Category: Teaching Tracts

“’As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life… And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.’  But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.” John 3:14-15; 12:32-33 

   In this passage of Scripture, Jesus compared His impending death on the cross to Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. This Old Testament story can be found in the Book of Numbers (see Chapter 21:4-9).  When the people of Israel journeyed in the wilderness, they complained in unbelief against God.  As a result, poisonous serpents bit them and many of them died.  After the people confessed their sins and repented, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and fasten it to a standard or stake.  God said if anyone was dying from the poisonous venom and they gazed at the serpent on the stake, they would live.

   Why did Jesus compare His death on the cross to this story of the serpent on the stake? The Bible says Satan is the serpent of old (Revelation 12:9) who rules this world (John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4).  Sin and spiritual death entered the human race when Adam disobeyed God and yielded to Satan (Romans 5:12-21).   Since then, everyone (except for Jesus Christ the Son of God) who is born into this world is born with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:1-3).

   Therefore, the story of the serpent in the wilderness is initially a picture of how Satan poisoned man’s nature with sin leading to spiritual death.  But thanks to God’s plan of redemption for mankind, this is not the end of the story.  For ultimately, the serpent nailed to the stake in the wilderness helps us understand how Christ’s death on the cross has freed us from Satan’s power of sin.  The Bible calls this   the “mystery of the gospel” (Colossians 1:27). The mystery is this: How can a man born with a sinful nature be reborn with God’s divine nature? This is essentially the same question Nicodemus asked Jesus: How can someone be born again and enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3-7)?

   Since we were born sinners and our bondage to sin came by our birth, God in His wisdom and power delivered us from our sin nature by including us in His Son’s death (Romans 6:3-5).  God’s plan of salvation was not to improve our serpent-controlled, sin nature but to kill it and remove it (Romans 6:6).  Therefore, when Jesus Christ died on the cross, He took our sin nature upon Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13).  When Christ died, we died with Him (Romans 6:3-8).  Thank God that old serpent nature of our sinful man has been crucified with Christ!

   John the Baptist declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!”  Thus, by His death, Jesus Christ completely redeemed us from sin.  He redeemed us from the penalty and condemnation of sin (Romans 8:1; Ephesians 1:7).  He also completely delivered us from the power of sin (Romans 6:7). He delivered us from the power of this fallen world (Galatians 1:4; 6:14).  And finally, Christ redeemed us from the power of the devil (Colossians 1:13; 2:15; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8).  What a complete redemption we have obtained through Christ’s death on the cross!

   Our redemption was accomplished through a “divine exchange” that took place on the cross.  By dying on the cross on our behalf, Jesus Christ willingly paid the price for our sins and exchanged His own holy life for our sinful life (2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:21-22; 1 Peter 2:24).  By this holy and mighty sacrifice of His only Son, God translated us from our sinful Adam nature into Christ’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).  Therefore, when we receive Jesus as our Lord and are born again by God’s Spirit (John 3:3-8), our sinful, self-centered nature is removed (Colossians 2:11) and we become a new spiritual creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).   In a sense, God performed a divine heart transplant and replaced our terminally sin-sick heart with His Son’s divine heart to save us from the power of sin and certain doom.  Thus God included us in His Son’s death so that His resurrected Son might now sovereignly live in us (2 Corinthians 13:5; Colossians 1:27).

   When the people of the Old Covenant faced death in the wilderness, God told them to fix their eyes by faith on the serpent fastened to the stake in order to physically live (Numbers 21:8).  God is now telling us, His people of the New Covenant, to fix our eyes by faith on Jesus and the power of His cross in order to spiritually live (Hebrews 12:2).  When we abide (stay rooted by faith) in the Biblical truth that our old sinful nature was put to death with Christ on the cross, we will experience deliverance and healing from the power of sin (Romans 6:6-7).  Therefore, the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16) is the message of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18) that Jesus Christ died for our sins (Romans 5:8) and we also died with Him (Romans 6:8).  Thus the serpent in the wilderness was a prophetic picture of how our sinful nature would be put to death on the cross with Christ.

   Jesus’ last words on the cross were, “It is finished (John 19:30).”  When the Galatians lost sight of Christ’s finished work on the cross and tried to live the Christian life based on their human efforts, the apostle Paul warned they were severed from Christ and had fallen from grace (Galatians 3:1-4; 5:4).  If we are trying to serve Christ through our natural ability, we are practicing a moral code, which nullifies the power of the cross in our lives.  The basis for our living Christ’s resurrection life (the Spirit-filled life) is to know by faith that our sinful nature has been crucified with Christ.  When we know that our sinful nature is dead and gone, then our life will not be based on trying to imitate Christ through our willpower and self-effort.  Instead, we will trust Jesus Christ to live His life through us.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body  I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”  Galatians 2:20

“And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him (Christ) to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”  Ephesians 1:21-22

   Many Christians think that church has a pastor, a building, and a church service.  Without these three, they do not believe a church is legitimate.  But what does the Bible say church looks like?  The Bible says the first century church regularly met in homes rather than in special buildings.  Yet even this New Testament practice does not form the church’s identity.  The Bible says the first century church was normally led by a group of mature brothers or elders instead of a single pastor.  Yet even this form of Biblical leadership does not establish the church’s true identity. The Bible also says the first century church did not have programmed church services; instead, whenever the church met, the Holy Spirit led each member to share their spiritual gifts with one another to build up the body of Christ. But even this New Testament way of functioning together is not the basis of the church’s identity. 

