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Subject 29 : Reformation of Faith

[29-15] Again, return to the Gospel of the water and the Spirit (John 3:5-8)

💡This sermon is from Chapter 15 of Pastor Paul C. Jong’s Volume 69 book, "Return from the Nicene Creed to the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit! (I)"
 
 
John 3:5-8

5 Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.”

8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’

 

If one does not return to the Gospel of the water and the Spirit, what is the result?

 

         We are now standing before a question that we must face.
It is the question, “If one does not return to the Gospel of the water and the Spirit, what is the result?”
This is not a statement meant to condemn or threaten someone, but a request to calmly face the spiritual consequence that the Bible already clearly shows.

         The most prominent characteristic of a faith that does not return to the Gospel of the water and the Spirit lies in this: while saying the problem of sin is finished, in reality, it remains in a state where it is not finished.
They confess that they believe in the cross, but they do not know when their sins were transferred to Jesus.
As a result, the point in time of the transfer of sins becomes unclear, and the conscience continuously accuses of sin.
The believer obtains a moment of relief through repentance, but is soon captured again by guilt, and cannot break the cycle of a life that repeats repentance again.
A state of never being able to escape from the question of whether one has received salvation continues, and this is the state of an unwashed conscience that the Bible speaks of.

         In such a state, the believer’s identity is also not restored.
The Gospel of the water and the Spirit clearly declares the believer to be a righteous person, a new creation, and a child of God.
However, if this Gospel is missing, faith becomes hardened in the self-perception of still being a sinner.
The thought that one must repent until death and the resignation that salvation cannot be known come to dominate the heart.
As a result, the boldness of the righteous that the Bible speaks of disappears, and what looks like humility, but is in reality a spiritual inferiority complex originating from not fully believing the Gospel, takes its place.

         When the Gospel of the water and the Spirit disappears, the nature of the Gospel also changes.
Originally, this Gospel is the event where the sins of the world were actually transferred when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, and is consecutively connected with the historical event of the cross where those sins were actually judged.
However, if this structure collapses, the Gospel is reduced only to the concept that Jesus died for me, is summarized into the doctrine that one is saved if one believes, and is replaced by the language of emotion, that feeling is grace.
As a result, the Gospel is no longer power but remains only as the language of doctrine and comfort.

         Along with this, the understanding of the Holy Spirit’s role also weakens.
The Holy Spirit is the One who testifies to the fact that Jesus came by water and blood.
However, in a gospel where baptism is missing, the role of the Holy Spirit changes from being a witness who confirms salvation to a being that creates emotions, atmosphere, and experiences.
Faith comes to depend on experience rather than the Word, and when the experience disappears, faith is also shaken along with it.
This is the reason why many believers today, while yearning for grace, simultaneously feel a deep spiritual emptiness.

         When the Gospel is pushed away from the center, the appearance of the church also changes.
When the Gospel of the water and the Spirit is at the center, the church is a community that proclaims the Gospel, establishes the righteous, and enjoys freedom.
However, if this Gospel is lost, the church transforms into an organization that manages doctrines, demands actions, and holds people captive with programs.
The place where the Gospel disappeared becomes filled instead by law and morality, success and experience.

         In the end, at the end of this flow, we stand before the warning that the Bible speaks of.
This warning is not an emotional condemnation, but refers to the objective state one faces when not believing in the structure of the Gospel to which God testified.
Even while professing to believe in the cross, if one does not believe in the structure of the water and the blood to which God testified, it is not believing the entire Gospel that the Bible speaks of.

         To summarize in one sentence, it is as follows.
If one does not return to the Gospel of the water and the Spirit, a person, even while believing in Jesus, will live their entire life in the consciousness of being a sinner, and even while speaking of the Gospel, will fail to experience the power of the Gospel.

         Therefore, the conclusion of this question must not end in self-reproach or condemnation.
We must not stop at declaring that we were wrong; we must return.
This is not condemnation, but an invitation.
We must return again to the place where the early church believed, to the point where Jesus actually took away the sins, to the Gospel of the water and the Spirit.
 
 

7 Symptoms of Faith That Appear When One Does Not Return to the Gospel of Water and the Spirit

 

         The state of faith that appears when one does not return to the Gospel of Water and the Spirit outwardly seems as though one is living a life of faith, but within, clear spiritual symptoms are revealed.
This is not for the purpose of condemning someone, but is a spiritual diagnosis that must be faced in order to discern for oneself and advance toward true restoration.

