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Faith. The word “faith” is mentioned a lot in the Bible. But still, it is interpreted wrongly. Very few know what "faith" really means. Faith in what exactly? Yes, faith in Christ. But still, there's more to faith than meets the eye. Faith in Christ and what He has done for us.
Faith is Christ's baptism, death and resurrection. Not only His death and resurrection. For that won't save you. It can't. Only faith in His baptism, death and resurrection. Like it says in 1 John 5:6-8 "This is He Who came by (with) water and blood [His baptism and His death], Jesus Christ (the Messiah)—not by (in) the water only, but by (in) the water and the blood. And it is the [Holy] Spirit Who bears witness, because the [Holy] Spirit is the Truth. So there are three witnesses in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One; and there are three witnesses on the earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree [are in unison; their testimony coincides]." It's stated so clearly in the Bible. The word of God.
But still, many were blinded to the truth. This is the truth. Have you ever asked yourself this; If Christ is sinless, how could He die for my sins? If the sole reason of Christ's death is to save mankind from all guilt and sin, then why are there people still repenting? Have you ever asked yourself that? You see, sin was the only reason Christ had to die. Because man could not fulfill the Law, Christ fulfilled it for us. The Law was made so that man could realize that they were in fact sinners and that in and only through Him (Christ) they are saved.
Like it says in Romans 3:20 "For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character]." And when the Bible speaks of "repentance" it's not the same as going on your knees, begging God for forgiveness and doing the exact same thing over and over again.
No. The word "repentance" means to go before God, humbled. Go before God knowing that you are in fact a sinner. The fact that we sin is unchangeable. We will sin from the day we are born till the day we die. But Christ came to this earth to die for our sins. But His journey did not start at the cross. The cross is technically the 2nd part of this 3 part truth and gospel. The first is His baptism. Now you may ask, baptism? Isn't that just a symbolic act? The answer is, no. It is more than that. You see, there was and is a reason for the Old Testament.
Because the Old and New Testaments are linked to each other. It just takes the right eye to see it. In the Old Testament, the sin of Israel was paid for by the sacrificing of an animal. First, the Aaronic priesthood would pass all the sins of Israel onto the animal and then, the animal was to be killed. In the exact same way, Christ did the exact same thing. Just think of it as going to a supermarket (Remember, because man fell short and sinned, they lost all connection with God. So God taught them through the natural.) When you enter a supermarket, you don't just go to the cashier straight away right?
First, you get a particular item, and then you pay for it. Then, you leave, happily. Now, by going straight to the cross, you're technically going to the cashier first. And if you think about it. By going to the the cashier immediately, you're not going to gain anything by doing so. In the same way, you won't gain anything by going directly to the cross. First, you need to start the journey with Christ. And that journey begins at His baptism. Like I said earlier, in the Old Testament, the Aaronic priesthood passed all the sins of Israel onto the animal. And Christ being the Lamb of God, did the exact same thing. How? When He went to the River of Jordan. He was baptized by John the Baptist. Now why John the Baptist? It could have been anybody. But no. It was John the Baptist. Why? Because John came from the Aaronic lineage. Ah, now does it all start making sense? If no, then let me explain.
Further. Like it says in Matthew 3:13-17, " Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. But John protested strenuously, having in mind to prevent Him, saying, It is I who have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me? But Jesus replied to him, Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for [both of] us to fulfill all righteousness [that is, to perform completely whatever is right]. Then he permitted Him. And, when Jesus was baptized, He went up at once out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, This is My Son, My Beloved, in Whom I delight!" John was first hesitant to baptize Jesus, but Jesus said and I quote, " Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for [both of] us to fulfill all righteousness [that is, to perform completely whatever is right]."
Now, why did Jesus say that? And if Christ's baptism is just a symbolic act, then why did this happen; "And, when Jesus was baptized, He went up at once out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, This is My Son, My Beloved, in Whom I delight!" This is not a symbolic act. This is where it all began. This is where Christ took all the sins of mankind. As I said earlier, John the Baptist comes from the Aaronic lineage. Like it say in Luke 1:5 "In the days when Herod was king of Judea there was a certain priest whose name was Zachariah, [a]of the daily service (the division) of Abia; and his wife was also a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth." And we all know that John the Baptist is Elizabeth's son. This means that John was qualified to pass the sins of the world onto Jesus. It was there that Jesus became our sin bearer. John 1:29 "The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!" Notice that John says "takes" not will take, not taken, not took. No, present tense.
Christ takes away the sins of the world. To walk with Christ, you first need to know what really transpired. You need to understand why Christ had to die. And for 3 years, to fulfill the righteousness of God, Christ walked on this earth was persecuted and vilified because the sins of humanity were upon His body. Though He was sinless, He was treated like a criminal and humiliated by the very people He came to save. Now does it all seem clear?
Now do you finally understand why Christ had to die? If the sins of the world were not on Him, there was no use of Christ dying. For our sins, someone had to die. And God did not want it to be us. Instead, He sent His only son. His one and only son. There and then Christ became our sin bearer. Like it says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [[a]endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].
“ And notice that in that verse it said, and I quote “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin “. Sin, not sins. Christ virtually became sin for us though He knew no sin. For our sake. For you and I. And When Christ was baptized, we too were baptized with Him. When He died, we died with Him, and when He resurrected, we too resurrected with Him. Romans 6:9-11 "Because we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it] once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus." We are dead to sin.
In our Spirit, we are dead to sin. Yes, in the flesh we will sin. We were born that way. But through Christ and faith in Him and what He's done for us, we become sinless and righteous. Romans 8:10 "But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you]." In and through Him, we are saved. Let the Holy Spirit enter your hearts as you believe in this truth. And let God show you the way. Have faith in God. Faith in this truth. And you shall be saved. God bless.
