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What we have if we Abide In Christ

Here are a few of the results of abiding in close union with the Spirit of Jesus. What we have in Christ:

  • Answers to prayer. Jn. 15:7
  • Comfort, help and peace. Jn. 14:15–26
  • Increased confidence. 1 Jn. 2:28–29
  • Deliverance from judgment. Jn. 15:6
  • Discipline and correction. Jn. 15:2–3
  • Spiritual Fruit such as good works, and obedience to His Word. Jn. 15:5–8
  • Keeps one from sin., 1 Jn. 3:6
  • Power. 1 Jn. 2:24; 2:27
  • Salvation. Jn. 8:31
  • Unashamedness. 1 Jn. 2:28
  • The reward for abiding in Christ is confidence in the day of Judgement. 1 Co. 3:13–15

 Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996).

Mark Johnson, Uncategorized

Words by which Jesus began His ministry

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” — Isaiah 61:1 ESV
  • This blog text is written by Pastor Mark Johnson, a good friend of mine. Today he shared this thought on Facebook. These words of the prophet Isaiah were quoted by Jesus at the beginning of His ministry to redeem the human race. As we follow Christ, they will guide us as well. There are 4 significant thoughts that will influence how we live and make decisions:
  1. There is a focus on the poor. Throughout Scripture, this theme is sounded repeatedly. A good Sabbath afternoon activity would be to study what God says about poverty and how to relate to it. It may change our lives as we gather His teaching and act on them.
  2. The second emphasis is on the brokenhearted. There are a lot of hurting people around us. What if we planned to do something tangible each day to thoughtfully lighten specific pain for others
  3. Thirdly. Two words: liberty and captives. Offering freedom to those who are limited by personal evil is an important act of humility for each one of us.
  4. Finally: no limits. To anyone who has been captured by evil, the witness of the follower of Christ is “You’re free!”
As we look to Jesus, each of these becomes a reality. And what we offer to others on His behalf can be ours as well. What if each of us were to choose to live the reality of each of these victories continually in our pilgrimage?
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The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Baptism Of The Holy Spirit is prophesied in the old testament. (Isa. 32:15; Joel 2:28, 29; Ezek 36:27). It is promised by the Father and the Son (Matt. 3:11; John 14:16, 17, 26).

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not to be confused with water baptism (which testifies to allegiance to Christ), which most of the disciples would have had John the Baptist do long before this occurred. Conversely, the initial baptism of the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost 50 days after the resurrection. Acts 1 says he gave proof of his resurrection for 40 days. Then he told the disciples to wait. The Holy Spirit came 10 days later post-Ascension. (Acts1:3-5, 9)

The Holy Spirit’s indwelling is a definite experience of the converted man or woman witnessed to, by the Spirit (Heb. 10:14, 15).  When I say converted, I mean the individual has exercised faith, has believed on the name of Jesus Christ as Lord by faith. Thus it is obtainable only by believers who are converted (John 7:39). And this belief is not class-specific, nor church specific, but a universal baptism of the Holy Spirit for all believers. (Acts 2:38, 39). Moreover, the indwelling Spirit is a necessity for true Christian living (John 16:13).

The Experience occurs Subsequent to Regeneration

Since it is given only to believers, one must be converted to receive Him (Acts 19:1-2, 5; Eph. 1:13). The Spirit dwells only in the individual given over to holiness and obedience by faith, and not in the unconverted man (I Cor. 3:16-17). There are several points that I would like to make:

The Resultant Signs of the Spirit’s Baptism are:

  1. It sanctifies, meaning purifies one from sin. (Acts 15:8,9; Rom. 15:16).
  2. Perfects in the unity of Christ’s love (Acts 4:31-33)
  3. Sheds God’s love into the heart (Rom 5:1-5).
  4. Gives spiritual power (Acts 1:8)

The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is promised:

This is baptism promised by Christ (Luke 24:49); promised just before Pentecost (Acts 1:5); it is a baptism coming evidenced as:

  1. A divine power (Luke 4:14 with Luke 3:21,22).
  2. A comforting power (John 16:7)
  3. Witnessing power (Acts 1:8)
  4. Power for spiritual boldness (Acts 4:31).
  5. Speaking power (Acts 2:1-4)

To Be Sought as a Divine Gift with Assurance:

We must realize God’s Willingness to Spirit-baptize us. (Acts 2:38,39). Activate your faith by looking up these texts by simply hovering over them:

  1. More willing than we think to give us this gift. (Luke 11:13).
  2. Visible tongues of fire symbolized its purifying effect at the original Pentecostal experience. (Acts 2:1-4).
  3. Oil symbolizes its spiritual healing (Rev 3:18) and illuminating power (Matt 25:1-4).

