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Subject 29 : Reformation of Faith

[29-12] Who, by believing in the Nicene Creed, has become one who was robbed in this age? (Luke 10:25-37)

💡This sermon is from Chapter 12 of Pastor Paul C. Jong’s Volume 69 book, "Return from the Nicene Creed to the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit! (I)"
 
 
 
Luke 10:25-37

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ 

26 He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?’

27 So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’

28 And He said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’

29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’

30 Then Jesus answered and said: ‘A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.

34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’

36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?’

37 And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

 
         Today, we have looked together at the words of Luke chapter 10, from verse 25 to 37.

“A certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’” he asks.
This expert in the law is one who considers himself to be a great teacher of the law.
That is why he asked Jesus, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
He was, in effect, saying, “Jesus, just give me the word. I will keep any and all of the laws and commandments.”
So Jesus said to him again, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
This question was asking, “From what perspective do you understand and believe the words of God’s law?”

 

Jesus knew well that man cannot keep the Law

 
         The Law is composed of commands of ‘do’ and ‘do not,’ and it consists of a total of 613 articles.

But is it truly possible for a person to perfectly keep all these laws and commandments? If a person could perfectly keep God’s Law, he would have already surpassed the limits of a created being and become a being like God.
Therefore, the purpose for which God gave the Law is not for us to become righteous by thoroughly keeping it.
Rather, the Law was given so that a person might clearly realize his own sin. In other words, the Law is God’s standard, given to reveal and make known human sin.

         The expert in the law who came to Jesus answered His question very confidently.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.”
Then Jesus said this to the expert in the law:
“You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
However, the expert in the law, wanting to show that his answer was correct, asked again:
“And who is my neighbor?”
 
 

Jesus wanted to teach the teacher of the law that in order to receive true salvation, one must receive the mercy of God

 
         When the teacher of the law asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered him by telling him a parable.

A certain man was going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho when he met robbers. He was stripped of all his clothes, beaten severely, and was left on the roadside, almost dead. 
Blood was flowing all over his body, and he was lying there, unable to even groan properly; he was left in a completely defenseless state, without even clothes to cover his body.

         Just then, a priest happened to be coming down that road and saw the man who had been attacked by robbers. 
However, that priest thought to himself, ‘Today is not a lucky day. To meet a person like this…’ and worried that misfortune would befall him. 
In the end, he intentionally avoided the man who had been attacked by robbers and quickly left the place.

         A short time later, a Levite also, while passing by on the same road, saw the man lying there, but he, no different from the priest, pretended not to see, turned away, and passed by, avoiding him.

         However, a Samaritan who was traveling that road was different.
When he saw the man who had been beaten by robbers and was lying there, a feeling of compassion arose from deep within his heart.
He went to him, poured oil and wine on his wounds and treated them, bandaged his wounds, and then put the man on his own animal, took him to an inn, and diligently cared for him.
The next day, he gave money to the innkeeper and made a request.
“Please take good care of this man. If there are any extra expenses, I will repay you when I return from my journey.” After saying this, he set off on his journey again.

         After finishing this parable, Jesus asked the teacher of the law.
“Which of these three do you think became a neighbor to the man who fell among robbers?”
The teacher of the law replied, “The one who showed mercy.”
Jesus then said to that teacher of the law as a final word:
“You go and do likewise.”
 
 

In this age, the one who rescued the man who fell among robbers is Jesus Christ

 
         Ultimately, it was the Samaritan who saved the man who was robbed.

In this parable that Jesus spoke, the Samaritan refers to Jesus Christ.
This is because He became our true Savior who took upon Himself the sins of the world at once by being baptized by John, and washed away those sins.

         The Law has the function of pointing out sin to man.
However, the religious leaders of that time only revealed their own sins and the sins of others through the Law, teaching only religious doctrines that could not give true salvation to the sinner.
On the other hand, Jesus came to save sinners from the sins of this world, and through the baptism He received from John, the sins of the world were transferred to Him at once. Subsequently, by shedding His blood on the cross, He resolved the price for those sins at once and became the Savior of those who believe.

         The point we must pay attention to here is who the man who was robbed, who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, refers to.
The man robbed in this parable refers to sinners like us today, who are spiritually dying because of sin, not having received the clean washing away of their sins.
People in this world today who still live with sin in their hearts confess that they believe in the crucified Jesus as their Savior, but in reality, they are trying to save themselves by keeping the Law, pressed down by the heavy burden of sin remaining in their hearts.
In that process, their hearts are wounded and torn by guilt and religious burdens, and they live in suffering, abandoned like the man who was robbed.

         Even today, there are countless people who are spiritually dying, not freed from sin, while holding only to the doctrine of the cross.
Although they believe in the cross of Jesus doctrinally, because sin actually still remains in their hearts, they are standing on the path that leads to destruction.
Many people say they believe in the cross, but far from their sins being removed, they live in deeper confusion and despair.
When I see those who are wounded and broken while struggling to resolve their own sins under erroneous theological ideas and wrong leaders, a deep compassion arises from the depths of my heart.

