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Subject 14 : The First Epistle of JOHN

[Chapter 5-6] If a Brother Commits a Sin Not Leading to Death, Ask God to Keep Him in Life (1 John 5:16-19)

If a Brother Commits a Sin Not Leading to Death, Ask God to Keep Him in Life(1 John 5:16-19)
“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”
 
 

What Is the Sin Leading to Death and What Is the Truth of the Remission of Sin?

 
The Apostle John was talking about the problems God’s Church was facing during his days. He said in 1 John 5:16, “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death.” The Apostle John tells us to pray to God to give life to those who have committed sins not leading to death, when we see them committing those sins. If so, we should be obedient to this commandment.
The reason the Apostle John was telling us these words was because there were those who committed sins that lead to death, and because we also have to know the gravity of the sins, which lead to death. Therefore, this passage is an exceedingly grave warning to you and me. The Lord also said, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:31-32). Similarly, the Apostle John warned us not to commit such sins that lead us to death, for there are such sins.
Among the sins that lead people to death is the sin of disbelieving in our Lord as the Savior God. Also, they include the sin of disbelieving in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Sins are still intact in the hearts of those who disbelieve in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit. 
The gospel of the water and the Spirit states that Jesus came to this world in the flesh of man and took all the sins of humanity at once by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist. Not believing in this is the sin that denies Jesus Christ as the true Savior, who came by the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Such disbelief is one of the sins leading the sinner to death, which cannot be forgiven.
Then, why is disbelief in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit a sin leading to death? Jesus has completely blotted out all the sins of this world once for all by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist and by the bloodshed on the Cross. And He has cleansed all the sins of those who believe in Jesus as their Savior. Those who do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit in their hearts commit a sin that leads to death, because the baptism Jesus received and the bloodshed on the Cross were activities of God’s love on this world as well as the truthful fulfillment of God’s will. Because the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit is the eternal righteousness of God which our Lord has accomplished on this world, those who do not believe in this Truth commit a sin leading to death.
The only Truth that brings salvation to all sinners is the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Hence, those who disbelieve this gospel Truth despite of knowing it are not granted the remission of sin for eternity, but only deserve to receive the eternal condemnation because they surely have committed the sin that leads to death. Therefore, it is imperative for them to turn around and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is the absolute Truth of salvation. Otherwise, there is no other way to escape from the sin that leads to death. For anyone of us, there is no other way to blot out our sins except for the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Ordinary people believe that believing in Jesus somehow is sufficient to blot out one’s sins and to enter Heaven. However, that is a misguided knowledge. Because most Christians have believed so and delivered such a misguided knowledge to the other souls, there are many superstitious Christians these days. If people do not know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, and therefore witness with only half the truth, they may be able to convince others to confess Jesus as their Savior out of their sheer will. But they will fail to convey the Truth, which leads people to the bosom of Jesus Christ. 
Thus, everyone has to learn and know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit and, furthermore, believe in it to attain the remission of one’s sins. We have to know the gospel of the water and the Spirit and witness Jesus to the people by our faith in this Truth. Then, the people who hear this true gospel will realize the true salvation in their hearts and receive the God-given salvation. Every Christian has to change his mindset, even if only from now on. In order to do so, they have to learn, know, and believe more concretely about the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. That is because only when we first believe in this gospel Truth can we share the Truth with other people.
We are preaching the true gospel to the entire world. Although this may seem plain enough, what we have to know is that we are ambassadors of God, performing the important task of spreading the Heaven-bound Truth to the people. In order to carry out this task, we have to first know the Truth of the remission of sin as revealed in the Old and New Testaments through the perspective of the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The Lord has told us, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). We need the very sophisticated knowledge of the heavenly Truth, if we are to preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit with other people.
The Apostle Paul said that he considered all knowledge of this world to be dung and rubbish. He also said that the knowledge of Jesus Christ is the most excellent (Philippians 3:8). Here, the knowledge of Jesus Christ means to know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. The Lord implied this very same notion, when He said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). I can tell you now that the possessors of the knowledge of the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit have the Heaven-bound Truth of salvation, which is superior to any philosophy in this world.
 
