God created man. But man has sinned against God. However, many people do not know what sin they have committed against God. Jesus said, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17), but people do not know which sin they should repent of.
Some people think that breaking conscience, the law, and worldly laws is a sin against God. So they ask for forgiveness for those sins and make a commitment and resolution to never commit those sins again. However, that is not the repentance that God wants. There is the sin for which God is angry and judges. If we do not know that sin, then we cannot repent properly and will suffer eternal destruction. Therefore, it is very important to know what sin God wants us to repent of.
Human Who Gained Knowledge of Good and Evil
Genesis chapter 3 tells the story of humans sinning against God. God created Adam from dust and placed him in the Garden of Eden. And He said to him, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16,17). Then God made a woman from Adam’s rib and gave her to him as his wife. They were both naked, but not ashamed. However, the serpent approached Adam’s wife, Eve. About this serpent, the Book of Revelation says:
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan” (Revelation 20:1,2)
The old serpent mentioned here refers to the serpent that tempted Eve. The Bible says that this serpent is the Devil and Satan. If so, the fact that the serpent approached the woman means that the Devil approached her. The serpent, the Devil, asked the woman, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). Then the woman answered, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Genesis 3:2,3).
Then, the Devil said, “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4,5). When the woman listened to the serpent and looked at the tree, it seemed like, “the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). She ate the fruit and gave it to her husband. Then Adam ate it, too.
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened, just as the serpent had said. And a change occurred in them like never before. They realized that they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves skirts. And when they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden, they hid among the trees in the garden to avoid the presence of God. Simply by gaining the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened, and they began to see things they could not see before.
The Devil Who Works Through the Law
The law brings attention to what was previously unnoticed and makes us see what we did not see. People were fishing by the sea. One man caught a large fish, but he threw it back into the sea without hesitation. Shortly thereafter, another man caught a much larger fish, but he was not at all happy about it. The man measured the fish with a ruler and threw it back into the sea.
There was a law determining the size of fish one could catch. People would put the fish back into the sea if they caught a fish that was smaller than what the law permitted because they would have to pay a lot of fines if they broke the law. However, if someone who didn’t know the law was fishing there, then he would be happy whenever a fish was caught. Then, when he learns the laws of that place, he will begin to see the size of the fish he catches.
The reason why Adam and Eve saw that they were naked was because they came to know good and evil. Just like the verse, “For without the law sin was dead” (Romans 7:8), if they did not know good and evil, then they would not have recognized their nakedness as evil. The Devil works on people through the law. That’s why it says in the Bible, “For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me” (Romans 7:11). The Devil used the law of good and evil that Adam and Eve came to realize, to make them recognize their nakedness as evil and deceived them into believing that God would punish them.
In fact, Adam and Eve’s nakedness was not a problem to God at all. Just as we naturally perceive the nakedness of animals without seeing it as evil, God also looked upon Adam and Eve the same way. If God had viewed Adam’s nakedness as evil, He would have covered his body from the moment He created him. The reason Adam was not ashamed of his nakedness before he knew good and evil was because it did not matter to him at all. However, Adam and Eve, deceived by the Devil, hid in fear of God because of their nakedness.
The Human Who Left God
After Adam hid among the trees of the Garden, avoiding God’s presence, the Lord called out to him saying, “Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9) In response, Adam said, “I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10). Then God asked, “Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” (Genesis 3:11).
God knew that Adam had seen his nakedness because he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and came to know good and evil. God also knew that because Adam had condemned himself by the law of good and evil, he was afraid of punishment and hid from Him. Furthermore, He knew that the serpent was behind all this, so he said to the serpent, “Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:14,15).
Adam hid from God out of fear of being naked because he accepted the voice of the Devil. Because he accepted the voice of the Devil, he distrusted God’s love. Even if Adam knew good and evil, if he had believed in God’s love, he would not have hidden from God. The Bible says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). However, Adam was afraid and distrusted the God who loved him, so he turned away from God in his heart.
And Death By Sin
Regarding Adam’s distrust and departure from God, the Bible says that he died to God. Just as how we say someone is dead when the person’s soul separates from the body, there is a concept of separation in death. The Bible says “We are dead to sin” (Romans 6:2), and this means that we have become separate from sin and have nothing to do with sin. Also, “Ye also are become dead to the law” (Romans 7:4) means that we are separated from the law and became free from the law. Since Adam left God, he became separated from God, and he became a dead person who has nothing to do with Him.