Faith is Christ's baptism, death and resurrection. Not only His death and resurrection. For that won't save you. It can't. Only faith in His baptism, death and resurrection. Like it says in 1 John 5:6-8 "This is He Who came by (with) water and blood [His baptism and His death], Jesus Christ (the Messiah)—not by (in) the water only, but by (in) the water and the blood. And it is the [Holy] Spirit Who bears witness, because the [Holy] Spirit is the Truth. So there are three witnesses in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One; and there are three witnesses on the earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree [are in unison; their testimony coincides]." It's stated so clearly in the Bible. The word of God.
But still, many were blinded to the truth. This is the truth. Have you ever asked yourself this; If Christ is sinless, how could He die for my sins? If the sole reason of Christ's death is to save mankind from all guilt and sin, then why are there people still repenting? Have you ever asked yourself that? You see, sin was the only reason Christ had to die. Because man could not fulfill the Law, Christ fulfilled it for us. The Law was made so that man could realize that they were in fact sinners and that in and only through Him (Christ) they are saved.
Like it says in Romans 3:20 "For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character]." And when the Bible speaks of "repentance" it's not the same as going on your knees, begging God for forgiveness and doing the exact same thing over and over again.
No. The word "repentance" means to go before God, humbled. Go before God knowing that you are in fact a sinner. The fact that we sin is unchangeable. We will sin from the day we are born till the day we die. But Christ came to this earth to die for our sins. But His journey did not start at the cross. The cross is technically the 2nd part of this 3 part truth and gospel. The first is His baptism. Now you may ask, baptism? Isn't that just a symbolic act? The answer is, no. It is more than that. You see, there was and is a reason for the Old Testament.
Because the Old and New Testaments are linked to each other. It just takes the right eye to see it. In the Old Testament, the sin of Israel was paid for by the sacrificing of an animal. First, the Aaronic priesthood would pass all the sins of Israel onto the animal and then, the animal was to be killed. In the exact same way, Christ did the exact same thing. Just think of it as going to a supermarket (Remember, because man fell short and sinned, they lost all connection with God. So God taught them through the natural.) When you enter a supermarket, you don't just go to the cashier straight away right?
First, you get a particular item, and then you pay for it. Then, you leave, happily. Now, by going straight to the cross, you're technically going to the cashier first. And if you think about it. By going to the the cashier immediately, you're not going to gain anything by doing so. In the same way, you won't gain anything by going directly to the cross. First, you need to start the journey with Christ. And that journey begins at His baptism. Like I said earlier, in the Old Testament, the Aaronic priesthood passed all the sins of Israel onto the animal. And Christ being the Lamb of God, did the exact same thing. How? When He went to the River of Jordan. He was baptized by John the Baptist. Now why John the Baptist? It could have been anybody. But no. It was John the Baptist. Why? Because John came from the Aaronic lineage. Ah, now does it all start making sense? If no, then let me explain.
Further. Like it says in Matthew 3:13-17, " Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. But John protested strenuously, having in mind to prevent Him, saying, It is I who have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me? But Jesus replied to him, Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for [both of] us to fulfill all righteousness [that is, to perform completely whatever is right]. Then he permitted Him. And, when Jesus was baptized, He went up at once out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, This is My Son, My Beloved, in Whom I delight!" John was first hesitant to baptize Jesus, but Jesus said and I quote, " Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for [both of] us to fulfill all righteousness [that is, to perform completely whatever is right]."
Now, why did Jesus say that? And if Christ's baptism is just a symbolic act, then why did this happen; "And, when Jesus was baptized, He went up at once out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, This is My Son, My Beloved, in Whom I delight!" This is not a symbolic act. This is where it all began. This is where Christ took all the sins of mankind. As I said earlier, John the Baptist comes from the Aaronic lineage. Like it say in Luke 1:5 "In the days when Herod was king of Judea there was a certain priest whose name was Zachariah, [a]of the daily service (the division) of Abia; and his wife was also a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth." And we all know that John the Baptist is Elizabeth's son. This means that John was qualified to pass the sins of the world onto Jesus. It was there that Jesus became our sin bearer. John 1:29 "The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!" Notice that John says "takes" not will take, not taken, not took. No, present tense.
Christ takes away the sins of the world. To walk with Christ, you first need to know what really transpired. You need to understand why Christ had to die. And for 3 years, to fulfill the righteousness of God, Christ walked on this earth was persecuted and vilified because the sins of humanity were upon His body. Though He was sinless, He was treated like a criminal and humiliated by the very people He came to save. Now does it all seem clear?
Now do you finally understand why Christ had to die? If the sins of the world were not on Him, there was no use of Christ dying. For our sins, someone had to die. And God did not want it to be us. Instead, He sent His only son. His one and only son. There and then Christ became our sin bearer. Like it says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [[a]endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].
“ And notice that in that verse it said, and I quote “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin “. Sin, not sins. Christ virtually became sin for us though He knew no sin. For our sake. For you and I. And When Christ was baptized, we too were baptized with Him. When He died, we died with Him, and when He resurrected, we too resurrected with Him. Romans 6:9-11 "Because we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it] once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus." We are dead to sin.
In our Spirit, we are dead to sin. Yes, in the flesh we will sin. We were born that way. But through Christ and faith in Him and what He's done for us, we become sinless and righteous. Romans 8:10 "But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you]." In and through Him, we are saved. Let the Holy Spirit enter your hearts as you believe in this truth. And let God show you the way. Have faith in God. Faith in this truth. And you shall be saved. God bless.
