What's Wrong With Christianity?

“As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God…”

Let me start by saying that Christianity is not all bad. (And by Christianity, I mean the organized religions of the world that recognize Christ as Savior and the Bible as the Word of God.) The Christian religions have much to offer that is good. Among other things, they teach people to have a moral compass, and that is a good thing. But Christianity is unable to answer the most important question of all -- what is the purpose of human existence?

Christianity, as it is represented by the major organized religions of the world, has no soul. It is an empty shell. It makes God into a narcissistic being whose main interest is in hearing the words, “I accept Jesus.” It completely ignores the fact that God is creating something.

God is, first and foremost, the great Creator. He creates. That’s what he does. His job description is: Creator. But if all it takes to be saved is to accept Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, then what is God creating? Nothing! If God is content to see us continually fall short of His standard of righteousness because He credits us with Jesus’ righteousness, then what is God creating? Nothing! And if the only purpose for even trying to obey God is to get blessings from Him in this life, then what is He creating? Nothing!

It’s no wonder that so many people have rejected Christianity. It’s no wonder that so many people are atheists. At best, the god that Christianity worships is little more than a genie in a bottle. Say the magic words, and he’ll let you into heaven when you die. At worst, he’s a monster who consigns people, whose only crime is being born in the wrong place at the wrong time, to suffer for all eternity in an ever-burning hellfire.

But God is neither a monster nor a genie. He is the Creator. And His creation is not finished. He created the earth and He created man to inhabit the earth; but that is not the end of His creation. Human beings were created in God’s image and in His likeness for a purpose. God is creating something in human beings for a purpose that is far greater than the popular concept of “going to heaven” when one dies. It is a purpose that is far greater than blessings of health, wealth and emotional fulfillment in this physical existence. It is a purpose that is far greater than anything that the churches of this world teach.

The churches don’t teach it because they don’t know it. The preachers and teachers of this world’s so-called Christian religions have no idea what God’s purpose is for mankind.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).

The Invisible Things of God

God is not finished with His creation. There was the physical creation of the material universe; but now there is a spiritual creation underway, which was begun in parallel with the physical creation of man. The physical creation is only a type of the spiritual. The spiritual work of creation cannot be seen -- it is invisible to the human eye -- but it can be understood by seeing the physical.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead… (Romans 1:20).

The physical creation was designed to mirror the spiritual -- to help us comprehend the spiritual. The biblical account in Genesis of the creation of human beings is filled with clues to God’s awesome purpose.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… (Genesis 1:26).

First, notice the use of the words “us” and “our.” God is not a single being. John tells us that in the beginning there were two God beings.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

So in the beginning, there was the Word, who later came to earth in the form of a human being, Jesus Christ. And there was the head of the God family, whom Jesus called The Father. The great heresy of the Trinity doctrine is that it limits God to a single being that embodies three persons. But God is not a single being. God is a family.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named (Ephesians 3:14-15).

God is the name of a family of beings. In the beginning, there were two God beings in the family. And these two members of the God family said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Now, what can be understood about the God family from looking at the physical creation? In the Genesis account we see that God made everything after its kind.

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:12).

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:25).

God made the families within the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom to reproduce after their kind. A seed from a rose always produces another rose. A seed from a fruit tree always produces another fruit tree. You can mix fruit trees to get new varieties of fruit trees, but they will always be fruit trees. You can’t get a rose from a fruit tree, nor can you get a fruit tree from a rose.

And it’s the same with animals. They always reproduce after their kind. Horses reproduce other horses. Dogs reproduce other dogs. You can breed new varieties of dogs, but you can’t get a horse from a dog. Plants reproduce after their kind, and animals reproduce after their kind.

But God did not make man after the plant or the animal kind. He made man in HIS image and in HIS likeness. God made man after the God kind! Can you grasp the significance of that? GOD IS REPRODUCING HIMSELF!

Now that is a bold -- perhaps to some even shocking -- statement. But before you dismiss it as foolishness or even blasphemy, consider the fact that Jesus was accused of blasphemy for making a similar statement. Jesus said, “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 (John 10:31-33).

This group of religious Jews thought it blasphemy for Jesus to call God His Father. They understood the nature of the family relationship that the terms “Father” and “Son” imply.

Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him [Jesus], because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God (John 5:18).

These Jews were shocked and offended by Jesus’ bold statement. But Jesus was simply telling the truth. God was His Father. “Yes,” some will say, “but Jesus truly was the Son of God. We are mere human beings.” Notice, however, Jesus’ reply to his accusers:

Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? (John 10:32-36).

Jesus answered His accusers by quoting from Psalm 82:6, which reads, “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” Yes, we are mere human beings. But we “mere” human beings are God’s children – that is, we are made in His image with the potential of being born into His family.

The Bible is filled with passages that speak to this potential of being born into the God family made possible by the Holy Spirit. Below are listed but a few of them:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God (Romans 8:14-16).

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father (Galatians 4:4-6).

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not 1 John 3:1).

So then a person who is led by the Holy Spirit can truly say, as Jesus did, “I am a son of God.” And a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit can truly say, as Jesus did, “I and my Father are one.”

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (John 14.23).

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me (John 17:20-23).

God has created human beings for the sole purpose of one day being born into His family to be just like Himself and Jesus Christ! The Bible speaks to this astounding purpose with remarkable clarity.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren (Hebrews 2:10-11).

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together (Romans 8:17).

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8: 29).

How is God Reproducing Himself?

God is reproducing Himself by developing within human beings His perfect, righteous character. He is instilling, within separate beings that possess free will, the ability to think as He does -- to always, under all circumstances, choose what is good and refuse what is evil.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:1-2).

But organized religion will tell you that this is impossible. The churches will tell you that it is impossible for any person to live according to the “good, and acceptable, and PERFECT will of God.” They will tell you that you should try to obey God, but that you will not be able to do it. They are unwilling to believe what God’s Word plainly says. They do not believe in the power of God to TRANSFORM his human creation. Paul describes them as “Having a FORM of godliness, but denying the POWER thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5).

They deny the power of God to do His creative work despite the overwhelming scriptural evidence of God’s intention, and His promise to do it. They do not see through the eyes of faith. They only see that it is humanly impossible to overcome all sin in one’s life. They do not regard the fact that “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27).

Jesus came to earth as a human being to prove that a human being can, with God’s Spirit dwelling in him, live a perfectly sinless life. He came to set an example for us! We are told to follow in His steps – to do exactly as He did.

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:21-22).

“But Jesus was God,” some will say. “How can we do what He did?” First of all, Jesus was human -- not superhuman. [For more information on the humanity of Jesus, please read the post titled, The Son of Man] He said, “I can of mine own self do nothing.” Everything that He accomplished He did by the power of God the Father dwelling in Him.

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 (John 14:10).

In addition, Jesus promised the true believers that He would empower them to live their lives in the very same way that He lived His life.

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me (John 6: 57).

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (John 14:12).

The true believer is unified in Spirit with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Christ dwells in him, and he dwells in Christ. And the Spirit of Jesus Christ in him enables him to live righteously, even as Christ lived righteously.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4).

A Fictitious Righteousness?

A righteous God requires righteousness from His children. Righteousness is an absolute requirement for salvation. The unrighteous will not inherit eternal life in the kingdom of God. The Bible is very clear about this fact.

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

But where are the preachers of righteousness today? Christianity does not require personal righteousness of its followers. Churchgoers have been told it’s unattainable. They have been taught instead a false gospel of substituted righteousness – the idea that when God looks at you in your sins, He sees only Jesus’ righteousness. It is a gospel of salvation by forgiveness alone.

The “salvation by forgiveness alone” doctrine – also known as “imputed righteousness” -- is the most insidious heresy facing the Church today. It lulls people into a false sense of security. It promotes a fictitious righteousness. It makes people comfortable in their coexistence with sin. To an outsider the doctrine is absurd. It inspires atheists to mockery with such slogans as, “Why be good when you can just be forgiven?”

The purveyors of the imputed righteousness heresy deny that actual, personal righteousness plays any part in salvation. “One cannot earn salvation by good works,” they say. And there is some truth to that statement As with any false doctrine, the imputed righteousness heresy is a mixture of truth and error. It is true that no amount of future righteousness (good works) can make up for past sins.

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness (Romans 4:1-3).

Abraham was not justified from his past sins by doing good works. He was justified by faith in God, who forgave his past sins. If anyone should doubt that forgiveness is the subject here, he has only to look at the verses that follow:

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered (Romans 4:4-6).

Now, forgiveness applies only to sins that are past (Romans 3:25). It is important to understand this because it means that Paul is using the word justification here to mean the beginning of a process. Justification simply means to be made righteous. The righteousness of a forgiven sinner is temporary. As soon as he sins again, he needs to be forgiven again. Forgiveness alone does not prevent anyone from sinning.

Forgiveness is only the beginning of the work of justification. It is the beginning of a process of being made righteous. Justification in the full sense of the word is about developing the character to live righteously.

For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified (Romans 2:13).

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only (James 2:20-24).

The understanding that works are required for justification, and thus salvation, ought to be elementary. John the Baptist wouldn’t even baptize those who hadn’t brought forth “fruits [works] meet for repentance.”

But when he [John] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: (Matthew 3:7-8).

John knew that genuine repentance is always accompanied by “fruits” that signal a change of heart. In other words, a person who is truly repentant will exhibit a change in his behavior! Paul says exactly the same thing, except he uses the word works instead of fruits.

Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance (Acts 26:19-20).

Are works required for salvation? John the Baptist and Paul the apostle believed so. They believed that even the initial step of repentance had to be accompanied by works of righteousness. Otherwise repentance isn’t real.

By the same logic, righteousness isn’t real unless it is demonstrated by works of righteousness. That’s the message of Paul: “the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). And that’s the message of James: “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24). Faith produces righteousness.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Many preachers latch onto “Not of works” and say, “You see? Salvation isn’t by works. You can’t earn your way into God’s kingdom.” But they fail to quote the rest of the passage: “We are HIS workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” Clearly, human efforts at righteousness apart from faith fall short of God’s righteousness. But just as clearly, faith produces Godly righteousness. Clearly, good works are what God intends for us, and what He is creating in the lives of the true believers.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1-2, 4).

Why is there no condemnation to those who are in Christ? Is it because God overlooks their unrighteousness and pretends that He sees Jesus’ righteousness instead? NO! It’s because those who are “in Christ Jesus” have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them, which actually leads them to fulfill the righteousness of the law.

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous (1 John 3:6-7).

This subject is too big to be covered completely in this brief essay. But I believe that there is enough information here to point those who are searching for the truth in the right direction. I will quote but one more passage and leave it to the reader to search out the many other passages in Scripture that illuminate this topic.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:4).

To quote the late, great Herbert Armstrong, “We are made to be partakers of the divine nature, until it becomes our own.”

“He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

What Is The Reward For Good Works?

“…he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

A basic belief held by the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) under Herbert Armstrong is that our status in the Kingdom of God will be determined by our works. Mr. Armstrong taught that we cannot earn the gift of eternal life, but will be rewarded for our good works.

“Nowhere does the Bible teach earning your salvation by your own ‘WORKS.’ But what most do NOT understand is that the Bible DOES teach, over and over again, that we shall be REWARDED according to our WORKS!” (Herbert Armstrong, What Will You Be Doing In The Next Life?)

According to this belief system, the reward for good works is a higher position in the Kingdom.

“We are SAVED by GRACE, through Christ's FAITH — given as God's GIFT. But whatever ‘REWARD’ — status, rank, position, degree of GLORY — is conferred, once we are changed to immortality IN God's Kingdom, will be according to our ‘works’ in this present mortal life.” (Herbert Armstrong, What Will You Be Doing In The Next Life?)

