2014.10.19_The Resurrection of Jesus and the Gospel

Those Who Have Been Empowered By the Works Accomplished Through the Incarnation of Jesus

God is the Father of life. He loved us and gave His only begotten Son to the world. The only begotten Son came to the earth in bodily form (the incarnation). He came in the flesh in order that the works He undertakes in the flesh would be applied to all mankind (Matt 20:28).

The will of God was accomplished through the works He carried out in the flesh, the merits of which were given to man as a gift. Even so, not everyone gets to enjoy the benefits of His merits, since each person takes a different stance towards that gift. It is not up to God to determine by force whether someone would receive in that gift or not. It is no longer a gift if a person is forced to accept it.

Refusing to accept the faith in Jesus Christ is the same as declaring before God, ‘I will deal with my own matters. Leave me alone!’ Whoever rejects Jesus Christ like so, has already been judged. Such a person cannot receive the benefits of the power of the meritorious works of Jesus granted to all mankind and hence cannot be saved. Conversely, anyone that believes in the merits of Jesus can be empowered by all that He has accomplished through His incarnation.

There is a will of God in sending His Son in the flesh. That will has taken effect in those who have been saved. For them, the very first change resulting from this effect is that their fear of the end of the age disappears. And what follows through that change is that they no longer fear the death of their flesh either. The redeemed person awaits the end to come in anticipation, and considers the death of his flesh as a transitional process. It will be the most joyful day for such people when Christ returns.

If someone is apprehensive and fearful of the end times, it is because he is uncertain of where he would go after he dies. That nervous feeling in his heart somewhere gives him the sense that he would not be able to escape the coming punishment. Such a person has not received the grace given through Christ’s incarnation.

Those who have rejected faith, and those who once had faith but later forsook it, will realize one day that they made the biggest mistake of their life and weep in shock and fear. Though different to these two, there is another group of people who will beat their breasts in regret as much as them. They are the Christians who were completely satisfied with the very little faith they had and never brought it into question.

In contrast, there are those who continued on with their hope set on the Lord’s return. They will be utterly amazed to see the incredible benefits they receive as a result of all the suffering the Lord endured in the flesh (His incarnation). On that day, even those who knew that the Lord would reward them will be amazed at the abounding glory that goes beyond imagination. They will praise the Lord saying they had never expected there to be such great glory.

The Outcome of Christ’s Suffering

What was the result of the suffering Jesus endured in the flesh? It says in 1 Peter 2:24, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” There are, broadly two outcomes being mentioned here.

First of all, Jesus carried our sins. He is the Word which became flesh and came to the world (John 1:14). That word is spirit (John 6:63). The flesh of Jesus is, in essence, different to that of man which came from dust and returns to it. He died in that flesh to replace the death of man’s spirit not his flesh. In other words, by His death, Jesus bore the fearful punishment (death) man has to face in Hell.

Secondly, Jesus carried our diseases. By His stripes, He bore the curse of disease and affliction that we are to receive on the earth. Man is oppressed under the threat of disease and tribulation in this world. Although the Bible mostly uses the term ‘disease’ or ‘sickness,’ its meaning incorporates all forms of affliction including poverty. The Bible describes them all as curses resulting from sin. It is very clear in the Old Testament especially that man is punished by God when he sins, and in most cases that punishment is manifested in the form of sicknesses.

The principle that God punishes those who sin has not disappeared in the New Testament. That principle still holds. However, Jesus received the punishment upon His flesh in our place. Hence, God no longer punishes. In spite of this, diseases are still tormenting people. That is because demons embed themselves in sin, just like mould growing in damp, shady areas. Thus, to eliminate sickness, it is vital to resolve the matter of sin in which it is rooted.

Some people think that they are afflicted with sickness as a punishment from God for their sins. Such thinking nullifies the stripes Jesus had received. It was to save us from our trouble that the Lord came in the flesh. How dumbfounded would He feel if we asked indifferently, ‘Lord, why did you come in the flesh? Did something happen?’ Then, there are some who claim that a person should rightfully be responsible for his own sins. Whoever rejects the power of the stripes Jesus received like so, has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus Christ.

Those Who Have the Marks of Christ’s Suffering

The stripes of Jesus Christ and His death are linked as one, namely the works of destroying sin. By His stripes, He began the work of eradicating the curse. He was never scourged when He worked as a carpenter. His scourging was the final moment of His public ministry. He began making the gift of salvation while He was being flogged. He was wrongfully sentenced, scorned, beaten, and finally put to death on the cross in order to bear for us the curse that manifest as sickness as well as the punishment we were to receive in hell.

Hence, there is no need to treat the stripes of Jesus and His death separately. His stripes and His death were the continuation of a project under one heading. That project began when Jesus was scourged and came to completion when He died on the cross.

Jesus said that the sick will be healed when believers lay their hands on them (Mark 16:18). The stripes Jesus received has not disappeared; it remains in us as a type of mark. There are several verses in the Bible in relation to this: “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism” (1 Pet 3:21); “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Gal 6:17); “who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Cor 1:22); “the signs of an apostle” (2 Cor 2:12); “And these signs will follow those who believe” (Mark 16:17). What these verses are saying is God places a permanent mark within us, in regard to the work Jesus Christ has done. From our perspective, that mark is a seal which God engraves in us. From God’s perspective, it is faith. If the mark of the suffering of Jesus Christ is in us, its powers will now be manifested through our body. They are the signs God gives to those who believe.

