RECEIVING CHIRST AS SAVIOR, REDEEMER OR CREATOR

Posted on by BETH

For the Christian, “Receiving Christ” is not the same as the denominational doctrine of “Receiving Christ as one’s personal savior.”  “Receiving him” in this context, does not refer to Christ as savior.  The context of “receiving Christ” goes at least back to John 1:10: “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not” (John 1:10). Jesus made the world and therefore is Creator.  The Jews did not receive him as Creator (John 1:11).  The Jews did receive him as an ordinary Jew until he was 30 years old and began to preach publicly.  Even then, as he went from village to village, they only received his healing and gifts.  However, the Jews did not receive Christ as being their Creator.

What does it mean to receive Christ as Creator?  To receive Christ as one’s “Personal Savior” requires a deep gratitude.  When Paul saved the jailer’s life in that prison in Philippi, the jailer owed Paul his life.  However, the jailer did not live only for Paul from that day forward.  In that sense Paul was his savior but not his Creator.  A savior has done a good work which requires a great depth of gratitude, but a Creator owns what he creates. “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psa. 24:1).  “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine” (Eze. 18:4).  What belongs to the Creator should be reserved only for the Creator; however, man has ignored the Creator and the Creator’s purpose.  Some are willing to give God a token from their abundance, but that is not all that belongs to God.  He owns the world and everything in it.  He expects man to live only for him and his purposes.  “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15).  Thus receiving Christ is to receive the purpose for which he died, that we would no longer live for ourselves, but for him. In fact, he gives us a specific warning that states that exact principle.  “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35). Receiving Christ as ‘personal savior’ is to be thankful for what has been done in the past, and then to turn “every one to his own way” (Isa. 53:6). To receive Christ as Creator (John 1:10-12) is to turn from living for ourselves, lose all that we have, and live only for him and the gospel (Mark 8:35).  Those who receive Christ as Creator are given power to become the sons of God, for they believe on his name (authority) (John 1:12).  His authority is not for a part of our lives but it is all power (authority) in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).

Not only is Christ our Creator, but he is also our Redeemer.  What does it mean to be a Redeemer or to be redeemed?  The significance of being redeemed by the blood of Christ is often only partially understood. To most, a Redeemer is someone who paid the price for our sins.  Forgiveness of sins is surely an integral part of our redemption, but only a part.  When we sin, we are taken captive by Satan.  When we are saved, God has “. . . translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13). Thus we are redeemed from Satan.  This is the blessing that we get, but it says nothing about what Christ gets.  The word ‘redeem’ is to ‘buy up.’   Christ is our redeemer because he has redeemed “. . .the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).  When Jesus redeems us, he purchases us.  We know now what it means to be redeemed.  He tells us plainly that “…ye are not your own.  For ye are bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Based on that purchase he says, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men” (1 Cor. 7:23). This is the reason for his declaration that: “…he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15). If we are purchased we do not belong to ourselves.  We belong to the one of who bought us.  If we belong to Christ, then we have no right to live our lives to suit ourselves.  This is why Jesus said, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35).  When we receive Christ as Creator and Redeemer we belong solely to him in two ways—he owns his creation and he owns what he has purchased.  We are truly and only his.

Children of God During the Old Testament Era

Posted on by BETH

During Old Testament times, only a few were God’s spiritual children in His world (Psa. 14:3). In Jesus’ time, a few were spiritual children of Abraham (John 8:23), and we see that the apostles were walking in the steps of Abraham under the Old Law (John 8:39).  God’s spiritual children were scattered abroad during the Old Testament era (John 11:51-52).

There was a spiritual birth and death in Old Testament times.  All men were born alive to God during the Old Testament and New Testament periods (Rom. 7:7-9).  Adam and Eve were the first ones to die spiritually after they sinned (Gen 2:17).  In the Old Testament period all men died the same spiritual death we see in Rom. 5:12-14.  He gives the reason why all have died and simply testifies that all have sinned (Rom. 5:12).  All have sinned and thus have died spiritually (Rom. 3:23).  Men could be born again in the Old Testament period (Psa. 14:3).  Notice that Daniel came alive to God one day when, for the first time, God began to listen to his prayers (Dan. 12:10).  During that time God did not accept those who had turned away from His law (Pro. 28:9).  Even those once alive were rejected when they turned to sin (Isa. 59:1-2).  In Old Testament times the sinners were dead to God but the righteous were alive to God (Eze. 18:5-9).  It was during the Old Testament era that Paul died spiritually (Rom. 7:7-9).  There are two births in New Testament times (John 1:10-13).  The Old Testament birth is still a real birth (Dan. 10:12).  Daniel and many others came alive to God after they sinned and died spiritually.  The apostles were alive to God before the cross (Matt. 13:16).

The Lord gives many examples of those who were alive to Him before they came into the kingdom.  Cornelius was alive to God and his prayers and alms were accepted before he was in the kingdom (Acts 10:1-3).  He could not enter heaven without being in Christ, in the kingdom (Eph. 2:11-13).  Paul saw Christ and talked to Christ before he was converted (Acts 9:3-6), and he saw a vision before he was in the kingdom (Acts 9:12).  The Ethiopian Eunuch was chosen before he heard the gospel (Acts 8:26-29).  God opened Lydia’s heart before she was in the kingdom (Acts 16:14).  God knew many of the Corinthians before they heard His word (Acts 18:9-10).  God continues to seek those who understand and are seeking Him (Psa. 53:2).  God is the one who decides who will be become his children, and they are “. . . born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12, 13).  This is not to say that man has no part.  God responds to “. . . as many as received him. . .” and gives them “. . . power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12-13).

