Jesus Who Will Come Again Into The World!
2010-03-07 21:32
Jesus, the Son of God, comes into the world two times. For the first time, he came in a natural body in order to call sinners and to take away their sins with the flesh. For the second time, he will come in a spiritual body in order to call those who wait for him, apart from sin, and to bring salvation to them.
It is written, "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:13). And also, "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).
The Bible says about it, "so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:28).
Many people say that they believe in Jesus. But if their faith comes from their desire, they cannot be combined with Jesus through the faith, and in the end, they just roam in formlessness and voidness because their old selves have not died with Jesus and for them there is no the new life of the new self who are raised with Jesus. It is written, "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith." (Hebrews 4:2).
The faith that is not combined with Jesus is an illusion in narcissism, which has nothing to do with the forgiveness of sins, and of course, has nothing to do with salvation. The faith in Christ Jesus is not an illusion but real substance. It is written, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony." (Hebrews 11:1-2).
Therefore, for anyone who has this precious faith, through which he is united with Jesus, his old self has died with Jesus and his new self has been raised with Jesus. This faith is a very precious gift which God has prepared and hidden for those who love him. "However, 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).
Because Christ is one mediator between God and men, we cannot receive this faith except through the righteousness of Christ. It is written, "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." (2 Peter 1:1-2).
The precious faith is the grace that has been given through the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Spirit of truth, whom we have received by this faith, makes us know God and Jesus our Lord, grace and peace are ours in abundance.
The old self who has died with the natural Jesus is different from the new self who has been raised with the spiritual Jesus. And so, if anyone says he believes in Jesus, yet continues to sin, he has not completely died with Jesus and his old self goes on sinning.
Although we say our natural old selves have been died, we have to verify through the substance of whole faith whether it is complete death. Otherwise, the old self would revive and continue to sin. We can learn it from the death of Christ Jesus. The death of the natural Jesus was not verified by the shedding of blood of his hands and his feet, but it was verified when his side was pierced with a spear and blood and water came out. The Bible refers to it as "whole burnt offering."
Therefore, the Bible distinguishes "burnt offering" from "whole burnt offering." It is written, "Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar." (Psalms 51:19). Likewise, "faith" is distinguished from "whole faith." And so the Bible exhorts us, "let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22).
No one can draw near to God without the whole faith that accomplishes the complete death. And so the Bible said beforehand, "The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of the new order." (Hebrews 9:8-10).
Therefore, when the children of God, in whom "the day" becomes "this day," and who are sanctified by "the whole faith" in "the whole burnt offering," are revealed, God will bring into the world our Lord Jesus who was made perfect through suffering. The Bible says, "And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'" (Hebrews 1:6).
"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Romans 8:19-21). Amen. Thank you, Lord.