Series on "The Message of the Cross" ? (9)
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April 2, 2006 |
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 Why Is Jesus Our Only Savior?
Qualifications for the Savior (2) -
"Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory" (1 Corinthians 2:6-7).
{The Order of Publication}
Why Is Jesus Our Only Savior?
1.The Path of Salvation for Mankind According to the Law on the Redemption of the Land
2.Qualifications for the Savior (1)
3.Qualifications for the Savior (2)
When Christians tell people who are unaware of God's love that only Jesus Christ is the Savior and that we cannot receive salvation through anyone else, the latter group is either puzzled or accuses Christianity of being "self-righteous."
However, when people have a clear grasp of the qualifications for the Savior, they can accept Jesus Christ who died on the cross and resurrected, and receive salvation. Furthermore, they can receive the Holy Spirit and God's power and become the Lord's witnesses, leading countless others back onto the path of salvation.
In the last issue of Manmin Joong-ang News, I said that according to the law on the redemption of the land (Leviticus 25:25), the Savior of mankind must first be "the nearest kinsman" of Adam and second, must not be a descendant of Adam. Let us explore today the third and fourth qualifications to be satisfied by the Savior.
1.Jesus Satisfies the Third Condition: "The Savior Must Have Strength to Defeat the Enemy Devil."
Rescuing fellow soldiers taken captive on a battlefield requires strength to defeat the enemy. By the same token, rescuing mankind who have become slaves to the enemy devil, requires spiritual power that can rule over the enemy. In the spiritual realm, power comes from being sinless. Just as the darkness is driven away by the light, when people dwell wholly in the light without having any sin, they can overcome evil spirits belonging to the darkness.
There are two kinds of sin: the original sin and self-committed sins. "The original sin" refers to sinful attributes passed down to us from Adam and "self-committed sins" refer to sins people commit during their lives in this world. People of this world determine that no matter how evil a person's heart may be, as long as that evil heart does not produce evil deeds, that person is not deemed a "sinner." In spiritual terms, however, a person is already a sinner if he harbors sin in his heart (1 John 3:15; Matthew 5:28).
An individual who has sinned in deed or in heart even once does not have the power to save mankind. On the one hand, all people after Adam are born with the original sin and commit sins during the course of their lives. On the other hand, Our Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and not a descendant of Adam. Thus, Jesus was born without the inherent original sin and as He wholly obeyed God's Word from the moment of His birth, Jesus did not commit any sins during the course of His life on the earth (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22).
Therefore, Jesus possesses the power to save mankind from the enemy devil and is not bound to the curse of the Law, which dictates that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). As He was sinless, Jesus could save all sinners and with His spiritual authority, He could rule everything in the universe. Knelt before Jesus now were not only the enemy devil and Satan but also all types of diseases and weaknesses such. This provision of the Law of the spiritual realm applies not only to Jesus but also children of God who believe in Jesus. Whoever loves God and lives by His Word possesses the spiritual power so that when he drives out the enemy devil and Satan in the name of Jesus Christ, they have no place before him.
I have had such experiences countless times. Before believing God, I always struggled to pay for medication and hospital visits as I had suffered from a variety of diseases for seven years. After accepting the Lord, however, I have been living by the Word and as I have had nothing to do with sin, all my family has been kept safe and healthy, without ever going to the hospital. Furthermore, when I commanded and prayed in the name of Jesus Christ, people suffering all sorts of incurable and terminal diseases including cancer, leukemia, AIDS, and many others have been healed, countless blind, deaf, and mute have been made whole, briquette gas driven away, and evil sprits repulsed.
No one else in the history of mankind ? with the exception of Jesus - can satisfy the qualifications for the Savior. All such magnanimous men such as Buddha, Confucius, and Socrates were born with the original sin as descendants of Adam and did not live a holy life in the sight of God; only Jesus is qualified to be mankind's Savior.
2.Jesus Satisfies the Fourth Condition: "The Savior Must Possess Love by which He Can Sacrifice Himself."
If a brother is to be punished by law for being delinquent on his debt payments, he can avoid punishment if his wealthy sister pays back the debt on his behalf. All the wealth of his sister, however, would not mean a thing if she did not love her brother. His sister can pay back his debt only when she loves her brother enough to pay back the debt even if she is to sustain losses herself.
Land can be redeemed according to the law on the redemption of the land only when the nearest kinsman of the one who has sold the land is willing to help him in love. The same can be said of redeeming mankind from their sins. Even though Jesus satisfies the first three conditions for the Savior, without love He would not have redeemed the sinners from their sins.
Becoming the Savior of mankind requires that He undergo a colossal amount of suffering and distress known as the "punishment by death" on behalf of all sinners. Towards this end, Jesus was treated as if he were the worst and the most evil of criminals, subject to all kinds of disdain and contempt, crucified on the cross, and left to shed all of His water and blood. While there are many ways to execute criminals, according to the law of the spiritual realm, the Savior who was to redeem the sinners from their sins was not only to simply die but He had to be hung on the cross and bleed to death.
On this, Galatians 3:13 tells us, "Christ 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.'" Here, "the curse of the Law" refers to a spiritual law saying in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death." As death, the curse of the Law, came upon a sinner according to the law of the spiritual realm, the way by which the Savior was to save mankind from their sins would have to be in accordance with the law of the spiritual realm as well. This meant that the Savior would have to be hung on a tree on behalf of cursed sinners.
The same applied to the Savior's bleeding to death. Leviticus 17:14 reads, "The life of all flesh is its blood," while Hebrews 9:22 reminds us, "And according to the Law, [one may] almost [say], all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." For "blood" is the same as "life" in spiritual terms, the blood of the Savior was necessary in order for sinners to be forgiven and receive life.
Yet, man could be redeemed from his sins not by the blood of any man hanging on a tree but by the clean and pure blood that is without any traces of sinful attributes. For what, do you suppose, would a sinless man die such a brutal death on behalf of others? Such a sacrifice can be made only when the individual loves the other person more than his own life. By showing mankind such love, Jesus became Our Savior (Romans 5:7-8).
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
The love of Our God does not change and is not self-seeking. By that love, God has given over His Only Son even for the disobedient sinners. It is a true love by which Jesus could sacrifice His own life and implore, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing," for the very sinners who mocked and crucified their Savior.
From the last issue of Manmin Joong-ang News, we have examined the four conditions which must be satisfied by the Savior of mankind. May each of you come to realize plainly that only Jesus is Our Savior, accept Jesus Christ, and not only receive salvation but also gain true faith and lead countless others back to the way of salvation, in the name of Our Lord I pray!
Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's powerful bestsellers include Tasting Eternal Life before Death, The Message of the Cross, The Measure of Faith, Heaven I & II, Hell and many others.
Urim Books (+82 2 837 7632 / 818 7320; http://www.urimbook.com)
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