[29-3] Jesus’ baptism by John was in order to receive the transference of the sins of the world (Matthew 3:13–17)

How much do we know about the universe?

         The range of the universe that we currently know is extremely vast. Scientists estimate that there exists an observable universe with a diameter of about 93 billion light-years.
This is a value calculated by considering the maximum distance light could have traveled since the Big Bang — that is, the age of about 13.8 billion years — together with the expansion rate of the universe. Within this, it is reported that there exist about 2 trillion or more galaxies and far more stars than that.
According to the current standard model, the universe is composed of about 5% ordinary matter, 27% dark matter, and 68% dark energy.
However, dark matter and dark energy have not been directly observed, and they are only estimated through indirect evidence such as gravity and the rate of expansion of the universe.
By observing the cosmic microwave background radiation that formed about 380,000 years after the Big Bang, we can calculate backward the state of the early universe, but the Planck epoch immediately after the Big Bang still remains an unknown realm.

         Our process of understanding the universe more deeply is thanks to the development of observational technology.
Through the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, and large ground-based telescopes, we have become able to observe galaxies at ever greater distances and from earlier times.
In particular, the James Webb Space Telescope has observed galaxies 13 billion light-years away and is revising theories of early universe formation.
In the past, observations were focused on visible light, but now we are grasping the universe three-dimensionally through observations of radio waves, infrared, X-rays, gravitational waves, and neutrinos.
Gravitational wave observations have opened a great breakthrough in understanding extreme phenomena such as black hole and neutron star mergers.
In addition, by using super-large supercomputers and artificial intelligence, we are precisely simulating the formation of the large-scale structure of the universe, the evolution of galaxies, and the distribution of dark matter, and by matching observational data with theoretical models, we are refining our understanding of the universe.

         Still, many unknown areas remain ahead. Dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of the mass–energy of the universe, but we do not know their true nature.
Tasks such as the physics of the early universe and immediately after the Big Bang, the unification of gravity and quantum mechanics at the Planck scale, and the verification of the inflation theory also remain.
In addition, theories such as the multiverse or additional dimensions have been proposed, but they are still impossible or extremely difficult to verify.

         In the end, humanity is drawing the map of the universe in more and more detail, but that is nothing more than exploring the shallow coastlines of a vast unknown sea.
As observational technology and theory develop, the depth of our understanding of the universe increases, but at the same time, more questions and mysteries appear.

About the Geocentric Theory of Aristotle and Ptolemy and the Heliocentric Theory of Copernicus

To explain the complex planetary motion known as retrograde motion, he introduced epicycles and eccentrics, and this model was accepted as the standard of Western astronomy for about 1,400 years from the Greek period to the Middle Ages.
Such a view of the universe strengthened the idea and religious worldview that humans and the Earth were at the center of the universe and was based on the premise of a harmonious universe consisting of perfect circular motion and unchanging celestial spheres.

         In contrast, Copernicus’ heliocentric theory claimed that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun.
He explained that the Earth also rotates and that it is the Earth that moves, not the celestial sphere, and he systematically presented this in On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres (1543).
He naturally explained the phenomenon of planetary retrograde motion as an apparent phenomenon caused by the difference in the Earth’s orbital speed, and presented a simpler and more harmonious system based on the Sun-centered orbit.
This innovation, through the refinement of observations and calculations, became the starting point of the scientific revolution that led to Kepler’s theory of elliptical orbits, Galileo’s telescope observations, and Newton’s law of universal gravitation. It brought about a shift in perception that humanity is not at the center of the universe, exerting a great influence on philosophy, theology, and science as a whole.

As space science has developed, we have come to realize how much our thoughts can be wrong

         The development of science has revealed the limitations of the “anthropocentric thinking” that humanity has held for a long time.
In ancient and medieval times, people firmly believed in the geocentric theory that the Earth was the center of the universe, but with the research of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, it was revealed that the planetary system is actually centered on the Sun.
Until the early 20th century, it was thought that the solar system was located near the center of the galaxy, but today we know that the solar system is located not at the center but on the outskirts of the Orion Arm.

         In other words, it has been confirmed that the solar system exists much more on the periphery than humans once imagined.
Also, in the past, it was thought that there was only one galaxy in the universe, but now it is known that more than two trillion galaxies exist, and we have realized that humanity’s position in the universe is becoming increasingly insignificant.