   What then is the real source and basis of the church’s identity? The primary feature that identifies the true church is Christ’s life (the Greek word is zoe).  This is the divine life that Jesus described when He said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).” This is the divinelife the apostle John referred to when he wrote, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life (1 John 5:12).”  The true church is not a building or an organization. She is the church of the living God – the body of Christ. “Now you are Christ’s body and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:27).”  Because she is the body of Christ, the church must be properly submitted to Jesus Christ in order for her members to function and grow together in Christ’s zoe life.  “Christ is head of the body, the church… so that in everything He might have the supremacy (Colossians 1:18).” Thus we are exhorted to “…stay connected to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God (Colossians 2:19).”

   Once we know that our old sinful nature has died with Christ and was buried with Christ, we are free to lose our soul-life for Christ’s sake (Romans 6:3-11).  Jesus said in order to follow (or be connected to) Him and experience His zoe life, we must give up our soul-life (the Greek word is psyche).  “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  He who loves his psyche soul-lifeloses it, and he who hates his psyche soul-life in this world will preserve it for eternal zoe life (John 12:24-25).”  When we are born again, God plants the seed of Christ’s zoe life into our heart.  We will then grow in Christ’s zoe life if we lay down our psychesoul-life daily.  What does it mean to lay down our soul-life for Christ and how do we do this?  It means we give up our natural attitudes, affections and abilities for Christ’s attitudes, affections and abilities.  It also means we no longer depend on the power of our natural personality to live the Christian life and do Christian work.  Instead, our power to live the Christian life comes by our faith in Jesus Christ who lives in us and our faith in what He accomplished for us on the cross. This dynamic relationship between Christ and His body is only possible if we believe and act on the Biblical truth that our sinful nature has died with Christ and was removed from us.  Then we can live by faith in the Son of God so that His power and not our soul-power reigns in our lives (Galatians 2:20).

   It is entirely possible for Christians to meet together in homes, minister together in the spiritual gifts, and have a plurality of elders who together provide pastoral oversight and yet still not have Christ’s zoe life.  If we are not taking up our cross and laying down our soul-life for Christ’s sake, then we are not truly submitted to Christ’s headship and we are not spiritually growing in Christ’s zoe life.  Remember that the only way we can take up our cross and lose our soul-life is to believe God’s Word to the point that we act on the truth that we have died with Christ.  Then we will be free from bondage to sin and our spiritual ears will be opened to hear and obey the Lord.   In the natural realm, when the body’s major organic systems (such as the nervous system or cardiovascular system) become obstructed, the body quickly loses its vitality. The body’s immune system becomes compromised; its members stop functioning; and the body itself can die.  In the same way, if we try to function as Christ’s body by relying on our natural abilities and church traditions instead of submitting to the headship of Christ, we block the power of Christ’s zoe life from vitally nourishing His body, the church. The outcome is spiritual apathy and lifelessness.  “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain (Psalm 127:1).”

   Although there definitely are Biblical principles that govern church life, the devil is not overly concerned whether we belong to a mega church or a house church, as long as we never come into a true knowledge of what Christ’s death on the cross means.  In fact, the devil does not care whether the church does everything according to a New Testament pattern as long as she never walks in the power of Christ’s crucifixion.  Jesus said, “I am the life (John 14:6).”  The only way the body of Christ can experience Christ’s zoe life is if it stays connected to Jesus Christ its head.  And the only way the body can remain united to Christ is to abide (stay rooted by faith) in Christ’s death and resurrection.  But death always comes before resurrection life.  This is the divine order. When the church learns to abide by faith in the power of Christ’s death, she will express the power of Christ’s zoe life.  Then heaven and earth will see the glorious manifestation of the sons of God and the zoe life that comes from Christ alone. 

“God’s intent was that now, through the church, His manifold wisdom should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Ephesians 3:10-11

“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”  Philippians 2:8-11

   The word of the kingdom and the word of the cross are inseparably linked.   Together, they form the eternal gospel of Jesus Christ.  The word of the kingdom is the message that God the Father desires for Christ to reign as absolute King in our life.  The word of the cross is the message that Christ died for us to make this possible.  Coupled together, these two divine truths can be expressed as: Christ died for us and included us in His death so He might sovereignly live in us.

   The kingdom and the cross are one gospel.  We cannot have the kingdom without the cross nor can we have the cross without the kingdom.   The kingdom of God is the Kingship of Christ.  But Christ can only rule as King in our life if we embrace the transforming power of His cross.   All of us were naturally born with a rebellious sinful nature which could never submit to Christ’s Kingship.  Therefore, when we were born again of the Spirit, God performed a divine heart transplant.  When Christ died on the cross, God exchanged our sinful heart with His Son’s holy heart.  This divine exchange has made it possible for God to now reign in us through Jesus Christ.  This was the apostle Paul’s testimony: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me (Galatians 2:20).”   

   It is impossible for us to spiritually embrace the cross of Christ unless we also embrace His Kingship.  God will not share the precious truth of the cross of His Son with us unless we are willing to submit wholeheartedly to His Son’s authority.  Our heartfelt prayer is for anyone who desperately struggles with besetting sins because of spiritual ignorance concerning the divine exchange of the cross.  However, we also need to be aware that there is a counterfeit Christianity that gives lip service to the kingdom and the cross.  Many so-called Christians who claim that Jesus is their Lord are not even born again.  And many of those who are “born again” are willful enemies of the cross of Christ because they love their soul-life too much to give it up for Christ.  Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his soul-life will lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake will find it… whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Matthew 16:24-25; Luke 14:27).”