The effects of This Baptism of the Holy Spirit are several:

  1. The Holy Spirit’s offers inflowing availability, like rivers of living water. (John 7:38)
  2. Anoints the lips for verbal testimony. (John 15:26)
  3. Opens the soul for divine instruction. (John 14:26)
  4. Purifies the heart by faith. (Acts 15:8,9)
  5. Empowers us to walk obedient, keeping the divine statutes. (Ezek 36:27)
  6. Gives holy freedom and confidence through guidance. (Gal 5:18)
  7. Opens avenues for divine communion, as we call out to the Lord.  (II Cor 1:21-22)
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The Faculty of the Conscience

Here we will go into a deeper look at the faculty of the mind referred to as the conscience.

Your conscience is a gift from God, allowing you communion with the Holy Spirit to guide you in your redeemed life as you refer to the Word of God. It is the connective communicative path of union between God and man, whereby we hear the commands of God relative to obedience unto life versus disobedience unto death. It gives us an instinct that God has placed in our consciousness the echo of His Word, via this faculty – conscience — to know the difference between right and wrong. 

For example, Joseph’s brothers felt remorse of conscience after placing him in a pit before selling him to traders that took him off to Egypt and then sold him into slavery. (Genesis 42:21) The scriptures make it clear that the communication of God is via his Spirit to our spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks to our heart to guide us into holy conduct, wisdom, safety, prosperity and health. Your ears will hear him. Right behind you, a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. (Isaiah 30:21 NLT) 

The clear conscience Paul could write to the Corinthian church stating that his conscience was clear regarding his faithful ministry to them: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace. (2 Cor 1:12 NIV)

Maintaining a clear conscience will ensure that we do not deviate from how the Lord leads us daily. Cling to your faith in Christ and keep your conscience clear.  Some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. (1 Timothy 1:19 NIV) 

We want to keep our conscience clear – free of doubt that we have compromised obedience — as we are under a probationary period before the 2nd Advent of Christ when he comes to judge the world. The apostle Paul stated: My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. (1 Corinthians 4:4)

The violated conscience  A progressively violated conscience can lead to habits of disobedience that lead to a dangerous point of waywardness when one can no longer hear the Holy Spirit, or further when one can become devoid of the Spirit of Grace. In the last time, there will be scoffers following their ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. (Jude 1:18-19) In fact, one can become entirely cut off from the Spirit’s leading: Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared…  (1 Timothy 4:2)

 Man very frequently opposes what he or she knows to be the will of God by a distinct perception of judgement communicated by the Spirit applying the Word of God to the conscience. One of the great Puritan theologians wrote of the conscience: “This is sin; God sees it; God will punish it,” causing a man to feel restless and anxious, often with a physical sensation of disturbance. Man frequently wishes that such an impression was not so lively; however, despite all opposition, such judgment frequently makes its presence felt relating to mans’ will. The will is presented with a judicial communication that he is standing against the Spirit. 1

Karl Barth of the conscience writes: We must constantly decide between the secularity and the sanctification of our existence, between sin and grace, between a human being who forgets God, which is absolutely neutral concerning Him and therefore absolutely hostile, and one which in His revelation is awakened by faith as one called into the church, to the appropriation of His promise. 2 

Yet Barth goes on to warn that our conscience may not be biblically grounded if not well-exercised in its use daily: It is obviously erroneous to state that the intellect of man, being in the state of sin, cannot err. This is directly contrary to Scripture, where we read that man is “blind” (Revelation 3:17), “having the understanding darkened” (Ephesians 4:18), and that “spiritual matters are hidden from the wise and the prudent” (Matthew 11:25). It also states that one can have a zeal, “but not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2), that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him” (1 Corinthians 2:14), and that there are “men of corrupt minds” (1 Timothy 6:5). 3

“Conscience” translated into the Dutch language (mede-wetenschap) means “knowledge of concurrence.” The conscience is man’s judgment concerning himself and his deeds, to the extent that he is subject to God’s judgment. The conscience consists of three elements: knowledge, witness, and acknowledgement. Willhelm Braekel expands on this: 4

  1. First, there is knowledge of the will of God at work. He commands or forbids every man with promises and threats. The conscience prescribes what must either be refrained from or be done. The more clearly and powerfully it does this, the better the conscience functions. Note the attribute of knowledge: Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right (Romans 2:14–15). 
  2. Secondly, there is the element of witness. After man’s obligation is held before him, it determines whether or not he has acted according to light and knowledge. The more painstakingly the conscience takes note of man’s deeds and his conformity to the commandment held before him, the more it keeps a precise record thereof, and the more clearly and powerfully it witnesses to man, the better it performs its duty. Note, they have a conscience that bears witness to their conduct—the witness to their conformity or lack of accordance to a commandment within God’s Word—is described by the apostle when he states: “their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” (Romans 2:15)
  3. Thirdly, there follows an acknowledgement. The righteous God is also aware of this and will reward or judge him accordingly. The more clearly the conscience acknowledges the knowledge of God and is sensitive to it, and the more it either reassures itself concerning this or is powerfully affected as a result, the more faithfully the conscience performs its task. We acknowledge that God is aware and will either reward or punish. These activities of the conscience can also be observed in the following texts: “With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.” (Rom. 9:1 KJV); “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;” (1 John 3:19–21 KJV).

