-
John 1:19-34 Baptism and the non-conformists
And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ (v. 33)
John the Baptist was asked why he was baptizing people.
John answered them, saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy even to untie the strap of His sandal.” (vv. 26-27)
John’s baptism was baptism of repentance. Its purpose was to prepare people for the coming of Christ. After Christ’s ascension, the ceremonial baptism in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit was given to people as a sign of joining the visible church (see Matthew 28:19-20).
Now it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 19:1-5)
The true meaning of baptism is written in 1 Peter 3:18-22.
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which He also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison, who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
Considering water, John the apostle wrote about Christ washing the disciples’ feet.
Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. And you are clean—but not all of you.” (John 13:10)
John the apostle also wrote that Jesus came by water and blood.
This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (1 John 5:6-8)
Both in the OT and the NT, water means cleansing and life. These indicate Jesus Christ. Christ taught truth and gave the saints the new life by shedding His own blood while on the earth. Therefore, Christ is the Word and Truth. Therefore, water and blood are the works of Christ. And the Holy Spirit applies all of Christ’s works to the saints. Therefore, “the three are in agreement”.
John the Baptist baptized people with this in mind. It was restricted to that time (before Christ’s ascension) and place. Although it is different from the baptism one receives when joining the visible church system, both are shadow of the real baptism. John 4:2 tells us that Christ did not baptize anyone. I believe the reason was because baptism done outwardly has only a symbolical meaning. Christ allowed the disciples to baptize people so that they would eagerly wait for the real baptism. Unless one receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he/she remains detached from Christ. Even though one has already received the Holy Spirit, he/she receives a ceremonial baptism when joining a visible church. It is proved throughout history that a ceremonial baptism is not the real baptism of the Holy Spirit. There have been many deserters and false believers who received the ceremonial baptism but distorted God’s words within churches. I can only conclude that ceremonial baptism has a purpose, and it is connected with the visible church system. It was God’s will that the visible church system replaced the Israel nation.
Calvin believed that the ceremonial baptism is the replacement of the circumcision in the OT. But the Anabaptists rejected the infant baptism. Later in England, the Baptists also rejected it. In England, many Protestant groups and denominations were born. They wanted religious freedom and made their own confessions. However, God sees the Protestant church as one. From 17th century, the Protestant church has been in the similar situation to the Israel nation in the Book of Judges.
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6)
I heard that the Reformed Baptist churches are strong in the United States. They are not Reformed/Protestant because they reject infant baptism. Christians around the world often connects corruption and violence with the US. I heard one saying, “What happened to what was once a great Christian nation?” I believe God is not pleased with the non-conformists. I am not talking about the Non-conformists in the 17th century England. I am not saying that God is pleased with the Book of Common Prayer or the Church of England. I am talking about the non-conformists who reject the common/shared Reformed beliefs and yet claim that they are Protestants.
Although I have been talking about the limits of the Reformation, the Protestants need to know their doctrines written in the Three Ecumenical Creeds and the Three Forms of Unity. Neglecting education is the greatest sin of a church. There is no acceptable worship if the sheep are not fed.
“Feed My sheep.” (John 21:17)
-
John 1:14-18 The living and speaking Word of God
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him. (v.17)
The Word in Greek is Logos. Some people link this word to logic and rationality. I think the word emphasizes that God’s words are spoken by Christ. The words of God are powerful when they are spoken/proclaimed. I’ve mentioned of my dream about the Reformed church I went to. The farmer wrote on the wall and said that the house was named “the end”. He wrote it in my mother tongue. It may sound strange, but the word written did not make a sense until it was spoken. Only when I heard him saying it, I understood the word “the end”.
Although I’ve been telling you to read the Bible, the messages of God must be delivered by spoken words when the time comes. Ministers do not encourage people to read the Bible. Instead, they want others to listen to what they say. Their words prevail over God’s words in churches. This is evil.
Christ spent much time on speaking and explaining God’s words during His ministry. He did not merely repeat the written words in the OT. He said what He knew and understood. He is the incarnation of God’s words. Therefore, John refers Him as the Word.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (v.14)
Throughout the Book of John, we see that the Pharisees (and the teacher of the law) are against Christ. The Pharisees claimed that they were the disciples of Moses and accused Christ of breaking the law. Theologians and ministers also emphasize on the law and claim that Christ became a man to keep the law perfectly to gain righteousness. However, verse 17 tells us that Christ is superior to Moses. Here, “the law” contrasts to “grace and truth”. The law brings condemnation and death.