         In this way, as science has advanced, human thinking has also been continuously revised.
As technology such as telescopes, satellites, and gravitational wave observations develops, models or theories once considered “correct” are revised within a broader range of observations. The progress from Newtonian mechanics to the theory of relativity is a representative example of this.
The more new discoveries are made, the more it is emphasized that there is much more we do not know than what we do know. Unknown realms such as dark matter, dark energy, and the Planck era are examples of this.
Science emphasizes the point that humans are a part of the laws of nature rather than the thought that humans are the center or the purpose of the universe.

         These changes do not mean that past knowledge was completely wrong, but rather show that it is a process of becoming more sophisticated.
Science does not possess perfect truth from the beginning, but is a process of gradually approaching it more precisely through observation and experimentation.
We come to realize that past theories were simple models that were correct only under certain conditions.
For example, Newton’s classical mechanics fits very well at slow speeds and weak gravity, but correction with Einstein’s general theory of relativity is needed in situations with strong gravity or speeds close to the speed of light.

Now we must be able to understand not only the blood of Jesus on the cross, but also that Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world by being baptized by John

         The knowledge of the Bible, which has continued since the Middle Ages, has been steadily accumulated until now. Now is the time for people to look at the words of the Bible based on Jesus’ word that one must be born again of water and the Spirit. 
One of them is that the words of the Bible can only be understood if we return to the gospel word of water and the Spirit from the existing knowledge that ‘He saved us only by the blood of the cross.’

         In the Middle Ages, only the Latin Bible was distributed, and lay people could not read the words directly. 
As a result, people mainly came to believe, through the Nicene Creed established in AD 325, that Jesus became our Savior by being crucified, shedding His blood, and resurrecting from the dead. 
Due to this, the interpretation of the Nicene Creed, that “the blood of the cross atones for sin,” has been uniquely emphasized and passed down in church history for the past 1,700 years.

         However, now in the 21st century, we have discovered that Jesus became the Savior who took away our sins by receiving the baptism from John, having the sins of the world transferred to Him, being crucified, shedding His blood, and resurrecting from the dead. 
People have lived believing only the Nicene Creed for about 1,700 years. 
However, I think it is fortunate that we, living in the 21st century, have discovered and come to believe the fact that Jesus, by receiving the baptism given by John, had the sins of the world transferred to Him and washed away our sins all at once, through the words of Matthew 3:13-17.

         Just as people believed in the geocentric theory for a long time but eventually realized that the heliocentric theory, in which the Sun is at the center, is the true principle, now, in the realm of faith as well, more and more people are coming to realize the truth of the gospel of the water and the Spirit revealed in the Bible.
As spiritual understanding deepens and the essence of the gospel is revealed in this way, it is truly astonishing that people who truly believe in Jesus Christ and are born again are arising all over the world.

         Even today, many people have believed only in the Nicene Creed, but in reality, it was not the faith of the early church.
In other words, it was not the gospel that the Christians of the early church believed in, but a creed of a false gospel made by politicians.
The Nicene Creed was a creed of a worldly religion fabricated by the Roman emperor to achieve his own political purposes. The emperor sought to achieve the unity of the empire under the name of religion.
As a result, he proclaimed the Nicene Creed and established one of the most universal religions in the world. The religion that was born in this way is the Catholic religion.

         However, this Catholic religion was the most universal religion that sought to integrate all the religions of this world without inheriting the faith of the early church Christians. Simply put, it was a religion of everyone without any distinctive features.

What was the gospel of the water and the Spirit that the early Christians believed in the New Testament?

         The gospel Word that the early church Christians believed in was as follows:
They were those who believed Jesus, who received baptism from John and thereby took upon Himself the sins of the world, was crucified, and rose from the dead, as their Savior.

         In the New Testament, John 3:5 says, “Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’”
And in Matthew 3:13–17, it is written that Jesus received baptism from John the Baptist and thereby took upon Himself the sins of the world.
Because Jesus received baptism from John and bore the sins of the world, it was fitting that He was crucified, shed His blood, and rose from the dead to become our Savior.
Since Jesus bore the sins of the world once for all through the baptism He received from John, He desired to be crucified, shed His blood, rise from the dead, and thus complete His ministry.