         The first characteristic of a faith that has not returned to the Gospel of Water and the Spirit is that while speaking of the removal of sins, the conscience does not stop its constant accusation.
With their lips, they confess to have received the cleansing of sins by believing in Jesus, but in the depths of their heart, there is no real peace because of sin.
If they do not repent, they become anxious, and even when they do repent, it is only for a moment; after time passes, the guilt repeatedly rises up again.
This is a phenomenon that occurs because they have not believed when their sins were transferred to Jesus, and because their conscience remains in an unwashed state.

         In such a faith, the believer’s identity is also never ultimately restored.
The Bible calls the believer righteous, a new creation, and declares them a child of God.
However, a faith that is lacking the Gospel of Water and the Spirit still defines oneself as a sinner.
They say that one must repent as a sinner until death, and they misunderstand calling oneself righteous as arrogance.
This is not humility, but the result of believing only half the gospel, and it is a state of not enjoying the transformed identity that salvation brings.

         As a result, the fruit of repentance is also distorted.
In the early church, repentance was the fruit of life borne by one who was already saved.
However, if one does not return to the Gospel of Water and the Spirit, repentance becomes a repetitive act for the purpose of washing away sins, it becomes a condition for maintaining salvation, and it degenerates into a religious habit for subduing anxiety.
Repentance is no longer a passage leading to freedom, but becomes a process of endless self-examination and self-condemnation.

         Also, the nature of the gospel itself changes.
The gospel of the water and the Spirit is the gospel of the historical events: the event of the baptism at the Jordan River, through which sins were actually transferred, and the judgment that was actually executed on the cross.
However, if this structure disappears, the gospel remains as an abstract concept that Jesus loved me and that one is saved by believing.
As a result, the gospel no longer functions as the power that resolves sin, but only as a language of understanding and comfort.

         Along with this, the understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit also changes.
The original role of the Holy Spirit is to testify to the fact that Jesus came by water and blood, and to confirm the salvation that is already completed.
However, in a gospel where the water is missing, the Holy Spirit is perceived not as the one who testifies to salvation, but as a being that creates emotions, feelings, and atmosphere.
Therefore, if there is no experience, faith is shaken, and as experiences increase, the Word, on the contrary, becomes weaker.

         As a result, the standard of faith gradually shifts from the Word to feelings.
Whether one received grace today, whether one’s heart is fervent, whether something is felt—these become the standards of faith.
However, emotions change and feelings do not last.
Therefore, faith cannot be stable, and one ends up in a state of wandering, always searching for new stimuli and stronger experiences.

         If this trend continues, the form of the church also changes.
When the gospel of the water and the Spirit is central, the church is a community of the righteous who have received the removal of their sins, and a gospel community where freedom and boldness are alive.
However, if this gospel disappears, the church transforms into a religious system that manages behavior, demands standards, and holds onto people with programs.
The place vacated by the gospel is filled instead by law and morality, success and experience.

         To summarize in one sentence, if one does not return to the gospel of the water and the Spirit, one will live their entire life with a sinner’s consciousness even while believing in Jesus, and will not be able to enjoy the power of the gospel even while speaking of it.

         Therefore, returning to the gospel of the water and the Spirit is not a condemnation, but an invitation.
It is not a call to create a new faith, but a call to return to the place where the early church believed.
We must return again to that point where Jesus actually took away the sins, to the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
There, you will find true freedom, assurance, and a restored life of faith.
 
 

The 7 Changes That Appear When These 7 Symptoms Are Healed

 

         When one returns to the gospel of the water and the Spirit, faith does not simply change in atmosphere; rather, the changes of restoration clearly manifest.
The symptoms of faith that were previously revealed are healed one by one upon returning to faith in the gospel, and this change is confirmed not in emotional fluctuations, but throughout one’s life, conscience, and identity.

         First, the most evident change that appears is in the state of the conscience.
When one returns to the gospel of the water and the Spirit, guilt cannot repeatedly hold the believer captive.
When one commits a sin, rather than immediately falling into condemnation, the heart is protected by the fact that one’s sins have already been passed over to Jesus.
Repentance becomes a confession of faith, free from fear, and the conscience comes to enjoy true peace.
This is not a state of feeling better emotionally, but a change where the fact that the conscience has been cleansed becomes clear in one’s life.

