Our marriage with Jesus.

 BY Argie Simonis 

The whole heart of the message is that

- we are not saved by Grace but...

- Nor are we saved by Grace plus...

We are saved by Grace 100% through faith. God's part is His grace that He has given us, and our part is to believe. Of course the way we live is important, because sin has consequences, but when it comes to our salvation, when we believe and accept Jesus, our salvation depends COMLPETELY on the Grace of God.

That's how we stand justified before God. We are not justified because we are righteous or good, but we are righteous and do the right things because God has ALREADY justified us for FREE!

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All of us that who have accepted Jesus, we have come into marriage with Him:

"For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." (Isaiah 62:5)

"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." (Rev. 21:9)

This is where a problem arises. Many Christians live within law, rules and rituals. The Lord did not create us to live like this, but in relationship with Him:

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (Rev. 4:11)

If you are wondering what this will is:

"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." (John 3:16)

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)

~~ That is exactly why we aremarried to Jesus when we accept Him into our lives. Before we were married to Jesus, do you know who we were married to? According to the Scriptures, we were married to the Law! We were not just under the Law, but we were literally married to the Law! ~~

I will show you this Biblically.

I believe that the main reason there is ignorance on the matter of Grace and Law, is because neither this message has  been preached in the churches, or if it has been preached, it has not been preached properly.

See how clear Paul is:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Rom. 6:14)

This statement may seem plain and simple, and yet Paul devoted most of the 13 letters he wrote to explaining this verse that I read to you. That we are not under Law but under Grace.

This statement actually is found in all his letters and if you notice, this is what Jesus Himself explains in many of His parables: There is a new authority, a new administration in the Church. It is NO longer the Law but I, says the Lord.

~~ It is very important to understand that the Law is not evil because God Himself gave it. But the truth is that we are neither saved by the Law, nor are we saved by fulfilling the Law. This is only possible through the Grace of God. ~~

Don't forget that the Law is not just the 10 commandments. The Law that God gave to Moses consisted of a total of 613 decrees. If indeed you break one decree of the Law, it is as if you have broken the whole Law:

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)

"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 2:11)

All these decrees are found in the book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

Let's take for example one of the 10 commandments: Do not steal.

Of course it is good not to steal. It is good for us and our whole family. In the same way, it is good not to kill, and not to lie, not to commit adultery, etc. That is why the Law is good. Because it tells you to do good things that will benefit YOU.

But what we ALL need to realize is that we are NOT married to a list of do's and dont's.

As Christians we are married to a person, to Jesus, and it is certainly much better to be married to Him than to be married to a list.

Look at what Paul says to the Jews who lived in Rome:

"Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?" (Rom. 7:1)

"For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband." (Rom. 7:2)

"So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." (Rom. 7:3)

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." (Rom. 7:4)

In other words, we have released ourselves from our marriage to the Law so that we can marry Jesus. Both men and women are the bride of Christ!

Let's look a little deeper into this now. What kind of spouse do you think the Law is?

- Do you think the Law is kind?

- Is it tender,

- loving,

- compassionate,

- merciful?

What the Law does is one very specific thing: It shows you your mistakes.

"But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed." (Gal. 3:23)

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Gal. 3:24)

"But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." (Gal. 3:25)

"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:26)

"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." (Gal. 3:10)

"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith." (Gal.3:11)

"And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." (Gal. 3:12)

"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:" (Gal. 3:13)

The government of Heaven is not a Republic. It is a Kingdom, and the King is

- The one who sets the rules,

- He is Holy,

- Good,

- Just and

- He loved us to death.

Who wouldn't want to have such a King?

The Law that the King gave us shows us how high God's standards are for our lives and the relationship we should have with others.

-- The first 4 of the 10 commandments show us the relationship we should have with God and the other six the relationship we should have with other people.

-- The Law shows us the moral values ​​we must have to enjoy a society of harmony and peace, how to enjoy a good and quality life.

~~ This is all the Law can do:

-- It shows us how high God's standards are for perfection,

-- our inability to meet those standards with our own abilities, and

-- frustrates us so much that in the end we come to Jesus, because only He can save us, because only He was able to fulfill ALL the Law. ~~

In other words, the Law is an ERROR-FINDER, a judgmental and authoritarian judge! And as if that wasn't enough, the biggest evil with the Law you know what it is? He is always right! The Law will come and tell you:

In other words, the Law is an FAULT-FINDER, a judgmental and authoritarian husband! And not only that, but do you know what the biggest problem with the Law is? It is always right! The Law will come and tell you:

- You did this mistake and that mistake... It will tell you you did this right, but you also did this and that and the other wrong.

The Law reminds me

--how wrong I am,

-- how weak I am and

-- how many times I have messed up.

But our new husband, Jesus, is NOT like that. He has FORGIVEN our sins. He REMOVED them as far as the east is from the west.

The bad thing about the Law is that you are married to it until death do you part. And it gets even worse: The Law will never die. Jesus said:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matt. 5:17)

"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." (Matt. 5:18)

So, the Law is never going to die. So how do you break free from this marriage to the Law, since the Law never dies? It's simple: YOU die! We read it a while ago:

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." (Rom. 7:4)

Paul here is of course not talking about suicide, but about dying to ourselves and our desires and thus we are no longer married to the Law, but to Christ.

"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Rom. 7:6)

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-- 1. THE LAW CANNOT JUSTIFY US.

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Rom. 3:28)

Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians, because at that time some teachers came and told them that yes, they believe in the gospel that Paul preaches, that yes, we are saved by grace through faith, but they said that in order to mature in faith and to be sanctified or to maintain our salvation we must keep the Law.

Inother words, they taught that you are saved by Grace, but you keep your salvation by keeping the Law. Does this remind you of the teachings prevalent in many churches today?

"You are saved by Grace, but..."

In fact, a basic requirement they had was that they asked people to be circumcised. That is why Paul uses very strict language to the Galatians:

"O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?" (Gal. 3:1)

"This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Gal. 3:2)

"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:3)

"Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain." (Gal. 3:4)

"He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Gal. 3:5)

~~ Any teaching proclaiming that we are saved by Grace + works, is herecy! ~~

Besides Christianity, EVERY other religion in the world teaches salvation, or perfection, or enlightenment, or whatever they call it, through works. This is precisely what differentiates us Christians from every other religion in the world. 

~~ Christianity is NOT a religion. It is a relationship between man and God. Christ did not come to establish another religion, but to restore the damaged relationship with God that we had because of sin. ~~

We saw how we have been married to the Law. In other words, the Law was our first spouse and Christ the second. Watch now  at what many Christians are doing. They try to satisfy their second spouse, Jesus, while still maintaining a relationship with the former spouse, the Law. Try to do this in the natural How is it working?

So we should both teach Grace properly, AND live it personally.

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-- 2. THE LAW CANNOT EMPOWER US.

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." (Rom. 7:4)

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman." (John 15:1)

Here Jesus is talking about a fruit producing vine. There are useless weeds and there is the good, productive vine.

A little further down He even tells them:

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5)

So as long as we remain married to Christ, we are fruitful.

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20)

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Gal. 2:21)

If we could be justified by our works or could keep our salvation by keeping the Law, then why did Jesus die? If it so, then Christ died in vain. This is what Paul is telling us here.

I'll say it again, so I don't get you wrong: it's good not to steal, not to lie, and not to commit adultery, because all of these things will have consequences to your life, your marriage, your family, and your relationships, but that's NOT how you're saved, or you keep your salvation.

-- Have you started with the Spirit? That's how you should end. With the Spirit.

"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Rom. 7:6)

"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." (2Cor. 3:6)

~~ Jesus does not want us to be in a relationship with Him like soldiers, but be married to Him, who is a perfect, good and compassionate husband. ~~

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--3. GRACE BOTH JUSTIFIES US AND STRENGTHENS US

Many believe that a problem that arises when you start preaching the Grace that Paul preached, then people will begin to sin. In other words, they believe that if someone tells you that you are forgiven by Grace and that even your future sins are forgiven, you will sin more.

You know, if our future sins were not paid for, that means that Jesus would have to be crucified again. Some say that if you don't confess them, you won't be forgiven. Confession is a good thing to do. It is actually a commandment:

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)

It is good to confess our faults to one another to cleanse our consciences from dead works (read Heb. 9:14).

