died on the Cross, was resurrected from death, and has thus become our Savior once and for all. Therefore, I can say that whoever believes in Jesus like this their sins have also been blotted out by the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.” But that pastor who does not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit said, “Well, we will continue to commit many more sins, so how could the Lord have completely blotted out even the future sins that we haven’t committed yet?”
I am saying that like this, the words of people who do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit have carnal minds. You must realize that God transcends time and space. We are currently living in the year 2008, and scientists say that God created this earth about 6 billion years ago. Whether God created the earth about 6 billion years ago or even before that; but we must remember that God was there before all eternity and will live for all eternity, because He is an eternal being. This also means that the God-given salvation from sin is eternal, transcending all time and space. God has so much power that He has blotted out even the sins of 6 billion years later.
We must know and believe in how and by how much thoroughly God has taken care of all our sins. God said, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Some people will fall into ruin with their own carnal minds. We who think about the works of the Spirit are truly the ones who believe properly before God.
God the Father blotted out all your sins and mine once and for all by the gospel of the water and the Spirit through His Son. True gospel says that Jesus Christ the Son of God took on all the sins of humankind by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist, reached His death by being nailed to the Cross, was brought back to life from that death, and became the Savior for those of us who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Therefore, anyone who believes in the fact that Jesus Christ has saved the entire humankind by the gospel of the water and the Spirit can receive the remission of their sins. God the Father has made it so that whoever believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit can receive the remission of sins once and for all. Hence, whoever believes Jesus Christ has delivered us from all sins and the judgment will have no sin, become a child of God, and reside in Jesus Christ also.
But what is the carnal mind of a human being like? Fleshly, they think like this, “I will continue to commit sins, so how could the Lord have taken away my sins that are not yet committed and in what way?” But these kinds of thoughts follow carnal minds and it is not the true faith of believing in the Word of God, that is, the righteousness of God. Such people who follow and believe in such carnal thoughts have not as yet received the remission of their sins.
One Who Is in Jesus Christ Can Never Have Sin
Are you now aware of the fact that our Lord has saved you from the sins of the world with His righteous work? How did the Lord save us from the sins of this world? He has saved us from all the sins of the world once and for all through the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.
Many of today’s Christians want to enter the bosom of Jesus Christ. Thus, even though they have sins in their heart, they think on their own that they reside in Jesus Christ for they believe in Him as the Savior. But, do they truly reside in Jesus? Or, are they outside Jesus? In other words, they must ask themselves whether or not they have actually been saved. You must realize that your salvation lies in whether or not you believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Why is this so? It is because God the Father has accomplished His work of salvation by the gospel of the water and the Spirit through His Son. Unfortunately, there are still many people who do not believe in the righteousness of God simply because they do not know it. Therefore, if you still do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit because of your ignorance, then you must believe this genuine gospel right now by knowing that this gospel is the very righteousness of God.
The Bible is neither a science book nor a history book. It contains the absolute Truth of salvation that is more precise than any scientific logic. The gospel of the water and the Spirit accurately tells us to what extent our sins have been blotted out. The gospel of the water and the Spirit is the Word of God. It tells us that the Lord was born on this earth being clothed in human flesh, took on all our sins once and for all by being baptized from John the Baptist at the age of thirty, and received the judgment for those sins once and for all by being crucified.
Do you know how to make kimchi (one of the traditional Korean dishes) using cabbages from the field? What is the recipe for kimchi? To make kimchi, you must first cut some cabbages in half and sprinkle salt on them. After about ten hours, you have to wash these salted cabbages off thoroughly with clean fresh water, and then you season them with a mixture of spices and condiments including red pepper. Then, you place them inside an earthenware jar in a neat pile. Afterwards, the cabbages start to ferment, marinated in this seasoning. Now you have kimchi. That’s it! But during this fermenting process, a number of useful bacteria take place. If they do not do their work properly, there can be no delicious kimchi at all. Likewise, if a man sleeps with a woman, then an embryo is conceived. Having stayed inside a mother’s womb for about 9 months, then this fetus is born as a human being. For if not by this process, then a baby will not come out of a mother’s womb.
In all things of this world, there is an unchanging reason like this. Yet, how accurately did God save us by the gospel of the water and the Spirit in regards to the salvation of us human beings from sins? When the Lord was saving us from all the sins of the world, He fulfilled the gospel of the water and the Spirit so elaborately. Therefore, whoever believes in the righteousness of God is already in Jesus Christ. People who believe in the righteousness of God are the ones who were baptized into Jesus Christ and then brought back to life again This is why the Book of Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Jesus Christ was baptized from John the Baptist in order to take all our sins onto His body; He was nailed to the Cross so that He could receive the judgment for our sins and die in our place. And, His resurrection was to give us resurrection as well. Jesus Christ received the baptism through John the Baptist in order to become our Savior, and He vicariously died on the Cross in order to receive the judgment for our sins. And His resurrection was to give us new life. How perfectly did this gospel of the water and the Spirit cleanse us from all our sins?
However, certain people have disregarded the gospel of the water and the Spirit that Jesus has fulfilled once and for all. Rather, they believe in God according to their own fleshly thoughts. They adhere to their own rightness much more than the salvation given by the Lord. This is why the Lord said that the fleshly work that these people do is the path to death. Fleshly people are prone to worry, by thinking, “So many Christians do not believe this way, and if I were to say that I believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, would they not consider me as a heretic?” Or, they might think, “Even if the Bible says all our sins have been blotted out by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, all these mainstream Christians think otherwise. Hence, if I were to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit which is different from what they believe in, those people will probably hate me.” Thoughts such as these stem from carnal minds. Are you a person of the flesh? If not, are you a person of the Spirit? If you are a person of the Spirit, you must believe in the Word of God just as it is. Even though everyone else says that only believing in the blood of the Cross constitutes salvation, if the Word of God says that the Lord has saved us from all our sins by the gospel of the water and the Spirit once and for all, we must believe exactly as the Word says.
The only thing in this world that does not change is the Word of God. The Lord said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Here, the word ‘truth’ means the gospel of the water and the Spirit―the Lord Jesus, who is the Son of God the Father, has saved us by coming down to this earth by taking on our sin by being baptized from John the Baptist, being crucified, and being resurrected from the dead. This Truth of salvation is the gospel of the water and the Spirit that does not change eternally. This gospel of the water and the Spirit given by God can never change no matter how many years go by or no matter how many people denounce it as a heresy.
There was a preacher who claimed to have read the Bible many times and knew it very well. People called him a ‘Bible doctor.’ Of course, he was just a pastor. This so called ‘Bible doctor’ did not know the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Even now, he claims to be faithful despite the fact that he only knows about Jesus’ crucifixion and not about the truth of Jesus having taken on the sins of humankind by receiving the baptism. Thus, he still confidently claims that he is a sinner. He once said that he had prayed for a sick person by the laying on of hands, and that sick person was healed of his sickness. He was most proud of that healing case and not how he could save lost souls from their sins.
However, we concentrate all our efforts on preaching the gospel of the water and the Spirit to people. The Lord said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). For God so loved all people that He gave His only begotten Son and saved everyone from all the sins of the world. We are trying to preach this unconditional love of God to every lost soul.
We All Have Received Salvation by Believing in the Righteousness of the One Man, Jesus Christ
In Romans 5:19, it is written, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” Every human being became a sinner and was heading for hell because Adam and Eve had committed sin against God. But Jesus Christ came down to this earth for those sinners, took on all the sins of humankind once and for all by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist, and saved all people from their sins by receiving the judgment for everyone’s sin on the Cross. Therefore, everyone who believes in this work that Jesus Christ has done can enter Heaven. Because of a single Man’s obedience, everyone can go to Heaven by faith after receiving the remission of sins. Because of a single Man’s obedience, everyone can become a righteous and sinless person. According to the law of salvation set by God the Father, Jesus Christ came down to this earth and saved you and me from all our sins.
