Arise, shine

[瑤翰 김요한]

Arise, shine

“Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1)

These are words that many people enjoy reciting and have great hope for.

A pastor once said that he had received this word a long time ago, but he was lying down, so I went to see him and asked him how he could get up.

People seem to think that they can arise if they just raise their bodies or that they can arise if they just hold on to their minds.

The power of positivity is just mental victory.

Personally, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and it varies from person to person, so some people work it out and some people don't.

So books like Tojeongbigyeol (soil stabilization bond) are about probability.

If God's salvation is a probability that depends on what people do, like the world's prescriptions, then it is not the perfect word of God's promise.

As a result, we end up trying to do things on our own without receiving the grace and mercy that God gives us.

Man, who died in trespasses and sins due to sin and death in Adam, cannot arise on his own.

Only by hearing the gospel of the redeeming grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, beliving, receiving baptism, and becoming one with Christ through the teachings of the Spirit of truth can we araise ourselves on this earth through the power of resurrection and life, we can look at  the glory of God.

So, in Matthew 28:18-20, which is called the Lord's Great Commission, it says to first make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything the Lord has commanded.

Also, Mark 16:16 says that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, and whoever does not believe will be condemned.

You are not saved by believing in Jesus, but you are saved by faith, including baptism, by dying with Jesus and rising again, becoming one bread, one body, and one spirit.

Therefore, we should not brainwash people with childish slogans such as “Jesus is the only salvation, Jesus is heaven.”

Paul suggests that the basis for our justification is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)

Our faith is justified and made at peace with God by faith combined with baptism, which is absorbed into the Lord's death and being raised.(Romans 5:1-2)

A faith like this is a living faith, a faith that arises up and sees the glory of God and rejoices.

Looking at the glory, they jump for joy and rejoice.

So it is said that the glory of the Lord comes upon those who arise and shine.

The world is always full of darkness.

So the Lord says, “Arise, let us go hence,” and tells us, who have been grafted in by him, the true vine, to remain in him and bear fruit. He tells us to remain in his love and love one another. (John 15)

Becoming the salt and light of the world is not something we do by believing Jesus and being zealous. We arise up with light through the process of the eight blessings, and by being clothed with the glory of the Lord, we finally become the salt and light of the world and become the inheritance of God's glory.

Therefore, we must establish salvation by faith after hearing the gospel of grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and following him to the end.

Even though we were dead in our trespasses and sins, he has quickened us together with Christ and raised us up with Christ together. (Ephesians 2:5-6)

And he made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which comes  together with Christ's death, together with his being raised , and together with  his sitting on the throne, we arise and shine, gain the halo of his glory, and become lights that illuminate the world of darkness.

What we must always keep in mind when looking at the Old Testament is that all the prophets who prophesied had the Spirit of Christ within them, already knew and prophesied about the salvation we now receive through revelation of who Christ was and what time it was, by testifying in advance about the sufferings Christ would endure and the glory He would receive after sufferings. (1 Peter 1:10-11)

Of course, so does Isaiah.

In Isaiah 53, he already knew about Christ's suffering and what would happen after his suffering.

That's why he says, "Arise, shine, for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you."

As one of the prophets, David also anticipated the coming, suffering, and glory of Christ, so he sang, “Lift up your heads, O you gates and ye lifte up, you everlasting doors;  and the King of glory shall come in.” (Psalm 24)

Therefore, we should not try to jump around or seek mental victory just because the bible tells us to arise.

Those who have heard the gospel of truth and have been saved through faith, including baptism, according to the grace of Christ's atonement, have arisen from sin, the flesh, and the world through Christ, and have lift the door of their hearts and looked forward to  the throne of grace to come the glory of the Lord.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION