SALVATION LESSONS
MOSES R CUNG
Foreward
The Salvation Lessons were written in Burma in 1988. Originally there were only 18 Lessons, but has been expanded to 24 since then. I am very grateful to God for allowing me to put together these lessons, and for that may His Name be forever glorified. I whole heartedly believe that reading these lessons diligently and answering short questions at the end of each lesson will provide a clear understanding of the will of God and His salvation plan. Answering each question will bring greater understanding of the context of each topic.
After reading the Salvation Lessons, you may continue reading Law and Offerings Lessons that has questions much like this ebook. I pray that after reading this book, you would clearly understand God’s salvation plan, accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and have assurance of salvation. I also pray that you would continue to grow in Him.
May God bless you.
In Christ,
Rev. Moses R. Cung.
Contents
Lesson 1
The Will of God
God desires all people of the world to be saved. 1 Timothy 2:4 reads, God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” You are included in ‘all men’ so God desires that you be saved. If so, do you want to be saved?
By Faith
The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8 NKJV). In other words, one can be saved by believing in the grace of God. Providing grace is the responsibility of God. Man’s responsibility is to believe. God has already provided His grace so that all men can be saved. The only thing that is needed is to accept this grace through faith. Do you want to believe His grace?
By Hearing
We have pointed out the need to have faith in God in order to be saved. If so, where does this faith come from? The Bible says, “...faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 NKJV). Therefore, without hearing there cannot be faith. The Bible also says, “... And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14 NKJV).
Agreeing
We just learned that faith comes from hearing. However, if there is no agreement with what has been heard, if there is no endorsement, or if there is doubt about what has been heard, then it cannot be said that it is faith. One has faith only if he agrees what has been heard without a doubt. In other words, a person has faith only if he can acknowledge or can pass along the message to others exactly as he has heard. For example, if someone introduced himself to you as “John,” and if you believe and you agree to what he told you, then that is called faith. In this case, you agree and say, “Yes, you are John.”
Things That Should Be More Believable
Man usually tells lies. Yet, man usually believes in one another. It is also easier to believe in those who can sweet-talk. On the other hand, often times man do not believe in the God who never tells lies. Man tends to have doubts of God’s promises. In contrast, man usually believes in the promises of another fellow man. However the Bible says, “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater” (1 John 5:9 NKJV). It has been said that we ought to believe in what God says rather than what man says. Whose saying do you believe more? If you say you should believe in God’s more, then you should be able to agree with or endorse whatever God says. While you may not understand everything, you should be able to agree with God without a shred of doubt.
Contrasting point of views
Why is it that man cannot have faith in God’s word? The reason man cannot agree easily with God’s word is because the point of views and thoughts between man and God are different. God Himself said, “For the LORD does not see as man sees” (1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV). God also said, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV). Therefore, in order to have faith in the word of God, man needs to see as God sees and let go of how he himself sees. Man needs to reject his own thoughts and accept God’s thoughts.
Contrast between God’s view vs. man’s view
If we look further, there are no similar views and thoughts between God and man. They are always opposite. Therefore, it is difficult for man to believe in what God says and put trust in it.
The Need to Abandon
Man’s life is in disarray because the thoughts and point of views between man and God are different. Now then; who is in the wrong? Since God is never wrong it must be man who is in the wrong. Therefore, man needs to abandon his wrong thoughts and point of views, and accept God’s thoughts and point of views. If man sees as God sees and accepts His plan, then man can believe in God and His word. Those who think of themselves as wise and are not able to abandon their own thoughts and point of views cannot believe in God. If so, do you want to see as God sees and accept His thoughts and His plans? Do you want to believe in God?
Questions from Lesson 1
Lesson 2
God the Judge
In Lesson 1 we learned that we need to see as God sees in order to believe in Him. We have also learned that God’s point of view is the correct one, not ours. How can we say that God’s point of view is correct?
The Judge
The Judge makes judgment for criminal cases. Therefore, the Judge’s point of view is most important. Regardless of what the criminal may think and say, it is the Judge’s decision that matters in the end. It is the Judge who punishes the criminals. In the same manner, it is the LORD God who will judge the whole world. The Bible says that the LORD is our Judge, law giver, and our King. (Isaiah 33:22) Therefore, only God’s point of view and His judgments are important and lawful. My point of view and your point of view are not important.
Because He Created T
he government appoints judges. So then who appointed God to be the judge? God appointed Himself to be the judge. The reason is that there is no other entity greater and mightier than God. Moreover, God has the right to discipline man, His creation, just like parents who have the rights to discipline their children.
While Not Comprehending
If you commit a crime you will have to face the judge even though you have never met him before. Likewise, you may not know God now but you will have to face Him and be subjected to His judgment one day. The Bible said, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Revelation 20:11,12 NKJV). This judgment will take place on the last day. The earth would have been passed away and all would have died. Man thinks that his problems will be solved and over with on the day he dies. This is a deceiving thought coming from Satan. In reality, the problems increase at death. Therefore, I warn you not to try solving problems by death, such as suicide because you will still face judgment after you die.
Again the Bible says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 NKJV). Men will face judgment after death. Therefore, preparation is needed before death.
Though not Believe
You might not believe that God is the one who will judge you. Even though you may not believe this, it does not diminish the fact that God will be the judge.
In Noah’s time, God’s warning about His imminent judgment with the flood was ignored and was not believed by the people except Noah. However, their disbelief did not prevent God’s judgment. Those that did not believe perished in the flood (1 Peter 3:20).
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was full of pride and thus was subjected to God’s judgment. He became like a beast and was driven to dwell with the beasts of the field. From heaven a voice came and said, “And they shall drive you from men, and dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men...”(Daniel 4:32).
Thus, Nebuchadnezzar became like a beast and dwelled in the field for seven years and then, “at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who live forever. For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can retrain His hand or say to Him, “What have You done?”( Daniel 4:34,35) Thus, king Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged God’s power. Nebuchadnezzar did not believe in Almighty God. However, God’s judgment still fell on a king like him. Even the king could not escape from God’s judgment. Now, who are we to say that we will escape the judgment of a powerful God?
Only When God Would Not Blame
We just learned that God is the Judge of all men of the world. Therefore, escaping from God’s judgment should be our main concern. The Bible said, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.” (Ps 32:1,2) Therefore, all men, including you and I, need to get rid of our views and thoughts, and try to see and accept God’s views and thoughts.
Questions from Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Worshiping in Spirit
We have learned that God is the Judge of the whole world in Lesson 2. This Judge demanded that those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit.
Worshiping in Spirit
Jesus said, “... the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23,24)
How to worship?
So, how does one worship in spirit? When asked, people generally say that worshiping God in spirit means to worship Him: 1. Wholeheartedly 2. With mind and body 3. With complete loyalty However, all these assumptions are wrong. First off, “wholeheartedly” is not “spirit.” Body, Soul, and Spirit God created man to have three distinct entities: body, soul (mind), and spirit. Among them, spirit is the one that makes us resemble God. Man can have fellowship with God through his spirit. He can converse with God in spirit and come to know the will of God because they both are spirits. Thus he needs to worship God with his spirit.
Paul said, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:10). Again, Paul said, “The Spirit Himself bears with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). Therefore, it is possible to worship God in spirit but only if our spirit is connected with God’s Spirit. 
In the diagram shown above, God’s Spirit is connected with man’s spirit. Therefore, man receives eternal life from God. Man also knows what the will of God is. So man’s spirit can control and direct the mind. Our mind knows God’s will per the direction of our spirit, and our mind then directs our body to carry out God’s will. As such, our mind and body can live according to God’s will and thus glorify God.
Broken Relationship with God
Adam, the father of all human beings, broke a perfect relationship with God because Satan deceived him. Adam listened to Satan and ate the forbidden fruit of the tree. (Genesis 3:1-7) Since then, Adam lost the relationship with God and became a sinner. (Genesis 3:23)
As shown above, Adam’s spirit was cutoff from the Spirit of God because of his disobedience. The sin (cloud) blocks the relationship between man and God. Just like the clouds blocking the sun on a rainy day, sin creates a rift between man and God (Isaiah 59:2). Consequently, God’s Spirit does not direct the spirit of man anymore. Man also loses eternal life. Because of the rift with God, man’s spirit dies and it does not direct the mind anymore. The mind then takes the place of God and directs and governs the body as it pleases. Therefore, the body starts to live according to the wishes of the mind.
Becoming Animal
Man no longer lives according to the will of God since the body is being governed by the mind. Adam lived as though he didn’t have the spirit. His body pursued the desires of the mind. Those who go after the desire of the mind and body are animals because animals pursue only the desires of the mind and body. Therefore, Adam sank to the level of an animal.
All human beings that came down from Adam are also animals. They are dead spiritually since birth. Only their body and mind are alive. Therefore, Agur, the son of Jakeh, said, “Surely, I am more stupid than any man, and do not have the understanding of a man” (Proverb 30:2).
God’s Anger
Therefore, since man goes after the desire of the mind and body, God’s wrath falls on us (Ephesians 2:3). You and I have the following characteristics:
. 
As shown above, man became animal because of his sin against God. The spirit died and man went after the desire of his mind and body. Therefore, he encounters the wrath of God. When he dies and leaves the world, his mind and spirit are heading to hell fire and his body returns to dust.
The Need to Remove Sin
Although man sees himself as a human being, he became an animal in the sight of God. Therefore, he worships God with his mind and body but that is not acceptable to God since He accepts worshiping in spirit only. In other words, man’s spirit needs to reconnect with God’s. However, sin that lies between God and man does not allow man to worship God in spirit. So this sin must be cleared out of the way. Let us proceed to Lesson 4 to learn more about sin.
Questions from Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Sin
In Lesson 3, we discussed that “sin” was responsible for breaking the relationship between man and God. We discovered that we could properly worship God in spirit only with the absence of “sin.” Consequently, we need to understand first and foremost what “sin” really is in order to get rid of it; much like how we investigate a “disease” is in order to find its cure. It is important that we view “sin” the same way God views sin.
Two Types of Sin
There are two types of sin in God’s view. They are:
Sin From Birth
Sin from birth is not the sin committed by each individual. It comes with each human being the day he is born. King David said, “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5).
Chronology
The sin from birth originated with Adam, the father of all human race. Adam had a perfect body, mind, and spirit when God created him (Genesis 1:31). God placed Adam and his wife Eve in the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15). God allowed them to eat freely from every tree of the garden but prohibited eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen.2:17). However, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit of the tree in disobedience (Gen. 3:6,7). Consequently, God branded the couple as “sinners” because of their disobedience (Rom. 5:19).
Sin means breaking the law (1 John 3:4). Adam and Eve became sinners because they broke the only law imposed upon them. Adam did not sin against any other human being. He was not guilty of committing sin that is generally recognized such as killing, stealing and lying but rather the sin of disobedience. This is the origin of all other sins.
Dreadful Inheritance
Adam and Eve left behind a dreadful inheritance called “sin”. All their descendants became sinners because they were born to Adam and Eve who were sinners. The sin that is inherited through birth is termed “original sin,” or “sin from birth.” Some do not accept nor think of the original sin as sin, but instead believe that man becomes a sinner only through committed sin. However, the following facts prove that human beings are born with original sin.
a. Through One Man
The Scriptures says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—” (Rom. 5:12). The Bible says sin entered the world through one man not through many men. This one man is Adam through whom sin entered the world. Death has spread to all men because of sin. It is very clear that those who will die have sin. Death originates from the mother’s womb. Death does not come when one becomes an adult nor when one commits sin. Therefore, when we say one dies because of sin, it is not the committed sin we are referring to. It is very clear that it means the original sin.
b. Because of One's Disobedience
The Scriptures say, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19). The first man was Adam. Many were made sinners because of Adam’s disobedience. Therefore, you did not become a sinner because you committed sin. You are a sinner through inheritance from Adam.
c. Unholy One
Again the Scriptures say, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!” (Job. 14:4). Man is not clean before God (Is. 64:6). Every parent has sin. Therefore, the parents who are themselves sinners cannot give birth to clean children. Sinful parents can only give birth to sinful children.
d. Cannot Be Cleaned
We read, “What is man that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?” (Job 15:14). This scripture tells us that everyone who is born of a woman has sin and cannot become righteous. There is no one on earth who is not born of a woman. Therefore, you and I, who are born of woman, are unclean.
e. From Mother’s Womb
David said, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). King David acknowledged that he was a sinner since his mother conceived him. This seed of sin from the mother’s womb causes everyone to commit sin automatically as one grows older. One cannot commit sin while in their mother's womb. Therefore, sin comes through birth. Because of this everyone becomes a sinner since birth. One does not become a sinner because of committing crime. Instead, everyone of us is capable of committing crimes because we are already sinners by birth.
f. Wickedness
We read, “Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies...” (Psalm 58:3). Wickedness comes through birth. Lying and straying also come through birth. Everyone has wickedness. Everyone lies. This shows that man has original sin.