As support for this belief – a belief still commonly held by those who fled the apostasy of the post-Armstrong WCG -- Mr. Armstrong quoted Matthew 16:27.

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

There is no question that when Jesus Christ returns He will reward us according to our works. The principle of “whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” is confirmed throughout the Scriptures. The question is… WHAT is the reward? Is it a higher position in the Kingdom? Or is it something else?

He Shall Reward Every Man

It should be self evident that there is not only a reward for good works, but also a reward for evil works. Notice Matthew 16:27 again. When Jesus returns, He “shall reward every man according to his works.” Not just the righteous, but EVERY man. So the unrighteous will receive a reward, too.

And what is the reward of the unrighteous? Romans 6:23.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So the wages –the reward – for unrighteousness is death. Logically we might then expect the converse to be true. That is, we might expect the reward for righteousness to be life. And that is exactly what Paul was inspired to write in Romans 2:5-7.

…the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, ETERNAL LIFE.

The word render -- translated from the Greek, apodidomi -- is used here in the sense of recompense, or payment. This same Greek word, apodidomi, is translated elsewhere repay (Luke 10:35), payment (Matthew 18:25), recompense (Romans 12:17) and REWARD (Matthew 16:27).

That’s right -- the remarkable similarity of the passages in Romans 2:6 and Matthew 16:27 is made even more striking by the use of the same Greek word, apodidomi, in both passages. God will render (apodidomi) to every man according to his deeds (Romans 2:6); and Christ will reward (apodidomi) every man according to his works (Matthew 16:27).

But the similarity doesn’t stop there. The word deeds in Romans 2:6 is ergon in the Greek, elsewhere translated as works. So in both passages, we find that God will REWARD every man according to his WORKS.

And what is the reward? Well according to Romans 2: 7 the REWARD for patient continuance in GOOD WORKS (“well doing” = agathos ergon = good works) is ETERNAL LIFE!

That seems plain enough. But what about the statement in Romans 6:23 that eternal life is the gift of God?

A Conditional Gift

Eternal life is a gift -- but what does that mean, exactly? Does it mean that God will hand out eternal life to anyone and everyone? Does it mean that there are NO requirements AT ALL for being given eternal life? Not even the most liberal of theologians would suggest such a thing.

Not even the pop theology of so-called Christianity allows everyone to get into the Kingdom. According to that school of thought one must first come to Jesus and believe on Him and accept Him as Savior. And plenty of people have lived and died without ever doing that. So even by the most liberal standards the gift of eternal life is CONDITIONAL. One must meet certain conditions.

Now it’s true that there are conditions to being given the gift of eternal life, but they are not what most people think. The requirement is MORE than just professing a belief in, and an acceptance of Jesus. Jesus made that quite clear when He said:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21).

So the gift of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven is CONDITIONAL upon DOING the will of God.

Can there be any doubt that DOING the will of God is the same as OBEYING Him? If so, Jesus removes all doubt, as He continues in verses 22 and 23:

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:22-23).

Jesus will reject those who WORK iniquity. Iniquity – SIN – is the transgression of God’s Law (1 John 3:4). The unrighteous – SINNERS -- shall not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9). The wrath of God comes upon the children of DISOBEDIENCE (Ephesians 5:6).

Thus the will of God is that we OBEY His Commandments. DOING the will of God is required for eternal life! As Paul wrote, God will REWARD with ETERNAL LIFE those who patiently continue in DOING GOOD WORKS – that is, DOING HIS WILL.

[NOTE: The “good works” required for eternal life are the works of the Spirit and can ONLY come from Christ dwelling and working in us. Jesus said, “There is none good but one, that is, God.” Herbert Armstrong was correct when he said, “Nowhere does the Bible teach earning your salvation by your OWN works (emphasis mine)." We do not have the ability to produce the kind of works required for salvation on our own. But that’s a subject for another blog.]

Where’s the Logic?

Aside from the fact that the Bible names eternal life as the reward for good works, the position-and-prestige-as-reward-for-works doctrine faces yet another challenge from Scripture. The problem is that it doesn’t fit with what we know about the timing of Jesus’ famous promise to His disciples.

It is well known that Jesus promised the twelve disciples that they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). But WHEN did Jesus make that promise? Was it at the end of their lives, when all their good works and all their overcoming could be toted up? NO! It was before they were even converted. It was before they had received the Holy Spirit.

Is it logical then to conclude that the twelve disciples were promised positions in the Kingdom based upon them having outperformed tens of thousands of other ambitious saints who also aspire to greatness? The answer is: obviously not. Their roles in the Kingdom of God were determined BEFORE their performances were even BEGUN.

So why should we think that OUR roles in the Kingdom will be determined according to the outcome of some sort of spiritual competition to see who can overcome the most?

Herbert Armstrong speculated about the roles that the great men of faith might fill. He taught that God’s government is a hierarchical organization in which men such as Abraham, Moses, Elijah and Daniel had, by their superior works, qualified for positions of great importance, perhaps just under Christ Himself.

At the same time, the WCG taught that OUR position in the Kingdom will be determined by how much WE overcome. The more we overcome, the higher our position. Herman Hoeh, a prominent minister of the WCG, wrote:

“The more we overcome in this life, the more honorable will be our places in the New Jerusalem and the greater will be our offices of responsibility in the kingdom.”

Most who attended the WCG probably never even noticed the inconsistency, but logic dictates that the two teachings cannot both be true. If God is going to hand out jobs in his Kingdom based on who overcomes the most, then He cannot have already filled ANY positions yet. He must wait to see who will accomplish the most. Who’s to say that a later convert might not outdo Abraham, Moses, Elijah or Daniel, et cetera?

So if the position-and-prestige-as-reward-for-works doctrine stands up neither to Scripture, nor to logic, where DID the idea that our good works will be rewarded with “status, rank, position, degree of GLORY” in the Kingdom come from?

He That Is Greatest Among You

It’s human nature to seek status, rank and position. The world is full of people who are competing to get ahead of other people. The ambition to climb the human ladder -- the desire to be regarded as superior to others -- is virtually universal. It’s in politics, in business, in sports, in personal relationships. It’s in our nature.

But where does this nature come from?

Actually what we call human nature is really satanic nature. Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). He is also called “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now work[s] in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). Satan’s spirit permeates the atmosphere of this world, and through it he imparts his nature to human beings.

Jesus spoke to this universal influence of Satan when He said to a group of people who believed on Him:

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do… (John 8:44).

And what are the lusts (desires) of Satan the Devil? He wanted to get a higher position! Isaiah tells us that Satan desired to knock God off His throne and take over the number one spot in the universe.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High (Isaiah 14:12-14).

Lucifer’s name was then changed to Satan, which means adversary. He opposes God. He opposes God’s way of life. Satan’s way is the way of competition, the way of getting and taking the best for one’s self. And he broadcasts his competitive way of thinking to the whole world.

Even Jesus’ disciples were not immune to the influence of Satan. On more than one occasion the twelve bickered over who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom. When they pictured the kingdom that they thought Jesus was going to establish, they imagined a kingdom like the governments of this world.

But Jesus painted a picture for them of a very different kind of Kingdom. He said:

The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve (Luke 22:26).

The Kingdom of God is not like the governments of this world. It’s not about getting a higher position; nor is it about getting greater status and more glory than the next person. It’s about serving. Those who will serve in God’s government do not vie for these things. They live to serve others.

A Different Paradigm

The WCG position-and-prestige-as-reward-for-works doctrine was harmful in more ways than one might expect. Predictably, it contributed to an atmosphere of competition within the church, but it also had the less obvious effect of fostering an attitude of complacency.

Implied in the statement, “The more we overcome in this life, the greater will be our positions in the Kingdom,” is the idea that you don’t have to overcome every sin in your life. It sends the subtle message that it’s okay to coexist with some sin in your life. As long as you overcome at least a little you’ll be in the Kingdom. You might only be a doorkeeper or a janitor, but you’ll be there.

But what if the WCG paradigm was all wrong? What if God isn’t going to be satisfied with us doing a half-way job of overcoming? What if our role in the Kingdom of God isn’t based upon the outcome of a spiritual competition where no one reaches the finish line, but the best jobs are handed out to those who get the closest?

Maybe it’s time for the churches of God to wake up from their complacency and to consider a different paradigm.

Consider the possibility that God isn’t holding auditions. Consider the possibility that God chooses people for his Kingdom with a very specific role in mind for that person, and for that person alone. Consider the possibility that God then works with that person to PERFECT his or her character, and to prepare that person for the job He had in mind for them from the beginning.

There are many passages in Scripture that support this possibility. But I will leave it to you, the reader, to search them out, and to prove all things for yourself.

The Humanity of Jesus

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”

More than 80 times in Scripture Jesus refers to Himself as “the Son of man,” effectively emphasizing the fact that he was born of a human mother. And while most people realize that Jesus was a man, I wonder how many understand that Jesus was truly human; that He was just as human as you and I are.

The importance of understanding Jesus’ humanity cannot be overestimated. It is fundamental to the purpose for which God has called us. Why? Because we have been called to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin… (1 Peter 2:21-22).

The fact that Jesus did not sin is well known. But most people assume that He was superhuman. Most people believe that Jesus came into this world simply in the FORM of a human being, but still possessing all the same powers he had always possessed. As the Word, Jesus possessed perfect character. People therefore attribute His accomplishment to Him being MORE than human.

But what if Jesus was not superhuman? What if he was a human being just like you and me? If this is true, the implications for us are enormous! It would mean that we can – and must – do what Jesus did. If Jesus developed, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the nature of God – the perfect, righteous character of God – then so can we.

But WAS Jesus born with perfect character? What does Scripture say?

And The Child Grew

Most people just assume that Jesus was born with perfect character already in place. But was He? Consider, if you will, another possibility. Consider the possibility that Jesus’ mind, as it formed in his mother’s womb, began as a blank slate – neutral -- just as with every other human being.

Part of being human is the development of the mind. The scriptures say that Jesus was NOT born with a fully developed mind. Notice the words of the prophet Isaiah:

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings (Isaiah 7:14-16).

There was a time when Jesus didn’t yet know to refuse the evil and choose the good. His mind wasn’t yet fully developed. Jesus, like any other child, grew and developed both physically and mentally. And like any other child, he had to make choices between good and evil.

But unlike other children, Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18, 20). From the very beginning of His human life, He must have possessed both the human spirit and the Holy Spirit. But His character was not complete. He had to make choices. We read in the book of Luke that He waxed strong in the Spirit and increased in wisdom.

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him… And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:40, 52).

If Jesus already possessed perfect character, how did He grow in wisdom? And how did He wax strong in the Spirit? Or increase in favor with God?

The logical answer is that Jesus was not born with perfect character. He developed the mind of God by making right choices as he was led by the Spirit.

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him (Hebrews 5:8-9).

Jesus LEARNED obedience. He was MADE perfect.

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory (1 Timothy 3:16).

Jesus was JUSTIFIED in the Spirit. Justified is another way of saying made righteous. Jesus was not born righteous; He was made righteous. He BECAME righteous by following the lead of the Holy Spirit, thus developing the nature of God.

I Am The Way

Jesus did not overcome by having some kind of super-human willpower. He said, “I can of my own self do nothing” (John 5:30). He relied completely upon His Father, who lived in Him in Spirit.

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 (John 14.10).

Even as Jesus lived by the Father dwelling in Him, we are to live by Jesus Christ dwelling in us. In John chapter 6, Jesus revealed that the manna eaten by the Israelites was a type of Him. And even as the Israelites ate that physical bread, and lived by that bread that was then in them, we are to live by Jesus in us.

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever (John 6:57-58).

