CHAPTER 2
"Hey, just a minute, you can't just leave me in this dilemma and just say it is a MERRY-GO-ROUND!' you might declare. "You can't just say I am in SIN and can't do one thing about it and just leave me there."
Yes, you are right! I can't just leave you there. I MUST tell you, because Jesus commanded it be told to anyone who will listen. This is the reason He came to the Earth: To tell us that HE IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW.
ONLY JESUS PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS CAN FULFILL THE LAW
In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says, 'Think not that I am come to destroy the LAW or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to FULFILL.' KJV No one can keep the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the LAW, except through Jesus Christ, the SON of GOD.
Romans 10:4, 'For Christ is the end of the LAW for RIGHTEOUSNESS to every one that believeth.' KJV
The New Living Translation says, 'For Christ has accomplished the whole purpose of the LAW. All who BELIEVE in HIM are made RIGHT with God.'
PURPOSE OF THE LAW
One may ask, "Why do we have the LAW, if no one can keep it?"
We have the LAW to CONVINCE us that we are all guilty at the bar of God; and to SHOW us that we cannot keep the LAW apart from CHRIST.
There is no way we can accomplish the CLEANSING of the SOUL or the BODY by our works of the LAW, because we do not keep the LAW. Only the WORKS of CHRIST are acceptable to God for the CLEANSING, because HE ONLY HAS KEPT THE LAW.
FAITH - THE ANSWER TO THE LAW
Galatians 3:11 says, 'no man is justified by the LAW in the sight of God, it is evident: for, THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.' The New Living Translation says of this scripture, 'it is clear that no one can ever be RIGHT with God by trying to keep the LAW. For the Scriptures say, "It is through FAITH that a righteous person has LIFE."
HAVE FAITH IN WHOM?
It is obvious that our FAITH must be in someone other than ourselves for SALVATION.
The New Living Translation says in Acts 4:12, 'There is SALVATION in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to SAVE them.' That NAME is JESUS CHRIST.
JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE
John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE: No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."
John 8:32 Jesus says, "the TRUTH shall make you FREE". This freedom is a freedom from the LAW that declares us guilty.
John 11:25-26 Jesus says, "I am the RESURRECTION and the LIFE: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth in Me shall never die."
JESUS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
John 8:12, "I am the LIGHT of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the LIGHT of LIFE."
Before Jesus went to the cross, He told the disciples that he would die for the whole world and would rise again the third day and would return to Heaven and would sit at the right Hand of His Father, God, in His Throne. The disciples were very sorrowful that He was going away, but Jesus said in John 16:7-16, 'it is necessary that I go away, so that the HOLY SPIRIT can be sent to the world.'
In John 16:7-16, Jesus tells us about the Comforter, the HOLY SPIRIT, Who would come to Earth after He left. One of the duties of the Holy Spirit is to convince us of the LAW and "Old Adam's" SIN and to let us know that we are dead and don't know it. If you see the connection between "Old Adam" and yourself, it is because the HOLY SPIRIT has convinced you, just as God planned. Do you see it? You see Friend, GOD'S plan has already begun to work. READ ON...God really LOVES YOU!
SACRIFICE NEEDED
In Leviticus 17:11, God instructed the children of Israel concerning their OFFERING of an animal sacrifice as a TEMPORARY atonement for SIN. God explains what the sacrifice represents: 'For the LIFE of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the alter to make an atonement for your SOULS: for it is the BLOOD that maketh an ATONEMENT FOR THE SOUL.'
When “Old Adam” sinned, there was a DEATH PENALTY pronounced upon his SOUL and BODY. BLOOD represents the DEATH of someone. The early sacrifice of animals for temporary atonement was to "stay" the wrath of God from "Old Adam" until God could provide a BETTER SACRIFICE for him in CHRIST JESUS.
THE FIRST SACRIFICE
In Genesis 4:4, Abel, Adam’s son, brought a BLOOD sacrifice, a “firstling” lamb as an offering to God. This is the FIRST MENTION of a SACRIFICE in Scripture.
There are theologians who argue that this was not really the FIRST SACRIFICE, since God must have killed an animal to provide the COATS of SKIN mentioned in Genesis 3:21, to COVER the nakedness of Adam and his wife revealed to them after the FALL. Other theologians argue that the animal slain for the coats was not a SACRIFICE. They believe that for one to say this ACT OF GOD was a SACRIFICE would be to "null and void" the EFFORTS OF MAN in God's Plan in the animal sacrifices recorded in the OLD TESTAMENT; and they argue that it would also show that man PLAYS NO PART in OUR living a self-sacrificing life before God in our ACCEPTANCE of Christ as Savior. This is mentioned because it is important to learn WHO is really GIVING the SACRIFICE; and WHO is really PROVIDING the SACRIFICE...GOD or MAN. Note the key emphasis is on GIVING and PROVIDING, not the SACRIFICE itself.