The conscience is either good or evil. It is good when it performs its duty well.  The conscience is good when:

  •  When our conscience immediately reveals and represents the will of God, obligating and stirring us up to do the will of God. “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).
  • When our conscience is sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, it may agitate or trouble us. “David got up and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. But it came about afterwards that David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe.” (1 Samuel 24:4-5)
  • Similarly, the conscience reassures us: “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 9:1); “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” (1 John 3:19–21); “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity” (2 Corinthians 1:12).
  • Someone is said to have an evil conscience whenever evil thoughts or deeds fills one with anxiety, fear, and remorse. This realization isn’t that the conscience is corrupt, but instead that it is performing its duty well, but it is referred to as evil because it convicts a person of evil thoughts or deeds.

If the conscience does not perform the above tasks well, it is corrupt in and of itself, being remiss in its duty either in all or two of these activities. 5  The Spirit of truth enlightens a good conscience, and therefore always makes its decisions according to the standards of God’s holy Word. The conscience also may be distinguished as pure (1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:3); evil (Hebrews 10:22); defiled (Titus 1:15); weak (1 Corinthians 8:7); and seared (1 Timothy 4:2). 

The witness of our spirit. Our spirit witnesses that we are aligning with the Spirit of God. Further, it consists of the consciousness that individually, we possess the character of the children of God. John Wesley held that the testimony of a good conscience within our heart: is the testimony of a good conscience toward God; and is the result of reason and reflection on what we feel in our souls. Strictly speaking, it is a conclusion drawn partly from the Word of God and partly from our own experience. The Word of God says everyone who has the fruit of the Spirit is a child of God. Experience or inward consciousness tells me that I have the fruit of the Spirit, and hence I rationally conclude; therefore, I am a child of God. Now, as this witness proceeds from the Spirit of God and is based on what He works in us, this is called the Spirit’s indirect witness to man’s soul. The direct testimony of the Spirit is fully confirmed. How am I assured, continues John Wesley, “that I do not mistake the voice of the Spirit? By the testimony of my own spirit; by the answer of a good conscience toward God: hereby I shall know that I am in no delusion, that I have not deceived my own soul. The immediate fruits of the Spirit, ruling in the heart, are love, joy, peace, mercy, humbleness of mind, meekness, gentleness, long-suffering. And the outward fruits are the doing of good to all men, and uniform obedience to all the commandments of God”. Then, we may say that these two witnesses, God’s Spirit to man’s conscience, taken together establish the assurance of salvation.  6

1 Willhelm Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, Translated by Joel Beeke

2 Karl Barth, Dogmatics

3 ibid

4 Willhelm Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, Translated by Joel Beeke

5 ibid

6 John Wesley, (Wesley, Works, I, p. 92)

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The ethics of the Covid-19 vaccine

Several coronavirus vaccines developed in the States and globally were made from the cell lines of aborted children — healthy children who were murdered. Most notably, this includes a fetal cell line called HEK-293, from the kidney of a healthy girl aborted in 1972, and PER.C6, from the retina of a healthy boy aborted in 1985. Apparently, these and similar cell lines have been used since the 1960s to manufacture vaccines against rubella, chickenpox, hepatitis A, shingles, haemophilia, rheumatoid arthritis, and cystic fibrosis.

In June, Science magazine reported that at least five coronavirus vaccines under development in the States were created using one of the two human fetal cell lines. But by the Fall it became clear that the two leading vaccines here in the States, those from Moderna and Pfizer — the vaccines currently being shipped — do not contain these fetal cell lines.

Note: There are several clean vaccines NOT using aborted babies being developed currently. I am sure many anticipate using these alternative vaccines.

In the case of Moderna, this claim has since been called into question. But in either case, it was later reported that both Moderna and Pfizer used the HEK-293 cell line in the testing phase of their vaccines’ effectiveness.

So while there appears to be less of an ethical dilemma concerning the composition of the Pfizer vaccine, and possibly the Moderna vaccine, both raise yet another ethical dilemma for some pro-life people over the use of fetal cell lines in the testing phase.

As we record, ethically derived and ethically tested coronavirus vaccines are in process, but they are much slower in development and will likely be more expensive, rarer, and more difficult to get. That’s the prediction at least. So should committed pro-lifers get the fast, available, free vaccines? Or should they wait?

