The Gospel of Jesus Christ through Paul

The Gospel of Jesus Christ through Paul

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When the church speaks about salvation, we must think, “What is the object (identity) of being saved?” Spirit, soul or body? John says in John 6:63, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Since it is said, we can see that the object of salvation is spirit. However, Peter says in 1 Peter 1:9, 『Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls..』 But Paul says in Romans 8:8-9, 『So then they that are in the flesh cannot Please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.』The center of salvation is the Spirit.

And, if we do not clearly identify the “relationship between the first Adam and the last Adam,” we will not be able to understand the purpose of salvation planned by God. In Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: “The one man” is the first man, Adam. Sin entered the world because “sin was created somewhere else and entered the world.” Where else? It is the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden symbolizes the kingdom of God. It means that there was sin in the kingdom of God. Of course, the story of the angel who sinned appears in Jude (1:6) and 2 Peter (2:4), but the most important thing is that we must know who the first man, Adam, was.

In Colossians 1:15, “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:” refers to Christ, the last Adam. However, he is “the firstborn of every creature:” (πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως) .It means that the first person created in the world is the first man, Adam, who is Christ.

In Romans 5:15, “But not as the offense, so also is the free gift.” For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.』We say that the crime of the first man, Adam, is the crime of atonement. can be said. Jesus, the last Adam, was also sinless, but because he died for atonement, he died as a sinner to the world. .

From Adam to Moses, about the sins of people, if we go back to Romans 5:12, we read, 『Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: The word “in this way” means “as did the first man, Adam.” This means that their sin entered the world, and death entered the world through sin. Their sin also means entering the kingdom of God like the first man, Adam.

『Adam is a type of the one to come』 The first man, Adam, entered the world with the sin of atonement, so he became "a man of flesh made of a soul of earth and spirit combined," and from then on, he continued to pass on his mortal body of sin to future generations. It is passed down. In the end, the last Adam took on the task of dying for sin. So, it is said that everything was accomplished when Jesus died on the cross.

In Romans 5:19, “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” The first man, Adam, did not obey God and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. . He received and ate the fruit Eve gave him. He disobeyed God's command. God needed the material world and the shape of a human being made of clay to imprison them in darkness because “the angels, who could be considered his sons,” disobeyed him. Although God imprisoned them, Christ (the atoning savior) was needed to save them again.

God himself becomes Christ. So, now it appears in the form of three persons. Christ disobeyed the rules set by God and ate the fruit given to him by Eve. Eve symbolizes the angel who sinned in the kingdom of God.

So, God explains it through the picture of the Garden of Eden. God created the first man, Adam (man), put him to sleep (a type of death), and made a woman (Eve) from a rib, and “the one who fell asleep after the rib fell off” woke up and the man (Adam) It has been done. Because the Hebrew word for person and the word for man both use the word Adam, it is easy for us to be mistaken.

The first man, Adam, and Adam, who became a man, are different beings. The first man, Adam, was Christ, and after separation, Adam (male) and Eve (female) were the spirits of angels who sinned and came into the dust.

Paul explains sin and death “through the relationship between the first man and the last man Adam,” and tells the story of salvation. Paul did not specifically explain the story of the angel who sinned in the kingdom of God, but in Ephesians 1:9-10, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; Even in him:』

In Ephesians 5:31-33, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.』

All of these words indicate that “the angelic spirit that left God enters again into Christ and becomes one with God.” Salvation is the salvation of the spirit, and it can also be said to be the salvation of the soul in the sense that “one must put on a new garment called the soul (clothes of Christ).” When born from parents, a person is born wearing a soul, which means a body of sin, so one must burn one's clothes (baptism by fire) and change into a new soul. This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So we can strictly say that it is the salvation of the soul. Paul also expresses the soul as the spiritual body. The spiritual body is opposed to the physical body, and the physical body is expressed as the old person and the spiritual body is expressed as the new person. This may be a way to aid understanding.

In order for a spirit to receive salvation, it must wear the clothes (spiritual body) of the kingdom of God, but the spirit is wearing a physical body (soul) in the world. The physical body (fresh) is the soul (physical clothes) created by the physical body. However, the spiritual body (clothes of righteousness), which is the garment of the kingdom of God, is made by God. The physical body comes from parents, and the spiritual body comes from God. Both can be called souls; the physical soul must die, but the spiritual soul has eternal life.

