On Temptation

It's interesting how when people are strongly motivated to see someone 'pay' for something they have done wrong, or something they have been accused of doing wrong, that it's said they want to 'crucify' them. I know you've heard that said and know what I'm talking about. There's two things that stand out to me about that. One is that crucifixion is still about the most horrific death that anyone can die, so in that saying there is a special inference to really want someone to pay, as it were. The other thing that stands out is that whatever someone has done wrong, or whatever they may be accused of, Jesus Christ HAS ALREADY been crucified for that wrong, in their place. So while we don't want to eliminate justice in the earth, we do want to eliminate any hostile motivation to see someone 'pay.' Our focus as followers of Christ should be what his focus was and is, in regard to his Gospel that he died and rose again to establish. That focus is what he demonstrated when he was here, and still demonstrates today to all who will believe on him with all their heart. Here is an excellent example of what I'm talking about: "And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? ... So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her... And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (Jn. 8:3,4,5,7,9-11).

So the religious leaders of God's people wanted to stick to the letter of the law with all their heart, and they wanted this woman to pay the price that the law stipulated for her sin. Not only so, but they wanted Jesus to join them in their uncaring and unfeeling motivation in the matter. Jesus knew what he was dealing with, so he made a nice little deal with them, which they were unable to accept. Jesus knew the law, and he knew the penalty for adultery. But he also knew that every one of this woman's accusers were as guilty of their own sins as she was for hers. In the end they evidently knew that as well, and were unable to carry out the penalty of the law against this woman. In seeing that all of the woman's accusers went away ashamed, Jesus showed HIS motivation to the woman, forgiving her and instructing her to 'sin no more.' I somehow have the feeling that this particular woman probably never committed adultery again. Jesus plainly showed in that instance, as well as many others, what he told the righteous Pharisee Nicodemus: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (Jn. 3:16,17). That last verse there says it all. Jesus did not come to earth to condemn the people of the world. EVERYONE WAS ALREADY CONDEMNED! He came to TAKE AWAY the condemnation of the world by providing a true remission of sins that the old covenant could not provide. The only people who have to remain condemned now are those who simply refuse to allow Jesus TO TAKE THEIR SINS AWAY!! Let's look at what Jesus said to Nicodemus immediately after the last verse cited: "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (Jn. 3:18).

Now back to my original thought, the reason it is said that people want to 'crucify' someone for some wrong or supposed wrong, because that is the worst thing that can be imagined to do to someone. Isn't it amazing how the devil will motivate people to say such a thing about someone, when Jesus WAS crucified for any and every wrong thing that could ever be committed by a human being? In fact Satan relishes taking away focus from the cross of Christ by turning it around to look as though someone else deserves crucifixion; creating the allusion that Jesus did NOT already pay that price. Jesus literally and graphically took our place on the cross of Calvary, and with the degree of agony that his suffering and death covered, he literally and completely payed off all the debt of all mankind for all time. This was God's only begotten Son who had been with the Father since before anything else existed, and in fact it was he who created all that exists (Col. 1:16,17; Jn. 1:3; Eph. 3:9). This was the only other person in existence beside the Father, who is also God; he being the only one who was begotten of God, which is to say he came out of the Father and thereby consists wholly of the Father's substance (Jn. 1:1). So when Jesus died at Calvary it was literally God paying the price that was perpetually owed by mankind, and in exchange giving mankind an entrance into divinity. The apostle Paul said it simply like this: "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them... 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" (II Cor. 5:19-21).

Seeing that it was God who died on the cross of Calvary in our place, the Son howbeit; what that means is that there is no sin or sins that can compete with what was done there to undo man's sins. In fact if we took all of the sins from Adam to the last sin in the world committed by a redeemable sinner; and piled them all together, placing them at the foot of the cross, you would need a magnifying glass to find them. That is how much bigger what Jesus did on the cross against sin, in comparison to any and all of mankind's sins. One of the most beautiful things about the magnitude of what Jesus did at Calvary, is that someone could conceivably live a long and sinful life, come to their senses and sincerely repent at the end of their life; and go into eternity with absolutely no wrong doing of any kind on their record to ever be remembered or mentioned. As Paul put it: "Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after" (I Tim. 5:24). It's all about Jesus and what he has done, and not about man and what he has done. The good that Jesus did outweighs the bad that man has done, if man will only let Jesus have it all. So the next time you hear someone say something about crucifying someone, know of a certainty that it is not God's Spirit motivating them to say it. In fact it is God's Spirit, and his Son's Spirit as well, that was sent back from heaven for the actual new testament remission of sins after Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended back to heaven. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, told what it is that Jesus came to accomplish: "There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" (Mk. 1:7,8).