God said to Adam, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17). God knew that the day Adam ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and came to know good and evil, he would surely die. When Adam came to know good and evil, as God said, the Devil immediately worked on him. The Devil deceived him with the law of good and evil, made him distrust God, and caused him to leave God. That is why the Bible says that the Devil is “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44).
The Bible says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). The one man referred to here is Adam.
God created Adam in His image, and initially, he had no sin. However, when Adam turned away from God and became a slave to the Devil, sin entered the world. The term “world” in this context refers to people, as in the verse, “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16). When Adam accepted the Devil, the Devil who is the subject of sin, began to work inside of him. As a result, sins appeared in the human world.
When Adam died to God, everyone died together. The Bible says, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression” (Romans 5:14). Adam’s descendants did not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil like Adam, nor were they deceived by the Devil and left God. Nevertheless, the reason why everyone died is because we were in Adam when he sinned. When Adam ate the fruit that God had forbidden, we who were inside him also ate, and when Adam was deceived by the Devil and left God, we left God with him and died to God.
The Sin that God Judges
Humans who distrusted God closed their eyes and ears to God and opened their hearts to the Devil. The Devil put all his evil things into people. That is why the Bible says, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
The Devil causes all kinds of desires in people and tempts them to live according to those desires. Moreover, he condemns people who commit sins and makes them fear punishment, preventing them from turning back to God even more. Furthermore, the Devil causes people to have an arrogant heart that they can live without God, making them to despise and ignore God even though they live through God’s grace. People are less wise than the Devil and are always deceived by him and follow him to do evil.
That is why the Bible says, “The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Psalms 14:2,3). God became angry to see us being servants of the Devil and always doing evil.
The Bible says, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:2,3)
Leaving God and belonging to the Devil, and following after the desires given by the Devil is the sin that angers God. God told Prophet Jeremiah that when Israel asks what their sins are, he should say, “Because your fathers have forsaken me, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law” (Jeremiah 16:11). That’s why it says in Jeremiah 2:19, “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.”
What husband would not be angry if his wife committed adultery with another man? God was angry when He saw that we had forsaken Him and served the Devil in an adulterous manner. The intensity of His anger is described in the Bible, “Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him” (Nahum 1:6) It is the Devil who has brought us under the wrath of God.
The Identity of the Devil
The Devil is the fallen angel Lucifer. God created him with wisdom and made him beautiful. God also elevated him to be one of the archangels. However, the Devil became arrogant because of his excellence and corrupted his wisdom with his glory. Because of his heart to compete with God, he was cast out to earth along with the angels who followed him. In the end, he was determined to fall into hell, and this is what the Bible says about the Devil.
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)
Regarding the end of the Devil, the Bible states, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). This is the identity and the end of the Devil.
The Devil was resentful of God who decided to put him inside the eternal lake of fire. That’s why he tries to get revenge on God by tempting those whom God loves and taking them to hell with him. His cruel intent towards humanity remains unchanging due to his unbridled arrogance before God that he can never turn himself back to God.
Mercy Overcomes Judgment
The Bible states, “know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh” (1 Corinthians 6:16). We left God and joined the Devil, becoming one flesh with him. Because of this, we were destined to enter the eternal lake of fire together with the Devil.
Even so, those who are deceived by the Devil do not realize their end. It’s just like the story of two harlots who brought a baby before King Solomon, each claiming that he was their son. Solomon said to cut the baby in half with a sword and told them to give it to each woman, but the baby had no idea about his fate of being cut in half. However, just as Solomon’s sword ignited the true mother’s heart, when we were placed under eternal destruction, God’s heart burnt fervently.
The false mother had no problem with the baby being cut in half, but the true mother could not allow her baby to die. Likewise, God could not just watch us going to eternal destruction with the Devil. Just like the verse, “Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people” (Joel 2:18), God’s profound love for us turned away His wrath. That’s why it says in the Bible, “and mercy rejoiceth against judgment” (James 2:13).
God Who Prepared Jesus
Just as parents cannot kill their children even if they become very angry with them, God could never permit us to enter eternal destruction even though he was very angry with us. That’s why He needed to save us from eternal destruction. However, God is just and He most definitely judges sin. We were supposed to be cursed because of the sins we committed, but God who loves us did not want that to happen. He decided to forgive us by placing the curse on Jesus instead of us.
