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Subject 14 : The First Epistle of JOHN
[Chapter 5-1] What Is the Truth That Frees Us from All Our Sins? (1 John 5:1-4)
“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
Let’s Reflect on Noah
The words in Genesis 6:1-8 are as follows: “Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’ There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”
This Scripture passage explains why God had to judge the people at the time Noah was living. God had to judge the people of that time because the sons of God had united with the daughters of men, after having seen their beauty. God gives a plain and easy explanation for the judgment of people, which even a 1st grade elementary student could understand without any trouble.
Here is a humorous story. These days, even lower elementary school students are given essay assignments. Before, it wasn’t until one reached upper elementary school that a student was asked to write an essay. Among our Sunday school kids, Ha-min, a first grade student, was also asked to write an essay. The assignment was to write an essay after reading Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little Match Girl.” The child finished this assignment in a hurry, seemingly with relative ease, and ran outside to play with the other children.
Curious, the child’s father took a look at his son’s essay. The child had written, “The little match girl died not having been able to sell a single match stick.” Surely, that child wrote the correct synopsis of the story quite concisely. After hearing this story, I thought of the simplicity of a child’s mind. The child’s simple but concise essay appeared humorous to the adults.
If I mention the time of Noah, we easily recognize it to be the time when God judged the world with water and allowed only Noah’s eight family members to survive. The Bible says that the judgment of the world was brought because the sons of God took the daughters of men as their wives and lived with them.
At that time, the waters were broken up from all the fountains of the great deep, and the windows of heaven were opened with a pouring rain. As a result, the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered (Genesis 7:11, 19). People explain the physics of Noah’s flood with the law of conservation as the following. The amounts of the water during the time of the flood and now are exactly the same, but the water that is frozen both at the South and the North Poles makes the dry land possible.
Unlike this complicated explanation, God’s truth is plain and simple as the child’s essay that read, “The little match girl died not having been able to sell a single match stick.” God had no other option but to judge this world because the sons of God had taken and lived with the daughters of men, after seeing their beauty.
During the time of Noah, the Lord God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). Their plans were wicked as well as their deeds. Although people are inherently wicked and evil, their wickedness was so prevalent at that time that there was no one seeking for God, far less believing in God. Having seen all of this, God decided wipe out all of humanity from the face of the earth. God had thus planned judgment and executed it. Yet, the Bible reports that Noah found grace in the eyes of God (Genesis 6:8).
The people during the time of Noah were all wicked before God’s eyes. Even the people of God were all wicked, for they did the things He hated. Hence, God had no other choice but to judge the world. Only one person, Noah who was a righteous person of his time, received the grace of God’s salvation. God had granted Noah’s family His grace of salvation and made Noah into the ancestor of humanity of the second world. God is still the same as He was then.
The passage on Noah and today’s Scripture passage are closely related. People at the time of Noah were so wicked that they were intolerable in God’s eyes. Their thoughts, their plans, their hearts, and their deeds were all wicked without exception. As such was the case, God had no other option but to judge all of humanity.
This is not a story limited to the time of Noah. People living today have wicked thoughts, plans, hearts, and deeds full of sins. This generation is no less headed towards God’s judgment than the people of Noah’s time.
At Noah’s time, the corruption of the sons of God brought about the judgment on the world. How would the people of God care today? People today commit the same sins that people of Noah’s time committed. No. Our sins may even be worse but definitely not any less. Yet, today’s passage says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). The Apostle John speaks of a faith that overcomes the world. Today’s Scripture passage teaches to us how we can receive our salvation through the remission of sins and how we can overcome this world.
We frequently hear that the world is becoming increasingly evil, tolerating more and more wickedness in it. We encounter many bizarre stories in the news that make us ponder, where the end of evil lies. Among people who enjoyed swapping their spouses, there were a lot of professionals like doctors, lawyers, and even pastors. These people are educated and of relatively high social status. They were elites with considerably little financial worries. These people, who should have held high moral accountability, were organizing clubs to enjoy swapping their spouses.