 
You and I Should Surely Never Commit a Sin That Leads to Death
 
When we see someone commit a sin that leads to death, we should deliver him from all his sins by sharing the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Such a sinner will be able to escape from the sin that leads to death by believing in Jesus as his Savior, who delivered him from the sins of the world through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Until now, many people, when they said that they believe in Jesus as their Savior, meant that they believed that the Son of God had delivered them from all their sins by vicariously receiving the judgments for their sins on the Cross, where He was crucified shedding His blood. However, that kind of faith is a mere unrequited love towards Jesus. That kind of faith is essentially different from the faith in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, which God has given to us. 
We can reach salvation only if we possess the right answers to the following various questions. Who is Jesus? Are we fundamentally sinners? Is Jesus the Son of God? Is Jesus a mere creature? Or is He truly God? Did Jesus wash away our sins just by His crucifixion? Or did He wash away our sins by taking them onto Himself through the baptism from John the Baptist? We have to get the answers to these questions from the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.
No matter how long you have believed in Jesus as your Savior, and no matter how virtuous you have been, if you did not know and believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, you would know better that you have not received the full deliverance from your sins yet. Whoever that desires to receive the salvation from one’s sins must believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. There is no other way to one’s salvation.
Thus, what we have to know is that Jesus, in order to save us from all our sins and inequities, Himself came to this world and took all of our worldly sins onto Himself once for all by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist. Moreover, Jesus bore the sins of the world onto the Cross, where He shed His blood and died. By resurrecting from the dead, Jesus became the true Savior to those who believe in this gospel of salvation. We have to believe in this whole Truth to receive the salvation from all our sins. 
Because Jesus is fundamentally God of Truth, the fact that Jesus came to this world, received the baptism from John the Baptist, shed His blood on the Cross, and resurrected from the dead becomes the real Truth of salvation. The gospel of the water and the Spirit has the power to deliver all who believe in this gospel from all trespasses and sins. This gospel of the water and the Spirit, which possesses enormous power and authority, is the true gospel.
The Bible says, “Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). However, even if Moses were to have received the baptism, have died on the Cross crucified, and have resurrected from the dead to blot out all the sins of the world, he could never have become our savior. That is because Moses is merely a creature. Because Moses, like us, is a weak creature helpless but to sin before God, he has no authority to wash away our sins. 
Yet, Jesus is different. Jesus being fundamentally God had the authority to become our true Savior to those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And He actually fulfilled all righteousness of God by taking all sins of the world onto Himself through the baptism He received from John the Baptist, by bearing all our sins onto the Cross where He shed His blood, and by resurrecting from the dead on the third day so that humanity may be delivered from all their sins. 
Now, you and I can be delivered from all our sins by believing in the powerful gospel of the water and the Spirit, for Jesus is our Lord and Savior, the Son of God, and God Himself. Hence, knowing the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit itself becomes a very important evidence of our salvation.
The Apostle John said in 1 John 5:16, “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.” Those who commit sins leading to death are unable to be delivered from their sins because they voluntarily disbelieve and reject the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. What is tantalizing is that we are unable to share the gospel of the water and the Spirit with them in order to deliver them from their sins because they willingly have committed the sins leading to death. 
Dear fellow believers, you should never belong to such kind of a people. You have to wholeheartedly believe the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. The incarnate God Jesus has taken all our sins by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist and vicariously suffered the judgment for our sins by shedding His blood on the Cross. We have to become believers of this gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit instead of becoming disbelievers. To have eternal life or not is absolutely up to you.
We should not commit sins leading to death before God. How in the name of God dare we? However, so many Christians are still committing sins against God, which leads to death. Even though Jesus had taken all the sins of the world onto Himself by becoming the Lamb of God through receiving the baptism from John the Baptist, there are still so many people who do not acknowledge this amazing Truth in their hearts.
The Lord is our true Savior who has received the baptism from John the Baptist, died on the Cross, and resurrected from the dead in order to fulfill all of God’s righteousness. If you have not been aware of this Truth until now, it is not too late for you yet. God still grants you an opportunity to receive the remission of sin through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Although you may have first believed in Jesus as your Savior without knowing the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, you have to receive the remission of sin in your hearts by believing in this true gospel and begin living authentic spiritual lives from now on. Whoever believes in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit can be washed completely of all of one’s sins.
 