The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. (Romans 7:10)
Was Christ inferior to Moses as a man? The Bible said Moses saw God face to face.
So the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. (Exodus 33:11)
But the Bible also says that no man can see God.
He further said, “You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!” (Exodus 33:20)
Verse 17 tells us that Christ is superior to Moses and the law. When we say that Christ is equal with the Father, this does not mean that only His divine nature is equal with the Father. Theologians say that the Son of God is equal with God, but the Son of Man is inferior to God. When people think of equality, they think of ranks. We often think one does not take orders from the other if one is equal with the other. That’s human understanding of hierarchy. Christ’s two natures cannot be divided. Even though Christ obeyed the Father’s commands, this does not mean He is not equal with the Father. The Father is beginning of all things. He gave the Son everything. The Son obeyed the Father out of love. The Son has the same authority as the Father.
In the Athanasian Creed, there is this part that may confuse people:
… equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity.
I consider that this part is no more than what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5-8:
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.
Paul did not write this to tell us that Christ’s human nature was inferior to the Father. His intention was for us to be like the Son who humbled Himself and obeyed the Father. We must be careful not to fall into the Nestorian heresy by dividing Christ’s two natures. When we say that Christ is equal with the Father, we talk about the Word who has two natures (divine and human) undivided.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. (John 1:1-3)
The Gospel of John plays a significant role in the new reformation because it explains the right understanding of the Trinity. I understand that the Jewish religion, the Islam, Jehovah’s witness, and other religions consider that Jesus is a mere man. The Roman Catholic church and the Protestant church also have a wrong understanding of Christ’s two natures. This is because they have been trying to explain God’s words using human reasoning.
Many Christians follow their religious leaders and think that they are Christ. Some of them have many followers. But I think they work for money. They speak what others want to hear. We do not follow some people as if they are Christ. They cannot save anyone. It is the Word that saves.
But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (Romans 10:8)
-
John 1:1-18 In the beginning
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
It is believed that Moses wrote the Book of Genesis. Moses foretold that God would send a prophet like him.
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen. (Deuteronomy 18:15)
God gave Moses and the Israelites the law and made the (old and conditional) covenant with them. God promised them righteousness if they kept the law. None of the Israelites could gain righteousness. But there were people under the new covenant even in the OT beginning from Abel. Their righteousness was from faith. That faith is a gift from God and is from the heart of flesh that knows, understands, and loves God. Adam did not have the heart of flesh because he wanted to become like God and rebelled against Him. He relied on his own wisdom. Most of the Israelites were not given the heart and perished.
Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear. (Deuteronomy 29:4)
If the new covenant is only the continuation of the old covenant, God would not have made the two tablets breakable.
And it came about, as soon as Moses approached the camp, that he saw the calf and the people dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. (Exodus 32:19)
The new and eternal covenant is not breakable because its life is in the only begotten Son of God. The Father never forsakes the Son. The Israel nation, the law, and the old covenant were only shadows to the real one. They indicated the coming of Christ. They existed to tell people that the Messiah must come. Christ’s beginning is not 2000 years ago. The Son’s beginning is from eternity like the Father. The Son is the mediator of the new covenant. This tells us that the new covenant is what God planned before creation. Although it is called “new”, it is the eternal covenant that was planned before creation because its life is in the Son who is from eternity.
Some ignorant theologians view that John 1:1-18 shows the influence of Greek philosophy. They want to interpret everything by human reasoning and are proud of their knowledge in philosophy. They speak nonsense because they do not understand what the Bible teaches. One with the Holy Spirit understands the Bible. The knowledge of God inevitably leads to John 1:1.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
John emphasizes the fact that Jesus Christ is from eternity just like the Father and is equal with Him. He also tells us that Christ is not above the Father or is separate from Him. This teaches us a lot. At present, Christians worship Jesus as if He saved us from the hands of the Father. They love to make a song about Jesus but refuse to sing in God’s words. They preach what Jesus has done but do not speak about Him being one with the Father. Christ did exactly what the Father wanted Him to do. But people want to worship a man called Jesus. While they say they love Jesus, they don’t do what He taught.