The Bible reports that people in Sodom and Gomorrah in the days of Abraham committed similar sins with anyone who passes by their cities, regardless of whether they were men or women. Looking at the current swapping incident or the prevalent transgression of homosexuality written in Romans 1:26-27, we come to see that the sins of this world has not changed much from the past,
These days, middle school students are admiring homosexuals. As it became known that a well-known movie star is a homosexual, many youngsters were infected with the disease of homosexual admiration. As a matter of fact, homosexuality has been present among throughout history. We just hadn’t openly talked about it till now. Nowadays, homosexuality has surfaced into our everyday conscience, capturing our attention, merely because the world has become more tolerant of sins than before. I have heard that some of the States in the U.S. have even come to allow legal marriages between homosexuals. Once, I have read a news article about such a unique wedding between two homosexuals. Yet, the greater problem is that not a few selective people but the majority of people today are being influenced by the sin prevailing society.
I think there may even be a few of our own brothers and sisters around the world, who have come to receive the remission of their sins through our Christian literatures, that practices this very sinful living. Some people are just gays or lesbians. Are they able to change their own habits? Of course, if a person devotes himself to the works of God by uniting with God’s Church after receiving the remission of sins through the faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, then the Holy Spirit controls his heart and as a result, he can overcome all such sins as homosexuality. Essentially, the only way to overcome such sins is to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and to participate in the ministry of God.
In a word, because everyone is born with sin, no one can change one’s sinful habits. Regardless of which sin it is, once a person falls into the habit of a particular sin, it is difficult to escape that sin. Furthermore, the mutation of one’s hormone at one’s birth is not something one has control over. However, the Bible states that there is only one way to overcome such sins.
What Kind of Faith Enables Us to Overcome Our Own Sins?
Today’s Scripture passage says, “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).
Then, what kind of faith did the Apostle John possess that he said he could overcome the world? The Apostle John is saying that he can escape his own weaknesses and Satan’s traps through his faith in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.
Today’s Scripture passage tells us about the faith that overcomes the sins of this world. Everyone habitually commits sins. There may be among us homosexuals; gays or lesbians. In another word, there may be among us those, who commit sins of homosexuality due to their abnormal hormone secretions. Homosexuality is affected by hormonal changes. Through hormonal changes, some of our brothers may sexually desire other men rather than women, and likewise some of our sisters may desire other women rather than men.
How can one overcome even such sins, which one commits out of one’s organic disorder? We can definitely overcome our sins by receiving the remission of our sins through our faith in Jesus Christ, who came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. What we know is that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is powerful enough to overcome the world.
The initial question was, “How can we overcome the strong tides of the many sins of the world?” I know that we die suffocating in sins, unable to overcome all those sins, unless we have strong faith in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Our human flesh cannot by mere will alone overcome the tidal waves of sins. Unless one dies to one’s desires of flesh, one cannot overcome the sins of the world.
Humans are sinners that commit sins of lusts. To overcome all these sins, a person has to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and free oneself of one’s desires of the flesh. In our faith in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, we are able to free ourselves of our desires of flesh. Once, we are free from our desires of the flesh, we can finally begin living righteous lives.
Some religions, like Buddhism, teach that the emancipation from the lusts of the flesh lies in the death of one’s flesh. However, if one dies to one’s flesh without having known the gospel of the water and the Spirit, all has been in vain.
Even if a person sincerely desires to escape one’s sinful heart or habits, one is unable to do so without the knowledge of the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Some religious persons may say that they have successfully escaped their desires of the flesh, but there is not a single person who has accomplished that without either having died in one’s flesh or having realized the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
I have watched on the Buddhist TV network a female Buddhist monk who lectured on Buddhism and shared her realizations about the religion. Although she had read many books on Buddhism and met with various head monks for personal teachings, she admitted that she could only live according to her habits and not according to the teachings, as if she had forgotten them.
