Repent, Remission of Sins, Restore, Reconcile and be Saved.
 |
I am a retired pastor of
the Church of God (Tennessee). My name is Isaac Livingston. I am from Neyyoor India. |
 |
Email: Pastor True Gospel
|
|
I am a retired pastor of
the Church of God (Tennessee). My name is Isaac Livingston. I am from Neyyoor India. |
|
Email: Pastor True Gospel
We accept that we commit all sin. If we have a good conscience, we will have a guilty feeling and we will repent. Then we may ask God to forgive us. Rather than forgiving that particular sin, God has a plan to remit all our sins. Most likely, we wish to be forgiven from all sins freely and instantly. But God is righteous; so, he wants us to compensate for the damages that we have done. So, we must restore the damages. Then, God wants us to reconcile with us. We may think that reconciliation is to renew our old friendship, but it is not. After that, we will be saved from damnation, by living the life of Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist started to preach saying, "repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." Jesus Christ also preached the same. So, the first pre-requisite to reach the kingdom of God is to repent. Matthew 3:2 says "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." In my language bible, it is: "change your mind, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." In the place of "repent ye" in KJV, my language bible says, "change your mind." So, repent is to change our minds. Let us look at the context of the verse. At that time, Jews were looking for Messiah to come, to take over the kingdom of Israel from the Romans. In this context, God tells them to change their minds from the kingdom of Israel, to the kingdom of God, since God will give the kingdom of God in their hands. Jesus preached the kingdom of God as the gospel. So, it is a spiritual kingdom; so, it will not be a kingdom on the land, but it will be in heaven. So, to begin with, Jews must change their mind from the kingdom of Israel; and we must forget about building a kingdom for ourselves on earth; but we must all look for the kingdom of God in heaven. The second point is, people live ungodly lives, that is in sin. Repent for our sins also, since we cannot obtain the kingdom of heaven with our sins. So, repentance is from two things; one is of the world, and the other is of the flesh; we may consider both under sins. The primary preaching for Christians is repentance. "Matthew 3:1, 4:17, 9:13, Mark 1:15, Luke 13:3, Acts 2:38, 3:19, 17:30, and many other verses tell us to repent, to escape hell and to inherit the kingdom of God.
For more details on repentance, please refer to this link: "Repent". Thank you.
The word 'remission' is canceling a debt, and it refers to forgiveness of our sins. Jesus Christ says in Matthew 26:27-28, "27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Jesus Christ has died for the whole world. But when it comes to the remission of sins, his blood is applied only to a few people; the world will not come to his blood for the remission of sins. It is because there are a few pre-requisites for the blood of Jesus Christ. Let us see them. Mark 1:4 says, "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." According to this, repentance and baptism by immersion are required for remission of sins. Luke 3:3, 24:47, Acts 2:38, and many other verses say this. "1 John 1:7 says, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." So, forgiveness or remission of sins by blood of Jesus Christ happens when we walk in the light as Jesus Christ walks. Acts 10:43 says, "... whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Most Christians cling on to this verse for the remission of their sins. But, instead of believing Jesus Christ, they believe preachers, and whatever the preachers say about Jesus Christ. Believing Jesus Christ is to believe what Jesus Christ says, but not what the preachers say about him. If we believe Jesus Christ, we will do what Jesus tells us to do for forgiveness of sins, and to inherit his kingdom.
A link for more information about remission of sins: "Forgives". Thank you.
Repentance is a very important first step towards the kingdom of God. But the tragedy is that our preachers consider this as the only step. As soon as a sinner repents, preachers gets excited because they have added one more member to their church, and that is it. But bible repentance is not complete until they do some necessary restoration.
"Exodus 22:1 says, If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep." So, if the sinner has done some damage, it must be compensated. " In Leviticus 6:1-6 God spoke unto Moses saying, if a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, or to his neighbour, he must compensate it to his neighbor as well as to the Lord." Perhaps preachers may push it aside saying that it is in the old testament and it is not for us. Jesus says in Matthew 5:23&24, "23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." So, God tells us to take care of the victim first. "Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house." As Zacchaeus promised to restore to others, Jesus Christ includes Zacchaeus into the family of God. But, some biased evil preachers and wicked Christians, misuse such scriptures to exploit victims, saying that we must forgive the bullies, reconcile with them and so on. But the offender must repent and restore the damages; but not the victim. The word of God must not be used to exploit victims. It is cruel and big sin. God is on the side of the righteous.In the old testament, God chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for him. The family of Jacob was called as Israel, the chosen. God gave them commandments. There were Spiritual commandments, as well as commandments of ordinances, ceremonies, etc. The ceremonies and ordinances are like circumcision, sacrifices, celebrating feasts, sabbath days, and such things. They make them a separate race of people. The Spiritual commandments make them as righteous people for God. So, commands are two kinds. One is spiritual that makes them righteous; and the other is of ordinance and ceremonies that make them a race. At the time when Jesus was a man, this race was Jews and all other people in the world were Gentiles. "Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;" That is, by the death of Jesus, God has broken down the separating wall of race and made both Jews and Gentiles as one people. "15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;" In order to bring both as one, God has abolished the commandments of ordinance, which are ceremonies, circumcision, sabbath days, and such things. "16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh." God made Jews and Gentiles as one to reconcile both. "Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:" Verse 21 says that we were all sinners and so were enemies. Now he has reconciled us by his death. Verse 22 tells that he has died to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable. As one people, we must live our holy reconciled life.