Part of Jesus’ mission here on earth was to show us that it is possible for us to overcome sin, and to show us the way to overcome sin. He said, “I am the way” (John 14:6). The way that He lived as a human being is the way for you and I to overcome sin. Jesus was a human being, just as you and I are human, and yet he overcame sin.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

The true Christian will arm himself with the mind of Christ. He will humble himself under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6) and patiently accept the trials and sufferings of this fleshly existence, knowing that God is working in him to cleanse him of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). He will seek to live, as Jesus did, a life without sin, by the Spirit of Christ dwelling in Him.

Will You Believe?

I wonder how many people actually believe the Bible. Not believe what they’ve been taught that the Bible says; not believe what they think the Bible says, but actually believe what the Bible says. How many people are willing to read the Word of God with an open mind, believe it and do what it says? Not many, it seems.

For example: do you believe that a human being can live without sin? Most people will say no. But the Word of God says that this is the very purpose for which we are called.

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:21-22).

Jesus lived a life without sin, and we are called to follow in His steps. We are to do precisely what He did. That is what it means to follow in another person’s steps. It means to do what that person did. We are to follow in Jesus’ steps; and he did not sin! Will you believe what the Word of God says?

Now, some will say, “Yes, but ‘all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.’ I can’t be perfect like Jesus was. He never sinned.” True, we have all sinned. But we are called to repent of sin, and to now live in righteousness. Peter continues in verse 24:

…that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness… (1 Peter 2:24).

We were all sinners. But we are not to continue in sin (Romans 6:1-2). Yes, Jesus came to call sinners; but He calls them to repentance! (Luke 5:32). We are to REPENT of sin. Repentance does NOT mean to be sorry for sinning, and yet keep on sinning. It means to STOP sinning! Peter confirms this in chapter 4 of the same epistle.

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God (1 Peter 4:1-2).

Will you believe this plain and simple statement from the Word of God? The purpose of suffering trials in this life is that we might CEASE from sin! We are to arm our self with the same mind as Jesus Christ. We are to live the remainder of our life – not fulfilling the desires of the flesh – but fulfilling the will of God.

Will you believe the Word of God? God’s Word says that we can overcome EVERY temptation

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1Corinthians 10: 13).

God’s Word says that the weapons of our spiritual warfare are MIGHTY through God, enabling us to obey even as Christ obeyed.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

Will you believe the word of God? Too many are content to have a form of godliness, all the while denying the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). What about you? Will you believe that God has the power to do what he says that He can and will do? Will you believe that God can accomplish in you what is humanly impossible? Will you follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ?

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked (1 John 2:6).

Crucifixion Nonsense

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil”

What really happened at the crucifixion?

Did God the Father – as is commonly taught – transfer to Jesus the guilt of our sins, and then reject and slay Him, pouring out His infinite wrath upon His own Son? Is it true that the Father cannot look upon nor be touched by sin, and thus was forced to turn His back as Jesus bore it all – every sin that had been committed, and would ever be committed? And was Jesus experiencing the ultimate agony of being separated from the Father when He cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Is that really what happened?

Billions of people have been led to believe that is what happened. This version of the crucifixion story, or something much like it, is almost universally taught and accepted in mainstream Christianity. But is true? Or is it possible that all these people have been deceived?

Satan the Devil is the master of deception. He deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9). And often he does so in such a way that places what rightfully belongs to him onto the backs of others. It's similar to the psychological phenomenon known as projecting.

For example: Satan has convinced billions in mainstream Christianity that the fate of the unsaved is to be tormented forever in hell fire; but actually that is his fate. An objective reading of the Scriptures reveals that the fate of unrepentant sinners is not eternal life in hell, but death. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The wicked will be burnt up, and will be ashes under the feet of the righteous (Malachi 4:1-3). In reality, the fate of eternal torment in hell fire belongs to the Devil.

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Revelation 20:10).

Is it possible that Satan has done the same thing with the crucifixion story? Has he deceived the world into thinking that what belongs to him, God put on Jesus? Does the guilt for the sins of all mankind belong to Jesus, or does it belong to Satan?

Transfer of Guilt?

The popular belief is that God took the guilt for the sins of mankind and transferred it to Jesus. But how is that possible? Guilt, by definition, is non-transferable.

Guilt is defined as the state of having committed an offense. It means you did it. It is the opposite of innocence. A man is either guilty or innocent. He either sinned or he didn’t. And if he didn’t sin, then he cannot be guilty.

In our man-made, so-called justice systems, judges and juries sometimes convey a guilty verdict upon an innocent man. But when that happens it doesn’t make the innocent guilty. It is simply a miscarriage of justice. Sometime it happens out of ignorance, and sometimes it happens as the result of corruption. But God is neither ignorant nor corrupt.

There are no miscarriages of justice in God’s court. God is a righteous judge. He is a God of justice. “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face” (Psalm 89:14). God will not convey a guilty verdict upon a righteous man.

That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:25).

God demanded that the judges of Israel judge righteous judgment.

…they [the judges] shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked (Deuteronomy 25:1).

And He condemns those who pervert judgment.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!... Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! (Isaiah 5:20, 23).

Does God require human beings to live up to a higher standard than He requires of Himself? Absolutely not! Jesus tells us that judgment is one of the weightier matters of the law (Matthew 23:23). And yet the churches tell us that God is a corrupt judge. They say that in order to extend mercy to the billions who have sinned, He was forced to pervert judgment by declaring His innocent Son to be guilty. But Jesus said:

…if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless (Matt. 12:7).

Made To Be Sin For Us

But what about passages like 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Isaiah 53:6? Don’t they prove that Jesus bore the guilt of our sin? Let’s take a look.

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 (2 Cor. 5:21).

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

Yes, Jesus was made to be sin for us; and, yes, God laid on Him our sins. But what does that mean? Are these passages to be taken in a literal sense? Was Jesus literally changed into sin; and did God literally place our sins on His back?

Sin is an action (1 John 3:4, sin is the transgression of the law); or it is the idea of that action. A person cannot literally be transformed into an action or an idea. Nor can a person literally have an action or idea placed on his back. So, clearly, these passages are metaphors.

A metaphor is a figure of speech. For example, the phrase, “You’re pushing my buttons,” does not imply the existence of any literal buttons, or even any literal fingers doing any literal pushing, for that matter.

So what do the metaphors in 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Isaiah 53:6 mean? Clearly, something of sin was applied to Jesus. But what was that something? Was it the guilt for our sin? Or was it the penalty for our sin?

The only answer that makes any sense is that Jesus bore the penalty for our sin.

He cannot be made guilty for our sin. He has committed no sin. Nor does He play any part in the sins we commit. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13).

But Jesus can step forward and volunteer to take upon Himself the penalty for our sin. That is how Jesus was “made to be sin” for us, and how God “laid on Him” our sin. He paid the penalty for sin in our place.

A Human Analogy

In our justice system here in the United States, criminal cases are generally divided into two phases – the trial phase and the penalty phase. In the trial phase a judge or jury weighs the evidence and decides whether the accused committed the crime, and returns a verdict of guilty, or not guilty. The penalty phase is where sentencing takes place.

In the trial phase of God’s court, we have all been found guilty. “For all have sinned…” (Romans 3:23). And because we were found guilty, we were all given the death penalty in the sentencing phase. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Imagine now that you have been convicted of a crime. You rob banks for a living, and you got caught. You were arrested, and tried, and found guilty of armed robbery, a crime which carries a penalty of up to twenty-five years in prison. And you’re about to be sentenced.

To continue the analogy, now imagine that someone volunteers to take your place. If a third party came forward and volunteered to serve your prison sentence for you, and if the judge allowed it, you would go free and have a chance to straighten out your life and quit robbing banks.

But the person who sacrificed himself to set you free would not be found guilty. He didn’t rob the bank, or have any part in it. He’s just serving your sentence. You were found guilty, but he is paying your debt to society, so you’re free to go, as if you hadn’t committed the crime at all. That’s what Jesus has done, and will do, for us (when we repent of sin).

Satan Is An Accomplice

Satan is responsible for introducing sin into the world. Sin entered the world through Adam (Romans 5:12), and it was the Serpent -- who is Satan (Revelation 20:2) -- that influenced Adam to sin. He got to Adam through his wife, Eve, and thereby became an accomplice to mankind’s first sin (Genesis 3:1-6).

And Satan is an accomplice to every sin that has been committed since then. Paul calls him “the prince of the power of the air” because his spirit permeates the whole world. Like air, it is invisible, but nonetheless it is a very real power to sway the minds of men to commit sin.

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2).

Paul calls those who live a life of sin “the children of disobedience,” implying that they are the spiritual offspring of Satan. Elsewhere, other passages are more direct, plainly identifying Satan as the father of sin and the spiritual father of those who commit sin.

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning… In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God… (1 John 3:8, 10).

Ye do the deeds of your father… Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8: 41, 44).

Satan is an accomplice to, and has conspired in, every sin ever committed by mankind. And just as an accomplice to a crime can be found guilty in a court of law the same as if he were the one who actually committed the crime; Satan is guilty. He bears guilt for the sins of the whole world.

Satan Bears His Own Guilt

Satan’s guilt is pictured in the Atonement ceremony God gave to the ancient nation of Israel. This ceremony is described in Leviticus 16.

Once each year at the Atonement ceremony, the high priest cast lots upon two goats. The goat upon which the Lord's lot fell was slain as a sin offering (Leviticus 16: 5-9). The other goat was led away into the wilderness after having the sins of the people confessed over it and placed on its head! (verses 10, 20-21).

Clearly the goat that was sacrificed represented Jesus. That fact, to my knowledge, is not disputed by any Bible scholar. And just as clearly, the blood of that goat was shed to symbolize the payment for the penalty of sin. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4, 20).

But the other goat, the live goat, wasn’t slain. It did not bear the penalty of sin for the people. But it was led away into the wilderness where it bore the “all the iniquities” of the people (verse 22). If this goat was not made to bear the penalty of sin, then what of sin did it bear? Obviously, it bore guilt for the sins of the people.

So why would anyone think that Jesus bore the guilt for our sins? Plainly, the guilt was born, not by the goat that was slain as a sin offering, but by the live goat. If this live goat pictured Satan, as many Bible scholars believe, then anyone who believes that Jesus bore the guilt for our sin is faced with a major problem. Some theologians attempt to get around this problem by claiming that both goats represented Jesus.

But where in the symbolism that was acted out with the live goat is there anything of Christ? Clearly, the slain goat is a picture of Jesus’ death. So does the live goat represent the life of the risen Christ? If so, how can being led out to solitary exile in the wilderness represent the risen Christ in heaven sitting at the right hand of the Father? Was God’s throne symbolized by a wilderness? No! God's throne was symbolized by the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies.

Is Christ in exile? No! Satan is the one who will be exiled. The exile of the live goat in the wilderness symbolized Satan’s future. In the book of Revelation we read that at the end of this age Satan will be bound and cast into a bottomless pit, where he can no longer influence people to sin (Revelation 20:1-3).

And who took the blood of the slain goat to the mercy seat within the Holy of Holies as a type of the risen Christ taking His own blood to God’s throne in heaven (Hebrews 9:7-12)? Did the live goat do this? No, it was the high priest who did this. HE represented the risen Christ in the Atonement ceremony. So how can the live goat represent the risen Christ? Clearly, it cannot!

And if both goats represented Jesus, then why was Aaron required to cast lots to determine which goat was for the Lord? If they both represented the same Messiah, Aaron could have chosen either goat for the sacrifice. It wouldn’t have mattered. But Aaron could not choose. God had to show him which goat was to be slain as the sin offering.

The advocates of the “both goats are Jesus” theory see the identical appearance of the two goats as proof that they are correct. But in fact it is actually a strong indicator that the live goat represented not Jesus, but Satan. Scripture tells us that “Satan himself is transformed as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). In other words, Satan makes himself to look righteous. The human eye could not see the difference between the two goats. But God doesn’t see as we do.