 
We Have to Examine Our Own Faith
 
Dear fellow believers, examine your own faith thoroughly. Do you know and believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit in your hearts? Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior who delivered us from all the sins of the world. Hence, He is our Master.
Dear fellow believers, do you at this moment believe in your hearts in the Savior, who came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit? Do you believe that Jesus took all the sins of humanity once for all by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist? And do you also believe that Jesus was crucified to death on the Cross? Do you believe in His resurrection? If so, you are the born-again who have been delivered from all your sins by believing in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit before God. 
What we have to know is that everyone has the right to believe in the Lord-given gospel of the water and the Spirit, no matter how much sin one has committed out of one’s shortcomings. People desire to receive the salvation from their sins. Still, what they have to know is that anyone who does not believe in one’s heart that the Lord has come by the gospel of the water and the Spirit will be led to one’s death.
All that you have to do is to believe in your heart. Paul said, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). I hope that you believe in your hearts that Jesus is the Savior to all of humanity, the Son of God, and the Creator God of everything in the universe. Our faith is in vain if we believe only in the blood of the Cross as our salvation without also believing in our hearts the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Therefore, you and I should become believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit at all cost.
The Apostle John tells us whether we are delivered from our sins or not depends on whether we believe in Jesus Christ, who came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We commit sins continuously as we live in this world, but we have come across the Truth of salvation that enables us to be delivered from all our sins, only if we confess Jesus as our Savior and believe in our hearts the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The Apostle John said, “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). Do you know why he said those words? Dear fellow believers, what is the gospel of the water and the blood? It is God’s salvation that was completed by our Lord Jesus who took all our sins by receiving the baptism and bore all the judgments vicariously for our sins by shedding the blood on the Cross. We can overcome the world and Satan if we believe in our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God, who has delivered us from all our sins by the water and the blood.
Many people treat this passage of 1 John 5:16 as one of the most difficult passages to interpret and do not try to comprehend it, because they profess their faith in Jesus without knowing the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Put differently, they can neither know nor comprehend the Word of God correctly because of their ignorance on the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Therefore, everyone has to come to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who came by the water and the blood (1 John 5:6). We have to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, prevailing over our inability to recognize this true gospel as the source of salvation from our sins and over our stubbornness to insist on the blood of Cross as the lone source of our salvation.
Those who do not know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit are of the world. These people are just worldly religionists, and are not true Christians. These people are those who feel comforted by the illusion of the banishment of sins, just as the devotees of the worldly religions feel in their self-hypnotic doctrines. They believe somehow in Jesus as their Savior on their own accord, without knowing the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is the true Truth of salvation. 
The spiritual conditions of this end times are on the verge of destruction, more and more filled with sinfulness to an alarming degree. But most Christians, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron of false teachings (1 Timothy 4:2), feel comforted by such teachings. They do not seek the true gospel that can cleanse all their sins at once, even though they have sins intact in their hearts. Therefore, they must turn around and become believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that says Jesus is the Savior, who saved us from all our worldly sins by the water and the blood. 
Dear fellow believers, Judas had followed Jesus for over 3 years, but Judas failed to become God’s own people because he did not believe in Jesus Christ as his Savior. Some of the other disciples may have had nicknames like sons of thunders because they were lacking and impatient, but they all, except Judas, were delivered from all their sins by knowing and believing in Jesus as their personal Savior. Judas later regretted his deeds and committed a suicide by hanging himself. We should not become people who are damned as such by disbelieving in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit. From now on, many people will become God’s own people by being delivered from all their sins through their faith in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit.
 