If friends had strife among themselves, and then they have restored their friendship to harmony; or resolved their differences, it is reconciliation. It is not to make brawlers or criminals as friends. 2 Corinthians 5:19 says, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." If we pull this verse out of its context, we can preach that God was in friendship with the world, but the world trespassed against God, but God did not mind their trespasses, but let Jesus die for them, and reconciled them back with himself. That is, the world doesn't have to do anything, and God is going behind the world, in the expense of the life of his own Son. This is exactly what preachers preach. And it seems that this the work of reconciliation, and we must continue to do the same. Now, let us look at the context. Verses 14-17 says, "14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:" It is spiritual principle, so bear with me. Constraineth is to be constrained; the love of Jesus compels us to do the following. That is, since he died for us, we must consider that we are all dead. "15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again." That is, he died so that we may live in his place in the way he lived, as we are dead, and he is living. Since he rose again, his Spirit is with us; and so, we can live in his Spirit. "16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more." Please listen, this verse shows two Christs, one which was in the flesh, and the other which is in the Spirit. The verse says that they knew the Christ in the flesh; but from now on they will know that he does not exist and he is no more; since he is with them in Spirit. That is, the real Jesus is the resurrected Spirit Jesus Christ, and the man Jesus Christ was history. I am not saying it, but the word of God says it. So, from now on, let us live our lives in Jesus Christ the Spirit. "17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." If we live in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, we are new spirit creature, that is, we will not mind the things of the flesh, but the things of the spirit; that is, we are converted from flesh to Spirit, the old is gone and we have become new. So, verse 14 says we are dead, verse 15 says we should live for him, verse 16 says that we will not remember the man Jesus anymore, verse 17 says that we will be in the Spirit of resurrected Jesus Christ; and if all these happened in our lives, then we are "new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." But Christians think that we don't have to do anything, but just quote this verse, then we are new creature. So, we deceive ourselves. Instead, if we have experienced verses 14-17 in our lives, then verse 18 says, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;" So, going through verse 14-17 is reconciliation. If we are reconciled, we will be in the Jesus Christ, who is the Spirit. After we are "reconciled to himself by Jesus Christ," God will give us "the ministry of reconciliation." So, what is the ministry of reconciliation? To begin with, it must be the spiritual reality. Make people realize that Jesus has died for all, and so they must consider themselves as they have died to the flesh, and they must live in the resurrected Jesus Christ, who is now as Spirit. It is not to bring children of the devil to a banquet table of God. That is fake, and it will not happen. "20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." First, these are the true reconciled servants of God. They must be qualified to be ambassadors and must have been appointed by God as ambassadors. They must do the reconciliation. Instead if we try to bring sinners as sinners to the feast of God, it is not reconciliation. That will be the deceptive work of the devil.
Romans 5:10 says, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." We just saw what reconciliation is. If we are reconciled, we will live in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, we will be new creatures in the Spirit, and all the old things were passed away from us. Then this verse says that "we shall be saved by his life." That is, if we continue in the reconciled life, which is that we live his life in his Spirit, we will have eternal life and we will inherit the kingdom of God in heaven, to be with God for ever and ever.
|
|
 |
|
 |
Matthew 28:20, & Mark 16:15. Jesus Christ preached his commandments to obey, as his
Gospel; it is the true Gospel to inherit Eternal life. Genesis 3:1-4 & 2 Corinth 11:2-4. But Preachers, who are Serpents of Satan, preach the life of man Jesus just to believe, but not to live as a chaste virgin, as the gospel; it is another gospel, which cannot and will not give Eternal life.The true gospel will convert evil people to do good and thereby they will inherit the kingdom in heaven.
John 3:19-21 say that people are two kinds, evil and true. Evil doers will not come to the Light, who is God; but people of truth come to God for their deeds to be made manifest. We have good and evil people by our standard of our society or culture. These evil people may be converted to be doers of truth by the power of God, and they may inherit the kingdom of God in heaven.
 |
 |
Email: Pastor True Gospel
 |