         Along with this, the believer’s identity also stands firm without being shaken.
One no longer defines oneself as a sinner or considers it arrogant to call oneself righteous.
One comes to accept oneself as righteous, a new creation, and a child of God, just as the Bible declares.
This is not an attitude of exalting oneself, but a confession of faith that believes in the salvation God has accomplished, just as it is.
As one’s identity becomes clearer, faith becomes bold, not withdrawn.

         The place of repentance also fundamentally changes.
Within the gospel of the water and the Spirit, repentance is not a condition for obtaining salvation, but becomes the fruit of the life of one who has already been cleansed, living honestly before God.
Repentance is not a heavy duty or a repetitive act to quell anxiety, but becomes an expression of faith that flows naturally within the relationship.
Therefore, after repentance, what remains in the heart is not condemnation, but boldness.

         The understanding of the gospel also becomes clear and well-defined.
The gospel is no longer understood as an abstract doctrine or an emotional message, but as an event that actually happened.
The event of transference at the Jordan River, where sins were actually passed over when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the judgment of sin executed on the cross, and the flow of salvation confirmed by the Holy Spirit are clearly established as one gospel.
As a result, the gospel becomes a blessing that can be explained and preached, rather than something one must strive to feel as true.

         Understanding of the Holy Spirit is also correctly restored.
The Holy Spirit is established not as a being for creating emotions, but as the One who testifies to and confirms the already completed salvation.
Therefore, faith is not shaken due to a lack of experience, and even when there is an experience, it is placed upon the Word.
The Word becomes the standard, and experience comes to play a supplementary role, keeping to its place.

         Accordingly, the standard of faith clearly shifts from feelings to the Word.
No longer is the measure of faith whether grace was felt or whether the heart grew warm.
Instead, what the Word testifies to and what God has accomplished become the standard of faith.
Faith is not placed on the waves of emotion, but is built upon the rock of the unchanging Word.

         All this restoration also brings a change to the state of the church.
When the gospel of the water and the Spirit becomes the center, the church is restored not as a community that manages sinners, but as a community where the righteous, who have received the cleansing of sins, stand together.
Rather than monitoring actions, it builds up identity, and rather than control, freedom and boldness are allowed to flow.
As a result, the church stands again as a church that preaches the gospel.

         If all these changes are summarized in one sentence, it is this:
When one returns to the gospel of the water and the Spirit, faith is restored from anxiety to assurance, from duty to freedom, and from a sinner’s consciousness to the boldness of the righteous.

         Therefore, to return is not a defeat.
To return is to stand again in the place of the gospel.
One must return to that very place where Jesus actually took away the sins—to the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
There, faith is revived, and life comes to enjoy true freedom.
 
 

Again, to the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit

 

         The biggest problem of the church and faith today does not lie in people not believing in Jesus.
Rather, it lies in the fact that despite believing in Jesus, they are not free from sin.
Many believers speak of the cross, confess salvation, and live their lives of faith diligently, but a question that cannot be erased remains deep in their hearts.
It is the question, “Am I truly without sin?”, the question, “Why is my conscience not completely at peace?”, and the query, “Why is my faith always anxious?”
These questions do not arise from personal weakness, but are questions that have emerged because the structure of the gospel has not been fully conveyed.

         The gospel that the early church preached did not speak only of the cross of Jesus.
They preached together the event that took place before the cross, that is, the actual event of Jesus taking on the sins of the world through His baptism in the Jordan River.
However, as the church went through history, this actual event of the transfer of sin gradually became obscured, and eventually, the gospel was reduced to a cross-centered doctrine.
As a result, salvation became a concept, not an event; faith became an object of management, not assurance; and the believer remained a believer who is still a sinner, not a righteous person.
This is the reality where church members stand today.

         The restoration of faith does not begin with a new movement.
Restoration begins when we return to the place of the lost gospel.
The Bible clearly testifies that Jesus Christ came by water, blood, and the Spirit.
The baptism He received in the Jordan River was the event of the transfer of sin, the blood of the cross was God’s judgment on the transferred sin, and the Holy Spirit is God’s witness who testifies to the already completed salvation.
When this structure is restored, faith actually begins to change.