         In other words, because there was the ministry of Jesus receiving baptism from John, He could become the Savior of sinners through the ministry of death on the Cross and resurrection.
There was not a single part of Jesus’ ministry—the event of taking on the sins of the world through baptism from John and the event of shedding blood on the cross—that was not important.
The ministry of Jesus was absolutely necessary for saving sinners from their sins.

         The Word of the Bible clearly shows us the truth of our being born again.
It is that Jesus received baptism from John and bore the sins of the world in the body of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Jesus was the one who carried the sins of the world, was crucified, received the judgment for all sins, and fulfilled the ministry of the Savior.
Jesus received baptism from John and took upon Himself the judgment for all the sins of humankind on the Cross in our place, and thus became the Savior of those who now believe.
The work of salvation that Jesus accomplished on this earth was all contained within His baptism, the blood of the Cross, His death, and resurrection.

         As we entered the 21st century, we have come to know more clearly the context of the gospel of the water and the Spirit through the study of the original biblical languages such as Hebrew and Greek, as well as through research into historical and cultural backgrounds, and comparison with ancient Near Eastern literature.

         Therefore, through the whole Word of the Old and New Testaments, we must clearly understand the limitation of the Nicene Creed, from which the fact that Jesus received baptism from John is excluded.
We can see that only the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the Cross was not the entirety of our salvation.
What the gospel of the water and the Spirit says is that because Jesus received baptism from John and bore the sins of the world, He could be crucified, shed His blood, rise from the dead, and become the Savior who removed the sins of the world.
Therefore, through the Word of the Bible, we must know the fact that Jesus received baptism from John, bore the sins of the world, and washed them away, and we must live by the faith that believes in that fact.

         From now on, we must depart from the Nicene Creed that emphasizes only the blood of the Cross of Jesus.
We must be washed from our sins by believing in Jesus who received baptism from John and thereby took upon Himself the sins of the world.

         We who live in the 21st century today possess far richer biblical knowledge than people did in the Middle Ages.
And God has given His servants the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that they may realize the deep Word of truth by which we can be born again of water and the Spirit.
Now we must go beyond the Nicene Creed established in AD 325 and become those who know and believe in the righteousness of the baptism of Jesus Christ and thereby have our sins washed away.
This is the blessing of faith that God has given to us.

         In particular, we must know that the Nicene Creed, which emphasized only the blood of the Cross of Jesus, has rather become a stumbling block for those who believe in Jesus to receive the remission of sins.
The Nicene Creed has reduced the righteousness of the baptism of Jesus Christ testified by the Bible and has become an obstacle that has obscured that core truth.
Today, because many believers remain in the faith of believing in the Nicene Creed, they have come to fail to properly encounter the true gospel by which Jesus washed away the sins of humankind — namely, the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

         The counterfeit that differs from the gospel of the water and the Spirit revealed in the Bible is precisely the “faith of believing only in the Cross of Jesus” that the Nicene Creed speaks of.
In the world today, a “gospel of the Cross,” which is a counterfeit different from the gospel of the water and the Spirit, is widely spread.

         Jesus said, “If a person is to be born again, he must be born again of water and the Spirit,” but people believe only in Jesus who was crucified as their Savior — which is a counterfeit and not the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The Bible leads us to the truth of the gospel of the water and the Spirit by which Jesus received baptism from John, took upon Himself the sins of the world, was crucified, died, and rose again, thereby granting us the remission of sins.
The one who realizes this truth — that the Lord has now saved us from the sins of the world through the gospel of the water and the Spirit — is the one who holds firmly to the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit testified by the Bible.
Therefore, we must be born again by faith in the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit that the Lord has permitted to all of us, and we must become those who are saved from their sins.

         Many people today have lived their lives of faith based on the belief of the Nicene Creed.
As a result, those who believe only in the Cross of Jesus as salvation and try to wash away their sins by themselves through prayers of repentance whenever they sin have become people who, not knowing the righteousness of Jesus, have not reached true faith.
However, this way of faith eventually leads to endless suffering from sin.
Many people, whenever they try to cleanse their sins, end up repeating prayers of repentance, and becoming exhausted and discouraged, they eventually give up their life of faith.
Therefore, the mere confession, “The Lord accomplished our salvation on the cross,” cannot completely resolve the agony of sin in one’s heart, and one ends up wasting one’s life in a religious practice that has no end in sight.
Now we must have the faith that solves our sins by knowing our sins and turning back, and by believing in the fact that Jesus received baptism from John, took upon Himself the sins of the world into His body, and went to the Cross. Such faith is the faith that leads to being born again of water and the Spirit.