But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature ...for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (1 Samuel 16.7).

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment (John 7.24)

The two goats looked the same because Satan is a counterfeiter. He dresses up his false religions, and disguises his false ministers, to look like the real thing (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). He even quotes Scripture (Matthew 4:6). Amidst the religious confusion of Satan’s counterfeits, God must show us the truth by His Spirit (John 16:13). That is why the two goats looked the same. God had to show Aaron which goat was to represent Jesus, and which goat was to represent Satan.

The goat that represented Satan bore guilt for sin. It had the sins of the people confessed over it, and placed on its head to symbolize Satan’s guilt as an accomplice in every one of our sins. Our guilt is NOT, as some have thought, transferred from us to Jesus, and then eventually placed on Satan.

No, God does not take OUR guilt and put it on Satan's head. Guilt is not transferable. Satan bears his OWN guilt. Satan's guilt for his part in our sins is put on his head because, as an accomplice to our sins, he's just as guilty for our sins as we are.

Can God Look Upon Sin?

What about the idea that God the Father turned His back on Jesus as He endured the final agonizing moments of the crucifixion? The popular teaching is that the Father cannot look upon, nor be touched by sin, and thus was forced to turn His back as Jesus bore the sins of all humanity.

First of all, let’s be clear about what this popular teaching implies. It implies that the Father is more righteous than Jesus. According to this teaching, the Father cannot be in the presence of sin or be in contact with sinful beings; but we know that Jesus had contact with sinful people. In fact one of the criticisms voiced against Jesus was that he kept company with sinners. But the Father supposedly cannot even look upon sin. Where does this idea come from?

To support this idea, some will quote from Habakkuk 1:13, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity.” At first glance this may seem a plausible support for the idea that God cannot look upon sin, but in fact it does not stand up to even the slightest scrutiny.

This passage is probably not even talking about the Father. In recent years it has become more widely recognized that the God of the Old Testament was the One who became Jesus Christ. Passages such as 1 Corinthians 10:4 and John 5:37 indicate that the God Being known to the Old Testament Israelites was none other than the Word, who later was born as the human Jesus (John 1:14). Thus, it is unlikely that Habakkuk 1:13 is talking about the Father.

But even if Habakkuk 1:13 is speaking of the Father, it does not mean that God cannot, or does not, look upon sin. People often quote from this verse, but they don’t often quote the whole verse. Notice the rest of the verse:

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

So God does look at “them that deal treacherously.” This verse does not mean that God does not see people in the act of sinning. Rather it means that He does not turn a blind eye to sin. He does not condone sin.

The fact that God can be in the presence of sin should be obvious from the book of Job. Satan, we are told, presented himself to God, and they had a conversation about Job (Job 1:6-12).

Clearly, the idea that God cannot look upon sin is not supported by Scripture. And neither is the idea that God the Father is too righteous to look upon or be in the presence of sin, but that Jesus can both look upon and be in the presence of sin. The Father is not more righteous than Jesus. Jesus and the Father share the same Spirit and mind. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one,” and “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Moments before His death, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Jesus’ words are commonly interpreted as an expression of shocked surprise and pain as He (supposedly) experienced not only the weight of every sin ever committed, but also the ultimate agony of being separated from the Father.

But is that the correct interpretation? Or is it possible that Jesus’ words were meant to convey an entirely different meaning?

Consider the fact that Jesus sacrifice was planned thousands of years in advance (1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8). Consider also the fact that Christ inspired the prophecies of His crucifixion to be written in great detail. It is unlikely that Jesus was surprised by anything that happened to Him.

If in fact Jesus was not surprised by anything that happened to Him; and if in fact God did not make Jesus guilty for the sins of all mankind; and if in fact God did not turn His back on Jesus, then why did Jesus say those words?

Jesus’ words are actually a quote from the book of Psalms.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? (Psalm 22:1)

Jesus quoted word for word the opening phrase of Psalm 22, a Psalm which contains a detailed prophecy of His death.

All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him (7-8).

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture (14-18).

Is it possible that Jesus spoke these words as a witness that His crucifixion was the fulfillment of prophecy? Most of the people who watched Him die that day assumed that His death was proof itself that He was not the Messiah. They were looking for a physical King who would save them from the Romans and set up a physical kingdom. They did not understand that the Messiah was sent for the very purpose of giving His life.

They did not understand, but were familiar with, Psalm 22. The same people who jeered at Him that day, saying, “If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him,” were people who had read the Psalms. It seems very likely that Jesus quoted Psalm 22 to them as a way of saying, “Have you not read?” Or to put it another way, He was saying to them, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your sight.”

Conclusion

In the beginning of this essay I asked the question, “Is it possible that Satan has…deceived the world into thinking that what belongs to him, God put on Jesus?” When I read what Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant movement, wrote on this subject, I have no doubt which spirit is the source of the popular teaching on this subject. Luther wrote (emphasis mine):

And this, no doubt, all the prophets did foresee in spirit, that Christ should become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel, and blasphemer, that ever was OR could be in the world. For he being made a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world is not now an innocent person and without sins; is not now the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary; but a sinner which hath and carrieth the sin of Paul, who was a blasphemer, an oppressor, and a persecutor; of Peter, which denied Christ; of David, which was an adulterer, a murderer, and caused the Gentiles to blaspheme the name of the Lord; and, briefly, which hath and beareth all the sins of all people in his body: not that he himself committed them, but for that he received them, being committed or done of us, and laid them upon his own body, that he might make satisfaction for them with his own blood.

If thou wilt deny him to be a sinner and accursed, deny, also, that he was crucified and dead. But if it is not absurd to confess and believe that Christ was crucified between two thieves, then it is not absurd to say that he was accursed, and of all sinners, the greatest (Luther on the Galatians, pp. 213-215 London edition, 1838).

Albert Barnes, in his famous commentary, Barnes Notes on the New Testament, had this to say about Martin Luther’s remarks (emphasis mine):

Jesus was not sinful, or a sinner, in any sense. He did not so take human guilt upon him, that the words sinful and sinner could with any propriety be applied to him. They are not applied to him any way in the Bible; but there the language is undeviating. It is that in all senses he was holy and undefiled. And yet language is often used on this subject which is horrible and only a little short of blasphemy, as if he was guilty, and as if he was even the greatest sinner in the universe. I have heard language used which sent a chill of horror to my heart; and language may be found in the writings of those who hold the doctrine of imputation in the strictest sense, which is only a little short of blasphemy.

[Luther’s] sentiments led him to use language which is little less than blasphemy. Indeed, we cannot doubt that if Luther had heard this very language used by one of the numerous enemies of the gospel in his time, as applicable to the Saviour, he would have poured out the full torrent of his burning wrath, and all the stern denunciations of his most impassioned eloquence, on the head of the scoffer and the blasphemer. It is singular, it is one of the remarkable facts in the history of mind, that a man with the New Testament before him, and accustomed to contemplate daily its language, could ever have allowed himself to use expressions like these of the holy and unspotted Saviour (Barnes notes on the New Testament, Galatians 3:13).

Well said, Mr. Barnes, well said.

Free From What?

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”

Many people can quote Jesus’ statement in John 8:32, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,” but few understand its true meaning. Just what did Jesus mean? Free from what? And how will knowing the truth make us free?

Whosoever Commits Sin

The average person in the western world today does not think he needs to be made free from anything. And neither did the Jews of Jesus’ day. They were puzzled by Jesus’ statement.

They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? (John 8:33).

Because the Roman government allowed them a limited amount of autonomy, the Jews to whom Jesus was speaking thought of themselves as free. But Jesus’ answer reveals that he was not speaking of the enslavement of one human being by another.

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin (verse 34).

Jesus was speaking of the enslavement of SIN. The man or woman who sins is not free, because he or she serves sin. Whoever commits sin IS the servant of sin.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16).

Sin is what has enslaved us all. Sin is the thing from which we all need to be made free. And what will free us, Jesus says, is the truth. But that flies in the face of what many believe. Many, if not most, have been taught that God’s forgiveness is what frees us from sin.

Does Forgiveness Free Us From Sin?

“For sin SHALL NOT have dominion over you.” So says Paul, the apostle, in verse 14 of Romans 6. But why will sin not have dominion over us? And how are we to be set free from the tyranny of sin? The rest of verse 14 contains the answer, but it is an answer that is perhaps among the most misunderstood in all of Scripture.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14).

Many church-goers who read this verse reach an entirely inaccurate conclusion. They correctly understand “under grace” to be a reference to the New Covenant; but they incorrectly conclude that what makes us free from the dominion of sin is God’s forgiveness of our sins. They read grace and think forgiveness. But they are wrong!

Grace is not necessarily a synonym for God’s forgiveness. In fact there are many instances in Scripture where the word grace cannot mean God’s forgiveness. For example, we are instructed by the apostle Peter to “grow in grace” (2 Peter 3:18). How is one to grow in God’s forgiveness? Are we to sin more, that God may forgive us more? God forbid! (Romans 6:1-2.)

In secular usage, the word grace (like the Greek word charis from which it is translated) is often used to describe the beauty and elegance of a person or thing. For instance, we may say that the movements of a dancer are graceful. It can also describe an admirable quality of character and personality. For example, a person who is kind, benevolent, merciful and generous is called gracious. It can also mean favor or goodwill. And it can mean mercy or pardon.

In Scripture, the word grace is most often used to describe the nature of God. God is gracious. He possesses every quality of grace in abundance. The beauty and glory of His presence are beyond compare. The admirable qualities of His character and attractive facets of His personality are infinite. Even in secular usage, when a person is described as being gracious or graceful, it is ultimately because he is reflecting the nature of his Creator, in whose image he is made. In fact, the word charisma was coined because it was thought that a person who possessed great personal magnetism and the ability to inspire and influence people had been specially endowed by God with charis (grace).

In any case, Paul CANNOT mean forgiveness for sins when he says “under grace.” Why not? Because no amount of forgiveness for past sins can free us from the dominion of sin over us. Jesus plainly said, “Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin.” Thus, freedom from sin equals cessation from sin. If, when we are forgiven for past sins, we continue to sin, we are not then free from sin. We are still the servants of sin. Sin still has dominion over us. Only when we have stopped sinning can it truly be said that sin no longer has dominion over us.

So “under grace” is NOT – as so many believe – a reference to a covenant based solely (or even primarily) upon forgiveness of sins. The New Covenant is about ceasing from sin. While forgiveness is an element of the New Covenant, it is not the primary element, nor is it even a new element. Forgiveness was available under the Old Covenant (2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 103:8-12). John preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins before the crucifixion of our Savior (Mark 1:4). No, forgiveness of sins is not what is new about the New Covenant.

So, what is new about the New Covenant? The author of Hebrews, quoting the prophet Jeremiah, provides the answer:

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them (Hebrews 10:16).

The New Covenant is about internalizing the law of God. Under the Old Covenant, the Ten Commandments were external, written on tables of stone. But now, under the New Covenant, God’s great spiritual law of love, which is outlined by the Ten Commandments, is to be written in our hearts. It is to become a living part of our being. Ezekiel describes it as receiving a new heart.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

This “new spirit” is God’s Spirit. Apart from God’s Spirit, the natural human mind is the enemy of God and cannot be subject to the law of God (Romans 8:7). But with the addition of His Spirit, the human mind is now receptive to God’s law.

God’s law is simply a reflection of His mind. It defines His way of life; it describes His nature. And His nature – His grace -- is to be woven into the fabric of who and what we are. It is to become our very nature. We are made, by the grace of God in us, to be partakers of the DIVINE nature.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4).

He That Eats My Flesh

Jesus used an analogy of food to illustrate how we can be partakers of the divine nature, the grace that he and the Father possess. In the gospel of John, we find that He called Himself the bread of life, and spoke of men eating that bread.