         When we look into their lives, there is a common pattern. 
It is that they believe in the Lord who shed His blood on the cross as their Savior. 
However, the fact is that they were sinners before believing, and even after believing, more sin has accumulated and remains in their hearts, so they continue to live as sinners. 
In the end, although they confess that Jesus is the Savior, the reality is that they are struggling in confusion and despair because their own sins have not been resolved.

         In the past, we were also like this. 
Although we believed in Jesus as our Savior, our souls were still thirsty and dying. 
Whenever we committed sin, we tried to maintain our faith by clinging only to the cross and resorting to prayers of repentance and confessions, but it ultimately ended in vain. 
The sin remaining in the heart was not cleansed by prayers of repentance, and the more we sinned, we entered a state where we had to live as even greater sinners. 
Therefore, we could not help but feel despair as we faced the reality of falling into more sin the more we strived not to sin.

         In the end, we have no choice but to admit:
“Now, I cannot get a hold of myself with the prayers of repentance I offer or with the faith that believes in Christian doctrines.”
From the depths of the soul, this cry flows out:
“What should I do now? What must I believe? I only regret the faith I have held onto until now. Lord, please hold onto me. Please save me from this sin.”
 
 

We must examine why we have to live this way, committing sins

 
         To think about why we have no choice but to live as sinners, we must first examine the words of Mark 7:21-23.

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

         These words of the Lord clearly show that the reason we commit sin is not simply because of our environment or circumstances, but because sin has originally taken root in our hearts.
We are beings who, just as we inherit our flesh from our parents, inherit our parents’ sinful nature even before birth and are born in the midst of sin.
All people born into this world as descendants of Adam are sinners who are born harboring wickedness from the very beginning.
In our hearts, these twelve wickednesses have taken root, and that heart is already stained with sin from the moment of birth.

         Therefore, we are ones who are born into this world harboring evil thoughts, lustful hearts, the desire to steal, the heart of adultery, greed, falsehood, lewdness, jealousy and slander, pride and foolishness.
Ultimately, this means that we were beings who, possessing the seed of sin, had no choice but to live while being dragged around by sin.

         Therefore, that we come to commit countless sins while we live in this world is perhaps an all-too-natural consequence.
As long as sin is in our hearts, it is impossible by human strength to live without committing sin.
The Lord, too, knowing this reality of ours, called us sinners.
And He warned that the path of us, who are sinners, is ultimately a road that leads to destruction and hell.

         The Lord has clearly spoken of the judgment on sin.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
If that is the case, we must ask this question:
“How exactly did the Lord eliminate our sins?”

         Today, many people, while believing only in the cross of Jesus, want the removal of their sins.
However, their reality shows that it is impossible to escape from sin.
We can easily see that by holding onto the cross alone, they cannot solve the problem of sin and thus continue to live as sinners.
 
 

Jesus was speaking of the truth that a sinner must have their sins removed to be born again from a sinner into a righteous person

 
         “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again”’” (John 3:3-7).

         Jesus said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
This means that if we believe in Jesus as our Savior, we must be born again to be able to see the Kingdom of God.

         Then, where is the way for us to be born again?
In John 3:5, Jesus said, “Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.’”
Does this mean, then, that to enter the Kingdom of God, one must be born again of water and the Spirit?
Jesus was the one who wanted to let us know the gospel message of water and the Spirit.
 
 

Regarding the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit!

 
         If even a single sin remains in a person’s heart, they cannot enter the holy Kingdom of God. 

Therefore, a true gospel that completely eliminates all of humanity’s sins is absolutely necessary.
However, much of Christianity today has been teaching that sins are forgiven if one only believes in the blood of the cross. 
But the Bible clearly testifies to the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit, which states that by being baptized by John in the Jordan River, Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world at once and washed them away, and that by shedding His blood on the cross, He completely bore the penalty for those sins.

         Jesus began His ministry of shouldering the sins of the world by being baptized by John the Baptist, and on the cross, He received the judgment for those sins in His own body. 
These two ministries were not separate acts, but were one complete gospel that cleanses the sins of mankind and delivers them from judgment.

         The reason Jesus was baptized is even more clear.
John 1:29 testifies that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 
That Jesus ‘takes away’ the sin of the world means that through the baptism He received from John, which was like the laying on of hands, the sins were transferred to Him. 
The event where Jesus shouldered the sins of the world was precisely that baptism.

         Just as in the Old Testament era, a sinner would lay his hands on a sacrificial offering to transfer his sins to it, and then offer a sacrifice to God with the blood of that offering, the baptism Jesus received from John was the event where the sins of the world were transferred to Jesus’ body at once. 
This very baptism is the beginning of the remission of sins and the core of the truth.