Sinning Against God
Original sin is due to Adam. This sin is not committed against another human being. Adam sinned against God. Therefore, every descendant of Adam has sinned against God through Adam.
The Wages of Sin is Death
“For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). “Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin” (Rom. 5:12). The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. This requires that we understand the meaning of death.
Three kinds of death
There are Three kinds of death. Physical death, spiritual death, and eternal death or second death. All three kinds of death mean “separation”.
(a) Physical Death
Physical death is the separation of body from mind and spirit. When the spirit leaves the body, the remains is called a corpse. When the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue died, Jesus resurrected her by returning her spirit to her dead body (Luke 8:53-55). At death, the believer’s mind and spirit ascend to heaven and the unbeliever’s spirit descends to hell (Luke 16:22-23). The body returns to earth and becomes dust since it comes from dust (Gen. 3:19). The physical death causes grief to the spouse, children, parents, siblings, and relatives because of separation from them.
(b) Spiritual Death
Spirit cannot die. If it could, there would be no need to suffer in hell. However, separation with God is called spiritual death. Adam was separated from God because he disobeyed God. God had warned Adam that the day he eats the fruit of the tree of knowledge would be the day he dies (Gen. 2:17). Adam died spiritually the day he disobeyed God. Although his body was not dead, his separation from God was death for him. All the offspring of Adam were born spiritually dead because Adam produced his offspring after he died spiritually. You and I are also the offspring of Adam, and so we were born spiritually dead. Therefore, when we were born we were destined to go to hell when our body dies.
(c) Second Death (or) Eternal Death
Second death happens to an individual whose spirit was never given birth while his body was still alive --- meaning he had never received Christ as his personal savior. His spirit descends to eternal flames in hell because he did not have eternal life. The Bible says, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8).
Questions from Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Committed Sin
In Lesson 4, we learned about the sin from birth or original sin. We will now turn our attention to the “committed sin or criminal sin” which is the fruit (product) of the original sin.
The Fruit (product)
Jesus Christ said, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” (Matt. 12:33). As Jesus says, the fruit depends on the tree for it to be good. If the tree is good the fruit is good, but if the tree is not good, then the fruit will not be good. The tree in turn is also dependent on the kind of seed. If the seed is not good the tree cannot be good. Therefore, this indicates that the fruit is not the most important part but the seed or the tree is in order to bear good fruit.
Likewise, the original sin (sin from birth) is similar to the seed of the tree. The sinner who has the original sin is like the tree. The sin committed by this sinner is like the fruit of the tree. Every human understands committed sin: killing, fighting, sexual immorality, adultery, stealing, lying, anger, short temperedness, false witnessing, jealousy, backstabbing, and so on. Any wrongdoing as a result of this list of behaviors produces criminal sin. This sin is committed against a fellow human being and therefore carries very heavy consequences in the eye of human beings.
Not Because of Fruit But Because of Tree (Kind)
It is not a mango tree because it bears mangoes. It is a mango tree because of its kind. It is still a mango tree whether it bears mangoes or not. The fact that it bears mangoes does not make it a mango tree.
Likewise, man does not become a sinner because he committed sinful acts. On the contrary, he sins because he came from a sinful kind. Many conclude that a person becomes a sinner because he sins. Based on this misconception, many people try to refrain from committing crime in order to not be labeled as a sinner. This is actually being preached from the pulpit.
Impossible It is a noble idea to abstain from committing sin, but the fact is that a sinner cannot avoid committing a sinful act. It may be possible to have appearances of refraining from sinning before fellow human beings; however, no one can hide the sinful acts from the Almighty God. The scriptures say, “Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.” (Jer. 13:23). This clearly tells us that if you do good an Ethiopian should also be able to change his skin and a leopard should be able to change its spots. But the truth is the Ethiopian cannot change his skin nor the leopard its spots. Therefore, you and I cannot change our behavior. We cannot perform any good thing before God either.
Like Filthy Rag
The things that we think are good before man are in fact not good before God. You may be very proud of your good behavior but it is very filthy for God. The Bible says that all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Is. 64:6)
. According to this verse, all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags. Good deeds are only good before human beings. However, good deeds done by sinful men are indeed disgusting for God. The reason is because it is unclean. For example, a meal prepared by a leper would be repulsive for others. The meal might have been prepared using all good ingredients, and thus it should be tasty. Yet, because of the person who prepared it, you would not have the desire to consume it. This is to say that the meal is good but you don’t feel like eating it because it is prepared by the leper, the unclean person. Likewise, your good deeds are in fact good. However, you are a sinner and therefore all your good works are in fact disgusting for God because it is the work of an unclean person. Therefore, we cannot expect to get favor due to our righteous deeds.
Seeing Self As Having No Sin
Human beings are the sons of darkness and therefore do not see themselves as having sin. One day, the scribes and the Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman committing adultery. She was caught in the act and according to the law; the Law commanded that the woman be stoned to death. So they asked Jesus’ opinion. Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7). Then those who heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went away one by one.
The scribes and Pharisees did not see their own sin at first. They only saw the sin of the woman. Therefore, they condemned and judged her before Jesus Christ. One cannot see his or her own sin while seeing someone else’s sin. However, upon hearing the word of the Lord, the accusers saw their own sin and walked away from the woman without condemning her. Initially, when they brought the woman to Jesus, those people believed that they were without sin. But when they walked away from Jesus, they saw their own sin. Are you also guilty of seeing only the sin of others while ignoring your own? You will begin to see your own sin if you meet Jesus Christ.
Those practicing good behavior
Man tends to believe that there must be at least one righteous person who practices good behavior. However, the Bible clearly states that “there is none who does good. God from above looked down to earth to find if there is one who understands and one who seeks Him. All have gone astray. They have all turned aside. Together they have become corrupt. There is none who does good, no not one.” (Ps. 14:2-3).
There may be one who seems to do good with good behavior in the sight of a fellow human being but there is none who does good in the sight of God. The bible clearly says that there is none, not even one. The reason is because man was born a sinner from the beginning. A sinner is born to commit sin. So he does sinful things all his life.
Born to commit sin
A universal belief is that all human beings were born righteous but became corrupt due to the influence of the environment and friends. Thus, they practice sinful things when they grow older. However, one can observe that every being produces its own kind. For example, a dog will be born to bark and thus it is not surprising that it barks. It is not out of the ordinary that a duck can swim because it was born to swim. It is not surprising that a cock crows because it was born to crow. Likewise, man is born to commit sin so it is not a surprise that he commits sins as he grows up. He does not need to take a class to carry out sin. There is no class given on robbing, killing, and lying. Every one is capable and knows how to perform these. Everyone is born to carry out these acts.
King David was aware of this and said, “surely I was sinful at birth; sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Ps. 51:5). The sinful nature is not that apparent at birth but becomes obvious as one grows older. A tree does not bear fruit when young but only as it grows older. Those who are not knowledgeable cannot identify the tree until they see the fruits. On the contrary, a person who is knowledgeable about the tree understands what kind of fruit the tree will produce. Likewise, God knows in advance what kind of a person man will become since He has a prior knowledge of human beings. Therefore, there is no righteous person in the sight of God. “…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
Questions from Lesson 5
Lesson 6
Woman’s Roots and Snake’s Roots
We have learned about committed sin in Lesson 5. We learned that it is not possible for man to produce good behavior at all times. Now let us turn to the subject of our roots which everyone tries to defend vigorously. Human beings love their own race. Everyone thinks of their own race being the most superior and thus adores them dearly. We're not afraid of defending our race with our own life and we put heavy emphasis on marrying our own kind. As such, there is a need to know how God looks at this matter.
Enmity
The serpent deceived Adam and Eve to commit sin by consuming the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Therefore God said to the serpent “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen.3:14-15).
According to the passage above, God put an enmity between the seed of the serpent and the Seed of the woman. The question now then is; who is the seed of the serpent and the Seed of the woman? In order to understand this, we need to understand first the different ways of becoming a man.
Four different ways of becoming a man:
They are:
1. Man without Parents (Gen. 2:7) The one who became a man from dust was Adam, the father of human beings. God created Adam from the dust. Adam did not have parents. His life consisted only of adulthood because God created him as an adult person. There is no one else who was created like Adam.
2. Human from Father (Gen. 2:21-22) God created a human without a mother. God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam and took one of his ribs and made it into a woman; Eve. Eve did not have a childhood life. She was already created as a mature woman. There is no one else who was created like her.
3. Born of Parents You and I are born of our parents. We grow out of our childhood and become adults. Our existence is not a result of recreation. It is through the continuation of reproduction.
4. Woman’s Offspring There is one who became a man only through a mother but without a father. He is Jesus Christ. Jesus had a human mother but not a human father. Man thought of Joseph as His father (Lk. 3:23). However, Mary was found with child through the Holy Spirit before they even got married (Matt. 1:18-20). Therefore, we can see that Jesus was born of a woman’s offspring.
Serpent’s Offspring
If Jesus is of a woman’s lineage, then who is the offspring of a serpent? Let us look into the scriptures.
(1) John the Baptist addressed the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him for baptism, “Brood of vipers! Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matt. 3:7; Lk. 3:7). John did not call them brood of vipers for no reason. John was the one who was sent by God. He spoke straight to the people as God had told him. Men are vipers in the sight of God.
(2) Jesus Christ also said to the Pharisees, “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). Jesus branded the Israelites as vipers. No good things were spoken because they were the offspring of the serpent. If even the Israelites as God’s chosen people were called the offspring of vipers, then there is nothing good about us, the Gentiles, in God’s view.
Becoming Viper’s Offspring
Adam and Eve were God’s loving children before their fall. However, the minute they fell into the serpent’s deceit and rejected God’s word, they became the children of the serpent. Every offspring from Adam and Eve automatically become serpent’s offspring.
The Characteristics of Serpent’s Offspring
Because human beings are serpent’s offspring, we find the following serpent’s characteristics in human beings:
It has poison:
A serpent has poison in the tip of its fangs. Likewise man has poison in his tongue. The Bible says, “Their throat is an open tomb: with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps (venomous snakes) is under their lips” (Rom. 3:13). James also says, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James. 3:8). Serpent’s poison is in the fang. Man’s poison is in the tongue. Man afflicts others through spoken words out of his tongue. It can harm. It can lead to fighting. Therefore, it is clear that man is the offspring of the serpent.
Double-tongued:
Both serpent and man have two-pronged tongues. James said, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” (James 3:9-10). Man has a two-pronged tongue like the serpent because he speaks both cursings and blessings. Though he may be praising God, he is also blaming fellow human beings. He can speak well about someone in front of him, and speak something different behind his back. This clearly indicates that man has a two-pronged tongue. In John chapter 9, we read that Jesus opened a blind man’s eyes. Then the Pharisees instructed the man to “give God the glory! (Then they said) We know that this Man (Jesus) is a sinner” (John 9: 24). The God that the Pharisees wanted the man to give glory to was Jesus who they said was a sinner. The Pharisees were in fact condemning the Man who they said the blind man should give the glory to. The Pharisees did not realize that they were speaking in two-pronged tongue. Like the Pharisees, we do not realize that we also speak with a two-pronged tongue.
Destination of Serpent’s Offspring
Jesus said, “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” (Matt. 23:33) This scripture clearly indicates that the destination of serpent’s offspring is hell.
Questions from Lesson 6
Lesson 7
Children of Satan
In Lesson 6, we learned that the offspring of a woman is Jesus Christ and the offspring of vipers are human beings. Let us continue to look into the children of Satan.
Children of God
At the beginning, Adam and Eve were called children of God because they were without sin. In Luke 3:38 we read that God was the father of Adam. Adam and Eve had a good fellowship with God because they were God’s children. They were also the rightful heirs of God.
