What Does it Mean to be Born-again?

        The term "born-again" was first spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ very early in his earthly ministry as it is recorded in John's Gospel chapter 3.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

    By the way, the kingdom of God is bigger than Heaven, but includes Heaven.  So, Jesus was saying, that except you are born again you are not going to Heaven.  There have been so many opinions as to what the Lord Jesus meant here, as to make people tired of the whole thing.  A drunk finally gets sick of booze and kicks the bottle, cleans himself up, and becomes more reliable and hard working; some would say he was 'born-again.'  Some cults relate being born-again to water baptism.  There are a significant number of people in 'church' circles that claim to be born-again but their lives show no essential difference from before they made that claim.  Is being born-again just religious speak with no real substance?  From all the talk and different opinions one might think that the Lord Jesus left us all hanging as to what he meant and no one really knows.

       That could not be further from the truth.  When you set aside all the commentators and go directly to the source, The Bible, Jesus explained himself very clearly.  And from there, Jesus' Apostles gave us more explanation.

        Go and read the full conversation in which Jesus first speaks of being born-again--John 3:1-21.  The man Jesus was speaking to did not understand, asking, "How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?"  The Lord then gives a two-part answer.  (1) Jesus says, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."  (2) And then, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

        I would like to take the second statement first since it is the clarifying statement of the first statement.   "That which is born of flesh is flesh..."--here you are.  You are flesh and your were born of your mother, as everyone is.  This is physical birth brought about by physical generation of life.  Then Jesus says, "...and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."  These are parallel statements.  Notice, "the Spirit," is a proper name and that is the name for God the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, to be born again is an act of God whereby he makes a man something he was not before--God generates spiritual life in a person; obviously, not having possessed that spiritual life before.    You say, I have a lot of questions about that.  Nothing wrong with honest questions.

        Notice, being born-again is not something you can do for yourself.  Who ever heard of a baby conceiving and birthing itself?  Being born-again is a supernatural event effected by God in a person.  The Apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit describes it in these words, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2Corinthains 5:17)  This new birth makes a person different on the inside--in their soul.

        Now, on to the first statement Jesus made to answer Nicodemus's question.  Jesus said, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit..."  What is this "born of water"?  Is that a reference to baptism?  There is no verse in the Bible that calls baptism a birth.  But there is James 1:18, which says, "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."  Then, again the Apostle Peter says, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1Peter 1:23)  According to the Bible the Word of God is the "seed" by which we are born-again by the Spirit of God.

        This is because the Word of God genders faith in the hearts of men who will receive it.  It is simple, you could never know what God requires you to believe except from the Word of God.  Consider the following Scriptures...

Romans 10:17
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Hebrews 11:6
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

Hebrews 4:2
"For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it."

        The New Birth is only effected in those that believe the Word of God, including the Gospel which is in the Word of God--"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)
        Therefore, God the Holy Spirit effects the new birth upon the repentant believer in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ.  This is exactly what Jesus told Nicodemus as recorded in John 3.  Nicodemus asked, :How can these things be?"  How is this possible?  Jesus explained, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)  Moses lifting up a serpent (made of brass) on a stick is a reference to an event in Israel's history.  See Numbers 21.  There are many truths taught in this historic event; but, for time, note the obvious, that the brass snake was lifted up on a stick and any bitten by the poisonous snakes were saved by God through the act of faith (they believed and then obeyed)--look and live.  Jesus said, "so must the Son of man be lifted up."  The Lord spoke of being "lifted up" two other times.  In John 8:28, "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he..."  And then, finally, in John 12:32-33, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die."  That is, lifted up on a Roman cross--crucified.  Jesus was telling Nicodemus that which made the new birth possible was Him being lifted up in death.  Therefore, you can neither be born-again by your own power, or because you deserve to be.  The basis by which God gives the new birth to men is the sacrificial work of Christ Jesus for you.

This all begs the question(s), Why do I need to be born-again?  Am I not good enough as I am?

Ephesians 2:1
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;..."
Ephesians 2:5
"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"
Colossians 2:13
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"

        The Bible describes man before being born-again (quickened--made alive) as dead in trespasses and sin.  In fact, you and I were born with a sinful nature.

Romans 5:12
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"

        The first man, Adam, willfully sinned against God, and all his children (you and me) are born with a nature completely at odds with our Holy Creator God.

Psalm 51:5
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."

        King David testified about his sinful heart; that he was conceived with it.

Romans 8:21
"Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."