After Jesus died, rose from the dead, and remained on earth for forty days, "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God;" he gave his followers his last instructions before leaving the earth: "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). You may note that it was only after Jesus went back to heaven that he sent back the holy Ghost to his followers, and he had told them as much beforehand: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (Jn. 16:7). The reason for that is that the baptism that Jesus died and rose to baptize with; meaning the holy Ghost, is the new testament remission of sins. Jesus could not give the holy Ghost before going back to heaven because he could not be the high priest and mediator of the covenant before going back to heaven (Heb. 8:4). The apostle Paul explained: "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man... For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 8:1,2; Heb. 9:24-26).

So again, everything Jesus did on earth was to the intent that he could go back to heaven and be our mediator to God for the remission of sins for all who believe on him. Again Paul said it best: "But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:24,25). So then what was it that happened when Jesus ascended to heaven to occupy his newly acquired office of high priest and mediator of the new covenant, for the remission of sins? Did his followers just assume that because they believed on him they automatically had the literal, true new testament remission of sins? Well, seeing he told them to wait for him to baptize them with the holy Ghost, I doubt that they assumed anything. No my friend, Jesus did not leave his first followers and believers to assume their remission of sins and new birth into the kingdom of God. He did not suffer, die, and raise from the dead for anyone to assume anything. He lived, suffered, died a cruel death, and conquered that death with his bodily resurrection; so that he could provide something far beyond assumption for those who would entrust their hearts and lives to him. Let's just allow the scriptures to confirm to us both the words of the only forerunner of Christ, and the synonymous words of Christ himself. Here is what happened "not many days" after Jesus ascended back to heaven, and here is where the high priest of the new covenant began taking away sins in "the new and living way" which he paid for with his life: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 1:1-4).

There it is my friend, "the promise of the Father" that Jesus told his followers to wait for. There was the birth of the body of Christ, which body of Christ the scripture says this about: "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). That was the birth of the body of Christ because that same baptism of the Spirit along with its sign of speaking with other tongues was and is the very remission of sins, meaning the true born again experience. As it is written: "Therefore IF any man be IN CHRIST, he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (II Cor. 5:17). A 'new creature' only comes about through a new birth, and only those who are 'in Christ' are born again according to this verse. Add to that what we have plainly been show by the scriptures to be the only way to be 'in Christ,' meaning the same Spirit baptism that was first given at Pentecost; it is very easy to see that the baptism that Jesus began baptizing with when he went back to heaven and became the high priest of the new covenant, is the new birth and remission of sins. As Paul said again: "And such [sinners] were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus... by the Spirit of our God" (I Cor. 6:11). The Spirit is the only thing Jesus ever said that he would send back in his name, and being washed, sanctified, and justified, are all about the remission of our sins sins (Jn. 14:26).

Most people who are serious about their faith in Christ realize that this experience of the Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues still exists, and innumerable people have it today; but very few can acknowledge and uphold it as the remission of sins and new birth experience. John the Baptist and Jesus acknowledged it as the result of all that Jesus suffered to accomplish for us; and the experience irrefutably constituted the birth of the body of Christ, which body the Bible tells us we must be baptized with the Spirit into. There simply is no other new birth experience, regardless of how much effort the modern Christian traditions and doctrines go to in to try to establish otherwise. When Jesus takes away sins, he doesn't do it in a figurative or technical manner like the old covenant did; but rather he takes the very symptoms and evidences of sin right out of the heart and spirit of a repentant, believing soul. That can only be done by what the scripture refers to as, "the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Tit. 3:5). And that washing can only be accomplished by the "living waters" from heaven that Jesus promised to all who believe: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.]" (Jn. 7:38,39). I don't know about you, but I like things to be God's way, and to be able to be confirmed solidly by the scriptures. I also like things the way that produces the results that I need, and God only knows I need them. Don't you? All I have left is this memorable quote from the apostle Paul: "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift" (II Cor. 9:15).