God makes everything new at the end because the old order of things passes away. As we read Revelation 21 and 22, we conclude that everything was made for and through the Son. The old things demand the new things. But the new things are not the continuation of the old things. Rather, the old things are shadow of the reality.
And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” (Revelation 21:5)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)
John the Baptist starts public ministry before Christ. His coming was written in Malachi 3:1. Malachi is the last book of the OT. In the book, God spoke of the covenant of the Levi and the restoration of the priesthood. Although it is restoration, true priesthood of the saints started only when Christ resurrected. The eternal and only High Priest leads our way. John came to testify that the OT is all about the Son and the new covenant that He brings. However, people like the old more than the new.
And no one, after drinking old wine, wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is fine.’ (Luke 5:39)
-
The Gospel of John
Can a person know God by human reasoning? Absolutely not. Even though the truth is right there in front of a person, he/she cannot understand the mysteries of God unless the Holy Spirit comes and gives understanding. One may be able to mimic what other Christians say but his/her own words eventually reveal what is in his/her mind. At present, churches around the world are engulfed by people who claim to know God and yet have no understanding. This is exactly what the prophets in the OT said against the Israelites. Our knowledge of God may be imperfect, but we share the same knowledge in the fundamental doctrines such as the Trinity and TULIP. I believe the Protestant church succeeded the Apostolic church and got separated from the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century. But she has become adulterous as her sister. They are exactly the same. They share the same thing – theology based on human philosophy. In the center, there are Anselm of Canterbury and Thomas Aquinas.
Theologians and ministers love human philosophy because it can persuade many people. They love people because of money and fame. I do not ask for money from others. That is what I asked God in 2017. Money distorts truth. For many years, theology was for the educated people. It is true that Paul was an educated man compared to the disciples of Christ. However, Paul considered his former life as dung.
Earlier, I mentioned that the Book of the Revelation is the key to understand Genesis. Likewise, the NT is the key to understand the OT. When one reads the Bible, he/she often starts with Genesis. I remember that I got stuck at the Book of Leviticus or Numbers and stopped reading the Bible in my youth. When I read the law, I got dismayed because there were so many things that I needed to remember. Now I understand why God gave the Israelites the law. And Torah does no longer stop me from reading the Bible.
The limitation of the Reformation is that the Reformed theologians considered the new covenant as the extension of the old covenant. From the beginning, there was no such thing as righteousness that comes from the law or works. It is true that God promised righteousness upon perfect keeping of the law.
And it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to follow all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us. (Deuteronomy 6:25)
If the new covenant is the extension of the old covenant, God would not have called it “new”.
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
The old covenant tied to the law existed for us to realize that we cannot do anything right beginning from Adam. The Covenant Theology and the Active Obedience of Christ focus on the law as the only way to righteousness. Therefore, the theories see Christ as a mere substitute to Adam who could not keep God’s command during the probation period. Considering the probation period, God never talked about it. It is a men-made fantasy. Adam never had a chance to become the head of the church. According to these theories, Christ had to keep the law perfectly for our righteousness. I believe that these theories cannot explain why Christ is from eternity.
There are many theories concerning when the Gospel of John was written. It is believed that it was written later than the other three Gospel books (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). I believe that there were many issues within churches because people understood Christ as they liked. The situations they were in were not much different from the challenges that we face.
John teaches us that the NT is the key to understand the OT, not the other way around. Without knowing Christ, one cannot understand the OT. What we now call “The Reformed theology” tells us that God wanted us to keep the law, but we could not, and therefore, sent the Son. Because we cannot keep the law perfectly, we gain righteousness by faith in Christ who kept the law for us. This is a wrong understanding of righteousness. Righteousness tied to the law disappears when one sins. Such righteousness is not true righteousness. Besides, this theory cannot explain why Christ is from eternity. And if our relationship with God is based on the law, we are not the children of God. The new covenant promises our rebirth from above. And this has always been God’s ultimate will – the kingdom of love. Our obedience does not come because there is the law. It is from our love for God and His people. This love was shown by Christ, our head. Christ, from eternity just as the Father, loves and understands Him. We become like Christ.