This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:50-51)

In other words, we are to internalize Jesus Christ. Just as when we take food into our body, it is digested and eventually becomes part of us; so when we take Jesus into our mind by reading His Word and by receiving His Spirit, He becomes part of us. Jesus continues speaking:

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me (John 6:54-57).

Jesus is talking here about the most intimate of relationships. He’s talking about the same kind of relationship he had with the Father. Of that relationship he said, “I and my father are one” (John 10:30). And again, when Philip asked Him to show them the Father, he said:

Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 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 (John 14:9-10).

A Great Mystery

Jesus has promised us the possibility of a relationship with Him that is the same as the relationship that he had (and still has) with God the Father. In the book of Ephesians, Paul likens it to the relationship between a husband and wife. He compares the man to Christ, and the wife to the Church:

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:23-25).

Notice that the Church is equated with Jesus’ body. The Church is made up of individuals who are distinct entities from Christ, yet are all part of His body.

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones (Ephesians 5:28-30).

Paul then makes a remarkable connection between the physical union of a husband and wife, and the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church. He calls it “a great mystery.”

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31-32).

The mystery is that Jesus and the Church are one. They are one because Jesus dwells in the individual members of the body. “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” Thus, the Church becomes His body. The most intimate of human relationships, the marital relationship, is a picture of the heavenly.

You Shall Know The Truth

Scripture uses the word “know” to refer to this intimate marital relationship. For example, the first recorded human conception is described with the words, “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain” (Genesis 4:1). When Mary was told by Gabriel that she would bear a son, she said, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34).

When Jesus says that we will know the truth, He is using the word know in this same sense of an intimate relationship of oneness. The Greek word translated “know” in Luke 1:34 is ginosko, the same word used in the original text of Jesus’ statement “you shall know the truth.” From Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words:

The verb [ginosko] is also used to convey the thought of connection or union, as between man and woman.

Jesus is talking about us having this kind of intimate relationship with HIM! Jesus IS the Truth (John 14:6). It is only when we dwell in Him, and He in us, that we really know the Truth. Those who really know Jesus are one with him, as he is with the Father. Those who really know Jesus are partakers of His divine nature: He is writing His law in their hearts; He is transforming their hearts and minds by His Spirit, which imparts His grace. Forgiveness is a part of this transformation process, but it is only the starting point for the New Covenant Christian.

Forgiveness for our sins reconciles us to God, but it does not change our nature. God has determined to change our nature. This change in our nature, which comes through knowing Jesus – dwelling in Him, and He in us – thereby enabling Him to write his law in our hearts with the Spirit, is spoken of by Paul as he contrasts the Old and New Covenants:

…ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart… [God] also hath made us able ministers of the new testament [covenant]; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life (2 Corinthians 3:3, 6).

The Spirit gives us life because it imparts the nature of God to us; a nature which can be summed up in one word -- love. God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). And “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost [Spirit] which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5). It is this love of God that allows us to keep His law. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:3). It is God’s love – His nature, His grace -- given to us by the Spirit through faith, which gives us life and sets us free from sin.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:2-4).

The law is righteous, but it has no power of itself to make us righteous. The natural mind of man is “not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7). Only with the grace of God, received through the Spirit, can one be subject to God’s law. Under the Old Covenant the law was given to Israel, but it did not make those people righteous; but rather they (and we) were all concluded under sin (Galatians 3:21-22) and were therefore under the death penalty. Thus, Paul calls the Old Covenant the ministration of death.

But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory (2 Corinthians 3:7-9).

Paul calls the New Covenant the ministration of righteousness because under it God is imparting His righteousness to us. Under the Old Covenant God gave Israel the Ten Commandments, written on tables of stone, as well as ceremonial laws and rituals designed to lead them in the path of righteousness. But true righteousness cannot be legislated. True righteousness comes from within. True righteousness comes from the heart.

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18).

Under grace -- the New Covenant -- God is creating in us a new heart. He is imparting to us His very nature. He is creating in us true righteousness -- HIS righteousness – through the indwelling of His Spirit in us. If we will walk in the Spirit -- if we truly dwell in Christ, and He in us --we have the Truth dwelling in us, and we are then partakers of the divine nature. We are “under grace.” That is how we are to be set free from the tyranny of sin. That is how the Truth sets us free.

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But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18).

What Is Required For Salvation?

“And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? “

As every serious student of the Bible knows, salvation is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23). But is it a gift that he gives to all? Or does God have a minimum requirement that must be met before he will give the gift of eternal life in his Kingdom? And if so, what is it?

Even the most liberal of theologians believe that there is a minimum requirement. Although they claim that the bar is set very, very low; still they preach that salvation is only given to those who accept Jesus Christ as personal savior. According to them, that is all one must do! The popular notion is that one doesn’t have to keep the law because Jesus kept it for us. Once a person has “given his heart to the Lord” he is saved, both now and forever, regardless of future behavior. Once saved, always saved.

Of course, it is easy to see the flaws in what much of mainstream Christianity believes. We who attend the various churches of God recognize that more is required of us than merely professing a belief in Christ. We know that Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). We understand that we must do the will of the Father.

Or do we? Do we really believe that doing the will of the Father – living by his standard of righteousness -- is a requirement for salvation? Or have we been convinced that overcoming sin in this life is impossible? Have we been conditioned to believe that merely trying to obey God is enough? Do we think that God will overlook the fact that we lack his holy, righteous character? Do we think that at the return of Jesus Christ, God will somehow miraculously endow us with the character that we have failed to develop?

Just what is God’s requirement for salvation? The bar is set much higher than many realize. Notice the words of Jesus:

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).

Clearly, there is a level of righteousness to which we must attain to or we will not enter into the Kingdom of God. And it must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees. So what, exactly, is the righteousness that God expects of us? What must one do to enter into the Kingdom of God?


There Is None Good But God

Nearly 2000 years ago Jesus was asked this very question by a wealthy ruler of the Jewish people.

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? (Matthew 19:16).

Before Jesus answered this man’s question, he made a statement which at first glance may seem unrelated to the question. But it is a statement that is fundamental to understanding the topic at hand. He said:

“Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God” (verse 17a).

Why did Jesus say this? And what does it have to do with what is required for eternal life?

Jesus’ statement implies that genuine righteousness is the domain of God alone; that true goodness does not spring from any human resource. While we mortals are capable of doing “good” on a human level, our righteousness does not approach God’s standards. Even at its best, human righteousness, when compared to God’s righteousness, is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Jesus statement hints at the fact that self righteousness is not sufficient for salvation.

Although the term “self righteous” does not appear in the King James Bible, it is an apt description of the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day. It properly refers to people who attempt to achieve righteousness on the strength of their own resources -- those who, as Jesus said, trust in themselves that they are righteous (Luke 18:9). What Jesus called “the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees” is self righteousness – it is human righteousness, generated solely by the industry of our own efforts.

The apostle Paul fully understood what Jesus meant by “the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.” Prior to his conversion, Paul was a Pharisee, and had attained the highest level of human righteousness possible. He said, concerning “the righteousness which is in the law” that he was “blameless” (Philippians 3:6). And yet he regarded the things of his former life, including this remarkable achievement, as “dung” (verse 8). He sought after a much higher level of righteousness, desiring that he might:

…be found in him [Christ], not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith (Philippians 3:9).

Paul recognized that his righteousness was not enough for salvation. Without the righteousness which comes by faith -- the righteousness of God (Romans 3:22) -- he knew that he would not attain unto the resurrection of eternal life (Philippians 3:11). Paul’s righteousness was the same as the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. It was human righteousness. Paul describes the mindset of the Jewish religious community of which he was once a part:

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).

When Jesus said, “There is none good but one, that is, God,” he addressed the fact that true righteousness comes only from God. Although there is a level of righteousness that is attainable through human goodness, it is self righteousness, and it is not sufficient for entry into the Kingdom of God.


If You Will Be Perfect

Now back to the rich ruler’s question. This young man asked what “good” thing he could do to have eternal life. Implied in Jesus’ initial response -- that there is none good but God -- is the understanding that human goodness is not enough. But then Jesus went on to add:

…but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17b).

After confirming that Jesus meant the Ten Commandments, the man told Jesus that he had kept them from the time that he was a child. He then asked Jesus what else he needed to do. What Jesus didn’t say in his answer is almost as instructive as what he did say.

Jesus did not say, “Oh, no, you haven’t kept the Commandments.” He seems to accept the man’s statement at face value. Perhaps this man, like Paul, had diligently observed the letter of the law. But something more is required to inherit eternal life. We know this because Jesus then said to him:

If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me (verse 21).

Notice Jesus’ use of the word “perfect.” Clearly he implies that being perfect – whatever that might mean – is necessary for eternal life. And he clearly enunciated the way to perfection. He told this rich man to sell all of his possessions, give the money to the poor and to follow him. (Of course not all of us are required to sell all our possessions and give the money to the poor. But we all must be willing to give up everything to follow Christ.) Now this man was very rich. His life revolved around his possessions, and Jesus knew it. In essence, Jesus was telling this man to give up his life.

This story is preserved for our benefit. Just as for this man, the road to perfection – and thus eternal life -- required giving up what he valued the most; our road to perfection and eternal life requires us to give up anything upon which we place a higher value than God. Giving up one’s life is necessary for salvation. Jesus said:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it (Luke 9:24).

Paul describes giving up his life in terms of an actual death of the former self. He says that he was “made conformable to [Jesus’] death” (Philippians 3:10). In his letter to the Romans he refers to the death of the old self – the old man – as being crucified with Jesus Christ.

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin (Romans 6:6).

Jesus declared that any man who would be his disciple must be crucified with him, saying, “He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38). A man who carries his cross is a man who is on his way to be crucified. The Roman soldiers made the condemned man carry his own cross; thus Jesus is describing a man who is to be crucified.

Baptism pictures death by crucifixion. Being immersed under water in baptism is merely acting out in a physical play what has already taken place in our heart and mind. When we repent, we make a commitment to crucify the old self with Jesus Christ. The underwater immersion of baptism pictures the death and burial of the old man. Notice what Paul says:

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (Romans 6:3).

With Men It Is Impossible

Unfortunately, this wealthy ruler was not willing to give up his life. His material possessions were too important to him. We read that “he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” Even as this young man walked away from what was too difficult for him, Jesus turned to his disciples and commented on the difficulty of entering into the kingdom of God.

Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:23-24).

The disciples were shocked! They understood that Jesus was talking about something physically impossible. A camel cannot fit through the eye of a needle. They wondered how any man could then enter into the kingdom of God.

When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? (verse 25).

Notice they did not ask how a rich man could be saved. They asked how anyone could be saved. Why they made the leap from rich man to any man is not certain -- perhaps they thought that this man, being not only wealthy, but a ruler, would have a better chance of getting into the kingdom than an ordinary citizen. It wouldn’t be the first time that wealth and power has been mistaken for favor with God.

In any case, it is important to understand the question that Jesus was asked. The disciples asked him how anyone could be saved. They said, “Who then can be saved? ” And Jesus answered:

With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible (verse 26).

The importance of Jesus’ statement here cannot be overemphasized. He is clearly telling us that it is humanly impossible for ANYONE to enter into the kingdom of God. But he is also telling us that with God, the impossible is made possible.

The bar for entry into the Kingdom of God is set far too high for any human being to make it in on his own merits. Paul knew that his own righteousness would not suffice. As Jesus said, our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. The level of righteousness required is God’s righteousness (Romans 10:3).

God’s righteousness is not attainable through human effort. It must be bestowed by God, who is the only one who has it to give. As with eternal life, God’s righteousness is a gift.

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

The gift of righteousness, which comes from God, is obtained by the faith of Jesus Christ. Paul describes this righteousness as “the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:22). And even the faith of Jesus Christ is a gift.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).

