upgraded on August 7, 2008
Leviticus 11:44 (NIV) I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.
Leviticus 19:1-2 (NIV) The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
Leviticus 20:7-8 (NIV) "'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
Leviticus 20:26 (NIV) You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV) But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
Hebrews 12:14 (NIV) Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Matthew 5:8 (NIV) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Matthew 5:48 (NIV) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
God in His Holiness, must have His people, and His dwelling place untarnished by sin.
Habakkuk 1:13 (NIV) Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.
Revelation 21:27 (NIV) Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
In discussing the future heaven, John the Revelator specifically states in Revelation 21:27 referenced above that; "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful". We know from the Word of God that something impure, and that someone shameful and deceitful was in the first heaven, and that God will never let that happen again. We know that Satan and one third of the angels sinned in heaven and were cast down to the earth.
Revelation 12:7-9 (NIV) And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Revelation 12:4a (NIV) His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.
Luke 10:18 (NIV) He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Job 4:18 (NIV) If God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error,
Job 15:15 (NIV) If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
Because of the knowledge that we have concerning Satan's fall from heaven, we can know the reason why God will destroy the present heaven. God will destroy the first heaven and the first earth because there has been sin in them. Satan and his angels sinned in heaven before he fell; Adam and his descendants sinned on this earth.
Revelation 21:1-5 (NIV) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
What is this "Holiness" spoken of in the Word of God, without which we cannot go to heaven?
There are certain keys that unlock the great truths of the Word of God, and make them instantly simple. Some definitions and a clear understanding of terms are necessary for further insight into truth.
Holiness - The idea of Holiness originates in the revealed character of God, and is communicated to things, places, times and persons engaged in His service. Its ethical nature grows clearer as revelation unfolds, until the Holiness of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, of the Church as a body, and of individual members of that body, fills the New Testament horizon. Holiness is interwoven with Righteousness and purity. To seek Holiness apart from the other qualities of a Christ-like life, is to wander from the way of Holiness itself. (The New Compact Bible Dictionary - Zondervan)
Righteous: Acting in accord with divine or moral law: Free from guilt or sin - (Webster's Dictionary)
Faith: Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Grace n 1 a: unmerited divine assistance given man for his regeneration or sanctification - (Webster's Dictionary)
Words cannot express how important it is that you have a clear definition of sin. Your understanding of sin could in some part determine whether you spend eternity in heaven or hell. Anything less than the Holy Word of God in defining sin is dangerous.
Sin: 1 John 3:4 (NIV) Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.
Since "sin is lawlessness," we must ask ourselves, What is the law?
Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
The law that Jesus referenced in Matthew 22:37-40 is an umbrella policy that covers all previous laws, and is summed up in - Love God, Love your fellowman, Love yourself. The requirement of Love is the sum of the law.
In analyzing 1 John 3:4, we are able to recognize that SIN IS TWOFOLD IN NATURE.
1 John 3:4 (NIV) Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.
(1) Sins are acts.
We recognize sin for its acts: "Everyone who sins breaks the law,"
(2) Sin is a state of being.
We recognize sin for its state of being: "in fact, sin is lawlessness."
English words ending in "ION" such as "action" refer to an act:
· justification
· regeneration
· sanctification
· expansion
· contraction
English words ending in "NESS" generally indicate a state of being:
· Holiness - the state of being holy
· Righteousness - the state of being Righteous
· godliness - the state of being godly
· darkness - the state of being spiritually ignorant
· deafness - the state of being deaf
· blindness - the state of being blind
· lawlessness - the state of being lawless
LAWLESSNESS IS THE STATE OF BEING LAWLESS!
Webster's dictionary defines sin as "an offense against religious or moral law." John Wesley defines sin as "a willful transgression against the known law of God." In both these instances, sin is defined for its' acts. The acts of the sinful nature are reviewed in Galatians 5:19-21:
Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV) The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The "ACTS" of sin come from the "SINFUL NATURE".
Since Adam's first act of sin, man's "NATURAL" state of being is sinful.
The ACTS of sin come from SIN AS A STATE OF BEING!
To consider sin for its acts, or results, is 250 year old antique theology. To define sin for its acts is to define a disease for its symptoms. That is like saying that Herpes is a lesion on the skin. Herpes may produce a lesion on the skin, but the root problem is a diseased body. To attempt to eliminate sin by stopping the sinful acts is like attempting to eliminate Herpes by cutting the lesions off the skin. An infected person can no more eliminate Herpes by cutting the lesions off the skin than can a sinner eliminate sin by stopping the acts. A person who is infected with Herpes cannot stop the lesions from coming back, and a sinner cannot stop sinning.
We inherited this genetic disorder in our hearts from Adam. Hebrews 12:12-13 printed below refers to sin as a lame body part. In the original Greek text, the word "cholos" translated "lame" denotes a twisted or dislocated body part rendering the person unable to function as God intended.
G5560. cholos, kho-los'; appar. a prim. word; "halt," i.e. limping:--cripple, halt, lame. - Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, Edition 3
Hebrews 12:12-13 (NIV) Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Hebrews 12:12-13 is not referencing the physical body, or the mind. It is referencing the rebellious selfish will. Sin is the diseased selfish will.
SIN IS THE REBELLIOUS, DESTRUCTIVE, TWISTED SELFISH WILL IN THE HEART.
Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV) "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 15:16-20 (NIV) "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'"
Luke 6:43-45 (NIV) "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
The heart of the natural man is desperately wicked. In the natural man, with his rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will; there is sin against God, your fellow man, and yourself where you do not even know it. People are in rebellion against God on matters that they are not even aware of.
Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
When Satan and his fallen angels who have become demons were created, they were completely Holy. There was no hint, trace, nor preclusion to sin in them. Then, they individually determined in their hearts to rebel, and to do their will instead of God's will.
Ezekiel 28:11-19 (NIV) The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.'"
The devil wants to be God. It is what caused the devil and his demons to be cast from heaven.
Isaiah 14:13-14 (NIV) You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."
Like Satan and his fallen angels, at the time of man's creation, man was completely Holy. There was no hint, trace, nor preclusion to sin in Adam.
Genesis 1:27 & 31a (NIV) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. - {31a} God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Adam was created in the image of God with a clean freewill, thereby giving Adam the option to worship and commune with God. Then, Adam individually determined in his heart to rebel and to do his will instead of God's will. Adam rebelled against God's law and consequently twisted or distorted his freewill into a rebellious destructive selfish will.
Thereafter, man is born with the rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will. It is our will in defiance of God's will. Christ is not God, self is God. Self desires to be God, and totally control self. Man is born with the very same desire to be God that the devil has, consequently sinful man has the same heart as the devil.
"The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness." - Joseph Conrad 1857-1924
Man is born with the rebellious, twisted, selfish will that desires to "steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10).
John 8:44 (NIV) You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Ephesians 2:1-10 (NIV) As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
With the sin of Adam, fallen man was captured to do the devil's will. You will not do your will, you will either voluntarily subordinate to God's will, or as a captive, you will continue to do the devil's will.
2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NIV) And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Acts 8:22-23 (NIV) Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."
In “Paradise Lost”, John Milton quoting the devil said, “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven”. The human spiritual descendants of the devil have borrowed the expression from Satan. How naïve these humans are; they will not rule in Hell, they will serve in Hell, just as they are serving here on earth. The devil "has taken them captive to do his will"(2 Timothy 2:26 printed above). If they think that they are able to live as they want, let them try to live without sinning. Let them try to live a Holy life. They will soon recognize that they cannot, because they are not in control of themselves. They cannot stop sinning. Because of Jesus’ sacrificial death, man through faith in Jesus can live without sin. If you are sinning, you are a child, and servant of the devil, and you are doing exactly what Satan wants you to do. Consider the people that you have known that were nice, congenial, friendly; your best friend as long as they were getting something out of you, or you were doing what they wanted you to do. In many cases, if you ever attempted to cease giving them what they wanted, or doing what they wanted you to do, they instantly turned into a strong willed raging maniac in order to force you back into their will. Satan does not destroy them now because they are doing what he desires them to do. People that go to Hell will be serving vicious, hateful, mean, demented beings that are far more powerful than humans are. Those on earth that call themselves the “Hell’s Angels”, won’t be the Hell’s Angels in Hell. They will be the abused little girlfriends of the angels in Hell. They will be the Hell’s Bitches, the punks of Hell.
Prior to Pentecost, Peter is an example of a man who had repented of his past acts of sin (Luke 5:8), was actively communicating with, and seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, but still retained the Spirit of the devil in his heart.
Matthew 16:23 (NIV) Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Mark 8:33 (NIV) But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Like the devil, in man's desire to be God, natural man also desires to worship himself, worship created things rather than the Creator, and man desires to have people worship him. The devil has weaved the common thread of self being or becoming God in the heresies of Humanism, Mormonism, Hinduism, and some of the descendants of the eastern religions. Self may choose on particular issues, or at particular times, to defer to Christ, but sovereignty rests with self. At the crisis, self-will assume command. We can see this displayed in people of all ages, but especially in the very young and the very old who are less likely to mask their true emotions.
"Next to the very young, I suppose the very old are the most selfish." - William Makepeace Thackeray 1811-1863
"Age does not make us childish, as they say, It only finds us true children still." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749-1832
Anyone who lives their life only for self becomes a very unhappy, and very ugly person. By direct contrast, anyone who gives of themselves to others is very fulfilled and becomes a very beautiful person.
Sin effects a degenerative process. The degeneracy caused by Sin will never stop!
Sinful people in hell will continue to degenerate into infinity.
God saw Lucifer evolve from a completely Holy being with no preclusion to sin into the horrendous being that he has become today. God saw His creation destroyed by a rebellious selfish will. God knows that sin will continue to degenerate and debase Lucifer into infinity. The rebellious selfish will that exists in Lucifer and has resulted in his cataclysmic and increasing deterioration is the exact same rebellious selfish will that every human being is now born with. Consequently, rebellious man is following the exact same course as rebellious Satan and his demons. Rebellious humans are at various speeds of degeneracy. Some rebellious humans exhibit only a small degree of deterioration across their lifetimes, while others become quite decadent in a short period of time. The rate of speed varies, however, all rebellious beings have the same motivation, and consequently they are all headed to the same place. This rebellious selfish will in humans will effect the same results that have already occurred in God's creation Lucifer. Most people in the world view demonic possession as a horrendous thing, and it is. The Judeo-Christian world views demons with their heinous, destructive, perverted, gory awfulness as the most terrible beings in all of creation, and they are. The only reason that the rebellious demons seem more awful than rebellious humans, is that the demons have had 6,000 years to degenerate. Every person who has not been born of the Spirit of God will degenerate beyond the heinous awfulness that demons are today. When rebellious man looks at a demon, he is looking at his own personal horrific, heinous, destructive, perverted, gory awfulness in 6,000 years.
Sin is devastating on the human system. The sin of Adam impacted one of his sons to the extent that Cain became the first murderer. We have free volition as Abel did not commit murder, but the potential is greater, just as the potential for a great athlete to have athletic children is greater than for someone who is not athletic. Sin is so devastating on the human system, that it takes ten generations to recover from the sin of an illegitimate birth.
Deuteronomy 23:2 (KJV) A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
Every unrepented sin impacts to the third and fourth generation.
Exodus 20:5 (NIV) You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
Malachi 2:3a (NIV) "Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will spread on your faces the offal from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.
The sin of Adam was so devastating that it took 2,000 years before a man was born who was removed enough from Adam's sin that God was able to have a covenant with mankind. Abraham was that man. (While Enoch walked with God, {Genesis 5:21-24} Abraham obviously had qualifications that Enoch did not possess.) Even so, God had to remove Abraham from everything that he knew in order to be able to develop him. He had to remove him from his homeland of Ur, his parents and his heritage, in order to radically change Abraham's thinking.
God despises sin because He knows that the conclusion of sin is the destruction of His creation. It is easy even for humans to understand why God does not want something He created "very good" to be destroyed. God's laws or requirements come completely from a love that knows the destruction of sin. God desires to return you to that beautiful condition whereby you can truly worship and commune with Him. God desires to restore your will to the clean freewill Adam had prior to his fall.
Do you think that the Spirit of God can inhabit a vessel that is simultaneously being inhabited by the same spirit that the devil has?
The Spirit of God cannot dwell in an unholy vessel. You may have either the Holy Spirit of God, or the same spirit that the devil has. You cannot have both!
1 Corinthians 10:21 (NIV) You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
Matthew 6:24 (NIV) "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 (NIV) Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial ? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Mark 3:23-26 (NIV) So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.
Thank God, thank God, thank God, for Jesus Christ.
The New Testament is the story of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The salvation process begins with the Spirit of God drawing you to God:
John 6:44 (NIV) "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
The Spirit of God in His infinite mercy and justice, draws every person to God. The Holy Word of God completely refutes the devil's lie put forth by John Calvin in asserting personal individual predestination.
John 12:32 (NIV) But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."
Isaiah 55:6-7 (NIV) Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
John 6:40 (NIV) For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
Romans 10:13 (NIV) for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Revelation 3:20 (NIV) Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Matthew 22:9 (NIV) Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.'
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV) This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Repentance is the first human function in the salvation process. Repentance occurs when you feel contrition for your past acts of sin, determine in your heart to never commit an act of sin again, and ask the Spirit of God to come into your heart. The act of repentance effects the result of justification. Justification is JUST-AS-IF you had never sinned. Justification only addresses your past acts of sin. Your past acts of sin are then covered by the Sacrificial Blood of Jesus Christ. However, your rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will remains in your heart, and consequently the Spirit of God CANNOT come into your heart.
The Spirit of God does not in any degree dwell in a person who has only repented, because the spirit of the selfish will is still in the person's heart, and the Spirit of God cannot dwell in the same vessel with the spirit of the devil.
1 Corinthians 10:21 (NIV) You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
2 Corinthians 6:14b-15a (NIV) For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?
The Spirit of God then assumes the responsibility of telling you why He cannot come into your heart. God knows our heart, our strengths and our weaknesses:
Psalm 139:1-24 (NIV) O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. 5 You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the light will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. 19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! 20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you? 22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
As the Spirit of God identifies your gods, you are given the option of eliminating them one by one.
The tempter stands ready to tempt us at all times, and on every point. God allows the tempter to tempt, in order to expose our diseased selfish will to us; and in order that we may seek help from God to cure our diseased selfish will.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
During this process, self imposes will over God's will, and whether you want to or not, you commit another act of sin. A person cannot keep from sinning without the crucifixion and eradication of the distorted selfish will, and the complete infilling of the Spirit of God. Peter, prior to Pentecost, is an example of this. (Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75; Mark 14:27-31, 66-72; Luke 22:31-34, 54-62; John 13:31-38, 18:15-18, 25-27)
Matthew 26:31-35 (NIV) Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.
Matthew 26:69-75 (NIV) Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said. But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth." He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!" After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away." Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.
After your initial crisis act of repentance, the Spirit of God will continue to draw you to God, exactly like He did prior to your initial crisis act of repentance. When you sin (and you will, because you still have the rebellious selfish will in your heart), if you repent again, and confess your sins, Jesus Christ intercedes to the Father exactly like in your first act of repentance, and you are forgiven.
1 John 2:1-2 (NIV) My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
The Spirit of God will continue to draw you into an area where the sinful selfish will is exposed to you. You may not initially realize that this sinful selfish will exists until the Spirit of God exposes it.
Romans 7:7-25 (NIV) What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
During the salvation process, the Spirit of God will draw you to a place where the selfish will in your heart will be exposed to you. He will be faithful to take you to your personal point of rebellion. You will then be given the option to release that thing in your life that is more important to you than God. If you do not surrender your last god to Jesus Christ, your salvation process stops. "Many" people reach that point in their lives where the Spirit of God touches there singular last God, and they stop and will go no farther. This "many" is the same word used in Matthew 7:13,14:
Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV) "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Judeo-Christian Organized Religion is FULL of people who have come up against light, or greater knowledge of God, and refused to walk in it. These "many" people rebel and say "I am religious enough." These people will go to hell, having never paid the price to be born again. The rich young ruler is an example of a person who had complied with all of the law, but when Jesus pointed out the man's singular last god, the man refused to go any further.
Mark 10:17-22 (NIV) As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'" "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
During the salvation process, after repentance, when all of your past acts of sin are under the Blood of Jesus Christ, God's grace covers you, as He continues to draw you to the crisis act of the crucifixion of the selfish will. After the initial crisis act of repentance; as long as you do everything that you know in order to serve Jesus Christ, continue to repent as you sin, and continue to seek a closer communion with Jesus Christ, you are covered by God's grace.
1 John 1:7 (NIV) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If you destroy all of your gods, the Spirit of God will come into your heart. If you do not destroy all of your gods, He CANNOT come into your heart.
The complete infilling of the Spirit of God comes after the crucifixion of the selfish will. The selfish will is crucified with Christ and arises unto life with Christ without the rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will. The selfish will must be crucified. This crucifixion of the selfish will results in the death of the rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will in the heart.
“The way to bliss lies not on beds of down, And he that had no cross deserves no crown.” – Francis Quarles 1592-1644
"No Cross, No Crown" - William Penn 1644-1718
We must release ALL of our self to God. At the crucifixion of the selfish will, the Holy Spirit of God will indwell a person.
John 12:24 (NIV) I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Galatians 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 5:24 (NIV) Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
Romans 6:1-18 (NIV) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Our will is completely subjected to Christ's will. We must come to the place where we are in total subjection to the will of the Spirit of God. We must ask the Spirit of God, and by faith BELIEVE that He will remove the rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will from our hearts. We must totally release ALL of our selfish will to God's will, or He will not come into our hearts.
Matthew 5:8 (NIV) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Mark 3:35 (NIV) Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."
John 4:34 (NIV) "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
John 6:38 (NIV) For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
After the crucifixion of the rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will, God the Father will give the believer the gift of the infilling of the Spirit of God.
Luke 11:9-13 (NIV) "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
The believer who is filled with the Spirit of God will then have a clean, healthy, and Holy free will.
Passover is when your sinful nature dies through a crucifixion of the self will. Pentecost is the second definite work of grace, and is when you are Born Again through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gave His life in order that people would have the option to not go to hell with the devil, demons and all rebellious spirits (human and angelic). When the Word of God says "thou shall not commit adultery," Jesus died in order that through faith in Him I do not have to commit adultery. Through faith in Jesus I can live a Holy life and avoid hell with the devil and his angels. I have to choose to accept Jesus' blood sacrifice and through faith in Him, I must choose to not commit adultery.
The Spirit of God will never force a person into anything. God could force man to worship Him, but that would not be love anymore than a forced relationship in the physical realm is love! Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane reveals that the believer who is filled with the Spirit of God will retain his free will. That will is voluntarily in subjection to God's will. Jesus never knew sin, yet He had His clean free will. His free will was in complete subjection to God's will.
Mark 14:35-36 (NIV) Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
Adam was created with a clean free will. When Adam sinned, Adam twisted his clean free will into a rebellious selfish will.
Genesis 2:15-17 (NIV) The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
When Adam sinned, Adam died spiritually immediately. Spiritual death is separation from God. Adam died physically 930 years later.
Jesus never sinned:
Hebrews 4:15 (NIV) For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
Jesus had no sin of His own. If it had not been for man’s sin, Jesus would never have died because death comes only through sin, and Jesus had no sin. Jesus assumed man’s sin and died for man, but death could not hold Jesus because He had no sin. Because Jesus never sinned, death could not conquer Jesus. Jesus conquered death.
Proof of the fact that Jesus healed us from our sin is the fact that God raised Jesus' physical body from the dead.
Because Jesus was a perfect man without sin, His death as a compensation sacrifice balanced God’s scales of perfect justice. Because we were born into sin, our death would have been worthless on God’s scales of justice. However just as Jesus died for us, we must also equal Jesus' sacrifice in that our carnal self-will must die in order for us to establish communion with God.
If your sins are not covered by the sacrificial blood of Jesus, you are dead spiritually and will not be able to conquer death physically and arise unto life with God. At your physical death, you will remain in Hell. If you commit sin, you are going to Hell.
Sin ALWAYS causes separation from God. If you want to move closer to God, stop sinning. The more you comply with the law of righteousness and live in the love of Holiness, the closer you will be able to move to God.
If you have communion with the Father, it is because you have accepted the Blood of Jesus as atonement for your sins and the Father is able to commune with you. If you do not have communion with the Father, you have never truly accepted the Blood atonement of Jesus.
Because Jesus was sinless, He conquered death and arose unto life. It is only if we are sinless that we will be able to conquer death and arise unto life. Jesus came so that we might have at-one-ment and communion with God. Spiritual life is communion with God.
John 10:10b (NIV) I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Jesus came to earth with a clean free will. He lived a sinless life and died as a sacrifice, thereby atoning for Adam's and the sins of all mankind. In so doing, Jesus balanced God's perfect scale of justice. When we allow our rebellious, twisted selfish will to be crucified with Christ, we are restored with a clean free will - identical to that of Jesus Christ.
Luke 6:40 (NIV) A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
When the distortion of the selfish will is removed, we are restored to the pre-Adam-sin state of a clean free will. That clean free will must be kept in complete subjection to God's will daily, just as Adam had to keep his clean free will in subjection to God's will daily prior to his sin. Every single day, you must start the day by deciding who is going to be your God for the day. Are you going to set yourself up as God, or are you going to worship the True and Living God as your God. When Adam failed to keep his clean free will in subjection to God's will, he sinned. As Adam with a clean free will sinned, so also every Spirit-filled believer with a clean free will can sin.
1 Corinthians 15:31 (NIV) I die every day--I mean that, brothers--just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (NIV) Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Matthew 26:41 (NIV) "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
Self is a merciless, never satisfied tyrant. Only in God, can you rest.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
No person in this life ever gains the ability to abstain from sin without continuous communion with God through their faith in Jesus Christ, thereby acquiring strength from Him. That is why abstinence from sin is the only proof of our relationship with God.
1 John 2:3-4 (NIV) We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
It is only through a constant, vigilant attention to the Lord God, and a total reliance on Him that we have the strength to abstain from sin.
Psalms 25:15 (NIV) My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Thank God and Jesus Christ for the truth that is revealed in Romans 8:1-2.
Romans 8:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Jesus can, in this life, save from all sin. He frees the believer who is filled with the Spirit of God completely from the dominion of sin in both its aspects. (sins as acts, and sin as a state of being) If the inbred sin, the state of being lawless, the rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will is destroyed; there will be no acts produced by the rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will. When the Spirit of God removes the wicked, rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will and restores a person's heart to the condition that it was in prior to Adam's fall; there will be no acts produced by the rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will in the heart.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
With your will subjected to Christ's will, you will be able to Love God, Love your fellowman, and Love yourself. You are no longer in a state of lawlessness. You are in a state of righteousness - full compliance with the law.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
John 13:34-35 (NIV) "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Mark 11:25 (NIV) And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
Matthew 5:43-45 (NIV) "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Luke 6:32-35 (NIV) "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
1 John 3:14 (NIV) We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
1 John 2:9 (NIV) Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.
1 John 4:16-21 (NIV) And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
The Creed of Nicea put forth by the Council of Nicea in 325 A. D. references one baptism:
We believe in one God, the Father All-sovereign, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, and the only-begotten Son of God, Begotten of the Father before all the ages, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from the heavens, and was made flesh of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into the heavens, and sits on the right hand of the Father, and comes again with glory to judge living and dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end: And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Life-giver, that proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and Son is worshipped together and glorified together, who spoke through the prophets: In one holy catholic and apostolic church: We acknowledge one baptism unto remission of sins. We look for a resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.
The Council of Nicea was incorrect. There are two baptism's, one water or physical baptism, and one fire or spiritual baptism, just as the earth has been cleansed once by water and will be cleansed once by fire.
John the Baptist, forerunner to Jesus the first time, proclaimed two distinctly different crisis works of grace:
(1) Repent - which is justification;
(2) be baptized - which is cleansing.
Acts 13:24 (NIV) Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.
John's baptism was a physical water baptism paralleling the water baptism (or cleansing) of the physical world from sin during the time of Noah. John stated that his baptism was incomplete, but prophesied that Jesus' baptism would be complete and would be a fire baptism (or cleansing) of man spiritually from sin by the Spirit of God. Jesus' baptism parallels the baptism (or cleansing) of the physical world by fire at the end of the Seven Thousand Years Of Measured Time. There are two "Comings" of Jesus Christ. There are two distinctly different spiritual baptisms that cleanse from sin, paralleling two distinctly different total destruction's of the physical sinful world.
Luke 3:16 (NIV) John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Acts 18:24-25 (NIV) Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Acts 19:1-5 (NIV) While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
The reason that John's baptism was with water and was incomplete is that Jesus had not yet been baptized into death, and had not yet conquered sin. The baptism of John was the only baptism available until Jesus died on the Cross. The Spirit of God could not dwell in a man that had not been cleansed from the sin nature, and so the Spirit of God could not dwell in the heart of any man until the God/Man Jesus came and was crucified. Thank God and Jesus Christ for the Cross.
I do not know your heart. Do not let Satan, the destroyer, deceiver, liar, and thief, trick you out of the inheritance that was given to you by Jesus Christ. Only Satan stands between you and Holiness.
The Lord God, in showing His ultimate respect for humanity, will not force His will on anyone. If you refuse to allow the Great Physician to restore you, He will allow you to take your lame and dislocated body, and hobble away. The road away from the Lord God always leads down to hell. You will be stubbornly and rebelliously hobbling to hell.
perfect 1 a: being entirely without fault or defect : flawless - Webster's Dictionary
If Jesus gave us the command for perfection, and we are not able to attain perfection, He would be a mocker, and not a Savior.
Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
" your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" The Lord God will have a Bride who is seeking to do His will - PERFECTLY - as is done in heaven. Those who do not seek to do His will perfectly on earth will not be allowed into heaven.
Will the perfection referenced in Matthew 5:48 give you a perfect mind? Will it give you perfect knowledge, or perfect understanding? The obvious answer is no. If this were true, the members of the Body of Christ would know how many inches it is to the moon at every precise moment in time. The members of the Body of Christ would be omniscient like God. It does, however, improve your thinking.
John 16:13 (NIV) But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Proverbs 2:6 (NIV) For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
James 1:5 (NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Psalms 111:10 (NIV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Will the perfection referenced in Matthew 5:48 give you a perfect body? The obvious answer is no. It does however drastically reduce your chances for a lot of health problems:
· A.I.D.S.
· Venereal disease
· Lung and throat cancer (caused by smoking)
· Sclerosis of the liver (caused by drinking)
and within the framework of the Word of God we are given instructions for the healing of disease.
James 5:14-18 (NIV) Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
Mark 16:17-18 (NIV) And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
Matthew 10:7-8 (NIV) As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
Does the perfection referenced in Matthew 5:48 free the Spirit filled believer from further temptation? No, Jesus was tempted in all things, yet was without sin.
Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
"lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" Temptation is always tied to the devil. Temptation is the devil's lure into death. Temptation is the alluring facade over death and destruction. Temptation always covers something evil and ugly that will harm and destroy you. Behind every beautiful and seductive siren of temptation is the horribly ugly witch of the devil trying to destroy you. Never be deceived by the beautiful facade of temptation, it conceals the horrors of your destruction.
James 1:14 (NIV) but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
The word "evil" is not in the original Greek text given by the Spirit of God through James. It was added by Satan through a corrupt, "Calvinistic" translator in order to make the Word of God comply with his corrupt sinful theology. Jesus was tempted in all things just as we are and HE had no "evil" desire.
The text from the original Greek reads:
James 1:14-15 but each one is tempted when, by his own desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Temptation comes when we consider satisfying our desires in a way outside of what God ordained, or when unholy desires come into our minds. As in the case of Jesus, some of these desires are introduced to our minds by Satan with the suggestion to satisfy them in the way WE WANT TO, or contrary to God's law. If we continue to dwell on how we can satisfy these desires outside of what God ordained we will succumb to the temptation. We do not have to succumb to the temptation and sin. Through Jesus Christ, we can resist the devil, and put these thoughts out of our mind.
James 4:7 (NIV) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jesus was able to overcome the temptation because He had no rebellious, destructive, twisted selfish will. When the Spirit of God restores a person to the pre-Adam-sin state of a clean freewill, that person will be able to overcome temptation exactly like Jesus.
Jesus was "tempted in every way" exactly like Adam and Eve, and all Spirit of God filled believers.
Hebrews 4:15 (NIV) For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
Jesus was "tempted in every way", which was three ways. Those three ways are the (1)lust of the flesh, the (2)lust of the eyes, and the (3)pride of life.
(1) "the lust (desire) of the flesh" (worship of self)
a. food
b. sex
c. sleep
Satan will attempt to incite the believer to satisfy these very natural needs in a way that is outside of God's law, or to an excess.
(2) "the lust (desire) of the eyes" (sinful man's worship of creation rather than the Creator)
a. idolatry
b. materialism
(3) "the pride of life" (sinful man's desire for others to worship him)
a. what people think of us
b. what we think of ourselves
“Among all the diseases of the mind there is not one more epidemical or more pernicious than the love of flattery.” - Sir Richard Steele 1672-1729
Even though Jesus is fully God, and is worthy of worship, he was also fully man and had to resist temptation as a man because the devil was directing Him to satisfy His needs and desires outside of God's law. It is the goal of Satan to get you to do your selfish will on any issue, instead of doing the will of God. Your selfish will is the exact same selfish will as Satan’s selfish will. The issue in and of itself may not even be sinful, as when Satan tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread. It would not have been sinful for Jesus to eat bread. The sin would have been in Jesus doing what Satan wanted Jesus to do; rather than Jesus doing what God wanted Jesus to do.
Matthew 4: 1-11 (NIV) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." (1 worship of self) Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" (2 desire to have others worship oneself) Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. (3 worship of created things) "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Sinful man worships (1)himself, worships (2)created things, and (3)desires to have other people worship him. The interlocking and meshing of the Holy Word of God is truly magnificent.
Genesis 3:6 (NIV) When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food (1 worship of self) and pleasing to the eye, (2 worship of created things) and also desirable for gaining wisdom, (3 desire to have others worship oneself) she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
1 John 2:16 (KJV) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, (1 worship of self) and the lust of the eyes, (2 worship of created things) and the pride of life, (3 desire to have others worship oneself) is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The Spirit of God gives us great insight into the limits of temptation in 1 Corinthians 10:13:
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:13a states that you will not be tempted in any way that Adam and Eve, Jesus, and all mankind have not been tempted in.
1 Corinthians 10:13a (NIV) No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.
1 Corinthians 10:13b (NIV) And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
Does God not allow you to be tempted "beyond what you can bear" physically? or spiritually? We know that Jesus was crucified, and many members of the Body of Christ have been physically killed including most of His disciples. Therefore we know that "beyond what you can bear" does not relate to the physical realm, but to the spiritual realm. Jesus will not allow a believer who is filled with the Spirit of God to be tempted to the point where they cannot hold out, and must sin. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond that point where you cannot withstand the temptation to sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13c (NIV) But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
To "stand up" under the temptation is to not fall under the temptation. It is to not sin.
After the complete infilling of the Spirit of God, a person has the power to not sin. The Intercessor is still working for you, but His mercy is displayed in giving adequate grace and power to overcome the temptation.
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
The devil will use our natural desires in tempting us to fulfill those desires outside of God's law. For every temptation, there is a corresponding fulfillment in God through Jesus Christ. You must resist the big three temptations which are all ultimately a worship of self in order to move toward God. The corresponding fulfillment in God for abstinence from the sinful lusts are as follows:
1. "the lust of the flesh"
a. food - We are to seek spiritual nourishment from God. Jesus was born in Bethlehem - In Hebrew, "bet" means house, "lehem" means bread. Bethlehem means "house of bread".
Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
Matthew 5:6 (NIV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matthew 4:4 (NIV) Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
John 6:31-35 (NIV) Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
b. sex - We are to have spiritual intercourse with God, as we are to become the Bride of Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV) I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
Revelation 19:7 (NIV) Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
Isaiah 62:4-5 (NIV) No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah ; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
Ephesians 5:22-32 (NIV) Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church--for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church.
c. sleep - Our true rest comes in God.
Hebrews 4:9-11 (NIV) There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.
2. "the lust of the eyes"
a. idolatry - We are to worship God only.
Exodus 20:1-6 (NIV) And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Matthew 4:8-10 (NIV) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
b. materialism - All of our assets must belong to and be at the disposal of God.
Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV) So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
3. "the pride of life"
a. what people think of us - We are to seek God's favor, not man's favor.
Galatians 1:10 (NIV) Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Matthew 25:21 (KJV) His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
b. what we think of ourselves
Romans 12:3 (NIV) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
Proverbs 21:24 (NIV) The proud and arrogant man--"Mocker" is his name; he behaves with overweening pride.
Because animals have a body, they are concerned with the exact same things that man is concerned with in man’s lust of the flesh; food, sex, and sleep. Because animals do not have a spirit, or soul, they are not concerned with the same things that man is concerned with in man’s lust of the eyes, or pride of life. Animals have no concern whatsoever about the accumulation of assets, and they do not take pride in what people think of them. As long as the lust of the flesh is satisfied, they are just as happy living in a piano box under a bridge, as they would be while living in the White House. As long as the lust of the flesh is satisfied, they are just as happy belonging to a beggar or a criminal, as they would be in belonging to a prominent wealthy person or saint. Were all of these men still alive, any animal would be just as happy belonging to Abraham Lincoln, Jesse Jackson, or Jimmy Carter as they would be in belonging to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
There is regressive deterioration in the sinful selfish will from flesh to eyes to pride. Pride is the ultimate deterioration of the process, and consequently the most deadly. Hence, 2 Chronicles 7:14 begins with "humble themselves". In order to humble our self, we are forced to crucify pride. The scripture attacks the greatest problem.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
In the countryside, at night, you are able to see many stars. In the city, at night, you see few stars. It is the peripheral lights of the city that block the light of the stars. Indulgence of the big three temptations will block our view of God. Rid yourself of everything that dilates your pupils and obstructs your vision of God. We must never use His power for the indulgence of our temptations. (Flesh, eyes, pride)
These are the three areas of temptation. This is not a list of the acts, as sin is the rebellious, destructive distortion of the selfish will in the heart, and its acts are infinitesimal. The problem the Jews encountered was that they attempted to build a framework of law through the Talmud and the Mishnah that would encapsulate an infinity of acts of sin. It is impossible.
Abstinence from sin after the infilling of the Spirit of God remains the responsibility of the individual. If the Spirit of God assumed the responsibility to keep us sin free after His infilling, that would be a predestination or eternally secure position. A believer who is filled with the Spirit of God is no more eternally secure in his position than Adam was eternally secure in his position. The Spirit of God gives the prompting, counsel, power, and wisdom, but the individual is allowed to make decisions that move him to greater temptation, desire, and subsequent sin. If an individual gives in to the first, he will not find the strength to combat subsequent greater temptations as his desires move him closer to sin.
"It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end." - Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519
Every person will fight temptation to sin. The wise believer who is filled with the Spirit of God will fight temptation at it's earliest stage, and not start down the road of desire. You can resist the devil at the earliest temptation level, or you can attempt to resist him at the subsequent desire level. If an individual is aware that they have a weakness in a particular area, they have a responsibility to stay out of that area.
Hebrews 12:12-13 (NIV) Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
If you accept the guidance of the Great Counselor, He will aid you in recognizing and avoiding temptation at it's earliest level. This will require a constant subjection of our free will to God's will.
1 Corinthians 15:31 (NIV) I die every day--I mean that, brothers--just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let us analyze the acts of sin listed in Galatians 5:19-21. Again, this does not begin to be a complete list, but is representative examples.
Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV) The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In each act of sin, consider whether the tempter will be attacking your imperfect mind, your imperfect body, or your perfect heart. Temptation that moves you to sin that pertains to your imperfect mind, or your imperfect body, will be more difficult than temptation that relates to your perfect heart. Your perfect heart will be your strength. Your imperfect mind, and your imperfect body will be your natural weakness.
· sexual immorality - great temptation - A natural desire given by God for the propagation of the species. Satan will try to get you to fulfill this in a way outside of God's law.
· impurity and debauchery - low level temptation - There is no physical or mental desire to live low.
· idolatry - great temptation - The physical desire for a better life style-home, vehicle, materialism, is a veiled worship of self. The temptation comes in how we achieve materialism, or how important it becomes to us.
· witchcraft - no temptation - No physical or mental desire in a heart full of love to commune with the devil and demons.
· hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy - low temptation level because there is no physical or mental draw. These are heart problems and are cured with the infilling Spirit of Love.
· drunkenness - possible high level of temptation because of physical dependence, or emotional desire for alcohol brought about by habitual use.
· orgies - low level -while it is sexually based - a natural desire - the essence is a debasing of self and others, a hatred of self and others, including God. In a heart of love, there is no draw for hatred of self, others, or God.
Habits are head problems, and could possibly continue to be a focus of strong temptation for the believer until the habit is broken. An example of this is tobacco and alcohol.
Philippians 4:8 (NIV) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Garbage in - Garbage out syndrome. We can give Satan great aid by putting garbage in our minds through television, the newspaper or publications.
James 4:7 (NIV) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
In the Levitical law, there was a sin offering and a guilt offering for unintentional sins against God's commands. The sacrifice for unintentional sins was required day after day, year after year.
Leviticus 4:1-3 (NIV) The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands--"'If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.
Leviticus 4:13 (NIV) "'If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty.
Leviticus 4:22 (NIV) "'When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the LORD his God, he is guilty.
Leviticus 4:27 (NIV) "'If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, he is guilty.
Leviticus 5:14-15 (NIV) The LORD said to Moses: "When a person commits a violation and sins unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord's holy things, he is to bring to the LORD as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering.
In the case of the Sin Offering and the Guilt Offering, the sin was unintentional, and a violation of God's ceremonial law. Thank God that Jesus upgraded the ceremonial law of the sacrifice of sheep and bulls to the perfect grace sacrifice of Himself. Jesus is the eternal sacrifice for all violations of God's law.
Hebrews 7:27 (NIV) Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
The Spirit of God will counsel the Spirit filled believer for any unintentional violation of God's law or God's will. As the Spirit of God reveals God's will in a particular area, the Spirit filled believer will follow God's will. In this way the Spirit of God effects increased Holiness in the believer following the infilling of the Spirit of God. If the act is an unintentional violation of God's will, it is not an act of sin, because the acts of sin come from the sinful nature. If there is no sinful nature, there is no rebellious selfish will. If there is no rebellious selfish will, there will be no conscious or unconscious rebellious acts of sin. Once the Spirit of God counsels the believer concerning God's will, if the believer decides to violate God's will it is no longer an unintentional violation. If we have knowledge of God's will and decide to violate God's will, that rebellious decision will instantly restore the rebellious selfish will to our heart even prior to the act of rebellion.
Because of the precious Blood of Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the requirements of the ceremonial law; we are under the unmerited favor (grace) of God.
Romans 6:14 (NIV) For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Colossians 2:13-14 (NIV) When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
Galatians 3:10-13 (NIV) All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
Hebrews 8:10 (NIV) This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Hebrews 10:1-18 (NIV) The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, 'Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.'" First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.
The Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt is a very clear fore glimpse of the salvation process. Egyptian slavery is symbolic of the slavery of sin, Pharaoh is symbolic of Satan. The blood of the Passover Lamb was placed on the doorposts the very night that the Children of Israel came out of Egypt (SIN). Jesus is our Passover Lamb. The blood of Jesus covers our sins in the crisis act of repentance or justification (Just as if I never sinned).
God brought His children out from under the complete dominion of Pharaoh.
God brings His children out from under the complete dominion of Satan.
God called Israel out of Egypt - God calls His children out of sin.
God called Jesus out of Egypt - God calls all of mankind out of sin.
John 6:44 (NIV) "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Hosea 11:1 (NIV) "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
Exodus 4:22 (NIV) Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,
Matthew 2:14-15 (NIV) So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."
The crossing of the Red Sea is symbolic of the first act of cleansing, termed repentance or justification. The Red Sea is symbolic of the red Blood of Jesus. Your past life is behind you and your past acts of sin are covered by the Blood. After crossing the Red Sea, the law was given, and a complete change of lifestyle in every way was dictated. This represents the complete change of lifestyle that the Spirit of God will lead you into after the initial act of repentance. A complete new set of rules; morays and folkways will govern your life. The desert wandering was necessary because the Children of Israel had Egyptian slavery (SIN) ingrained in them. They were not ready to go into Canaan. This symbolizes the pursuit of Holiness after the initial act of repentance/justification. The desert wandering is symbolic of the process where the blessed Spirit of God reveals the gods in a persons life. The individual must remove or crucify each of these or his salvation proce