The following biblical logic is from John Piper, April 13, 2021, where he presents the ethical dilemma all Christians should acknowledge. 1

Let me make four kinds of observations, and hope and pray that these will give some guidance to our thinking and our feeling and our acting. And I think all three of those really matter, particularly in regard to the use of human organs or human tissue harvested from the killing of unborn children. And we need to say it with words like that; otherwise, we will conceal from ourselves what’s happened.

1. We should never do evil that good may come.

First observation: in Romans 3:8, some of Paul’s adversaries accused him of “do[ing] evil that good may come.” Paul responded to this, that it was a slanderous charge. In other words, he distanced himself from that kind of ethical stance. And I think we should too. We shouldn’t do evil that good may come.

“God alone has the infinite wisdom to manage an entire world of sin in which he can turn horrible things for good.”

God alone has the infinite wisdom to manage an entire world of sin in which he can turn horrible things for wise and good purposes. He never tells us that we have such wisdom; we don’t. We are to live our lives guided by the principles he reveals in his word, not by our calculations about how much evil we can join in for some greater good.

So, if we really believe that the killing of unborn children is abhorrent to God and falls into the category of the shedding of innocent blood, for which God’s judgment fell, we should not think of turning this wickedness into a wonder drug to save our lives. We should not do evil that good may come. That’s my first observation.

2. We value Christ and his kingdom more than security or health.

Second, God frequently, in the Bible, calls us to do things and avoid things that are very costly to us personally, in order to demonstrate that Christ and his ways are more precious to us than safety or security or comfort, and that we sacrifice in order to do what’s right. When we are told not to return evil for evil (Matthew 5:38–39), or that we should love our enemies (Matthew 5:43–44), or turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), or go the extra mile (Matthew 5:41), or do good to those who hate us (Luke 6:27), all of those kinds of commands are designed to show that we are not in bondage to this world, and that the deepest contentment of our lives does not flow from needing to avoid risk or show vengeance.

By denying ourselves comfort or satisfaction or safety for the sake of testifying to Christ’s value to us, and testifying to the sanctity of another person’s life, or testifying to our hope for another person’s well-being, or testifying to our confidence in God’s reward beyond the grave, when we deny ourselves in that way, we aim to exalt Christ and his ways over mere self-preservation.

So, if a scientist avoids using tissue and organs harvested from babies killed in abortion, or if an ordinary citizen avoids using a medication that they know has been developed specifically through such harvesting and research, the aim is that the Christian conscience is preserved and Christ is made much of as more valuable than any security or safety or health we might get through sin.

3. We testify to the sanctity of life.

Third, avoiding such research and avoiding the use of the products of such research is only one way of testifying to the truth and value of Christ in the sanctity of the unborn persons. But another way that should be added is the proactive engagement in whatever way we can to speak and act against the taking of innocent human life in the womb and the use of those children for research and experimentation.

So, I’m saying renunciation (that is, the avoidance part of our ethics), which is being asked about — Do we avoid the medication? — the renunciation of the use of such drugs has value. Yes, it does. And supplementing that value should also be the proactive engagement of resisting and discouraging abortion and the use of aborted babies in research.

4. God blesses principled action in his name.

And the final observation, the fourth one that I would make, is the one that’s most difficult to articulate but maybe the most important. The observation is that acting on principle — in this case, the principle that we do not want to be complicit in the desecration of dismembered human beings — acting on principle often does not look like the most obvious way to be a blessing to the greatest number people.

“God honors integrity and principled action that is rooted in his truth and his beauty and his worth.”

For example, if you try to act on the principle of not participating in the desecration of these children by avoiding medicines developed from their dead bodies, someone will say, “But look, look at all the good that is coming through the medication.” And they will say that they can’t see the good that may be coming from your principled action. So, what I’m saying here is this: God has ways of honouring and blessing and multiplying the effectiveness of principled action in his name, which, to the human calculation, may appear futile.

This is certainly the case with many martyrdoms in history, for example, or other kinds of sacrificial principled actions, which didn’t look like they were going to have any payoff at all for the suffering person or their family, or for the cause of Christ — just a dead-end street at the stake of suffering. The sufferers simply acted because their consciences wouldn’t let them do otherwise, while the world sees that as futile and foolish. “Just save yourself and your family and others, and stop denying yourself the privilege of life or health or prosperity.”

And my point again is this: God is God. He honours the integrity and principled action that is rooted in his truth and his beauty and his worth, even where the world cannot see the point. We have no idea what explosive effects, in the depths of God’s providence and purposes, our principled action might unleash by God’s grace.

So, I’m saying, let’s not act as researchers or as ordinary consumers in a way that desecrates the bodies of unborn victims and treats those children as though they can be killed and their tissue harvested for our benefit.