         The religious life of struggling every day to be forgiven of one’s sins must have often felt no different from believing in a superstition. Have you not had such a thought yourselves?

Why have most Christian denominations today come to be unaware of the Word of the gospel of water and the Spirit?

         When we look historically at the question, “Why has the gospel of water and the Spirit disappeared from most denominations today?”, we can see that this is not merely a matter of doctrinal debate, but a very important historical process in church history showing how the gospel of Jesus’ baptism and the Cross has been replaced by man-centered theology.

         This process can be examined in five stages from the 1st century AD to the 21st century.
First, the era of the Early Church was a period when the gospel of Jesus’ baptism and the Cross was proclaimed as one.
The apostles clearly testified that Jesus was baptized by John and thereby took upon Himself the sins of the world.
In Matthew 3:15, Jesus said, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” and in John 1:29, it was proclaimed, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Also, in Acts 2:38, Peter cried out, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” testifying to the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit.
The baptism of this period was not a mere ritual, but a testimony of the faith of the transfer and cleansing of sin, and the gospel of water and the Spirit was delivered in a very pure form.

         However, after the apostles left the world, the Church gradually became organized within the Roman Empire, and philosophical interpretation and mysticism began to infiltrate.
By the time of the Church Fathers, theologians such as Origen and Clement of the Alexandrian School, influenced by Greek philosophy—especially Platonism—began to change the actual fact of the transfer in baptism into a symbolic faith.
From this time, doctrinal interpretation took precedence over faith, and the gospel became philosophized. The event of Jesus’ baptism began to be spoken of not as the event in which all the sins of humanity were transferred, but simply as an example of humility.

         The Council of Nicaea held in AD 325 was the decisive point at which the gospel of Jesus’ baptism was officially removed from doctrine.
When Emperor Constantine incorporated Christianity into the Roman Empire’s religion and promoted it as the state religion, the resulting Nicene Creed established the theological definition that “Jesus is true God and true man,” but it did not include the truth that Jesus was baptized by John, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and washed them away.
The process of salvation was changed from a “continuity from baptism to the Cross, and from the Cross to the resurrection” to a “process from incarnation to the Cross, and from the Cross to the resurrection.”
As a result, the gospel of water and the Spirit was replaced by a human logic-centered Trinitarian doctrine, and consequently, the gospel of water and the Spirit disappeared in history, leaving only a Cross-centered faith.

         As the Middle Ages began, the Catholic religious doctrines were institutionalized, and faith centered on the seven sacraments became formalized.
The Roman Catholic Church, based on the Nicene Creed, established the system of the seven sacraments, but baptism was transformed from a ministry of washing away sins into a symbolic sign of remission, and thus the gospel of baptism, in which sin was actually transferred, disappeared from this earth.
After that, as the sacrament of baptism, administered by a Catholic priest, was institutionalized as the path to salvation, the authority of the Church became absolute, overriding the personal faith of the believer.
Therefore, the evangelical truth that “one becomes sinless by believing the word of the Gospel of Water and the Spirit” vanished, and in its place, a formalistic faith took root, asserting that salvation is achieved through the Catholic sacraments of Baptism, Penance, and participation in the Mass.

         After the Reformation, reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin sought to be saved by faith through the doctrine of “justification by faith,” but they did not see the event of Jesus receiving baptism from John as the core of salvation.
Luther interpreted the sacrament of baptism, spoken of in Catholicism, as a sign of faith, and Calvin defined it only as a sign of the covenant.
As a result, the blood of the Cross was emphasized, but the fact that the sins of the world were transferred to Jesus when He was baptized by John was not proclaimed.
From the 19th to the 21st centuries, evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, and charismatic movements arose, emphasizing the experience of the Holy Spirit, but the actual truth of the gospel of water and the Spirit still remained hidden from their eyes.