        The Apostle Paul said that just as men and women who are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, so the rest of creation "also shall be delivered" from the bondage of corruption.  Meaning, the sinful condition into which each of us is born is also called "the bondage of corruption."

        God cannot leave you in your sin and bring you to live with Him.  Your sin is not just a few acts you do.  Certainly you do sin, and that is offensive to God.  You need to be forgiven.  But the reason you commit acts of sin is because you are a sinner by nature.  If God were to forgive you, but leave your nature as is, you could never be allowed into God's presence.

1Corinthians 15:50
"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."

        God is amazing.  He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, who humbly became a man, sinless, and Jesus willing took your death and the wrath of God belonging to you upon Himself and died and shed His precious life blood to pay your sin debt before God.  He calls sinners to repentance and wants to forgive you based upon His shed blood; but, he does so much more to fit you for eternity with God; he will, by His Spirit, make you a new creature on the inside, and then one day in the future, at the resurrection unto life, give you an immortal body.

        I hope you will read more from this blog, compare what I am saying from the Bible yourself.  All Bible quotes are out of the King James Authorized Bible, which is the pure unaltered Word of God in the English language.

The Tragedy of the Religious Lost

The Tragedy of the Religious Lost

Our Scripture text is Matthew 9:1-8, and particularly verse 8.

Parallel passages to our text:    Mark 2:3-12 & Luke 5:18-26.

You may ask, “These people glorified God and acknowledged His power; why is that a tragedy?  The tragedy is that they missed the forest for the trees.  They marvelled at the healing of this palsied man (paralysis) and gave God they glory but they missed the reason that the Lord Jesus healed this man’s physical ailment.  Jesus healed this man to show the truthfulness of his claim that he has the power to forgive sins.  To miss how God forgives sins, and who can forgive sins, is to remain un-forgiven—lost—and die and enter the judgement of God condemned. 

It is a tragedy when people remain in their sin when there is forgiveness in God’s Son, Christ Jesus.  And it is a double tragedy when religious people talk of God, see some of the works of God, but refuse to see their sinful state before God and God’s gracious gift of forgiveness and eternal life through faith in his Son. 

So, let us continue…

What does it mean to be lost?

Chapter 15 of Luke’sGospel is often called the Lost and Found chapter of the Bible.  It contains three parables: the parable of the Lost Sheep, of the Lost Coin, and of the Prodigal Son.  In the first two we learn that the Lord seeks the lost, the Lord places great value on men’s souls, and all heaven rejoices over on repentant sinner.  In the Prodigal Son parable we learn of the prodigal’s rebellion, of the prodigal’s lost estate (inheritance), and of the prodigal’s estrangement from his father.  Notice in Luke 15:32 the father describes the repentant returned son as having been once dead and lost and now is alive and found.

The word “lost” is defined as 1) mislaid,  2) ruined,  3) forfeited,  4) not able to find the right way,  5) bewildered,  6) alienated, and  7) shipwrecked (Noah Webster 1828).  To be lost means that by your sinful rebellion you are ruined before God, you have forfeited all claim upon God, and you are alienated from God.

How can I be found?

First, a lost person cannot find themselves.  Sometimes you have to state the obvious.  The prodigal son could not recover his squandered inheritance (estate), it was wasted, gone.  He could not pay back what he did not have.  Also, the prodigal’s father owed him nothing!  You cannot do anything to restore your ruined soul, redeem your forfeited inheritance (life with God), or cancel your alienation from God and restore a blessed relationship with God.

All the prodigal could hope for is the mercy of his father.  God must be merciful to you and graciously redeem you and reconcile you to himself.  Your salvation—forgiveness and restoration—is entirely upon God. 

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Remember, in the parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin it is the shepherd and the woman that seek the lost objects.  Likewise, it is God who has taken action to pay your sin-debt, and must take action to graciously bring you to Christ Jesus to be saved.

Second, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come and has given his life a ransom for you.

Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Matthew 20:28, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Romans 3:25, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”

Romans 5:8-9, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

Third, Jesus Christ, who victoriously rose from the dead, is today seeking out lost ones that he might save them.

Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Revelation 22:17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

Hebrews 7:25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

John 6:35, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Fourth, the Lord Jesus Christ commands all men to repent.  Just like the prodigal son, you need to come to yourself—the end of yourself—knowing and owning your rebellious sinfulness, and count yourself utterly unworthy of forgiveness and reconciliation, and come to God for mercy (Luke 15:17-19).

Luke 13:3, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

Mark 1:14-15, “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Ways of the religious lost.