Therefore, she desired to be free of herself, and she felt living itself was hell to her, because she could not escape the Buddhist doctrine of transmigration. By the way, she concluded somehow that the only way out from her carnal desire is to pass by this world. Even this female monk has realized that there is no escape from one’s sinful habits except through one’s death.
However, we, the believers in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, are God’s own people who can overcome the world by believing that Jesus received the baptism by John the Baptist and shed His precious blood on the Cross.
This doesn’t mean that we do not commit sins any more. Rather, we continue committing sins. If one continues to sin everyday, how can one overcome the sins of the world? If we do not know well the depth of the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, we can overcome neither the world nor Satan.
Can we escape from the sins of our habits and the flesh on our own? No matter what kind of training we receive, that is an impossible task. One frees oneself of one’s sins only through the faith in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Therefore, we have to know the sin cleansing Truth, which is the gospel of the water and the Spirit, more deeply. We have to reexamine that gospel once again. And again, we have to ruminate and believe in this powerful gospel deeply with our hearts.
In order to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1), we first have to apply the Law onto ourselves so that we may realize what grave sinners we are. Only after we realize that we are such grave sinners in front of God through the application of the Law on ourselves, do we see the urgent need for the faith in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.
If we look at the Bible, it tells us of the Law. There is nothing wrong with the Law. We might think that it would be good to live according to the Law. We might even feel that we would be able to live according to the Law if we only try hard enough. Yet, the reality is that no one can live according to the Law, while we follow our habits of sins.
Just a moment ago, we have heard a testimony by one of our fellow sisters. That sister said, “I used to think that I was a nice person. But after I have heard the gospel of the water and the Spirit, I came to recognize that I was the worst sinner. And therefore, it is most precious for me that I have met my Lord, who has abolished all my sins.” That’s right. Without the gospel Truth the water and the Spirit, people cannot overcome their habitual sins.
Let’s turn to 1 John 5:1. “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.” This one verse implies two meanings.
First, it says everyone, who believes that Jesus is Christ, is born of God. Jesus is fundamentally God, but He came in this world to perform three particular roles. The name Jesus means the Savior. Jesus Christ has become our Savior by completing the gospel of the water and the Spirit through performing His three roles: Roles of the High Priest, the Prophet, and the King.
Jesus is the King of kings. He is the Almighty God and also the heavenly High Priest. Jesus temporarily took the human body and came to this world to receive the baptism from John the Baptist, which transferred the sins of the world onto His body. Then, He died on the Cross and resurrected from the dead through His just righteousness and authority, and He granted us the believers the remission of sins once for all. This is the Truth of being born again through the faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. People, who know this Truth, have overcome all sins.
You Too Must Know and Believe in the Gospel Truth of the Water and the Spirit
1 John 5:20 tells us that Jesus is the Son of God and the true God, who grants us the eternal life. Therefore, those, who are unable to believe in Jesus as God, cannot know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit either. But, unfortunately, there are many Christians who know Jesus as only the Son of God without acknowledging Him as God Himself.
They don’t regard Jesus as the true God who is equal in status to God the Father. Thus, when they hear that Jesus Christ has received the baptism and died on the Cross, people emotionally respond with mild gratitude and fail to appreciate the magnitude of these events. If we know the truth that Jesus is God Himself, we can truly believe in all the righteous acts (Romans 5:18) that He has fulfilled for the remission of our sins.
Because Jesus the true God was the Lamb of God that carried the sins of the world, we can believe in His baptism by John the Baptist and His blood, which was shed on the Cross. The fact that Jesus resurrected from His death is also possible because Jesus the true God took our sins onto Himself.
We have to know and believe that Jesus is fundamentally our Savior God, who wore the human flesh temporarily. Therefore, if we are to believe, we should not lower Jesus Christ in His essence. We have to know accurately about Jesus Christ, who is the true God. Then, we will be able to believe in everything He has done for us. People can believe only as much as they know. Thus, the Apostle John said in 1 John 5:1, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.”