 

To Know That Jesus Is Our God, We Have to Believe in the Divinity of Jesus

 
We can recognize the divinity of Jesus through many events. When Jesus’ disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee on a boat, suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so the boat was covered with the waves. But Jesus was asleep. The disciples could not help but wake Him and scream, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the disciples marveled at this, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matthew 8:23-27)
Another similar case was like this: After feeding the five thousand with the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, and He Himself alone went up on the mountain by Himself to pray until midnight. But the boat was now in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. At that moment, Jesus walked towards them on the sea. Jesus appeared like a ghost, since He was walking on water through the rolling waves. The disciples were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I. Do not be afraid.” Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased (Mark 6:45-51). 
Here goes another incident. Jesus came to the tomb, where Lazarus was rotting in stench after his death. When Jesus ordered, “Come forth, Lazarus,” Lazarus came out of the tomb with the clothes wrapped around him. As such, Jesus had raised three dead persons back to life (John 11:43-44, Luke 7:11-15, Luke 8:54-55).
Yet another event happened after His resurrection. When Jesus visited His disciples, who were fishing. Jesus said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat” (John 21:6). The disciples cast the net on the right side of the boat according to Jesus’ instruction. And the net was full of fish.
As these events took place while the disciples were traveling alongside Jesus, they witnessed with their own eyes that Jesus is God. As long as we are no fool, we should know that Jesus is God, the Creator of the entire universe, after hearing the witnesses of the disciples. And we also know that Jesus is our Savior.
Our faith in Jesus as our Savior is flawed if we believe only in the blood of the Cross. Jesus is our Savior, who delivered us from all our sins by coming to this world through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. These days, there are so many people who waste their lives sobbing and wailing in vain because they did not know Jesus Christ as God, who came by the water and the Holy Spirit.
I have heard that the only son of a famous Korean actress died in a car accident. He was run over by a sliding truck, which was parked on a sloppy hill. Her only son was the joy of her life, because this actress led an unfortunate life without a husband. After her son died in the car accident, she choked in sobs. 
Such are our lives. We have no idea over who will die when. Hence, we should believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit now and receive the salvation from all our sins. We have received great blessings from God, both in spirit and flesh. In order to share these blessings with others, we have to witness the Jesus-given gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Many people are suffering in the pain of condemnation and vanishing from the face of the earth because they did not believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, who came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Because of that, we are working on Christian literature ministries in order to spread the life-giving gospel. Because there are many people in this world who do not know nor comprehend the Word of God correctly, we have to clarify the Word of the water and the Spirit in its delicate details.
Dear fellow believers, there is a Truth that we have to believe while we are on this earth. We have to believe that Jesus is God. Also, we have to know and believe the Truth of salvation from the sins of this world, that is, the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And we also have to follow the gospel of the water and the Spirit by faith in every step of our lives. We have to confess, “He who gave us everything and will take us to Heaven is God.” We have to believe as such, as we live our lives.
I did not want to preach God’s Word in front of people shortly after I had encountered the gospel of the water and the Spirit, because I had suffered great troubles in preparing every sermon. But now, regardless of what others may say, I am preaching the gospel of the water and the Spirit. God had empowered me to do so. I give thanks to God for spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit to all people through us, who believe in this gospel Truth. God has made you and I believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit and, then, made us spread this gospel Truth to all people of the world. 
Dear fellow Christians, do you believe in and are you spreading the real Truth of salvation, that is, the gospel of the water and the Spirit? I am sure you are. Thus, we not only approach before God with our faith in His righteousness but also live in His abundant blessings. Although we have done more wrongs than right in front of God, God has nonetheless blessed us through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Dear fellow believers. Do you want to belong to God? Or to the Devil? Of course, you would want to belong to God. There may still be a few who say, “I hate God.” But we must know that the Devil possesses the hearts of those who do not believe in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, and uses them as tools for trickery. Hence, we all have to become believers in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, which is the only way to belong to God.
Dear fellow Christians, to whose words do you have to pay attention? We all have to yield our ears to the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Those who neither pay attention to nor believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit still belong to the evil one. Thus, sin remains in their hearts.
Everyone is doomed and condemned because of one’s sins and still have no choice but to continue living in sin. If there still are sins in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus as their Savior, it is the proof that they have not yet accepted the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, which is the Truth of salvation, in their hearts. There can be no sin at all in the hearts of those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Therefore, those who have sins in their hearts must turn around in repentance and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Only then can they receive the salvation from their sins. 