   Anyone who professes to be a Christian but does not carry his own cross, deny himself and lose his soul-life for Christ’s sake is practicing lawlessness and does not truly know Jesus Christ.  Jesus said, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46).”  He also said, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness (Matthew 7:22-23).’”

   There are many false teachers today who profess to know the cross of Christ.  However, anyone who chooses to govern himself instead of submitting to the power of Christ’s Spirit is practicing a counterfeit Christianity.  Anyone who does not bear the fruit of the cross, which is sanctification, is not a true disciple.  Jesus said, “You shall know them by their fruit.”  He did not say, “You shall know them by their gifts and ministries.”  Anyone who is trying to fulfill their soul-life through ministry instead of losing their soul-life for Christ’s sake is walking in darkness.  The Bible says, “If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:6).” The Bible also says of such people, that they hold to “a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men of these (2 Timothy 3:5)” and “What fellowship can light have with darkness? … Therefore, come out from them and be separate… and I will be a Father to you and you will be My sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).” 

   Everyone who is destined for eternal salvation as the bride of Christ will wholeheartedly embrace the gospel of the cross and the King.  Every child of God that wants Jesus Christ to reign in their life will rejoice to learn that God has removed their sinful nature by Christ’s death on the cross.  Knowing that we have been crucified with Christ, we are now free to lose our soul-life for His sake (Galatians 6:14).  We gladly submit all our attitudes, affections, associations and activities to Christ’s Sovereignty so that He might rule our soul-life.  We present ourselves each day as a living and holy sacrifice to God so He might transform our soul and conform us into His Son’s image.  We joyfully give up trying to fulfill our soul-life in this world so that we might be eternally joined to our beloved bridegroom Jesus in the age to come.  “Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3).”
  
   When we are ready to submit ourselves to Christ’s Sovereignty and lose our soul-life for His sake, God will reveal to us the mystery of the cross, which is also the mystery of the gospel.  Then God will be glorified since we will no longer live for ourselves but for Christ the King who lives in us.  “One died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).” This is the eternal gospel of Christ.

“And I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people.”  Revelation 14:6

Jesus said, “Wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized in water but in a few days you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit … you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be My witnesses.”  Acts 1:4-8; see also Luke 24:49

   Jesus commanded His disciples to be baptized in water and He also commanded them to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. When Jesus appeared to His disciples on Resurrection Sunday, He said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).”  This was the moment when the disciples were born again of the Spirit.  In the Book of Romans, the apostle Paul gives two conditions for salvation: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).”  Before His resurrection, the disciples had already confessed Jesus as Lord.  But now for the first time, they also believed God raised Him from the dead.  This was the moment of their new birth when God replaced their old Adam nature with Christ’s new nature.  This is when the Holy Spirit came to dwell within them.

   Yet, even though the disciples had now received the Holy Spirit for salvation, Jesus made it clear they also needed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit for empowerment (Acts 1:5-8; also Luke 24:49).” This was fulfilled when the disciples were baptized in the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday.  “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:4).” The apostle Peter then explained to all present what had happened: “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He (Jesus) has poured out what you now see and hear (Acts 2:33).”

     The Greek word for baptism means immersion.  In the natural, there are two ways we can be immersed under water.  The first way is we can go down under the surface of the water.  This is what happens when we are water baptized.  The other way is if the water is poured over us until we are completely immersed under it.  In the natural, this experience would occur if we stood underneath a pouring waterfall.   This is the type of immersion that happens when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit.  This is why the Bible describes Holy Spirit baptism in language such as “I will pour out My Spirit” and “the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word” and “the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles.”  We should also note the Bible uses the terms “the baptism in the Holy Spirit,” the promise of the Holy Spirit” and “the gift of the Holy Spirit” interchangeably to describe the same experience (Acts 1:4-5; 2:38; 10:44-47; 11:16-17).

   When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, our entire being is immersed and filled with the power of Christ’s Spirit.  Yet Jesus did not intend His baptism in the Spirit to have only a one-time impact; He also meant it to be the spiritual gateway for us to walk continually in the power and the gifts of His Spirit.  Jesus knew we needed His power to be His witnesses. Without the power of His Holy Spirit, it is impossible for us to live the holy Christian life.  Without the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot overcome Satan. 

   However, the only way for the power of the Holy Spirit to be effective in our lives is if we spiritually know (and act on this knowledge) that we have died with Christ (Romans 6:8).  Calvary comes before Pentecost.  This is the divine order.  Jesus had to die at Calvary and then ascend before the Father’s promise of the Spirit could be poured out on Pentecost (John 7:39).  In the same way, our baptism into Christ’s resurrection power is only effective because we have been baptized into Christ’s death (Romans 6:3).  The divine fact is our sinful nature died and was removed from us when we were born again (Romans 6:6).  However, if we don’t know this fact by divine revelation, we will try to live the Christian life by our natural ability.  We then quench and block the power of the Holy Spirit from working in us.

   Therefore, it’s essential that we know (believe and act on) the truth that we have died with Jesus Christ so He can continually manifest the power of His Spirit in us (Galatians 2:20).  Otherwise, even though we may have been baptized in the Spirit, we will end up living by the power of our soul.  The Bible calls this starting in the Spirit but finishing in the flesh (Galatians 3:3).  Tragically, this has been an all too common experience for many Christians, even “charismatic” Christians.  However, when you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and know you have been crucified with Christ, then Jesus Christ can train you each day to walk in the power of His Holy Spirit and to place no confidence in the power of your personality and your natural abilities and talents (Philippines 3:3).

      Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.  When Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit, He empowers us to be His witnesses and overcome our enemy, the devil.   At the same time, He gives us a personal prayer language and enables us to pray in the Spirit for the body of Christ (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6; and Ephesians 6:18).  He also empowers us to employ the spiritual gifts to build up His church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).  The baptism in the Holy Spirit is also called the baptism with fire (Matthew 3:11).  Fire represents the holiness of the Lord.  Therefore, when Jesus Christ baptizes us in the Holy Spirit, He intends His Spirit to not only to empower us but to also purify and sanctify us.

   We can receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit the same way we received Jesus Christ – by faith (Galatians 3:14).  The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father.  His Son is the One who baptizes us in the Spirit.  Ask Jesus Christ to baptize you in the Holy Spirit and He will.

“If you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” Luke 11:13

“He (Christ) must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets.”  Acts 3:21

   Five centuries ago, the Protestant Reformation dawned when God gave divine revelation to a Catholic monk named Martin Luther that “the just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17).” The truth of the gospel, which had been obscured for nearly one thousand years, became the torch that spread the fires of evangelism around the world.  Yet the Reformation restored only a part of the gospel; certainly a major part, but something very crucial was still missing from the gospel.  In practice, the Protestant Reformation restored the gospel of “the just shall be saved by faith,” but never restored the whole gospel of how “the just shall live by faith.” There is a vast difference. As a result, each generation of believers since then has known their sins were forgiven but has struggled unsuccessfully against the power of sin. This is the great dilemma that has challenged Christians to this day: After Christ saves us, how can we be His witnesses in the world without being overcome by the world?  Unless we find God’s divine solution, each generation of believers that is added to the church starts their Christian life by the Spirit but ends up vainly trying to overcome sin by their natural ability. It is evident that the body of Christ desperately needs the whole gospel.

   Through the centuries, many Christians have looked to the Bible to solve this dilemma.  In the 1500s, a band of believers thought they had found the answer.  They advocated a return to practicing adult water baptism by immersion. They believed this Biblical truth would restore the whole gospel by insuring there are true converts to the church.  Yet as time passed, it became apparent that something significant was still missing from the practice of the gospel.  In the 1600s and 1700s, companies of Christians once again thought they had found the answer to the dilemma.  They championed a return to holiness as the way to restore the gospel.  Yet as time passed, once again it became apparent that something significant was still missing from the gospel since a zeal for holiness was not enough to sustain true sanctification.  In the 1800s, dedicated Christians once again thought they had found the answer to the dilemma and called for a return to the church’s mission of world evangelism.  Millions of new believers were brought into the church through this vast and noble undertaking.  Yet as time passed, once again it became apparent that something significant was still missing from the gospel as many if not most of these new believers drifted away from the true faith.  Then, in the early 1900s, a group of Christians thought they had finally found the answer to the dilemma.  They believed the baptism in the Holy Spirit would give Christians all the power they needed to be Christ’s witnesses in the world.  Yet as time passed, once again it became evident that something significant still needed to be restored to the gospel in order for the church to become the pure bride ready for Jesus Christ’s return.

   In our present time, many sincere Christians are returning to a simpler, more Biblical model of practicing church.  Of course, other groups of believers in the past have also attempted to practice a New Testament pattern of church with the aim of restoring the whole gospel. All of these – water baptism, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the pursuit of holiness, global evangelism and a return to simple and organic church – are important parts of God’s plan to restore everything before Jesus Christ returns.  Yet none of these, in themselves, will enable the church to overcome Satan and his evil forces during these dark and perilous last days.  

   The answer to the church’s centuries old dilemma is found in the cross of Christ.  The mystery of the cross is like the centerpiece of a divine jigsaw puzzle that is the key to understanding the whole gospel of Jesus Christ.  When we see the full meaning of Christ’s crucifixion, the whole Bible and all its truths fit together to form the eternal purpose of God in Jesus Christ.  God knew we needed forgiveness for our sins; He also knew we needed deliverance from our sin nature.  Otherwise, we could not overcome sin.  Therefore, when Jesus died, He not only bore our sins on the cross; He also bore our sin nature on the cross.  Since our bondage to sin came when we were born sinners; our deliverance from sin came when God included us in His Son’s death.  When Christ died, God performed a divine heart transplant and replaced our sinful heart with His Son’s divine heart.  Therefore, we no longer have a sinful nature; we now have Christ’s holy nature.  Thus Christ not only died in our place; He now wants to sovereignly live in our place.  The cross of Christ is the secret to the victorious Christian life.  When we know we have died with Christ, we can live by faith in the Son of God who lives in us.  The gospel of the cross is the power of God to not only save the elect but to sanctify the church to be the bride of Christ.  This is the whole gospel.

   God has given us His Son to be our hiding place during the coming tribulation.  This is a great promise but if we don’t know Christ as our hiding place, we won’t be able to experience God’s provision when we need it.  Jesus Christ becomes our hiding place when we know (believe and act) that we died with Christ and our life is now hidden with Christ in God.  Therefore, the only way to prepare for the trouble ahead is to believe we have been crucified with Christ and enthrone Him in our hearts everyday as our Lord and King.  If we practice living out this truth of the cross, Christ will be our shelter in the coming great storm.  When God divinely reveals the mystery of the fullness of His Son’s crucifixion to the church, she will overcome the world.  Then our Lord Jesus Christ will return to crush Satan and claim His bride.  This is the eternal gospel.