         When this gospel is restored, the conscience no longer constantly accuses of sin.
This is because one comes to clearly know through faith that the sins have already passed over to Jesus.
The believer’s identity is also restored along with it.
Instead of the confession of still being a sinner, one comes to stand as a righteous person, a new creation, and a child of God, just as the Bible declares. 

         Repentance also changes.
It is not a repetitive act to obtain the removal of sin, but becomes the fruit of a life lived honestly before God by one who has already received the removal of sin.
The gospel becomes an event again. It is restored not as an explanation or an emotion, but as the story of salvation that actually happened and was actually completed.
At this time, the Holy Spirit is not a being that creates experiences, but is clearly established as the One who confirms salvation upon the Word.
This is the actual change that occurs within faith when the gospel of the water and the Spirit is restored.

         The conclusion this book seeks to convey is simple.
It is not about creating a new gospel, but about returning to that gospel which the early church believed and preached.
People did not deny the cross, but they did not sufficiently hear about the baptism of Jesus that was before the cross.
People have spoken of salvation, but they have lived their lives of faith without clearly knowing when and how sin was passed over to Jesus.
Now, God is not condemning people, but is simply calling them.
He tells them to return to the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

         Returning is not admitting failure.
Returning is standing again at the starting point of the gospel.
It is a call to return to that place where Jesus actually took away the sins of the world, the point of salvation that began at the Jordan River.
There, faith is no longer anxious, salvation no longer wavers, and life manifests not as a religious duty but as the fruit of gratitude and freedom.

         There is one question left for the reader reading this book now.
One must look back at oneself and ask, “Was I knowing and believing only the cross, or am I knowing and believing the gospel of the water and the Spirit which includes the baptism of Jesus?”
God says the same words today.
He says that unless one is born of water and the Spirit, one cannot enter the kingdom of God.
To the one who returns to this gospel, God still gives true freedom, assurance, and life.
 
 

What have we been believing in?

 

         We have been believing in Jesus.
We knew the cross, heard the gospel, and have lived a long time in the name of faith.
However, no matter how long we believed, an indelible question remained in a corner of our hearts.
We come to ask ourselves why sin still presses down on our hearts, why our conscience does not find complete rest, and why anxiety is more familiar than assurance despite believing.
This question is not a matter of weakness.
It is not a problem that comes from a lack of zeal.
Rather, from a deeper place, we are confronted with whether we have not been continuing our faith while having lost some important point of the gospel.

         The gospel that the early church preached was not a simple doctrine.
It was an event that actually happened, and a concrete history where the sin of man was passed over to the Lamb of God.
They did not speak only of the cross; they preached together the event at the Jordan River that was before the cross.
However, as time flowed, this gospel gradually changed into an understanding, the event became a concept, and faith transformed into an object to be understood and managed, not a living life.
As a result, people, while believing in Jesus, still define themselves as sinners, and while saying they are saved, they live without obtaining rest in the depths of their hearts.
This is the reality where believers stand today, and it is a diagnosis that cannot be ignored.

         The Bible does not raise its voice, but it speaks clearly.
Jesus Christ came by water and blood and the Spirit.
The baptism He received at the Jordan River was not a simple beginning.
In that place, the sin of the world was transferred to Him.
The cross is not a vague symbol of love, but was the place where the justice of God was actually executed for the transferred sin.
And the Holy Spirit is even now testifying that all this work is already finished and completed.
When this structure is not seen, faith suffocates, but when this structure is seen again, faith finally begins to breathe.

         When this gospel is seen again, the conscience no longer endlessly accuses itself.
This is because the whereabouts of sin become clear.
This one sentence, “My sin has already been passed over to Jesus,” protects the heart.
Before this confession, the conscience falls silent, and the heart finally obtains rest.
The reason to hold onto oneself as a sinner disappears, and one cautiously comes to stand in the place the Bible has declared, that is, the place of the righteous.
This is not self-assurance, but the faith that accepts the salvation God has testified to, just as it is.

         Repentance also changes. It becomes not a repentance poured out from terror, but an honest confession that flows out from within a relationship.
One no longer drives oneself to obtain the removal of sin, but comes to stand before God as one whose sins have already been removed.
The gospel is restored not as a word that can only be believed when it is felt again, but as a word of salvation that can be boldly proclaimed because it is already completed.
At this time, faith does not stand on the waves of emotion, but comes to stand on the completed event.