The Bible writes, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:4,5).
God knew we would corrupt, and already washed all of our sins through Jesus and made us blameless even before the foundation of the world. He predestined it so that anyone who believes in Jesus can become His child. Some people think of God as sitting on a high throne watching over us judging us according to our good and bad, but rather, He is the one who planned and executed everything to save us from eternal destruction and allowed us to live in His love. In fact, the suffering of Jesus is the suffering of God and the death of Jesus is the death of God because God and Jesus are one. This means that God gave His own life to save us from sin.
For By the Law is the Knowledge of Sin
Before God could save us through Jesus, He first had to make us realize that we were under God’s wrath. Even if a person is suffering from a fatal disease, if he does not know it, he will regard any good medicine given to him as irrelevant. Likewise, if we do not know the fact that we are doomed to eternal destruction together with the Devil, then we may consider Jesus as irrelevant to us even if God gives Jesus to die for us. That is the reason why God had to let us know the fact that we are under death because of sin. For that, God gave us the law.
In fact, we humans have a conscience that lets us know we are sinners. However, in places where adultery is common, it is not considered a sin. Likewise, our conscience tends to be dull depending on the environment. That’s why it says in the Bible, “For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law” (Romans 5:13). God gave the law because people’s conscience had become dull and they did not realize that they were sinners. Thus, the Bible says, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).
God gave the law through Moses. The law is like a mirror that reflects our hearts. Therefore, when we reflect our hearts through the law, we realize how filled they are with dirty and filthy things. The Bible says that people are, “a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret” (Ephesians 5:12). The law clearly exposes even those sins hidden deep within us, sins that we may think are absent in ourselves but exist in others. As we can know through the Bible verse, “As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man” (Proverbs 27:19), all the sins rampant in the world are also present within us in equal measure.
I am Carnal, Sold under Sin
Humans were created without sin but there exists evil because Satan, who is the subject of sin, puts evil things into people. Satan deceives people by arousing the desires of the flesh within them to follow them. Since Satan acts the same to everyone, people all pursue the desires of the flesh and the mind.
Even Apostle Paul was no exception. Like everyone else, he loved good and hated evil. Since the law is good, he loved and tried to keep the law, but instead found himself disobeying the law and doing the evil he did not want.
In doing so, he realized that he had no ability to do good and that sin within him caused him to do evil. So, he said, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me” (Romans 7:18-20).
Apostle Paul saw that the sin within him overpowered the self that desired to do good, always causing him to do evil. He said, “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:21-23).
A dog held by its owner cannot go where it wants but is instead led as the owner directs it because the owner is stronger than the dog. Just like that, Apostle Paul saw that sin within him was stronger than himself, always causing him to commit sin. He sighed, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24) as he saw himself being overcome by sin regardless of his own will. There is no good in the flesh because sin arouses all sorts of desires through the flesh. Apostle Paul realized that he needs a Savior to deliver him from his body of death as he saw himself sold under sin while dwelling in the flesh.
Those Under the Curse
In fact, the law is very scary. The law says that if we break even one commandment, we have broken the entire law. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law” (James 2:10-11).
Moreover, the law demands a curse upon us even if we break just one commandment. The Bible states, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10). Ultimately, we, who cannot keep the law perfectly, are under the curse. Therefore, the Bible consistently speaks of us being under God’s judgment because we always do evil.
“What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:9-19)
The Schoolmaster who Leads us to Christ
The Bible says, “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful” (Romans 7:12-13).
The law is good. However, the law does not demand goodness from us. Because we, who are conquered by Satan, do not have the ability to do good. Through our inability to keep the good law, the law constantly makes us see ourselves committing evil being conquered by the Devil. The law intensifies sin, making us aware that we are under a curse. Death comes in the hearts of those, who realize that they cannot escape God’s judgment by their own strength. Such people seek a Savior to save them from sin. Therefore, the law serves as the “schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” (Galatians 3:24), who is our Savior.
The Love Hidden in His Wrath
When a father becomes angry with his son’s wrongdoing, it is to instill fear in the son and guide him back to the right path. Just like this, God reveals to us through the law that we are under His wrath, not to condemn us, but to lead us to believe Jesus who is our savior. Turning away from Satan and returning to him.
Just as a father’s love is hidden within his anger towards his child, God’s love for us is hidden within His wrath. If God had only given us the law to make us realize our sin, His purpose would be judgment. However, since God also gave us Jesus Christ along with the law, we can understand that His intention is not to judge us but to save us.