“And I saw another angel flying in midair, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.”  Revelation 14:6

“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”  Matthew 13:44-46

   Jesus Christ is the Pearl of Great Price! The Bible says that “Christ is the radiance of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3)… in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).”  When we really see Jesus Christ and who He is, we will want to sell all we have in order to know Him – the Pearl of Great Price.  How much will it cost us to “sell all” for Christ?  For two thousand years, the price has always been the same.  Even if there are only a few “buyers,” God has never lowered the price.  The cost of knowing Christ is to believe in Him to the point that we want to give up our whole life for Him.  Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his soul-life will lose it, but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it (Mark 8:34-37).”  What does it mean to give up our soul-life for Christ and how do we do this?    It means we give Jesus Christ complete control over our lives and become His bondslaves out of love.  We then exchange our desires, interests and abilities for His desires, interests and abilities so that He can motivate us and work through us.  We let the mind of Christ totally permeate our entire being because we want to know Him and love Him more than we want anything else in this world.  And we do this by faith “for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). 

   Jesus said, “Whoever loses his soul-life for My sake will find it to life eternal (John 12:24).” The only way we will want to give up our soul-life is if we see that the Pearl of Great Price is worth far more than anything we have to give up. We first begin to see Jesus Christ clearly when we are born again into His kingdom.  Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).”  If we do not see Jesus is the Pearl of Great Price, we will not be able to “sell all” for His sake.  If we do not see the eternal value of knowing Christ, we will not be able to lose our soul-life for His sake.  Without seeing the Pearl of Great Price, the magnetic pull of the sin of the world is irresistible.  Why do so few people give up their soul-life for Jesus Christ?  Many never see the Pearl of Great Price.  “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).  In the case of others who once were saved but now live only to fulfill their soul-life in this world, they have lost sight of the Pearl of Great Price.  They now simply love their soul-life too much to give it up for Christ.  They are like Esau who sold his inheritance for a bowl of beans (Genesis 25:27-34).  “But what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26).”  Here is the glorious truth: It is possible for us to give up this world and all its pleasures because God, through the death of His Son, destroyed our sinful nature and removed it from us.  When Christ died, God performed a divine heart transplant and exchanged our sinful heart with His Son’s holy nature (Romans 6:3-11).  Because our sinful nature died with Christ, we have died to the world (Galatians 6:14).  We no longer have to practice sin.  “No one who is born of God will continue to sin because God’s seed (Christ) abides in him, and he cannot go on sinning because he is born of God (1 John 3:9).”

   Gaining Jesus Christ is worth far more than everything we have to sell.  Knowing Jesus is worth far beyond anything we have to lose.  When Jesus told His disciples they must bear their own cross, deny themselves and lose their soul-life for His sake, what did He give them in return?  He gave them Himself – the Pearl of Great Price. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3).” If we underestimate the worth of Jesus Christ and overestimate the value of what we have to lose, we will feel sorry for ourselves because we have to give up so much.  We will have lost sight of the Pearl of Great Price.  How much we “sell all” is in direct proportion to how much we see Christ.  As we obey Jesus Christ and His Word, He will increasingly reveal Himself to us.  “Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me.  He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and disclose Myself to him (John 14:21).” Giving up your whole life for the One you love and the One who loves you is the most beautiful experience you can have in this life.  We lose our soul-life so we might gain the indescribable experience of close companionship and deep communion with Jesus.

   How did Moses endure ill-treatment and resist the passing pleasures of sin?  How could Moses consider disgrace for Christ of greater value than the treasures of Egypt?  The Bible says Moses endured “by seeing Him who is unseen (Hebrews 12:25-27).” This was also the apostle Paul’s testimony: “Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I might gain Christ (Philippians 3:7-8).”  

   So let us fix our eyes on Jesus and, like Moses, see Him who is unseen for He is the author and finisher of our faith.  Let us endure this race to the end so that we might receive the crown of glory He has for us.  Nothing on this earth can compare to seeing Him and knowing Him – He is true riches!  He is worth far more than anything we might lose, even our very lives.  Jesus Christ died to make it possible for us to see Him and know Him. Let us sell all to buy the Pearl of Great Price!

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”  Matthew 13:44-45

Jesus said, “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” Mark 3:25

   Do born again Christians have a sinful nature? Absolutely not!  The Bible is very straightforward on this.  Yet many Christians mistakenly think they have two natures within them, a new nature and a sin nature, which war against each other.  They believe that their new nature loves God and wants to practice righteousness but that their old sinful nature loves sin and wants to practice lawlessness.  They think that their Christian life reflects whichever of their two natures they yield themselves to the most. This lie is one of the greatest deceptions the devil has “sold” to the church and many Christians have bought this lie.  Tragically, these Christians are then overcome by sin because they do not understand or believe   the truth about Christ’s triumph on the cross.

   Jesus Christ said if you know the truth of His Word, He will free you from slavery to sin (John 8:31-36).  With this in mind, let us look at three Scriptures that plainly state we no longer have a sinful nature after we are born of the Spirit.  Here is the first one: “We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that our body of sin (our sinful nature) might be removed so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died has been freed from sin (Romans 6:6-7).”  Here is the second one: “You are not in the flesh (the sinful nature) but inthe Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you (Romans 8:9).  And here is the third one: “In Him you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of flesh (the sinful nature), by the circumcision of Christ (Colossians 2:11).”  In all three verses, the apostle Paul teaches that we no longer have a sinful nature after we are born again of God’s Spirit.

