This commentary is chocked full of explaining more thoroughly many theological terms that have merely took the simplicity of Christ and made it complicated. All anyone need do is trust Jesus for overcoming Satan and He will take care of the rest! All people need to do is take themselves out of the crucifixion and look at it as it was; that Jesus did the “bloody deed” of cleansing Satan and sin from the world. We all contributed to sin and made a king of Satan, according to his conspiracy. Jesus removed all that sin and made a pauper of Satan in the Potter’s Field. We were not even there, and thus, has no part in saving ourselves or the world from sin. That is the simplicity of Christ! [i]
Theologians and Satan have complicated that simplicity so greatly
that we think of what we can do to be saved. Half the Christians are
even confused what “saved” even means. They even say false things such as “Jesus
and God.” They still fail to understand that when they look at Jesus,
they see the very Face of God that Moses desired on Mount Sinai. What does it
take? What the Greek said to Philip, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” [ii]
Not to see Jesus for a few minutes but to look always for Jesus in
all things!
A favorite expression for me is that words mean things. What is more is that the Word of God means significant things. Hence words which are inspired by God should not be used casually. Christians often do, and the meaning of scripture is lost because of conversational laziness.
Many take the King James Bible (KJV), or some other English
language version, as the absolute truth. Although they are par excellent, they
are not the exact words of God. Neither is the KJV a word for word
translation. It is where it can be, but oftentimes, much is added for clarity. Greek
is the textus receptus, or the “received text” in the New Testament, and
Hebrew and Aramaic for the Old Testament. So, for the exact meaning, text in
those languages must be studied.
Today, there are two words that are imperative, and they are
“saved” and “salvation.” In the Hebrew “saved” is transliterated chayah,
meaning to let live or revive (Strong’s Dictionary). In the Greek, “saved” is sozo…
not “shall be saved” as translated in English, but “to protect.” To protect
from dying. It is not saved as if already accomplished but safe. Safe
for how long remains ambiguous. Indeed, Christians who are “born again” are safe.
Before rebirth is examined, consider the word “salvation.”
The English word “salvation” is transliterated from the
Greek word soteria which means safety. From what? “Deliverance to
the enemies” (ibid). Salvation is safety from deliverance to the Wicked
One. How is that “safety” obtained? “The
word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one” (1 John
2:14).
Using the same critique, the word “abideth” must be subjected
to scrutiny. “Abideth” is meno in the Greek. In reference to time, and
or state or condition, one must remain in that state or condition
(ibid). Relative to “safety,” to be saved, a person who is “born again” must remain
safe from the Wicked One.
How to remain safe? Cleave to God’s Word. Those who
are born again stick close to God, or in biblical terms, walk the Way of Christ
because His Way is the Way. Jesus provided the way with redemption. He propitiated
His blood so that mankind need not, to wit:
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 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 3:24-25)
Jesus was nailed to the Holy Cross, died, and spilled His blood
and water to “justify” for free the sins of mankind, once and for all. [i]
Judas hung himself and spilled his own blood and water. That
would not do! Neither would the tree of any other person be the perfect
sacrifice. No one can do anything further; neither kill Satan nor suffer
death or can it be any works of their own hands. So, Jesus did the justifying and nothing else,
but one thing, can save in the end. “In the end” because Christians must
abide safely so that the Wicked One cannot overcome them. The story of Job
and his temptations by Satan are antitypical of safety.
Enduring faith kept Job safe until Satan ceased to test him.
Satan could have been more patient, but God saw that Job had shown the Devil
just whose child he was! Because Job had faith so long, and abided in faith, he
cleaved to God, and both Job and God were more steadfast than the Devil. Thus, God kept Job safe, but Job did the abiding
until the Wicked One was overcome. It became known much later that Job or
anyone else is not left alone to fend off the barbs of Satan, but there is a
Comforter who aids in the abiding. [ii] The
Holy Spirit of God was there with God setting the limits for the tribulations
from Satan.
Satan could destroy the body, but Job feared God more, and respected His authority more: “Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mat 10:28).
Conversely,
Job trusted God more than the Wicked One. He, abiding in the Holy Spirit,
overcame the Devil because he abided in God. God did not pass the test, but Job
did. God gave Job the faith, he trusted in it, and then kept the faith that was
given to him. His was a test of faith, and inevitably it was to find out who was
the master of Job. It was a decision process; God offered the best alternative,
and Job decided. That is faith! Then Job abided in faith. He could have defaulted
at any time, but he clung to the faith.
God gave Job the faith, but Job had two choices: he could
abandon the faith or keep it to use. He kept it! That is why that book is canon
— because Job kept the faith that weaker ones might be tempted to abandon. He
abided in the Word.
As pertains to mankind from the Words of Jesus, there is
only one “must be” in the gospel. It is mentioned in five places as: (1)
scripture must be fulfilled, [iii]
(2) the Passover must be killed, [iv]
(3) the Law must be fulfilled, [v] (4)
the Son of Man must be lifted up, [vi]
and (5) you must be born again. [vii]
Paul and others added “must be’s” but those all are the gospel.
Take each one: (1) To fulfill scripture was when Jesus gave
up the Holy Ghost to Comfort Adam’s kind. [viii]
Jesus did that on the “pole” on which He was crucified.
(2) Jesus is the Passover Lamb of God that must be killed to
satisfy the Law. That was when the Law was fulfilled. Jesus did not do away
with the Law but fulfilled it as He said He would! [ix] Jesus
paid the price for all who break the Law. That is redemption and the results
justification.
(3) His death fulfilled the Law. He spilt His own blood and water
in the place of the guilty ones, children of the Devil. It was Satan who should
have died because of sin, but Jesus killed Satan vicariously. That is what
Christians should see — Satan as dead on his nearby pole with his blood and
water shed.
(4) Jesus was lifted-up onto the Cross after being nailed
to it to abide there until he died. He “abideth” to show that Christians can abideth
as well. It was for a short time to demonstrate that life is only for a
short time compared to eternity. It was to show that Jesus must be lifted-up.
Judas lifted himself up. Works of his own hands would never suffice. Neither
will the works of anyone’s hands.
(5) You must be born again. Note that, that is what you
must do. Jesus did all the rest. Just what is it that you must do to
be born again? You need to do no work at all, but only look at the pole. What must
we do? The same thing as Adam.
Well, just what did Adam do? He stood between two trees and
chose Satan’s Tree. Adam chose the wrong tree and was degenerated. It took only
a mere second, but Adam began to die. The Word (Jesus) bailed him out by grace
and provided for him and his wife, coats of the flesh of a lamb that He killed.
Those coats did not save the two but kept them safe until they
were redeemed on the Cross by Jesus. [1]
That is what Adam did wrong and how sin entered into the
world: “Our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom 5:11-12).
Adam’s kind must reverse the curse. By one Man sin
must leave the world. That was what Jesus finished. Adam’s kind need not ever
sin again, but they still cling to the wrong pole! Those two trees that Adam
chose from? They are represented by the “Judas Tree” and the “Jesus Tree.” Adam’s
kind must choose which tree to behold then hold onto it for dear life!
Shall it be the tree of works by ones own hands from the
fruit of the Judas Tree, or shall it be the Tree of Life with Jesus lifted up
with the gift of grace? All must choose! Choose wisely.
Jesus told of how to be born again. [x] He
recalled the story of Moses and the Hebrews in the wilderness. Those who were
bitten by the poisonous vipers would still live if only they looked upon the
brazen, lifeless serpent on a pole. They were not looking at Jesus as dead, but
Judas’s dead body. He was the “beast” that Satan would enter. [xi]
Knowing that Jesus would finish off Satan, they looked at
the dead serpent on the pole and saw Judas as dead, and it is implied, that God
still lived. That is what was finished. Jesus defeated the Serpent the
day that He suffered death. Satan is still going to and fro but as if already
dead!
The Hebrews remained safe for a time but by the time
they got to the Promised Land, they could not enter in. They had not abided in
God but turned to Him for “cheap grace” — only enough faith for that one time.
They turned on God because they feared the giants (Nepthilim) who still guarded
the Way to the Tree of Life. They could not enter in because the only Way to do
that was to keep the faith that God had shown them on the Serpentine pole. They
feared the giants who might kill their bodies more than God who could kill
their bodies and souls!
With that said, the Hebrews were kept safe but only those
who abided in God made it into Paradise. They were almost saved but
had not followed the Way that they should walk all the way until they got
there. Paul wrote, “Love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the
time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation
nearer than when we believed” (Rom 13:10-11).
The Hebrews believed when they saw the Serpent as if dead. That
is hope. They had hope that they would make it safely to Paradise! Most
did not. Only those who had been born in the wilderness. The Hebrew race was
born again, and some would make it in and others not!
However, safety was in hand. They became believers
but did not abide in the faith that God had given them (with the dead serpent
on a tree). That vision began the regeneration process. However, regeneration
would not be complete until they were in the Promised Land. There they would be
saved from the giants as we saw with David. Their salvation was nearer than
when they first believed. They had not been saved with Jesus lifted-up but believed
in the sense that for a time they trusted Jesus. Faith is abiding in Jesus.
Anyone can believe, as even the demons do, but demons have no faith. Faith is
abiding in what God has given.
No one can loose faith but they can hand God back the gift of faith. Faith is precious to those who value it, and it cannot be lost. The choice is always the same: keep the faith and use it, or if it is not to be used, give it back. “Sin” is ultimately “to be” what is not meant to be.
This is getting lengthy. It is so crucial that it will be
continued tomorrow.
(picture credit: freeimages; "Death of Judas")
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