-
My dream about the new church and the two men
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency. My dreams indicated that the pandemic is the white horse, and that the first three years would be severe. The three-year period ended this year. As written in Revelation 6, the next horse, the red one, indicates war. The black horse indicates famine. And the final horse indicates death by sword, famine, and plague and by wild animals. We all know war and famine is already here. It is no coincidence Ukraine used to produce much crop before war. And there is destruction of nature by pollution and climate change, which affects the production of crops. I was shown that the post-pandemic world would experience extreme immoralities. However, most people will not realize that the end is approaching fast.
For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matthew 24:37-39)
The message to the world is always the same – Repent! But churches love the world. Indeed, the judgement will start from the house of the Lord.
For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)
I’ve written many posts so that you would go back to the Bible and stop worshiping people. I am not writing for people to overthrow authorities. God is absolutely against violence. History tells us how wrong the Crusades and the Nazis were. They used Christianity to justify their actions, but they gravely sinned against God. Sin is connected with false knowledge of God. The saints must endure until Christ comes back.
As I’ve mentioned before, I will talk about my dream on the new church. In the church, I was shown what issues the new church will have. I am not suggesting any solutions for the issues. I believe that the two men I saw need to work on the issues.
I had this dream in 2019. Some dreams of mine have three parts. And this was one of them.
Part 1 – I was standing in a church building. The room I was in was rather small and it was where people worship. At the front, I saw two men in suits standing side by side. Each one was holding a basket and they were collecting money/offering. One by one people lined up to give something. I was on the side of the room, looking at the two men and observing people. One woman put a very precious jewel in a box. Parallel to the woman, another woman also put a jewel. It looked old and more like antique. Her jewel was from her grandmother. Compared the precious shiny jewel, it looked dull. The two men looked puzzled. They didn’t seem to know what they should do with this antique jewel. One of them asked me something. I answered. I could not hear what they were saying or what I was saying. Then I left the room.
Part 2 – I was walking a corridor. On the side, there was a large window. I could see a grape vine. But there was only one bunch and nothing else. The grapes looked very large and ripe, almost overripe. Then I fell on my knees and cried, “Lord! Give us more fruit!”
Part 3 – Then I saw a bunch of young people. There was a figure skating competition. They were the skaters competing one another. The door opened and everyone went into the ice rink. But they all stumbled because they never skated before.
At first, I did not know what the dream meant. Now I think I know what it means. The new church will have issues with the old church traditions. People will want to keep the traditions that are handed down from their grandparents. They consider them precious and important. But they have only sentimental values. Does God want us to remove them? I do not know. I can only think of Matthew 13:30.
Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.
The new church will have good knowledge on one thing, but no other. Only some will understand the significance of the third reformation. I was very saddened by the lack of fruit. The reason behind the lack of fruit is lack of training/education.
Considering Christian education, I do not think the Reformed church is doing well. I agree that the foundational doctrines are important. But the law is overly emphasized because of wrong understanding of Total Depravity and Adam. From youth, people are burdened with predestination and the original sin and own sins. Following church traditions and authorities does not mean that a person keeps the law. The law is taught as the only way to righteousness because of the Active Obedience of Christ. This idea is from misunderstanding of God’s will. Although people say that Christ kept the law for us, the doctrine tells us that our righteousness is forever tied to the law. This is wrong. But I do believe that young children need to learn about God from youth through the Bible. It is wrong to confine people in the church system and threaten them by saying they will go to hell if they leave the church or disobey the church authorities. That is not how salvation works. The church’s first and foremost role is nurturing people with the words of God and teaching them who God is.
I believe God established the visible church system after the ascension of Christ, just like the Israel nation in OT. When Christ was on the earth, the hypocrites, who thought they were chosen and were keeping the law, opposed Him. Similarly, many Christians talk about the law, faith, and grace, but they do not understand what they mean and reject the gospel. At this stage, I think the third reformation is for the visible church. Even during the Babylonian exile, the Israel nation existed in the form of its people. The nation did not go away because it is the people. Even if the church era is ending, Christians will carry on the visible church system. However, only the invisible church, the remnant, is saved.