Once we have believed in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, we have to share the faith in that gospel of salvation to all people. If we say we believe in God and yet try to share something else other than God’s Word, we will be deceived by the Devil eventually. God has given us the Word of salvation alongside the gospel of the water and the Spirit so that we may not fall prey to the deception of Satan the Devil.
Now, we are spreading the faith in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit to all people around the world. The gospel of the water and the Spirit is not some doctrine we have invented but the gospel Truth of salvation that is recorded in the Bible. Therefore, we must witness to the righteous act (Romans 5:18) of our Savior who came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is more than enough to deliver us from all our sins. Since this task is more important than we can ever imagine, we have to carry it out faithfully with our faith in the Word of Truth. 
There was a touching story about a Chinese young lady who was faithful to her lover. When a war broke out between Japan and China during the World War II, China was on the brink of utter defeat. Some vast territories had already fallen into Japanese’s hand. At that time, a certain Chinese air force pilot flew over the enemy territory in battles. When the fuels were depleted, the plane crashed thereabout. A young lady of that nearby town found the pilot and saved his life with much care. The pilot and the young lady became to love each other. But the pilot again had to go out to the war. The situation had worsened, and the possibility of not being able to return was quite real. However, he promised the young lady that he would return alive and asked her to wait for him. The young lady waited for him to return, visiting the runway where his plane would land day and night. 
While she was still waiting, a plane crashed on the runway. And the town’s folks, who realized that the war had worsened beyond their imagination, told the young lady that he would not return and to give up her hopes. And the people gave up hopes of cleaning the runway and went away. Even his mother was among the crowd that lost all hopes and went away. Still, the young lady remained alone on the runway, where she cleaned debris from the crash. The young lady alone cleaned the runway for days for fear that her lover would not be able to land and instead fly away. And a miracle took place. When the young lady cleaned the last piece of debris, the plane her lover was flying landed safely on the runway. 
Likewise, we have to carry out in our faith the works that brings joy to our Lord, who loves us. The Lord loved us through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Because God loved you and I, He delivered us from all our sins by giving us the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Jesus Christ has promised us that He would return to this world. Therefore, we have to be faithful to the task of spreading this true gospel till that day comes. Instead of living our lives based on our emotions, we should serve the God-given gospel of the water and the Spirit with our faith in it. Until the day we meet with our Lord, we have to spread the gospel in order to bring joy to the Lord, who loves us.
The gospel of the water and the Spirit, which God has given to you and I, is the real Truth of salvation. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who has delivered us from all the sins of the world. Jesus Christ is also our Lord and Savior. Our Lord, who came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, has granted us, who believe, the salvation from all our sins all at once. Now, we have so many things to do in this world.
We live in Korea, which has accomplished its advancement to the semi-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. From this point on, many people will remember our country and especially The New Life Mission as we spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And they will become our coworkers who are spreading this true gospel. We, who believe in gospel of the water and the Spirit, are all Jesus Christ’s own people and His disciples. God, who loves you and me, will empower us to carry out the works of spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit and fill our needs in body and spirit abundantly. Actually, our God is already giving us the power and blessings to spread the gospel of salvation. We have to ceaselessly spread the gospel before God and serve the gospel.
Why are many people these days unaware of the gospel of the water and the Spirit? Did God hide the gospel with a purpose? Did God hide the Truth in order for people not to find it easily as one does in a treasure hunt? Yes, God hid the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit in the Word so that people cannot easily encounter this true gospel unless they become poor in spirit. That’s why the servants of Satan the Devil cannot find it no matter how hard they try to do so. The gospel of the water and the Spirit is a hidden Word of secret. If the enemies of God could realize the precious gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit easily, they might have used it for evil purpose. Thus, God has hid the gospel Truth from the eyes of the enemies and revealed it now in front of you. God in these end times has revealed the secrets of the gospel of the water and the Spirit to you and me. By doing so, God has made it possible for the gospel of the water and the Spirit to spread in these end times covering the whole wide world. God has given the eternal life to everyone who believes. 
In these end times, God wants to embrace all who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and to give them new life and eternal life. The Lord had allowed us to do much work of God this year. God had empowered us to carry out all we have done. Now, although you and I are exhausted in body and spirit, I am sure that God would help us to do His works ceaselessly. What we ask of God is the power and blessings to continue to do His works.
We believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, who came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Jesus Christ is Savior to those who believe in this true gospel. And He is the Son of God, and the true God. And I give thanks to God for having us realize and believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.
 