Audio version

1 John Piper (@JohnPiper) is the founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Providence.

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The meaning of the Fear of God

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Ecclesiastes 12:13

There are many today who have a false conception of the word “fear” used in connection with a healthy respect for the Lord.  The following excerpt puts the true meaning of “fear” into perspective.

Many words in the English language have several strikingly different definitions. For example, anger can mean unbridled temper or it can mean righteous indignation. Love can mean lust or unconditional commitment. Normally we think of fear as an unpleasant emotion tied to anxious concern or outright terror of being harmed. But there is another definition of fear that can lead to something good and wonderful. The fear of God is complete awe and respect for him, a realization that everything he says about love and justice is true. Because God is great and mighty, and because he holds the power of life and death in his hands, a healthy and reverent fear of him helps us to respond to him as we should. This draws us closer to him and to the blessings he gives. 1

1 Beers, Gilbert; Beers, Ron. The One Year Mini for Men (p. 117). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Church Assembly

The New Jerusalem is the Church

by Glen R. Jackman

It is very clearly presented by Jesus Christ in His guidance given for the church to the apostle John in Revelation, that sanctification is the predominant teaching for the church prior to the judgment and the Second Advent.

The Literal Viewpoint of the New Jerusalem

Many Christians are waiting for this world to be destroyed and a new world to be created, wherein they live with regenerated physical bodies. I will not refute this teaching, dear to many, but will reveal the most important teaching Christ is defining for His remnant church today.

This strongly postulated literal doctrine in Christendom, established by the texts in Revelation seems at the outset to also point to a literal architecture of the New Jerusalem within the new heaven and new earth with the sole function of establishing a fortress of protection from a final attack from all the forces of evil including Satan leading.  This operative centre is often interpreted as a physical literal city, called the “New Jerusalem”, a stone city that will literally come down out of the sky from heaven, to be where the old Jerusalem was and that God and Jesus will live in it, here on Earth with the redeemed that have escaped this earth at Christ’s Second Advent.

With great love for Christians holding only this view, I suggest that there may be a danger if we miss the wonderful spiritual teaching that the Church of Jesus Christ is presented in Revelation foremost as the New Jerusalem, as His Bride. However, let us look at this literal viewpoint as a starting point.

Old things have passed away (Rev 21:1-5)

The following text evidently is referring to a post-judgment period with reference to the New Jerusalem:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Rev 21:1-5)

The old earth and heavens have passed away in this text indicating a cosmological event prophesied by Peter, “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 in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives”.  (2 Pet 3:10-11) Peter echoes Isaiah who also foretold this event, “All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shrivelled figs from the fig tree”. (Is 34:4)

The word “new” is used to describe the heavens, the earth and Jerusalem—in fact everything in this scene (Rev 21:1-5) is made entirely new. It seems that this text is a prelude look at the New Jerusalem defined as the futuristic view as a period after the 2nd Advent of Jesus Christ, proven by the fact that this is a period when there is no more death.

Thus it seems that there is a “new” and changed Holy City, which is preceded by scriptural definitions of the same city with similar qualities, yet not referred to as new in the context of the cosmological transformation. This new city is not articulated in chronological order in Revelation but precedes an explanation of the Holy City clearly as the Church of Jesus Christ. One simply has to see the same church defined, in two time periods, after the atomic transformation of all things, and prior which is the period from the cross to today.

God, who sits on the throne, said “I am making everything new!” (Rev 21:5-8) This is a snapshot look at the new city after the cosmological renewing of the heavens and the earth after the 2nd Advent of Christ which is often viewed as a literal city coming down to earth. This may very well occur as a city inhabited by glorified saints (both the living and the resurrected righteous) who have ascended to meet the Lord in the rapture during his return; and now descend inside the city to earth with Him. However the main teaching of Revelation about the New Jerusalem is allegorically envisioning a sanctified church prepared as a Bride to meet her Lord.

I have no qualm with the physical view as a secondary possibility of a new physical, materially structured New Jerusalem but it is highly doubtful this is what is being expressed in Revelation in the allegories. All the symbols of His Church meant to define His people in the Gospel era since the cross, remain intact. If convicted that the city is indeed literal, and made of the materials used to symbolize God’s saints, at the point of being made new during the cosmological transformation, with full freedom of conscience, let the man or woman decide freely as he or she seems convicted. One thing is for sure: the first priority is to be prepared by having a relationship with the Lord, and by allowing Him to cleanse us from sin as He conforms us to His image in our current time-frame before His Second Advent: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”. (Rom 8:29)

Two Periods of the Same City

The idea of two time periods relative to the Holy City makes sense when you apply the promise of the “new” final Jerusalem as being the culmination of earth’s history to a time when the redeemed inherit their reward only received by those true saints who have overcome sin in their life; and a contrasted great loss to the unrepentant wicked, and assurance of their destruction in the lake of fire.