WHAT is the PART of MAN in his own SALVATION?
There are many instances where God PROVIDED perfect animals to be OFFERED in the ceremonial sacrifices mentioned in Leviticus. Accordingly, it would not be strange that GOD PROVIDED and GAVE the FIRST SACRIFICE mentioned in Genesis in the death of the animal used by God to provide COATS for Adam and his wife. Only God can PROVIDE and GIVE the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE of JESUS CHRIST for our SINS, but it is up to MAN to "receive" this SACRIFICE, by "presenting ourselves" as "living sacrifices" to HIM, in FAITH, as a SIGN that we accept GOD'S PERFECT SACRIFICE as our own.
THE PERFECT SACRIFICE
THIS IS THE PLAN of GOD to restore THE KINGDOM of GOD lost in the Garden: 'For God so loved the world that He GAVE His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE.' John 3:16.
God’s plan was to provide the PERFECT SACRIFICE for “Old Adam”, who would SATISFY THE LAW, and result in a PARDON of his DEATH sentence, once and forever. But before God could do that...the LAW REQUIRES someone has to die.
The sacrificial animal offered each year was a substitute for “Old Adam” to die in his place. It did not do away with the death penalty, but only granted “reprieves” from year to year. The blood sacrifice of animals was not acceptable to God for the purging of "Old Adam's" SIN. A MAN must be sacrificed for the forgiveness of a MAN'S SIN, not an animal.
God in His Infinite Wisdom: Knew the only way to save “Old Adam” was to send a new Adam. THE NEW ADAM would have to be a man WHO was PERFECT and would defeat sin and death while living on the Earth as "Old Adam" lived. He would have to face the same temptations in an Earthly BODY, but would not succumb to SIN, as Adam did. Also, He would have to be OBEDIENT to God, even to the point of WILLINGLY laying down His Life to die a cruel death on a cross in order that HE might PURCHASE the lost SOUL of "Old Adam". THE NEW ADAM could not be a son of “Old Adam”, because the death penalty extended to all the children born to him and generations afterward forever. “Old Adam’s” sin had dire consequences.
Since the NEW Adam could not be a descendent of “Old Adam”, God decided HE would have a SON, Who would be born of a woman. Think of it! God is including "Old Adam" in His Creation once again by allowing the mother of His Son to be a descendent of "Old Adam".
Psalms 98:1 declares, 'He hath done marvelous things'. GOD is preparing a BODY for HIS SON to become THE PERFECT SACRIFICE (Hebrews 10:5); and HE includes "Old Adam" in the preparation of this BODY. Can you grasp it? This is a MARVELOUS WORK indeed that the Lord hath done. What an AWESOME GOD! In the First Century A.D., God sent HIS HOLY SPIRIT to overshadow a maiden and she conceived and gave birth to the SON OF GOD, Who is the NEW ADAM. His NAME is JESUS.
Hebrews 2:14 in the New Living Translation says, 'Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.'
Four thousand years passed before God could send the PERFECT SACRIFICE to Earth that would pay the ultimate price to REDEEM the SOUL and BODY of “Old Adam” from death. God had to allow “Old Adam” time in years to let him become so wicked and harden his HEART so much that he would kill God’s Son. This is the same SON that God decided He would send to Earth to die for “Old Adam’s” sins. “Old Adam” wouldn’t even know when he killed God’s Son; in hatred, that he would be "offering up to God" the very SACRIFICE that would do away with his own death penalty and set himself free. But more astonishing than that; God ACCEPTS this SACRIFICE for the FORGIVENESS of sins, even from those who killed Him; when they BELIEVE in the Sacrifice, and God will indeed: SET THE SINNER FREE.
When a sinner, regardless of how wretched, believes in the PERFECT SACRIFICE of Jesus; and seizes upon it, so as to CLAIM it as his own, and presents it before a Holy God, while asking for forgiveness of sins, finds that he is AMAZINGLY FORGIVEN. WHAT A MAGNIFICENT PLAN and WHAT A MAGNIFICENT LOVE of GOD! AMAZING GRACE!
TWO TYPES of SIN
An important distinction between the words: SIN and sin, must be clarified. There is a difference between the SIN of "Old Adam" and the personal sin committed by an "Individual". An "Individual" commits a sin because he has THE SIN of "Old Adam" within him. Romans 8:21, speaks of it as being in BONDAGE to CORRUPTION: We are a SLAVE to the SIN of "Old Adam". Until THE SIN of "Old Adam" is dealt with, we cannot have the power to overcome "Individual" sin. We must be BORN AGAIN and then we can have the power to resist committing "Individual" sins.