         Summarizing all these processes, the Early Church had the gospel of baptism and the Cross united as one, but as philosophical interpretation entered during the patristic era, the gospel was symbolized, and at the Council of Nicaea, the gospel of baptism was doctrinally eliminated.
In the Middle Ages, due to the institutionalization of the Church and the establishment of the seven sacraments, formal sacramentalism took hold, and after the Reformation, the restoration of faith was attempted, but the concept of the transfer through baptism still remained absent, continuing to this day.
Therefore, global Christianity, not knowing the truth that Jesus was baptized by John and took upon Himself the sins of the world to wash them away, has ended up emphasizing only the crucified Jesus and has degenerated into a worldly religion.

         In the end, the gospel of water and the Spirit became the lost gospel. However, this gospel must be reclaimed and restored as the gospel of salvation.
Only those who believe that sin was transferred to Jesus through baptism, that the sin was judged on the Cross, and that new life was given through the resurrection can truly enter the Kingdom of God.
Therefore, we have become those who bear the responsibility to reclaim the gospel Word of water and the Spirit of the Early Church by believing that the baptism Jesus received from John to bear the sins of the world washed away the sins of sinners.

         The salvation from sin spoken of in the Old and New Testaments was not achieved only on the cross. It proclaims that because of the ministry of Jesus being baptized by John, our sins could be transferred to the body of Jesus Christ and washed away. 
That is, this Gospel message means that Jesus took the sins of the world upon His body by being baptized by John, and therefore went to the cross to be nailed and resurrected from death, and has now become our Savior.

         The series of events—Jesus taking on the sins of the world by being baptized by John, being nailed to the cross, and resurrecting from death—was one continuous process of salvation. 
All of these events were the Word of the Gospel of Water and the Spirit that was within God’s plan, and the Word of the Gospel of Truth that causes us to be born again. The fact that the sins of the world were transferred to His body when Jesus was baptized by John has now become the blessing of true salvation for us.

         Viewed this way, the Gospel of Water and the Spirit was a much more complete and whole Word of the Gospel than the Nicene Creed’s gospel, which says that salvation is obtained only through the blood of the cross. 
The Lord is the one who has given us the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel of Water and the Spirit. This is clearly and certainly testified through the words of John 3:5 and Matthew 3:13–17.

Then should we not turn away from the faith of the Nicene Creed and return to believe again in the water and the Spirit?

         The “Nicene Creed” was established at the council convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine in AD 325, where the claims of the Arians were refuted and Jesus was set forth as “true God and true man,” thereby establishing the doctrine of the Trinity. 
However, this creed failed to include the truth of the Word that Jesus was baptized by John, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and washed them away.
When the Catholic religion was recognized as the state religion of the Roman Empire, they sought to create the most universal form of religion to avoid conflicts and disputes with other religions.
As a result, “the Cross and resurrection of Jesus” alone were emphasized as if they were the entirety of salvation, and the gospel truth that Jesus was baptized by John and thereby took upon Himself and washed away our sins was not embraced in their hearts, and they became those who excluded it.
In this way, the gospel truth that Jesus was baptized by John and personally bore the sins of the world was completely excluded from the Nicene Creed.
Since the time they created that creed was AD 325, for about 1700 years until now, the gospel truth that Jesus was baptized by John and washed away the sins of the world has remained excluded from the creed.

         They became those who, for 1700 years, excluded the gospel Word of baptism from the Nicene Creed so that those who believed in Jesus would not come to know it.
Whether they did so knowingly or unknowingly, from the standpoint of believing the truth of the Word that Jesus was baptized by John, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and once for all washed them away, this cannot help but be a truly regrettable matter.

         From AD 325 until now, the year 2025, those who have believed in the Nicene Creed have passed through as many as 1,700 years without knowing the truth of the gospel Word that Jesus was baptized by John, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and washed them away.
Until now, those who have wanted to believe in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, which is the righteousness of Jesus, must be seen as having suffered harm for 1,700 years at the hands of those who made the Nicene Creed.
Therefore, even now, we must turn away from the faith of believing in the Nicene Creed and become those who give thanks by receiving the remission of sins through the faith of believing in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit.