         In this way, because Jesus shouldered all the sins of the world through the baptism He received from John, He became the Savior who had the perfect qualification to receive the penalty for those sins on the cross in our place. 
If He had gone to the cross without the baptism, He could not have received the judgment for sin, because He is the One who is fundamentally without sin. 
Therefore, Jesus’ baptism was an essential and righteous event that made the ministry of the cross possible.

         Ultimately, the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit is that Jesus, by being baptized, washed away the sins of the world, and by being nailed to the cross and shedding His precious blood, He received the judgment for our sins in our place. 
Our sins were already transferred to the body of Jesus, who was baptized by John, and through the blood of the cross, the judgment for our sins was completed. 
This is why the Lord said that one must be born again of water and the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God. 
The water of Jesus’ baptism by John signifies the transfer of sins, and the shedding of blood signifies the judgment of sin. 
Jesus is the One who became our Savior who washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John, and whoever believes this fact can become one who is born again before God.

         However, there is a historical reason why this gospel has disappeared from much of Christianity today.
After the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, the ministry of the baptism Jesus received from John was gradually buried within the gospel of the cross, and eventually, a fragmented faith structure of “one only needs to believe in the cross” took root. 
As a result, sin still remained in people’s hearts, and those who had not resolved their sins fell into a vicious cycle of seeking the cleansing of sins through daily repentance and confession. 
This structure was the result of a distorted gospel that does not align with the true salvation spoken of in the Bible.

         On the other hand, for a person who believes in the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit, sin can no longer remain in their heart. 
This is because Jesus took upon Himself all sins at once through His baptism and washed them away, and completely judged those sins on the cross.
Therefore, their hearts are confirmed by the witness of the Holy Spirit, and their consciences become clean, enabling them to call God their Father. 
They are freed from the condemnation of the Law and walk with God in thanksgiving and joy.

         The Gospel of the Water and the Spirit is not a mere doctrine. 
It is the actual history of salvation that shows how Jesus actually resolved the sins of the world when He was baptized by John. 
The Apostle John also emphasized the completeness of this gospel, testifying that the water, the blood, and the Spirit are one (1 John 5:6-8).

         Therefore, the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit is the truth of salvation that resolves our sins at once and completely, and brings about true rebirth.
Only in this gospel can a person obtain true freedom and receive a new life to enter the Kingdom of God.
 
 

For 1700 years, by whom have we been guided?

 
         For the past 1700 years, those who have guided Christians were individuals who had learned a theology deeply steeped in the Catholic thought of the Seven Sacraments. 

They have always preached centered on theological thought and doctrines. To this day, the Catholic Church teaches its members the doctrine of the Seven Sacraments, and Protestant churches, too, have guided the saints by following the very doctrines and thoughts learned from those theologians. 
In the end, all of us have been raised under this influence for 1700 years.

         Then what was the influence we received from Catholicism? 
It was precisely the system for the cleansing of sin centered on confession and repentance—that is, the doctrine that one must repeatedly wash away sins whenever they are committed. 
Those who created the Nicene Creed and follow its theology have lived with pride, believing they inherited the orthodox faith of the early Church.
They taught their church members that they must be gradually sanctified according to the Seven Sacraments and Christian doctrines. Therefore, people have come to live clinging to prayers of repentance and confession every time they sin, even while believing in Jesus on the cross as their Savior.

         However, people have now grown weary of this endless religious life. 1700 years have already passed as they tried to wash away their sins through prayers of repentance and confession. 
During that time, Christians have striven to resolve their sins by learning the Catholic doctrine of the Seven Sacraments and the Protestant doctrine of Calvinism. 
They tried to deal with their own sins through confession, prayers of repentance, and fasting prayers, but all those efforts turned out to be in vain.
In the end, they were placed in a state of waiting for death as sinners, with their sins unresolved.

         Whether Catholic or Protestant, they have diligently lived a life of faith within religion, but the sin remaining in their hearts has not disappeared.
Therefore, they are still living as sinners.
How is their current state different from the man who was met by robbers while going down from Jerusalem to Jericho?

         Who are the ones who have created the believers who have fallen into such a state today?
They are precisely the Christian theologians and Catholic leaders.
The leaders of Protestantism and Catholicism have always taught the believers based on the theology of the Nicene Creed and the doctrine of the Seven Sacraments, leading them up to the 21st century.
They have bound the believers within a doctrine that makes it impossible for them to ever escape from sin, no matter how well they believe in and follow Jesus.

         The path for people to escape from sin was but one.
It was only the path of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, through which Jesus, by receiving baptism from John, had the sins of the world transferred to Him and washed them away.
The result of the guidance by religious leaders for 1700 years was, in the end, that it left people remaining as sinners. 
With doctrines steeped in theology, it became impossible to see the true salvation of the Bible, and now it has become an age where people cannot comprehend the meaning of God’s Word even when they see it. 
The leaders who have provided all this guidance must acknowledge their sin of having led the saints down the wrong path and repent.