In this verse, the name Christ means “Messiah the Prince” who is anointed with oil (Daniel 9:24-26). Jesus is the King of kings. He is also the Creator God of the entire universe. Yet, Jesus Christ is also the heavenly High Priest, who delivered the entire humanity from the sins of the world.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Lord of this world, which He created. But, in order to deliver us from our sins, Jesus temporarily left the glory of Heaven and came to this world in the flesh of man. He took our sins onto Himself once for all through the baptism by John the Baptist and died on the Cross, shedding His precious blood for us. Jesus has become the absolute Savior to His believers by resurrecting from the dead. As such, Jesus is the Savior to all those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Jesus is also the heavenly High Priest. A High Priest performed offerings according to the sacrificial system to blot out all the sins of his people. However, the sacrifices of the High Priests could never make those who approached perfect (Hebrews 10:1). But, we have been sanctified once for all by believing in the everlasting sacrifice that Jesus Christ, the heavenly High Priest, offered with His own body (Hebrews 10:10).
Hence, Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life to all of us. Jesus Christ has taught us what the real Truth is that leads us to the eternal life. Moreover, Jesus was the real Son of God, the heavenly High Priest, and Savior, who taught us the way to the remission of our sins.
Jesus has descended on this world as God, the Son of God, our savior, the High Priest, the Prophet, and the King of kings. Jesus Christ is the true God, who has delivered us from our sins through the water, the blood, and the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:8). Our Lord has delivered us from the sins of the world once for all through the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.
My fellow Christians, isn’t it sure that the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit can make you born again? We are sure that Jesus’ baptism, His blood on the Cross, and His resurrection from the dead were all done for the purpose of the remission of our sins. Anyone who believes in this Truth receives the experience of being born again along with the remission of one’s sins. We receive the remission of our sins through our faith in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit. We also receive the Holy Spirit as a gift, when God acknowledges our faith. Now, we have become the born-again through our faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Those among us who are born of God believe that Jesus is God and simultaneously the Son of God. God the Father has sent His Son to this world. If we say that we love God the Father, we must also love Jesus Christ who is from God.
There are many verses in 1 John that proclaim Jesus as God. Do you know and believe that Jesus is God? We believe that God is our Savior. I hope you have this kind of faith. This faith believes in Jesus as fundamentally God. Jesus is God the Creator, who created the universe and all things in it. Jesus Christ along with our God the Father and the Holy Spirit has created all of creations. God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all equally God to us. The Triune God has created us, delivered us from all our sins, and granted us the eternal life.
Do you know and believe that Jesus is our God and your Lord? To follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must believe in the unchanging gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit and also in the fact that Jesus is God. Everything else besides this Truth is nothing but a mere conceptual religious dogma.
“Jesus is God. He is simultaneously both the Son of God and God Himself. Because He is the Creator of the universe, it was Jesus Christ who uttered the words “let there be” in Genesis. Jesus created the entire universe alongside of God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is our God. And Jesus is our Savior God.” Knowing this truth correctly is a prerequisite to having the correct faith. You cannot help but believe in all the words of truth recorded in the Bible, if you believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Those who believe Jesus is fundamentally God also believe in every word He has said to us.
Dear fellow Christians, do you now believe that Jesus is God? Those of you who still do not believe in this truth should turn your hearts around and start believing that Jesus is indeed God.
These days, Christians all over the world acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God but lack the knowledge that Jesus is the true God. Because of their lack of this knowledge, they have not yet reached the true gospel of the water and the Spirit. He who fails to believe Jesus Christ is fundamentally God is committing a great sin in front of God.
The Apostle John has said in 1 John 5:20, “This [Jesus Christ] is the true God and eternal life.” God is light without any darkness. That light is referring to Jesus Christ (John 1:9-10).