Therefore, the Bible says, “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).
The Sin Offering of the Law
Before Jesus came to resolve our sins, many parts of the Bible speak about the coming of Jesus. Especially in the law that Moses received from God on Mount Sinai, there is a sin offering when a person sins, and this offering is recorded as a shadow of Jesus Christ. Therefore, understanding the sin offering recorded in the Old Testament helps us understand how Jesus cleansed and purified us from our sins. Thus, it is helpful to first understand the sin offering recorded in the law. According to the law, the sin offering differs depending on the person who has sinned. However, knowing only the sin offering for ordinary people like us and the sin offering for the sins of the Israelites of a whole year is sufficient to understand how Jesus forgave our sins.
First, when an ordinary person like us sins, the sin offering to cleanse that sin was as follows: When an Israelite realized that he had committed a sin and had guilt, he brought a male goat without blemish to the tabernacle. There, he laid hands on the goat’s head, transferring his sin onto it.
Then, the sin-bearing goat was killed, and its blood was collected in a bowl. The priest would then dip his finger in the blood and put it upon the horns of the alter of burnt offering, and the rest of the blood was poured out at the bottom of the alter. Afterwards, the priest would skin the goat, take its fat, and burn it on the alter, thus allowing the person who committed the sin to be forgiven and cleansed [referenced Leviticus 4].
Here, the reason the priest put the blood of the goat on the horns of the alter was that the sins of the person were recorded on the horns of the alter. When a person commits a sin, it is recorded in two places. The Bible says, “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your alters” (Jeremiah 17:1). Therefore, the priest covered the sins recorded on the horns of the alter with the blood of the goat. However, the sins recorded in our hearts are covered not by the blood of goats but by the blood of Jesus.
Day of Atonement
Every year, on July 10th, all the Israelites offered a sacrifice for atonement to cleanse all the sins committed over the past year. This sin offering differed from the individual sin offering where an ordinary person directly laid hands on a goat to transfer their sin. On this day, instead of each individual transferring their sins to a goat, the high priest acted as the representative of all the Israelites and transferred their sins.
First, the high priest would lay hands on his bullock and transfer his own sins, then kill the bullock, taking its blood into the Most Holy Place. Inside, he would sprinkle the blood seven times in front of the mercy seat eastward on the ark to clean himself from his own sins for the year.
Next, the high priest would lay hands on one of the two goats chosen for the sins of the Israelites for the year, transferring all their sins onto it. Afterwards, he would kill the goat, take its blood into the Most Holy Place, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of it for the sins of the people.
After the high priest comes out from the Most Holy Place, he would take the remaining blood of the bullock and the goat and put it to the horns of the alter of burnt offering, then sprinkle it seven times on the alter to cleanse it from the impurities of the Israelites.
After this, he would lay his hands on the other goat, called the scapegoat, confessing all the iniquities of the Israelites and transferring them onto it. This scapegoat, bearing one year of sins of the people would then be led away by a fit man into the wilderness and released [Reference Leviticus 16].
Following this, the skins, flesh, and dung of the sacrificed bullock and goat were burned outside the camp. Through this process, both the high priest and the Israelites were forgiven and cleansed from all the sins committed over the past year.
Here, the scapegoat bearing the sins of the Israelites is the shadow of Jesus Christ, who bore our sins. When the scapegoat was led outside the camp, people who were outside of the camp saw the scapegoat, carrying their sins. This is the shadow of people in the world seeing Jesus who carries all of their sins.
Jesus Christ, Who Bore the Sins of the World
The shedding of blood from lambs or goats to atone for the sins of the Israelites was essential because the law stipulated that almost everything is cleansed by blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. However, the blood of lambs and goats could only cleanse past sins, not future ones. If the blood of goats could cleanse both past and future sins once for all, then there would have been no need for repeated sin offerings after the first one. Therefore, the Bible says, “For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins” (Hebrews 10:2).
Moreover, the Bible says, “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect” (Hebrews 10:1). Lambs and goats were mere shadows of Jesus Christ; hence, the blood of these animals could not completely cleanse all the sins of people at once. Therefore, God prepared a sacrifice that could cleanse all the sins of the world once and for all, and that sacrifice is Jesus Christ.
