January 7, 2018_Your Sins Are Forgiven

God is perfect. Therefore, if the perfect God has saved us, that salvation is eternal and complete. Many people are not secure in their salvation even though they say they believe. That is because they do not have a proper understanding of salvation itself.

The spirit of man died when Adam sinned, and as a result man was destined for eternal punishment in hell. God sent His Son to bring the spirit of mankind back to life. Adam’s sin is called the Original Sin and it brought about the eternal death of all mankind. Therefore, it could not be resolved by forgiveness. In order to atone for it, a due payment would have to be made. The death of God’s Son was payment of man’s debt.

The spirit of the first man, Adam, was redeemed by the death of Jesus, the last Adam, who was an atonement for the sin of the first man. We believe that our spirit, which was dead, was made alive again, and we experience this through baptism. Through the physical act of baptism we experience the death and burial of our old-self as we are submerged in the water, and being a new man who is united with the resurrection of Jesus Christ as we re-emerge out of the water. It is a tangible and visual testament of our faith. Our spirit being alive is not a metaphor, it is real. The Holy Spirit testifies of this reality.

The Holy Spirit never came to anyone who was under the law. The law and ordinances of the flesh can only sanctify man’s flesh, but they cannot save a man’s soul. Those under the law were required to keep the Day of Atonement once a year, every year. On that day the high priest entered into the Most Holy Place with the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat to make atonement for the people. This was a foreshadow of what would take place in the future, and we have seen the fulfillment of it in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Through baptism, we have experienced the blood of Jesus. In other words, our spirit is made alive. The Holy Spirit guarantees that fact, therefore we must not doubt it in the least.

And yet, people are confused because, even though our spirit is alive, we still have the propensity to sin. Sometimes we make a solemn promise not to sin, so when we do sin, we are feel guilty because we sin again and again. Some people incorrectly say, “I have crucified Jesus once again because of my sin.” But that is not true. The suffering that Jesus endured when He was crucified is never repeated. In the same way, baptism takes place only once in a person’s life, there is no need to be baptized again. Though we sin by our very nature, the reality that our spirit is alive never changes. What we need then in those circumstances is, not the atonement, but rather the Lord’s forgiveness.

Whether we want to or not, we sin constantly. The Lord even considered careless and contemptuous words to be a serious offense. (Mt 5:22) Not only that, but Jesus judges the heart of man, for He said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mt 5:28) In this way, man commits sin in his heart as well as by his actions. The former is inborn sin, and the latter is actual sin, or sin that has been acted upon (or committed).

We need the Lord’s forgiveness regardless, whether it be for the sins of the heart or sins of commission. Regardless of how often we commit the same sin, we must not hesitate to repent each time. The Lord teaches us to forgive those who sin against us up to seventy times seven times, if needed. (Mt 18:22) The Lord also teaches in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” (Mt 6:12) Jesus not only wants us to always forgive others, but also to always receive His forgiveness as well.

Because of His authority, Jesus can continually forgive us without shedding His blood again. When a paralyzed man was brought to Him lying on his bed, He said, “Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven.” The scribes who were watching this unfold said to themselves, ‘This Man blasphemes! Who can forgive sins except for God? How can He say his sin is forgiven?’ Knowing their thoughts Jesus said, “Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or ‘Rise up and walk’?” (Mt 9:1-8)

Although the Lord commanded the lame man to take up his bed and go to his house, if his sins had not been forgiven, he could not have picked up his bed and walked. On the other hand, if he was forgiven he would have been able to pick up his bed and walk regardless of the severity of the sickness. When a person becomes ill because of their sin, they must first be forgiven of their sin in order to be healed. Sin and sickness are connected. Once we are forgiven we can be healed.

Some people say, “I will devote my life to the church and eventually I will be healed. This reasoning does not come from a complete and proper faith. We must remember that the lame man rose immediately after hearing Jesus’ command. Just as it does not take a long time to be forgiven, it doesn’t take a long time to be healed either. Some believe that a strict self discipline and a faithful devotion will solve their problems. If a Christian still thinks this way, he or she has not successfully let go of the customs and practices of man-made religion.

When I used to lead numerous evangelical crusades, I witnessed countless people who were healed immediately when they heard the gospel for the first time. When someone says they have faith but they are always sick, their sickness belies their claim. The reason they are not healed is because they do not believe in the Lord’s authority. Anyone who desires to be healed must first have faith that the Lord has forgiven their sins.

When Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven,” He was not referring to the Original Sin. The Original Sin was atoned for by His death on the cross, and no one had ever been redeemed before then. But personal sins could be atoned for under the law, and therefore, people were healed, even under the law. Nevertheless, only the flesh was served in this way, the spirit remained dead.

Jesus exercised His authority to say, “Your sins are forgiven” even though He had not yet been crucified. The scribes said ‘This man blasphemes, ’because they believed He had challenged God’s authority; whereas the onlookers glorified God, for they had witnessed Jesus’ authority. Matthew 9:8 records that, “When when the multitudes saw it they marveled, and glorified God who had given such power to men.”