         From now on, those who wish to believe in Jesus must recover the faith that Jesus was baptized by John, received the sins of the world, was crucified, died, and rose again, and has become our Savior.
Those who only believe in the cross of Jesus today remain people who still have sin, because they hold only to their religious faith without knowing the Gospel of Truth.
Now we must become those who recover the faith that our Lord Jesus Christ, who was baptized by John, took upon Himself the sins of the world once for all, and was crucified, has become the true Savior of sinners.
Those who desire the remission of sins in their hearts must, from now on, firmly hold the faith that the Lord was baptized by John, received the sins of the world, and was crucified to pay the price of sin and became our Savior.

         Are you living by a faith that has been washed as white as snow by believing that Jesus bore the sins of your hearts through the baptism He received from John? Are you living as a people of God who have no sin in your hearts?
Or, even though you believe in Jesus as your Savior, are you living still bound by sin in your heart?
Are you those who strive to wash away your sins through prayers of repentance?
Have you ever received the remission of sins by believing in the truth that the Lord received baptism from John, took upon Himself the sins of the world that were in your heart, and bore them?

         If that is not the case, then you are still living a religious life as one who believes in the Nicene Creed and have not yet escaped from it.
Perhaps you have never properly heard until now the fact that Jesus has completely removed our sins of the world through the Word of the gospel of water and the Spirit.
If so, then even now, I hope you will turn back, read Pastor Paul C. Jong’s sermon booklet “HAVE YOU TRULY BEEN BORN AGAIN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT? [New Revised Edition]”, and become those who have received the remission of sins.
You are those who have believed in the Nicene Creed, and therefore you are the ones who need the gospel of water and the Spirit.
For those who feel the need for their souls to be saved from sin, it is necessary to learn and believe why the baptism that Jesus received from John was necessary.

         It is clear that the Nicene Creed we have known until now has excluded the fact that Jesus received baptism from John and took upon Himself the sins of the world.
We must know that because we have believed in Jesus without knowing the gospel of water and the Spirit until now, it is true that the sins in our hearts have not been resolved.

         Therefore, we must accept and believe in Jesus Christ, who was baptized by John, received the sins of the world, was crucified, died, and rose again, as our Savior.
Only then can we become those who are born again. Only then can we become those who receive perfect salvation from our sins.
This is not a simple theological debate. Its purpose is to restore the true faith of salvation by believing in the Word of the “gospel of water and the Spirit,” which was omitted from the Nicene Creed.

         The words of the New Testament, Matthew 3:13–17, show the ministry of Jesus receiving baptism from John and thereby taking upon Himself the sins of the world.
The words of the Old Testament, Malachi 4:5, “I will send you Elijah,” refer in the New Testament, Matthew 3:15, to John the Baptist. These are the words spoken by Jesus: “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” (Matthew 11:12–14).
The ministry in which Jesus was baptized by John and received the sins of the world into His body was not a simple baptismal ritual but a ministry to transfer all the sins of humanity onto Jesus.

         Now we must enjoy peace in our hearts by believing in the Word of the gospel of water and the Spirit, in which Jesus was baptized by John, received the sins of the world into His body, and washed away our sins.
In other words, we must remember that by believing in this Word of truth, we must have the faith of new birth.
And before the Word of the gospel of water and the Spirit, which has caused us to be born again, we must live the rest of our lives with gratitude in faith.

         John the Baptist baptized people in the Jordan River, and he was also the one who baptized Jesus. “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” These words spoken by Jesus testify to the fact that Jesus was baptized by John and thereby received the sins of the world. (Matthew 3:15–16)
The “all righteousness” spoken of here was the Word of truth that Jesus was baptized by John, received the sins of the world, and washed them away once for all.

         In the Old Testament, the laying on of hands was the act of transferring the sinner’s sins to the sacrificial offering.
In the same way, Jesus’ baptism by John was the transfer of all the sins of humanity onto Jesus.
The ministry of Jesus’ baptism was the event that showed the truth of fulfilling the Word promised in Leviticus — namely, the prophetic Word that, through the laying on of hands, the sins of the people would be transferred onto the body of Jesus. (Leviticus chapters 1–7)
Because Jesus was baptized by John and received the sins of the world, He went to the Cross, was nailed, died, and rose again from the dead to save those who believe.
This truth was the work of salvation in which Jesus, by being baptized by John, bore and washed away the sins of the world, and Jesus was the One who obeyed the work of actually fulfilling the plan of salvation that God the Father had prepared.