He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”  (Rev 21: 7-8)

The Holy City’s Intentional Allegorical Viewpoint

The careful Bible student will need to begin to think in terms of allegoric imagery as we study. God uses the sanctified imagination to teach us many things. The Book of Revelation operates almost entirely on the basis of symbolic teaching. Jesus taught that all things would become new. As we examine the allegorical meanings please consider new to mean paradigm shifts of the mind—from the old ways to the new ways of seeing things from God’s perspective. He had emphasized to Nicodemus the need to be born again of the Holy Spirit. He told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, that the time is coming when all men will worship God in the Spirit.

“You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4: 22-24)

The Epistle to the Hebrews is devoted to a logical argument to show that the old sanctuary and services, operatives of the old Jerusalem, were entirely done away with at the cross. At Christ’s death, the curtain of the old sanctuary within the old Jerusalem was torn in two, indicating that all the old ways of seeking blood atonement with Yahweh, in this new reality, had ceased, once the true Lamb of God achieves the anti-typical sacrifice. Hebrews argues that the entire procedure of the old Levitical sanctuary system was a copied pattern or a symbol of the act of redemption.

“It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” (Heb 9: 23-24)

The principle text around which our study hinges is presented by Christ in the Book of Revelation as not a man-made city, but rather a symbol of God’s people in Spirit-centric unity with Him: “I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”(Rev 2:21)

Another verse ties in with this one and will shine some light on our study as scripture interprets scripture: “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him My new name.” (Rev 3: 12 italics mine)

Obviously, those that overcome are not physical “pillars” which is only meant to portray the idea of spiritual strength and unity. Jesus taught that the “the Kingdom of God is within us” (Luke 17:20-21), not outside of us; and that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Cor 15:50) as we live in the flesh here.

As you recall Jesus said “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? ‘It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough’.” Luke 13: 20 indicating the work of the Holy Spirit penetrating the hearts and minds of mankind and spreading to the whole world while unifying His worshipers as One (cf. John 17).

Conversely, Jesus foretold the physical old Jerusalem’s demise:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate”. (Luke 13: 34-35)

Further, Jesus talked about his second advent as a time that He would come in the name of the Lord, for those who bear His name. “I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13: 35)

The writing of God’s name and Christ’s new name on the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem are marked with a parallel occurrence of inscribing the name of the city “New Jerusalem” upon the residents. There is a spiritual message being presented by Christ through the apostle John for the last days in Revelation that is much larger than and goes beyond a literal futurist, materialistic understanding. It is current teaching for the church, that the Lord wants to mark us as His own, now gathered together via the Holy Spirit, now willingly His subjects as obedient to the King of kings, Lord of lords – now His subjects serving Him in Spirit and in truth in the Holy Spirit’s realm defined as the New Jerusalem. This is not the same desolate “house” of the disobedient and rebellious old Jerusalem that corporately denied Him as King.

“Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Rev 21: 27)

Jesus defines who will not be named as residents in His true church. He also depicts the unfaithful presented clearly as outside of the gates of the New Jerusalem. Nothing impure will enter the city of God. Transforming any old way of thinking bound to the old Jerusalem way of salvation, Christ defined as the new Jerusalem paradigm—a continuum moving away from the old Jerusalem, yet respectful of the history of His work on earth since Abraham to David’s day. The language of the New Jerusalem is meant to make a historic connection, yet enter a new way of serving God.

Develop this further and you will begin to see something Satan does not want anyone to see. Look for the allegories: of the Spirit as water amidst the church, Christ as the tree of life, the throne as the Sovereign Lord governing His people in the church, inscribed foreheads for avowed allegiance to a Holy God, and light as the Holy Spirit:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever. The angel said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.’ (Rev 22: 1-6)

If the allegorical teaching is to guide us, the context of this next text flowing together presents a pertinent urgency to understand the symbols, because it declares that Jesus is coming and that we are to “keep” these words as an important prophecy. “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” (Rev 2: 7)

The prophecies of Joseph come to mind as using allegorical imagery:

Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.…I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me. (Gen 37: 6-9)

The prophetic dreams of Nebuchadnezzar interpreted by Daniel come to mind as God using allegorical imagery. Daniel had told the king, “the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen” and then re-articulated his mysterious symbolic dream:

You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,  its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2: 31-35)

The principal teaching of the New Jerusalem also goes far beyond the literal viewpoint, presenting amazing imagery that relates to many other scriptural teachings. The great symbol of the “water of life” of which Jesus spoke to the woman at Jacob’s well, as springing up from within, was teaching about the need to be born again of and governed by His Spirit.