   The Bible contains two powerful pictures to show us that our sinful nature was removed from us when we were born again.  Circumcision was the seal of righteousness in the Old Covenant. In circumcision, the foreskin was removed. Paul taught that this portrayed that our sinful nature was removed from us in Christ (Colossians 2:11). Water baptism is a seal of righteousness in the New Covenant.  In baptism, the old man is given a water “burial.” Again Paul taught that this portrayed that our sinful nature was removed from us in Christ (Romans 6:3-6).  Thus both the Old Covenant and New Covenant clearly portray what happened to our sinful nature when we were born again.  Our sinful nature died and God completely removed it from our being.

   This is what Paul called the mystery of the gospel (Colossians 1:27).  How could Christ, who is God’s Holy One, spiritually live in a people who were born with a sinful nature?  God solved this dilemma by performing a divine heart transplant so that we would be born again.  When Christ died on the cross, He not only bore our sins on the cross; He also bore our sinful nature on the cross with Him.  Therefore, when Christ died, God exchanged our terminally sin-sick heart with His Son’s divine heart to deliver us from the power of sin and death (2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 4:6).  This divine operation of the cross, by which God removed our sinful nature and replaced it with Christ’s nature, is the promise of the New Covenant, the purpose of Christ’s Atonement and the power of Christ’s gospel. It was also foretold by the Old Testament prophets: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove your heart of stone from your flesh (Ezekiel 36:26-27; see also Jeremiah 31:31-33).”

   Some Christians are confused when they read Romans Chapter 7, and think perhaps the person described in this passage is a Christian.  But Paul wrote this particular chapter to his fellow Jews (see Romans 7:1) to convince them that in Christ, they died not only to sin; they also died to the Mosaic Law.  Paul describes the frustration and anguish of a person who is not yet born again and wants to obey God but who cannot do so because of his sinful nature.  That person finally cries out, “I am a wretched man!  Who will set me free from this body of death (this sinful nature)? (Romans 7:24)”  Paul then provides the answer based on his own personal experience, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25)” God knew that man’s sinful nature was his Achilles heel, which Satan would use to continually snare him in sin.  This is why the Old Covenant could not accomplish God’s eternal purpose since man’s sinful nature prevented   him from truly obeying God’s commandments.  Therefore, what the Law was powerless to do because of our sinful nature; God did in the New Covenant by sending His Son who perfectly fulfilled the Law and then become sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ (Romans 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

   When God completed His divine heart transplant, He did not leave us with two natures.  If God had left a sinful nature in us, we would be divided in heart and mind.  We could never stand up to Satan’s attacks and accusations.  If we still had a sinful nature, the devil would always have a spiritual foothold of sin within us to defeat us.  This would have been a woefully incomplete and pitiful salvation. But thank God that Christ’s death on the cross has given us complete victory over sin!  By the cross, God delivered us not only from the penalty of sin; He also delivered us from the power of sin by destroying and removing our sinful nature.  We are now a holy new creation in Christ.  But if our sinful nature is dead and gone, then why do we still sin?  Because our spiritual mind needs to be renewed and transformed by God’s Word to the point that we act on the truth that we have died and been freed from sin (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23).  This is the whole gospel that Paul practiced: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God (Galatians 2:20).”

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinth 5:17

“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from beginning to end, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”  Romans 1:16-17

   Many of us who profess to be Christians practice only part of the gospel: Christ’s atonement for the forgiveness of sins.  We know faith in Christ and His atoning death on the cross is the only basis for our salvation.  However, we don’t know (or don’t practice) that faith in Christ’s death on the cross is also the only basis for our Christian living.  The result is we believe our sins are forgiven by faith but we don’t know how to live the Christian life by faith.  We trust Jesus as Savior and hope one day to go to heaven but, in between, we struggle to live as Christians by the best of our ability.

   What is this Christian life that Jesus intended us to live?  Jesus described it as a life of discipleship.  As His disciples, Jesus commands us to deny ourselves and give up everything (Luke 9:23; 14:33).  We are called to love just as He loves (John 13:34) and be holy just as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15).  The more we read the Bible, we will realize forgiveness of sins is a gift (at Christ’s expense) but discipleship will cost our entire life. We cannot genuinely profess to be Christians if we are not truly Christ’s disciples.  Jesus said, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say (Luke 6:46)?”

   How can we live this life of spiritual purity, self-sacrifice and selfless love?  The answer is we cannot.  Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).”  It is impossible to follow Christ and truly obey His commands if we rely on our own morality and ability. But God has provided the way through His Son’s death on the cross.  When Jesus died, He took our sin nature upon Himself so that our sinful nature died with Him (Romans 6:6).  “God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).” We might call this a divine heart transplant by which God exchanged our terminally sin-sick heart with His Son’s divine heart.  Since our sinful nature is now dead and gone, we can live the Christian life by faith in Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2:20).

   Jesus has already borne our old sinful nature on His cross but He also said, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27).” A similar verse is found in Matthew 10:38:  “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.”  In the next verse (Matthew 10:39), Jesus then explains how we can bear our own cross: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”  The Greek word used here for “life” is psyche, which means soul-life.  Therefore, we bear our cross and prove we are His disciples by yielding our soul-life to Christ.  God has made us spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  When we were born again, our old sinful nature died and our spirit became one with Christ’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). Our soul, however, is our natural personality – the sum of our individuality and the source of our natural temperament and talent.  Because we retain our free will, our soul does not automatically come under Christ’s Sovereignty.  However, once we know that we have died with Christ, we are capable of truly submitting to Christ’s authority so that God can transform and restore our soul (Psalm 19:7; Romans 12:1-2).  God doesn’t want to destroy our soul; He meant our soul to be a useful instrument just like our body.  But now that we are in Christ, the important question we must face is, “Will we live by the power of His Spirit or the power of our soul?”