-
Three sins of the Reformed church
I have been criticizing the Protestant church. But I do have hope in the Protestant church because I believe the new church will spring from her. I have been using the words “Protestant” and “Reformed” interchangeably. Some people may feel confused so I will explain what they mean. The Protestant church is the church that has separated from the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century. However, some Protestant denominations do not hold the foundational Protestant doctrines. For example, the Baptists have wrong understanding of ceremonial baptism. The Methodists believe that everyone can be saved. What the Protestant initially believed is the Reformed faith. So, when I say “Protestant”, I mean “Reformed”. I consider all Protestant churches as one Protestant church although most of them are unorthodox. All Protestant churches are supposed to hold Five Solas and accept the three Ecumenical Creeds and the Three Forms of Unity as educational tool. But only the Reformed church seem to follow them at present. Even within the Reformed church, there are different denominations. Some (if not most) of them have abandoned the foundational doctrines.
The new covenant promises the same knowledge shared by the saints.
They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
Therefore, it is important for the visible church to write the common beliefs. However, it is also important not to focus on men’s words. The Creeds and the Reformed confessions cannot replace the Bible. We need to understand what went wrong from the Reformation.
I had much hope in the Reformed church. But God showed me why they are not doing well. While I was in a Reformed church, I was shown three major issues.
- Federalism
- Men-made songs during worship
- Sexual immorality/crimes
Concerning the first one, I’ve been explaining why Federalism is wrong. They, along with Puritanism, eventually lead people to salvation by works. Most people believe that the NT exist because of the OT, not the other way around. I believe that neither Federalism nor Dispensationalism accurately explain God’s covenants. The OT exist as the shadow of the real covenant.
Concerning the songs used for worship, God really, absolutely, undeniably hates men-made songs sung during worship. False believers do not understand God’s words so hate singing in God’s words. The Psalms are made for worship. People have wrong understanding of the OT so do not want to sing the Psalms. They have their own ideas about God. They do not understand the Bible. People want to believe that God will bless them more if they make songs about God. The church’s first and foremost role is education. If they think the Bible is inadequate to teach us about God, they are greatly mistaken. It is fitting for us to sing in God’s words and listen to them during worship because Christ is Word and Truth. God accepts only the Son.
Thirdly, all unbelievers and false believers prove themselves false by committing sexual crimes against God. The church is God’s bride. People often mention of David and his sins of adultery and murder and how he was forgiven. David was taught a lesson through the sins. He was disciplined over a long time because his son Absalom gave him great humiliation by rebelling against him and also pain through his (Absalom’s) death. David suffered the rest of his life because of the sins he committed. That is how God disciplines His people if we commit such crimes. However, people tolerate such crimes against God within churches and think they will be OK. When a sin is discovered, they think, “He/she is my friend/family. We must forgive him/her.” Slowly, adultery engulfs all members of a church. The saints suffer greatly. When I was in the church, I was surprised to hear from people that pornography was a big problem in many churches. Many do not think pornography is a form of adultery. It is adultery. I can confidently say that God really, absolutely, undeniably hates pornography. If a minister keeps preaching on Sundays not to watch pornography, many Christians will say, “We are not legalists!” and look for another church. They might even remove the minister. So, ministers do not say what they should say at the pulpit because of the fear of people and losing the job. God hates any form of sexual immoralities/crimes.
All these three problems may look different. But they are all connected. Wrong understanding of God has led to all these issues. Hence, the third reformation is focused on the knowledge of God and correcting the errors of the second Reformation.
Although I speak against the Federalism and the Active Obedience of Christ, I am not against the law. I believe there are certain rules we must adhere to. However, the law of freedom is not burdensome because we have the Holy Spirit. Those who claim to have the Holy Spirit and yet are not afraid of sinning against God (and His people) are false believers. The new covenant promises that the law is written on our heart.
“For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33)
-
Church’s incurable disease
The second reformation was a reformation that affected all areas of European society. It was a social, political, economic, and religious reformation. The third reformation is only for the saints. Only the saints understand it. The rest will never know why it is important.