Becoming Children of Satan
Satan deceived Adam and Eve through the serpent. Satan persuaded them to listen to him instead of God. Thus, Adam and Eve rejected God and listened to Satan. God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat (the day you eat) from it you will certainly die.” (Gen.2:16-17). Contrarily, the word of the serpent was, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”(Gen.3:4-5). The fellowship between God and Adam and Eve was broken because the couple rejected the word of God and listened to Satan (Gen 3:23-24). Though they were created in the likeness of God, Adam and Eve began to look like Satan. They also received the curse of God. Their status instantly changed from the children of God to the children of Satan.
Father Satan
All Israelites thought of themselves as the children of God. However, Jesus Christ said to them during their argument that “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. 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.” (John. 8:44). If even the chosen people were said to be the children of Satan then what can be said of the Gentiles? No further discussion is needed. We are the children of Satan. John also said, “...the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)
Not Born as Children of God
Everyone loves his or her birthday. As such people celebrate their birthday. But man was born as a child of Satan, not as a child of God. Therefore, birthdays are actually not precious and are of no value. The Bible says, “...to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). One has the opportunity to become the child of God only when they receive the Man, Jesus Christ. So then what was one’s status before he received Christ? Whose child was he? He was the child of Satan. Can you accept the reality that you are the child of Satan?
Satan the Step Father
The one who is not the biological father is called stepfather. Satan is everyone’s father but he was not the one who created man. God was. However, Satan was addressed as the father, who in fact is not the real father, but the stepfather of mankind. By now, you should know who your stepfather is. Generally speaking, a stepfather is not usually kind to his adopted children. Likewise, Satan is not kind to mankind. Stepfathers can be fearsome and so is Satan. Stepfathers can be cruel and so is Satan.
Characteristics of Satan’s Children
The following characteristics of human beings prove they are children of Satan:
Murderer
Jesus said that Satan is a murderer since the beginning of time (John 8:44). Satan not only killed the spiritual life of Adam and Eve but he also killed Abel (Gen. 4:8). Likewise, man kills each other’s spiritual and physical life the same way Satan did.
2. Enemy of God
In the beginning, Satan was an angel. But he revolted against God because he wanted to become God himself and therefore he was judged. His name was changed to mean the enemy of God (Ezekiel 28:12-17; Isaiah 14:12-15). Likewise, man is an enemy of God. We don’t see as God sees. Our desire is always against the will of God. Therefore, Jesus Christ needed to died on the cross in order to make reconciliation between God and man (2 Corinthians 5:18).
3. Absence of Truth or Loyalty
Satan does not have truth or loyalty (John 8:44). Truth resides only with God. Likewise, human beings do not have truth. When it comes to “truth”, like a fool, man does not understand it nor does he want to have it.
4. Living in Lies
Satan is wandering in lies and also is the father of it (John 8:44). Likewise, man is wandering in lies and fond of lies. While man does not need to be taught how to lie, he cannot understand the truth. It is obvious that man is the son of Satan because he loves to lie. If so, have you ever lied? If you have, then it is obvious that you are the child of Satan.
5. Love of the World God
created the world and gave Adam authority over it (Genesis 1:28). However, Adam delivered the authority to Satan (Luke 4:6). Therefore, Satan rules the world (John 14:30). Man dearly loves this world which is ruled by Satan. It is because man is the child of Satan and he simply loves his father’s (Satan) kingdom.
6. Committing Crimes
Satan committed crimes from the beginning, “He who sins is the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning" (1 John 3:8). There is no one in this world who does not commit sin. This indicates that man is related to Satan.
Ending for Satan
Satan is the enemy of God. Therefore, God created hell for him. “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). In the last days, the Bible says, “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). According to this verse the ending of Satan is the lake of fire and brimstone.
Questions from Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Animal & Worm
We have learned in Lesson 7 that human beings are the children of Satan. As children of Satan human beings behave like Satan and are heading to the everlasting fire. We will now turn our attention to the fact that human beings are like animals and worms in the eye of God.
Being Animal
In the sight of Holy God, human beings amount to nothing even though they think highly of themselves. In Lesson 3, we learned that human beings are made up of body, mind, and spirit. All these components must work in order for God to think of human beings as man and woman. However, a person would be an animal if only body and mind are functioning in this person’s life. The writer of Proverbs says, “Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding” (Prob. 30:2 NIV).
Being a Dog
A dog eats its own vomit. “A dog returns to his own vomit” (2 Peter 2:22). Like a dog, human beings return to committing the same sin even after leaving the sin behind.
Being a Swine
A pig also returns to the mud after cleansing. “...a sow (female hog), after washing itself, wallows in the mud” (2 Peter 2:22). Like a hog that likes the mud, human beings get pleasure from living in bad habits. We come back to them after we say we got rid of them. Therefore, a human being is like a hog.
Similarities between men and animals
Headed to destruction
“For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others” (Psalm 49:10). Animals die and perish; likewise, men die and perish.
Similar thinking
Men tend to think of themselves as being smart but they are like animals to God. Animals constantly think about eating; likewise, men think the same: eating. Animals look only after their own gain; likewise, men think only for their own gain.
Not worshipping
Animals do not worship. They do not pray when they eat. They do not know their creator. Likewise, men do not know who their creator is. They do not give thanks nor do they worship the living God. Although God blessed King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, he exalted highly of himself and thus, God made him behave like an animal. He lived with the beasts for seven years and ate grass like oxen. At the end of seven years, his senses came back and he praised God and was given back the honor and the splendor of his kingdom (Daniel 4:28-37). The reason God made him like that is to show that man is like an animal and only when he worships God is he a real human being.
Being a worm
Not only are men like animals but are also like worms to God according to the Scriptures. “How then can a mortal be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes, how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot— a human being, who is only a worm!” (Job 25:4-6).
Earthworm
Man is an earthworm in the sight of God. The similarities between man and earthworm are:
Earthworms are disgusting
Man likewise is disgusting (yucky) before God. Would you accept the sacrifice of an earthworm with its own life? Likewise, the sacrifice of a disgusting man is not acceptable to the Holy God.
2. Love of soil
An earthworm loves to consume dirt; likewise, man also loves earthly things more than heavenly things.
3.Only dirt Inside
There is only dirt inside the earthworm; likewise, man’s mind is full of things related to earthly materials.
4.Lives inside dirt
An earthworm lives inside the dirt; likewise, man lives in the midst of earthly things.
5.Can’t Defeat Anyone
An earthworm cannot beat anyone; likewise, man cannot defeat Satan, sin, sickness, and death.
Maggot
The similarities between maggot and man:
Maggots are disgusting and so is man.
2. Maggots love stinky things; likewise, man loves to live in sin and likes to spread unpleasant news.
3. Maggots live in stench (stinky environment); likewise, man lives comfortably in the midst of sin and does not want to live according to the law of God.
4. Maggots are full of yucky things inside; likewise, man’s mind is full of awful things.
Therefore, if you are a tall person, you are only a very long earthworm and long maggot. If you are a heavy or fat person, you are a fat earthworm and a fat maggot. If you are a skinny person, you are just a skinny earthworm and a skinny maggot. Earthworms and maggots are not useful for human beings; likewise, man is not useful for God. Nevertheless, man does not know his true status, therefore, he submits his best sacrifices to God in order to get God’s favor.
Questions from Lesson 8
Lesson 9
Forehead of Prostitute
We have learned in Lesson 8 that human beings are just animals and worms in the sight of God. We will now learn that men have the forehead of a prostitute in the sight of God.
To Love Only God
God told the Israelites to love only Him. In Deuteronomy 6:5 God said, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Loving with all your soul means when you love someone you cannot love somebody else at the same time. If a man loves his wife with all his soul then he cannot love nor have interest in someone else. Likewise, God wanted the Israelites to love Him with all their soul without reservation.
Wives of God
It may be a strange concept to learn that God has wives. Israel and Judah are the wives of God (Jeremiah 3:6-10). Isaiah 54:5 reads, “For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name...” Also in Hosea 2:16 we read, “And it shall be, in that day that you will call Me ‘My Husband’ and no longer call Me ‘My Master’”. In Jeremiah 3:20, we read, “But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me..." Therefore, we can know that Israel and Judah are the wife of God.
Loves the Spouse
God loves the Israelites, His spouse, very much. Isaiah 54:10 reads, “For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed.” In Deuteronomy 7:7 we read, “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples. But because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers…” Also in Deuteronomy 23:5 we read, “…the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.”
Israelites Became Prostitute
God loved the Israelites very much. Therefore, He blessed them by bringing them out of the bondage of Egypt to the place where milk and honey were flowing. He also wanted Israel to love Him without reservation as He loved them. However, the Israelites loved idols more than God, and they worshipped those idols.
To God, worshipping idols is the same as prostituting because the idols are loved more than God. Therefore, in Jeremiah 3:1-3 (NASB), “God says, If a husband divorces his wife and she leaves him and becomes another man’s wife, Will he return to her again?Would that land not be completely defiled? But you are a prostitute with many lovers; Yet you turn to Me,” declares the Lord. 2 “Raise your eyes to the bare heights and see; Where have you not been violated? You have sat for them by the roads like an Arab in the desert, and you have defiled a land with your prostitution and your wickedness.3 Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no spring rain. Yet you had a prostitute’s forehead; You refused to be ashamed.” The person who divorced the husband was the Israelites. The first husband was God. Another man meant that the Israelites divorced God and comitted sin with idols and thus these idols became the other man. The many lovers of the Israelites were these idols or images. The bare heights mean the top of the mountains. They placed their idols on these mountains and worshipped them. God punished the Israelites with drought yet they did not learn the lesson but continued worshipping these idols. Therefore, in God’s eyes they were prostitutes. Their forehead also resembled the prostitutes’s forehead.
Taking a Prostitute as a Wife
Because the Israelites were prostituting, God told the prophet Hosea “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” So Hosea married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. (Hosea 1:2-3). Hosea was a prophet of God. Those who serve the Lord are to be pure. He should not take a prostitute as a wife. Because God was so furious, He instructed Hosea to marry a prostitute. The Israelites were also prostitutes like Gomer. Today, would you be able to accept a preacher who marries a prostitute? Would you be able to accept his preaching?
Left the Husband
The Israelites abandoned God. Therefore they were referred to as a wife who left her husband (Jeremiah 3:1). The Israelites ignored God although He asked them to come back. Therefore the Israelite kingdom was divided into two during the reign of King Rehoboam, son of Solomon. The northern kingdom was called Israel and the southern, Judah. Then God called Israel an older sister, and Judah, a younger sister. In Jeremiah 3:6-10 (NIV), God said, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense.”
Punishment
God punished Israel in various ways through the years but Israel never regretted it. Instead, they worshipped idols as gods continually. Therefore, at the end, God sent Israel under the captivity of Assyrians (2 Kings 17), and Judah under Babylonians (2 Kings 24, 25). Since then, they could no longer live peacefully under their own king but had to live under various cruel opressions even to this day. Even though God loved the Israelites very much, because they abandoned their God and worshipped idols, their lives were full of horrific experiences like bad dreams, throughout their history.
For Us
According to the New Testament, believers are the wife of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, like the Israelites, we too have sinned against God. Though we are to love our God with all our hearts we cannot love Him (Matthew 22:37-38; Mark 12:30-31). We love the world more than we love God. “...If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). Therefore, we have been prostituting ourselves with things that we love. We have become greedy people (Ephesians 5:5). Our belly has become our god. The bible says their “end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame-who set their mind on earthly things” (Philippians 3:19). Therefore like the Israelites, we have become prostitutes. Don’t we also have the forehead of a prostitute?
Questions from Lesson 9
Lesson 10
Body, Mind, Spirit
God created man to be consisted of a body, mind, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). At the time of creation, all three parts were perfect. The Spirit had a connection with God and the mind was also in good condition. The body was in perfect condition and was not destined to die. God looked at all His creations and found that they were very good (Genesis 1:31). Man was one of the good things God saw among His creations (Genesis 1:28). However, when man committed sin, his body, mind and spirit became corrupted.
The Body
In man’s view he thinks his body is good, beautiful, and healthy. However, this is what God is saying, “Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and open sores,” (Isaiah1:5,6).
God disciplined the Israelites many times but they never understood nor learned their lesson. Punishments did not affect them and they were without remorse. Their bodies were full of inflictions and bruises. In God’s eyes, they were not healthy. Likewise, we are not healthy in God’s eyes. We are living in a body that can become sick at any moment.
Again, “Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.” (Psalm 38:3-8). The reason there is no soundness in our flesh is because God’s anger falls on us and also because of our foolishness. This is how God sees us. Like the Psalmist said, our body is unhealthy.