God laid upon Jesus Christ, who is our sacrifice of sin offering, the sins of all people. The prophet Isaiah said, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Hebrews 53:6). On the Day of Atonement on July 10th, just like the high priest transferred the sins of the Israelites for the past one year on to the goat, God transferred all our sins on Jesus Christ.
When someone takes responsibility for our problems, those problems no longer belong to us but to the one who took responsibility for them. Just like this, because Jesus took responsibility for our sins, the problem of our sins no longer belongs to us but to Jesus.
Jesus came to this earth to resolve our sins. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus as a witness to Jesus. He witnessed that Jesus was the atoning sacrifice prepared by God for our sins and that He bore the sins of the world.
To understand the sins of the world that Jesus bore, we must first understand the concept of the word “world.” The world exists because there are people. Therefore, the world began with the creation of Adam and will end when the last man on earth dies. Hence, the sins of the world refer to the sins of all people on this earth. Jesus bore all the sins committed by people when they turned away from God and became slaves of Satan, committing all sins in heart and flesh.
It is Finished
The Bible says that to cleanse sin, blood must be shed, for the wages of sin is death. Jesus bore our sins, was whipped and taken to Golgotha, to pay the price of our sins, death. The prophet Isaiah foresaw this and recorded it in the Bible:
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).
Eventually, Jesus fulfilled everything as recorded in the Bible and was nailed to the cross. As he was dying on the cross, shedding blood, he shouted out loud his last word, “It is finished” (John 19:30), then he passed away. The will of God was for Jesus to bear the curse we deserved, so that we might be forgiven and become blameless and holy. Jesus fulfilled this will on the cross.
Jesus who took away the law, sin and punishment
The law says, “ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). The law requires people to be holy, totally free from sin. The Bible says, “And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us” (Deuteronomy 6:25). However, there is no one who can become holy and righteous by keeping all God’s commandments, so the Bible says, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Moreover, the law brings curse to those who are not holy. Therefore, sinful people are placed under the curse.
Yet Jesus took upon Himself the curse of the law that we deserved on the cross. Therefore, the Bible says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Through the curse Jesus bore on the cross, our sins are forgiven, and we became holy. Therefore the Bible says, By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).
Jesus fulfilled the demands of holiness and the curse of the law for us. Therefore, the law no longer has any demands on us. In His flesh, Jesus abolished the law as the Bible says, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 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” (Ephesians 2:14-15).
On the cross, Jesus abolished the law which was condemning us, forgave all of our sins and took our punishment upon Himself, freeing us from the law, sin, and punishment. In fact, even if only one of these issues were resolved, we could confidently return to God without fear. However, Jesus resolved all three, the law, sin, and punishment, on the cross. We have no obstacles to block us to go in front of God.
Through Jesus, Satan lost all grounds to deceive us. As Satan is the father of a liar he deceived Adam by making him believe that his nakedness was evil, despite God not considering it a problem. Just like this, Satan now tries to deceive us that God considers our sins a problem by hiding the fact that Jesus has forgiven all our sins.
The New Covenant
Through Jesus, God has forgiven all the sins we committed with Satan, while departed from God. Then, He made a promise: “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17).
In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Bible is a book of promises. Just looking at the subtitles of the Old and New Testaments, one can see that the Bible is a book of promises.
The “Old Testament” refers to the first promise God made before Jesus came. This promise was based on people’s actions: if people kept all the laws, they would receive blessings, but if they broke even one, they would be cursed. However, since no one can perfectly keep the law, God said, “they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord” (Hebrews 8:9).
Ultimately, because sinful humans could only receive curses under the first promise, God had to make a new covenant without blemish, a second promise, in order to bless people. Therefore, the second promise is given to us based not on our actions but solely on the merit of Jesus. Jesus became our high priest, took his own blood that was shed on the cross, entered the tabernacle in Heaven, not the earthly one, and sprinkled His blood and accomplished “eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12), leading God to make a new promise: “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17).
When God gave us the law to make us realize our sinfulness and our condition under death, it wasn’t to judge us but to give us this new promise. Therefore, the Bible says, “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (Galatians 3:22).
Law of the Spirit of Life
The new promise of God is testified to us by the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” (Hebrews 10:15-18).
Through this word, we understand that God’s new promise is not only a promise but also a law. The new promise testified by the Holy Spirit is the law of life that saves us who have died through sin. And because the Holy Spirit testifies about Jesus, the gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes this new promise, is the “law of the Spirit of life.”