Also, we don't need EVERY TIME we sin to confess or put that sin "under the blood" in order to keep our salvation.

If that were the case, I will ask you this:

-- what if you forget one? Are you going to lose your salvation and go to hell for a sin you forgot to confess?

-- If you have an accident and die before you can pray and ask for forgiveness, do you lose your salvation and go to hell?

Of course not! Watch what John writes in his first letter:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1John 1:9)

~~ Many misunderstand these 2 verses. The confession we read in Hebrews is a confession to cleanse our conscience from dead works, while the confession John speaks of here refers exclusively to salvation. Notice that this confession does not cleanse us from just one, but from ALL unrighteousness! It is these truths that set you free. They will change the way you see God, the way you see others and even yourself. ~~

So for those who believe that when you preach Grace people will sin, I will tell you this: It happens the exact opposite! If you preach the Law, THEN people will sin. I will show you this Biblically:

What gives power to sin?

"The sting of death is sin; and the STRENGTH of sin is the Law." (1Cor. 15:56)

In other words, if I begin to preach you the Law, what I am actually doing is giving power to sin. The more I tell you "You shouldn't do this", the more you want to do it.

For an instance, if you tell to your kid:

"This is something you shouldn't do."

Even if your child hasn't even thought about doing this, once you make it a law for him, you can be sure that he will think about it all the time and want to do it. This is how human sinful nature works.

It believes that where there is a law, God withholds or hides from you some things that He does not want you to try. This is basically what satan is telling you and this is how he uses the Law against you.

Paul explains this very well in his letter to the Romans:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Rom. 6:14)

"What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." (Rom. 6:15)

In other words, what Paul is saying here is that if you are under the Law, sin will have dominion over you. And he goes on to say that the reason we shouldn't sin is that sin has consequences, and that's something we don't want in our lives:

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Rom. 6:16)

When the Pharisees tried to entrap Jesus and asked Him what the greatest commandment is, He answered them:

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matt. 22:37)

"This is the first and great commandment." (Matt. 22:38)

"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matt. 22:39)

"On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matt. 22:40)

~~ The greatest power on earth is Love and not the Law! ~~

And since the true definition of love has been greatly abused today, if you want to see what love really means, read 1 Corinthians chapter 13:

"Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; lovevaunteth not itself, is not puffed up," (1Cor. 13:4)

"Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;" (1Cor. 13:5)

"Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;" (1Cor. 13:6)

"Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." (1Cor. 13:7)

Amen!

The gift of righteousness.

 BY Argie Simonis 

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Eph. 2:8)

One of the greatest revelations that will change our lives is to understand that we are saved by GRACE.

~~ God's word makes it clear to us that we do need to put faith on our part to receive the gift of God's grace, but this Grace alone is enough to save us and does not need supplements or additions. ~~

Let me clarify here that I am not referring to the law of sowing and reaping, nor to the effects that sin has on our lives. What I want to focus on is how someone can get to Heaven.

I am sure that those of you who accepted Jesus as Messiah and Savior into your life, the moment you did so you knew deep in your heart that you received something you did NOT deserve.

But 5 years later, maybe 10, maybe 20, I don't know, you just reached another level and

- you gained greater knowledge of the Scriptures,

- quit from bad habits,

- started talking better,

- behaving better and

- sinning less than you sinned before.

In other words, now that you have become a little, maybe a lot better, you have begun to believe that the Grace of God may finally need supplements, for example the addition of good works to be complete.

This is the error I will debunk, and if there are any remains of the mentality of works and legalism in you, be sure that they will manifest and you will react to what you read. But I promise you that if these truths are revealed to you, you will enjoy a life of joy, peace, gratitude, and thanksgiving like you have never experienced before!

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How many times as children did we misbehave and try to cover it up with an "innocent" lie? When our parents found out, did that mean they had to kick us out of the house or reject us as their children? Of course not.

Do you think God has a relationship with us because we do the right things? Or is it precisely because we ALREADY have a relationship with God that we can and do the right things?