Salvation is entirely a gift from God. There is no part of the salvation process that man can claim credit for, “that no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:29). Salvation is only possible because God is doing what is humanly impossible: he is creating in separate beings -- beings that possess the power of independent thought and free will – his perfect, righteous holy character. “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. ”

God’s intended purpose for the Christian life is to develop the mind of Jesus Christ in us (Philippians 2:5). He is creating in human beings the ability to obey, from the heart, his holy, spiritual law. He wants to make his law become a part of us – to make his nature become our nature. This is the very essence of the New Covenant.

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people (Jeremiah 31:33).

Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them (Hebrews 10:15-16).

This is the hope of the New Covenant: to take on the very nature of God himself. As Paul writes in Romans 5, this hope is made possible by the gift of God’s love – which enables us to fulfill his law (Romans 13:10) -- dispersed in our heart by the Holy Spirit.

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:5).

Although God’s righteousness is a gift, it is not a gift that God can bestow instantaneously by divine command. Holy, righteous character must be developed over time, through trial and testing. And this development process begins with crucifying the self – the old man – with Christ.


Why Crucifixion?

Why did Jesus die by crucifixion? There are many other methods of execution, most -- if not all -- of which are more humane. Death by crucifixion is a particularly painful death. Our English word “excruciating”, which means “extremely painful; causing intense suffering; unbearably distressing” comes from the Latin for “out of crucifying.”

It is difficult to imagine a slower, more painful and agonizing death than crucifixion. But God the Father and the Word had decided long ago that Jesus would die by crucifixion. Why?

Jesus’ death by crucifixion shows us the death of the old man. The old man does not die quickly, nor does he die without significant pain. As with a victim of crucifixion, the old man dies slowly and painfully.

This understanding of how the old man dies is of utmost importance to a Christian. Although at initial repentance and baptism we make a commitment to crucify the self with Christ, the old man does not immediately die!

The death of the old man requires an ongoing commitment. Jesus could have, at any time he was on the cross, decided to get down from the cross. He was the son of God! He could do anything he wanted. He said to the disciples, “[Think you] that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). But he had made a commitment to see his crucifixion through to the end.

In like manner, we must see the death of the old man through to the very end. It does not happen overnight! It requires a daily commitment to continue in the process of crucifying the old man with Christ. Jesus said that we must take up our cross on a daily basis.

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23).

Thus, each day we must make a renewed commitment to deny our selfish desires and willingly give up our life to Christ as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). Day by day, the old man grows weaker and weaker; but until the time comes that the old man is completely dead, we must continually renew our commitment to “die daily” -- as Paul said that he did. (1 Corinthians 15:31).

Just as Jesus suffered an excruciating death on the cross, so we will suffer in the course of the old man dying. But the suffering we endure is not without purpose. Peter writes that it is through suffering that we learn to stop sinning.

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin (1Peter 4:1).

God’s great purpose in allowing us to suffer is to purify us, thereby enabling us to inherit eternal life. Jesus, the scripture says, endured the suffering of crucifixion “for the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:2), and we, too, have great joy set before us. Paul writes that if we suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified with him.

…if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:17-18).

Suffering of itself has no value, but God uses it for our benefit, working all things “together for good” for his children (Romans 8:28). God does not enjoy seeing his children suffer, but as a loving Father, he disciplines us for our own good.

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth (Hebrews 12:6).

God chastens us by orchestrating circumstances in our life such that we learn the lessons that he wants us to learn. It is through these circumstances – often quite painful in the short term – that God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). That is, he guides us through the process of crucifying the old man, while at the same time nourishing the new creation in us. For if we are in Christ, we are -- even before the process is complete -- a new creation in Christ.


A New Creation

In water baptism, we act out the process of transformation from the old man to the new man. Immersion under the water represents the death and burial of the old man -- being crucified with Christ. But just as we are to be crucified with Christ, we are also to be resurrected with him! Coming up out of the water depicts a resurrection to live a new and different life. We are from that time forward to “walk in newness of life.”

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).

When we come up out of the water of baptism and receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands (Hebrews 6:2; Acts 8:15-17), a new life is begun in us. God’s Spirit unites with our spirit, just as a human sperm and egg unite. We are at that moment, a newly created, but not yet fully formed, child of God.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16).

The union of God’s Spirit with our spirit creates the embryo of a new life within us. And though that embryo must grow and develop, it is nevertheless the beginning of a new life. We are now literally a new creation.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The new life forming within us is being shaped in the image of Jesus Christ. We are to be transformed to take on his very mind -- his nature and character. As with a human baby: though the final shape of the child is not at first apparent, the pattern of the baby’s development is predetermined. In the same way, our heavenly Father has predetermined that we are to be shaped in the image of Jesus Christ.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).

This growth process takes time, but eventually we will be fully formed in the image of Christ. Following the analogy of human birth, Paul called the brethren at Galatia his little children, with whom he waited for, and worked toward, the completion of this transformation.

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you (Galatians 4:19).

Paul’s role in the church at Galatia of nurturing the brethren toward maturity illustrates the function that God has ordained for his ministers within his Church. The ministers’ role is to edify the members of the body of Christ. It is to instruct, exhort and encourage the members of the body of Christ to grow to perfection – that is, to mature until fully formed in the image of Christ.

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (Eph 4: 11-13).

How does God accomplish this? How does he perfect us? How does he develop the tiny spark of new life that was begun in us when we received his Spirit? How do we grow up to “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”?


He That Abides In Me

As we have seen, the development of God’s righteousness in us is a process that begins with giving up our life, our old way of doing things. It means crucifying the old man with Christ. Upon true repentance, baptism and the laying on of hands, we receive God’s Spirit, which combines with our human spirit and gives birth to a new creation.

But this new creation is just an embryo. It must grow and develop in the womb of the mother until it is fully formed. As with a human baby, our development can only take place when we are being nourished from our mother, the Jerusalem which is above (Galatians 4:26). Aside from artificial life support, a fetus that is removed from the mother’s body will die.

Jesus illustrated this principle with the analogy of a fruit-bearing vine. A branch cannot obtain the nourishment necessary for life and for bearing fruit unless it is connected to the vine. Jesus said:

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

Apart from Jesus, we can do NOTHING! In order for us to receive the nourishment needed to grow and develop, we must remain in Christ, the source of spiritual food and life. Unless we remain in Christ, we wither and die spiritually.

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned (verse 6).

Even Christ himself, when he walked the earth in human form, said, “I can of mine own self do nothing” (John 5:30). Jesus was totally dependent upon the Father. He said, “the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10).

Too many of us have struggled in vain to be righteous by doing our own works. Like the Israelites described by Paul, we have been ignorant of God's righteousness, and have gone about trying to establish our own righteousness (Romans 10:3). But the fruits of righteousness are not something we can create by our own efforts. Fruit is created by the vine from within, and born through the branches.

Consider the analogy of a fruit tree. Say, for instance, a man plants an orange tree in his backyard in hopes of someday harvesting a crop of oranges. How does he realize the hope of picking mature, ripe oranges from his tree? Does he manufacture the oranges in his workshop and fasten them to the branches of the tree? Of course not! The oranges are miraculously created from within the tree, nourished by the water and nutrients drawn up from the soil by the tree’s roots.

We cannot manufacture the fruits of righteousness by our own efforts. The only effort required of us is the effort of seeking to be watered and nourished. We must expend diligent effort to be in, and remain in, the vine – the source of all spiritual water and nourishment. That is to say, we must talk to God in prayer, and fill our mind with his Word, on a frequent, consistent basis. The fruits of righteousness will then grow from within us -- if we remain in the vine.

The miracle of plant life was created by God, not just to feed man, but to teach us spiritual lessons. A seed by itself cannot do anything. It must be put into the soil, where it dies! (1 Corinthians 15:36). Then, when it is watered and nourished by the nutrients found in the soil, and activated by the warmth of the sun, a new life sprouts up. If this new life continues to be nourished, it grows and eventually bears fruit.

It’s the same process with us. We, of ourselves can do nothing. But when God begins to work with us, when we die to our old self, when we are fed with the nutrients found in the Word of God, and when we are watered by the Holy Spirit, we then begin to grow and bear fruit.

But it is not the fruit of our righteousness! It is the fruit of God’s righteousness in us. That is why God’s Word calls these fruits “the fruits of the SPIRIT! ” (Galatians 5:22-23). They are the tangible evidence and result of GOD’S righteousness IN us. This kind of fruit grows supernaturally from within us only when we are in Christ. We must live in Christ, and Christ must live in us; just as Jesus lived in the Father, and the Father lived in him.

Jesus was in complete harmony with the Father. He described his relationship with the Father when speaking with the disciples. Philip asked him to show them the Father, and Jesus answered:

Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 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 (John 14:10-11).

We can actually have the very same relationship with Jesus Christ and the Father that they have with each other. Jesus went on to tell the disciples that although he would leave them physically, he would not leave them comfortless, but that he and the Father would come and live in them through the Holy Spirit.

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you…Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (verses 18-20, 23).

Jesus speaks even more plainly of this special relationship a few chapters later in the same book of John. At the conclusion of his last Passover supper with the disciples, Jesus prayed for them:

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are…Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me (John 17:11, 20-23).

What an exciting and yet sobering reality to contemplate! “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. ” When we are in Christ, and he is living in us, we are actually one with the very Creator and Ruler of all things. This awesome spiritual reality is clearly seen in the physical creation, as we will see in the next section


A Great Mystery

As we saw in the previous section, the Creator made the universe in such a way that the physical creation mirrors the spiritual. He did this so that we could see and understand the invisible things of the spirit realm by observing the physical, material world around us.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made (Romans 1:20).

Perhaps the most amazing spiritual reality to be comprehended by observing the physical creation is seen in the divine institution of marriage. The relationship between Christ and the Church is understood by the relationship between a husband and wife. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul admonishes husbands and wives to see their roles in terms of Christ and the Church.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:23-25).

Paul then makes a profound statement about how Christ loves the Church. Christ not only gave himself to redeem the Church, but he is actively working to perfect the Church. Paul describes the process:

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (verses 26-27).

Water is used in the Scriptures as a type of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39). God’s Spirit, in conjunction with his Word, affects a cleansing, purifying process within us, which ultimately results in character that is holy, and without spot, or wrinkle or any blemish. More about this later, but now Paul completes the analogy of husband and wife.

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church (verses 28-32).

What Paul calls a great mystery is the fact that we can actually be one with Christ through the Spirit, even as a husband and wife are one. A husband and wife are individual beings, yet because they are physically joined together, they are called one flesh. The Father and Jesus Christ are individual beings, yet because they share the same Spirit, and thus are of the same mind, they are ONE.

For the very same reason that a woman is both the wife of her husband and at the same time part of his body, the Church is called the bride and wife of Christ (Revelation 19:7; 21:2), and it is called the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). The relationship that God ordained between a husband and wife is the same exact relationship that the Church has with Christ. They are ONE!
It is difficult for the human mind to grasp the REALITY of this. Because we are physical, the material world that we can see and touch seems real to us, while the unseen spirit realm seems unreal. We can see the reality of being one with our wife or our husband, but being one with God seems distant and ethereal. The reality, however, is that God is offering us the opportunity to be ONE with him and with Christ through his Spirit living in us.

When we are in Christ, we are literally one with him through the Spirit. If we are crucified with Christ, then we are also resurrected with him -- as pictured by coming up out of the water of baptism -- to LIVE with him. We are literally raised up to sit with him at the right hand of the Father.

But God...hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:4-6).

Meditate on these scriptures! Do we really grasp the enormity of what God inspired Paul to write here? Do we really understand what it means to be in Christ? And would we profane and defile the temple of God’s Holy Spirit with sin in our life if we were truly living in Christ?