Mind
Man usually thinks of himself as having a sound mind. He thinks he can control his mind. He boasts about having a sound mind and how he is not like others. Nevertheless, the Scriptures clearly tells us that our mind is totally corrupted.
Sin Originated from Mind
God created Lucifer, the angel, with a sound mind. He also praised him greatly (Ezekiel 28: 12-17). But Lucifer wanted to become God in his mind (Isaiah 14:12-15). Therefore, God destroyed (cut down to the ground) him and thus became Satan, God’s enemy. Lucifer’s corruption began from his mind. Sin originated from Lucifer’s mind.
Infected Man’s Mind
Adam and Eve’s mind were in perfect condition. But Satan lied to them saying that if they ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they would be like God. Adam and Eve wanted to become like God in their mind. Therefore they ate the fruit. Their mind became corrupted and started to disintegrate. All of their descendants born into this world come with corrupted minds.
Ever Corrupted Mind
“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Why did God see that way? Is God in the fault finding business? We need to give an example in order to understand this. Insurgents are always bad in the eyes of the government. The good insurgent and bad insurgent are the same for the government. It is not because they have bad character but because they do not accept the authority of the government, they become the enemies of the government. In the same way, man does not subject himself to God’s authority but wants to live on his own terms. Man becomes an enemy of God because he embraces Satan instead. The only solution for the insurgent is to surrender in order for the government to accept them in the legal fold. Likewise, man needs to surrender to God in order for God to regard him as good. Trying to be good on one’s own term will not be acceptable to God since he is the enemy of God.
Corrupted
The mind or heart is more deceitful than anything else. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). In God’s view, the heart is very cunning. It is deceitful and there is no good thing about it. A broken thing is no longer useful. Likewise, a wrecked mind is beyond repair. All that is left to do is to be thrown away.
Producing Only Bad Things
“Their throat is an open tomb” (Romans 3:13). If the tomb is opened, only foul smell will come out. Likewise, the throat is the gateway of the mind and therefore, only bad things come out. Jesus Christ said, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Matthew 15:18,19).
All sins are carried out by the physical body but the perpetrator is the mind. If the mind is sound, all members of the body will also carry out only good deeds. Therefore God said, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind” (Jeremiah 11:20; 17:10; Psalm 7:9; 1 Samuel 16:7). God found man’s heart totally corrupted when He tested it.
Hard Like Stone
“I will give a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). Man usually tries to change his heart to be good. He also thinks he can change it. But God said this would only be possible when He replaces the stone of heart with the flesh. This is only possible with God. Man cannot do it. Will you allow God to change your heart?
Spirit
God created animals without a spirit. But he provided a spirit to man at creation. The reason for this is that man with the spirit can worship God. Every creation with a spirit is obligated to worship God. Angels worship God because they are spirit beings. Every human being needs to worship God because he has a spirit. If a person who has a spirit does not worship God then he is an animal. So then, what are you? An animal or a human being?
Dead Spiritually
Initially, Adam and Eve could have fellowship with God. That is to say that they were connected with God spiritually. But the connection was broken when they committed sin. Therefore, they died spiritually because the spirit of God and man were no longer connected. Spiritual death is not the same as bodily death. There is no sense of feeling when a physical body dies. Not so with spiritual death. A spirit still has feelings. If there were no feelings, then there would be no need for suffering in hell. Spiritual death is a separation from God and not recognizing the will of God.
Yearning for God in the Midst of Distress
Man’s soul thirsts for God. The Psalmist says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1,2. In the dry summer, all brooks are usually dried up and thus all animals, including deer, risk their lives and venture out to the river to quench their thirst. Likewise, man’s soul also thirsts for God. Therefore, man’s spirit becomes restless. In order to calm his restlessness, man resorts to the use of alcohol, drugs, and also goes after movies, women, men, sports, politics, education, work, hobby and so forth. Unfortunately, these things do not resolve the restlessness but instead becomes worse than before; just like drinking salty water. They do not provide true peace. In reality, only when the spirit is at peace, will the soul also enjoy peace without restlessness.
Therefore all, including you, are yearning for God like the thirsty deer that yearns for water. Your spirit will be satisfied only when it finds God, and only then will you also have eternal life. It is very important that you find God while you're alive here on earth. It will be too late if you die without finding God. As such, I want to inform you that you need to find God before you depart this earthly life.
Questions from Lesson 10
Lesson 11
The Law
Man believes that observing all the Laws will help him return to God. He believes that he needs to obey the Laws in order to get to Heaven. This belief came from not understanding the accomplishment of the Law.
There are 5 books of Laws. These are:
There are six hundred thirteen (613) commandments in the Book of Laws.
Four Sections
The Laws can be divided into four sections:
Given to the Israelites
The Laws were given to the Israelites by God. The Scriptures said “…The LORD is our Lawgiver” (Isaiah 33:22). James also said, “There is one Lawgiver” (James 4:12). That one is the eternal God.
God gave the Laws only to the Israelites. However, everyone (Gentiles) today think the Laws were given to all. The Bible said “…for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves” (Romans 2:14). The Gentiles tried to follow the laws. Paul also wrote that the laws do not apply to the Gentiles or other people (non Israelites) as follows, “…at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Therefore, the laws do not apply to the Gentiles but only to the Israelites.
Cannot Follow
Man says he will follow the laws but he can’t. Jesus Christ said, “Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?” (John 7:19). Paul also quoted the Old Testament saying, “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one”(Romans 3:12). Therefore, there is no one who can follow the laws.
Cannot Be Righteous
The following passages tell us that it is impossible to become righteous through the following of laws:
“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20). “...Know that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16). “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21).
Will Be Cursed
Those who do not understand the Law clearly tend to put heavy emphasis on the need to follow the commandment of the Law. However, they do not understand that the Law is making a man cursed. The Bible says, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). Moreover, the Bible says, “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law’” (Galatians 3:10). These verses plainly say that every commandment of the law is to be observed everyday if one tries to keep the law. In reality, this is impossible to do so. Therefore, anyone who tries to keep the law is cursed.
The Law Kills Mans
Everyone thinks that the law saves a person’s life. However, the law instead kills the man while trying to follow it. The apostle Paul says, “But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me” (Romans 7:8-11). The meaning is this: because of the law, sin is alive but the law kills me. Therefore, the law does not save any life but kills instead.
To Understand Sin
Why did God give the law if the law does not bring righteousness, but instead brings death and curse? The reason is because man cannot comprehend his own sin. He perceives himself as basically good without sin. Therefore the law was given to reveal the sin of man. The Bible says, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” (Romans 3:20). Moreover, “What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet’” (Romans 7:7). Therefore, the function of the law is to reveal the sin of man’s life.
Sent to Jesus Christ
The law itself cannot provide righteousness. It will result in death and curses if one depends on it. However, the law sends man to Jesus Christ for righteousness. The Bible says, “Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified” (Galatians 3:24). Therefore the law is to help bring man to righteousness by putting faith in Jesus Christ. However, being dependent on the law will only lead to death.
Questions from lesson 11
Lesson 12
Man Cannot Do It
In previous lessons, we found man’s condition to be bad and hopeless as the human race itself and also by his own character. There is nothing man can do to get rid of his sin, to be righteous, and to get to the heavenly kingdom. Therefore, let us now turn to these areas.
Concerning Sin
Man cannot do anything to be free from sin. The Bible says, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil?” (Jeremiah 13:23). Man cannot live without sinning. Only when it is possible for the Ethiopian to change his skin or the leopard to change its spots will man be able to stop sinning.
Consequence of Sin
The Bible says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). How will man obtain eternal life if death is the wages for his sin? Man will go to hell if he dies because of his sin. Therefore, man cannot repay for the wages of sin.
Concerning Cleansing of Sin
Man usually feels sorry for his sin and vows to not commit it again. But it will not be long before he sins again. Moreover, he cannot do anything about the sin that has been committed before. The Bible says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the alter to make atonement for your soul; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Man does not have blood to purify from his sin. Animal’s blood is not acceptable to God. Man’s own blood is not acceptable either because it is the blood of a sinful man. Therefore, man cannot do anything to be free from sin.
Concerning Doing Good
Man tends to rely on doing good to get God’s favor. Tithing, offering, helping the needy and poor, being active in religious activities are some of the things that man thinks will gain God’s favor and thus, will help him to be free from sin. However, the Bible says, “But we are like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). All good deeds of man may look good before a fellow human being but not before God. The good deed is not sufficient enough to solve the sin problem. For example, a murderer cannot be absolved from his crime regardless of how good his deeds are. He still has to pay for the crime he committed.
Concerning the Law
Man thinks that he will be free from sin and also inherit eternal life by following the commandments from the law. However, the Bible says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10). Man cannot keep all the laws. He only says he will keep it. There are, in fact, not many people who actually try to keep the whole law. Moreover, curse and death are the end results because no one can keep the law (Galatians 3:10; Romans 7:11). Therefore, man cannot do anything regarding the law.
Concerning Born Again
Every human being was born as a child of Adam. The physical birth out of the mother can be called first birth. Those who are not born the first time do not get to see this world. Likewise, those who have not been born again a second time will not inherit nor see God’s kingdom. Jesus Christ said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3).
Jesus Christ said that one must be born again of water and spirit. How will that be? Will that be through baptism? If it is through water baptism then all who have been baptized with water will enter the kingdom of God. However, not all who are baptized with water will get there. Likewise, how will one be born again in spirit? It's not possible with man. So, there is nothing man can do regarding this second birth.
Concerning Eternal Life
Man has tried to get eternal life through various means such as good behavior, through offering, keeping the law, being religious, etc. But eternal life is not in them. God placed the eternal life in Jesus Christ. Therefore, only those who have the Son of God will have eternal life (1 John 5:11,12). If so, how will one get the eternal life without Jesus Christ? Man does not know what to do to obtain the eternal life.
Concerning Satan
Human beings are children of Satan. Jesus Christ said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires” (John 8:44). How will the relationship with Satan the father be broken? Man does not know what to do.
Concerning Adam
All human beings came from Adam and were condemned and cursed as Adam. Therefore, everyone has sin starting from birth so the relationship with Adam must be broken. What will one do to break this relationship? It is not possible by man.
So How Do You Do It?
Everyone should raise this question. This question was posed to the apostles by the Jews (Acts 2:37). The Jewish people believed that they were zealous for God and lived according to the commandments of God. They were so zealous for God that they thought of Jesus as the leader who strayed. However, when they realized what they did wrong and that there was nothing they could do about salvation and forgiveness, they came to the apostles and asked what they should do?
This question was also posed to Paul by the jail keeper. All the doors of the prison were opened by the power of God when Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Thinking that all the prisoners had escaped, the keeper of the prison drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul told him with a loud voice that all the prisoners were still there. And the jailer fell down trembling before Paul and Silas and asked “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:25-30).
This question is usually asked when one is cornered with problems and can’t do anything else to escape. Those who do not raise this question do not understand their own status, and it is not a problem for them. They do not realize how terrifying it is for them, and so they do not look for the exit. They will corrupt in their sin. How about you? Have you asked this question? Do you think you need to ask this question?
Questions from Lesson 12
Lesson 13
God’s Salvation
In Lesson 12, we have learned that man is helpless concerning the sin, the law, getting the eternal life, and the break away from the Adam lineage. However, what is impossible with man is possible with God (Matthew 19:23-26). Let us continue our study on how God solved the impossibilities above through Jesus Christ.
Criminal Sin
Let us look into how God solved the criminal sin first. Criminal sin is what a person committed. This committed crime is a sin both in the eyes of God and human beings. Therefore the criminal sin affects the human mind. When a person commits a criminal sin, its effect is so bad that it brings him to the point where he dares not accept God’s graciousness anymore. However, he can be free from the effect of this type of committed sin only through God’s forgiveness and from there enjoy happiness again.
Through the Blood
Criminal sin can be forgiven through the blood. In the Bible we read, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). God said blood is the only thing that can eradicate sin. If so, how does the blood do this? In order to understand the process we need to understand what the Israelites did related to sin offering. We also need to understand about the tabernacle in order to understand the sacrifices that were offered.
Tabernacle
The real tabernacle is located in Heaven. God showed Moses the real tabernacle while on Mount Sinai. He told Moses to build the same tabernacle on earth (Exodus 25:9). Most of the sacrifices are to be performed in the tabernacle. We can understand how sacrifices are offered in Heaven by knowing how it is offered in the tabernacle. Therefore, it is very important to understand about the sacrifice and tabernacle. 