The religious lost came to hear the Lord Jesus teach:  Matthew 9:8 (with Luke 5:19).  In Mark 4:16-19 we have another parable, the Parable of the Sower.  Notice that both types of people describes in verses 16-19 hear the Word of God for a time joyfully.  You might say, they got religion.  Then they later hear something in the Word of God at which they are offended.  The religious lost like to hear select things from the Bible, but are offended when it convicts them.

Herod the Great was a ruthless and powerful ruler.  In Mark 6:20 it is recorded that John the Baptist preached right at Herod, rebuking him publicly for his sin.  Herod, rather than immediately having John killed, heard him gladly and “did many things.”  The inference is that he did religious things—maybe like praying, offering sacrifices, or giving to the poor.    John’s preaching got to Herod deeply.  But, like many a tragic lost soul, when it came down to choosing between this world or God, Herod chose this world; and, although reluctantly, had John the Baptist beheaded.

The religious lost in Matthew 9:8 came to see the works of God on those others in need.  They like to see the drunk delivered, the religion-less become a church goer, and the loose person become moral—they marvel—they glorify God.

But…

They fail to see their need of a work of God in them to bring them to the feet of the Saviour and redeem them.  The Lord did not heal the palsied man to amaze the crowd; he healed him so that men would know that the Lord Jesus Christ alone can forgive sin. 

The religious lost are blind to their sin because they have faith in their own righteousness; because they mis-use Jesus to build up their own righteousness; because they believe themselves to be the answer to others—“Do like I do and all will be well with you.”; because the disregard the Word of God; and, because they resist the Spirit of God.  The religious lost are blind to the power of Christ to forgive sins—Matthew 9:8—they saw the man healed and paid no attention to the forgiveness of sins.

If you say, ‘You are describing me as a religious lost person, what am I to do?’

Consider these truths…

Your sinful heart offends God and you are condemned already—John 3:18, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

You have no righteousness with which you can justify yourself before God.  Christ did not come to show you how to make yourself good before God—2Corinthains 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Only Christ can make you right with God by the gracious gift of His righteousness graciously put upon you.  Christ died your death on Calvary.  Christ sacrificed himself to God to satisfy God’s wrath against you.  Christ shed his blood as the payment to God for your soul.  Christ rose victoriously from the dead, which declares to us that He is the Son of God with power to forgive sins and find and redeem lost souls.

Seek God and repent; seek God that he would do a gracious work in your heart and bring you to the feet of the Saviour that you might be saved by Him.

Do not resist the Holy Spirit.

Acts 7:51-53, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.  Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:  Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.”

Matthew 12:31-37, “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.  And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.  Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

Human Religion and Veiling the Truth

Luke 11:52

Because men, in their sin natures, do not want to be ruled by God they do all in their power to cover-up the truth about God.  The evident truth in our own consciousness regarding the special and intelligent creation of the Universe by Almighty God has been covered over by man’s arbitrarily imagined philosophical materialism in forms such as pagan polytheism (the deification of ideas), and modern evolutionary scientism.  Maybe in the future I can address that issue.  In this brief article, I want to speak about how man-made pseudo-christianity has veiled the Bible.  The religious power brokers have refused to enter into the God-given truth and they have constructed an apparatus to hinder you from entering.

In Luke 11 the Lord Jesus was not rebuking those afar off and obviously contrary to the Bible, the Word of God; Jesus was rebuking those that claimed to know and believe the Bible and represent God.  The closer a lie is to resembling the truth the more dangerous it is.  In the statement by the Lord Jesus we are speaking of in Luke 11:52…

“Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.”

…the lawyers mentioned are not practitioners of civil or criminal law, as we might think today, but practitioners in the laws and teachings of Judiasm.  If you assume that Judiasm and the Law of God (the Old Testament Scriptures, called the Torah by the Jews) are one and the same you would be wrong.  The key of knowledge is a figure of speech for the means of knowledge.  Jesus had already spoken of the means of knowledge in Luke 11:28 where He states, “…blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”  You want the truth? Hear the Word of God—take God at His word, and do what God says.  The following event and exchange between the religious leaders and the Lord Jesus recorded in Matthew 15:1-9 is a case in point, illustrating this veiling of the truth.  You can read that here. 

The scribes and Pharisees complained to Jesus that His disciples were eating without washing their hands.  This was not hand washing for hygiene, but as a religious rite.  Here is the problem, the Pharisees appealed to the tradition of the fathers and not to the Bible directly for authority.  These men were appealing to the fathers—the foregoing generations of Judiastic teachers (Rabbis).  The Lord brought them up short, rebuked them, and exposed the wickedness of their hearts, asking, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”  Jesus continues by giving an example of how they had superimposed man-made tradition over the Bible and hid the truth from men.  The Law of God commanded that a man was to honour mother and father and the man that cursed his mother and father was guilty of death.  But the ‘fathers’ had imposed a tradition which said that if a man has goods by which he should be looking after his aged parents in their need but claims those goods as a future gift to God he is free from obligation, leaving his parents in poverty.  What is the source of this self-righteous rebellion?  Their hearts were far from God, regardless of how much they said they honoured God.  They were GUILTY of the SIN of teaching for “doctrines the commandments of men.”

When you superimpose anything over the Bible you take away the key of knowledge.  Said another way, you veil the truth from people.  In my experience what most people know about Christianity comes from Roman Catholicism and, its off-spring, Protestantism.  This is so heart breaking because these large religious groups, have departed from the Bible (a long, long, long, time ago) and have taken away the key of knowledge by their traditions, which is the teachings of the (so-called) “church fathers.”  That is why they speak of Catholic Tradition or Christian Tradition.  God warns us about the traditions of men… “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Col. 2:8)  The history of man’s philosophizing and religion-izing has long proven itself to be a worthless exercise where men are “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2Tim. 3:7)

For your own eternal good, please, do not abdicate your personal responsibility to know and believe the truth to another man, or group of men—priests, scholars, clergy, etc.  Set aside the commentators, ‘experts,’ scholars, creeds, traditions, catechisms, etc. and study the Bible directly.  I am not inciting you to make your own religion.  There are too many of those now.  Neither is the point rebellion against organized religion.  The point is that you would not allow yourself or others to superimpose a tradition over the Bible so as to hide what God has said.  I appeal to you to go directly to the Bible yourself and take God at His word according to the normal laws of language.  You may have religious and family loyalties that would attempt to bar you from this.  You may have religious prejudices that would attempt to bar you from doing this.  You may have vested interests that would be threatened by doing this.  Well, you have to decide if those things are worth your soul.

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26)

Lost in Sincerity

Reading:  John 3:1-21.

        Sincerity is an excellent character trait.  Sincerity is "honesty of mind or intention; freedom from simulation or hypocrisy" (Noah Webster).  Unfortunately, true sincerity is a rare thing.   People can be sincere in sticking to their own interests, but that is not "honesty of mind."  A person that is stuck on their own interests in the face of being wrong is not truly sincere.  Honesty of mind, true sincerity, is tested when we come to that proverbial 'line in the sand' and have to make a decision between self-interest / saving face / reputation / life investment / etc. and truth.

        There are two men in our text (John 3:1-21), Jesus Christ and Nicodemus.  We need to speak about Nicodemus first, and then we will focus on the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, let's meet Nicodemus.

        A Religious Man--"a man of the Pharisees".  The Pharisees were a division within Judaism.  They were known to be highly devote and fastidious in their lives to follow Judaism.  The New Testament clearly records that many of these men were insincere in their religion--being murderers, power mongers, and thieves; but, there were some who were sincere.  Nicodemus was one of the sincere ones.

        A Respected Man--"a ruler of the Jews".  How do we know Nicodemus was respected? and not in power by manipulation/force?  We infer this because of the humility Nicodemus displays all through his conversation in our text.  (Contrast:  Luke 7:36-50, pride manifest in inhospitality / superiority to others ;  Compare:  John 7:48-53, Nicodemus is a voice of reason.)  Nicodemus took his responsibility as a ruler of his people as just that, a responsibility, not an opportunity for personal gain.

        A Struggling Man--"the same came to Jesus by night".  Nicodemus does show timidity in regards to Jesus.  Here Nicodemus comes by night, in John 7:48-53 Nicodemus is speaking up, but with caution, and in John 19:39 we see Nicodemus helping to bury Jesus, but publicly he is silent.  We all have struggles, and Nicodemus was no different.  Nicodemus had much to lose by identifying publicly with Jesus.  He could be driven out of public office, he could be excommunicated from Synagogue, and more.  We all have struggles, what you do with your struggles is revealing.  Real sincerity will bear the cost of the truth.

        A Needy Man--"How can a man be born when he is old?"  Sincere men may be ignorant of the truth and/or not understand the truth.  Jesus asked Nicodemus, "Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?"  You can be sincerely wrong.  Sincerity does not equal right and understanding.