So, salvation becomes the salvation of the soul. When a person's soul from birth dies and is replaced by a soul with eternal life, the soul can finally enter the kingdom of God. In James 5:20, 『Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.』 In 1 Peter 1:9, 『Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.』

“Man dying” means physical death. As the body dies, the soul received at birth also dies. So, the spirit becomes naked. If the spirit does not put on new clothes, he will go into Hades and be judged by the second death. However, while the body is alive, the spirit can change clothes called the soul. That is the grace of God, the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is done through faith, and when believers realize that they are sinners who have left God, find themselves trapped in the world, and pray to repent and return to God, God gives grace.

When we believe that our “mortal physical body (soul)” died on the cross with Jesus, God puts a spiritual body (soul) on those who repent. Resurrection is when God gives us a spiritual body (clothes). So in Romans 6:5, “or if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”

Saints become like this not by “working hard, reflecting on themselves, living a self-emptying life, and living a godly life, as seen in other religions,” but only through the faith that the soul of a repentant person dies with Jesus. It will happen. This faith becomes the faith given by God when I deny my thoughts (my natural self). In Galatians 3:23-27, “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.” Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring unto us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.』

“Saints put on a new soul” is something that God creates through the Holy Spirit. This is called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. “The death of the former soul in union with Jesus on the cross” is called the fire baptism of the Holy Spirit. The fire baptism of the Holy Spirit symbolizes judgment (death on the cross), and the baptism of the Holy Spirit symbolizes resurrection. Everything is controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Due to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a temple is built in the soul of the saint who wears a resurrected body. The temple means the body of Christ. In John 2:19-21, Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.』 “His body that has been templed” means the body of resurrection. So, it means that the new temple was built for “those who currently believe in the resurrection of the saints.”

The Bible says that the kingdom of God (heaven) came within the hearts of those who built the new temple. “Heaven (He Basileia ton Uranon), which appears only in the Gospel of Matthew” refers to the temple in the hearts of believers. In Matthew 3:2 it says, “And say, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The saints have found the door into the kingdom of God. “The gate into the kingdom of God” is the resurrected body of Christ, that is, the establishment of the temple, and the saints entering the temple. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” In order to become a resurrection body (new soul), “the former soul must die on the cross of Jesus.” Believers must believe that “He died in union with.”

Salvation is not achieved when the body dies, but when the body is alive. In advance, the previous soul dies (second death) and a new soul (resurrection) is born from heaven (first resurrection). “All people on this earth” have become sinners against God, do not repent and have no hope for the kingdom of God, so they go to Hades and are judged by the second death.

However, while saints are alive, they receive God's judgment (second death) in advance. For reference, the first death is when the spirit of God's kingdom is trapped in the material world. And the second death is believing that one died on the cross with Jesus. Then, the saints will be resurrected in the same way as the resurrection of Christ. The Bible calls the resurrection of Christ the firstfruits, and because saints also participate in the firstfruits, it is called the first resurrection.

“Those who cannot participate in the first resurrection, those who are trapped in hell” will receive the white throne judgment (second death) in the body of the second resurrection. The “naked spirit trapped in Hades” will be clothed with the body (soul) of judgment at the second resurrection. Although expressed figuratively, in Mark 9:48-49, “Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.” There is a scary expression, “For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.”

Believers must understand this principle well, so that they can know why it is the salvation of the soul. Not all believers are saved by believing in Jesus, but salvation is achieved when a believer believes in “dying with Jesus and being resurrected with Christ.” Believers must repent of their opposition to God and turn back. This does not refer to sins committed in the world, but the sins of those who sin in the kingdom of God. In other words, repenting of “the sin of wanting to be like God.” “Departing from God because they wanted to be like God” is symbolically explained in Genesis chapters 2-3 through the story of the Garden of Eden. “Eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” is the desire to become like God, and this is a sin, and it means being in the law. Of course, you should not sin even in this world.

The law makes us realize our sin against God. When a believer repents and turns back (when he dies with Jesus), God gives the repentant sinner a new body (resurrected body) through the Holy Spirit. Currently, if you do not believe that the death of the cross and resurrection have been accomplished for believers, you do not have the grace of God. A believer must clearly realize that resurrection is not “something that happens after the body dies.” Although the resurrection is physical and invisible, believers must accept it with faith.

However, even though saints are born from heaven, they still have bodies, so there are times when their spiritual minds become confused. The physical body becomes a thorn and attacks the spiritual self. However, “the reason God allows it” is to spread the gospel. God wants this gospel to be spread through those with weak bodies. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual self fights and overcomes the physical thorn (dies every day) and carries out the mission of evangelism, which is the purpose of the believer.