The Living Translation of I John 3:9 says, 'Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's Life is in them, so that they cannot KEEP ON sinning, because they are born of God.'
The SIN of "Old Adam" cannot be pardoned by our REPENTANCE of it. If that had been the case, then Jesus would not have had to die as our SACRIFICE. The SIN of "Old Adam" has to be PURGED BY BLOOD: THE SINLESS BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST. The only way to receive this "purging" of "Old Adam's" SIN from our SOUL is by FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.
It is different for the "Individual" sin(s) we commit. Paul tells us in Acts 17:30, God REQUIRES 'all men everywhere to REPENT.' In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus tells us we are to REPENT of our trespasses. We are expected to pray "daily" for forgiveness and make every effort to avoid "Individual" sin in our walk with Christ.
SPECIFICS of GOD'S PLAN
God will hold us accountable for both types of SIN/sin because He has made provision for both in His PLAN:
PLAN 1 - THE FIRST REDEMPTION of the SOUL - the SIN of "Old Adam".
The BORN AGAIN person is born again in the SOUL (his spirit) the MOMENT he ACCEPTS CHRIST as his Savior. Most invitations for salvation say, "Accept Christ into your HEART." It is true we must believe in Christ with our HEART in order to receive SALVATION of the SOUL, but many only have a HEART experience and not a SOUL experience. The BORN AGAIN experience is to have Christ in the SOUL after SEEKING HIM with the WHOLE HEART.
Even after receiving Christ in the SOUL, the HEART is deceitful and changes constantly. It is still in a corrupt condition as part of the BODY that has not been redeemed yet, and must be SANCTIFIED daily by the WASHING of the WORD, and BY THE SPIRIT WHO CLEANSES THE HEART. At the same time, we must make CHOICES to put away known evil and to GUARD our SOUL from defilement. SIN is conquered where the GRACE of CHRIST lives in one's spirit (SOUL). Romans 5:20 says, 'But where SIN abounded, GRACE did much more abound.'
Only when a man is converted in his SOUL (spirit), can he escape the BONDAGE TO SIN that manifests itself in the HEART. Romans 6:14 says 'SIN shall NOT have dominion over you: for ye are NOT under the LAW, but under GRACE.'
In John 5:24, Jesus said, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, HATH everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but IS passed from death unto life'.
What passed from DEATH unto LIFE: The SOUL or the BODY? It cannot be the BODY because any new Christian can testify: There is still some remnant of corruption at work in his BODY. In addition, BORN AGAIN is appointed a time to live on this Earth and then HIS BODY will die, the same as a sinner.
It must be the SOUL that has CHANGED at the moment of the NEW BIRTH. His SOUL is REDEEMED while he lives. II Corinthians 4:7 declares, 'But we have this TREASURE in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.' KJV
The New Living Translation says, 'But this precious treasure, this light and power that now shines within us is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak BODIES, so everyone can see that our glorious POWER is from God and is not our own.'
The "precious treasure" referred to here is THE KINGDOM of GOD that shines within our SOULS (spirits) and radiates to our weak bodies, while we are alive, not as some believe, ONLY when we arrive in Heaven. At the very moment of conversion, the SOUL of the "Born Again" becomes as HOLY as the SOUL of Adam, when he was first created and when God was with Him in the Garden. Therefore, it can be concluded that at his conversion, "Old Adam" becomes NEW and has entered into ETERNAL LIFE because the HOLY SPIRIT resides in his SOUL (spirit).
In Luke 17:21 Jesus says, 'THE KINGDOM of GOD is within you'.
The 1ST REDEMPTION has taken place.
PLAN 2 - THE 2nd REDEMPTION of the BODY - deals with living a victorious life over SIN after we are converted (Born Again). The secret to OVERCOMING "Individual sin" is to daily WALK in the HOLY SPIRIT: Who lives within us.
Galatians 5:16-18, 'This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the LUST of the flesh. For the flesh LUSTETH against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.' Verse 18 says, 'But if ye be LED of the SPIRIT, ye are not under the LAW.' Did you get it? We are free from the LAW of "Old Adam", because the SPIRIT lives in us. No longer does the SIN of "Old Adam" live in our SOUL (spirit) to control us, because we have passed from death unto life as we mentioned earlier.
To be LED by the SPIRIT of Christ will cause us to bring forth the "Fruit of the Spirit" mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. Verse 23 tells us, '...there is NO LAW against the "Fruit of the Spirit".
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Galatians 5:22-23, 'But the FRUIT of the SPIRIT is: Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance; against such THERE IS NO LAW.'
The New Living Translation in Galatians 5:22-23 describes the Fruit of the Spirit as: 'But when the HOLY SPIRIT controls our lives, HE will PRODUCE this kind of FRUIT in us: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. Here there is NO conflict with the LAW.
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