        A Searching Man--"How can these things be?"  God tells us in the Bible to "buy the truth, and sell it not."  What about you?  Nicodemus saw Jesus' miracles and heard what He taught--the two matched.  But, Nicodemus knew that what Jesus was saying and doing did not match with what he thought reality was.  Jesus challenged Nicodemus's beliefs.  Remember, truth is consistent.

        A Lost Man--"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus was sincere, but he was lost in relation to God.  Sincerity is great, but it is not enough.  Now, you can be offended at that, or you can be sincere--honest of mind and intention--toward God.

Now it is time to meet Jesus Christ.

        Jesus is the Truth--"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.    John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."    John 6:63, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."    John 14:10, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works."    As Moses understood, God is "a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." (Deuteronomy 32:4)

        Jesus Christ is truth because He is God, the Creator and Judge of all.
         
             Jesus was prophesied to be God:    Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6-7; Psalm 22;  Isaiah 61:1-2,
                        with Luke 4:16-20.
             Jesus claimed to be God:    John 5:17-18;  Matthew 27:43;  John 10:30-28.
             Jesus's Apostles proclaimed Him God:    1Timothy 3:16; Jude 1:25;  1John 4:14 and 5:7.
             Jesus's Resurrection proves Him God:    Romans 1:4; Acts 17:29-31.


        Jesus is Wisdom--"We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven."    Jesus Christ was God in human flesh, Philippians 2:6-8.  Therefore, Jesus is the all wise God, 1Timothy 1:17.  Not only that, but by virtue of His becoming a man and dying in the place of sinful men and rising from the dead victorious over sin and death, Jesus Christ, "who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." (1Corinthians 1:30)    My friend, Jesus Christ is your wisdom, your righteousness, and your sanctification, and your redemption.  Jesus Christ saves lost sinners and reconciles them to God.  The wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption that the world offers will come to nothing because it is not of God.

        Jesus is the Crucified Saviour of the World--"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."    The historical reference here to Moses lifting up a serpent is from Number 21:1-9.  The ancient Israelites were being judged by God for their wickedness via God sending amongst them venomous snakes.  When they called out to be saved from the righteous judgement of God, God had Moses make a brass snake and lift in up on a pole.  All who looked upon the brass snake were saved from the snake bite by God.

    Jesus Christ was lifted up on a Roman cross and died in the place of guilty sinners.

Romans 5:6-10
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

        Just like Nicodemus you are in your sin, without God in this world, and justly condemned to eternal death in Hell and the Lake of Fire.  Just like Nicodemus and the ancient Israelites you read about in Numbers 21, above, you are dying from the corruption of your sin.  Jesus Christ died your death. [2Corinthians 5:21; 1Peter 3:18]  Jesus Christ satisfied the justice of God when He died for you.  [Romans 1:4; Acts 2:24; Revelation 1:18]  Sinners can be freely saved from the just wrath of God through what Jesus did on that Roman cross.  [1Peter 1:18-21; Ephesians 2:8-9]  Jesus Christ rose from the dead and lives for ever more.  [Acts 2:31-36; Hebrews 7:25]  Jesus has promised to save all repentant sinners that come to Him alone to be saved.  [Luke 13:3; Acts 26:20; Acts 20:21; Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 10:8-13; Romans 11:6]  Jesus Christ will make each person He saves a new creature, giving them a new life. [Titus 2:11-14; 2Corinthians 5:17]

Maybe you find that you are sincere, and maybe even religious.  Do you know what Jesus Christ is speaking of in these Scripture texts we have read?  If not, then you are like Nicodemus, How can these things be?  Please do not stop; God has promised that if you will search for him with all your heart that He will be found--Jeremiah 29:13.  It has been my experience that God is more zealous to be known by me than I am to know Him.

There is more on the grace and gospel of God in the forgoing articles.  Keep reading.

Man-made Religion

Luke 18:9-14
"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: (10)  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.  (11)  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  (12)  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  (13)  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  (14)  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

In this parable (illustrative story) the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us an essential truth about God, man, and religion (man's approach and relationship to God).  A Pharisee was a conservative Jewish religious teacher/leader.  A publican was a tax collector working for the occupying Roman government in ancient Israel.  As you may imagine the Pharisees were honoured by their countrymen and the publicans were despised.  Who men honour is not the issue about which our lives rise or fall though.  Who is the man that God will honour?

Two men; two different approaches to God.  The publican was heard by God!  The Pharisee was rejected by God!  The truth is, God sees things differently than we do.

