Are we very sure to know what the gospel is? Part 2
- On 2024-11-08
This is the second part. For the first part, click here.
The seed of seeds: The Cross
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1 :18
The power of God upheaves the heart of the one who receives the preaching of the cross with gentleness. We just need to be explained what it is, its deep meaning, its astonishing effects on our practical life, and we need to understand it.
A real power, hidden, well hidden from the inattentive gaze, is released by the Holy Spirit in the heart of anyone who listens and believes. So, let us talk about the cross
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1 :29
When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he announced what would become a historical reality a few years later. On the cross, Jesus took away the sin of the world. This is a hidden work, a religious cliché for some that remains incomprehensible and without concrete effect in our lives until it is explained and revealed to us and we believe in it.
To take away does not mean to forgive. It is more than that. After the cross, sin is no longer counted by God. On the cross, for God, sin has disappeared from human history. It has been taken away. It still exists on earth, certainly, but it is no longer imputed or charged against us by God, as we will soon explain. The problem has thus been resolved for more than 2000 years.
Hebrews, 9:26 - But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
It is said that at the cross, the Son of God took upon himself our sins and our diseases. It is true. At the cross, God erases our sins and heals all our diseases. But He does more. He removes the sin of the world, once and for all.
The sacrifice of Jesus has taken away all your sins, ALL IN THE EYES OF GOD! For there are and will still be sins to be erased. Yes, we are guilty, but that is not the point because God forgives the guilty at the cross. He no longer imputes or charges the sins denounced by the law of Moses. Your sins have been taken away by the death of Jesus. Do you hear it?
Listen to the sentence of the supreme judge as you consider (in your thoughts) Jesus on the cross:
"NOT GUILTY!"
I can already hear your protests... that's not fair! It's a bit too easy. Really? Do you want to appeal to a favorable opinion? Are you the judge?
Hammer strike of the judge:
"NOT GUILTY."
The case is closed. We all know that a judge's decision ends all discussions. It is God who decrees that, by virtue of the sacrifice of His Son, you are declared NOT guilty. The faults have been erased, removed by His Son. They have disappeared. It is His will. That's all!
It is entirely useless to try to feel that in GOD's eyes, you are forgiven of everything. Moreover, in everyday life, if a friend tells you that he forgives the offense you committed against him, do you try to feel it ?
You accept it and life goes on. Do the same with God. Accept forgiveness. It is already acquired and free for all. This is why the gospel is good news.
But it's not over yet! By believing what you have just heard, you have just received eternal life!
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13
It is not said, 'you WILL HAVE eternal life,' but you HAVE it, you who believe in the name of the Son of God. The name of the Son of God, this Name, Jesus, Yeshua, means God saves, God heals. Already, this name is the smiling hand of God stretched out to us, holding and offering us: reconciliation, the voluntary forgetting of all our sins, and the healing of our soul and body. And all of this is because of the cross, or shall we say, thanks to the cross.
And with eternal life, it is the true happiness into which you have just entered. The tree of religion and its simplistic and limited knowledge of good and evil cannot put man in a condition to approach God, who is the source of indescribable happiness. Mankind's nature prevents it from being clean, and thus keeps it away from happiness. There is a very close link between sin and being unhappy. It is written in:
There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek Romains 2 :9
Trouble and distress come upon every soul of man who does evil. It is a principle, an invisible spiritual law that no one can escape! You can intellectually ignore the mechanisms of the law of gravity and yet you experience it every day. We always feel unhappy, anxious, or not fully happy, dissatisfied, as if something is missing and we don't understand why. This text explains it. Happiness and sin are incompatible. Doing evil generates trouble and distress. Wrong pleasures bring fleeting pleasure but it blocks the path to true lasting happiness for man.
But let's think about it for a moment, is it really fair? Until then, have you really had a choice? Have you had the constant ability to never sin? You wouldn't venture to believe or seriously claim it, would you? If they could hear you, would you reproach cherry trees for producing cherries or apple trees for producing apples? In the same logic (because logic is not a Western or intellectual flaw!), could God, without being unfair, reproach men for committing sins when it is in their very nature to do so, a nature that offers them no other choice but to commit hundreds every day? Let's pause on this for a moment. Think about it honestly.
Please read again what has just been said. Honestly?
God sent His Son to repair this injustice.