   Each of us is endowed with soul-power.  This is what we can accomplish by our natural personality.  Until God has trained us by His Spirit, we will rely on our natural ability to do Christ’s work and bear His fruit.  Yet the power of our personality cannot reproduce Christ’s life.  Only Christ’s Spirit in us can reproduce His life (John 6:63).  When God shows us that we have died with Christ and we see the futility of our soul-power to bear His fruit, we will learn not to trust our natural zeal and ability to do God’s work (Philippians 3:3).  We may be born again but if we continue to live by the soul, we will quench and grieve the Holy Spirit in us. A brother in Christ once said if we live by the body, we become like beasts and if we live by the soul, we become rebels to God.  The Bible says if we are led by the Spirit, we are sons of God but if we continue to be ruled by the soul, we are hostile to God (Romans 8:12).  How can we know the difference between the Spirit and the soul so we can live under the sovereignty of the Spirit?  Again, the answer is we cannot.  Once again, we must ask Jesus to do in us what we cannot do ourselves.  As we fix our eyes on Jesus who is Light, we have light (John 8:12) and the Spirit can show us when we act from out of our soul instead of being led by the Spirit (Hebrews 4:12-13).

   Until we know we have died and our life is hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3), our soul’s driving need is for self-identity, self-preservation and self-fulfillment.  Our self-identity may be as a Christian teacher, worker or minister.  Since our self-esteem depends on our self-identity, fulfilling our soul-life becomes our aim.  Tragically, much of what is done in Jesus’ name is to satisfy this soulish drive for identity rather than finding our identity in Christ.  The key to laying down our soul-life is to know the truth that we have already died and our sinful nature has been completely removed (Colossians 2:11).  A dead man does not need an identity.  If we know we have died in Christ, we are freed from soulish ambition (Galatians 6:14).  We are then capable of dying daily to our soul-life so that Christ’s life may be revealed in us to others (2 Corinthians 4:10-11).  This is the whole gospel of God (Acts 20:27).

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.”  John 12:24-25

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Revelation 12:10

   In the final spiritual conflict of this age, a great persecution will come upon the church.  The Bible says the body of overcomers who triumph over Satan during this intense warfare will have one distinguishing mark: “They loved not their lives” when faced with death.  This indicates true Christians will die in this final conflict rather than forsake their bold testimony of Christ.  It also indicates the final test of our faith in this end-time persecution will be our willingness to lose our lives for Christ’s sake.

   The Holy Spirit is calling this generation to prepare as soldiers of Christ for this end-time battle.  However, we will only overcome Satan and his legions if we train in peacetime the way we will fight in wartime.  Since our fight is not against mortal men but against the spiritual forces of evil, we won’t win this battle with earthly weapons. Instead, we will overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb.  This is the basis for laying down our lives.  This is the key to victory.  The blood of the Lamb speaks of the triumphant work that Christ accomplished by His death on the cross. Just as Jesus Christ conquered Satan by laying down His life on the cross, we also will overcome the devil by laying down our lives through the power of the cross.  Not only did Christ die on the cross for us (Romans 5:8), He also included us in His death (Romans 6:8).  Therefore when Christ died, we died with Him  (2 Corinthians 5:14).  By the power of Christ’s crucifixion, God removed our sinful nature and replaced it with His Son’s life (Romans 6:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:11; 3:3). Therefore Satan no longer has any power over us to make us sin (Romans 6:7; 1 John 3:8).

   If we believe this to be the gospel, then we should lay down our lives everyday for Christ.  This is how we can prepare for both the end-time conflict and the age to come when we will reign with Christ.  Jesus said if we do not lose our own life and even hate it for His sake, we cannot be His disciples (Matthew 10:38-39; Mark 8:34-35; Luke 14:26-27).  The Greek word for “life” used in these gospel accounts is psyche, which means soul-life.  This is the life that originates from our natural personality and encompasses our attitudes, affections and abilities.  What does it mean to lose our soul-life for Christ?  It means we lay down our self-will and natural personality and preferences to Christ’s authority.  When we lay down our soul-life to Jesus Christ, we prove our faith in His Sovereignty and His completed work on the cross.  We also demonstrate our love for the brethren (1 John 3:16).  This is what the Lord meant when He said we must carry our own cross if we want to follow Him (Luke 9:23).  

   Although the ultimate test of losing our soul-life may be to die for Christ (since this goes against the natural instinct of self-preservation), we will have many other daily opportunities to practice dying to self when Christ’s authority crosses our natural desires.  For example, we may be routinely challenged to lose our soul-life to serve our family.  Or we may have to suffer a difficult affliction that presses us beyond our natural endurance.  Or we may have to resist a temptation that is beyond our natural self-control.  Or we may have to love a dedicated personal enemy who is impossible for us to naturally love.  The only way we can triumph in these trials and temptations is to believe our sin nature has died and been removed by Christ’s death.  Then we can choose to overcome sin and die to our soul-life by faith in the power of Christ who lives in us.

.  There is yet another aspect to losing our soul-life for Christ’s sake.  When we know we have died with Christ, we will want to serve Him in the Spirit and not trust in our natural ability.  This is what the apostle Paul meant when he said, “we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put  no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3).” Unfortunately, many Christians are unwisely encouraged to use their natural talents to serve God without proper discipleship in losing their soul-life for Christ’s sake.  For example, believers with musical talents are urged to lead worship.  Or those with natural leadership and speaking abilities are pressed into pastoring and preaching.  However, most Christians have not been properly established in a foundation of Christ crucified  (we died with Christ so He might live in us).   Nor have they been properly trained in living by the power of the Spirit rather than the power of their soul (their natural personality). The tragic outcome is that many Christians are fulfilling their soul-life through ministry rather than losing their soul-life to gain Jesus Christ.  This is not just harmless; it is hostile to the Spirit of God (Romans 8:12-14; Galatians 5:17).