1. The Court of Tabernacle
The sides of the court were covered with fine woven linen that were 100 cubits in length, 50 cubits wide, and 5 cubits in height (Exodus 27).
2. The Tabernacle Gate
The gate was located on the east side measuring 20 cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen (Exodus 27:16).
3. Tabernacle
The tabernacle was built in the back of the inside of the court with 30 cubits in length and 10 cubits in width.
4. The Most Holy Place (Exodus 26:33)
The tabernacle was divided into two sections and the inner section is called the Most Holy Place. In it was placed the ark of the Covenant where God resided. The Most Holy Place was 10 cubits on each side and only the High Priest could enter once a year.
5. The Holy Place
The Holy Place was the outer section of the tabernacle. Its length was 20 cubits and its width was 10 cubits. In it were the Altar of Incense, Gold Lampstand, and the Table of the Showbread. Priests went into this place twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening to burn incense and to clean the lamp and refill with oil.
6. The Veil (Exodus 26:31)
The veil was located between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The high priest had to pass through this veil when entering the Most Holy Place.
7. The Ark of Covenant (Exodus 25:10-22)
The Ark was made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. The Ten Commandments written on the two tablets were placed in the Ark. The cover of the box was called the mercy seat made of pure gold. On the mercy seat were two cherubim of gold. God resided between the two cherubim (angels) in the form of a cloud. The mercy seat represented God’s temple in Heaven.
8. The Altar of Incense (Exodus 30:1-10)
The altar of incense was made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. The priests burned sweet incense on it every morning and in the evening. This represented prayer.
9. The Gold Lampstand (Exodus 25:31-40)
The lampstand was placed on the south side of the Holy Place. It was made of gold. The lampstand had seven lamps representing seven churches (Revelation 1:20). The olive oil in the lamp represents the Holy Spirit. Only when the churches have the Holy Spirit can they give light. Today many churches do not have the Holy Spirit which is why they are in the dark.
10. The Table of Showbread (Exodus 25:23-30)
The table was made of acacia wood with gold overlaid and placed on the north side of the Holy Place. On it were twelve loaves of unleavened bread which represented the twelve tribes of Israel dedicated to God. On behalf of God, only the priests could eat the bread. The loaves were replaced with new ones once a week on the Sabbath day by the priests.
11. The Bronze Laver (Exodus 30:17-21)
The bronze laver is a large basin placed between the altar and tabernacle. The priests used it to wash their hands and feet.
12. Altar of Burnt Offering (Exodus 27:1-7)
The bronze altar was also called the altar of burnt offering. It was made of acacia wood and it was 5 cubits in length, 5 cubits in width, and 3 cubits in height. It was used for sacrificing animals and it represented the cross.
13. The doorway of the Tent of Meeting
This was the place where the congregation assembled and where they presented their animal sacrifice to God. The congregation were only allowed to stay in front of the tabernacle where the altar and the bronze laver were located. The congregation was not allowed to enter the tabernacle. Note: Please memorize the tabernacle and its apparatuses.
Questions from Lesson 13
Lesson 14
Solving Sin by Blood
In Lesson 13 we learned about the tabernacle. Let us now concentrate on how the blood solves the problem of sin. In Leviticus 17:11, God said that the blood solved the problem of sin. How will the blood solve this?
One Who Has Rights to Blame
We have learned in Lesson 2 that the one who blames and judges is the eternal God. In Psalms 32:2 we read, “Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity...” therefore, only the eternal God has the authority to blame or forgive.
By the Blood
God, who can put blame and can forgive, demands blood for solving the sin. The Bible said, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). “...And without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Therefore, forgiving sin is possible only by the blood.
Blood is the Life of the Flesh
Why did God demand blood for remission of sin? Actually, the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The sinner will die because of his sin. For sin, there are no other penalties such as imprisonment, fines, hard labor, etc. The ruling from the court of God for the penalty of sin is death. Why did God say the penalty of sin is death? If parents give their son a car to use for school but he uses it for other things, the parents would take the car away. In the same way, God gave human beings life to live according to His will but they live according to their own will which is a sin. Because human beings choose to live according to their own will, God demands the life He gave back. If human beings give their life back then that is death. The Bible says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” so asking for blood is asking for a life (Leviticus 17:11). However, human beings cannot give their lives because as sinners they would end up in hell. Therefore, no one can give their life for their sin. But God pitied human beings so He prepared someone to die in their place. God also knew that human beings would not understand how life was given, so He chose the Israelite people and taught them how to give life for sin.
The Shadow
God used to demand blood from the Israelites for forgiveness of their sin. That was the shadow. Leviticus 4:1-12 says, “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them, 3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering. 4 He shall bring the bull to the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and kill the bull before the Lord. 5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it to the tabernacle of meeting. 6 The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 7 And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 8 He shall take from it all the fat of the bull as the sin offering. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat which is on the entrails, 9 the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove, 10 as it was taken from the bull of the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn them on the altar of the burnt offering. 11 But the bull’s hide and all its flesh, with its head and legs, its entrails and offal— 12 the whole bull he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.” Only after the priest sacrificed such offerings would the Lord forgive the priest’s sin. Without offering the blood, the priest could not just say “I am sorry, I promise I will never commit the sin again.” God looked at the blood of the bull and forgave the sin. The bull’s blood was its life; and the bull’s life represented the priest’s life.
Fulfillment
The Israelite’s offering was the shadow to be fulfilled by the offering of Jesus Christ Himself. The Bible says, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away the sin” (Hebrews 10:4). The reason is an animal cannot represent man because they are not of the same value. However, blood is still needed to offer to God Almighty. God cannot accept the animal’s blood. If we offer our own, our blood is not pure. Therefore, God Himself “prepared a body” for Himself (Hebrews 10:5). During Old Testament time, for 1,500 years, the Israelites’ offering was the shadow that was later fulfilled by Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:17).
Sacrificing Blood of Jesus Christ
No human being on earth has pure blood to be offered to God. Therefore, Jesus Christ offered His own blood according to the plan of God. The Bible says, “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11,12).
Jesus Christ is our high priest according to the Scripture above. He is also the offering (animal). The tabernacle in Heaven is not man made. The forgiveness is for eternity. Therefore Jesus Christ’s offering of His own life is better than the Israelite’s offering. The following chart will show the difference between the two offerings.
God was Satisfied
| Subject Matter | In the Past | Now |
| The Tabernacle | Located on Earth built by human hands | In Heaven not built by human hands |
| The priest | Human beings who can sin | Jesus Christ without sin |
| Offering | Animals lower than human beings | Jesus Christ who is higher than man |
| Forgiveness | Until sin is committed again | Eternal |
God was Satisfied
God is the one who will forgive man. In order to forgive his sin God demanded the life free of sin. Blood was used as proof that the man had actually given his life for his sin. When man did not have blood that was free of sin, God Himself sent His own Son into this world to become a human being and demanded that He give His life. Jesus offered the sacrifice for sins once and for all (Hebrews 10:12). God the Father accepted and was satisfied with this offering. Therefore, the verdict of forgiving of sin has been proclaimed from God’s judgment throne. And God said, “And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary” (Hebrews 10:18).
Cleansed
The one who sees man as having sin is God. But it has been said that the blood of Jesus Christ has made man made holy. The Bible said “… and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleansed us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). In one sense, human beings do not have the problem of sin anymore. The reason is that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed all sins of the human race. But more people will still be heading to hell. Why? The reason is because they do not know that their sins have been forgiven and also because of their unbelief.
Need to Accept
You need to accept what Jesus Christ has done for you. It’s not that you don’t sin anymore. You will still be committing sin everyday. However, the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed them. This is the work of God, and He Himself is satisfied. The Bible says, “Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them” (Psalms 32:2). God is no longer condemning you for your sin. At the same time it is important that you do not fool yourself.
Questions from Lesson 14
Lesson 15
The work of the Blood
In Lesson 14, we learned that the blood solved the problem of the sin of human beings. Not only did it solve the consequences of committed crime but solved others also. Let us look into these.
Free from Judgment
The blood freed us from God’s judgment. On the night of the Exodus from Egypt, God told the Israelites to slaughter the lamb and eat it overnight. They were also commanded to put the lamb’s blood on two doorposts and lintel of the houses where they ate. On that night, God was to execute judgment upon the Egyptians. The blood of the lamb was a sign for the Israelites that God will pass over their house when He sees it and therefore, the plague will not fall upon them. God was to strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both people and animals in the house where no blood was seen painted (Exodus 12:7-13). That night “It came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock” (Exodus 12:29). However, none of Israelites’ firstborn were struck. This was not because they were of good behavior. It was because of the blood of the lamb. God looked at the blood and passed over.
Likewise, blood is needed to pass over for judgment for all mankind. However, since there was no holy (sinless) blood, God Himself prepared the blood of Jesus Christ for the pass over. Jesus Christ Himself said, “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). If the blood has already been shed for the forgiveness of man’s sin, there is no need for God’s judgment. Jesus Christ Himself had said “He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned” (John 3:18).
Now, your sins have been forgiven because of the blood of Jesus Christ and thus you are not subject to God’s judgment anymore. Can you accept this truth? It was God Himself who freed the Israelites from His judgment. Likewise, it was God who prepared the blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all human being’s sin. The only thing left to do is to accept and believe that God Himself looked at Jesus Christ’s shed blood, and therefore, He does not judge you anymore.
Rahab the Harlot
Just before the Israelites entered Canaan, while at Acacia Grove (Shittim), Joshua sent two men to spy Jericho. Those two men stayed at the home of the harlot Rahab. Rahab asked the two men to promise to spare her life and that of her family when they overtake Jericho, and so the two spies promised to do so. However, they told Rahab to bind a line of scarlet cord in the window so that the Israelites may know and spare Rahab and her father’s households. Rahab was warned to bring all her family in to her house and not to go outside of the door to the street (Joshua 2:1-21). And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s house, and all that she had because of the scarlet cord as promised (Joshua 6:25).
Rahab the harlot was not a woman of good character. She was a prostitute. But she believed and feared God. However, only being fearful of God is not enough. She showed her belief in a practical manner. The way she showed this was by hiding the two spies, her enemies, from her own people. Her act could have cost her life. Nevertheless, she helped the spies by risking her own life.
All her family members were safe because of the scarlet cord. They were free from death as long as they stayed in the house that displayed the scarlet cord. The rest of those who stayed outside of the house with the scarlet cord died.
This scarlet cord represented the blood of Jesus Christ. Rahab the harlot did not own the scarlet cord. The spies gave it to her. Likewise, the blood of Jesus Christ was not ours. It was provided for us by God. The same way the scarlet cord saved the lives of Rahab and family members, the blood of Jesus Christ has saved us from death. What’s left for you to do is to accept and rely on this blood. The Bible says, “And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God.” (Colossians 1:20).
Made Righteous
We have now learned that man cannot do anything to become righteous before God. Instead, God has made us righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ. Abel, Adam’s son, brought the firstborn lamb of his flock as an offering to God (Genesis 4:4). God then accepted Abel’s offering. This acceptance means Abel became a righteous person before God. The blood of the lamb was the shadow that represents the blood of Jesus Christ.
God has made us righteous because of the blood of Jesus Christ now. The Bible says, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9). Therefore, the blood not only justified us but also saved us from the wrath of God. Friend, the only thing left for you to do is to accept that the blood has made you righteous.
During the great tribulation, many believers will become righteous because of the blood of Jesus Christ. In the Bible we read, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelations 7:14).
Have you made your robe white with the blood of the lamb Jesus Christ? May God be forever praised because He has made us righteous through His blood since it was not possible to do so by obeying the commandments.
He Has Freed Us
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). John said here that the whole world is in the hand of Satan. We are unable to set ourselves free from Satan. And we cannot get into the hands of God. But God has freed us through the blood of Jesus. In the Bible, “For You (the Lamb) have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on earth” (Revelation 5:9,10). Since Jesus Christ has freed us for God through His blood, we are now living for God.
In our old life, we followed the world and lived a meaningless life. Jesus Christ freed us from that life. The apostle Peter says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18,19).
Man usually behaves as his forefathers. Those behaviors are not useful. The blood of Jesus Christ has redeemed us from those useless conducts. Therefore we do not own ourselves. Paul says, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Questions from Lesson 15
Lesson 16
Representing
In Lesson 14 we have learned that the blood forgave us and in Lesson 15 we learned the work of the blood: freedom from judgment and becoming righteous. Now let us look into the meaning of representing. In some cases representation is not possible. For example, none of us can eat for another person. We have to eat our own meal in order to be full. Whereas, in some cases, we find that representing others is possible. For example, we can attend a meeting in place of someone else. Therefore, in regard to sins, we need to understand how this representing is possible.