But if I (Jesus) go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. John 16:7
The only sin that God considers today is not believing in the Savior He sent us, like throwing a life buoy to someone drowning. When a buoy is thrown to us and is within our reach, we become free to drown or not. To stick with the image and without disrespect, our life buoy is called Jesus Christ.
Sin for you and me is no longer about not obeying the ten commandments, contrary to what religion preaches to us, that of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are invited to eat freely from the tree of life because it is available again, and sin would now be not to eat from the tree of life, which is called Jesus.
For in Jesus, at the cross, all our past, present, and future sins disappeared in the eyes of the only Judge.
If you listen to religion, you hear it striving to convince you that you are a wicked sinner and that your sins will lead you straight to the flames.
If you listen to the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus, you will hear something else. He convicts the world that the only sin today is not believing in what Jesus is for us: the Savior sent by the Father. You read it well: 'He (the Holy Spirit) will convict the world concerning sin, because they do not believe in me.'
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him John 3:16
On the Cross, Jesus takes on all your faults and illnesses. He is struck in your place by the God of justice. On this cross is established a union that is impossible on earth, that of love and justice.
On earth, if we apply justice, we punish the guilty and all the principles of love are violated. If we apply love, we leave the guilty without punishment and it is the principles of justice that are not respected. The two are irreconcilable.
In Jesus Christ, love and justice merge. Jesus, out of love, takes on the sins of the world, including ours, and becomes the only guilty one. He is punished as he should be. Justice is done. But love is the root of this justice.
There is no double penalty with God, unlike what can happen with humans. Your fault has been purged and paid for; it was paid for by Jesus Christ. You cannot be punished a second time because the verdict has already been passed, but not on you. God gave his only Son. He is your buoy.
But there is even more:
by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross; Colossians 2:14
This text is unambiguous. There was a record, a book on which all your faults were recorded, an act that established your guilt. This act of condemnation was destroyed on the cross by Jesus Christ. The moment you believe this incredible news, you have already entered into its reality!
We were expecting an inevitable judgment, and we are suddenly told that the evidence against us can no longer be found. Someone made it disappear. The evidence against you has been destroyed. The registry has disappeared. All that is left is a cross! That's what this text says in modern language. You are free. You can leave. Nothing can be proven against you anymore. Oh, don't expect to feel something. We're not in emotions but in a factual truth. It's just how it is. Jesus erased the record of our debt, which stood against us with its legal demands, and this he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3 :36
God will never condemn anyone who comes before Him with an inscription on the chest that would say, "very guilty but saved by Your Son at Golgotha." This is the meaning of "whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." There is nothing to add. Just receive an immense gift already prepared by God, who is nothing but love.
The tree of life communicates to us and offers us eternal life for free, simply through our faith (faith = trust in what you hear and what is written). You who have read these lines and believed what you have read, I tell you with the Bible, you have eternal life, you have it now, whether you feel it or not. Simply because God has said it!
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 Jean 5 :13
Did you not know that this is what Christ's sacrifice was all about? Well, now you know, because these things were written so that you may know them. Do you believe it? Then you have eternal life.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3 :36
Do not worry about those who have not yet believed in the Son. Your concern is commendable, but we are not the saviors of the world. God takes care of each person, and no one knows what He is doing in the lives of others. No one knows their secret life. No one knows the calls they have received or will receive one day from God.
Jesus said He would draw all people to Himself. He does so through the testimony of those in whom He dwells, through preaching, and through many other means, but He is the Savior. He knows how to meet each person and leaves each one free to accept or refuse. And no one knows anyone else's choice. For now, it is you whom He is drawing. And this good news is for you today, you who hear it and understand it.
There is one more thing you need to know. You have been reconciled to God. Be reconciled to Him.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life Romans 5 :10
You have been reconciled with God through the death of His Son, and this is something you haven't been told yet. Reread this verse. Have you noticed the grammatical tenses? They are all in the past here. It doesn't say "you will be reconciled" but "you have already been reconciled." You have been so for 2000 years. You are therefore reconciled today and tomorrow and always, and it takes effect immediately because you believe it.
By believing that Jesus Christ carried on the cross everything that separated you from God, that His death and not any action on your part unconditionally reconciled you with God, you have just met God's criteria, according to the gospel.