The Protestant church has not completely separated from the Roman Catholic church because of the Reformer’s adaptation of theology of Anselm and Aquinas. Anselm and Aquinas denied Total Depravity. Therefore, it is not strange that most Protestant churches deny Total Depravity now. Many follow the 17th century Reformed theology. I believe that there was significant shift in the Reformed theology in the 17th century, especially in England. Consequently, Adam and the law became center of the attention because the Reformers believed that he could have been the head of the church if he continued to keep God’s command in the garden of Eden. This is a result of misinterpreting Total Depravity. And it is a limitation of the Reformation. The second Reformation was incomplete. It requires us who live in the third Reformation. It is crucial to examine what went wrong. Although the Reformed confessions are useful in teaching people, they are not without errors. We must go back to the Bible.
The church has incurable cancer. If you look up, you will be fascinated by what a cancer cell does to a body. It proliferates rapidly taking up all the nutrients. Normal healthy cells starve. The cancer cells disguise themselves as normal cells. So, the immune system does not realize that they are harmful. The cancer cells say, “We are like you. We are your family.” The church is full of cancer cells who pretend to be sisters and brothers. They support and preach strange doctrines. They silence the saints. They proliferate until they occupy the body. And the body dies. Many churches have already received the death sentence. The cancer cells live longer than the body they occupy. I heard that they live about a half an hour longer than the body. They do not give up until the body dies. People in churches are ignorant of how sick their churches are. Most of them enjoy strange doctrines. They themselves are cancer cells. They say, “We are doing well. We have money and food. We are at peace.” How severe the punishment for false leaders will be at the end! Ezekiel 9 tells us what will happen at the end. God will punish evil leaders and give the mark on the saints who mourn over all the abominations happening in churches.
And the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and make a mark on the foreheads of the people who groan and sigh over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” (Ezekiel 9:4)
In 2017, I asked God, “Surely, the Reformed churches are doing well, aren’t they? They teach the Creeds and the Confessions.” God showed me that they are not doing well. I was shown a chestnut tree in a dream. The saints must defend themselves from cancer cells. They need to get educated and trained. We need to go back to the Bible.
The first role of a church is not worshiping on Sundays. Her first and foremost role is to nurture the saints. However, the system now welcomes false teachers and strange doctrines and supports them. The church era is ending because worship is corrupt because of bad education. There is no knowledge of God in many churches today.
Theologians and ministers want to believe that the Reformation was the result of some great men like Luther and Calvin. They call them “genius” or “great thinkers” and praise their works. The saints need to remember that we are nothing but worthless servants.
So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ (Luke 17:10)
In many areas of both the Western and the Eastern culture, we can find the influence of Greek philosophy and religion. The Renaissance swept across Europe from the 14th to 17th century. It still dominates our society and culture. It emphasizes the greatness of humanity. The Greek/Roman gods are sinful and evil like any human. Yet, many love their gods. They, in fact, worship themselves. That is the sinful nature of a human, starting from Adam.
We must remember that the Reformation was God’s work. However, the Reformation was not the end of reformation. The light becomes brighter as time goes by.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. (Proverbs 4:18)
They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion. (Psalm 84:7)
-
Hebrews 13 Only one righteousness
We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood. So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. (vv. 11-14)
It is true that God wants us to be obedient to Him. Our rebellion starting from Adam has separated us from God. But obedience to the law is not the reason why Christ became a man. Obedience is the result of being one with God. The real purpose of creation is for us to become God’s eternal dwelling place. The foundation of the kingdom is Christ, who loves us and gave Himself for us. If we focus on keeping the law, we miss this important truth. Christ became a man so that He would reveal the Father to His people and bear their sins. The new Covenant promises the knowledge of God. After much humiliation and suffering, the Son of God bought us with His own blood. We are the new creation with Christ as our head.
As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, For He will bear their wrongdoings. (Isaiah 53:11)
All other religions around the world focus on works. They work to please their gods. Their gods are from their imaginations. They, in fact, work to please themselves. For many years, I also worked to please God. But my works were for my satisfaction. The works made me think I had a good relationship with God. If God tells Christians not to do any works for Him, they will be angry. When God shut down the doors of churches during the pandemic, they rebelled. They are not interested in obeying God’s commands. They worship God in the ways they like. They teach people strange doctrines. Even though the Israelites were warned not to go to Egypt through the mouth of the prophet, Jeremiah, they went to Egypt and died there. So will be many Christians in this age.