         The conclusion this writing intends to convey is not complex.
It is not about finding a new path, nor does it demand a deeper experience. It is simply to return.
It is to return to that place where the early church believed, to that point where Jesus actually took on the sin of the world.
We also believe in the cross.
However, we may have continued our faith without having sufficiently heard or understood the event at the Jordan River that was before the cross.
If that is true, the current anxiety and shaking are not a coincidence.

         To return is not an act of negating the faith up to now.
Rather, it is the work of that faith finally finding its proper place.
It is to re-enter the flow of that gospel which began at the Jordan River, was completed at the cross, and is testified to by the Holy Spirit.
In that place, faith is no longer heavy, salvation is no longer anxious, and life begins to flow not as a duty but with gratitude.
Otherwise, to remain while ignoring this call is ignorance, and it becomes choosing to be a sinner oneself before the evidence of the gospel.

         After reading this text, one question remains for the reader.
It is the question, “To what extent of the gospel have I been believing until now?”
One will come to ask oneself whether it was only the cross, or if it was the baptism and the cross, which includes the baptism of Jesus—that is, the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The Lord is even now speaking quietly but resolutely.
He calls us to return.
He tells us to return to the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
In that place, there is true rest, unshakeable assurance, and life.
Now, whether to simply remain in the place where one has been until now, or to return, is laid before each person’s choice.
 
 

If one does not return to the gospel of the water and the Spirit, what remains?

 

         The Bible has never once made the very words “I believe in Jesus” the standard for salvation.
The issue is not the presence or absence of faith, but the content of the faith.
Today, many people say they believe in the cross.
However, they do not truly pay attention to the method of salvation to which God Himself testified.
Jesus Christ came by water, blood, and the Spirit, yet people hold only to the blood and, ignoring what the water testifies, say that they are safe.
This is the state that the Bible warns against the most.
A faith that speaks of the cross while denying the baptism of Jesus is one that has reduced the gospel, and it is one that has cut down the structure of salvation, which God testified to, to the level of human understanding.
As a result, a person, even while believing in Jesus, comes to live their entire life as a sinner.
This is not humility, but another name for unbelief.

         An unwashed conscience ultimately deceives itself.
The Bible says that if sin were truly resolved, there would no longer be any consciousness of sins.
However, the faith of today is, on the contrary, more conscious of sin.
The reason is clear. It is because they do not know where their sins have actually gone.
A faith without the gospel of the water and the Spirit constantly drives a person inward into themselves.
If they do not repent, they become anxious; even if they repent, the guilt returns; and salvation always feels conditional.
If this state continues for a long time, a person eventually becomes accustomed to the accusations of their own conscience and becomes dull to the testimony of God.
This is the most frightening point.
Conscience cannot save a person, but many live mistaking the accusations of their conscience for the work of the Holy Spirit.

         A church that has lost the gospel ultimately becomes a religion.
In the place where the gospel of the water and the Spirit has disappeared, other things enter.
Law and morality, success and experiences, devotion and programs fill that place.
The church can grow larger and its activities can increase, but the gospel is gradually pushed away from the center.
At that point, the church becomes not a community of the righteous who have received the removal of sins, but a religious system that manages behavior.
People come to learn standards instead of freedom, fear instead of assurance, and methods instead of the gospel.
This is not an accidental phenomenon, but an inevitable result that appears when the gospel of the water and the Spirit disappears.

         The most dangerous thing is not unbelief.
It is the state of believing incorrectly while being convinced that one believes correctly.
One does not deny Jesus, but does not believe the method of salvation to which God testified.
This is the partial faith that the Bible speaks of, and it is a faith that ultimately leads a person to destruction.
Jesus said that not everyone who says to Him, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.
This warning was not directed toward other religions, but toward those who were religiously zealous.

         However, it is not yet the end.
This warning is not a condemnation, but a final invitation.
God is still calling people now.
He says to return not to human understanding, but to the testimony of God.
He calls them to return to that gospel—the salvation that began at the Jordan River, the judgment that was completed on the cross, confirmed by the Holy Spirit.
If one does not return, a person, even while believing in Jesus, can never be free.
But if one returns, the conscience falls silent and the righteousness of God comes to rule the heart.