I am sure that you now believe the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Then, do you still have sin inside your heart? No, you surely have not! Does the fact that there is no sin in you have its basis on your faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit? We do not waver about this because the foundation of our faith is rooted in the fact that God has blotted out all your sins and mine once and for all by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. For those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, there can be no sin. We accurately base our sinlessness on the gospel of the water and the Spirit. In other words, our sinlessness is guaranteed by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. You and I can be assured of true salvation through faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Hence, we can spread this genuine gospel that enables every believer to have conviction of salvation all over the world.
If you are to think in terms of the flesh, you may think that the statement which says people who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit have no sin as crazy words. And then you might reach the conclusion that it is right for you to have sin in your heart. But if you are a spiritual person, you surely think first about the work of salvation that God has done for you, you will know it is true that there is no sin in those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. There is no sin if you were to look at yourself from God’s perspective that is based on the gospel of the water and the Spirit. It is because God has blotted out all the sins of all humanity once and for all by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Because the Lord has blotted out all your sins and mine once and for all, it is true that you who believe in this fact have no sin.
But Why Do So Many People Go on Living with the Sins Intact in Their Hearts?
They will receive destruction because they are refusing to accept into their hearts the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit which was accomplished by the Lord. God has accomplished the gospel of the water and the Spirit in order to satisfy the requirement of the Law, but those who refuse to accept this gift of grace will suffer destruction. Therefore, those who believe in this gospel of the water and the Spirit have become the children of God and entered the bosom of Jesus Christ. But, people who do not believe in this Truth will be cast out into a dark place and gnash their teeth, crying desperately. Like this, sinners who have sin inside their hearts will eventually be cursed in the future together with the Devil. The Bible says those who do not believe, together with the Devil, will fall into an unquenchable fire which will be salted with fire.
Is the Holy Spirit inside Your Heart?
Let us read the Book of Romans chapter 8 verse 9. “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” This phrase, “if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you,” implies that the Holy Spirit dwells inside the hearts of those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. You, who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, please listen to me! Is the Holy Spirit dwelling in your hearts? If so, you are those who are not in the flesh but in the Spirit.
Then, what is your heart like, you who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit? Does it still have sin? No, it does not. If there is no sin in your heart by having faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, then the Spirit of God dwells in you. This is why God said, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Dear fellow believers, if there is no sin in our hearts, then the Spirit of God dwells inside our hearts. For this reason and by the very Holy Spirit, we are able to say that Jesus is our Savior. Because the Holy Spirit is now in our hearts; by that very Spirit, we are able to profess that God the Father is ‘Abba our Father.’ If not by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, no man can profess that he is a child of God. For this reason, we must first receive the remission of sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Only then will the Spirit dwell inside your hearts. Having the proof that the Spirit dwells in your heart means, you have no more sin, and including, having the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit spread in your hearts.
In Romans chapter 8 verses 10-11, it is written, “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Amen! This means that there is no sin inside the hearts of those who have received salvation from their sins by believing in the work that Jesus has done. If someone believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will reside in that person’s heart, the result of which is eternal life. It means that we will lead an eternal life and never die, for we who do not have sin have the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This in turn means that we will participate in the first resurrection.
However, if you do not have the Holy Spirit due to your sins which is still intact in your hearts, you will eternally be dammed. A Christian sinner is merely a sinner and, therefore, Christ does not reside inside that person. Put differently, one who believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit is someone who has the Holy Spirit in his heart; on the contrary, one who does not have the Holy Spirit in his heart is someone who is not in Christ. Hence, a man who has the Holy Spirit follows the Spirit of God. One who is in Jesus Christ has the Holy Spirit inside his heart, and he follows the guidance of that Holy Spirit.
God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit―these three Persons are all One same God to us. Hence, someone who has the Holy Spirit accepts and follows the Word of God just as it says. Also, someone who has the Holy Spirit in his heart will accept into their hearts the instructions and admonitions that the church leaders and the fellow saints give even though he does not know the Word of God so well yet. Of course, such a person might be disobedient to his predecessors of faith. But soon after having been stubborn, he will deny himself and accept the Word of God because his heart feels uncomfortable unless he denies himself. And he who has the Holy Spirit in his heart by having received the remission of sins will feel suffocated when he listen to sermons given by the non-born again. This is why people who have received the remission of sins cannot go on living by listening to these false sermons given by those who have as yet not received the remission of sins.
