A New creature
If you have read the article, The Everlasting Father, published in the fourth issue of this newsletter, you would have noticed that the Son of God came as a man to accomplish more than what meets the eye (we shall see more of this in this article.) Popular Christianity has it that His human incarnation served only as a gateway for Him to die because being in the form of God, He could not die and therefore, salvation could not be achieved. But as I have previously pointed out, this reasoning is limited and there are too many loopholes in this theory to class it as truth.
In order to understand more about the significance of Christ’s humanity, we first need to keep in mind that the gospel of the kingdom centres around Christ and His life. In fact, in becoming a man, the Saviour has produced an entirely new and special kind of life that has never before existed in the universe. So special is this life that it can only be found in Christ (not even in the Father!). This life that I am here referring to is the life that has not only battled against sin, Satan and death, but it is the only life that has overcome them all. Receiving this life is the key to overcome the powers of sin and darkness that has ravaged the human race. But Satan has been very successful in obscuring this fact. Knowing this, God had fashioned the plan of salvation in such a way that anyone who believes shall be saved through Jesus.
“For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17)
Being saved through Christ also means that we are saved “by His life”. (Romans 5:10). As a matter of fact, the Bible states the following concerning Jesus: “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4) And Jesus Himself declared, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). Take note that the life that the Saviour possesses is eternal life. “Eternal life” does not only mean life without an end, but most importantly it refers to the quality of life. This is the kind of life that the Lord has promised to give us. So, how do we partake of this life? John 3:5 may well be the answer to this question.
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom.” (John 3:5)
Christ has very clearly chalked out the blueprint of the path to salvation which involved that man should be first born of the water and then of the Spirit. Let us briefly discuss these two steps one by one.
BORN OF THE WATER
Undoubtedly, being born of the water means to be baptized. Anyone who decides to take baptism, should do so with the understanding that from henceforth his life is no longer his but Christ’s. As Paul wrote, “For as many as you have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27). A true Christian would choose to be baptised in Christ because he believes in the gospel that has been preached to him. This is the exactly what Jesus taught his disciples.
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (16) He that believeth and be baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be dammed.” (Mark 16:15,16)
What falls within the ambit of this gospel is that Christ is the Son of the living God and in believing in Him, one will not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). The account of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch is one such case that depicts this truth. Before baptizing the Ethiopian, Philip made sure that his pupil believed that Jesus was the Son of God (Acts 8:37,38).
Galatians 3:27 also points to the fact that the believer who has been baptized into Christ, also puts on Christ. Putting on Christ means that one should not be a partaker of the blessings alone, but also the hard and trying circumstances that come with being a true Christian. To put on Christ is to partake in His sufferings, to be willing to face the jibes and the scorns of the world, to be falsely accused and countless other trials that may come our way. If a person understands that he is baptized into Christ, he chooses to belong to Him. It is Christ who directs his path. It is He who brings him nearer to God and not the church, founded by man.
Another important aspect of baptism that should not be missed is that it points to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (4) Therefore ye 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 should walk in the newness of life.” (Romans 6:3,4)
Just as Christ was dead to sin, even so, His followers, when they take baptism, they decide to become dead to sin. And as Christ is raised up from death to a new life, so is the sinner raised from the water to a new life in Christ. That being said, though, it is important to note that the death of Christ does not save us! It is His life that does the actual saving of souls.
“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.” (Romans 5:10)
The Bible backs this truth in the words that Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers.
“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." (1 Corinthians 15:17-19)
Therefore, as much as baptism is an important landmark in the journey towards the goal of acquiring the kingdom of heaven, it, in itself, has no power to save the sinner. By taking baptism, an individual is making a public declaration of his faith in Christ as his personal Saviour. Why such a system is instituted by God? The reason for this comes on the ground that at the heart of the controversy between good and evil, Satan has accused God of arbitrarily showering His blessings upon those who follow Him. The story of Job is a classic example that illustrates this fact. The test that Job was made to go through was not to serve the curiosity of the omniscient God but it was a way to justify that His decisions and actions were holy and just before all the angelic host who do not possess the same power of omniscience that God possesses. Another explanation for rendering baptism as an important milestone in a man’s spiritual journey is the fact that faith is manifested in our works. So, if one’s faith in Christ is kindled in one’s heart, one would demonstrate one’s faith by obeying God’s word. Obedience by way of taking baptism is a way that vindicates God’s action to pour out His Spirit on the one who openly declares one’s allegiance to Him. It is on this light that Peter made the following statement on the day of Pentecost.
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
This brings us to the second and final step in our entrance to the kingdom of God.
BORN OF THE SPIRIT
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the token of being born again in the life of Christ Jesus. And once Christ dwells in us, we become new creatures. What we are able to witness in this truth is that the Spirit again dwells in man. This serves as prove that the reason Christ became man and lived a perfect life was not merely to be a role model, but it runs deeper than that. The plan of salvation was so designed to restore man what he lost through Adam’s transgression.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” What qualifies us to receive the Spirit? By the death of Jesus, we are now reconciled to the Father. This means that in accepting His Son’s sacrifice on the cross, the Father is not only accepting His Son, but at the same time, He accepts humanity in His Son. He now considers those who accept the Christ as their personal Saviour, as His own children. Broadly speaking, God has adopted the human race as His sons and daughters in the person of His Son. Hence, we now, like Adam of old, can once again become children of God through our Redeemer.
“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore, thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:6,7)
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:14-17)
The two passages above plainly state that because we are sons, we are also heirs of God through Christ. To put it simply, as sons of God, we are entitled to inherit the things that Christ inherits from the Father. One of those is eternal life. Eternal life is ours the moment the Saviour comes and lives in our hearts. Therefore, it is essential to have Christ to have life.
“And this is the record, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 5:11,12)
Besides life eternal, we are also entitled to be heirs and co-heirs with Christ as rulers on His throne, thereby restoring humanity its rightful place as ruler of this world.
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)
No Longer Under the Law
Perhaps the most marvellous thing that has been achieved through the indwelling of the last Adam in our hearts is that the carnal mind that is against the law of God is now supplanted by the spiritual mind of Christ that seeks to do the will of the Father. This mind does not function under the dictates of the law. Rather, it operates at a higher level than the written law given at Sinai. The words of Paul which was quoted a few paragraphs before also testifies to this wonderful truth.
“For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)
The “spirit of bondage” is akin to the dictates of the law under which the old covenant people were subjected to. The law governed every aspect of one’s life and any trace of misconduct was met with punishment. Contrary to this is the the law of the Spirit of life in Christ that sets the believer free from the law of the letter which brings death. Also notice what the Bible says in Galatians 5:18.
“But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:18)
After making the above statement, four verses later, the apostle Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit and concludes it in verse 23 with the following words:
“Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:23)
I personally believe that the above statement implies two things. Firstly, there is no law imposed by man that can prevent anyone who is led by the Holy Spirit to display the character that is in line with the fruits of the Spirit. Secondly, the law given at Sinai cannot produce “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” for this law “is weak through the flesh”.
To put it briefly, a Spirit filled man not only lives the law but understands the spirit of the law. He does not need the law to tell him what to do. The system that existed before the fall where the law was not there to govern how Adam and Eve carried themselves is no longer a thing of the past. Being a member of the family of the new race founded by the last Adam, a born-again Christian is a new creature and his old life of sin has no dominion over him.
“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
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