         Jesus, as the Lord who is eternally alive even now, is the One who will come in the future to take those who have been born again by believing in the word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit to the Lord’s kingdom. 
We must believe that Jesus is the Savior who washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John. 
Our Lord Jesus Christ bore the sins of the world at once through His baptism, and He is the One who makes believers be born again. And He is the Lord of the Second Coming who will come again to take the born-again saints.

         Therefore, we must surely believe. 
Jesus washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John. 
And we, just as in Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, must be born again of water and the Spirit and enter the kingdom of God.
 
 

All that you and I have known until now is the Nicene Creed and the doctrine of the Seven Sacraments

 
         The Nicene Creed and the doctrine of the Seven Sacraments have ultimately served the role of binding people in sin. 

The reason was that the Nicene Creed itself did not originate from the gospel of the early church, but rather aimed for a syncretic religious doctrine, created by mixing different religious perspectives and philosophies. 
As a result, the gospel of the water and the Spirit given by the Lord—that is, the word of truth that Jesus washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John—disappeared from the pulpits of the church.

         The situation is no different today. 
People have lived their lives of faith learning the Christian doctrines created by theologians, and those doctrines have always emphasized a fragmentary faith that “one only needs to believe in the cross.” 
However, no matter how much they followed that doctrine, the sin in their hearts was not resolved, and people had no choice but to continue living as sinners. 
This is because in the doctrines taught by theologians, there is no path to completely escape from sin.

         Therefore, if one desires to receive the cleansing of sin and become righteous, they must have had an opportunity to hear the gospel of truth that Jesus washed away the sins of the world at once by being baptized by John. 
However, the church did not even provide an environment where such a gospel could be heard.
Even now, anyone who earnestly desires to have their sins resolved must accept in faith the fact that Jesus had the sins of the world transferred to Him when He was baptized by John, as recorded in the Bible. 
That is the first step to receiving salvation.

         Another path is to listen to the Word of God as testified by those who have already believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and have been born again. 
If anyone can hear of the ministry of Jesus bearing the sins of the world by being baptized by John, and the ministry of receiving the penalty for that sin on the cross, they can be born again. 
By doing so, they can receive the cleansing of sin, which was the long-held desire of their hearts, and by believing in that truth, they can experience the grace of salvation of becoming whiter than snow.
Alternatively, reading the sermon books by pastor Paul C. Jong will also be of great help. This is because this truth is recorded in detail within them, making it sufficient to be born again.

         This is the truth we must know when we believe in Jesus as our Savior: to believe in our hearts the fact that Jesus washed away the sins of the world at once by being baptized by John. 
Just as there is no effect without a cause, the reason we can receive the removal of our sins is because Jesus had the sins of the world transferred to Him and cleansed them completely when He received baptism from John the Baptist. 
Therefore, only when one believes this word of the gospel are human sins completely removed.

         Therefore, if one intends to believe in Jesus as the Savior, they must believe not in the Christian doctrines that have been taught in theology, but in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that the Bible directly testifies to. 
Only the gospel that Jesus had the sins of the world transferred to Him at once and washed them away when He was baptized by John is true salvation. 
If anyone learns and believes this gospel recorded in the Bible in their heart, they will obtain the eternal removal of sin and eternal life.

         Jesus said:
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
Those who believe in the gospel that Jesus washed away the sins of the world at once by being baptized by John immediately obtain freedom from all sin.
From now on, we must live as those who have received the cleansing of sin by believing this gospel of truth in our hearts.

         The entire Bible testifies that the event of Jesus being baptized by John is the very beginning of the removal of sin, and the cross is the place where the judgment for that sin was finally completed. 
Jesus bore the sins of the world through His baptism, shed His blood and died on the cross in place of that sin, and by resurrecting again, He accomplished complete redemption. 
Therefore, by believing in this ministry of Jesus, we can accept Him as our Savior.

         And we must always engrave in our hearts the fact that all the sins of the world were transferred to Him through His baptism by John, and because of that, we could be born again. 
Jesus spoke the same words to Nicodemus:
“Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
This word is a declaration that because Jesus had the sins of the world transferred to Him by being baptized by John, those who believe in that fact can be born again by having their sins washed away. 
By knowing and believing in the ministry of Jesus’ baptism, we can enjoy the grace of having the sins in our hearts cleansed at once.

         Therefore, we must turn away from the past life of faith where we could not resolve sin by believing only in the cross. 
Now, we must become those who receive the elimination of sin in our hearts by believing in the gospel that Jesus washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John, and in the righteousness of the Lord who received the judgment for sin on the cross.
 
 

Why Did Jesus Praise the Faith of John the Baptist?

 
         Jesus testified about John the Baptist in Matthew 11:11–14 as follows:

“Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.”

         These words of Jesus were a powerful praise for John the Baptist, incomparable to anyone at that time, and a declaration in which He personally acknowledged John’s faith and his ministry.
Jesus did not judge John the Baptist by human standards like the world’s theologians; rather, He testified that John was the Elijah whom God had promised and the servant of God who prepared for His own ministry.

