Scripture References: 1 John 3:8
One thing is for sure, Christ did not come to this earth to make a reputation for himself nor did he come to show off the power of God in his life. He came specifically to redeem fallen man from a life of sin, back into perfect fellowship with God, like Adam had with God before he sinned against him. When God created Adam and Eve, they both were without sin and lived a sinless life, but when they partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they fell out of fellowship with God and sin separated them from God. God could have destroyed his creation of Adam and Eve, but he chose rather to redeem them back into fellowship with him. Because of Adam’s fall into sin, this caused all mankind to be born into this world possessing a sinful nature being spiritually separated from God as they were. Now all God had to do is to remove the sin from within them, but how he was going to do this is a mystery that seemingly only a few people can see and understand. God was going to redeem man back into fellowship through a covenant that he was going to make with them. This covenant that he was going to make with man contained certain rules and regulations that would instruct him in righteousness that would in a process of time bring them back to the state of perfection, which is the state that Adam was in before he fell into sin and separation from God. This covenant was not the Old Testament covenant that he made with Israel, because that covenant could not perfect man by taking away his sin.
The writer of Hebrews reveals this truth in what it states in Hebrews 7:19 saying, “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.” One may ask, why then did God reveal the Old Testament covenant to Israel if it was not to perfect the believers of it by removing his sin? It was the apostle Paul that answers this question in what he tells us in Galatians 3:19 that says, “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”
The law was revealed to Israel to keep sin at a minimum until Christ came on the scene. It was Christ that would reveal the contents of the New Testament covenant that would redeem fallen man into perfect fellowship with God if that covenant was believed and obeyed. If you notice again to what Hebrews 7:19 tells us above, you will hear the writer saying that the law made nothing perfect, but then notice closely the writer then said that the bringing in of a better hope did. The bringing in of this better hope is the New Testament covenant that Jesus Christ is mediator of. It is his teachings revealed within this covenant that will absolutely perfect the believers of it and bring them back into perfect fellowship with God like Adam had before he sinned against God. Very few people seem to understand the purpose of the New Testament covenant. The purpose of it is clearly revealed in what Hebrews 7:19 tells us. The law that was given to Moses could not bring man back into perfect fellowship with God removing his sin, because of its weakness. We are told this in Hebrews 7:18 that says, “For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.” And the apostle Paul says about the same thing concerning this in what he said in Romans 8: 3 that say, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” The law was to weak to cleanse the sin from man, but the teachings of Christ, which is revealed within the teachings of his gospel became the power of God unto salvation to them that believe and obeys it. Paul makes this clear in what he tells us in Romans 1:16-17 that says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Notice if you will that Paul tells us that “GODS RIGHTEOUSNESS” is revealed within the contents of his teachings of the gospel. And Paul also reveals in his epistle of II Timothy 3:16-17 that all scripture is to instruct in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect. God demands that we submit to his righteousness after he forgives us of all our past sins, but in the deceived religious realm of Christianity its taught that the blood of Christ covers their sin and God cannot see them. They are left believing that God only sees Christ in them even as they continue right on in sin and rebellion against God. This is one of the doctrines of devils that Paul warns us about in his epistle to Timothy as stated in I Timothy 4:1 that says, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” The blood of Christ was shed, not to cover sin, but to take away sin. Christ’s blood put the New Testament covenant into power in the same way that the blood of the animal put the Old Testament into power.
Sin is what separated man from God and for this very reason Christ was manifest to destroy sin in a persons life so that he can have fellowship back with God. Very few people can see this truth while most will be deceived away from the truth by Satan’s ministers that teaches false doctrines. Before Adam sinned against God he was perfect, not having any sin within his being whatsoever, but when he disobeyed the command concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and ate of it he fell away from God and into sin. Adam was first created in both the image and likeness of God meaning that he was like God in so far as his nature was concerned. God would come down in the garden to fellowship with Adam, because he was without sin, but when he fell into sin he no longer could come in Gods presence. There was not another man that was like God until Jesus Christ was born on this earth. He (the second Adam) was the image and likeness of the invisible God in every respect. He was God manifest in the flesh as Paul tells us in his epistle of I Timothy 3:16 that says, “ And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” It was the Word that was God that was made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Every true believer of the teachings of Christ will be conformed to Christ’s image and likeness. Paul tells us this in what he said in Romans 8:29 that says, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” It is the cleansing and creating power of Gods holy word that performs this operation on every person that will believe and obey the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation. The word “Christian” means to be Christ-like or to be like Christ in both his nature and character. The millions of converts in Christianity today is nowhere near the
image and likeness of Christ, because they are still dead in their sin, even as they confess to be born of God. They blaspheme what the apostle John tells us in I John 3:9 that says, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” Those who are truly born of God possesses the very life of Christ and is the life that is manifested in and through their mortal body. Paul reveals this great truth in what he said in II Corinthians 4:10-11 that says, “Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” The life of Christ is both sinless and eternal as well as perfect, and its his life that he came to give us if we believe and obey his teachings of the gospel. Many people believe that it was the “death of Christ” that saves us, but it is not. We are saved by his life meaning that it will be his life that becomes our life as we continue to live on this earth until we die. It was Paul that reveals to us that it’s the life of Christ that saves us in what he stated in Romans 5:10 that says, “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.” His life becomes our life, but his life cannot be our life unless we have put to death our old carnal sinful nature. We put to death our sinful nature by believing and obeying his teachings and by doing this we become partakers of his divine nature.
It was the apostle Peter that reveals this great truth to us in what he stated in II Peter 1:3-4 that says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
These great and precious promises are the same promises that Paul tells us about in II Corinthians 7:1 that says, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” These promises spoken both by Peter and Paul are the promises that God had promised to Abraham and his seed, and these promises were revealed by Christ within his teachings.
The promises that Paul refers to in II Corinthians 7:1 and the promises spoken of by II Peter 1:3-4 are the many truths that was in Christ when he began his ministry. It was the apostle John that refers to these truths in what he stated in John 1:14 that says, “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. The truths that Christ was full of are the many promises that God promised to Abraham and to his seed. It is these very truths that will conform the believer to the image and likeness of Christ as they are believed and obeyed. This is why Paul said that the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to them that believe; the Jew first and then to the Gentiles. (Romans 1:16) So those that believe and obey Christ’s gospel will be spiritually born of God and will be called the sons of God. In the confessing Christian world today there are multiplied millions of people confessing to be born of God, but they still live in sin and even call themselves sinners. A person that has been born of God is no longer a sinner, but has become a saint. We are called to be saints; not sinners because we were born into this world as a sinner. This is why we must be born again in order to enter Gods kingdom. Millions of people confess to be born again and still live in outright sin and rebellion against God. They have been both blinded and deceived by the many false prophets doctrines that Jesus and other disciples warned us about. Paul tells us these words in II Corinthians 4:3-4 that says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” It makes all the difference in the world as to what we believe, because only the truth will save us from sin and conform us to the image and likeness of Christ, and give us an overcoming testimony. And who did Jesus say that would sit with him in his throne? “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.” (Rev 3:21) “He that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” AMEN