The Water of the River of Life Analogy

The Holy Spirit indwelling the church of Jesus Christ is depicted as running in her midst as a river from the throne of God in association with the Lamb of God.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” (Rev 22: 1-4)

The Light of the City Analogy (Rev 21:22-27)

The  allegory of the light of the city simply means that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is the light of the church: “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” (Rev 21: 23-24)

Scripture tells us that Jesus came as a great Light into the world. The spiritual symbol of light is also a predominant teaching of Christ about the filling of the Spirit actualized in the New Jerusalem. Jesus declared: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) John further developed the teaching of light, to mean that we would have fellowship and unity with and reliance on Christ to purify us from sin. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

The light of the Holy Spirit also is to extend to the nations in the new earth as the Gospel goes out from the true church. “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it.” (Rev 21:24)

Light is the subject of Jesus parable of the ten virgins, and is dependent on oil in the lamps, oil being another symbol of the Spirit of God. Expanding on light, we read “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” (Rev 21:22-23)

The Analogy of the Purity of the Bride of Christ

The New Jerusalem imagery is about the Holy Spirit bearing the light of Christ into the hearts of men who will abide as one with Christ and His Father in His spiritual kingdom, a city not built with hands, one that Abraham foresaw, whose architect and builder was God.

It is interesting that the angel showing John this symbolic vision is one of the seven angels pouring out the seven last plagues, the outpouring of which is evidently prior to the 2nd Advent of Christ. He says to John in his vision:

‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. (Rev 21: 9-11)

The marriage of Christ to His church, the bride, is a teaching that is common to all Christians. The angel says “I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb…and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem”. This symbolism was accomplished “in the Spirit” because it is meant to reveal the place where Christ rules as King in His authority, yet is united to His subjects in a matrimonial way as a loving husband is to his Bride. By showing us the symbolism of the bride, we in parallel see the New Jerusalem as the sanctified individuals making up the final church of Jesus Christ!

Paul made this clear in the epistle to the Ephesians: “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Saviour of the body.”  (Eph 5: 23) In the same chapter, Paul emphasized the idea of mystery and we learned from Daniel that God reveals mysteries regarding His own symbols. “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” (Eph 5: 32) Paul was specifically called by Jesus to articulate the meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The City Dimensions Analogy (Rev 21:12-21)

The perfection of the city is emphasized by the use of twelve tribes and twelve apostles, twelve gates, twelve angels; and further twelve times twelve indicated by the wall being “144 cubits thick” and the city being 12,000 stadia high; and the redeemed are indicated as being of a number of symbolic multiple of twelve being 144,000 yet of a group that no man can number. Symbols and reality intertwine in the book of Revelation as scripture unwinds scriptural truth.

It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man’s measurement, which the angel was using. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. (Rev 21: 12-21)

More Symbols of Purification from Sin

In Revelation we further examine the symbolism of purity in the symbolic foundation of the city decorated with “every kind of precious stone” (Rev 21:19) and the element of pure gold:

The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. (Rev 21: 19-21)

Gold is also used in the Old Testament by the prophet Zechariah to depict a refining process that God’s remaining faithful people are to go through. “In the whole land,” declares the LORD, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’  (Zech 13:8-9)

In Revelation Jesus uses the gold as allegory and states “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”  (Rev 3:19)

Another allegory that is common in the book of Revelation is the symbolism of white clothing, as a covering of righteousness to cover our Adamic nature of sin, revealing the idea of total reliance on Christ’s righteousness to cover our sin.

Further, we find contrasted, people who cannot enter into the city in Revelation 21: 27:  “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life”. Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, prior to the Lord’s 2nd Advent. “He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels”. (Rev 3:5) This is pre-2nd Advent language.

Sanctification is the Predominant Pre-2nd Advent Allegorical Message

We are told that to enjoy the presence of the Lord and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling we must overcome sin in our lives: “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Rev 21: 7) Paul articulates the same thinking, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (Rom 8:9) The first mention of the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation presents the need to overcome sin:

Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. (Rev 3: 12)

In the last chapter of Revelation, we find the same direct warning that is articulating a period prior to the Lord’s 2nd Advent. How do we know this? There is the close of probation warning of the pre-2nd Advent of Christ whereby we are warned not to close our minds off to this message:

Then he told me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy’. (Rev 22: 10-11)

Then we hear Jesus speaking directly to us:

Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Rev 22: 12-13)

Once again the blessing of those who overcome sin is pronounced by Jesus:

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Rev 22: 14-15)

Pay careful attention to this verse. Jesus is indicating the importance of sanctification by the Holy Spirit (see Rom 8:9), using the symbol of washing their robes, to depict those who enter the city, and have the rights to the benefits of the work of the indwelling Spirit; have a right to the tree of life, which is the source of all Life.  They are contrasted to the ones who are not entering into a relationship with Christ and remain outside, during the time others are entering the gates. In the next verses, Jesus says “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”  (Rev 22: 16) These church warnings are pre-2nd Advent because warnings make no sense after the divine verdicts are in.