At this very moment, in your mind and in your soul, you are receiving the full and complete assurance of forgiveness for all your past, present, and future sins and therefore a total and complete reconciliation with your Creator.
We announce to you: Christ died, and you are forgiven of everything through His death. You just didn't know it!!! Now you know, and if you don't oppose this incredible good news, if you receive it gently, you have entered into eternal life without fanfare. You believed. That's all. It's simple. It's the power of the preaching the cross.
For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10 :10
Take a break now and tell the Lord Jesus, in your own words, that you thank Him for what He has done and that you accept with perhaps astonishment, but fully and with all your heart, this magnificent gift that He has given you and that was waiting only for two events.
- that you learn the news and fully understand its significance
- that you overcome your amazement to fully accept in your soul this magnificent gift that God has given to all men, women, and children of all times. Faith is just believing what God says.
Confessing with your mouth means openly declaring your faith, saying it with your mouth. The mouth is not the same as the mind.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God Ephesians 2 :8
or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3 :23
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved Romans 10 :13
To invoke the name of Jesus (God saves, God heals) is simply to talk to Him with the confidence that your words are not directed to a wall or a ceiling, but to the One who is omnipresent (everywhere at once), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omniscient (knowing all things, even your deepest thoughts), and who has been waiting for this moment, this moment when you finally understand His love for you and surrender your life to Him. Now, verbally surrender the direction of your life to Him.
Okay, have you thanked Him? Yes? Then we can continue because that's only half of the good news!!!!!!
Second seed: The Resurrection
Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.! Romans 4 :6-8
It is wonderful to be forgiven for all our past sins, it is a great joy and we are forgiven thanks to Jesus' death on the cross. God no longer imputes, which means He no longer holds our sins against us. It is as if we have never sinned!!!
But I already hear some of you asking the question "If I understand correctly, with this doctrine, since I am forgiven anyway, can't I take out my frustration on my neighbor who annoys me or insult my neighbor who offended me, lie, steal, do all the possible evil. I just then have to ask for forgiveness and it's done?!
I would be tempted to answer you, yes! Except that you are not asking the right question.
Yes, God grants grace to the guilty, slaves of their rebellious nature. An innocent person does not need grace. Grace only makes sense if you are guilty. Therefore, one must be guilty to be eligible for grace. God grants grace to the guilty, and the good news of the gospel makes all guilty people forgiven.
So, the real question, the right question is "have you become a child of God, have you been born again, are you a new creation?". And you will understand why this is the right question because the following principle cannot be cancelled under any circumstances.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romains 8 :1
No condemnation for the guilty?! It is completely normal to react because at first glance, it is legitimately unacceptable, of course! Unless we put it back in the complete context of the divine work. It takes two sides to make the complete coin.
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because by receiving forgiveness of sins, they have been born of God. They have received a new life, the life of Christ. They have supernaturally entered into a newness of life.
This requires a serious explanation. God's plan for humanity is greater and much more perfect than you thought. Listen to this astonishing statement:
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.1 John 3 :9
The two key phrases here are 'born of God' and 'does not practice'. We are talking about someone who is born of God and in whom the seed of God remains. We are not changing subjects. We are not in religion, but in a supernatural work that no religion can produce. It is said that whoever is born again, born of God, cannot keep on spinning, does not practice sin. Does not practice...
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.. Ephesians 2 :1-3
Before being born again, we walk in offenses and sins, we practice sin. Sins are not accidents, but a normal practice, a lifestyle, the natural thought and life system of a son or daughter of Adam. To give an image, the wild cherry tree produces sour cherries, and why would it feel ashamed? You lived according to desires, you were by nature children of wrath, it was your nature, your practice, and it did not pose any problem, except for the inner or religious law that occasionally shook the conscience.
Whoever has received forgiveness for their sins at the cross has, at the same moment, received the seed of a new life, a new nature, the nature of Christ, the nature of the One who perfectly obeyed God in his humanity. And this is not a sensation either.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses Colossians 2 : 13
Christ will now communicate, from within, the same desire and the same ability to obey because He has given birth to a new heart, a new spirit that He has recreated in those who receive Him: born of God.