         Now, only one question remains.
One comes to ask oneself whether they will reject the gospel of the water and the Spirit to the end, or if they will return even now.
The Bible says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Now is that very day.
 
 

For Those Who Reject the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit, Only Judgment Remains

 

         This issue can no longer be covered up by calling it a difference in theological views.
The gospel of the water and the Spirit is not a matter of choice.
This is God’s standard that divides whether a person reaches salvation or destruction.
The Bible does not place this issue in the realm of choice but proclaims it as a matter of life and death.
God testified to Jesus Christ with the water, the blood, and the Spirit, and this testimony is not something that can be divided and chosen from.
The moment even one of them is deleted, it becomes not faith, but disobedience to the testimony of God.

         People say they believe in the cross.
But the Bible asks the question: What did that cross judge?
If the sins were not transferred, the judgment cannot be established.
If there is no transfer, there is no atonement.
If Jesus had not been baptized in the Jordan River, the cross becomes a death in vain that bore no sin.
Then, what kind of gospel is a faith that clings to the cross without the baptism truly believing in?
It is not the gospel to which the Bible testifies, but merely a religious belief created by man.

         The Bible clearly declares the state of one in whom sin remains.
It says that he who does not believe in Him is already under judgment.
This judgment is not an event that suddenly comes on the last day, but a state that has already begun.
A faith that has rejected the gospel of the water and the Spirit inevitably bears fruit.
The sense of guilt does not disappear, the conscience constantly accuses, and the assurance of salvation is ultimately not given.
This is not training, but evidence that sin still remains within that person.
The Holy Spirit does not testify to peace within one in whom sin remains.

         The Word no longer speaks of this matter indirectly.
1 John 5:10 declares, “He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar,”
Before this word, no excuse is permitted.
If one says they believe in the cross while denying the baptism of Jesus and rejecting God’s testimony that He came by water, that person, without even knowing it, comes to stand in the position of making God’s testimony a lie.
This is not a simple theological error, but a serious spiritual offense.

         Religious zeal cannot grant exemption from this judgment.
Many people judge themselves to be safe based on their religious career.
They affirm themselves for reasons such as having attended church for a long time, holding a position, and having served a lot.
But Jesus spoke clearly to such people.
The response that came back to those who claimed to have done many works in the Lord’s name was not comfort, but a declaration.
It was the word, “I do not know you.” The reason is that they have walked not the path of salvation that God established, but a path of faith they created themselves.

         Now, the conclusion is clear. A faith that has rejected the gospel of the water and the Spirit can never reach salvation, no matter how much it uses the name of Jesus.
It is a faith without light, a gospel with blood but without water, and a religion that cannot receive the testimony of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible calls such a faith “another gospel” and clearly places it under a curse.

         However, the door is not yet closed.
This word is not a declaration to place you under judgment, but God’s final notice to give a last chance for repentance.
God is still speaking even now. He calls you to return.
He says to return to before the cross, to return to the Jordan River, and to return to that very place where the sins were actually transferred to Jesus.
The moment that gospel is believed, the judgment ends and righteousness is proclaimed.
But if one rejects that call now, such a person, while saying they believe in Jesus, will still walk toward judgment in the midst of sin.

         Finally, the Bible speaks clearly.
It declares that now is the acceptable time of grace, and now is the day of salvation.
This very moment is that moment.
 
 

God’s Judgment on Those Who Have Abandoned the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit

 

         The Lord says, as in Jeremiah 5:21, “Who have eyes and see not, And who have ears and hear not”
“You call upon my name, but you have rejected the path of salvation that I established; you speak of the cross, but you have discarded the water of which I testified.”
Therefore, the Lord asks,
“Who gave you the right to cut off God’s testimony?”
The gospel that God testified of is one, and God testified of His Son with the water, the blood, and the Spirit, and He did not separate their testimonies.
But people have created a blood without water, a salvation without the Spirit, and a doctrine without the event.
This is not the gospel that God delivered, but another gospel made by man.

         The one who has erased the Jordan River has also lost the cross.
The reason the Son of God went to the Jordan River and received baptism was not to show humility.
At that place, the sins of the world were transferred to Him.
The moment people deny that event, they unknowingly come to deny the power of the cross as well.
If the sins were not transferred to Him, judgment could not have occurred; if there is no transfer of sin, atonement does not exist.
People say they cling to the cross, but in reality, they are clinging to a tree that judged no sin.