Of course we can only live in Christ if we are truly crucified with him. There can be no resurrection without there first being a death and a burial. But the old man does not want to be crucified and die; he wants to revive himself and come down off the cross to live and walk the broad street that is the way of this world.


Who Will Deliver Me?

The old man does not give up easily. There is a great struggle that takes place inside us between the old man and the new man. Paul describes this internal struggle in Romans, chapter 7:

For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (Romans 7:14-16).

Paul was fighting his own nature, a nature contrary to the law. As we read previously, Paul was capable of adhering to the letter of the law, but he could not fulfill the spirit of the law. The law is spiritual, and therefore addresses the thoughts and intentions of our mind.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

Jesus addressed the spiritual nature of the law in his famous Sermon on the Mount. He said that it is not enough to refrain from violating the letter of the law. The righteousness of God requires that even the very thoughts and intentions of our heart be pure.

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28).

God’s righteousness begins with righteous thoughts; but the natural human heart is incapable of controlling thought. To try to not think about something is to think about it. Trying to control our thoughts is like trying to grasp the wind – it is humanly impossible.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9).

Paul discovered that he could not control the thoughts and intentions of his heart. He found the righteousness of God beyond his grasp. He strove for it, but could not -- of himself -- attain it.

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do (Romans 7:17-19).

Paul describes the struggle within him in terms of warfare. The two natures, one the old man, the other the new man, battled each other for control of his mind.

Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (verses 20-23).

Paul knew it was a war he could not win. He recognized that he did not have within himself the resources to win the battle between the sin that permeated his fleshly body, and the desire of the inner man to serve the law of God. So he asks this question:

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (verse 24).

It is a great question! Unfortunately, many people stop reading there, and conclude that Paul never won the battle. But Paul answers his own question:

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin (verse 25).

Paul declares plainly that God, through Jesus Christ, would deliver him! God delivered the ancient nation of Israel from the bondage of Egypt (a type of sin) and he will deliver us from sin, too -- if we ask him, and if we have surrendered our lives to him. God’s instructions through Moses to the Israelites poised to cross the Red Sea were recorded for us – modern-day, spiritual Israel:

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever (Exodus 14:13).

God fought for his people in ancient times, and he will fight for us, too, in our battles with sin. In the second book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel and Judah, we find the story of how God fought for Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. This story is recorded for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come (1 Corinthians 10:11).


The Battle Is Not Yours

King Jehoshaphat strove to obey God and as a result was blessed greatly. We read that “The LORD was with Jehoshaphat”, that his enemies made peace with him, that “he had riches and honour in abundance” and that he “waxed great exceedingly” (2 Chronicles 17:3-5, 10-12).

And yet there came a time when God allowed a great trial to come upon Jehoshaphat. One day the king got alarming news of an impending invasion. The Moabites and the Ammonites and the inhabitants of Mount Seir had gathered together a vast army, and were marching toward Jerusalem with the intention of destroying Jehoshaphat’s army, taking his land and enslaving his people. Jehoshaphat was badly outnumbered, and he knew it.

This story of war waged upon Jehoshaphat by his enemies is an allegory of our own struggle with sin. Sin threatens to destroy us. The god of this world comes against us with an overwhelming force that we cannot defeat on our own.

Notice how Jehoshaphat dealt with the news of this impending doom. Immediately he set himself to seek God, and proclaimed a fast throughout the land. Now when all the people had gathered together at Jerusalem to ask help of God, the king stood before the people in the house of God to pray.

And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?…And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir…Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee (2 Chronicles 20:6-12).

God’s answer to Jehoshaphat is one of the most encouraging passages in all the Bible. It is the same answer he gives to everyone who asks for his help in the fight to overcome sin, and whose heart is right with him.

Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's…Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD (2 Chronicles 20:15-17).

Just as God destroyed the armies of Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir that day, he will destroy sin in our life, if we will allow him to. But he will only do this if and when we give up our life, and unconditionally surrender to the authority of his governance in our life. As long as we continue to violate the first Commandment by allowing other interests to take first place in our heart and mind, God will not fight for us. He will let sin have dominion over us, just as he allowed the Israelites to be conquered by the surrounding pagan nations when they forsook him and followed after strange gods.

But if we will give up our life, and put God first, he will fight against sin for us. If we will crucify the self with Christ and diligently seek God, he will deliver us from our enemy, and from a battle we cannot win on our own strength. He will “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The battle belongs to God.


The Righteousness Of The Law Fulfilled In Us

Paul understood that in the war against sin, the battle belongs to God. Immediately after describing the inner struggle between the old man and the new creation inside him, Paul not only declares that God will deliver him, he makes this remarkable statement:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2).

Paul plainly states that the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ made him FREE from the law of sin and death that dwelt in his flesh. But how many people have completely ignored this passage of Scripture? Many in the churches of God today claim that Paul could not, and did not, overcome sin; and therefore make the claim that we are not required to overcome sin. The people who make these claims have taken Romans 7 completely out of context.

The greater context of Paul’s letter to the Romans is that we must overcome sin through Jesus Christ living in us. Notice what Paul wrote in the preceding chapter.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1-2).

The message that Paul clearly conveys here is that we are no longer to live in sin. We are now to be dead to sin. We have, as he says in verses 3-4, been baptized into the death of Jesus Christ; we are to be raised up with Christ to walk in newness of life. We are to live a new and different life:

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin (verse 6).

Does this sound like Paul believes that we cannot overcome sin? No! If there remains any doubt, Paul forcefully states his belief here:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (verses 12-14).

Sin shall not have dominion over you! What would happen to us if we were to allow sin to have dominion over us?

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

While it is true that Paul could not, by his own strength, overcome sin; it is not true to say that Paul continued to sin. If we continue to sin, the end result is not eternal life in God’s Kingdom; it is death. But God provided a way for Paul to be delivered from sin, as he stated at the conclusion of Romans 7. And in the following chapter, he expands on this way that God provided for him -- and has provided for us -- to overcome sin and be given the gift of eternal life.

Remember, Paul begins Romans 8 by making this remarkable statement: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are IN Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me FREE from the law of sin and death.

The way that God has provided for us to overcome sin is to be IN Christ; to walk after the Spirit. In other words, we must live in Christ, and Christ must live in us. As Paul wrote in another place:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

Paul did not overcome by the strength of his own resources. He overcame by living in Christ, which is to say that Christ lived in him. He continues with this theme in Romans 8:

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:3-4).

Jesus Christ will fulfill the righteousness of the law in us, if we are truly crucified with him. We cannot, of our self, fulfill the righteousness of the law. Why? Because the law is spiritual; but we are carnal, sold under sin (Romans 7:14). As Paul said:

…the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be (Romans 8:7).

Our carnal, natural mind cannot be subject to the law of God. So when we are in the flesh, we cannot please God (verse 8). But notice now this all-important truth:

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you (verse 9).

Did you get that? If Christ, through the Spirit of God, is truly living in us, we are not in the flesh! Yes, we are still housed in a physical, fleshly body -- but we are not in the flesh; we are in the Spirit, if Christ lives in us. This is the way that God has provided for us to overcome sin. We abide in Christ; we walk after the Spirit, and are made free of the law of sin and death. Jesus Christ lives his life in us and fulfills the righteousness of the law in us.

Now some will quote Paul saying, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect” (Philippians 3:12) as proof that Paul never fully attained perfection, never fully overcame sin. But take a look at a more complete account of Paul’s statement:

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:11-14).

All this really proves is that perfection is a process. The development of God’s perfect, holy, righteous character -- whether in Paul, or in each of us – is a process that takes a lifetime. Paul had not yet gotten there, but he “followed after” and “press[ed] toward the mark.” If anything, these verses add yet further evidence that there is a relationship between perfection and attaining unto the resurrection of eternal life.


Be You Therefore Perfect

Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). While this scripture has been the subject of many a message from the pulpit, ultimately the effect of these messages has been to convince the listener that Jesus didn’t really mean what he said. Did he mean, as many have suggested, nothing more than that we are to become mature? Or did he really mean that we are to become perfect, just as God the Father is perfect?

There is no doubt that the word “perfect” can be argued to mean “mature”. While one definition of perfect is: “being without defect or blemish”; another definition is: “lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its nature or kind.” Mature is defined as: “having reached full natural growth or development; a desired or final condition” (American Heritage Dictionary). Clearly, the two words can have similar meaning: “complete of its nature” is virtually synonymous with “having reached full natural growth.”

So if Jesus meant that we are to become perfect in the sense of mature or complete, what, exactly, are we to mature into? What “full development” or “complete nature” are we to come to? Paul writes:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ (Ephesians 4:13-15).

What we are to mature into is Jesus Christ! If the scripture says that we are to “grow up into him in all things” (verse 15), is it not saying we are to become perfect, as he is perfect? Christ is perfect, and as Paul said, Christ is being formed in us (Galatians 4:19). Is maturing “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” really any different than becoming perfect in the sense of “being without defect or blemish”?

Defining “perfect” as “mature” is nothing more than a semantic exercise, which only serves to obscure the fact that God is reproducing himself by creating his holy, righteous, perfect character in human beings. Paul confirms this as he continues the theme in Ephesians 4 of growing into the perfection of Christ. He exhorts us to:

...put off concerning the former [conduct] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4: 22 -24).

God is creating the new man “in righteousness and true holiness”! Peter describes the process of God’s creation as taking on the very nature of God.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:4).

Exceeding great and precious promises indeed! We can, through the righteousness of God -- through Jesus Christ living in us -- escape the corruption that is in the world. We are saved by the life of Christ, that is, by him living his perfect life in us.

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 (Romans 5:10).

Lest There Be Any Profane Person

In Hebrews 12, we are admonished to beware of taking for granted the promises of which Peter spoke. We are told to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” (verse 1) and to endure the chastening of God, which “yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (verse 11). We are exhorted to follow after “holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (verse 14).

We are admonished to be diligent in seeking God, “lest any man fail of the grace of God” (verse 15). We are warned against being profane, as in the example of Esau, who rejected the promises of his birthright:

Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears (verses 16-17).

It is sobering to think that we, like Esau, might be rejected if we behave in a profane manner. And it should sober us, because the consequences are serious.

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God (Ephesians 5: 5).

Esau’s sin was covetousness, which is idolatry (Colossians 3:5); and his story is preserved for our benefit. Is it possible that some of us are guilty of profaning our birthright? Are we guilty of idolatry? Have we placed greater importance on the physical pursuits of this life than we have placed on seeking the Kingdom of God “and HIS righteousness”? (Matthew 6:33).

The writer of Hebrews seeks to impress upon us the gravity of our situation. He describes the awesome aspect of God’s presence on Mount Sinai, and how it caused the people to fear and tremble. He then compares that encounter with God to our encounter with the Creator. We are not come unto a physical mountain, but into the very presence of the living God. How much more should we fear and tremble? (Philippians 2:12).

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect (Hebrews 12:22-23).

There is that word perfect again. “The spirits of just men made perfect.” How were they made perfect? They have not yet been given Spirit bodies. The only logical, scriptural conclusion is that God perfected them while they were human beings, through the “the chastening of the Lord” which yields “the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

Some discount what the writer of Hebrews says here. They will quote the verse immediately preceding Hebrews 12, with its theme of God’s chastening, and righteousness. This verse, speaking of the great men and women of faith, says:

God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect (Hebrews 11:40).

They point to this scripture and say, “See? They are not yet made perfect.” Of course, they conveniently forget that they had previously insisted that the word “perfect” means “mature”, or “complete.” But as we have seen, the word “perfect” can mean “complete”, which is clearly its meaning here.

The Church is a holy temple, which is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20-21). This building, which is the body of Christ, is not complete without that which every member of the body adds (1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:16). Thus, the spirits of just men made perfect await the addition of us, the remainder of the body, without which they are an incomplete temple.