Putting All Sins on Goat’s Head
On the day of atonement, Aaron the priest “is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task” (Leviticus 16:21). All the sins of the children of Israel were transferred to the head of the goat as God had commanded. When the goat was sent to the wilderness, it also carried the sins with it. Therefore, there were no more sins among the children of Israel. Because the one who can blame and forgive is God and this was instructed by God Himself, the children of Israel were left without sins.
Place Upon Jesus Christ
Now, the sin of the world had been placed on Jesus Christ who had to die because of this sin. The Bible says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). You are also included in ‘all’ and the Bible says all of our sins has been laid on Him. Included in ‘all’ are believers, non-believers; everyone in the world. Therefore, there is no sin in you anymore. Since it said all sins, this includes past, present, and future sins. When it says, “laid on Him,” it was on Jesus Christ. When John the Baptist saw Jesus Christ he said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Paul also said “...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Therefore the one who carried away our sin is Jesus Christ.
One Who Can Place
Only the priest can place the sins of the children of Israel on the head of goat. They themselves did not have the right to place the sin on the goat. Likewise, only God has the right to place all the sin of the world on Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The sinless person is Jesus Christ. God made Him the sin for us because of our sin. This happened just over two thousand years ago. Therefore all you have to do is believe and accept it. If you believe this, you are sinless in the eyes of God. This is good news indeed.
The Wages of Sin is Death
Now all our sins have been placed on Jesus Christ. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Therefore, Christ died on our behalf. Consequently, there is no need to die for our sin. There is no one in the world that will die because of sin. Christ had suffered for the whole world. The Bible says, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2). But many will still die and suffer in hell because of their ignorance and unbelief. By faith you can accept what Jesus Christ has done for you.
The Wrath of Law
In Lesson 11, we have learned that man received a curse because he could not follow all the laws. He needs to obey or follow all the commandments of the Law without breaking any one of them. All, including you and I, are cursed because none can follow all the laws (Galatians 3:10-13). “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree)”(Galatians 3:13). Christ was cursed on behalf of us. Therefore, He was hung and died on the cross. Now you have been saved from the curse. You have also been freed from the need of hanging on a tree. The freedom that you have received is not because of your good deeds (that is to say you obeyed all laws and live righteously), but it is because Christ had suffered and was subjected to the curse according to God’s plan. It is only purely through God’s grace that we are free. We need to believe and accept this fact.
Suffering Death
We have learned that man died because of the sin of Adam. There are three different kinds of death:
No one can escape any of these deaths. But because of grace, God let His Son die on behalf of us. This is how we can escape from death. Christ had died on the cross for all kinds of deaths. He was separated from His Father and died for our spiritual death. Therefore, Jesus Christ lamented, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:45). We now, however, have the opportunity to reconnect with God the Father because of Jesus Christ’s sufferings.
We now have the assurance of healing and evaded eternal bodily destruction because of Christ’s bodily suffering for us. Our physical body will decay when we die, but when Christ returns we will rise again with an indestructible body. We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with the dead who have arisen in the cloud to meet the Lord in the air (1 Corinthians 15:51-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). We are freed from the eternal flame, which is the second death because of the death of Christ for us. However, one needs to have faith in Christ in order to enjoy this benefit.
Questions from Lesson 16
Lesson 17
Death of Old Person
In Lesson 14, we have learned that our committed sin has been cleansed by the blood of Christ. We have also learned in Lesson 15 about what the shed blood has done for us. In Lesson 16, we learned about representing. Now let us look at our old nature that commited sins.
Grace Increased Where Sin Increased
We have already understood that our committed sin had been forgiven because of the grace of God. However, the Bible says, “...where sin increased, grace increased all the more”(Romans 5:20). That means the more you sin the greater the grace is. Now the question is, for grace to be increased should we sin more? The Bible says, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means (we should not)! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1,2 NIV). Therefore, let us look into “death in sin.”
Let us look at the following illustration.
The Light Territory
God placed Adam in the territory of light. It was the place free from sin and under the rule of God.
The Dark Territory
Adam moved into the dark territory because of his disobedience to God (Genesis 3:24). The dark territory is this present sinful world where God does not rule.
Slave of Sin
Sin rules the dark territory. Jesus Christ said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). Because of his disobedience Adam became the slave of sin in the dark territory.
By Birth
Adam became the slave of sin through his disobedience. However, the generation of Adam entered into the dark territory by birth. Therefore sin is our master.
Man is Helpless
Even though God took care of your sins, if you remain a slave of sin in the dark territory, then you will still commit sin. Man is helpless and can’t do a thing in regards to escaping from the dark territory, nor from being a slave of sin.
Sent the Son
God sent His own Son to the dark territory to rescue those who are the slaves of sin (Hebrews 2:14,15; Matthew 4:14-16). Even though Jesus Christ was living in the dark territory, He did not become the slave of sin (1 Peter 2:22). Therefore, He was capable of rescuing those from the dark territory.
In Christ
Man entered into the dark territory through birth. He can only exit the dark territory through death. For example, man came into a family through birth and departed through death. Man will depart the dark territory through death but when the body dies its only destination is Hell. Therefore, God placed the man in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). For that reason, it is important to accept by faith that you are being placed inside of Christ.
The Old Man Died
Man who is living as a slave of sin is termed the old man. This old man cannot hear when God speaks to him. The reason is that he needs to listen to his boss, SIN. Religious leaders teach him to live by the rule of ethical conduct, but he's unable to do so. Instead of trying to remake or revitalize him, God has a plan to do away with his life. This old man is placed inside of and crucified with Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “...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).
Even though the old man was the slave of sin, he was freed from slavery when he died with Christ. “For he who has died has been freed from sin” (Romans 6:7). No one can give an order to a dead man. Likewise, the old man who has died cannot be commanded by sin any longer. In this way, the old man departed from being a slave and also from the dark territory.
God’s View and Man’s View
In man’s view, Christ died on the cross. But the death of Christ was not God's main objective. His objective was for the old man to die. Therefore, the old man was placed in Christ and both died. Thus, in God’s view, the old man died on the cross.
Accept by Faith
It may be difficult for you to accept the idea that you died with Jesus Christ. But you must accept, by faith, what God has done. Paul also was not a believer when Christ died. However, he admitted as such, “I have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20).
Buried
Man is buried into the grave when he dies. In the same manner, the old man was buried with Christ. That burial is called baptism. Paul said, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death”(Romans 6:4). Likewise, you have been buried with Christ. Your old man was killed on the cross with Christ and ended at the grave. Therefore, you have been freed from being the slave of sin.
Resurrection
The same way Christ rose from the dead, we also rose from the dead with a new life. The Bible says, “... just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4). The Bible also says, “...buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12). Therefore, you have also been resurrected.
With a New Life
When we say rose from the dead, our old man does not rise. Instead, the new man rises into a new life. The Bible says, "How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body" (1 Corinthians 15: 36-38). This means that the plant is not the same as the seed that was initially sown. The seed has the appearance of being dry and lifeless. The plant that grows from it has the appearance of health, green and being alive. In the same way, the old man who died with Christ is not the same as the new man who has been resurrected. "For if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5: 1a).
Such a person who has been born into a new life in Christ is called a born again person. Often, being born again is falsely interpreted as having a change of behavior and an excitement. If someone turns into a person of exceptionally good character, and is super devoted to the things of God, he would be labeled as a born again person. When a baby is born, there is no such expression as “the baby was born excessively.” The birth is just an ordinary event. If you can be born again with just a change of heart, Christ did not need to come down and die. The second birth (spiritual birth) is not man-made; it is what God does through His Son. Therefore, there is none who cannot be born again. The reason for a person not capable of being born again is due to lack of understanding of what God has done. Thus, there is nothing to be done about the second birth, but it is your responsibility to believe what God has already done through Jesus Christ.
Questions from Lesson 17
Lesson 18
Benefits Received Because of Jesus
In Lesson 17, we have learned that our old man (nature) has died with Christ and was buried and resurrected with Jesus Christ. Let us now turn to the benefits that are ours because of Jesus Christ. When we resurrected together with Christ, the benefits that we received are the following:
Being Born Again
The Lord Jesus Christ said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). How will we be born again? Jesus said that we need to be born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). Many people think it is through water baptism that one can become born again. If this was true, there would be no need for Jesus to come down to earth.
In order to understand the second birth, one needs to have a clear understanding of the first birth. The first birth was out of the mother’s womb. When we were born the first time, we were born into the Adamic race, or into the family of Adam. The old man, Adamic race is sinful. We cannot go to heaven through this first birth. Jesus said that one can not see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. Being born again does not mean water baptism, following religious ritual, nor following all the commandments.
God killed and hung our old man with Jesus on the cross. Our old man did not come with us when we rose from the tomb with Jesus Christ. We were raised as a new man. Man is not capable of recreating a new man. It is possible only through the power of God (2 Corinthians 5:17). Only the new man through resurrection is considered the second birth.
Entered into the Son’s Kingdom
The previous old man lived in the dark territory. God Himself took us out of the dark territory through Jesus Christ since we could not do it on our own. The Scriptures say “He delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13). Therefore, you are not living in the power of darkness. You have reached the kingdom of Jesus Christ. The Bible says “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). “We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1). Since we have a place in heaven, we should not love this world too much. While living here in this world, we should live as representatives of Heavens.
Received eternal life
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit...”(Ephesians 1:13). If the Holy Spirit sealed you then you have received the Lord Jesus Christ. It is important to know that those who have Jesus Christ have eternal life (1 John 5:11,12).
Become the Son of God
You were the son of Satan at birth (John 8:44). However, you have the right to become the child of God the day you received Jesus in your life (John 1:12). Therefore, “the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). We also have become heirs of God (Romans 8:17).
In the Hand of God
Your life is in the hand of God. The Bible says, “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Therefore, Satan cannot affect you anymore. Moreover, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me and I give them eternal life. And they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29). Because you are Jesus’ sheep, you are now living an eternal life. You are also free from destruction. Destruction means going to hell. Satan cannot snatch you out or destroy you because you are in the hands of Jesus Christ and God. However, because there are still temptations in this world, you must be careful.
Become righteous
You have received righteousness which cannot be obtained through following the commandments. God gives us righteousness. The Bible says, “It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). God made you a righteous person because of the blood of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9). This righteousness is in the sight of God and not in the sight of man. “For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us. That we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, you are righteous in the eyes of God. That's why you must live a life worthy of a righteous person.
Become God’s people
In your previous life you did not have anything to do with God. Moreover, you were the enemy of God. But now, “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). Since you are of a royal priesthood, you can enjoy being in the royal family. Additionally, you can also submit your prayers directly to God. You can fellowship with God anytime because you are God’s people. You also are a blessed person. (If you do not recieve Jesus Christ, you forfeit all these benefits)
Questions of Lesson 18
Lesson 19
Assurance of Salvation
Salvation is the work of God from the beginning to the end. God the Father had already planned to save us, to forgive us by the death of His Son; and these were planned before the foundation of the earth (1 Peter 1:20). The Son had accomplished the Father’s plan through His death and resurrection. Through the word of God, the Holy Spirit let us understand these plans. We accept this salvation only by faith. There is nothing done from our end.
Through Word of God
How will we know that God has saved us, forgiven us, accepted us, and given us eternal life? In the Old Testament time, man could converse and ask God questions. During the time of His Son, man could talk with Jesus Christ face to face. But during the time of the Holy Spirit, man can know and ask through the Word of God. Therefore, we need to read the Bible.
What does the Word of God Say
When people communicate through written letter between each other, they believe and accept whatever is written in the letter. In the same manner, one can believe and accept God’s promises that were written in the Holy Bible. Some seek other ways to believe when they do not and cannot trust the Bible. Many people fall into Satan’s trap when they are looking for miracles and feelings to strengthen their faith. “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:22, 23).
No Judgment for Sin
Regarding sin, Jesus Christ said, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17,18). The Bible says that he who believes in the Son will not be condemned. Therefore we can rest assured and believe that we will not be judged for our sin. In the passage above, the Bible did not say "those who do not believe in the Son and those who are not without sin," but only said, "those who believe in the Son." Therefore, we can conclude that those who believe in the Son will not be subjected to sin judgment. God never lies. The word of God is more trustworthy. “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater” (1 John 5:9).