"For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God." (Rom. 4:2)

"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." (Rom. 4:3)

-- 1. JUSTICE

Many believe that the righteousness referred to here is doing good deeds. Watch what the Biblical term for righteousness is:

~~ Righteousness is the state of a person being as he ought to be, in order to be acceptable to God.~~

Righteousness is what you want to be but are not, and what God made you to be. In other words, you were not justified by your own ability, but it was God's work. That means that the Lord justified us EXCLUSIVELY with His Grace. That is why in the verse we read it says that if Abraham could be justified by works he would have gloried.

~~ The marks from the nails on Christ's body testify that we neither deserve Heaven, nor do we earn it with our good works! That is why there is no room for boasting or pride.~~

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" (Rom. 5:17)

I'm sure we would ALL like to "reign in life". Do you know how we can achieve this? We just read it:

We receive the Grace and GIFT of righteousness which is trully given in abundance! In other words, those who reign in life are not the good performers, but the good receivers. Awesome!

Those who reign in life are not those who do the right things, but those who know how to receive Grace.

And those who receive the Grace of God, also receive the GIFT of righteousness.

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When we say that someone is righteous, it means that they primarily do the right things and make the right decisions.

The question is:

Is this person justified because he is righteous, or is he righteous (= doing the right things) because he has already been justified?

~~ The answer to this question will overturn every wrong theology you have been taught over the years. ~~

You are not justified because you do righteous works, but because God justifies you FREELY. There are Christians who believe in the Grace of God, but in their 99% of their faith comes the 1% that says

"Yes, the Grace of God, but..."

"Yes, I believe I am saved by Grace, but..."

Do you know what's going on here? The 1% of works and legalism mentality is 99% pride because your salvation continues to depend on you. If your salvation depended on you, you would have lost it long ago!

And this applies to all of us!

~~ Salvation can NOT be lost, because it is based on us, but it is the gift of God's Grace ~~.

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Heb. 13:5)

This gets better, because even when we fail in our faith, He is faithful:

"If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." (2Tim. 2:13)

"For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?" (Rom. 3:3)

~~ The Old Testament was made between God and Moses. Moses  was then the mediator between God and man. It is very important to understand that God did not make the New Covenant with us, but with Himself.

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1Tim. 2:5)

"Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." (1Tim. 2:6)

That is exactly why this New Testament cannot be canceled. ~~

Once you understand that Jesus is way much better at forgiving than you are, and that forgiveness is a GIFT, your life will change!

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-- 2. DID ABRAHAM EARN GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS?

Here's what we ALL earn:

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:23)

What we have ALL earned is death, because we have ALL sinned. This, of course, is not talking about natural death.

"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Rom. 11:6)

In other words, what Paul is saying here is that if salvation is a wage, then it is not a gift. And if it is a gift, then it cannot be a wage, meaning it cannot be earned.

It's either one or the other. You can't have both at the same time. 

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)

~~ This is the definition of Grace. Salvation is not a goal we strive to achieve, but a GIFT to receive, given to us freely. ~~

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3. WHAT SHOULD ABRAHAM DO?

He had to believe in order for righteousness to be imputed to him.

"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" (John 6:28)

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:29)

"And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:" (John 16:8)

"Of sin, because they believe not on me;" (John 16:9)

This is the only sin that will send someone to hell. That is to reject the Savior who offers salvation!

I read Ephesians 2:8-10 again:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Eph. 2:8)

"Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:9)

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:10)

~~ God wants us to do good works and He created us to do good works. In other words, we are NOT saved BY our good works, but TO do good works. Our good works are not the payment for our salvation, but the FRUIT of our salvation.

We don't do good works to be saved, but we WANT to do good works because WE ARE SAVED. ~~

We are justified before God not because we did anything right, but because Christ did what was right, and we believed in Him.

Do you know why our behavior and our ways change when we come to Jesus ? Because a transformation takes place inside us and we no longer want to do things we should not do but we used to do in the past:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2Cor. 5:17)

When God justifies us, we remain justified even when we fail, because our righteousness is not based on our performance, but on what Jesus has done for us.

Amen!

Jesus:The Divine Human

 BY Argie Simonis 

The book of the prophet Isaiah has the most Messianic prophecies than any other book in the Bible.

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

From this we know the divinity of Jesus, because the virgin conceived.

If you are wondering what Emmanuel means, Matthew explains it to us:

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (Μatt. 1:23)

1. The DEVINE human.

I will focus on the GOD part first.

It is very important to understand that Jesus is GOD. Not just a good man, a wise teacher or a great prophet. Jesus is GOD. In fact, this is the reason why the Pharisees wanted to kill Him. Because He was declaring His divinity:

"The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because He mad Himself the Son of God." (John 19:7)

"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God." (John 5:18)

"Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?" (John 10:32)

"The Jews answered Him, saying, For a good work we stone Thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God." (John 10:33)

When Jesus said that He was the Son of God, the Jews understood very well what He was saying. Unfortunately some people do not understand this today. One basic reason there is so much opposition in the world to the virgin birth of Jesus, is because this fact alone proves the Divine nature of our Christ.

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"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" (Μatt. 16:13)

"And they said, Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets." (Μatt. 16:14)

Do you know that this discussion with the same question continues to this day?

"For whom do men say that the Son of man is?"

Watch His next words:

"He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?" (Μatt. 16:15)

"And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Μatt. 16:16)

"And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Μatt. 16:17)

~~ Jesus Christ asks every person who has walked the face of the earth:

"Who do YOU say I am?"

It is important to recognize that Jesus Christ IS the Son of God, and know also this: The answer you give will determine where you spend the rest of eternity. ~~

There is a great war against the Divinity of Christ, that He was literally "God with us."

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost." (Μatt. 1:18)

"... for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." (Μatt. 1:20)

Jesus Christ was not conceived by a man, but by the Holy Spirit. He was born of a woman, therefore He was MAN, but conceived by the Holy Spirit, and therefore He was GOD. The egg was from the woman, but the sperm came from God himself!

Look at this verse:

"Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the FATHERS upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." (Ex. 34:7)

The Father of Jesus is the Holy God.

~~ That is why Jesus Christ was born SINLESS. ~~

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Emmanuel means "God with us". But even though Jesus was 100% God, He surrendered His Divinity, and while He was here on earth, He walked 100% as a man.

"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" (Phil. 2:7)

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:8)

If you wonder how He did all those miracles, the Scriptures tell us that He did it by the power of the Holy Spirit and His personal relationship with the Father.

- This is how He walked on water.

- This is how He healed the sick.

- This is how He opened the blinds' eyes.

- This is how He raised the dead.

Do you know what this does? It gives me hope!

Now see how He performed His miracles:

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." (Acts 10:38)

~~ If Christ Himself needed the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit to accomplish His mission in this fallen world, how much more do we! ~~

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Consider this too:

As a carpenter that Jesus was, before He began His ministry,

- has He ever made crutches for a crippled child that he could later heal?

- built a coffin for someone who could later rise from the dead?

Yet Jesus waited patiently for the fullness of time to come:

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law," (Gal. 4:4)

"To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." (Gal. 4:5)

"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." (Gal. 4:6)

Watch how Jesus raised Lazarus:

"Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me." (John 11:41)

"And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me." (John 11:42)

Watch here a great truth:

~~ God did NOT just send someone to redeem us. He came HIMSELF to do this. God did NOT just send a message with a messenger, but He HIMSELF came to deliver the message to us. So Jesus Christ HAD to come as a man for two reasons:

1. To live the life we could NOT live,

and

2. To die a death that we should have died. ~~

And rest assured that Jesus didn't just wave a magic wand and take away our sins:

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:23)

Do you see that? He literally PAID for us the WAGE for our sins.

He didn't "magically" erase them, but paid for them Himself with His blood. God Himself paid for our sins with His blood:

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which HE HATH PURCHASED WITH HIS OWN BLOOD." (Acts 20:28)

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2. The Devine HUMAN

Here I will focus on the MAN Jesus.

Just as there is this war against the virgin birth of Christ, with the same spirit many fight that Christ was 100% man and say that he walked the earth for 33 years only as God.

-- And that's why, for example, they say that He can't feel what I'm going through.

Watch this:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war." (Rev. 19:11)

"His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself." (Rev. 19:12)

"And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God." (Rev. 19:13)

As important as it is to believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, it is just as important to believe that Jesus came in the flesh, as a man. And I'll show you why this is so important.

I pointed out earlier that your answer to Jesus' question

"Who do you think I am?"

will determine where you spend eternity.