The Bible says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2).
During a war, a deserter in a country where there is a law that executes deserters would tremble in fear of execution. However, if a law is enacted in that country to pardon deserters, that person can escape death and receive life.
Similarly, the law is subject to the law. The “law of sin and death” that condemned us and placed us under death has become powerless under the “law of the Spirit of life.” As a result, we have escaped from death and received life.
When we were placed under death because of sin, God revealed to us the “law of the Spirit of life” in Jesus. This “law of the Spirit of life” has been in Jesus from eternity past and will remain in Jesus forever. There is no condemnation for us eternally, because God meets us, who believed in Jesus, with the “law of the Spirit of life.”
Therefore, it can be said that whether a person lives or dies is not determined by their actions but by the law. Depending on what law a person is under, their destiny changes. Under the “law of sin and death,” one can only face destruction, but under the “law of the Spirit of life,” one receives life.
The fact that God has given us the law that brings life is due to God’s grace. Thus, the Bible says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14).
Unconditional Love and Grace
There are two paths to becoming righteous. One is for a person to become righteous by perfectly keeping the law, and the other is to become righteous through Jesus washing away all our sins. Since God knew that no one could become righteous through the law, He made us righteous through Jesus. Thus, the Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” (Romans 3:23-24). The righteousness we obtain through Jesus is equivalent to the righteousness obtained by perfectly keeping the law.
Moreover, God considers as righteous those who believe in Jesus, who has made everyone righteous. The Bible says, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5). Therefore, the righteous mentioned in the Bible does not refer to someone who does not sin but rather to someone who believes in Jesus.
God did not see our actions and has made it possible for anyone to enter heaven, simply by believing in Jesus, which was his love and his grace for us. That’s why the Bible says, “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7).
Also, the Bible states, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). If salvation depended on our actions, it would not be grace because grace is freely given. The Bible says, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” (Romans 11:6).
As it is written, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). This shows that God already loved us when we had departed from God and were in partnership with the devil. Therefore, we can understand that God loves us unconditionally. Just as parents have an unconditional love for their children, God loves us unconditionally because He is love itself. That love is what bestows grace upon us.
Repentance
People distrusted God’s love and departed from Him. God had to show His love to such people; otherwise, no one would return to God.
God, being omnipotent, could have washed away our sins without Jesus’ death. However, choosing His only begotten Son, Jesus, was not only because our salvation was precious, but also to demonstrate His love to us. The Bible says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13).
Jesus said, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17). At that time, the Israelites were accustomed to atoning for their sins through the sacrificial offerings of the law whenever they sinned. When Jesus told them to repent, it wasn’t about seeking forgiveness for their daily sins. It was about believing in the love of God revealed through Jesus and returning to God.
Therefore, true repentance is not about asking for forgiveness for daily sins and making resolutions or commitments not to commit such sins again. It is about those, who have left God, to believe that Jesus has forgiven all their sins and return to God. The Bible says, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” (Isaiah 44:22).
When Jesus was on the cross, two thieves were crucified with Him. Initially, both of them mocked Jesus. However, one of the thieves repented just before his death. He said, “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:42), and Jesus replied, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43).
Thus, even the most sinful person, if they receive Jesus, can be saved and inherit the kingdom of heaven without discrimination. Therefore, the Bible says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12).
Sin Worthy of Judgement
Pilate mixed the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices, and when people mentioned it to Jesus, He said, “And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:2-5).
As Jesus said, people do not perish because they commit many sins, but because they do not repent. As it is said, “Of sin, because they believe not on me;” (John 16:9). Even though Jesus forgave the sins of all people, not believing in that is the sin worthy of judgment. Unbelievers are those who do not return to God, even after seeing the great love of God shown through Jesus. They live remaining as the servants of the devil, and because of this, they are judged to face eternal destruction. To such people, the Bible says:
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:26-29).
Those who still reject God’s love and belong to the devil commit the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, who testifies about Jesus. The Bible says, “And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.” (Luke 12:10). This is sinning willfully and there is no sacrifice for this sin. Therefore, the Bible states, “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;” (Romans 2:4-5).
God, Who Judges Us According to Our Deeds
In the Book of Revelation, there is a word from God judging sinners on the last day: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)
The Bible speaks of hell in many places. Jesus also said about hell, “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.” (Mark 9:48-49) Hell is a terrifying place where eternal suffering awaits in the lake of fire, so its horror knows no bounds. On the day of judgment, there is no trace of God’s mercy. Those who mocked God’s love and did not believe will tremble in fear, beating their chests and wailing as they see God, who is filled only with fierce wrath on the day of judgment.