He Accepted Us
Sometimes man drives away those who come to him. But Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37). You can be rest assured that God will accept you if you truly come to Him. Though He is not saying it with an audible voice, you can know that He will accept you according to His word.
Received Eternal Life
Eternal life means living together with God in Heaven. The spirit of man will also be living in the lake of fire eternally. This eternal living in the lake of fire is referred to as death or a second death (Revelation 20:14). Jesus Christ said that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:15). John the Baptist also said, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him” (John 3:36). Now, you have assurance that you have eternal life because you believe in the Son of God according to the Word of God. Eternal life is not received only after death. It is available now. You do not have to be perfect. You can have it if you believe in the Son. Therefore, you need to trust the Word of God.
Received Holy Spirit
Once you believe in Jesus Christ, you have also received the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,” (Ephesians 1:13) and this Holy Spirit is, “by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). Therefore, you have the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Jesus Christ in you. The Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus Christ is one and the same.
Questions from Lesson 19
Lesson 20
Two Kinds of Christians
New believers usually make two mistakes. They think that believers should not sin, and moreover, that they cannot commit sin. If a believer commits sin it is thought that he will lose his eternal life. The truth is eternal life is not earned because of living a sinless life or obedience to God. On the contrary, eternal life is possible purely due to the grace of God and therefore, no one can lose their salvation. If eternal life is lost every time sin is committed, then it is not eternal. Eternal life is continuous and lasts forever.
If eternal life is lost every time sin is committed, and regained after every repentance, then this is not eternal life but rather it would be intermittent life. God has given us eternal life not because we deserve it, nor because of our good work, but purely because of His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Moreover, believers are capable of committing sin according to John, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
The Bible says that there are three kinds of men.
Natural Man
With a natural man, Jesus is not in his heart. He does not have anything to do with Jesus because he does not accept Christ (Romans 8:9). He does not have eternal life because he does not accept Christ (1 John 5:12). He is being judged now for his sin because he does not believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:18). The wrath of God is also on him (John 3:36). The ego “I” is on the throne of his heart because he does not receive Christ.
About the natural man, Paul said, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The natural man does not like the spiritual things because he does not understand them. He only wants the worldly things. All actions of his life and his behavior do not reflect that of a spiritual person. His life is empty and is filled with sadness and there is no happiness. All of his feelings are to the extreme, such as extreme happiness that turns suddenly into extreme sadness and his feeling are alternating between a short temper, happiness, loss of control, anxiety, and so forth. His life is not stable nor calm.
Natural man characteristics are shown not only in the life of non-believers, but also in the life of Christians. Many of them may even be pastors, deacons and elders, youth leaders, and women leaders. Many church members may look like Christians but because they do not receive Jesus Christ, they are therefore, natural men. This sort of life cannot follow the will of God. They are minimizing the glory of God.
Spiritual Man
A spiritual man is a person who not only accepted Christ in his life but also allows Christ to govern his life and to sit on the throne of his life. He dethroned his ego. He is a true Christian because he accepted Christ. He also received eternal life (1 John 5:12) and is free from judgment of sin (John 3:18). He is a righteous and holy person before God (1 Corinthians 1:2, 30). This person lives a godly life because he allows Christ to rule his life. Therefore, the fruits of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control can be found in his life (Galatians 5:22-23). A spiritual man lives a meaningful life and has goals or a purpose for his life. He lives a constructive life because all of his actions and manners are according to the will of God and therefore is very persuasive. His life glorifies God, and other people respect and love him. All believers are to live such a life. This kind of person is respected even by non-believers, and he can lead them to Christ. Most believers want and hope to live this type of life.
Carnal Man
A carnal man is a person who has eternal life because he received Christ in his life and is free from the judgment of sin. He received the rights enjoyed by Christians. However, he does not let Christ govern his life. He lives an egocentric life. Therefore, he lives a non-Christian life even though he is a Christian. This person received Christ in his life and therefore is assured of eternal life; however, his life does not glorify God. He instead lives a condemnatory life that produces fruit as the natural man described in Galatians 5:19-21.
Corinthian Church
The congregation of the Corinth Church lived a carnal life and thus Paul said to them, “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly — mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
Although the Church of Corinth lived a carnal life they did not lose their salvation. Paul pointed out to them in his letter saying, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus.”(1 Corinthians 1:2). Not only this, Paul talked about what their reward would be when Christ returns, saying, “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised (including the members of Corinth Church) incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).
These carnal Christians did not lose their salvation; however, they lived a condemnatory life and did not live according the will of God. They themselves did not enjoy their life but instead lived a miserable life. Therefore, instead of living such a life, we need to live a life that is controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Letting Christ Govern
We have learned that the carnal Christians do not allow their life to be governed by Jesus Christ but instead ego rules their life. If one would continue to live such a life, then he would never please God. He is the opposite of God and cannot and will not follow the will of God (Romans 8:7-8). Therefore, one needs to confess his sins and let Christ rule his life and live a Spirit filled life again. He needs to be humble and resubmit his life to Christ. If you really let Christ rule your life, then He will surely run your life. The life that is ruled by Christ is a Spirit filled life, and you will be able to live according to the will of God. This life will then begin to bear spiritual fruits.
Question for Lesson 20
Lesson 21
State and Standing
A Christian needs to clearly know his state and standing of his spiritual life. Standing refers to what God has done for the believers. In comparison, it will be like the foundation stone of a house. State would describe a believer’s daily actions. The following are the Standing of a believer:
Free of Sin
One of the benefits of being free from sin is the standing status of a born again believer. The believer himself may be sinning because of his actions but he is free from sin in Christ. In other words, a standing status is in God’s sight and not man’s.
A believer commits sin daily with or without knowing by thoughts or actions. However, a born again believer is free of sin if he is in Christ. Therefore, he is free from judgment of sin (John 3:18). For committed sin, he will be chastened as a loving father would to his children (Hebrews 12:5-11). Judgment is for sinners, chastening is for the children. Therefore, believers will often be chastened but are free from judgment for committed sin.
In order to see more clearly, let us examine Paul’s letter to the Corinthian Church. The church at the Corinth was not free of sin. They acted like natural man. Envy, strife, and division were found among them (1 Corinthians 3:3). Moreover, there was a man who slept with his father’s wife. And they did not bother to condemn that behavior. The Corinthian Church was not a holy church. However, Apostle Paul wrote to them as such: “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints...” Why did Paul write like that? Was it because he didn’t know their sin in the first place? Not so. He was fully aware of their sin.
What Paul meant was that God accepted the Corinthian Church as sinless and holy in Jesus Christ. This is their Standing in Jesus Christ, and not of their doing. Envy, strife, division, and taking the father’s wife were their actions. Those were absolutely not right; they were sins. However, their standing or foundation was on Jesus Christ, and therefore they were sinless and holy. Christ’s holiness was their holiness (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Standing is the view of God and not our view. God saw the Corinthian Church in Christ. Therefore, they are sinless and holy in Christ. Man usually notices the State. Therefore one judges others with his or her State. If so, one may wonder if God cares about our State. God does care about the believers’ State. But this State cannot affect the holiness that a believer acquired through Christ. There will of course be the consequence of the actions of our State in the form of punishment as a father disciplines his children. If not heeded, God may even take away the physical life of the believer.
Righteousness
Righteousness has to do with judgment. A believer is righteous in the sight of God because he is in Christ. Therefore Paul said, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
God made the sinless Christ become a sinful person. The reason is because of Christ we might become righteous in the eyes of God, according to the Scriptures and not because of our State (or doing) in the eyes of men. Being righteous in Christ in the sight of God is called the believers’ Standing. This righteousness is not decided on what the believer did and it is not based on man’s view. Our Standing depends on Christ. Consequently, the believers’ standing is the same for all and is not changeable. On the contrary, our State is dependent upon our action, and therefore it will not be the same for everyone.
Things could get confusing if our State and Standing are not clearly distinguished and understood. No one can refrain from sinning. Accordingly, believers usually assume that righteousness and holiness will be forfeited if they commit sin again. The righteousness that was received because of Christ cannot be changed much like Christ does not change. However, fellowshipping with God will be affected and we can lose our joy and happiness because of committed sin. Disobedient children may not be disowned by their parents but they will not live a joyful life. They will not get commendation from their parents. This is also true for believers with God when they commit sin. After committing adultery with Bathsheba, David prayed because he could not be happy, saying, “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice... Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:8-12).
Even though members of the Corinthian Church did not live a holy life, they received the gifts of the Spirit. Moreover, Paul wrote, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep (dead), but we (including the Corinthians Church) will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet”(1 Corinthians 15:51,52). This is to say that when Christ returns again all will be changed including the Corinthian Church, even though they lived a carnal life. Living a carnal life will not let you forfeit your salvation. But that doesn’t mean that you should live a carnal life. However, there are things that will be forfeited because of living a carnal life.
Fellowship Broken
A believer becomes the child of God the moment he accepts Christ as his or her savior (John 1:12). He is still the child of God while he is committing sin. Children are not children of the parents only when they obey the parents. They are still their children even when they disobey. Therefore, disobedience does not forfeit being the parent’s children. They do not become children of the parents because of their work. It is because their parents had them. In the same way, it is not because of our effort and our good behavior that we become the child of God. It is only because we are born again through the Holy Spirit. This is our Standing. It is not because of the good of man but because of the work of God, and it cannot be changed again.
Jesus Christ also gave a parable about the prodigal son who went away. This prodigal son is still the child of his parents. He lost his fellowship with his parents because he ran away from them and thus he does not enjoy the riches of his parents. However, he is still the child of his parents. When he returned, his father said, “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:24).
Children are to obey their parents. Parents are happy when their children obey. Likewise, all believers are to obey God. Only then, God will be glorified. But God will not be glorified if the believers are acting corruptly.
Questions from Lesson 21
Lesson 22
Growth and Maturity
All living creatures, including trees, grow and become mature, and bear fruit as time goes by. Only then can they multiply. Likewise, human beings also grow after being born. The parents will be greatly troubled if their child stops growing. On the other hand, not all growing people become mature either. A person's body may be the size of an adult but he may still behave like a small child and thus, may need to be looked after like a child. Therefore, it is not enough to just be born out of the mother; it is needed to grow and become mature when the time comes.
In the same way, it is not enough to be born again in Christ for believers. There needs to be growth and maturity for their spiritual life. There could be a lot of problems if there is neither growth nor maturity in a believer’s life. Let us look into this.
Living Carnal Life
Believers cannot live a spiritual life if he or she is not growing and thus live a carnal life. The Corinthian Church lived a carnal life because they did not grow spiritually. Therefore, Paul wrote about them saying “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1). The natural man is the one who lives in the flesh who does not know and believe God. Believers are the same as natural man if they do not grow and become mature.
Not Consuming Solid Food
Babies cannot consume solid food but only milk. In the same way, one cannot understand the deeper thing (solid food) of the Spirit if he or she is not growing and becoming mature. The Apostle Paul said to the Corinthian Church “I fed you milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are carnal” (1 Corinthians 3:2).
The author of Hebrews also wrote, “...though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” (Hebrews 5:12).
One may ask what is wrong with not eating solid food and drinking milk? Truth is, drinking milk alone will not provide energy. Eating solid food will provide energy for work. Likewise, God cannot use anyone who is living on drinking spiritual milk only. He will need to depend on others very much like a baby would depend on others. Babies cannot work nor produce babies. In the same manner, spiritual babies cannot reproduce spiritual babies. They require full time care from the adults.
Pleasure in Sin
Babies do not mind playing with filth but actually love doing it. They put into their mouth anything they can find. They don’t know about the need for being hygienic, nor do they know the dangers around them. Therefore, they require full time supervision. In the same manner, spiritual babies take pleasure in committing sin. They require full time spiritual supervision and guidance because they can not see the dangers surrounding themselves. Members of the Corinthian Church had envy, strife, and divisions among them because they were immature spiritually (1 Corinthians 3:3). This should not happen among believers but it is unavoidable for spiritually immature babies.
Spiritual immaturity (growth & mature) is not good, not only for self, but it also harms others. It weakens other brothers and sisters spiritually. It can create problems and division among believers. It also causes stumbling blocks for non-believers. They will not see God through the life of these immature believers and it will also prevent them from seeing God. Not only will it not glorify the name of God but also will instead suppress God’s glory. Therefore, it is necessary that all believers grow and become mature spiritually.