Now see how important it is to believe that Jesus came in the flesh, that is, he became a man:

"Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:" (1John 4:2)

"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." (1John 4:3)

John, who writes his letter around 90 AD, tells us that the spirit of the antichrist is already in the world and the way you distinguish it is when they do NOT confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, that God became a man.

"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." (2John 1:7)

So why is it so important to confess that God, Jesus Christ became a man? Because if He didn't become human He couldn't die. And if He didn't die, then He didn't pay for our sins. And if He didn't die, then He didn't rise from the dead either.

This is basically the argument of these opposers. If Jesus was God AND man at the same time and rose from the dead, how can this be, since God cannot die? And yet, it did happen. And I have just explained it. Jesus Christ was 100% man and 100% God. The Devine Human!

Remember what we read from the book of Acts:

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." (Acts 20:28)

We must understand that Jesus:

- Suffered as a man.

- Bled like a man, and

- Died like a man.

He was beaten so badly and crucified that His human body literally DIED.

"As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:" (Isaiah 52:14)

Ο Ιησούς Χριστός πέθανε για τις αμαρτίες σου και για τις αμαρτίες μου. Αλλά έπρεπε να γίνει άνθρωπος για να πεθάνει. Εμείς οι αναγεννημένοι πιστοί είμαστε 100% άνθρωποι επειδή η σάρκα μας (το φυσικό μας σώμα δηλαδή και η ψυχή μας) υπόκειται σε φθορά, αλλά έχουμε εν μέρει θεϊκή φύση, επειδή το Πνεύμα του Θεού κατοικεί μέσα μας και είναι ΕΝΑ με το δικό μας πνεύμα. .

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2Cor. 5:17)

"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (Rom. 8:9)

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1Cor. 3:16)

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But Jesus was 100% God and 100% man.

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1Tim. 2:5)

"Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." (1Tim. 2:6)

This is exactly what gives me hope and strength because Jesus knows what I'm going through.

He knows the pain I feel when, for example, I lose a loved one.

Jesus lost His father Joseph. Joseph was considerably older than Mary when he married her and died sometime before Jesus began His ministry. That is why Jesus asked John to take care of His mother:

"When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!" (John 19:26)

"Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." (John 19:27)

Mary would not have gone to live with John if her husband Joseph had lived. So Jesus experienced the loss of His earthly father, Joseph. 

- Jesus knows what it means to lose a father or your spouse.

Can you see this picture?

Jesus walking away with your His mother in His arms from His father's grave where they went to visit him. And this as I said happened sometime before Jesus began His ministry.

- Jesus knows what it means to lose a friend. His beloved friend, Lazarus,died.

Whatever sadness and pain you are going through right now, the Lord knows and feels for you.

Whenever temptation comes, the Lord knows it, because He too was tempted by the devil:

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Heb. 4:15)

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---- SUMMARY ----

1. WHY DID GOD BECOME MAN?

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;" (Heb. 2:14)

"And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Heb. 2:15)

~~ The only way for Christ to abolish the power of death from us was to become man Himself. As a man He defeated and conquered death and sin. That's what He did! ~~

This is what we celebrate at Easter. God didn't just send someone to redeem us and take away our sins, but He himself came down and redeemed us.

I began with Isaiah and I end with Isaiah. See how beautifully the prophet Isaiah presents Jesus:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

Note the words:

"For a MAN was born unto us,

A SON was given unto us:

"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." (John 3:16)

There was a chasm between man and God that we could not cross. Man could not go to God, so God came to man.

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---- CONCLUSION ----

God became man, to live the life you could not live (he was the only sinless person to walk the earth)

and

to die where you should ordinarily die, so that you may again have a relationship with the Father forever and ever.

That's why we celebrate Easter!

So Jesus is asking you right now:

"Who do you think I am?"

If your answer is like Peter's:

"And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matt. 16:16)

then you have just done what Paul tells us:

"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Rom. 10:10)

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom. 10:13)

Amen!

Why did Jesus had to suffer?

BY Argie Simonis 

We usually say that Jesus died on the cross. It is true, but the Scriptures state that Jesus was KILLED on the cross. He Himself even said it several times to His disciples:

"From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day." (Μatt. 16:21)

So why did Jesus not just have to die, but to be KILLED and martyred? Why did He have to suffer?

---- I will explain to you what ATONEMENT means.

 

The word atonement carries the basic idea of propitiation or satisfaction, especially to God. Atonement is an act that includes two parts, appeasing the anger of the offended person and reconciling with him.

"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1John 2:2)

In the New Testament, the act of atonement always refers to God's work toward man and not to the sacrifices or gifts that man offers to God.

The reason for this is that man is totally incapable of satisfying God's justice. That is, there is no service, sacrifice, or gift that man can offer to appease God's holy wrath or to satisfy His perfect justice.

~~ For this reason Jesus Christ came into the world in human flesh to become the perfect sacrifice for sin:

"Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." (Heb. 2:17)

The word atonement is used in many verses to explain what Christ accomplished through His death on the cross.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Rom. 3:23)

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" (Rom. 3:24)

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" (Rom. 3:25)

~~ These verses are the key to Paul's argument in the letter to the Romans, and are really at the heart of the whole  message of the Gospel (Gospel=the good news). ~~

What we all deserved was hell. The only way a sinner (DESERVING HELL) can be reconciled to a holy God is ONLY through Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection on the third day.

The wonderful truth of the Gospel is that Christians are saved from the wrath of God and are reconciled to God, not because 

"... we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1John 4:10)

~~ It is very important to understand this. Christ did 2 things:

1. He redeemed us, that is, through His sacrifice, ALL the wrath of God was satisfied upon Him for the sin of ALL mankind

AND

2. PERFECT justice was served! ~~

"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1John 2:2)

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---- HOW DID THIS HAPPEN;

Let us see practically how wrath can be satisfied and how justice can be served. Let's consider some scenarios:

Suppose someone in your family is murdered. At the trial in court, the perpetrator is convicted of the murder, but someone else (an innocent person) comes forward and receives the punishment intended for the real perpetrator.

I ask you now: Could such a thing satisfy your anger for the murderer? Of course not!

Was justice done? Of course not!

Consider the other possibility. Yes, the perpetrator was found guilty but pardoned. How about that? Would that satisfy your rage? NO!

Would we get justice? NO!

And yet, what we typically see is that Jesus took upon Himself the punishment meant for me and I was given grace. And of course that's true, but it's NOT JUST THAT.

It is very important to understand exactly what the word atonement means.

Back to the trial again. What if the person accused of murdering your relative showed up in court with witnesses and solid evidence that they were NOT guilty?

And they bring another person to court, where it is finally proven beyond all doubt (witnesses, video tapes, DNA), that he was the real perpetrator. He is condemned and punished.

Does this satisfy your anger? Of course!

Was justice served? Of course yes!

Why did I use this example? There are many who do not realize that God in His perfect wisdom and knowledge took our sin and literally put it on His Son. How else would God kill His own Son? Could God kill an innocent?

Our minds cannot conceive it, but Jesus literally became GUILTY. We haven't just received grace for our death sentence, and Jesus, an innocent, has not just taken upon Himself our punishment; He became sin Himself! Note the words Paul uses:

"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2Cor. 5:21)

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Those who reject Christ as their Savior and refuse to believe in Him have NO hope of salvation and will face the wrath of God that they have stored up for the coming Judgment Day. There is no more atonement or sacrifice that can be made for their sins.

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Εβρ. 10:10)

"And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:" (Heb. 10:11)

"But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;" (Εβρ. 10:12)

"From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." (Heb. 10:13)

"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Heb. 10:14)

"Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before," (Heb. 10:15)

"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;" (Heb. 10:16)

"And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Heb. 10:17)

"Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." (Heb. 10:18)

---------------------

Jesus said:

"... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

The only way of attonement (=doing something to someone I have upset to calm them down), of God's wrath against sinful man and of our reconciliation with God is through Jesus Christ.

~~~ THERE IS NO OTHER WAY ~~~~

"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1John 2:2)

This means that even the sins of unbelievers were paid for in full in the atonement of Christ:

"For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe." (1Tim. 4:10)

That's awesome! This means that it is not individual sins that will send someone to hell. All their sins have been paid for. It is the sin of rejecting Jesus that people will have to answer for on Judgment Day.

Amen!