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Index

Part 1. Basic concept of sin/1

Ⅰ. What is sin and where does it come from?

1. Definition of sin/ 1

2. Sin outside the world/ 6

3. Sin in the world/ 8

4. Unforgivable sin/ 10

Ⅱ. Law and legalism

1. The law makes us realize sin/ 13

2. Christ in the law/ 15

3. Legalists who seek to achieve righteousness by keeping the law/16

Part 2. Faith and Salvation/ 22

Ⅰ. Trust

1. Faith under the law/ 22

2. Faith from heaven/ 25

3. The faith of Christ/ 25

Ⅱ. Salvation

1. The meaning of salvation/ 28

2. Object of salvation/ 32

3. Christ’s Predestination/ 33

4. Those who enter into Christ/ 40

5. Israel and Gentiles/ 41

Part 3. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross/ 44

Ⅰ. meaning of death

1. Dying/ 44

2. First death/ 48

3. Second death/ 50

Ⅱ. God's Justice and Love

1. Crime must be punished/ 51

2. Redemption/ 53

3. The death of the lamb/ 55

4. Jesus’ atoning death/ 58

5. Those who died in union with Jesus/ 59

Ⅲ. baptism of death

1. Water baptism/ 61

2. Baptism of Fire/ 62

Part 4. resurrection/ 64

Ⅰ. resurrection of christ

1. First fruits/ 64

2. The resurrected body of Christ/ 65

Ⅱ. resurrection of saints

1. Baptism of the Holy Spirit/ 68

2. Old man and new man/ 70

3. Third heaven/ 72

4. The Kingdom of God in the Heart/ 74

Ⅲ. Gifts given to saints

1. Tongues and prophecy/ 79

2. Love and fellowship between believers/ 83

3. The power to forgive sins/ 86

Part 5. Spread the Gospel/ 88

Ⅰ. Church as a base for spreading the gospel

1. Meaning of church/ 88

2. Missionary trip and seven churches/ 91

3. Dispute within the church/ 96

4. Challenges outside the church/ 99

Ⅱ. Preaching about the Kingdom of God

1. The kingdom of God preached by Paul/ 108

2. The Kingdom of God, the content of the gospel spread/ 111

Ⅲ. christian doctrine

1. Principles of doctrine/ 116

2. Pastoral Doctrine/117

Part 1. Basic Concepts of Sin

Ⅰ. What is sin and where does it come from?

1. Definition of sin

It is a sin for someone to want to be like God and “to have such greed in his heart.” The first person to have this kind of heart appears as Eve in the Garden of Eden. Eve is a symbol of evil angels in the kingdom of God. This means that the sin of angels who sinned in the kingdom of God was to leave God because they wanted to be like God. The meaning of Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4 is shown through the picture of the Garden of Eden.

Sin is the greed to become like God, Breaking God's commandments is a consequence of sin, The result of sin is death. Those who think that breaking the commandments is a sin do not understand spiritual death. Sin did not originate in the world, but in the kingdom of God. Romans 5:12 『Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:』

One man is the first man, Adam. It is translated as ‘by one man,’ which means ‘through one man.’ The first man, Adam, was the passage through which sin entered the world. In other words, the word passage means the body through which sin passes. So the body of sin is the conduit of sin. 『Body of sin』 is called 『To soma tes hamartias』 (τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας) in Greek. It can be thought of as a container for garbage, not a body of sin. If we think of sin as a thing, it is like a container containing sin. The first man, Adam, plays that role. So the first man is Christ.

In Genesis 3:6, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat.” , and gave also to her husband with her; and he did eat.』

Because the woman had her greed, her sin occurred in her, and she ate of her fruit, and she became death. “What she gave to Adam through her own hand” was her fruit of death. This foreshadows that the first man, Adam, had a substitutionary death. And the two (man and woman) were expelled from the Garden of Eden. So, sin entered the world through the first man, Adam (the body of sin). Because of Jesus' death on the cross, the sin that entered the world from the kingdom of God was ended.

God made Christ the first man, Adam. God caused the spirit to enter the dust and become a soul. Genesis 2:7 『And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.』The soul means the body of sin (the Passage of sin) that must die.

In Genesis 2:21, God caused the first man, Adam, to fall asleep (meaning death) 『And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead of it.』God took out a man's rib, created a woman from it, and filled the ribs of the first man, Adam, with flesh (physical body: soul).