         Immediately after Jesus was baptized, the heavens were opened, the Holy Spirit came upon Him, and the voice of God was heard.
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) These words were the words of God the Father Himself acknowledging that His Son, Jesus Christ, who was baptized by John and bore the sins of the world, was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and who obeyed to fulfill the will of God.

How have you thought about and understood the baptism that Jesus received from John until now?

         Have you perhaps thought that Jesus was baptized by John merely to show humility?
You probably did not know that the Old and New Testament Scriptures say that the baptism Jesus received from John was the work by which He took upon Himself and washed away the sins of the world.
The reason you did not know this fact is because you have remained within the faith of the Nicene Creed for a long time, and as a result, you have not realized how important a truth the baptism of Jesus is.

         Therefore, we must ask ourselves the following questions:
“Have I ever deeply thought about the fact that all my sins were transferred to Jesus when He was baptized by John?”
“Have I ever heard the Word that my sins were passed onto the body of Jesus?”
“Have I truly believed that Jesus was baptized by John, thereby taking upon Himself the sins of the world, and because of that, He went to the Cross?”
“Have I ever believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit?”

         The answers to these questions greatly help us to believe more firmly in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit that Jesus has given us.
Because Jesus was baptized by John and thereby took the sins of the world upon His body, His work of death on the Cross and His resurrection became one complete work of salvation that can never be separated.
This is an unchanging truth forever.

         The baptism that Jesus received from John was not a simple religious ritual, but the work of taking upon His body the sins of humanity once and for all. 
Jesus Christ was baptized by John in order to bear your sins and mine — the sins of the world. And it was to fulfill all the righteousness of God.
Therefore, we must realize and believe that the baptism, the Cross, and the resurrection of Jesus are the Word of truth that accomplishes our salvation from our sins now, and become God’s people who receive the remission of sins through faith.
Jesus being baptized by John and crucified became the gospel Word of truth that makes us born again of water and the Spirit.
The fact that Jesus was baptized by John, was nailed to the Cross, and rose from the dead is the gospel of truth that brings true salvation to us who believe in Jesus.

It seems that the time has come to make a reformation of faith that believes in the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit

         The Reformation took place in the 16th century, and some of them crossed over to the New Continent, America, to unfold their world of faith. However, we come to realize that the dream they cherished was nothing more than a hope.
They made a resolution to live according to the Word of God with the faith that “wherever the Word of God goes, we will go, and when it stops, we will stop.”
However, deep within their hearts, the influence of the Nicene Creed still remained.
In the end, although they outwardly broke away from the forms of Catholicism, the core doctrine of Catholic faith — the “faith of believing only in the blood of the Cross” — still remained at the center of their hearts.

         They lived with the belief that if they only believed in the Nicene Creed, they would be saved. This is because they had already become those who accepted the Nicene Creed created by Catholicism just as it was.
They remained in the faith of believing only in the gospel that Jesus shed His blood on the Cross, just as it is written in the Nicene Creed.
Furthermore, many theologians, including Calvin, Luther, and Zwingli — the representative theologians of Christianity — also ultimately remained within the faith system of the Nicene Creed.
As one example, Catholicism used the sacrament of confession as a means to wash away the sins of its believers.
Similarly, today’s Christianity has established the doctrine of the prayer of repentance, teaching that when a person commits sin, they must wash it away through a prayer of repentance.
People have been taught that they must believe in this way, and they still follow it to this day. But do many people know that the doctrine of the prayer of repentance and the doctrine of confession are essentially the same?

         Not only this, but the Catholic Church has established a doctrine that says original sin is remitted when one receives the sacrament of the Eucharist. Likewise, Christianity has taught that original sin is remitted when one is baptized, and that personal sins are washed away when one offers prayers of repentance.
Therefore, it can be said that today the faith of the Catholic religion and that of the Reformed churches are about 80–90% the same.
In such a state, even if another Reformation were to occur, no change would take place. Therefore, what we need in our hearts is the faith that believes in the Word of truth that Jesus was baptized by John, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and washed them away.