The living church will be full of problems if there is no spiritual growth and maturity. Much like the Corinthian Church, there will be spiritual gifts of God among them but there will also be unsolvable problems among them. Nothing can be accomplished where there are too many children; instead there will be many problems. In the same manner no spiritual babies can accomplish anything. Only maturity will create harmony among the believers.
There may be temporary excitement like grass fire but may not be long lived, as they will die soon if there's no growth and maturity among the believers. No child can have big accomplishments. Therefore, growth and maturity is very important and cannot be ignored.
Some churches desire to have full time caretakers (i.e. pastor) because members are still children spiritually. They do not know what to do in the absence of the pastor. And if the pastor himself is a big child spiritually, then he would be bringing big bottles of milk mixed with water to feed his congregation on Sundays. Thus the spiritual babies cannot grow. Therefore, you need to put emphasis on spiritual growth and maturity.
Questions from Lesson 22
Lesson 23
How to Grow and Be Mature
We have touched on the need of growing and maturity in Lesson 22. We will now discuss on how one will grow and become mature.
Meal
A newborn baby needs breast milk for growth. The breast milk of the mother is the necessary nutrient for the baby’s growth. Spiritual growth also needs nutrient intake. Peter said, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:1-3). The baby cannot grow without consumption of the mother’s breast milk. Likewise, spiritual babies need to consume pure milk of the word of God. The word of God is the nutrient (food) of the spirit. Therefore, one needs to read the word of God. Some tend to take the spiritual food only through hearing. They do not read themselves. For them, spiritual growth will be very slow. There is no other way around spiritual growth except by reading the word of God. Therefore, every believer must read the word of God regularly.
Must Pray
One cannot become the child of God on his own; likewise, one cannot live a believer’s life on his own. One must depend on the power of God to live the believer’s life. The Lord Jesus said, “For without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Therefore, prayer is needed for growth and maturity. Prayer means surrenderring oneself and total dependence on God. It is needed to have communication with God at all times.
Fellowship with Other Believers
Playing is needed for children to grow. Without exercise, growth will be slow. Likewise, believers need to have contact and fellowship with other believers. Encouraging one another, giving testimonies and thanksgivings are some of the ingredients for growth. The Scriptures say, let us not be “giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
Rest
Resting in the form of sleeping is needed for children’s growth. The younger the children, the more sleep they need for growth. Spiritual growth also needs rest. How will one take this rest? Resting means no work but dependence on others. One can take rest by being dependent on God. Jesus Christ said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Every human being has a heavy load in life. Jesus Christ wants to carry this load for us. Therefore, one needs to submit the heavy load to Him. Spiritual growth is not possible as long as the heavy load is being carried. There will still be suffering while living on earth.
Jesus Christ himself said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).The longer one rests in Christ, the more one will experience spiritual growth. Jesus Christ also said, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27). Worrying can cause spiritual sickness. Therefore, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).
Must be Healthy
Good health is needed for a child to grow. Regardless of how much the child consumes food, unless the child is healthy, the child will not grow as he should. Likewise, good health is needed in the spiritual realm. Sin is the one that causes spiritual sickness. The growth stops for a believer when he commits sin. The psalmist said, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer” (Psalms 32:3,4).
A sick person needs to take care of himself by taking medicine, and even by taking treatments. Only then will one grow and become healthy. In the same way, one needs to confess his or her sin to God. The psalmist continued, “I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5). When man has no sin he is free of disease. If he is free of disease he is healthy and will continue to grow.
Need to be Patient
Time is needed for a child to grow. He will not grow overnight regardless of how much care has been given to him. Likewise, time is needed for spiritual growth to take place. The writer of the Hebrews said to the recipient of the letter, “...though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” (Hebrews 5:12). Here we learn that as time goes by, one ought to become mature and even become teachers. However, we see that believers need to wait to grow and to become mature.
Maturity
Maturity is the fruit or continuation of growth. Maturity of the body allows the continuation of human regeneration. By the same token, growth of the mind allows the increase of knowledge. Utilization of the knowledge allows increase in maturity. Growth can be witnessed in the life of a student even though he may not be mature. The day he becomes a teacher himself, maturity increases and growth stops. One wants to be carefree and play while he is still growing. However, maintaining proper mannerisms become obvious and automatic, which is the sign of maturity, when he has become a teacher. If this teacher is made to go back to school, he will begin to grow and show a childlike mind again.
The disciples were childlike while they were with the Lord Jesus Christ. John and his brother James were looking for worldly positions from Jesus Christ. Likewise, the rest of the disciples acted like children and were envious of the brothers and even became furious (Matthew 20:20-24). They wanted to know who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1). These were the reactions and thoughts of a student (still learning). Contrarily, they became very mature and spoke like grown up adults when they were separated from their Lord. They did not show any fear of even facing the rulers but responded to them very bluntly.
This is also true in the spiritual realm. As long as one is still learning from others he cannot become mature, but he may be growing. If one wishes to grow he should become a student, whereas if he wants to be mature, he needs to become a teacher himself. If one wants to become both mature and grow at the same time, he needs to be a student under someone else’s supervision and also become a teacher for others. A mature grown up man will be successful. He can face and solve problems. He will be an encouragement to others and God will be glorified. He will be able to draw and lead others to God.
Questions from Lesson 23
Lesson 24
Enemies of Believers
By God's grace we have the assurance of salvation and live the Christian life. However, there can be obstacles that hinder us from reaching our spiritual goals. There is not much happiness in life. Many things that need to be done have not yet been accomplished, and not only this, with the passing of time, the interest in doing the Lord's work is diminishing. We may no longer want to meet and make friends with other believers. Upon reaching that point, praying or reading God's Word becomes a challenge. Participating in Sunday worship has become a big chore. Even when attending church, it is done just to satisfy the conscience. These scenarios can be found more or less in the life of believers. These come about because of the attack from the enemy.
Three Enemies
Believers have three enemies. They are: Satan, the world and nature. Let us explore on these enemies and learn how to fight back.
Satan
Let us first learn about Satan the Devil, the common enemy of believers. Because he cannot win the fight against God, Satan turned toward God's beloved man. The first works of Satan's destruction can be seen in Adam and Eve. Although he could not kill Adam and Eve, he was able to make them turn away from God.
Satan’s Objective
Satan's main purpose is to prevent people from ever coming to God and to tempt them to suffer with him in the eternal lake of fire. He wants to turn people away from God and get them as far away from God as possible. In other words, he wants to totally destroy human beings. Jesus Christ said that the thief came to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Here the thief means Satan. Satan does not want humans to have contact with God and receive His blessings. So he closed the ears and eyes of the unsaved so that they can neither hear nor see. Paul said, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
The gospel of Christ has the power to save (1 Corinthians 1:18). It is possible for man to receive salvation if he hears this gospel. Therefore, Satan has been doing his best to hinder people from ever hearing and reading the gospel of Christ. To accomplish this, Satan uses the following weapons: the lusts of the world, influencial positions, the lust for money causing man to chase after it, addiction to false religions, contenment with being a Christian in name only, confusing man to emphasize on denomination rather than Christ and the truth and putting more emphasis on politics, ethnicity, humanitarianism, and education.
Even though Satan can no longer get a hold on those who have been saved, he still makes them weak spiritually keeping them from drawing other people to God. Satan weakens their zeal for God. We can see this in the life of Job. Satan asked God for permission to weaken and destroy Job who was a righteous man (Job 1). The Apostle Peter was also tempted to prevent Christ from dying (Matthew 16:23). Jesus Christ himself was tempted by Satan to commit sin three times during forty-days of isolation in the wilderness (Matthew 4). If Jesus had fallen into Satan’s deception, He would not have been able to save us.
Men of Satan
Believers are the children of God whereas nonbelievers are of Satan. Jesus said to the Jews, “You are of your father the devil...” (John 8:44). The Apostle John also said, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Therefore, believers need to be careful when dealing with people of the world. Paul warned not to carry the yoke with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Those who ignore this warning and have relationships with nonbelievers face many problems. As a result, their spiritual growth slows down and their devotion to God diminishes.
Satan’s Church
Satan not only wants to rebel against God but also wants to imitate whatever God does. Like God has His own church, Satan also has his. In the beginning, Satan fought and destroyed the church of God. Satan used Saul in destroying the earlier churches. However, after seeing the church not decreasing but instead increasing, Satan changed his tactic. The new tactic was not to fight the church from outside but to work from within. Satan misleads members of the church from following the truth. As a result, many churches seem to belong to God, but inside they are actually Satan's church.
This is how we know whether it is Satan's church or not. If a church does not talk about salvation, and hates those who talk about it, it is Satan's church. Such a church will not put emphasis on the Scriptures but on their own philosophy and thinking. Priority is given to education, politics, and ethnicity. Emphasis will also be placed on physical enjoyment instead of members' spiritual well-being. In this church, those who preach the truth are hated. Even though it appears to be the church of God, it is not approved by God.
Satan's Bible School
Satan not only has churches but also Bible schools. In these Bible schools, they teach skepticism rather than Bible belief. They teach human reasoning rather than the Bible. It is better not to attend such schools because they take away faith instead of bringing one closer to God.
Satan’s Weapon
Satan's main weapon is deception. Using this weapon, Satan destroyed Eve, the mother of all mankind. Satan did not tell Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But he deceived her to make her want to eat it. Why was Eve subjected to the deception? It was because she did not believe the word of God. Not only did Satan lie to everyone, he even lied to Jesus Christ Himself. He tried to deceive the Lord by offering food, earthly wealth and power (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus Christ overcame lies with the Scriptures. Likewise, all believers need to put emphasis on the importance of the Scriptures and use them effectively.
Weapons to Defeat Satan
Satan does not have a physical body. As such, it is not possible to fight against him with physical weapons. Therefore, Paul said, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”(Ephesians 6:10-12).
Knowing the impossibility to fight Satan with physical weapons is the beginning of winning against him. Having discipline, unity, hard work, money, and education are all good, but they cannot defeat Satan. Therefore, we must use the weapons that God has prepared for us.
God-provided weapons
God provided the following weapons for us to fight Satan:
Belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14).
A belt tightens our waist for security. Swords are secured to the belt. It is a necessary weapon for a soldier. In the same way, if the believer does not know the truth, Satan will defeat us easily. That is why we need to understand the truth (2 Timothy 2:15). More than that, we need to walk in the truth (2 John 1: 2-3; 3 John 1: 3-4).
Breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14)
Breastplate protects the object from being pierced by an enemy. The chest is the main target of the enemy. So it must be protected. Likewise, believers will become fallen victims of the enemy if they are not protected by God’s given righteousness (Romans 4:5). Those who are righteous in Christ must live righteously (1 John 3:8). If we live righteously, Satan and his associates will try to find fault in us but will not be able to find it. They can not kill a believer.
Wearing shoes ready to preach the gospel (Ephesians 6:15)
Footwear is necessary protection for walking. If feet are not protected, how will one fight the enemy? Wearing shoes represents the preparation of the preaching of the Gospel. Believers should be able to preach the Gospel at any time and place. He who is not ready to preach the gospel is lost in the face of the enemy.
Shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16)
The shield of faith is able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Shields are for protection of the enemies’ darts. Satan’s darts come out of his children in the forms of criticism, blaming, and putting down on others. These are to be defeated by faith in God. Lack of trust can lead to overreaction when a person does not respond well to criticism. He may then be depressed, unmotivated, and may not want to do anything. If that happens he is already defeated.
Helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17)
Helmets are designed for protection against head injuries. Helmet of salvation does not mean salvation from sin or a permit to get to heaven. This type of weapon is given to a person who is already saved. So then, this salvation means getting God's help when the person is fighting against Satan while living a Christian life. A believer always needs God's help. Only then can Satan be defeated. A believer should not rely on his own abilities.
Sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Ephesians 6:17)
The previous weapons are for the defensive purposes only and not for offensive purpose, and Satan may not be afraid of them. Therefore, a believer needs to use the word of God that is the sword of the Spirit as our offensive weapon. Satan and his cohorts are not afraid of human’s philosophy and wordiness. They are only afraid of the word of God because “...it is sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). Therefore, scripture verses should be memorized, must be well understood, and used.
Questions from Lesson 24
Copyright © Moses R. Cung. 2001-[y] All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the author to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotation in critical reviews or articles. All Scriptures quotations in this book are taken from the New International Version (NIV)