         However, today many theologians, and the believers who follow their doctrines verbatim, evaluate John the Baptist as a figure of failure.
Because they follow a doctrine that emphasizes only the cross, they do not know the fact that Jesus was baptized by John to wash away the sins of the world, and as a result, they are devaluing the ministry of John the Baptist.

         So, whose words are right? Naturally, the words of Jesus are true.
It is not the words of theologians, which come from human thoughts and emotions; rather, Jesus Himself testified that John the Baptist was the Elijah whom He said He would send in the words of Malachi chapter 4 of the Old Testament.

         Such people, because they do not know the word of the gospel of truth—that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist to have the sins of the world washed away—are deceived by Satan and are saying that John the Baptist was a failure.
These are people who, despite believing in Jesus as their Savior, are living as sinners.
Therefore, they have become those who, instinctively following the evil heart within them, say that John the Baptist, and also his life of faith, failed. 

         God the Father sent John the Baptist into the world six months before Jesus.
John the Baptist was called as the last priest of the Old Testament, and he was the one entrusted with the ministry of administering baptism to Jesus so that Jesus could have the sins transferred to Him.
Through the baptism He received from John, Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world at once, and He was judged for those sins on the cross at once.
Therefore, the very first step that enabled Jesus to become the Savior who washes away sin was the baptism He received from John.

         Jesus personally testified to this fact.
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John” (Matthew 11:12-13).
This statement declares that all the prophecies of the Old Testament were concluded with John the Baptist, and from that point on, the ministry of Jesus began in earnest.
The baptism Jesus received from John was the complete fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrifices, and upon that, the atonement of the cross followed, bringing about complete salvation.
Regarding John the Baptist, Jesus tells us that John is the very prophet whom Yahweh God said He would send in Malachi 4:5-6 of the Old Testament (Matthew 11:14).
And that prophecy was fulfilled as recorded in the words of the New Testament: Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world by being baptized by John, was crucified, shed His blood, resurrected from death, and became the eternal Savior for those who believe.

         Nevertheless, many theologians and leaders today define John the Baptist as a failure.
The reason is that they follow critical theology.
Under the influence of a theology that has denied or diminished the baptism of Jesus, people have not understood the ministry of John the Baptist, and as a result, they have ended up becoming those who slander the faith and ministry of John the Baptist.
Because even many theological seminaries do not teach the meaning of the baptism Jesus received from John, the John the Baptist they see remains merely a failed ‘prophet of the wilderness.’

         However, the Bible does not say so. 
Jesus, the apostles, and the entire Old and New Testaments testify that Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world by being baptized by John.
Because Jesus’ disciples believed this fact, they were able to preach the true gospel through which all sins are washed away at once by water and the Spirit.

         On the other hand, theologians do not believe this fact.
The very act of calling John the Baptist a failure is evidence that they are denying the ministry of baptism that Jesus received.
Their slander is merely an assertion to protect their own doctrines and traditions, which have deleted the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

         Therefore, I urge you.
Believe not in the words of theologians, but in the word of truth that the Bible testifies to.
Jesus was baptized by John and took upon Himself the sins of the world at once. On the cross, He was judged for those sins at once and completed salvation through His resurrection.
Anyone who believes this truth has all their sins washed away at once, becomes righteous, and becomes a born-again child of God.

         Therefore, from now on, we must become people who believe in, give thanks for, and praise the ministry that Jesus Himself accomplished, not the doctrines of men or the words of theologians.
When we believe in our hearts in the grace by which Jesus washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John and was judged for our sins on the cross, only then do we obtain true salvation and freedom and become those who will enter the kingdom of God.
 
 

Then who are those who have been spiritually robbed today?

 
         Today, those who have been spiritually robbed are those who believe and follow the words of theologians.

These people, who accept the theological doctrines spoken by theologians as they are, are those who say that Jesus became the Savior of sinners by being hung on the cross and shedding His blood.
They believe only in the Christian doctrines made by theologians, and are trying to live while receiving the washing of sins through daily repentance prayers or the doctrine of the seven sacraments.

The teaching that theologians delivered to people was only to believe in Jesus hung on the cross as the Savior.
However, Jesus gave the blessing of true salvation to those who believe in the word of the gospel of truth, that He washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John.
Nevertheless, those who study theology and follow theological doctrines are teaching that one receives the washing of sins just by believing in the cross of Jesus.

         The Lord was baptized by John and at once took upon Himself and washed away the sins of the world.
Jesus became the Savior who, being baptized by John, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and being nailed to the cross, received the judgment for our sins.
However, today’s theologians are saying that one is completely saved by believing in Jesus hung on the cross as the Savior and following Him.
It is by following the words of theologians that people have become spiritually robbed.

         These are people who believe without knowing how important a ministry of the transfer of sins the ministry of John the Baptist, which the Lord spoke of, is.
Therefore, even while claiming to believe in Jesus, they have become those who have been robbed and are suffering.
 
 

Jesus asked a lawyer, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”

 
         The Law is God’s command.