 
God Has Given His Church to Those Who Believe in the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit
 
God’s Church is where believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit come together to worship God in their faith. Therefore, it must be filled with believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit cannot convict the hearts of the righteous strongly, if nonbelievers of the gospel of the water and the Spirit are present in His Church. Then, what needs to be done? A separate fellowship and Bible study on salvation has to be administered for those unaware of the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
We are sure that believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit will increase throughout the world. By their faith, they will be delivered from all their sins. From now on, such true believers must be united with God’s Church and live to accomplish good, since they are now in Christ. 
However, an absolute majority of world population has not yet received the salvation from their sins. They must receive the true remission of sin by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is the Truth of salvation. They must be taught the teachings of Truth, and believe it with all of their hearts. Now, there are not many remaining opportunities for us to share the gospel of the water and the Spirit in this world. If they do not believe now, I am not so sure when the opportunity for them to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit will avail itself again. For that reason, we are devoting ourselves to the spreading of that gospel right now. 
God has called us to spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit throughout the world. All we need to do is to devote ourselves to this Great Commission by our faith. Surely, I have worked with my coworkers in many different parts this year. I am sure we have made great progress in spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit all over the world. I give thanks to God, for we can witness this Truth to all believers in Christianity around the whole wide world. 
The true gospel we are preaching is the fragrance of Christ to those who are being saved and to those who are perishing. To the one it is the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). To some, the gospel of the water and the Spirit will be a stumbling block. For others, it will be the true Truth of salvation. The former people must know that they are committing sin leading to death. 
We also must know and believe that all of us are loved by God for spreading the gospel to the entire world through our Christian literature ministries, which contain the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We are witnessing the true gospel of the water and the Spirit with our concrete faith in it. 
We have no sin even in our consciousness. Is your conscience also sinless? Is your conscience washed of all your sins completely when you believe only in Jesus’ blood of the Cross? If you believe only in the bloodshed of the Cross, while skipping the faith in the baptism Jesus received entirely, the sins in your conscience cannot be blotted out. That is because no sin can be blotted from our hearts unless we believe the gospel Truth that Jesus came to this world in the flesh of man, receiving the baptism from John the Baptism in order to take all the sins of humanity onto Himself. 
What you and I have to know is that the sins of the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit are washed away completely because Jesus received the baptism from John the Baptist, which transferred all the sins of this world onto Jesus once for all. How could you wash away your sins engraved in your conscience, if you do not acknowledge that Jesus took all the sins of the world onto Himself by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist? The blood Jesus shed on the Cross may give you the sense of being delivered from the judgments of all your sins. But such faith is not enough to blot out the sins carved in your conscience. These days, people are trying to expunge the sins in their hearts with faith in Jesus’ bloodshed of the Cross alone. Yet, the reason for their failures lies with their exclusion of the faith in the baptism Jesus received.
Some people, although the sins of their hearts are still intact, stubbornly say, “God surely regards me as sinless even though I have sin in my heart, since I believe in Jesus’ bloodshed.” This kind of people deceives their own conscience before God, trying to hide themselves among the numerous who do the same. And they mock the Truth of God. 
Those among Christians who believe only in Jesus’ bloodshed on the Cross and say they are sinless are all liars. All the sins they have committed are engraved on the tablets of their hearts (Jeremiah 17:1). Those who say that they are sinless despite of believing only in the blood of the Cross deceive their own conscience in their soliloquies. Since there are sins in their conscience, they cannot say in front of God that they are sinless. Rather, their conscience profess that they are sinners.
When we say that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the only Truth, many people in this world feel absurd. These people have believed that Jesus’ bloodshed on the Cross alone is the evidence of salvation. If you request them to present their evidence for their remission of sin, all they can offer is their faith in the blood of the Cross. However, as Jesus is God, the gospel of the water and the Spirit is surely the Truth, which expunged your sins as well as mine. This is why I reiterate again and again that the Lord has not come to us by the blood of the Cross alone but by the water and the blood (1 John 5:6-8). You must remember that whoever disbelieves the gospel of the water and the Spirit cannot receive the full remission of sin.