         The Lord says,
“You speak in my name, saying ‘Lord! Lord!’, work in my name, and gather in my name, but you did not believe the salvation of which I testified.”
Therefore, on that day, the Lord will say, “I do not know you.”

         Faith without evidence is already under judgment.
The anxiety and the unceasing guilt that people feel are not a trial.
It is the evidence that sin still remains inside that person’s heart.
God does not give fear to one who is without sin, nor is He silent to the righteous.
A peace that the Spirit of God does not testify to is not true peace.

         The church has lost its lamp.
Programs abound, but the gospel does not flow; people gather, but the righteous are not established.
This is the state of the church that has lost the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The Lord says, and declares that if you do not repent, He will remove your lampstand from its place.
This is not a threat, but a judgment. It is a declaration announcing God’s judgment that has already been passed.

         A faith that has rejected the gospel of the water and the Spirit, no matter how old, how zealous, or how successful it may seem, cannot reach salvation.
This is not the word of man, but the judgment of the Bible.
Nevertheless, the door has not yet been closed.
There is one reason God speaks today: it is a call to return.

         The Lord tells us to return to the Jordan River.
He tells us to return to that very place where sin was actually transferred.
He tells us to return to the starting point of salvation that God has established.
To the one who returns, God does not ask about the past.
But from the one who does not return, He accepts no excuses.

         Today, God says, “Choose the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and you will live.”
But if they reject God’s testimony again today, that person will walk toward destruction while calling on the name of Jesus.
God has warned, has testified, and has left the door open. Now, the choice is man’s.
 
 

The door of salvation is not yet closed

 

         The reason this word is proclaimed today is not to cast people out, but to have them return.
God is not one who rejoices in the death of the wicked, nor is He one who takes pleasure in destruction.
God is the One who waits until the very end for us to return.
God calls us to return.

         This call is not to return to the years of faith you have built up until now.
Nor is it a call to return to your position or your place of devotion.
It is a call to return to the beginning.
It is an invitation to return to before man’s doctrines began, before theology was structured, to that very place at the Jordan River where sin was actually transferred.
In that place, there is not words, but an event; not understanding, but the transfer of sin; and not effort, but a salvation that is already complete.

         People have lingered at the foot of the cross for a long time.
However, they have not seen the place where the Son of God stood first, before coming to the cross.
That very place is the Jordan River.
There, all the sins of the world were transferred to Jesus at once.
At that moment, the heavens were opened, and God had already spoken, declaring, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
That joy was not something that arose after the cross, but a joy that began from the very moment the sin was transferred.

         To the one who returns, God does not ask questions. He does not ask, “Why have you come only now?” He does not ask, “Why did you resist for so long?” and He does not ask, “Why did you believe so incorrectly?”
The only thing God asks is the question of whether you will now believe His testimony.
He asks if you will now fully believe in the Son—the Son who came by water, the Son who was judged by blood, and the Son who is testified to by the Spirit.

         If you return, the conscience will no longer accuse a person.
God Himself will silence it.
If you return, you will no longer serve God from the position of a sinner.
God is not looking for a servant, but calls you as a son.
If you return, repentance will not be an act that comes from fear, but a language that flows from within a relationship, and faith will not be the weight of maintenance, but a place of rest.

         However, God speaks clearly.
He warns that if you do not return today, tomorrow will become heavier, and if you hear and let it pass by today, you may not hear this voice next time.
God is long-suffering, but He does not wait endlessly.
The door is open, but it is not open forever.
Therefore, He says to return now.
When your heart is still pricked, when this word is still uncomfortable, when you cannot yet bring yourself to hate the truth—that is the very time to return.

         Finally, God speaks again.
He asks on which of the two paths you stand; it is a call for the one on the other path to turn and return now.
One is the path of another gospel made by man, and the other is the path of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, to which God has testified.
The former appears comfortable, but its end is destruction; the latter appears narrow, but its end is life. Therefore, He calls you to return.
He tells you to return to the Jordan River.
He invites you to return to that place where sin was finished, to that place where judgment is already over.
There, a person will finally come to know salvation.
Even now, God is speaking. He is calling you to return. And He waits, hoping that this call will not be the last one for a person.

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

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