  Many Christians also mistakenly think they can submit their natural man to Christ through self-discipline.  But this only strengthens their soul-power (their natural personality) and separates them from the grace of God.  It is impossible to lose your soul-life if you do not believe you have been crucified with Christ.  But when you know your sinful nature is dead, God will reveal how your unsubmissive soul quenches the power of His Spirit.  Then you will see the need to always identify by faith with Christ’s death on the cross to receive His spiritual discipline and training.

  The final conflict of this age is soon approaching.  It’s time for every Christian who hears the call of the Spirit to report for duty to our Commander-in-Chief, Jesus Christ, for spiritual warfare training.  Our Lord Jesus has already secured the victory for us by including us in His death.  If we know we have died with Christ, let us train by laying down our lives now so we will be ready to lay down our lives for Him in the coming war against the saints.

“Suffer hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  No one serving as a soldier entangles himself in everyday life, so that he may please his commanding officer.” 2 Timothy 2:3-4

For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Philippians 1:29 “For you yourselves know that we have been destined for this… we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction.” 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4

   Many Christians believe God is infinitely happy and that He also wants us to be happy.  They believe the idea of sorrow and suffering is negative thinking and should be avoided.  This is a false gospel.  It ignores the whole counsel of God as revealed by His Word.  Many people mistakenly believe that the pursuit of happiness is our God-given right.  However, this directly contradicts the Bible, which declares the pursuit of holiness is our God-given obligation.  Multitudes are now reaping the godless fruit of pursuing temporal, earthly happiness instead of the righteousness of God that comes by faith and the church has been compromised by buying into this false gospel.  The Bible is also clear we cannot pursue the holiness of God without suffering here on earth.  In contrast to the false gospel of happiness, the Bible says Christ was “a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering (Isaiah 53:3).”  Even though He was the Son of God, God perfected Jesus as the Son of Man, the author of our salvation, through sufferings (Hebrews 2:10; also 5:8).”  Jesus Himself said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things (Mark 8:31).”

   Jesus Christ could not have redeemed His bride without suffering, even to the point of suffering death on the cross.  Similarly, the bride of Christ cannot be prepared for eternal union and co-rulership with Christ without also suffering. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).”  Jesus told His disciples they could expect to drink from His cup of suffering (Matthew 20:22-23).  The apostle Peter said, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21).”  The apostle Paul said, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).”  This suffering refers not to our initial salvation but to our sanctification and spiritual maturity.  We are destined to suffer because we cannot possess our spiritual inheritance in Christ if we don’t suffer for Christ’s sake (Romans 8:17).

   Suffering is inseparably linked with knowing Jesus Christ.  Paul said, “I want to know Christ… and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings (Philippians 3:10).”  We cannot resist sin and the carnal desires of our soul-life without suffering emotionally and physically.  “Therefore since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of his time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God (1 Peter 4:1-2).”  We cannot be God’s legitimate sons if we are not willing to suffer the pain of His divine discipline (Hebrews 12:5-10).  We cannot bear God’s spiritual fruit if we are not willing to suffer the pain of His divine pruning (John 15:2).  We cannot be Christ’s soldiers if we are not willing to suffer hardship (2 Timothy 2:3).  We are destined to suffer for Christ’s sake because suffering produces Christian character and spiritual maturity (Romans 5:3-4; James 1:2-4).  Therefore, when we ask God to help us grow in Christ, we should not be surprised when we encounter hardship and suffering.  God is Sovereign and God is Love.  When we suffer, it is not by accident; it is by God’s design.  God has ordered our suffering according to His knowledge of our need and for our good.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).”

   What is the mystery of suffering?  Paul said, “We do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction… that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength… so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).” The Greek word for affliction is thlipsis.  It is also translated as tribulation and simply means pressure.  God has designed suffering to apply pressure on us until we are pressed beyond our natural ability.  When we finally come to the end of ourselves, God will reveal the mystery of Christ’s crucifixion to us.  This is the divine revelation that God included us in His Son’s death so that Christ might live in us (Romans 6:3-11; Colossians 1:27).  The Son of God died in our place to forgive us from the penalty of sin; He now wants to live in our place to free us from the power of sin.  God has made this possible by using Christ’s death on the cross to remove our sinful nature and replace it with His Son’s holy nature.  This divine exchange is the secret to the overcoming Christian life.  God has designed suffering to reveal and continually reinforce this divine truth in us.  As Paul testified, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me and the life I now live,  I live by faith in the Son of God (Galatians 2:20).”

   Many Christians believe they are entitled to happiness rather than destined to suffer.  This is a false gospel that will cause many to fall away from the faith during the coming tribulation and persecution.  God has not called us to happiness but He has called us to holiness.  There is no exception to this call for a Christian.  Our reaction to affliction will determine whether our suffering produces God’s divine objective – the joy of knowing Jesus Christ and being conformed to His image.  Yielding to self-pity, anger and bitterness is a waste of our suffering.  If we understand God’s purpose in suffering, we can accept our affliction and trust in a wise and loving Almighty God.  “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed in us… for momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond comparison (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17).”

“Therefore, those who suffer according to the will of God should entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” 1 Peter 4:19