Mark 16:16 says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Salvation is not attained through man’s righteousness, merits, or efforts. It is by realizing the fact that Jesus was captured in Gethsemane, suffered and died on the cross, and how that was a sacrifice made for us. And those who are saved in this way, have the merits of Jesus deeply engraved in their hearts. Apostle Paul said, “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Gal 6:17). The ‘marks’ mentioned here refers to being sealed as with a branding iron. If the flesh is branded with a hot iron, that mark never disappears. Those who have been saved bear the marks of Jesus Christ’s suffering, the marks of His death.

First Peter 3:21 referred to baptism as a mark of salvation. Baptism is a visible mark of burying one’s old self. If we are born again, then it means that our old self has died. When a branch is cut off and grafted into a new tree, it is completely separated from the old tree. And to the old tree, that branch is dead. In the same way, baptism is confessing that we were God’s enemy from birth and burying that old self.

Baptism is also the act of confessing that we will live again as a new person just as Jesus Christ has resurrected. Hence, receiving baptism means to acknowledge that Jesus Christ has resurrected. Some people ask, “Isn’t it enough that I have faith even if I haven’t been baptized?” However, we have to be baptized because Jesus commanded us so. But more importantly, making the decision to be baptized is in itself the act of showing that we have the power of the Lord’s resurrection within us. Receiving baptism means to testify, “Jesus Christ has resurrected! I bear the marks of His resurrection in me!” What is the evidence that our spirit has come to life? It is the fact that we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hence, the one receiving baptism is filled with excitement and joy. That is because he has the hope and assurance that he will resurrect as Christ has. Being baptized means to confess our faith that we will resurrect as Christ has resurrected.

People have much interest in health. They search and eat things like ginseng all for the sake of their health. And their lifespan will probably increase if they eat good foods and exercise much. However, the blood that Jesus shed through His suffering on Calvary has already made us those who can live eternally. If anyone has the power of the blood Jesus Christ shed, he shouldn’t act like a narrow-minded person, fixated on his flesh life that will soon pass away.

The world will certainly come to an end. That day is certainly not far from us. And on that day, the Lord will seek those who bear the marks of Christ’s suffering. On the earth, there are some who are respected by people, some who do admirable works, some who live in luxury. Yet on that day, the Lord will only be interested in those who have the marks of Christ’s suffering, that is, those who have the power of the blood. Conversely, those without the power of the blood will be shunned by the Lord. Moreover, the people who had conceptually taken the marks of Christ’s suffering put in their hearts will be in utter shock to see that the Lord actually seeks the marks of Christ’s suffering and realize that was a reality.

The Signs Displayed in Those Who Bear the Marks of Christ’s Suffering   

We do not only have the marks of the suffering of Christ, we can also see external evidences of those marks. What Jesus did as a carpenter do not become the marks we bear. However, all that He fulfilled starting from His scourging up to His final breath on the cross remain in us as a mark; none of it has disappeared. And those marks are manifested from us as the power to drive out demons and heal the sick.

For those who have the marks of Christ’s suffering, performing signs is their everyday life as well as the way of living their faith life; it is the practice of faith and its essential quality. Christians cannot forsake those marks and are continuously running towards the day of glory. Though we have been stigmatized by the unbelievers as those who are together with Christ, since we bear marks of Christ’s death and scourging, we are able to manifest that outwardly through signs.

God wants us to be healthy and our families to be happy. Because of the marks of Christ’s suffering in us, the enemies cannot harm or look down on us. We shouldn’t give in to the enemy’s scheme. We must cast sicknesses out from our families. We must drive away the enemy’s attack. Our hearts should have complete peace and freedom. These too are signs.

We should be able to lay our hands on our family members and heal their sicknesses. When our children are sick, we shouldn’t be timid in our hearts thinking, ‘what good would it do for someone like me who never prays to put my hands on them and pray?’ We need to stop thinking that we will pray only after we become great like the powerful pastors, and remember the fact that the marks of Christ’s suffering is within us. Jesus promised to manifest signs in those who bear those marks, namely those who believe. Thus, we must act right away. We must have signs to drive away the causes that trouble and afflict our families.

We need to restore the original state of condition back from what the enemy has done. We must demolish the enemy’s doings. We need to have our families abound with happiness, joy, laughter, thanksgiving and hymns. The Lord’s incarnation was for this purpose, and as planned, He was beaten, shed His blood and died. He has done so for us and the sake of our families.

People who take the Lord’s promised signs lightly may still be able to go to Heaven. Yet the treatment each person receives in Heaven will be different. A person, who does not care about God’s signs, has little faith and hope, and feels uncertain about going to Heaven, could in no way prepare for His life in Heaven properly. He would always fall backwards amidst doubt and lead his faith life pervaded with pettiness. Their future will be nothing like that of those who led their faith life with assurance and perseverance, and prepared for their life in Heaven. Even if they were to regret and try hard later on, it wouldn’t make much difference. Just as some players celebrate while others are in tears at the finals of the Olympics, the glory each person receives on that day will vary significantly.

We are presently living in a time of distrust and doubt. Even the believers are being influenced by the world unconsciously, and their faith is consequently being weakened further and further. If in this situation people just emphasize the heart saying, ‘well, the important matter is that we believe sincerely’, they may be concealing the fact that they are in doubt. The Lord stressed the point that signs will follow those who believe. We need to restore a good, sincere heart that the Lord is seeking from us, and purely and wholly receive in His words. If we bear the marks of Christ’s suffering and resurrection in us, the signs He promised must be displayed in us. For this, the Lord has sent us the Holy Spirit. Hence, there is no failure. We must trust the Lord’s words, rely on the Holy Spirit and act immediately.