         What we must think about deeply is that now we must become those who believe in the true Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit and return to the embrace of Jesus.
Then what should we do?
We must return to the Lord who, by being baptized by John, took upon Himself and washed away the sins of the world, and who, by shedding His blood on the Cross, completely paid the price of our sins and saved us.

         However, it is doubtful whether today’s Christian leaders will truly lay down their vested interests. It is not an easy thing for today’s Christians and leaders to return to Jesus.
What we must now remember as most important is the fact that each one must return to Jesus by believing in the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
We must believe this truth — that Jesus was baptized by John and thereby took upon Himself and washed away the sins of the world — and from ourselves first, bring about a reformation of faith.

         Christians today must no longer remain in the faith of believing only in the blood of the Cross.
From now on, we must believe in the work by which Jesus was baptized by John, took upon Himself the sins of the world, washed away our sins, and received the judgment for our sins on the Cross.
Now the time has come for these two religions — Christianity and Catholicism — to undergo a reformation of faith. Only then can we become those who are saved from sin.
Also, our souls must receive the remission of sins in order to participate in the glory of God.

         Therefore, we must participate in the reformation of faith by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Jesus was baptized by John and thereby took upon His body and washed away the sins of the world, and by being nailed to the Cross and shedding His blood, He has become our Savior now.
We must hold on to this faith and become those who carry out the reformation of faith.

         In this era, God is pouring out faith and power upon us who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, so that we may raise a movement of reformation of faith.
Jesus Christ is raising you and me as reformers of faith in this last age.
God will work together with those who have been born again until the day His will is fulfilled throughout the whole world.

         Today, the whole world is experiencing many difficulties both spiritually and physically.
Living in such a time, we must all the more live the rest of our lives as those who bring about the reformation of faith by believing in the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and meet the Lord.

         Recently, many pastors and believers from various countries have reported that they have believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, received the remission of sins in their hearts, and been transformed, and we cannot help but give thanks and glory to God.
We give even greater thanks to God for the fact that countless people all over the world are longing for this Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Also, these days many people are downloading our sermon books as e-books, audiobooks, and combined editions.
We have become reformers of faith in this era, preaching the gospel of the water and the Spirit that pleases the Lord.

         If you believe the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit in your heart, you will come to taste that eternal remission of sins is accomplished in your heart.
We can receive the remission of sins by believing that Jesus was baptized by John and thereby took upon Himself the sins of the world, and by being nailed to the Cross and shedding His blood, became our atoning sacrifice.

         God wants us to live by making the faith by which we have received the remission of sins — that is, the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit — the nourishment for our spirits.
The faith that pleases God is the faith of those who, at this very moment, have received the remission of sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Within the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit is contained the faith that Jesus, through the baptism He received from John and the sacrificial blood He shed on the Cross, has removed our sins.
We must become those who have received the remission of sins by believing in the true Word of salvation — this gospel — which pleases God.

         On the other hand, those who still have sin in their hearts but think they will become sanctified in the future must know that God is not pleased with them.
Therefore, we must believe the gospel of the water and the Spirit in our hearts, inscribe God’s righteousness in our souls, and have the faith that pleases God.

         Now all of us must examine ourselves to see whether we are living with the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that pleases God.
We must not remain as people who simply believe zealously in religious doctrines like the Nicene Creed. We must live as those who have been saved by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that God has given us.
We must deeply reflect once more on whether we truly believe in our hearts that Jesus was baptized by John, thereby taking upon Himself the sins of the world, and that the work He accomplished by shedding His blood on the Cross is the truth of salvation.

         God looks not at the outward appearance of a person but at the center of the heart. 
Therefore, we must have a faith that does not merely believe in the Nicene Creed, but a faith that knows and believes in the Lord who, by being baptized by John, took the sins of the world upon His body and by shedding His blood on the Cross removed our sins once and for all.

         We must give thanks to God, who is full of love and goodness, with a faith that believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
We must also praise God by faith for the work of the Lord, who became the propitiation for us, and who, by being baptized by John, took upon Himself and washed away the sins of the world.
In the future, people will try to have the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, even at the cost of their lives in the last days.
Therefore, we must now live each day by faith for the sake of the reformation of faith. We pray that God will protect us and accomplish His will. Hallelujah!

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