Those who misinterpret Hebrews 11:40 take it out of context, as they also take passages in Romans 7 out of context. But the only way to understand the Bible is to let the Bible interpret itself. We must look at all the scriptures on a given subject; and on this subject, the overwhelming evidence of the Bible is that we must overcome sin; we must submit to God and allow him to develop within us the mind of Christ -- his holy, righteous, perfect character.

To think that we don’t have to overcome sin is to ignore the vast majority of Scripture. To think that even though we don’t completely overcome sin, that God will still grant us eternal life in his Kingdom is denial of the worst sort. Do not be deceived.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:7-8).

Do not be deceived! God is not mocked: the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Those who live after the flesh will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5: 19-21).

Is it possible that we who attend the churches of God are guilty of any of these works of the flesh? How about idolatry, for example? Do we allow other things to take first place above God in the affections of our heart and mind? Do we think that we will make it into the Kingdom of God if we do not repent and turn from our idolatry? Do not be deceived!

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? BE NOT DECEIVED: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

There it is again: “Be not deceived.” The consequences of defiling the temple of God’s spirit with sin are serious.

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are (1 Corinthians 3:17).

The apostle Peter warns about people who misinterpret the Bible, especially the portions of it written by Paul. He concedes that Paul’s writings contain passages that are hard to be understood, and therefore cautions us not to be led away into the error of the wicked.

As also in all [Paul’s] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness (2 Peter 3:16-17).

Do not be led away into error. God is not going to wave a magic wand at the return of Jesus Christ and turn your unrighteousness into righteousness. Godly character is something that must be developed over time. Righteousness is a gift from God (Romans 3:22), but it is a gift that God cannot give instantaneously by divine command. Have we so soon forgotten the teaching of Herbert Armstrong?

But there was one super-important quality that even God's creative powers could not create instantly by fiat--the same perfect, holy, righteous CHARACTER inherent in both God and the Word! This kind of character must be DEVELOPED, by the CHOICE and the INTENT of the one in whom it comes to exist. So mark well this super-vital truism--that perfect, holy and righteous character is the supreme feat of accomplishment possible for Almighty God the Creator--it is also the means to his ultimate supreme PURPOSE! His final objective!

Actually, this perfect character comes only from God, as instilled within the entity of his creation, upon voluntary acquiescence, even after severe trial and test. (Herbert Armstrong, Mystery Of The Ages, pages 69, 70).

If We Say That We Have No Sin

Invariably, when this topic is discussed, someone will quote 1 John 1:8 as proof that we cannot overcome sin in this life. They will actually use it as an accusation against anyone who dares quote the scriptures where God tells us to be holy, to be righteous, and to be perfect. Below is the verse in question:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8).

Admittedly, this verse, taken by itself, could easily be misunderstood to mean that we cannot ever reach the place in this life where we are free from the law of sin and death. Much of the Bible is written in an ambiguous fashion, making it very easy to misunderstand. Again, one must be careful not to lift any one verse out of context.

An example of misunderstanding a verse by taking it out of context is found in Romans 10:

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13).

If one were to read this scripture by itself, and only this scripture, it would be easy to arrive at the incorrect conclusion that much of mainstream Christianity has arrived at. Of course, it’s easy for us to see it when others take scriptures out of context; but can we see it when we do the same thing?

The context is vital to understanding. In the case of 1 John 1:8, the verses that immediately follow verse 8 clarify what John is saying. When he says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us,” he is clearly speaking of one who claims to have never sinned. We know this in part because of what the very next sentence reads:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (verse 9).

How can God be said to cleanse us of all unrighteousness if we never reach the place where we are no longer sinning? Notice now the first verse of chapter 2, just two sentences later (remember there were originally no chapter breaks in John’s letter):

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not (1 John 2:1).

John’s very purpose in writing the letter is that we “sin not.” If verse 8, of chapter 1, means that one can never overcome sin in this life, it would be a contradiction for John to say, “These things write I unto you, that ye sin not.”

In the next sentence of the same verse, John says “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Not when, but if! The only way for these verses to be reconciled is that in chapter 1, verse 8, John simply means that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and that any person who claims to have never sinned is a liar.

Throughout the remainder of this epistle, John makes it clear that our goal is to overcome sin in this life. In the following verses of chapter 2, he tells us that if we are truly in Christ, we will live as Christ lived.

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked (1 John 2:3-6).

If we do not walk as Christ walked, we are not in Christ! John says this same thing in even plainer language in chapter 3:

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:6-8).

If we think that it is possible to be in Christ, while at the same time committing sin, we are ignoring the plain Word of God. In addition to the passages quoted here from John’s first epistle, we have the testimony of Jesus Christ, who said:

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire (Matthew 7:17-19).

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit! Neither can Jesus Christ -- the good vine -- bring forth evil fruit. He can only bring forth good fruit. Thus, when we are sinning (bringing forth evil fruit), we are not in the vine; but have separated ourselves from the vine -- a condition, which if not corrected, will lead to being withered and cast into the fire (John 15:6).

Is this to say that a Christian will never sin? Or that if one sins, he is not a Christian, or doesn’t have God’s Spirit? No. The developing of God’s righteous character is a process, and on the way to being perfected a Christian can fall prey to temptation and sin. And if that happens, we have a high priest in heaven that understands our weaknesses and will help us.

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

As John said, “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” But let’s not kid ourselves: when we sin, we are not abiding in Christ. A good tree CANNOT bring forth evil fruit. To abide in Christ is to bring forth good fruit.


Denying The Power Thereof

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul forewarns that the last days will be dangerous times. He warns that in the last days there will be people who “will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3). He says that they will be:

…lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away (2 Timothy 3:4-5).

Could we be guilty of having only a form of godliness, while denying the power thereof? Isaiah describes a people who have the appearance of seeking God, but fail to live righteously.

Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God (Isaiah 58:2).

How could we have a form of godliness, and yet deny the power of God? We come before God each week, ostensibly for the purpose of being instructed in righteousness, yet many of us deny that it is God’s purpose to create in us his holy, righteous, perfect character. Many of us say that righteousness is impossible; that it is impossible to fully overcome sin in this life. But Jesus said that with God all things are possible. He says, through the apostle Paul:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5).

Believe it or not, many who read this scripture contend that it doesn’t really mean what it says. They say that “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” is impossible. They unwittingly deny the power of God to do what he says he can do.

We can go to church every week, and call ourselves the people of God; and yet refuse to submit to the authority of God in our lives, denying him the opportunity to create his perfect, holy, righteous character in us. We can deny that God has the power to create in us his righteousness. When we say that sin cannot be fully overcome in this life, we deny the very creative process that defines God’s purpose for mankind.

Why? Why have we repudiated the teaching of Herbert Armstrong that God is creating in us his perfect, holy, righteous character? Why have we repudiated his teaching that this character cannot be bestowed upon us instantaneously by divine fiat, but must be developed over time through trial and test? Why have we denied the power of God to perfect us? What has happened to us?

Timothy gives us the answer: “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. ” Many of us love the physical, material pursuits of this life more than we love God. We put on our Sabbath smiles and come to church services every week as if we were truly seeking God with all our heart; yet we allow the entertainments and pursuits of this world to draw us into covetousness, which is idolatry.

What is the connection with denying the power of God? When we allow idolatry to creep into our life, God will not fight the battle against sin for us! When the Israelites of old drifted into idolatry, God allowed them to be conquered by their enemies. If we go up against sin without God, we will be defeated by it. But it is easy to conclude that sin cannot be overcome. It is easy to delude our self into thinking that the reason we’re being defeated by sin is because it is impossible to overcome sin. Now we’re just one little step away from convincing our self that God doesn’t really require us to fully overcome sin in this life. It is very easy to think that God is with us, when he really isn’t.

We can think that because we go to church on the right day of the week, because we pay our tithes and don’t smoke, because we don’t eat shellfish or pork; that we are in God’s good graces. But for many of us there is much form and little substance to our religion. Many of us have allowed the physical pursuits of this life to take first place in the affections of our heart and mind. John warns us of the dangers of this mindset:

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever (1 John 2:15-17).

There it is again. Eternal life is for those who do the will of God. But many have concluded that righteousness is not a prerequisite to being granted eternal life.

The conclusion that perfect character is not a prerequisite to being granted eternal life is not rooted in Scripture, but in human experience. We struggle on our own against sin, and fail. And in those moments when we are truly honest with our self, we realize that we have not overcome sin, but are wrestling with the same old sins we have faced for years. But instead of recognizing the problem for what it is – that we have been trying to establish our own righteousness, and have not submitted our self unto the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3) – we conclude that sin cannot be fully overcome, and therefore overcoming it must not be a requirement for salvation.


Buy Of Me Gold

Jesus is in the process of sanctifying and cleansing his bride -- the Church– “with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:26-27). Some say that we will not have perfect, holy, righteous character until we are changed into Spirit at the return of Jesus Christ. But if that were true, why does Jesus say that he is cleansing us “with the washing of water by the word”? Would he not rather say that he will cleanse us by changing us into Spirit at his return?

It is true that God will instantaneously change our physical bodies into Spirit at the return of Jesus Christ (1Corinthians 15:50-53); but he cannot similarly transform the human mind. The human mind is already composed of spirit. Our mind is equipped with a spiritual component, which combined with the Spirit of God, results in the beginning of a new creation. The mind of the true Christian is even now undergoing the transformation process:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2).

The way that God renews our mind -- that is, creates a new mind in us -- is by the “washing of water by the word”, which is the operation of the Holy Spirit in us as it interacts with the Word of God to change us from the inside out. It is the means by which God develops within us a new mind -- the mind of Jesus Christ. It is the process by which he cleanses us of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) and develops perfect, holy, righteous character within us. Jesus counsels us, with the utmost gravity, to obtain this righteous character:

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see (Revelation 3:18).

The gold spoken of here is clearly character (1 Peter 1:7); the white raiment is the righteousness of the saints (Revelation 19:8); and the eye salve is the faith of Jesus Christ (2 Kings 6:17). How do we “buy” these things? By diligently seeking the “washing of water by the word.”

We must ask God to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. We must ask him to lead us to a deeper level of repentance that will allow us to lay down our life and truly crucify the old man with Christ. We must put away the false gods – the things in our life that claim higher priority than God – and ask him to conquer sin in our life. We must not let a day go by that we do not seek God through prayer and reading his Word. We must use the tools of fasting, and meditating on God’s Word.

Unfortunately, many in the churches of God no longer believe that it is necessary to develop God’s perfect, holy, righteous character. They don’t believe that God can conquer sin in our life and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. They are like the Israelites who, poised to go into the Promised Land, did not believe that God could defeat their enemies. They saw the enemy as giants, impossible to defeat. Because of their unbelief, God did not allow them to go into the Promised Land. And he warns us, the modern-day, spiritual Israelites:

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:7-13).

Could there be in any of us an evil heart of unbelief? Have we been hardened through the deceitfulness of sin? It is not too late to repent. It is still “today” if we will hear God’s voice. Jesus says to us:

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:19-20).

We must not despise the chastening of the Lord (Proverbs 3:11; Hebrews 12:5); but yield to his authority in our life, knowing “that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). We are God’s workmanship, “created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). If we truly surrender to God and seek him with all our heart, we can be confident that he will perform the good work that he has begun in us (Philippians 1:6).

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches (Revelation 3:21-22).

Yes, there is a minimum requirement for entry into the Kingdom of God: we must overcome sin and develop God’s righteous character. And we can, if we allow Jesus Christ to live in us and fulfill the righteousness of the law in us (Romans 8:4). It is God who works in us, “both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13); but we must do our part -- we must diligently seek him. As Peter said, “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14).

He that has an ear to hear; let him hear.



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“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled”


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“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts”