Love and Faith

When it's all said and done I believe what we all want is to live in the deep, permeating peace that only God can give. I know that's what I love, and where I relish being. This world has all kinds of offers for finding peace, but not one single one of them really gets the job done. The only true peace that exists for the human heart and soul is the peace that the apostle wrote about in ultra-simplistic terms: "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). Like I said, ultra-simplistic. Truly there can no true, pure peace be found apart from the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. We're talking about the only begotten Son of the living God, who came from heaven to be conceived and born as a child; just so he could grow up to demonstrate the reality of God in the earth, and ultimately give up his life to an agonizing death so that we could have that peace, both here and hereafter. The apostle Paul again explained: "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Col. 1:19,20). Jesus shed his blood at Calvary to make divine peace available to my soul and yours, and it is a peace that cannot be overcome by any worldly state or circumstance, if we are determined to keep it. It is in fact the peace of reconciliation. Have you ever been in some kind of relationship where you and someone important to you on some level had a falling out, that resulted in what could be called 'bad blood?' And then have you seen any situation like that be resolved to where you and the other party were able to truly 'make peace?' Well, it's called 'making peace' because the result is that the 'bad blood' is taken away and the result is peace instead, which feels a heck of a lot better.

From the beginning we had a situation where man had alienated himself from God, and that alienation by and large remained there for four thousand years. The only way that 'bad blood' could be resolved was if God's own Son came and paid our penalty for sin for us. The same apostle Paul said it just right, and just a few verses after our text verse in fact: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us... For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life" (Rom. 5:8,10). So Jesus reconciled the whole world to God by his death, because that was our penalty for our sins (Rom. 6:23). But he was not able to actually administer and establish that reconciliation to us until after he rose from the dead and went back to heaven. Reason being that he was fulfilling the law in all that he did, and he was to become the high priest of the new covenant in the heavenly sanctuary; where he could mediate between us and God for the actual remission of our sins. Speaking of Christ's fulfillment of the earthly priesthood, Paul told us this: "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God... For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us" (Heb. 10:11,12,14,15). It is by means of us receiving God's Spirit that we enter into the actual reconciliation between God and men, and the sublime peace that accompanies that grand reunion. In other words it is by receiving the holy Ghost in our lives that we have true remission of our sins. That is why the same apostle gave us this emphatic statement about the hope of our salvation: "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9).

Jesus, as well as the beloved apostle John, told us that none of his followers could receive the Spirit until AFTER Jesus left the earth and went back to heaven (Jn. 7:38,39; Jn. 16:7). That is why Jesus left his followers with these last instructions just before he ascended to heaven in their sight: "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts 1:4,5). We are reconciled to God by being an actual living part of his Son, and we are literally baptized by his Son INTO the body of his Son, by means of the holy Ghost: "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (I Cor. 12:13). It is the same experience of being baptized by Jesus with the holy Ghost, that first came on the day of Pentecost after Jesus ascended back to heaven, that puts us into Christ and thereby reconciles us to God. So it is this experience that comes only by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that takes away our sins and gives us the divine peace of reconciliation inside us. This is why John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, had such a simplistic message about the mission of Jesus to this world: "I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" (Mk. 1:8). You may note that John's message about Jesus was the same as the last instructions that Jesus gave his followers before leaving this world. Reason being that apart from the baptism of the holy Ghost, with its accompanying sign of speaking with other tongues, there is no reconciliation, remission of sins, or peace with God to be had.

Only by being 'in Christ' literally can we be recipients of the price he paid for our sins at Calvary, and partakers of the power of his resurrection; which is indeed the power that literally washes the very nature of sin out of our hearts and souls, replacing it with the 'divine nature' that exists in Christ and the Father (I Cor. 6:11; Tit. 3:5; II Pet. 1:4). Both Jesus and the apostle Paul told us that our faith in him would result in us receiving the Spirit of God (Jn. 7:38,39; Gal. 3:14). I might add that there is no such thing in the scriptures as 'receiving' God's Spirit by some means before being baptized therein with the sign of speaking in tongues being present. Modern Pentecostal and Charismatic tradition holds to this 'belief' in many circles, but it is erroneous and non-scriptural. If there were such a thing, and that thing was what takes away our sins and reconciles us to God, then I'm certain that either John the Baptist or Jesus would have mentioned it. For either of them to simply say that Jesus was going to baptize with the holy Ghost, when actually there was some other 'faith experience' that takes away our sins and gives us new birth before the Spirit baptism; would be unthinkable, and I believe God had the bases covered when he sent John. In fact the baptism of the holy Ghost was so significant to God, that he told John the following: "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost" (Jn. 1:32,33). The apostle Paul told us exactly why the baptism of the Spirit is what we MUST receive in order to be in the reconciliation between God and mankind: "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:3,4).

It's really tragic that the entire body of Christ to this day thinks that the verse cited above is about water baptism. Baptism in water was given to John under the law as a symbolic means of showing what Jesus was going to to as the result of fulfilling the law. Jesus even told John to baptize him so that he could complete the fulfilling of the righteousness of the law (Mat. 3:15; Mat. 5:17). It is the holy Ghost baptism, and the holy Ghost baptism alone that came to us as the result of the death and resurrection of Jesus; and puts us both into his death, and into his resurrection from the dead (I Pet. 3:21; Col. 2:12). That is also evidenced by Paul's reference to our "walking in newness of life" as a result of being baptized into Christ. Because he said in another place; "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). It is only by being baptized with the Spirit that we cancel out "the law of sin and death," because the Spirit baptism is what makes us partakers of Christ's victory OVER both sin and death, as Romans 6:3,4 showed us already. So let me sum this up and show how we can dwell in that glorious peace that comes from heaven, and how we can get it back if we lose it. We enter into the peace of reconciliation with God by turning from sin and believing that Jesus died for our sins, rose from the dead, and sits at the right hand of God today to literally take away our sins and give us new birth and new life. And it's not a 'told so' or 'think so' faith that does it for us, but rather it is the experience of Jesus baptizing us with the holy Ghost; thereby making us part of his body, which body both died and rose from the dead FOR our reconciliation and salvation. By these means we have "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, [to] keep [our] hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philip. 4:7).

If we're baptized with God's Spirit, we are no longer alienated from God by sin, and therein is found that wonderful peace that goes all the way through us. So what happens if we fall short and do some kind of sin? We are again alienated, and we lose the peace. It's that simple. But the solution is just as simple: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I Jn. 1:9). If we have sinned, and we honestly confess our sin, then we should believe what the scripture says, and be restored to the peace of our reconciliation. There is no new or 'extra' thing that is required in that case, because as we have read from the scriptures; Jesus made a one time forever sacrifice of himself that is good for eternity for those who believe and trust in him for it. In fact the price that Jesus paid for our sins was so great, and so perpetual, that it is impossible to commit a sin for which one cannot be forgiven, if he is willing to give it to Jesus. The only sin that can put someone 'over the line' of forgiveness, is to completely remove Christ from our hearts after having received his Spirit; and to disbelieve totally that he died and rose, and is alive in heaven today. Only by those means of totally renouncing our faith can we come to the place mentioned in the scriptures as follows: "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Heb. 10:26,27). As I said, the only way for there to "remain no more sacrifice for sins," is if we have totally removed from our hearts and our faith the only sacrifice for sins that exists, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, 'the Lamb of God.'

It is important for me to repeat that someone would have had to have previously been baptized with the holy Ghost in order to qualify to be in that dreadful position, as the scripture above stated. Satan has feverishly tried to convince many unwitting souls that they have 'blasphemed the holy Ghost,' when in fact they absolutely had not. The torment of that mental deception can be cataclysmic, and I know what I'm taking about because I've seen it up close and personal more than once, not with myself howbeit. So as long as we have enough faith about us to believe, or even hope, that Jesus is the Lord, and that he died and rose for us; we can always find our way back to our blessed peace with him. Faith in Jesus Christ, and in his death and resurrection; is everything in life, and in fact it IS life. It is by that faith and the empowerment therein, that we look for his return; when he will glorify our bodies to be immortal like him, which is the 'one hope' of the Gospel (I Cor. 15:51-55; Philip. 3:20,21; I Jn. 3:2,3; Eph. 4:4; I Thess. 5:8). With these things in mind I will conclude with the exhortation that the apostle Paul gave to the saints in Rome: "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:8-10). I just have to include one more saying from Paul, that says the same thing as that one in just slightly different words: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; [for he is faithful that promised]" (Heb. 10:23). AMEN!