Title: The carnal mind is enmity with God!
Contents
Sunday day sermon
Text: Romans 8:1-11
Title: The carnal mind is enmity with God!
If you are a believer today, there is probably no one who doesn't know that the mind of the flesh is hostile to God. Nevertheless, many people today are still living in carnal thoughts. Why are those who believe that they have all received the Holy Spirit and have been born again into Christ, yet they cannot shake off their fleshly thoughts and live immersed in the fleshly thoughts?
The reason is that, in a word, not all Christians have been born again into Christ. Today's Christians believe that all of them have been reborn as Christ because they mistook the Holy Spirit that they received after calling on Jesus' name for the Spirit of Christ. But, as I say, the Holy Spirit is not the Spirit of Christ, but the Spirit of the Father (see Matthew 10:20). Therefore, Gentiles who used to live as unbelievers cannot be born again by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father. These are just people who have received the spiritual law.
The Holy Spirit, which Gentiles who lived as unbelievers called on the name of Jesus who came to the land of Israel and received the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of the Father, and it is a free gift from God to all people in the world who call on the name of Jesus. To say that he sent without cost means that God sent the Holy Spirit to all who called on the name of Jesus without any payment due to the efficacy of the blood that Jesus shed when he died on the cross, even though he did not make any effort himself.
However, the Gentiles, who were living their lives without God’s law, suddenly called on the name of Jesus and received the Holy Spirit, and during that time, they went to the temple to die for about 2,000 years under the law, slaughtering cattle and sheep and offering sacrifices to God. Jesus came as the fulfillment of the law. There is a lot of difference in the process of salvation from the people of Israel who believed in and received the Holy Spirit. If we look at this in the same context, a great error will occur in the process of salvation.
Let us take the example of the apostle Paul. When he was living as Saul, he was a persecutor of those who believed in Jesus. On that day too, he went out on the road to arrest the believers in Jesus and met Jesus who came to the light on the road to Damascus. After meeting Jesus, he immediately becomes blind. Knowing that a disciple named Ananias lives not far away, Jesus calls him and tells Saul to lay his hands on him. When Ananias lays his hands on his hands, the scales are removed from his eyes and he can see. It was only then that Saul received the Holy Spirit.
It is the same principle with the disciples who followed Jesus. They too could not be forgiven for their sins committed while living under the law, but Jesus was scourged in His body so that they could be forgiven for their sins. Then they too will receive the Holy Spirit through the effect of the blood that Jesus shed when he died on the cross. We know well from the Bible that they hid in Mark's upper room while trembling until they received the Holy Spirit.
Publicans and prostitutes were also clearly sinners in the light of the laws of the time. However, they are well aware of their situation, and fortunately, they believe in Jesus and receive forgiveness for their sins. After that, they too will receive the Holy Spirit, leading to complete salvation. However, the Pharisees who believed themselves to be righteous thought that only tax collectors and prostitutes would condemn them, but they did not believe in Jesus, so they could not be forgiven for their sins. Because they do not believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit cannot indwell them either. They were not forgiven of their sins, and eventually they went to destruction.
Therefore, the salvation process of the people of Israel is as follows. First, he gave the law, so that we could live under it. However, no one can fully keep the law and live. As a result, all the Israelites who lived under the law became criminals who broke the law. All those who break the law must stand before the judgment seat of God. But God could not leave them all to die, so in the end, he sent his Son so that the sins of those who believed in him would be forgiven, and then they would come to salvation.
This means that the salvation process of Christians living under the law of the Holy Spirit today proceeds in the same way as the people of Israel. The Gentiles, who lived their own lives without God's law, called in the name of Jesus who came to the land of Israel and received the Holy Spirit. Because of the efficacy of the blood shed on the cross by His Son, God has sent the Holy Spirit of God free of charge to all who call on the name of Jesus. However, Gentiles who have received the Holy Spirit are also given the duty to live according to the law of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it can be said that the Christian life of Gentiles begins in earnest when they receive the Holy Spirit.
However, just as the Israelites could not fully keep the law, neither Christian nor anyone can fully obey the law of the Holy Spirit. Just as those who break the law must come before God's judgment seat, so those who break the law of the Holy Spirit must all stand before God's judgment seat in the end. None of the Christians have ever fully obeyed the law of the Holy Spirit. Since it is said that the wages of sin is death, if we leave it as it is, all Christians must also face the judgment seat of God.
But again, God could not cause all of the spiritual people who lived under the law of the Holy Spirit to die like this, so in the end, He sends His spiritual Son. Christians who believe that they disobeyed the Holy Spirit and lived their own way will be forgiven of their sins against the Holy Spirit when they believe in the spiritual Son sent by God. However, those who believe that they are saved will not be forgiven for their sins against the Holy Spirit because they will not believe in the Son whom God sent even if they die, like the Pharisees at the time of Jesus.
Even though Christians today believe that they have received the Holy Spirit and have been born again into Christ, the reason why everyone is unable to shake off their fleshly thoughts is because, as I have said so far, the Spirit of Christ has not yet indwelt in the hearts of believers in anyone.
There may be servants who perform great miracles and signs and are used greatly by the Holy Spirit as a way to make unbelievers believe, but the spiritual son who will solve the sins against the Holy Spirit has not yet been revealed to the Gentiles. However, since God and Jesus are the promises in the Bible, it is certain that a spiritual son will come before the Gentiles. No one knows when that will be, but the Spiritual Son will come, and those who believe in him will be brought into the barn, and those who do not believe in him will be thrown away as chaff. This is the last work of salvation on this earth. -Those with open spiritual ears, please listen and understand-
※ Spiritual Son = Jesus, who came to the land of Israel in the flesh, has now ascended to heaven and has been given the glory of the Father and has become a spiritual person like God. In other words, Jesus was one when He was on earth, but now He has become a spiritual person and can enter the heart of each person. It is the same principle that Saul met Jesus who came as the light on the road to Damascus. Just because Jesus becomes a spiritual person and enters into each person's heart does not mean that he enters into anyone, but only into those who come out who believe in the spiritual Son sent by God. This is the true image of a person who has been reborn as Christ. The thoughts of the flesh cannot come out of the heart of such a person. The reason is that, like Paul, the Spirit of Jesus reigns in the man's heart.
※ Holy Spirit = The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. Even though God exists as one God, it is the same principle as if He did it through the Holy Spirit, He became several spirits and came into each person. Just as God does not send the Holy Spirit to anyone, but only to those who believe in the name of His Son Jesus, so the Spirit of Jesus Christ sends the Spirit of Jesus only to those who believe and come out of the spiritual Son He sends. it will be Because of this, he is called the spiritual son who will come before the Gentiles. Only when Gentiles believe in the Son who comes in this way will their sins against the Holy Spirit be forgiven and they will receive eternal life.