Probation Closing: Pre-2nd Advent

There is an invitation to those who will hear these scriptures for this time period, being given to and by the true church of Jesus referred to as His Bride. This is the church in synch with His Spirit as they work in unison to proclaim the New Jerusalem truths together. Only certain people will hear that call: “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Rev 22:17)  The gift of the Holy Spirit who brings this teaching to the elect church — calls and opens honest minds — is being offered to those who will hear and continue to hear and teach this message  – “to him who hears” – to come into union with the Lord, as One.

We are admonished to listen up, and keep these words as very important to the church: “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” (Rev 22: 7) It is vitally important for church leaders to listen to this message and proclaim the need for sanctification via the Holy Spirit to the church now, prior to the final judgement. To not listen is to not lead according to scripture or obey this injunction to not seal up or stop its proclamation:

Then he told me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.’ (Rev 22: 10-11)

Jesus prayed that the church would enter into a sanctification process in order to become one with Him. ”They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them, I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified”. (John 17: 16-19) Further, we are admonished that time is short when the Spirit begins to make the New Jerusalem message of sanctification clear to the church: “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to every one according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev 22: 12-13)

Glen R. Jackman is editor of Grace Proclaimed and can be reached via glenjackman@adviceon.com

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The Miracles and what they achieved

The Miracles (as presented from the Gospel of John)

The miracles are amazing in themselves and offer mankind ongoing blessings. Scripture shows that:

They are proof Jesus is the Messiah  Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” John 7: 31

Divided reasoning by the miracles Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”  But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.  John 9:16 

They were used to testify  Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,  John 10:25

They were used as a defence Jesus said to them: “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”  John 10:32 

They are used to stop unbelief and prove Jesus is God’s Son Jesus said: “Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” John 10:38 

They made the Pharisees acknowledge Jesus was performing many signs Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs.  John 11:47 

Used to promote belief “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” John 11:48

They drew men to seek Jesus “Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him.” John 12:18

They prove that Jesus and God are One Jesus said: “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.” John 14:11

To display God’s Glory When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” John 11:4 

They pronounce Judgement Jesus said: “If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.” John 15: 24

By believing you may have eternal life Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe[a]that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.   John 20:30-31

There are many reasons for the miracles!  – From forgiveness, mercy and justice, right down to God’s final Judgement at the 2nd Advent of Christ.

Article by Catherine Jackman

 

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Power to Live for God

As long as we live we will face temptations. When we don’t allow the Lord to lead us by His Spirit we must acknowledge our mistake when we become aware that we have sinned. From time to time, we may sense the a warning from God’s Spirit. If not heeded, we may next sense guilt and perhaps the shame of slipping back into our old way of living. The apostle Paul noted: For when you were tricked into complacent sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. Romans 6: 20-21

Obedience to God may seem difficult, but let’s look at how God will help you overcome the devil by looking at a few scriptures:

  • Let Love Motivate If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  John 14:15-17 NLT
  • Keep Alert Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 ESV
  • It’s God’s Work You must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:12-13 NLT

Jesus is our example. When facing troubles, he would rise early and go to a quiet place and pray for strength. Follow his example — remove yourself from the temptation and immediately ask God for help. Don’t dialogue with Satan. He has strategies of attack to trick and lie and destroy the smartest people on earth. Don’t forget that you have the power of the Holy Spirit within you to prompt you to obey in times of temptation. Paul had advice for this experience of overcoming:

  • What God requires, he also empowers. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become entirely committed children of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6: 22-23

 

 

 

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The choice of Two Paths

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke to the people, He said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (NIV)

Two Paths of your eternal soul 

There are two paths—the path of darkness and the path of LIGHT.

You get to choose your path.

The path of darkness leads to eternal destruction.

The path of LIGHT leads to eternal life.

You are on the path of darkness; unless you choose the path of LIGHT.

To choose the path of LIGHT, you need to: 

A: Accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

B: Believe in Him and acknowledge that He was born of a virgin, died and rose again.

C: Confess your sins, and you will find forgiveness. 

Remember you are not ‘perfect until you get to heaven’ so that any future sins or mistakes can be confessed and removed as you ask forgiveness in Jesus name.1

D: Do God’s will and talk and learn about: Jesus, God the Son; God the Father; and God the Holy Spirit and share the choice of two paths. Allow the Holy Spirit to uncover where you need healing and deliverance from any brokenness in your past. This will allow God to prepare you for using the gifts and talents He gave you. Be obedient. Firstly, the great quest is to love God with all your strength, mind, and heart. Stay pure until marriage. Love your neighbour as yourself. 2 Continue to pray and ask the Holy Spirit’s power to live for Christ.

1 Georgette Engel 

2 Georgette Engel and Catherine Jackman

Author: Catherine Jackman