If sinners were to cry out, “Oh, my Lord, dear Lord,” will the Lord listen to their prayers? When we look at the Book of Isaiah, it says, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2). Listen! Let’s say here is a man who does not believe in the very fact that Jesus Christ has saved him from all his sins by coming down to this earth, receiving the baptism, being crucified and being resurrected from the dead. Then, if he just prays, “My dear Lord, please answer my prayer,” would God hear that prayer? Not only will the Lord not listen to such a prayer, and He will feel very uncomfortable with their prayers. This is why the righteous whose heart has the Holy Spirit after having received the remission of sins cannot accept such people’s sermons.
The Apostle Paul said that those who have received salvation from sins by believing in the righteous work of Christ can never be with sin. The Lord fulfilled all the requirement of the Law by taking on the curse of the Law for the sins of all humankind: He did this by having come down to this earth and received the baptism from John the Baptist; by suffering death by having Himself nailed to the Cross in order to receive the judgment for sins on our behalf; and by becoming our Savior by being raised from death. Therefore, when you simply believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, you receive salvation. People, who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, become children of God by having received the perfect remission of their sins, believe in and follow the Word of God, and are led by the Holy Spirit in every step they take. However, people who do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit refuse God’s love with their carnal minds. Here in today’s Scripture passage, this was what the Apostle Paul had meant.
It is said that on the last day, our Lord will make those of us who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit live again. The Lord came to this earth to save us from the sins of the world and what is more, He did fulfill it through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The greatest grace the Lord has given us is the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The Lord gave the remission of sins and eternal life to those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Thus, you and I give thanks to God by faith that believes in the true gospel. Also, it is said that God will bring back to life even those who have not received the remission of sins so that He may judge them. And God will cast them into hell, an eternal damnation.
You and I were liberated from the law of sin and death, but who was it that liberated us? Our Jesus Christ is the One who has liberated you and me through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The Liberator is Jesus Christ. When the people of Israel were under slavery in Egypt, who was the One that liberated them? It was Moses. More accurately, Jehovah God liberated the people of Israel from slavery through Moses. He gave us the Law through Moses, but the grace and the Truth of God has come to us through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to this earth and liberated you and me from the law of sin and death though the Truth that constitutes the righteousness of God. This is how we the believers in this Truth receive liberation from all our sins by faith. It is to receive salvation from the sins of the world.
You and I have received salvation by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and what is the result we have obtained through this salvation? It is the remission of sins and eternal life. We hope and pray that all the people in this world would come to know and believe in this gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Recently, I published a sermon book on the Book of Romans. Nevertheless, I am trying to continue to preach about Romans more profoundly. As you continue to listen to this Word, you will feel calm and good. But if you do not listen to this Word, carnal minds will arise and kill off your hearts.
We all believe that the Lord has saved us with the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Yet, there are still too many people on this earth who do not believe in this genuine gospel. Because there are countless people who haven’t been liberated from the sins of the world, we the true believers have so much work to do now.
Even though a man may believe in Jesus, if he does not receive salvation from his sins, he will be possessed by demons. If one does not receive salvation from his sins, it is not the end of the story that he remains a sinner; rather, the Devil will take possession of him. Controlling him or her as his servant, the Devil will make the person commit atrocious acts and have him live out wretched life. This will be the common end for those who remain sinners.
Now, dear fellow believers, what are you going to do? Will you receive the remission of sins by accepting into your hearts the gospel of the water and the Spirit given by God and thereby become His servant? Or, will you go on living, being ruled by the Devil? Having completed all your salvation, God waits for you. Now, the right choice is up to you to make. He is asking you whether or not you will believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. This is why the faith of believing in the righteousness of Jesus Christ is something absolutely essential to all humankind.
I earnestly hope you all will possess the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
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