NEW TESTAMENT CHILDREN OF GOD

Posted on by BETH

The same principle discussed in the last lesson applies to being children of God under the New Covenant.  God’s children will walk in the steps of God.  He returns good for evil in causing His sun to shine on the evil as well as the good (Matt. 5:43-45).  Those who do good to those who are evil, walk in the spiritual steps in which God walks, and are thus true children of God.  Returning good for evil makes it possible “…that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven (Matt. 5:44, 45).  When we walk in this kind of love, we are “followers of God, as dear children” (Eph. 5:1, 2).  If we do not love our enemies we are not God’s children.  Jesus was a true child of God in that he watched to see what his Father did, and then did the same thing (John 5:19, 20).  If we walk in the steps of Christ, and do only what we see Christ doing, we will be walking in the steps of God and be his children also.  This is not talking about the physical steps of the Nazarene that walked the dusty roads of Jerusalem.  This is walking in the spiritual steps of Jesus, some of which were humility (Phil. 2:5-8), meekness (Matt. 11:28-30), growing in wisdom and in favor with God (Luke 2:52), sanctifying oneself (John 17:19), suffering for having done right (1 Pet. 2:18-23), etc. .

Though God’s children can see the spiritual kingdom and the world of that kingdom, they can lose their spiritual sight, after they have been born. He told the Christians in Galatia etc., “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Pet. 1:9).  Some Christians were so blind they did not see even the first principles (Heb. 5:11, 12).  The Laodiceans had lost their spiritual sight and did not know it (Rev. 3:17). God will take His sight back again if a man is not careful how he hears (Luke 8:18).  This spiritual birth is a birth strictly by and from God (John 1:10-13).  These souls “. . . were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13).  This is not to say Calvinism is true. Unless man does his part, God will not give birth to him.  There is an essential qualification before one can even have power to become a child of God (John 1:12).  We will study more on that later.

VIII. GOD’S SPIRITUAL CHILDREN: Old Testament and New

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Entering the kingdom of God is to become a citizen or child of God.  Those who are not children of God are not in the kingdom.  Who are the children of God and how can we recognize them?  The Lord recognizes at least two different kinds of children.

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:  Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed  (Rom. 9:6-8).

The Lord discerns between two very different kinds of children—fleshly and spiritual.  Not all of the Israelites were circumcised in heart.  All physical Israel is of Israel physically; however, not all of Jacob’s physical descendants are spiritual children of Israel.  Jesus describes those who are children of Abraham in heart as well as in the flesh. (John 8:37-44).  He acknowledged that the Jews were physically descended from Abraham, as his seed (John 8:37); however, he shows a difference between Abraham’s seed and Abraham’s children.  Jesus acknowledged that the Jews were Abraham’s seed (John 8:37) but denied that they were Abraham’s children.

They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham  (John 8:39-40).

Abraham’s children are those who do the works of Abraham.  They walk in the steps of the faith of Abraham.  Only those who walk in Abraham’s steps are his children (Rom. 4:12).  The Jews who had the heart of Abraham could do the works of Abraham (Matt. 12:35).  The Jews (with some exceptions) in Jesus’ time did not have a heart like Abraham.  Their heart was more like the Devil’s heart, because they were seeking to kill God’s Son (John 8:44).  Abraham did not kill the prophets like these Jews were trying to do to Jesus (John 8:40). John the Baptist chided the Jews when he said: “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Matt 3:9).  God could not raise physical children of Abraham out of the stones.  A physical child of Abraham must descend from Abraham’s fleshly body; however, God could easily create “a body” out of stones, and put a soul in that body which had the faith of Abraham (Matt. 3:9) who would do the works of Abraham from “the abundance of a heart” of faith like Abraham.  Unless we do the works of Abraham, we are not children of Abraham.

Similarly, those women who walk in the steps of Sarah, will do the works of faith which Sarah did.  For example: she trusted the One who gave her husband authority over her and obeyed the Lord by obeying Abraham, calling Abraham Lord (1 Pet. 3:6

Entrance to The Kingdom

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Jesus gave Peter the keys to open the doors of this kingdom.  Those who believe that the kingdom has not come believe Jesus gave Peter some keys that were of no value to Peter at all.  Keys open doors.  If the kingdom did not come, there were no doors for Peter to open with those keys.  Jesus gift to Peter would have been a vanity.  But Peter did open the doors to the kingdom on the day of Pentecost.  One of the keys that opened the door to the kingdom was of humility–a spiritual key.

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven  (Matt. 18:3-4).

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5).  Those he opposes are not able to enter into the kingdom.

The question is, who are the spiritual children, and how did they get to become spiritual children?  Jesus showed Nicodemas how to enter this kingdom.  First Jesus said “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).  We noted that the kingdom can not even be seen without a spiritual birth. How can we enter it?  “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).  Many different interpretations have been given to this vision.  They cannot all be correct.  Jesus explained that this birth is not a physical birth but a spiritual birth. (John 3:5-8).  Generally speaking, a physical birth puts a person into the physical nation in which he is born.  It is understandable that a spiritual birth would put a person into God’s spiritual kingdom.  This sounds easy enough.  Why would we need to strive to enter it?  The reason is that there are other requirements to get into the kingdom besides seeking.  “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:3).  Not even these apostles were able to enter the kingdom of heaven unless they were converted and became as little children.  How were they to become ‘as little children?’  The next verse tells us: “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:4).  Humility is not easy to gain!  Humility is one of the things that men must ‘strive’ for, if they are going to enter the kingdom.  Entering the kingdom of God is to be born into it to, and thus to become alive to God by a spiritual birth.  Those who are alive to God are spiritual children.