The Pharisee had a religion of his own making and God would have none of it.  God will never bend to men's wills; men must bend to God's will.  Jesus said, "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself..."  Wow! The Pharisee addresses God with his mouth, but he is not praying with God; this man is praying with himself.  God is not involved.  What self-centred vanity.

What this Pharisee is doing--his type of religion--is unfortunately the norm amongst men.  Man-made religion, many times, even uses the name of the God of the Bible, the living real God.

Religion abounds.  Truth is rare.  God, through Paul the Apostle, describes the religious lost with their man-made religion in these words...

"For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
Romans 10:3

Yes, there are many gods which are nothing more than the imaginations of men's self-serving prideful and lustful hearts.  BUT! There is only one God who is real, true, and who created man, and was not created by man.  It is that God who has revealed Himself in the Holy Bible and through the sending of His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, to be the Saviour of the world.  It is that God with whom you will one day have to face.

Are you sold out to the imaginations of your own heart?  Are you content with the facade of praying with yourself?  Do you honestly expect that God will just anything and everything--lies?

Or, will you seek the true and living God?  He will be found by those broken hearted ones who will face and obey the truth.

"God be merciful to me a sinner."
Luke 18:13

The Power of the Blood Of Jesus Christ

The ancient man, Job, asked...

"How then can man be justified with God?

or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?"

(Job 25:4)

People today strive to think positive and ignore the obvious wickedness in their hearts.  We are very adept at redefining sin so that we can sooth our consciences that we are not as wicked as some quiet self-searching would reveal.  Lying, is a little white lie.  Adultery is an affair, or a mid-life crisis (as if the person having the crisis is a victim).  Fornication is expressing one's sexuality.  Sodomy is a sexual orientation.  People love to be diagnosed with some disease or condition so they can blame-shift to that disease or condition.

Although a conscience can be made insensitive/hard; nevertheless, people's unrest in their own hearts as to their wicked sinful condition is evident by their rage against anyone that would call sin sin and not accept sin.  You know you are not on a solid foundation when you can be shaken so easily.

In the New Testament Bible book named Hebrews God tells us...

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

(Hebrews 9:14)

Would you please hear God!
1.    The Justifying Work of Christ

To be justified before a holy sin-hating God means that one is made 'just-as-if-I'd' never sinned.  To be justified means that we have received full pardon and forgiveness so that all condemnation is removed.  It is evident that you cannot make yourself just before God.  Not one single good thing you could ever do will ever erase your sin before the living God.  But God did send His sinless holy Son, Christ Jesus, to take away your sin.

A)    Christ Offered Himself.

·         Christ Jesus offered Himself a sacrifice for sin.  The wages of sin is death; this is an unchanging law of God.  In another place in the Bible God tells us, "the soul that sinneth, it shall die."  Jesus died your death by Roman crucifixion outside of the walls of Jerusalem on a hill called Calvary just short of 2,000 years ago.

·         A blood sacrifice (the life of the flesh is in the blood).  A man's life flows in his veins.  Christ Jesus did not died a random death, He died a purposeful death whereby His life's blood was shed.

·         Atoning blood.  Atonement mean to make at one.  Your sins have separated between you and your creator God, and brought you under His just condemnation.  You need your sins removed / forgiven so that you and God can be brought together in peace (reconciled).  Jesus' blood is accepted by God as the covering for men's sin.  Matthew 26:28, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”    Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”    Revelation 1:5, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”

B)    Christ Offered Himself to God.

·         It is God’s justice that is inflamed by your sin; and, it is God that must be placated--satisfied that His justice is fully satisfied..    Psalm 7:11, “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”    Romans 2:2, “But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.”  It is God that requires sinners be punished and to God alone Jesus Christ offered Himself to take your punishment.

C)    Christ Offered Himself w/o spot to God.

·         Jesus Christ did not deserve to die for He was (and still is) sinless.  1Peter 1:18-19, " Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"  1Peter 2:22, "[Jesus Christ] did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:"  Jesus Christ's death was not for Himself, and God will apply it to you.

D)    Christ’s Blood does purge sin.

·         Take note that in 1Peter 1:18-19 that it is the "precious blood of Christ" that redeems--purchases men's souls out of their sin.

2.    Consciousness of Your Dead Works

A)    Read Hebrews 9:14 once again.  If your conscience needs to be purged from dead works that means you have a consciousness that your works are dead.  Dead works = life-less deeds; God will have no part of them.  If your helping of a little old lady across the street (a good deed) took away your sin of lying (a bad deed) then why are you still conscious that you have the stain of your sin upon you?  Why would you still be trying to make excuse for your sin?  The answer is obvious, you still are in your sin and nothing you can do can remove your sin from you before the eyes of the holy living God.