Is there anyone among you who has seen God with your naked eyes? There is not a single person. Despite of that, we can say that we know who God is and that we have seen Him, because we have seen God through Jesus Christ, who has descended by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Jesus is God. Jesus Christ our true God is God unable of lying. If we believe that Jesus Christ is God, we come to believe in the baptism and the blood on the Cross of Jesus, who has come to this world by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, as our own salvation.
Jesus is God. He is the true God and the eternal life. I hope that there is not a single person among us who fails to believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit because of one’s lack of faith in the divine Jesus. Whether I have spoken to you eloquently or not, I reiterate this truth with the intention of planting accurate faith in you that confesses Jesus as fundamentally our God and Savior.
When we call Jesus, we call Him our Lord and Savior. We call Him by those titles because He is the true God and Savior, who has delivered us from all our sins. I hope and pray in the name of God that you would have this faith clearly in your hearts.
I am certain that there are many of our brothers and sisters around the world who despair in their hearts because they sin daily out of their weaknesses. But, I hope you remember that we have the faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that overcomes this world sufficiently. Our faith is the faith in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. If we believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and are, thus, born of God, we can surely overcome this world.
That we will overcome this world means we are freed from sin. Being emancipated from sin does not mean a free pass to sin as we wish. Regardless of our opponents, if we wish to win battles against darkness, we have to become believers in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. The truthful faith we must possess is the faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit as our true salvation.
We Have to Realize How Many Sins We Commit
How many sins do we commit over a 24-hour span? We commit sins every moment, that is, every minute and every second. No one can claim that he has not sinned in front of God. That’s right. Isn’t it?
If we are committing so many sins in front of God, what will happen to us in the future? If we are sinners in front of God, we should receive judgment according to our sins. Whoever that has sins in one’s heart must be cursed and receive eternal condemnation. God’s rule stated in Romans 6:23 is, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God has said that the wage of sin is death. But, God has granted us the remission of our sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ.
However, we need to acknowledge that we were hell bound because of the sins we were committing before we have known the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We have to admit not only of our sinful deeds, but the 12 kinds of sins we inherited from our parents (Mark 7:20-23), we have to die for our sins. We were destined for curses and eternal damnation in the eternal hell fires owing to these sins and iniquities. My fellow Christians, do you acknowledge that this was your destiny?
If you and I have even the slightest hint of sin, we would have perished for that sin. We were people who were destined for hell and judgments because of our sins. However, it is an amazing feat that our Lord has granted us the remission of our sins. It is an amazing Truth that Jesus came to this world and received the baptism from John the Baptist to take onto Himself all of our sins.
How and when did Jesus take the sins of humanity onto Himself? If I asked you to write in detail the answer to the question, very few of today’s Christians would be able to write the correct answer. Some of them might write, “Our sins were blotted out at the Cross.” However, Jesus took the sins of this world at the moment He received the baptism by John the Baptist. Jesus our Savior is the heavenly High Priest who transferred the sins of this world onto His own body.
My fellow Christians, many people living in this world commit numerous sins in front of God. Can we then be cleansed from all of these sins of the world as white as snow? Our coworkers and the people of God, who are spread throughout the world, habitually commit sins despite their best effort to live righteously. How can we then overcome our daily sins, that is, our personal sins?
1 John 5:4-8 tells us about the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Our Lord has called the faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit as the true faith—the faith we have confesses that Jesus Christ the true God came to this world, took onto Himself the sins of this world once for all by receiving the baptism, died crucified on the Cross, and resurrected from the dead.
Our hearts are cleansed of all our sins, and are lightened lighter than a feather through the faith in the Truth that came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We are freed from all burdens of our sins because Jesus took our sins onto Himself with the baptism He received. Since we are freed, we can now follow God’s will, trying to live for God. Now, we can overcome the world, not falling victims of the accusations of Satan the Devil.
I said that all of God’s servants and our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world might fall into their habits of sinning from time to time. It is natural for us to hate ourselves in those moments. However, blaming ourselves won’t resolve the problem.
