2016.03.27_Our Goal is the Resurrection

We will live eternally as those who have inherited God’s genes
God is the Father of life. Some people despise their fathers for not leaving them a great fortune as inheritance. However the greatest inheritance a father can give his child is his genes. Genes are what determines whether one will be born as an animal or a human being. The reason we call God as our Father is not only because God created us but because He has given us His genes.
God sent us Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. They are not something which God created. God granted us what is uniquely His, that which cannot be separated from God forever. Those who have not received God’s grace are still able to obtain what God has created. However they cannot receive what is uniquely God’s. Yet we have received it, namely God’s genes. God gave us His genes in order that we may live eternally just like God.

The resurrection is the goal of our faith
Jesus Christ is God, the only begotten One who came from God’s bosom. He was born as a man through the body of a virgin. Yet this does not mean He is one of mankind. He has no relations with Adam’s lineage and thus He is without sin. He died on the cross to atone for man’s sins. And God raised Him to life after three days. He had resurrected from the dead, just as He said before His death, “I am the resurrection” (Jn 11:25). The disciples witness Jesus who had resurrected. The reason they were able to keep their faith to the end despite persecutions was because had witnessed the resurrection of Jesus.
The resurrection of Jesus is significant because there is God’s promise that whoever believes in Jesus will be resurrected also. If there was no resurrection, Christians who believe in Jesus would surely be the most pitiful people on earth. It says in 1 Corinthians 15:14-15, “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise”.
The purpose of our faith life is not the prosperity of our flesh. No matter how well-disciplined and trained our flesh may be through the Law, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven (1 Co 15:50). Though we believe in Jesus, our carnal desires do not disappear. The perishable flesh cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. Only the souls who have been graced by God can inherit the kingdom of God.
Those who accepted the grace of God receive baptism in order to take part in Christ’s resurrection. Receiving baptism is not about performing a ceremonial ritual established by doctrines; it’s about obeying the truth, and uniting with Jesus Christ to partake in His resurrection. Apostle Paul said he had the mark of Jesus in his body (Gal 6:17). This means having an experience which the body can sense, or more specifically, baptism. To have been baptized means one has partaken in the death and resurrection of Jesus, which in turn means he has the testimony of Jesus’ death and resurrection in his body.
Christian faith life has a clear goal. And that is the resurrection (Ph 3:8-14). Some people say they are marching towards the goal of the cross. However the goal of Christians is not the cross but the resurrection. The cross represents death. We carry the cross and put ourselves to death daily because we have the goal of the resurrection. Apostle Paul said, “If, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Ph 3:11-12).

We must live by the Holy Spirit in order to be resurrected
The topic of artificial intelligence has been making headlines recently. There is even news that artificial intelligence succeeded in writing a novel. The reason this is possible is because novels are fiction. Yet, no matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes, it will be impossible to write a personal essay because essays are based on the author’s personal experiences. If the Bible was classified in terms of literary genre, it is more of an essay than a novel, for the people who witnessed and heard the works of God wrote of their experiences.
In the future, preachers might even have their sermon scripts written by artificial intelligence. But will such sermons have the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? The Bible was written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit with inspiration from God. How can the spirit-less artificial intelligence receive the Holy Spirit, nor the sermons written by it have any inspiration of God? Such sermons are nothing more than fiction. In the Book of Revelations, it says many men will die from the water that turns to wormwood (Rev 8:11). The souls of those who receive fiction as the word of God will gradually perish without themselves even realizing.
When Jesus was preaching at the synagogue in Capernaum, a demon came out of a person and was cast out. People who saw this exclaimed, “A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him!” (Mk 1:27). Only the word that proceeds from the mouth of the eternally supreme God brings the demons to submission. Will demons submit to sermons written by artificial intelligence? There will probably be people who say they were blessed from listening to the sermons written by artificial intelligence. However their souls are bound to perish, for the Holy Spirit works only where there is the word of God (1 Thess 2:13).
Many people today do not lead their faith life in the spirit but according to their feelings. We must hold fast to a God-centered faith life. Though this is very difficult for the flesh, this becomes living water for the soul. If people live a faith life based on man-made doctrines, they will naturally follow their own feelings. Such people are only interested in personal satisfaction even during worship. But we have to understand that God is spirit and therefore seeks those who worship in spirit and truth (Jn 4:23-24). Those that lead their faith life based on feelings could even leave the church if their feelings get hurt for any reason at church. However, not only is this woeful for such a person, it is also for their children and descendants. If they move churches every time they feel hurt or offended, how can their children’s faith ever be rooted? While the Lord gave up His life in order to give us the resurrection, it would be most terrible if we bring harm to our children’s souls simply because we cannot overcome our own feelings.

Prepare for the resurrection in hope
A person who is baptized has not just gone in and out of the water; he has tasted the death of Jesus and partaken in His resurrection. In other words, he has the mark of Jesus. Just as Jesus headed for the resurrection, we are Baptists, who are running towards the goal of the resurrection (1 Co 15:23-24). Christians gather every Lord’s Day and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, for it is a great promise that has been given us.
Until the Lord returns, our lives should be about preparing for the resurrection. Revelation 19:7-8 says, “’The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints”. In order for the saints to have righteous acts, they must first have hope in the resurrection. A person filled with the hope of resurrection will be able to gladly bear death for the sake of that hope.
God sends the Holy Spirit to those who repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Because the Holy Spirit abides within us, God will raise our mortal bodies to life also (Rm 8:11). Religions can never lead a person to the resurrection. Only those who have the testimony of the Holy Spirit can participate in the resurrection. Hence, we need to fellowship with the Holy Spirit. We ought not to quench the Holy Spirit but always live by the Holy Spirit.
Artificial intelligence will, one day, surpass human beings. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, people will be unable to overcome in those times. Jesus said, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Mt 12:28). There must be the manifestations of the Holy Spirit inside the church continuously and the good news of God’s kingdom must be proclaimed always.