We have to believe over and over again that Jesus delivered us from all the sins of this world by coming to this world and receiving the baptism from John the Baptist, dying on the Cross, and resurrecting from the dead. We have to accept with our faith that our Lord Jesus came to this world and cleansed us from all our sins by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist. If we do not believe so but instead believe only in the blood of the Cross, such faith would be nothing more than our own stubbornness.
No matter what concrete conviction of salvation you have upon your spiritual experiences, Jesus cannot acknowledge your faith that believes only in the blood of the Cross. That is because your experiences cannot be superior to the Lord-given gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. If the man-made Christian doctrines or teachings were stronger than the gospel Truth, which expunged our sins by the water and the blood, your spiritual experiences might mean something. But you cannot blot out your sins by the blood of the Cross alone. Such man-made doctrines and teachings can never deliver people from all their sins. Many Christians will perish because they are still trying to expunge their sins through such man-made doctrines.
Sticking to one’s own thoughts without believing in the Lord-given gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit is an assault against God. Everyone who does not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit is against this gospel. 
Some people may say, “What are you talking about? I have a Ph.D. in theology. My family has produced pastors for five straight generations. Are you saying that the faith of my ancestors is wrong?” But five generations of believing in Jesus is of no avail, unless we know and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit because we cannot receive the full remission of sin any otherwise. Every sinner has to receive the salvation from all of one’s sins by turning around from one’s own evil way and by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. If we desire to receive salvation from all of our sins, we need to know and believe the true gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Now, dear fellow Christians, you have to receive salvation from your sins by knowing and believing in the baptism Jesus received from John the Baptist in conjunction with your faith in the bloodshed on the Cross. This is the Truth I eagerly want to tell you about.
The Apostle John has said, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1). Everyone who believes in this Scripture passage knows and believes that Jesus is God. And they also believe that Jesus came to this world by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Although we knew Jesus Christ as our Savior, it is through our faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we will come to enjoy the everlasting life in His Kingdom. We will be able to live happily forever with Jesus Christ. God has given us the eternal life and His promise to be with us in this world. I hope you all would take the eternal life with your faith in the true gospel.
We should all examine ourselves whether there is even one among us who has not entered the gospel of the water and the Spirit out of lack of faith. Our lives cannot be joyful, if we live without the faith in the God-given gospel of the water and the Spirit. The lives of the righteous in this world, full of compassion for the sinners while spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit, will be for a short while. The Book of Hebrews says, “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37). Also, it says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). 
God has said that if anyone is with sin, that person would be judged accordingly. Hence, those who do not believe in Jesus as God and do not believe in the God-given gospel of the water and the Spirit will receive judgments accordingly to all of their sins. On the other hand, those who believe in Jesus as God and in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and wholeheartedly spread the gospel will eventually enjoy authority and glory of Heaven.
Do we have anything to brag in front of God? Absolutely nothing. God alone is Almighty. Only God alone is omnipotent. Only God alone is good. Only God alone is real love. Therefore, we should not brag before God but instead admit all of our weaknesses and sins, and receive the blessing of becoming God’s own children by believing in the Truth of our salvation, that is, the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Now, we are waiting in our faith in the Word of God for the day we will live enjoying the eternally blessed life God has granted us. When the new world descends on us, it would be possible for us to live as such. There may be some of you who ask, “Is it really possible to live that way?” because of lack of faith in the Word of God’s blessings. Such a new world will be realized actually because of Jesus Christ. 
My dear fellow believers, believe in God’s Word. Now, I am sure that you would not fall in such sins leading to death. I really want to share the Truth of salvation with you. Because our brothers and sisters among us are so lovely, nothing can prevent us from living in unity. And in our faith, we give thanks before Jesus Christ, who has given us new life through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
 
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Paul C. Jong’s Spiritual Growth Series 4 - The First Epistle of John (II)