When we fall into sinning, we must not look to ourselves but to Jesus Christ, “the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world and took our sins onto Himself through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. He cleansed our sins away completely. Remembering this fact will help us overcome our own weaknesses. When we fall back into sinning because of our weaknesses after we have been delivered from our sins, we must confess our sins before our Lord, and then believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit to overcome such sins.
We must confess our faith along with our fundamental sinning nature, “God, although I have received the remission of all my sins through the faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, I have sinned again today. I have sinned again before Your righteous Word. I am such a being who cannot but sin everyday. But, I believe in You, my Lord. I believe that You have granted me the remission of sins through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.”
We must confess our sins and confirm God’s Word of Truth that our Lord has blotted out all of our sins through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. If we do so, the weight of sin in our hearts is lifted away and we gain new hope. If we confirm that all of the sins in our hearts have been already transferred onto Jesus, our hearts are affirmed as in the state of the remission of our sins and we can gladly follow the will of God.
I tell you the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the only power to overcome the world. Unless we believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, there is no way for us to overcome the world. Without believing in this true gospel, we can overcome neither Satan the Devil nor ourselves. Our Lord has delivered us through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, who were unable to overcome the customs of this world and the desires of our flesh. Our Lord does not commend us to overcome the world for ourselves. Rather, He tells us that He Himself has battled the world and won, saying, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We must realize that God has spoken words of victory to us.
Our Lord tells us to look at the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit because through that Truth He has taken our sins onto Himself, abolished all of them, and granted us the remission of our sins. He admonishes us that we stand fast in front of God and be grateful to God in our faith in the Truth.
We are not supposed to say “veni, vidi, vici”—“I came, I saw, and I conquered”—as Julius Caesar did. We do not win our battles with our own might. Our Lord has not commended us to do anything. He only tells us to believe in His love that is revealed through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The Lord tells us only to believe that He has delivered us from all our sins, adopted us His own people, and made us His workers. He has known that we are insufficient, and made us perfect through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
We are to confirm the blessings of grace and the gift of salvation God has granted us. And through our faith, we must overcome the world. We are to come in front of God by our faith in His love. Also, He admonishes us to live our lives of faith in the brightest of lights, giving glory to God. I believe that God has told us to do the righteous works in this world.
We Love Our Brothers and Sisters Living throughout the World
I am curious as to how well our brothers and sisters around the world have been spiritually nourished by our Christian literatures. To be nourished spiritually, they first have to understand the literary meanings of the Words of the Bible. Only then can they comprehend the spiritual meanings. If you speak spiritually about God’s grace before you exactly know what the Scripture passage says, it amounts to nothing more than a theory. If we listen to the Words of God without having faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the results cannot be good.
Our faith must be one where there is a harmony between our intellects, emotions, and will. Then, we know correctly, feel correctly, and act correctly. We have to know correctly in order to discern the right and wrong of our emotions. That will determine whether I stand appropriately in front of God. We need faith that is built on right intellect, emotion, and will. You, the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit around the world should not only try to spread the gospel but reexamine yourselves first whether you are believing in this beautiful gospel correctly.
We have to honestly confess in front of God that we are beings who cannot but commit sins everyday because of our weakness. And then, we have to transfer all our sins onto Jesus by reconfirming the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit. By doing so, we can stand firm again and run our races of faith ceaselessly.
I hope that true faith will take place in you as well. Today’s Scripture passage says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).
I earnestly hope you would have the faith that overcomes this world. In order to do so, we have to first listen and learn about the gospel Truth. Then, we will have true faith in us. True faith is not from mere emotions but from Truth itself. Our Lord has said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). You have to know the real Truth in order to believe in that Truth. How could we believe in the Truth of the water and the Spirit, if we do not know it? How could emotion just arise from nowhere?
I would like to conclude today’s message once again with the thanksgiving about the fact that the faith to overcome the world is in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
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Copyright © 2021 by The New Life Mission