It may appear that Christ came under the law to keep it. But the writer of the Book of Hebrews emphasizes that Christ is above the law and fulfills it more than the law requires. Just as Christ existed before Adam, faith rules over the law. Just as Christ’s priesthood existed before the law came, our righteousness is from faith in God, and is not tied to the law. Just as the Son’s righteousness is perfect and eternal, our righteousness is perfect and eternal. If we sin, we will be disciplined. But God will never forsake us as He did not forsake His Son.
The eternal love is the foundation of the kingdom. We live forever not because we do the works. We live because of God’s love for us. If we are children of God, we obey God’s commands. We do not need to do works to prove ourselves in the world. In fact, many false Christians and non-believers may think that we are law-breakers. We truly obey God because we have faith in God. Faith is the gift of God, given to all people chosen before creation.
Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord,equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (vv. 20-21)
There are not different kinds of righteousness. Righteousness cannot be analyzed or divided because only God is righteous. Unless we are one with God, we are not righteous. The only way for a person to become righteous is to have faith. And faith is the result of being one with God through Christ and the Holy Spirit. We must understand why God gave the Israelites the law. The Israel nation was only a shadow of the true kingdom of God. The nation included both the saints and the reprobates. The law was given for the Israelites to function as the nation on the earth to represent God. It is true that God gave the law to lawbreakers. With the law, punishment always follows. Through the law, no one can become righteous. Even if a person keeps it perfectly, it is only uprightness that Adam had, not righteousness. Christ came to solve this issue and freed us from bondage by being the ultimate sacrifice and making us the children of God.
Only the Son can reveal us the Father. The Son is the head of the saints. Not only He paid for our sins but also made us the children of God. Christ did not fulfill the law by keeping the law because the law makes nothing perfect. Christ fulfilled the law by showing God’s love on the cross, which no one could do. The eternal sacrifice requires the only begotten Son. The Father does not accept anything from men, but only from the Son, who is one with Him. Likewise, our worship requires the Word (Truth) and the Holy Spirit for God to accept it.
Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (vv. 15-16)
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)
Adam was bound to fail because he was not the Son. Adam needed to be united with the Son in the garden of Eden. Adam did not understand God. He did not have faith. He could never become the head of the church. He was born naked, but the saints are clothed with Christ. Everything is for the Son. God does not exist for us, but we exist for God. False doctrines always focus on people (Adam). Theologians and ministers try to explain the Bible through the eyes of people. They say human reasoning can explain God. But they are wrong. Even uneducated people come to know God when they receive the Holy Spirit. The saints go through lifelong education and training. However, the world does not accept the wisdom of God.
-
Hebrews 12 Discipline and fire
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (vv. 7-11)
I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:18-19)
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)
There are many Christians who enjoy their church life on the earth. They do not know that the Protestant church has an incurable disease. And she will die of it. The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us that those who reject Christ will not escape wrath of God. Those who do not know Christ, do not understand the works of Christ. Their faith is false.
Calvin and Luther were God’s instruments, but their knowledge was not perfect. But the knowledge of God must become clearer over time. Therefore, they are not perfect without us living this third reformation.
And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39-40)
I feel sorry for those who live a comfortable church life because it is obvious that God does not discipline them. The saints are wailing and mourning over the church’s harlotry. Even though God sent the white horse, many churches rejected His call for repentance. Many want to believe that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord are saved regardless of their understanding of God. With the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for the saints to have different ideas about God. I repeatedly mentioned that the Trinity is the foundational doctrine of the church. With the right understanding of the Trinity, we have the right understanding of Christ’s two natures. Once these core doctrines are understood, it is impossible to accept salvation by works. All saints believe 100% grace. Anyone who speak against Sola Gratia are not true Christians.
The saints go through lifelong training. Our journey to know and understand God can be long. We sometimes go wrong ways. God disciplines us so that we go the right way. God is always with us and will never forsake us because we are no longer slaves but are His children. Our righteousness is not tied to the law but to Christ who died for us and made us children of God. Because Christ was resurrected and lives forever, we live forever.
Those who love the law (and yet do not keep the law) accuse the saints of being antinomians. The Roman Catholic church accused the Reformers likewise. True keeping of the law is having faith in God. And this is a gift of God to all His adopted children through the Son.