B)    We know we are immoral/sinners—Rom. 2:14-15, “For when the Gentiles [a title for non-Jews], which have not the law [written, Ten Commandments], do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:  which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; ”  God has instilled in each human heart the sense of right and wrong.  Although you excuse your sin, when someone sins against you (lies about you/steals from you) you are conscious you have been wronged.  You realize that this is self-condemning!

C)    We are in the bondage of corruption—Rom. 8:21, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”  People control their sin acts with manners, religion, civil and criminal law, education, and such, but that does not mean the deep down the corruption of sin is removed.  Man sends men to the moon but cannot stop lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, slandering, fornicating, etc.

D)    When God Almighty, who is absolutely sinless, perfect, pure, and holy looks upon us he judges that even our best works/deeds are corrupt before Him.

·         Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

·         Psalm14:1-4

·         Proverbs 21:4, “An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.”  How is plowing a field (farming) sin?  When you do anything in this life without submission to the God that created all things, gave you life, sends the rain and the sun and the fruitfulness of this earth, you are offending God--sinning.

3.    The Cleansing Blood of Christ—“purge your conscience from...”

Salvation is a Transaction.

A)    2Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

·         “hath made him”—past tense; complete!  The work of salvation that Jesus Christ effected on the cross almost 2,000 years ago was entirely a work of God.  God the Father made Jesus Christ (God the Son) to be sin for us (sinners).  Jesus did no sin, but was punished by God in your place (a substitute) just as if you were on that cross.

·         “we might be made”—

i.    “might”—possibility; you must be willing to receive it; personal.  Jesus died for all men, but salvation is personal between you and Jesus Christ.  You must go to Jesus to have His justifying work on Calvary personally applied to you.

ii.    “be made”—not you make; be made, by God!  You can do nothing to save yourself.  No good works, no baptism, no church membership, no other way.

·         “the righteousness of God”—a gift given; Christ's blood applied.  Although you have greatly sinned against God, for Jesus' sake God will forgive you and apply (impute) Jesus righteousness to you if you are in the right attitude to receive it.  The right attitude toward God is that of a broken-hearted sin-hating repentant soul believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

B)    Matthew 11:27-30.

·         Christ Jesus is the ONLY one that can reconcile you to God by cleansing your soul of your sin.  God accepted Jesus's sacrifice and Jesus is declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1:4).

·         Your part of the transaction—come!

i.    Come by believing on Christ alone.  Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

ii.    Come from your heart.    Romans 10:10, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

iii.    Come with your affections.    Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

iv.    Come with determination.    Hebrews 10:38, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

v.    Come repentant.    Job 42:5-6, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”        Luke 13:3, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”        James 4:6, “Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

4.    New Life in Christ to Serve the Living Lord

Will you again read Hebrews 9:14.  Notice that Jesus Christ saves people so that they can both know and serve the living God.  Wow!

A)    You have been serving sin.  The pride of life (don't need God), the lust of the eyes, and the lust of the flesh is how you have been living.  If it feels good, or advances your desires, do it.  Wrong--you were created by God to glorify Him, love Him, obey Him, enjoy Him, and know Him.

B)    New Creature—2Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  Jesus said, "Ye must be born again."  [I will be posting an article on being born again according to the Bible, which is the only "being born again" that God accepts.]

C)    Grace of God—Titus 3:11-14.  If God gave you what you deserved you would be in Hell right now.  But God is gracious--you are here and you are reading about the truth in Christ Jesus.  Salvation is by the grace of God, where undeserving sinners can be given the gift of Christ's atoning blood applied to them, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life.  The grace of God also teaches us that if Christ graciously died to destroy sin then those who receive Christ's salvation will live their lives consistent with that gift--with their back to sin and face toward God.

CONCLUSION—

Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

There are not many ways to God.  There is only ONE WAY to God.

Not only is there one narrow way--the person and work of the Jesus Christ of the Holy Bible alone; but, there are many enemies to your soul that would keep you from coming to know Jesus Christ savingly.  (a)  Your own love of sin--repent!  (b)  Your own love of reputation among friends and family--die to it (repent)!  (c)  Your current religion--leave it; there is only one way of life, all others are death.  (d) Your own desire to work yourself to God, to be accepted by God the way you are--repent!  The way you are is why you are condemned before God.