After that, a man (named Adam) and a woman (named Eve) appeared in the world. Men and women are separated from Christ (the first man, Adam). Since the man's name is Adam, he is confused with the first man (Adam). The first man had no name, and God called him Man (Hebrew Adam). Jesus also called himself the Son of Man (man). The man called Son of Man represents Christ who came to the world.

Men and women are born with a body of sin from the first man, Adam, and the sins committed by “evil angels” enter their bodies of sin from heaven. And, because the spirit of an evil angel enters the body of sin, it becomes a person (man and woman). So, the evil angel spirit enters the body of sin, and the angel spirit dies. Likewise, all people in the world have sin and a body of sin (body of flesh). We receive the body of sin from our parents, and sin comes with the spirit of sin from heaven.

The first man, Adam (Christ), died, and Christ returned to heaven. When the first man, Adam, died, men and women were separated, but with the death of the last man, Adam, man and woman became one again in Christ.

Christ is God and is different from those who want to be like God. In order to put evil angels who wanted to become like God into the dust, Christ was first born into the world as dust and became the body of sin, the conduit of sin. The first man, Adam, who is Christ, had a body of sin, a channel for sin, but did not have sin.

Colossians 1:15 『Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:』He means Christ. Since he was born before all creation, he was the first man, Adam. And, since he has the image of God, he has no sin. Jesus also has no sin, only a body of sin, because he received the body of sin from Mary. And Jesus came to the world to play the role of eliminating the body of sin. Jesus died on the cross, and those who die on the cross with Jesus do not have a body of sin (a Passage of sin). A person without a body of sin cannot contain sin.

The result of sin contained in the body of sin is death, and it opposes the Word of God, which appears in various forms while the body is alive. It manifests itself in physical nature, blood relations, knowledge and experience, ideology and philosophy, religiosity, self-righteousness, and the desire to dominate others. These seven types of heart prevent us from obeying the word of God. This is death to God. Death is the death of the spirit.

Therefore, Jesus’ atoning death was to save the dead spirit,

The death of Jesus is a death to sin and the body of sin. Death to sin is expressed in water baptism, and death to the body of sin is expressed in fire baptism. Baptism is death and death. Genesis 2:17 『But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.』. The Hebrew word Mut (to die), Mut (to die) means to die twice. Baptism is dying twice.

2. The sin outside the world

The Garden of Eden symbolizes the kingdom of God. This means that there was sin in the kingdom of God. In Jude (1:6) and 2 Peter (2:4), the story of an angel who sinned appears, but what is most important is that believers must know who the first man, Adam, was.

In Colossians 1:15, “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:” creation.(niv) the firstborn of every creature was the first man, Adam.

In Romans 5:15, “But not as the offense, so also is the free gift.” For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.』It is said that the crime of the first man, Adam, was a crime of atonement. can do. Jesus, the last Adam, is also sinless, but because he died for atonement, he died as a sinner to the world.

If you go to Romans 5:12, 『Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:』”Wherefore, as” means “as did the first man Adam.” In other words, their sin entered the world, and death entered the world through sin. Their sin also means entering the kingdom of God like the first man, Adam.

『Adam, who is the figure of him that was to come.』 The first man, Adam, came into the world with the sin of atonement and became a physical man with a soul combining earth and spirit. From then on, he continues to pass on the body of sin that requires death to his descendants. In the end, the last Adam took on the task of dying for sin. So, when Jesus dies on the cross, he is saying that it is finished.

In Romans 5:19, “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” The first man, Adam, did not obey God and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. . He received and ate the fruit Eve gave him. It was disobedience to orders. God had to imprison the angels, who could be considered his sons, in darkness because they disobeyed him, so he needed the material world and the shape of a human being made of clay.

Although God imprisoned them, Christ (the atoning savior) was needed to save them again. God himself becomes Christ. So now it appears as the Trinity. Christ disobeyed the rules set by God and ate the fruit given to him by Eve. Eve symbolizes the angel who sinned in the kingdom of God.

So, God explains it through the picture of the Garden of Eden. God created the first man, Adam (man), put him to sleep (a type of death), and created a woman (Eve) from a rib. After the rib fell off, the one who had fallen asleep woke up (was born) and became a man (named Adam). It has become. The Hebrew word for man and the word male both use the word Adam, so it is easy to mistake, but the first man, Adam, and Adam, who became a man, are different beings. The first man, Adam, was Christ, and after separation, Adam and Eve were the spirits of angels who sinned and came into the dust. Paul explains sin and death and tells the story of salvation through the relationship between the first man and the last man, Adam.