This explains the new desires, new attractions, ambitions, or tastes that arise and begin to manifest themselves just as naturally in you. You will not strive to be different. They have become different. The nature of Christ now flows in you, manifesting His life, His desires, His ability. The practice has changed. We can better understand the immense significance of Ezekiel's prophecy and how it is fulfilled in those who receive Christ into their hearts.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rule. Ezekiel 36 :25-27
The child of God is first purified and then receives a new nature, one that is opposed to the one he had before. A nature that does not love to do evil and has the supernatural ability to overcome it. In other words, the evil that the child of God commits (and it will happen) is a misstep, due to weakness or lack of vigilance, but it is no longer a practice or a way of life. It is no longer his/her nature.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, 2 Corinthians 5:17-18
When one receives forgiveness of sins by faith, at the same time, one receives a new nature that hates the practice of what is evil in the eyes of God.
Anyone who is born again can testify how desires have changed. And if, by weakness, the child of God stumbles, they find in Jesus Christ an eternal and highly effective advocate, whose nail-scarred hands guarantee immediate and unconditional forgiveness.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2 :1
So, there is no condemnation for the children of God, for those sins that are regrettable accidents on the way, for you who have received the new nature of Christ. For this new nature is at work in you, much more effectively than your attempts to follow the orders of the law.
It is the guarantee that you are no longer the same, that God Himself has now taken over. This new life, which may still be a very weak seed today, will become, through His assistance, an immense tree bearing the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control.
And if the child of God, born anew, strays from love and holiness, and it happens, it is no longer as before. It does not leave them indifferent, because of the nature of Christ that is in them. They feel what one feels when, after putting on new clothes, they get a stain. They have only one desire, to clean themselves up as quickly as possible. They can no longer stand any stain. They then turn to the advocate, confess in the sense of admitting, acknowledging, and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.
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 cleanses us from all sin- 1 John 1:7
A simple acknowledgment of our fault, a simple confession is enough
For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Galates 6 :15
Paul spoke these words to the Jews of his time who had accepted Christ, because there were some who did. He was telling them, in essence, that observing the law (circumcision was a requirement of their law) and commandments or belonging to a religion is not enough now that Jesus has appeared, because you will never be able to be perfect as God requires as long as your nature has not been changed.
What is important is to be a new creature. For this is the guarantee that God himself is at work in your life. And that is what will make the difference because God NEVER fails. It is no longer you who seek to save yourself.
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Hebrews 7 :25
God himself from within saves you and will save you perfectly. What matters is to be a new creature. Isn't this beautiful?
Let's go back to the verse we were talking about in the first part of this article:
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. Romans 5 :19
Do you now understand this bomb in Romans 5:19? Let me help you with two questions.
1/ What do we have to do to become a sinner? Please, do not answer: "I become a sinner when I commit sins." No! You have now understood. You inherited a sinful nature from your parents at birth, and that's why you sin.
The Bible says, "It is sin living in me."
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. Romans 7 :20
So the answer to the question "what have you done to become a sinner?" is: NOTHING, you are one from birth, even before committing any bad actions. You are a sinner as a consequence of the disobedience of one man: Adam.
2/ What must we do to become righteous?
The answer is the same: NOTHING. We become righteous through new birth before accomplishing any good action. We inherit the nature of Christ just as naturally as we inherited the nature of Adam at our first birth. Through the obedience of one man (Jesus Christ), many (those who believe) are made righteous in the same way that through the disobedience of one man (Adam) all were made sinners.
We do not yet see the sinner in the joyful and innocent little baby. It is possible that we do not yet see the righteous person in whom the seed of God has just come to life. Or in someone who has not nurtured this seed so that it becomes a great tree visible to all.
Believe me, by nurturing and collaborating with the Holy Spirit, this righteous life manifests itself more and more and supplants the old life and its bad habits.
To summarize: we do not become sinners by committing sins. We do not become righteous by doing good works. We are sinners because we have inherited the nature of Adam through our parents. We are righteous because we have inherited the nature of Jesus Christ in the new birth. We receive the nature first, and the fruits follow.
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 1 Corinthians 15 :45
The key expressions here are "first man, Adam" and "last Adam." Here is explained, almost technically, although it is a matter of spiritual things, how the Lord overcomes our Adamic nature (derived from Adam) that poisons our existence. For there are laws, principles, and a method that govern this masterful work performed by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross of Golgotha.