Many walk their own way in their self-righteousness and sin.  This WILL lead to destruction eternally in Hell fire.

Few find life...

John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Many Opinions, One Truth

Matthew 16:13-16

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Who do you say that Jesus Christ is?
There is no greater question than this.  To get the answer to this question wrong has absolute eternal consequences.

In our New Testament Bible text above Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do men say that I the Son of man am?"  They recount what the 'talk of the town' is.  There were numerous opinions.  Some people were speculating that Jesus was John the Baptist.  Well, that is pretty wild, since John the Baptist was beheaded just months before.  Other people were more conservative in their speculations, but still missed the mark, saying that Jesus was one of the Old Testament prophets returned.

In other places in the New Testament we find other people thought Jesus was...
An opportunity for free food:    Jesus had many followers when he fed the 5000 and then the 4000; but they followed him to fill their bellies, John 6:26.
A source of entertainment:    Luke 9:9, with 23:8.
A great teacher:    Mark 1:22.
A blasphemer against God:    Matthew 26:64-65.

Today (and all through history) there are so many opinions about Jesus Christ that it makes one dizzy.  But, opinions are just that, opinions.  You may have an opinion about who Jesus Christ is.

The fact is, Jesus Christ knew (knows) who he was (is).  In our text above Simon Peter answered the truth: Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  In the immediately following verse the Lord Jesus commends Peter for this answer.

Jesus is the CHRIST.
The title 'Christ' means anointed one.  It is equivalent to the Hebrew word, 'Messiah.'  The Jews were then, and still are, looking for their Messiah to come.  Jesus confronted the Jewish religious leaders with who the Messiah was in total as recorded in Matthew 22:41-46.

This incident in Matthew 22:41-46 comes after two or three days of heavy questioning of Jesus by the religious rulers.  They were determined to destroy him.  Jesus effectively stops their mouths by confronting them with a truth, a truth that they were trying to avoid at all cost.  Jesus asks them, "What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?'  Their answer was, "The son of David."  And they were right, as far as that answer went.  The Christ/Messiah was to be the son of ancient King David--i.e. a direct descendant of King David.  The Jews were waiting for a man to sit on the throne of Israel that was promised by God.  But Jesus is not going to leave the issue there.  There is a truth about Christ to which they were blind and Jesus brings them face to face with that truth.  Needless to say, they turned away from that truth.

Jesus asks them, "How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?  If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?"  Jesus is referring to Psalm 110:1.  This is a passage that all Jews knew spoke of Messiah.  Jesus has backed them into a corner.  There is only one possible answer.  The Messiah is GOD!  This is the only way that King David of Israel could refer to his son as Lord.

Jesus is the SON of GOD.
Today, especially in western culture, a son is seen as below his father.  But this was not the case in ancient Jewish culture (and in other ancient cultures).  In ancient Jewish culture to call yourself a son of someone was to claim to be an equal.  We see this in the following...

John 5:17-18
"But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God."

John 10:30-33
"I and my Father are one.  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.  Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?  The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."

Matthew 27:43--people mocking Jesus as he hung on the cross said...
"He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God."

JESUS CHRIST IS GOD ALMIGHTY WHO CAME IN HUMAN FLESH.

Where do you stand on this?

Jesus flatly claimed to be and proved himself to be GOD.  You cannot have him any other way.  Some say He was a great moral teacher, but not God.  Sorry, that will not work.  You cannot have a great moral teacher that lies; for if Jesus was not God them he was a liar.  Some say that Jesus was a prophet of God, but not God.  Sorry, this is impossible!  A true prophet of God cannot lie.  If Jesus was not God then he was a liar.

The Son of God's incarnation (becoming a man) was prophesied numerous places in the Old Testament.  Here is a very well known prophesy.

Isaiah 9:6-7
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

The fact that Jesus of Nazareth is GOD and man is shouted to all the world for all time by His bodily RESURRECTION from the dead.

Romans 1:1-4
"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,  (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)  Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:"

Have you ever noticed that the world does not get upset with Budda, or Mohammad, or Chrishna, or the Pope, and rant and rave against them?  The religions that these people represent are religions of man's opinion, and men are not threatened by a 'you have your opinion, I have my opinion' situation.  But men are threatened and angered by the Lord God Almighty who is holy, undefiled, perfect, righteous, and who will hold all His creatures to account.

My friend, your opinion about God and Jesus Christ will not change who Jesus Christ really is.  It is God with whom we have to recon.  You must change.  Repent toward God and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Who do you say Jesus Christ is?