Introduction to Ephesians(2)

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Introduction to Ephesians (2)

If we closely examine Christianity today, we see that the prevailing belief is that we should believe in God and live well by being blessed.

They believe that salvation is secured by believing in Jesus, and are then very interested in how to believe well and be blessed and prosper.

So, as John MacArthur of the United States says, there are many faiths that are like fortune telling, asking how to be blessed and how to do well. QT plays a role in this.

As Psalm 1 illustrates, following the path of Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came in the flesh, died on the cross, rose again, and ascended to heaven, we must hear, believe, and follow the Word of God  that we died and rose again with the Lord Christ. Such QT is a practice worthy of a hundred, even a thousand applause.

However, to identify oneself with a passage or two from the Bible, or with the story of an event or person, to find a solution to an immediate problem, is a form of fortune-telling.

As people say, God gives us a word and solves one problem, but do we then close our eyes and randomly open the Bible the next day when faced with another problem?

The wilderness is a place where even the path you traversed yesterday becomes invisible after a night's wind.

For example, the ridiculous incident of drawing lots and choosing a Bible verse during the Songgu Youngshin service (December 31, midnight) is blatantly occurring. This is Christianity's own downfall.

Romans clearly presents the fundamental values of Christianity.

Therefore, only by receiving Romans-style salvation can we proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ without hesitation, regardless of wealth, social standing, age, or gender, anywhere in the world.

Romans perfectly addresses our human sins.

Is there anyone who is trying to pass their sins directly onto Jesus Christ? Don't do that.

Our sins were completely dealt with once and for all between the two representatives, Adam and Christ.

By being caught up in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have already died with him, and by being caught up in his life, we have been united with his resurrection and life. By the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, we have been freed from the law of sin and death.

What we do is hear the word of this gospel, believe it, and by that faith, we confess that we died with his death and are alive with his life through baptism, and we follow him to the place where he has made us sit with him in heavenly places, and thus we are justified by God.

God justifies us hearing and receiving the gospel message concerning the redemptive work and mediatorial work accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, faith is hearing.

This is what it means to be justified by faith.

It's not that we receive forgiveness of sins one by one and are saved one by one.

The fact that was dealt with in a lump between Adam and Christ is that each person hears the gospel of the truth of Christ, believes in it one by one, and is confirmed by being sealed by the Holy Spirit.

It's not that we receive forgiveness of sins one by one and receive salvation one by one.

It's simply that the pragmatic human mind calculates what it can handle, so it seems that way.

We must keep this in mind and properly understand the meaning of the Bible to continue to receive blessings after salvation.

For example, if we receive Jesus Christ through our own efforts, then from then on, our faith ultimately depends on our own efforts.

How can we possibly bear the cross, die, be resurrected, and sit at the right hand of God's throne?

Therefore, do not try to personally put your sins on the cross of Jesus Christ.

The reason many people, despite receiving forgiveness and being saved, fall and cannot get up again is because they are carrying their own problems and heading straight to the cross.

If we accept and believe this fact that our sins have already been dealt with from Adam to Christ, God's righteousness will not depart from us. However, we ignore this promise and try to pass our sins directly onto the cross based on what we hear here and there, so we always fail.

We believe we have been forgiven, but we still feel uneasy.

Again, through the atoning work of Jesus Christ's death on the cross and being raised, God has transferred all sinners in Adam into Christ (Romans 5:12-21).

John 5:24 also says, "Verily, Verily, I say to you, He that hears my word and believes on him that sent me, has eternal life and shalll not come into condemnation; but is passed  from death to life."

If you look closely, the tense is past.

So, salvation is not about how much we have been purified, but about a change in our belonging.

It refers to a change in status, not level.

The level is salvation after a change in status.

If you are interested in Bible study, please think carefully about why Isaiah 53, written by Isaiah in the 7th century BC, uses the past tense.

Faith is a battle between whether I belong to darkness and death or to light and life. The measure of my salvation is not how wonderfully I have changed.

The extent of my change is a battle of spirit and flesh in Christ after salvation.

In Adam, as a natural person, we belong to sin and death.

Being in Christ means belonging to righteousness and life.

Therefore, those who have been saved must receive Christ as their Savior and serve him. Sovereignty must change.

Only after much time has passed have I been dealt with, and only then, as someone who has already died on the cross with Christ and is alive with Him, can I truly deal with myself and surrender to the Lord.

So how can we achieve a change of status?

The only way is baptism.

By knowing and believing in the meaning of baptism, the old sinner dies with Christ and lives again with Jesus Christ, and this life is realized in each individual believer.

As a new creation born of water and the Spirit, the old self gradually fades away and the new self becomes ever more renewed.

We clothe ourselves in Christ, eat Christ, and dwell in Christ.

Although we have never truly died or been resurrected, the Holy Spirit seals and guarantees that we are newly recreated creatures by believing and accepting the Word, which testifies that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is our own death and resurrection.

The essence of baptism is that after we die with Jesus Christ from our old husband  the law , we come to Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead, and are given new life (Romans 7:1-4).

Through this process of baptism, we are transferred from the law of sin and death to the law of the Spirit of life (Romans 8:1-2).

No, the Holy Spirit makes us aware and confirm‎s that this has already happened.

From here, the true grace of forgiveness of sins is deeply felt in our hearts, and the hatred and resentment trapped within us begin to melt away like snow.

Therefore, those who cannot forgive or love others have not yet received forgiveness of sins.

Under the law of sin and death, no one can ever love.

Those who are in the flesh belong to Satan, the ruler of their own city, and therefore cannot love.

People lament, "Why am I so narrow-minded? I can't accept or love others." But the fact is, the problem isn't their ability to do so, but their belonging in Christ hasn't yet been determined.

If your belonging is to Christ, to heaven, the attributes of heaven will gradually manifest over time.

Look at the person next to you right now.

This happens automatically.

If you find yourself unable to pray or sing hymns, please consider this.

Therefore, in faith, belonging is more important than zeal.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION

TO GOD BE THE GLORY