But do you think that we, who are created beings, can keep all of God’s commands spoken in the Law?
If you think so, it would be the thought that a created being, a person, can become like God.
However, the purpose for which the Lord gave us the Law is clear.
The Law is to reveal and make us aware of our sins, so that we may ultimately return to the Lord.
It is the Lord’s invitation, saying, “Look at your sins revealed before the Law, return to Me, and receive the removal of sins by believing in the word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit.”

         A sinner does not have the ability to perfectly keep God’s law.
A sinner is a being who cannot help but live according to the sins that constantly rise up in his heart.
Therefore, only by the faith of believing in the word of truth—that Jesus was baptized by John and at once took upon Himself and washed away the sins of the world—can sinners live with the true removal of sins in their hearts.

         Today, many people believe only in the gospel of the cross.
However, those who have become righteous are those who believe in the word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Jesus is the Son of God, the Creator, and the Savior of sinners.
The ministry He performed when He came to this earth to save sinners from sin is within the ministry of salvation where Jesus was baptized by John, took upon Himself, and washed away the sins of the world.

         However, from the time of the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, theologians and philosophers gathered their strength and wisdom to create a single theological doctrine called the Nicene Creed.
They were called by the Roman Emperor and became those who were used for his political purposes.
In that process, they slightly altered the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which the saints of the early church had passed down, and changed it into a gospel that emphasizes only the cross.
From that time, the gospel of the water and the Spirit began to be distorted, and people’s souls fell into chaos.
After that, among those who believed in Jesus, those who were spiritually robbed appeared.
By believing in the gospel of the cross determined by theologians, church members came to live in a state where the sins in their hearts were not eliminated.
Today, regardless of Christianity and Catholicism, the gospels created by theologians are mostly gospels that speak only of the cross, and those who believe in them are living as sinners without being born again.

         Today, the leaders of Christianity and Catholicism are leading the hearts of the church members with the doctrines that their own denominational theologians have researched and created.
They are teaching that one receives the forgiveness of sins by faith only in the Nicene Creed and in Jesus who shed His blood on the cross.
As a result, numerous church members have been led onto the path of living as sinners for their entire lives, with their sins not being washed away at once.
They have become those who confine people within the framework called the doctrine of the Seven Sacraments of Catholicism, and teach them to try to resolve their sins within it.

         In the Catholic doctrine of the Seven Sacraments, it is taught that when one receives the Sacrament of Baptism, original sin is removed, and actual sins are removed through the Sacrament of Penance.
And it says that one receives the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation.
To receive the Holy Spirit, people visit a bishop, have holy oil applied to their heads, receive the laying on of hands, and volunteer to receive the Holy Spirit.
At one time, such a doctrine of the Holy Spirit flourished greatly in both Catholicism and Protestantism.
However, as time passed, these doctrines gradually lost their power.

         It has already been 1,700 years since they created the Nicene Creed and taught that one receives the removal of sins by believing only in Jesus’ cross.
During that time, church members have fallen into ever-increasing confusion because of the doctrines created by theologians.
As a result, the hearts of the church members have not been freed from all sin, and they have become those who still live bearing the burden of sin.
In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church, backed by the emperor’s authority, wielded its religious power as it pleased and forced the Nicene Creed upon people.
If anyone did not believe in the creed, they were treated as heretics.
Today, only the form has changed, but the tendency to consider those who do not believe in the doctrines and the blood of the cross alone as the law of salvation as unorthodox still remains.

         They placed greater authority on the theological doctrines they created than on the recorded Word of God.
They even did not hesitate to persecute and kill those who believed in the gospel of truth—that Jesus was baptized by John and washed away the sins of the world.
However, today, such sins must no longer be committed before God.
They claimed that they were the ones who had inherited the orthodox faith of the apostles of the early church since AD 325, but the fruit of the Nicene Creed they created was ultimately revealed to be evil fruit.

         In fact, in the Old and New Testaments, the gospel that the apostles believed and preached was the gospel of the water and the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:21, 1 John 5:4–8, Acts 2:38–40, Romans 6:3, Galatians 3:27)
But just because theologians created the Nicene Creed, can it be said that it is the faith of the apostles?
The Jesus on the cross that the Nicene Creed speaks of is only speaking of a part of Jesus’ ministry of salvation that the actual Bible testifies to.
It was because Jesus was baptized by John that the sacrifice of the cross was possible as a result, but they deleted the first part and detached only the part of the cross.

         You must know that it is greatly wrong for them to try to stand upon the faith of Christians throughout the world with the Nicene Creed, which theologians created.
Faith must be a matter of freedom for everyone and must be based on the Word of God; it must not be bound by the ideas of theologians.

         Since AD 325, countless people who became Christians all over the world have lived knowing only the cross as the gospel of salvation, because of the Nicene Creed created by theologians who joined hands with philosophers.
As a result, they have had to live their entire lives as slaves to sin, unable to escape from their own sins.

