Salvation is a Precious Gift of God

2003-07-24 13:02

Salvation through faith is a precious gift of God for his people, those God foreknew, not for everyone. It is written: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)."

Salvation is not like selling the Indulgences, just as it is written: "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy (Romans 9:16)."

Two women will be grinding grain together; two people will be plowing together; two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. That is salvation. In the world, there are the people of God, being separate. With man, it is impossible to know who they are, but God knows each one of his people. Therefore, It is written: "Then I heard another voice from heaven say: Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues (Revelation 18:4)." Those who God forknew are separate in the world. They walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

They live their lives as strangers here in the world. They are the Sons of God who are from the Spirit. They don't think of the country they had left - the world. Instead they are longing for a better country - a heavenly one. They are the sheep of the Lord, whom he foreknew. They follow their true shepherd in order to put off the children of the slave woman and be born again as the children of the free woman.

Therefore, the true shepherd knows his sheep. The precious gift of salvation is real food and real drink only for his sheep. The food is the very Christ. His flesh and blood are not for everyone. As it is written: "... No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9)", those who are of the world are not allowed to go the true way for salvation.

The children of the slave woman and the children of the free woman coexist in God. The Bible says, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."

Galatians 4:29 says, "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." Mathew 10:36 also says, "a man's enemies will be the members of his own household."

Therefore, the Bible says: "And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith (2 Thessalonians 3:2)."

Because God is love, to those who are of the world and have not been saved, He gave their portion, which is abolished, in this life. It is written about it: "From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes (Psalms 17:14)."

God already knows who are those who are from the world, or those who are from God. 1 John 4:4-6 says, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood." Romans 8:29-30 also says, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."

Accordingly, The calling of God are without repentance, just as it is written in Romans 11:29, "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance."

Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Those who obey the message of the cross walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit because faith is obedience. Faith without obedience is false and vain. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:8, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." Faith without walking after the Spirit doesn't lead to salvation. It is a vain dream of wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Therefore, those who were taken captive by the law and died through the law to the law are raised with Christ. Thank you, Lord.

The ancient, who went before us, said about it, "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God (Galatians 2:19)." He also testifies, "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."

Without being taken captive by the law, being cursed, and being crucified with Jesus who is the end of the law, no one could be raised with Christ. Without it, such salvation is vanity, because those who are of the world can not escape from it. It is written: "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so."

Now, the children of God, who have been saved, have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. They put off the old self and put on the new self. All the children of God, who were given salvation as a gift through faith, singing a new song, testify: "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." Amen.

The least brother, Kim Yun-gu