At the Cross, God brings to an end a poorly started story with the first Adam. As we have already seen, he became a living soul when he disobeyed. His spirit died as a result of his separation from the God of life. From Adam came this terrible humanity, spiritually dead, living off its unstable soul, and throughout the centuries manifesting a mixture of dazzling wonders and unbearable horrors.
This sad story that continues for us, in God's eyes, stopped at the cross. Jesus is the last Adam. At the cross, God made Him the representative of the entire generation of Adam, as if suddenly all humanity was summarized in one person, as if He had transferred all humanity into one body.
Jesus, crucified, took on the first Adam and all his generation. And when He breathed His last breath, He became the last Adam. Thus, at His death, the circle is closed. For God, all humanity derived from Adam is finished.
At his resurrection, He became a life-giving spirit, that is to say, one who gives life and communicates His life and perfect nature. Remember that His first action upon arriving in heavenly glory was to send what had been promised: the Holy Spirit who gives life and vivifies.
A new humanity of naturally righteous individuals can be born on the other side of the cross, at the resurrection. The kingdom of God spreads in hearts. The kingdom of God is in our midst, visible only to those who have been transformed.
The last Adam, after the resurrection, became a life-giving spirit, who gives life to a generation of men and women, to a new humanity, endowed with a new heart and spirit, recreated in the image of the One through whom and for whom all things exist. And all of this is pure grace, pure gift, through faith, for any humble and unpretentious heart. Simply put, it is an incomprehensible wisdom, even a folly in the eyes of men, especially religious ones, no matter who they are.
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”
the things God has prepared for those who love him
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 1 Corinthians 2 :6-12
The Word took on human form in Jesus. He endured suffering, elevated this humanity to a degree of perfection, and was put to death by humanity itself. When Jesus Christ was crucified, it was human nature that was crucified - all of humanity, even if unwittingly, bears this Adamic nature, the source of all wars, diseases, suffering, murders, and the list goes on.
This humanity, with its irreparably corrupt nature, was crucified at the same time as Christ, in Christ, and for God. For all, the history of our humanity stopped a little less than 2000 years ago. This is not visible because it is a work that only a spirit made alive can understand.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6 :23
In Christ, all of us, the generation of Adam, have therefore died. The day our earthly body passes away, we find ourselves in an invisible spiritual reality:
- on the cross, with Christ dead for all,
- or seated in heavenly places with Christ and in Christ, the resurrected one.
It all depends on how far we went with Jesus during our time on earth. The cross is the place where judgment took place. What is of the first Adam in us has already been judged and remains on the cross! God judged the generation of Adam and condemned it to death by dying himself with it and for it, making it die with Him.
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many, Hebrews 9 :27
And since it is appointed for men to die once, once we arrive in the afterlife, there are two options: either we awaken in Adam, already judged and condemned on the cross.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John, 3 :18
Or, we wake up in Christ, if He is in us and we are in Him, united with Him, where all those who are born again are.
For through the new birth we have become a member of His body, and it is in Him, as part of Himself, that we wake up in the afterlife. Do you understand?
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. Ephesians 2 :4-7
For the one who has received the life of Christ, the stage of death is far behind. By his spirit, the born-again child of God is already seated in heavenly places in Christ even if his soul and body are still on earth.
If I believe in Christ, my "first Adam" part is already dead and I now live by the life of the resurrected one. It's a complete package. That's why Jesus proclaimed this incomprehensible thing at the time but it becomes evident now as His work is revealed.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this? John 11 : 25
The entire humanity, the first Adam, was judged, condemned, put to death, and buried in the person of Jesus Christ. It is all accomplished. It is an invisible reality to the world but a very real one. Jesus is, in the eyes of God, the last Adam.
While we are alive on earth, this power of resurrection that is at work within us will have other extraordinary, liberating, and immediately accessible effects that we will see in a few moments.
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; Romans 6:6
I am speaking here of an experience that is not simply a doctrine. The children of God who are born again and who walk in communion with the Holy Spirit experience this reality with wonder.
We are liberated from the grip of sin. For the first time, we are completely masters of our destiny. We can do what we want and not do what we do not want. Vices and passions no longer have a dominant power over our lives as long as we remain in communion with the Holy Spirit. It is an incredible and yet real liberation!
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36
If Christ had not been resurrected, everything would still be in the tomb with no hope for you and me. But He is risen and we are delivered from our old nature by His life working in us.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2 :20
Life is in Jesus Christ. When, at new birth, He comes to dwell in me, He not only brings me deliverance from my old nature whose power He destroyed on the cross, but He brings me the power of His imperishable life. As the person born again says, "If I live, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."
having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. Colossians 2 :12
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,, Ephesians 2:6
Do you understand the meaning of these words now? The last Adam, Christ, is the first of a new generation of men and women, born again. He has resurrected them. Their spirit has come back to life and inspires their existence, and communication with God, who is Spirit, has been restored.
Remember, the Word is a seed. Everything is delivered in seed form. Our faith does allow us to enter into the experience. And the Holy Spirit creates faith as we listen to and understand these truths. Meditate on them, reread them, call on the Holy Spirit for help, and accept with gentleness this Word that is planted in you. And be transformed!
Do not conform 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. Romans 12 :2
My friends, this is the complete message of the Gospel. Forgiven and regenerated!
The seed will grow if you believe and continue to believe, despite your amazement. And in such an extraordinary way!
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. Mark 4:26
Your faith alone allows the Holy Spirit to release all the wonderful effects of this life into your daily existence. Feed your faith by listening to the Gospel often, the one I have just delivered to you. Simply keep your eyes fixed on these truths of who Jesus is and trust the Holy Spirit to create in you sufficient faith and generously grant you all the benefits in Jesus Christ.
One last thing...
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. Romans 6 :4
We were buried with him through baptism into his death. This text implicitly speaks of water baptism. Perhaps the following text will speak to you more:
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Romans 6 :3
Or this one :
for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Galatians 3 :27
Many texts emphasize the great importance of baptism. If you have not been baptized, find a church, an assembly (ecclésia -> assembly = church) that preaches new birth, water baptism, the action of the Holy Spirit, the death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and get baptized. Baptism is part of your declaration of faith.
When we understand and believe in what Jesus Christ's death on the cross means for us, our intellect adheres, but our body, which is also a part of ourselves, remains outside of it.
Our soul, where the intellect resides, accepts and believes the good news of the gospel. That's good.
Our spirit is resurrected and welcomes the Holy Spirit, who now makes it His residence. That's good.
And how do we include our body in this total process of regeneration? Through water baptism.
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 :37-38
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28 :18-20
Jesus himself told John the Baptist that baptism was what was right to fulfill.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. Matthew 3 :13-15
Jesus himself gave the example. Baptism is an important act because God saves the whole person, spirit, soul, and body.
Baptism, the burying of our body in the water, is our way of telling God and before men that we fully accept the condemnation of our old nature. It is an act of repentance and faith expressed through a concrete action. We symbolically submit our body to death. If we did not come out of the water, we would be dead for good. By baptism, we identify ourselves in the death of Jesus.
It is not just a symbolic act but in the light of the texts read, an important and inseparable act of our inner faith. True baptism is an act that we perform to materialize our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, which we have now understood are also our death in Adam and our resurrection in Christ.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16 :16
Remember, repentance is simply realizing the total corruption of our natural being, no longer desiring it, and accepting to be rid of it through God's supernatural action. Turning away from the life we used to lead and embracing the new life of freedom that is offered to us. That is true repentance. It is done with the heart. Then we follow it up with action. Baptism signifies and concretizes this visibly. We leave our past life at the bottom of the baptistery or pool.
I can predict without error that in the next few days or even hours, everything will be done, as if by chance, for you to forget these simple truths that I have just explained, or for you to neglect them, occupied by a sudden increase in your activities, by the sudden appearance of obligations forcing you to put all these wonderful truths that have the power to transform your life in second place.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither
whatever they do prospers.. Psalms 1 :1-3
Re-listen regularly to this gospel. Water the seed of God regularly in your heart and watch it grow day by day. Feed on this gospel every day by thinking about it, solidifying it in your thought process, and you will see it gain strength day by day. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, says the Bible.
God's work, HIS work in you (not yours), is that you believe in everything that He has sent to do in and through you: Jesus Christ, His only Son. He is the sun to which you simply need to expose yourself as often as possible to adorn yourself with the beautiful colors of true life.
Fully and totally enter into this new life that is offered to you.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.1 Timothy 1 :15
faith grace new creature grace of God born again new creation