         They have not yet encountered the truth that Jesus was baptized by John and washed away the sins of the world—that is, the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Even many pastors today teach only that sins were removed on the cross, and they know almost nothing about the ministry of Jesus’ baptism.
This is because they, too, have understood the gospel only through the doctrines they learned from the theologians before them.
Therefore, many pastors have become believers with an incomplete faith, believing only in the crucified Jesus as the Savior.

         However, the true gospel is this: Jesus was baptized by John, thereby having the sins of the world transferred to Him all at once and washing them away, and while bearing those sins, He was nailed to the cross and shed His blood to receive the judgment for our sins in our place. This is the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

         Because of the doctrines that theologians misunderstood and handed down, the church members also came to believe wrongly.
By learning only the gospel of the cross and preaching only that half-truth to others, in the end, those who believe only in the gospel of the cross created by theologians have come to possess a faith that is in deep error.

         What we must realize now is clear.
It is the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which states that Jesus became our Savior by being baptized by John to wash away the sins of the world, and then going to the cross bearing those sins, shedding His blood, and resurrecting from death.
Jesus was nailed to the cross to receive the penalty for our sins in our place, but before that, because He had to take our sins upon His own body, He was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.

         However, those who believe only in the doctrine of the cross made by theologians, and do not believe the word of truth that Jesus was baptized by John and washed away the sins of the world, can only remain as religious people in the end.
In this way, theologians have regarded the doctrine of the cross they created as more authoritative than the Word of the Bible, and they have become preachers of a false gospel.

         Jesus spoke in a parable. On the road to Jericho, a priest and a Levite saw a man who had been robbed, but they avoided him and passed by.
Who do that priest and Levite point to in this age today? They are the theologians and pastors within Christianity and Catholicism.
They claim to minister in the name of Jesus, but in reality, it is as if they are turning away from those who have been robbed.
The One who is truly our Savior is not just the Jesus who was hung on the cross, but the Jesus who was able to go to the cross because He was baptized by John, took upon Himself, and washed away the sins of the world.
However, because they do not know this fact, they do not know the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

         Theologians of the late ancient period created the Nicene Creed, which emphasizes only the cross of Jesus, and taught it to people.
The theologians who followed them also believed and followed it just as it was.
Those who are spiritually robbed in this age are precisely those who have received the teaching of a false faith from them.
Those who believe only in the Nicene Creed and say they have been saved from their sins are those who do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit to which the Bible testifies.
With their mouths they say, “Jesus saved the sins of the world on the cross,” but in reality, they are dying without having the problem of sin in their hearts resolved.

         Those who believe the Nicene Creed is orthodox faith say that one is saved by believing only in the cross of Jesus.
However, that is a different gospel, not the gospel of the water and the Spirit that the Bible speaks of.
They are not believing the Bible, but are following a faith that believes in theology.
The theological doctrines they created have spread all over this earth for 1700 years.
And even now, there are countless people who believe those doctrines just as they are.

         Therefore, many among them strive for sanctification.
They try to eliminate their sins by praying prayers of repentance every day.
However, what we must know is the fact that sins are not eliminated just because a person who believes in Jesus prays a prayer of repentance.
Sins are eliminated only by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit recorded in the Old and New Testaments.
The gospel of the water and the Spirit is the event where Jesus was baptized by John and at once took upon Himself and washed away the sins of the world.
Jesus is the One who was baptized by John to wash away the sins of the world, and went to the cross while bearing those sins.

         In Isaiah 1:18-20, God promised that He would make our sins as white as snow, as white as wool.
In the New Testament era, Jesus fulfilled this promise by receiving baptism from John the Baptist.
Matthew 3:15-17 says this:
“But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”

         This word shows that Jesus was baptized by John, thereby taking upon Himself and washing away the sins of the world.
The words, “for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” mean that the baptism Jesus received was a righteous work of having the sins of the world transferred to Him at once and washing them away.

         Therefore, those who believe that the baptism of Jesus by John was a baptism for the purpose of taking upon Himself and washing away our sins are those who have a faith that is fitting in the sight of God the Father.
Jesus went to the cross to receive the penalty for our sins in our place, shed His blood and died, was resurrected, and He became our Savior.
By believing the word of salvation that Jesus was baptized by John, had the sins of the world transferred to Him, and washed them away, we have become those who have received the removal of sins.

         We are not those who have received the removal of sins by believing in the doctrine of salvation made by theologians.
The One we must believe in is Jesus Christ, and we believe the fact that Jesus Christ was baptized by John, took upon Himself, and washed away the sins of the world.
Those who believe this fact are the very ones who have been saved from all sins.
Believing the Word of God is our part, and being baptized by John the Baptist to wash away the sins of the world was Jesus’ part that He had to fulfill as the Savior.