The judgment on Judgment Day is very simple. There is a book of life before God, and based on whether or not their names are written in the book of life, Heaven and Hell are determined. Those whose names are not recorded in the book of life will be separated from God forever and suffer the second death, falling into the lake of fire. Those who fall into hell will plead for mercy in intense agony, but seeing God, who will never again show mercy, they will be gnashing their teeth.
Jesus suffered unimaginable pain, with His flesh torn and His flesh ripped apart by a severe scourging, leading to His death on the cross for our sins. Yet, God will never forgive those who reject Jesus but will be angry with them. Just as God’s love is eternal, so is His wrath; thus, hell is eternal.
The Bible says, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:18-19)
Those who do not believe in Jesus have already been judged to Hell on this earth. Nevertheless, on the last day, God judges them because God is just. On that day of judgment, God judges people according to their deeds. Even though God does not look at our actions when He saves us, He judges people according to their deeds on this day. This is because a person’s words and actions while living on this earth proves that they belonged to the devil.
The Bible says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:16-20)
Just as a cow cannot live like a pig or a pig like a cow, the righteous live as righteous, and the sinners live as sinners. As Jesus said, “Ye do the deeds of your father.” (John 8:41), the children of the devil, following the heart given by the devil, do evil and receive judgment. The Bible warns, “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.” (Ecclesiastes 11:9)
Return Unto the Lord, for He Will Abundantly Pardon
The Bible states, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7) If it is the God who sent His son to die for us, there is no way He will reject anyone who comes to Him, no matter how much sin they have committed.
Jesus broke down the barrier of sin that stood between us and God with His flesh, opening a wide path for anyone to approach God. The Bible says, “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.” (Mark 15:37,38).
In the most Holy place, where God dwelled, anyone with sin would face death if they entered. That’s why the veil always stood in the way. Even the high priest, who entered the most Holy place once a year on the Day of Atonement, had to cleanse himself of sin before entering. However, because Jesus washed away all our sins perfectly, there was no longer a need for the veil to cover the most Holy place. Therefore, God Himself tore the veil of the temple.
Now, we have an open path where anyone can approach God. That’s why the Bible says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.” (Hebrews 10:19,20). Now, anyone can approach God through the new and living way opened by Jesus. That’s why it says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12).
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2) What a blessing and a thankfulness it is for us. The door to heaven is still open. However, “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” (Luke 13:25-27).
Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20). When Jesus offers His grace and presence, we should open the door of our hearts and welcome Him in. Then, we will become one with Jesus and reign with Him forever in heaven.
All Things are Become New
Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). We were originally children of the devil, but through the forgiveness of sins, we have been born again as the children of God. As it is written, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14), now we are in Christ. Being newly created in Christ, the Scripture declares, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Once lost like sheep, we have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls, becoming the sheep He tends and cares for. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).
David sang, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). A shepherd protects his sheep from all dangers, provides for their needs, and works for them. Therefore, the sheep enjoy everything within the shepherd and find rest. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15). Being in Jesus is an indescribable blessing from God.
God’s Love is Eternal
God is love. And because God is eternal, His love is also eternal. Therefore, we can never fully comprehend God’s love. However, just as the understanding of Scripture varies from person to person, so does the understanding and experience of God’s love. Regardless, the fact that God has forgiven our sins is enough for us to be grateful for His love and to praise Him forever.
Forgiveness is when the one who has been harmed forgives the one who caused the harm. If a wife leaves her husband and commits adultery with another man, she is the one who has caused harm to her husband. It would be impossible for her to be the one to forgive her husband. We, by turning away from God and joining with the devil, have saddened God. In fact, God is the one who has suffered because of us. When we see that God went so far as to sacrifice His Son to forgive us, there is no doubt about the greatness of God’s love toward us.
The Bible says, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Since we are also creatures of God, none of our actions can sever us from God’s love toward us. Therefore, the life we have gained through our union with God is eternal, hence called ‘eternal life.’
The Bible is filled with God’s love. We believe in that love of God. We believe this because God cannot lie [Hebrews 6:18], and His word is the unchanging truth [John 17:17]. God will never make our faith in vain. Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