Even believers can become sick because of personal sins. We can see from this passage that Jesus said to the man who had been healed, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” (John 5:14) If we become sick because of our own personal sins, the first and most important thing we need is to be forgiven. There is no reason to doubt the Lord’s power to forgive sins. 1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One.”

By shedding His blood, not only has the Lord atoned for the sin of mankind, but He also has the power to forgive a man’s personal sins. This is the equivalent of a President pardoning a convicted criminal. A felon who has been convicted in court is sentenced to punishment, and yet the President has the authority to pardon him, even if he has been sentenced to death.

Some people complain saying, “I know that man. He is a sinful man, why is he is working in the church?” According to man’s standard, a sinful man deserves to be punished. But Jesus, who is at the right hand of God, has the authority to forgive such a man. The Lord forgives anyone who seeks Him, and pours out the fullness of the Holy Spirit upon him.

We constantly need forgiveness. This doesn’t mean we regularly need to repent and be baptized again, but rather that we must sanctify ourselves every day. That way, we can be healthy and our souls can prosper. Because the Lord has the power to forgive sins, if He says we are clean ,then we are clean; if He says our sins are forgiven, they are forgiven.

The sad thing is that many Christians still struggle with guilt and thoughts that they have sinned so much, that they cannot be easily forgiven! They see their own sins as greater than the Lord’s authority to forgive. Do not so disdain God’s power. Remember that the thief on the cross received forgiveness and entered into paradise.

No matter how much a man cultivates his character or leads a clean life, unless the Lord declares that his sins are forgiven, he cannot be clean. We must long for the Lord to exercise His authority on our behalf. Why would the Lord, who shed His blood to redeem us, overlook our sins, which He Himself can forgive with His power? The moment He uses His power to forgive our sins, we can immediately be free from sickness and curses. So let us not linger in sickness and curses, but instead let us acknowledge the Lord’s power; and as a result let us be forgiven, let us be healed, and let us be free!

So do not be deceived regardless of how strongly the law condemns you, or how often the devil accuses you saying that you deserve to perish. God’s power is greater than the law and mightier than the devil’s deception. Let us believe in the Lord’s authority, sanctify ourselves, and thus defeat sickness, defeat curses, and defeat the enemy’s attempts to destroy us.

I thank you, my dear Sungrak people, who have just finished this past year. I pray that you will be victorious with God’s great love and grace this year.

To sum it up, in the previous year (2017) our church faced a great trial. It has not finished, and it is a great cause of concern that it is on-going. But God will be victorious in accordance to His will. It is satanic that people cannot differentiate the thought of man and the will of God, but rather they oppose the will of God with the thought of man.

Carrying just one copy of the Bible with me, I came to Seoul in 30^th of November 1969.I founded a church at ShingilDong and from nothing until now a great church has arisen. From the very earliest times since I founded this church I had no money, so I prayed and with the God-given inspiration of ‘the 5 loaves and two fish’ I ministered with this inspiration and power. Wherever others put their hands to work the churches they raised were brought to ruin, but wherever I put my hand to work it became God’s land, and God established a place to worship on it.

From the start our church had no finances. But with the power of God who makes things appear out of nothing, like when sowing a mustard seed, it started very small but manifested into something great. Therefore, the current debt the church has is the sign that we summoned an amount of property that was ten times that amount.

No matter what the speculation that is going around I, Semuon, have not laid one hand on the church. I have not laid one hand on the church’s money, but rather it has been revealed that I had donated much more money to the church. This is the result of Semuon working honestly for his whole life time, and it is also the result of you, the Sungrak people, for trusting me in the same way. However, as with the events of last year, a small portion of speculation and misunderstandings have lead to a great disaster.  As a result, for a matter that could have been resolved by waiting for the grace of God, it has come to the point that we needed to go to this world’s law courts, and starting with the dispute ‘Does the Overseer have authority or not?’, it has lead to the dispute ‘Has the Overseer abused or not?’.

However, I do not know if I will pass away today or tomorrow, and in my old age I am a servant who is full of the hope of coming before the Lord and seeing His face. So at least for my soul I toil with all my heart and strength that I will not be one tiny bit ashamed before Him. God has promised that He will keep Semuon healthy until he has reached victory. I will even come out of the law courts fairly. Your sincerest prayers will be a big strength and comfort to me. But the contemptible financial pressures placed on the church and other difficult situations imposed by these people will be made known to the world. For our own part we ourselves must overcome all this.

Dear Sungrak people, have you not heard the lament of the prophet Haggai (The Book of Haggai chapter 1-2)? At this time, we must look back to the church with comfort. I will give my life to protect all of you and the church. Please trust the church and Semuon. Thank you.

[gmedia id = 92]

Outline translated by Sarah Lee
Letter translated by John Kim
Interpretations by Sarah Lee
Korean Summary by Ki-Taek Lee