         The core of our salvation is this:
It is the gospel that Jesus was baptized by John and washed away the sins of the world, was hung on the cross, shed His blood and died, was resurrected, and has now become our Savior.
Through faith in this gospel of the water and the Spirit, we have become those who have received the removal of sins.
Jesus is the Savior who was baptized by John, thereby taking upon Himself and washing away the sins of the world.
However, for those who reject and do not believe the word of truth that Jesus was baptized by John, had the sins of the world transferred to Him, and washed them away, their sins will never be washed away for eternity.
The Nicene Creed records that only the work of the cross is the work that saved us, but if one holds only to this, one will end up becoming a person who believes in the Lord in vain.
If one truly wants to be saved from one’s sins, one must believe the word of truth that Jesus was baptized by John and washed away the sins of the world.
Otherwise, if one tries to believe only in the cross while having deleted this truth, that person is one who has lost the way to have their sins resolved.

         Because Jesus was baptized by John, had the sins of the world transferred to Him, and washed them away at once, we can become those who receive the washing away of sins from all our sins through faith.
However, if you erase this fact from your heart and only hold onto and believe in the cross, that person’s soul will be captured by sin and walk through the valley of death.
If you are currently walking through this valley of death, you must, even one day sooner, believe in the gospel of salvation, in which Jesus was baptized by John, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and washed them away.

         This very moment is your opportunity to be saved from sin.
Before this time passes, I hope that you will become those who have received the removal of sins by believing in your hearts the gospel that Jesus washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John.
If you are holding onto the doctrine of believing only in the cross, which was made by theologians, it is a path that ultimately leads to the place where a sinner must go. You must turn back, even now.

         By being baptized by John and washing away the sins of the world, Jesus has become the Savior who has already washed away your sins.
Now, you must choose.
Will you believe the doctrines and words made by theologians? Or will you believe the Word of God, the gospel of salvation, that Jesus washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John?
Only those who believe the word of truth—that Jesus washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John—can become those who have been cleansed from all sins.

         Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6).
He is the Savior who washed away the sins of the world at once by being baptized by John.
I hope that you become those who believe that your sins were resolved at once through Jesus Christ, His ministry of baptism, and His ministry of the cross.

         Opportunity does not always repeat itself.
If your life is taken tonight, where will your soul go? Do not postpone it any longer.
At this very moment, I hope that you will become those who obtain the removal of sins and eternal life in your hearts by believing in the gospel of truth, that Jesus washed away the sins of the world through the baptism He received from John.

         There is only one way for us to be saved from our sins.
It is to believe the fact that Jesus Christ took upon Himself our sins by receiving baptism from John.
True salvation is only the faith that believes He is the Savior who washed away the sins of the world at once by receiving baptism from John, was crucified, shed His blood, died, and then resurrected.

         But why do you still try to remain as sinners by abandoning the word of truth—that Jesus washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John—and believing only in the half-gospel that holds only to the cross?
Such faith is a faith deceived by theologians, and it is a vain faith.
At that time, the Roman Emperor, to unite the Roman Empire, mobilized theologians to create the Nicene Creed and formed a syncretic religion.
They have caused it to be preached, even to this day, that only the Jesus on the cross is the Savior of this world.
Because of this, for the past 1,700 years, countless people have lived their lives thinking that the cross alone is the entirety of salvation.

         However, the gospel that the Bible speaks of is clear.
It is the fact that Jesus is the Savior who took upon Himself and washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John, and then went to the cross.
If they, even now, desire to believe the gospel of the water and the Spirit given by the Lord and receive the removal of sins, the Lord will give them faith and grant them the eternal removal of sins.

         Now, we have come to read and hear the gospel word that the Lord washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John.
That is why the opportunity to receive the removal of sins has now been given.
This gospel of the water and the Spirit was a gospel that had been hidden for the past 1,700 years.
Therefore, we must preach this gospel to others as well.

         If you believe in the gospel that the Lord took upon Himself and washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John, you can receive the removal of sins.
Preaching this gospel is a responsibility given to us who have first believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
You who have heard and believed the gospel of salvation—that Jesus had the sins of the world transferred to Him by being baptized by John—are, in fact, very blessed people. This is because there are so many in this world who have passed away without ever hearing this gospel even once.

         Even now, among Catholic and Protestant believers around the world, many are dying without having heard or believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
They hold only to the cross of Jesus, believing that in it is the entirety of salvation.
That is why we want to preach this gospel of the water and the Spirit to them as well.

         If you believe in the gospel of salvation that Jesus washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John, you become those who are saved from sins.
We invite you to the assembly of the gospel of truth that Jesus washed away the sins of the world by being baptized by John.
You are people who, until now, have never properly heard the gospel that washed away your sins at once.

         The Lord is the Master of the gospel of the water and the Spirit—the gospel by which He, being baptized by John, had the sins of the world transferred to Him and washed them away at once.
You and I must live enjoying the blessing of becoming those who have received the removal of sins, by believing in this gospel of the water and the Spirit with our hearts.
Hallelujah!

📖 This sermon is also available in ebook format. Click on the book cover below. 

The New Life Mission

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