The prophets and the apostles tell us that there will be intense heat or fire on the Day of the Lord.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10)
Raise your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in the same way. But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not fail. (Isaiah 51:6)
Only those who are united with Christ are saved. Every saint understands the meaning of the cross of Christ and why it made us righteous. Unless we become the children of God, there is no righteousness. Even though a person is as upright as Adam and Job, uprightness that comes from the law and works can never become the righteousness of God. Therefore, it is wrong to say that Christ had to keep the law to become righteous or impute righteousness to the saints. Many Christians refuse 100 % grace. They attack the city of God. But their efforts are useless.
Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. (Zechariah 14:12)
-
Hebrews 11 City of God and Faith
… for he (Abraham) was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (v.10)
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. (v.16)
“And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there.” (Ezekiel 48:35)
“BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN WILL CONCEIVE AND GIVE BIRTH TO A SON, AND THEY SHALL NAME HIM IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” (Matthew 1:23)
Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. (John 14:1-3)
It is clear that the Bible does not support the Covenant Theology (CT) or the Active Obedience of Christ (AOC). Adam was never given a chance to become the head of the church by obeying God’s command. From the beginning, the relationship between the saints and God is built on love and mercy, which is summed up in justification by faith. This faith is not from men’s own will and efforts. If so, grace is not grace. With CT and AOC, we naturally focus on Adam and the law. But the writer of the Book of Hebrews speaks of Christ and faith instead.
Adam’s sin and our sins have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Sacrifices and offerings could not satisfy God but only the ultimate sacrifice prepared by Himself. Christ’s being the High Priest and the ultimate sacrifice signifies more than just atonement. Christ is the foundation of the new city and our new relationship with God. Therefore, all covenants point to the eternal covenant, the Covenant of Grace. With Federalism, all covenants exist for Adam’s covenant, and our righteousness is tied to the law. Then our righteousness can be lost upon one disobedient act. Theologians and ministers say that Christ kept the law for us. But the AOC can only lead us to either legalism or antinomianism.
Recently, I came across the Satisfaction Theory of Atonement by Anselm. It has influenced many Reformed theologians. Theologians and ministers say that God is just so He cannot let sinners go unpunished. However, this idea needs to be carefully examined. Was God satisfied with Adam being obedient to Him in the garden of Eden? As we read the Book of Job, righteousness that depends on the law and works produces only pride.
Then these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. (Job 32:1)
In many ways, Job was upright as Adam.
Behold, I have found only this, that God made people upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. (Job 1:1)
The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” (Job 1:8)
But that uprightness was not righteousness that Abraham had by faith in God. Was God going to give Adam the eternal life if he kept His command during the probation period?
If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him?
And if your wrongdoings are many, what do you do to Him?If you are righteous, what do you give to Him,
Or what does He receive from your hand?
Your wickedness is for a man like yourself,
And your righteousness is for a son of man. (Job 35:6-8)At the end of the Book of Job, Job came to know God because God has revealed Himself. Job confesses that he is nothing. We must remember that God has sent His only begotten Son so that we would know Him. It is not a coincidence that the books of wisdom are in the center of the Bible. When the law is focused, people disregard Christ. They keep saying, “If only Adam had kept the command!” They love Adam (people). They do not know Christ.
The reason God was angry at the three friends of Job is that they spoke lies about God. They appeared to speak on behalf of God and rebuked Job. But they spoke of their ideas of a god. Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle spoke of a god, not God. Many theologians read their writings and considered that they knew God. But the philosophers did not know God. Anselm believed that everyone could know God by reasoning. He also did not know God because he rejected 100% grace.
Christ came as the consequence of Adam’s sin. But we must remember that His coming as a man was ordained before creation. The whole purpose of creation is to build the city of God with Christ as the cornerstone. Adam’s sin and our sins tell us that our righteousness can never come from the law. If so, we are not the adopted children of God through Christ. It is only natural that the children of God obey His commands because of the Holy Spirit. We do not need the unorthodox doctrines for us to keep the law.
The Lord has said to you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for a certainty that I have warned you this day that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. For you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and whatever the Lord our God says, declare to us and we will do it.’ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in anything that he sent me to tell you. Now therefore know for a certainty that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live.” (Jeremiah 42:19-22)