3. Sin in the world

Sin in the world means sin committed in the world. This includes everything whether it is prescribed in the law or a sin of the heart. The reason people sin is because sin (the desire to become like God) is in their flesh. The spirit sinned in the kingdom of God and entered each person's body, and sin (greed) also entered the body. So the spirit within the body is dead, and the sin of greed leads to endless sins of the world.

However, it is said that these sins can be forgiven. However, the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. In Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” If a believer believes that he has “become a dead person in union with Jesus Christ,” by paying for Jesus’ redemptive blood, It means that believers are free from the bondage of sinners. He is released from Satan's control and becomes a free man.

A believer's justification and salvation occur simultaneously. By God, this happens in an instant. The subject of salvation is not us, but God. “To say that if a believer prays to accept Jesus, he or she will be saved” is wrong because the subject of salvation is a human being. Therefore, the prayer of acceptance is a prayer in which the saved person accepts God as their master.

4. The unforgivable sin

John 16:7-9 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:Of sin, because they believe not on me.”

Although Jesus spoke of the death and resurrection of the cross, the disciples were full of worry. They did not understand why Jesus had to die on the cross. He even said that Jesus died, resurrected, prepared a place for himself (the kingdom of God in the heart), and came to take his disciples. Although Jesus told the disciples that all of this was because of sins in the kingdom of God and that people were imprisoned in the world, that Christ was predestined, and so on, they still did not understand what Jesus said.

When Jesus resurrects and ascends to heaven and enters the hearts of believers again, he will give them understanding through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus talked about sin as the root of sin that occurred in the kingdom of God, but his disciples did not believe what Jesus said, so Jesus said he would make them realize it through the Holy Spirit.

If one does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God and has the authority to forgive sins, he is blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

It is not accurate to say, “Not believing in Jesus is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” Sin is wanting to be like God. Jesus explained the sins that occurred before the creation of the world, but the disciples did not understand. So he said that Jesus would teach his disciples through the Holy Spirit,

Even though it is taught through the Holy Spirit, not believing the words of Jesus is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The Bible also calls this the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. However, the disciples were with Jesus until then and the Holy Spirit did not come, so it was not a crime of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

A sinner means a person who has not escaped from sin. It is awkward to say to a "sinner who has not escaped from sin" that "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is added because they do not believe in Jesus' words." A sinner is just a sinner who cannot be saved. Of course, the disciples would have received the Holy Spirit and realized their sin. So, the disciples clearly knew that the reason Jesus died on the cross was because of people's sins.

However, even though the Bible says that sinners are forgiven for their sins through the blood of Jesus, there are still those who believe that current or future sins must be forgiven. These people blaspheme the Holy Spirit. The sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit applies to believers who say they believe in Jesus but do not think that their current and past sins have been forgiven.

It is about righteousness, and Jesus explains that by dying on the cross, he died to sin and the body of sin also died, and that through death on the cross, he receives resurrection life. If he dies in union with Jesus on the cross, he also receives God's righteousness. This is the righteousness of God. This also means that you will realize it through the Holy Spirit.

Regarding judgment, when sinners receive God's righteousness on this earth, they become free. So, we were released from the control of Satan, who manages sinners. From Satan's perspective, this is a failure because the sinner is taken away. God gave him control to manage sinners, but because God took away the control of sinners, Satan was punished for not being able to properly manage sinners. This principle is also revealed through the Holy Spirit.

However, believers have a physical self like the seven tribes of Canaan. A believer who has become a spiritual self has the difficulty of having to fight against his physical self. Saints must fight a spiritual war of self-denial through prayer, and believers must walk while thinking about what the Apostle Paul said: “I die every day.”

Ⅱ. Law and Legalism

1. The law makes us realize sinRomans 3:19 『Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.』Jews are those who belong to the law of Moses. Christianity can also be seen as falling within the category of law. With the Law of Moses, God silences all mouths that speak wrong. The reason God gave the law was so that the whole world would be under God's judgment. “Realize that you are sinners through the law.”

Since the law is intended to punish those who break the law, a person will not be justified by God just because he or she keeps the law. Through experience, humans realize that they are sinners who cannot completely keep the law.

Romans 7:7 『What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.』

Paul says he became aware of sinful desires "because of the commandment in the Ten Commandments not to covet what is your neighbor's."

Chapter 7 Verse 8『But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.』 Paul says, “After he had received a legalistic education, many desires were created within him.” He says it was sin that put that desire in him.

It is said that sin took the opportunity to create such a desire in Paul, “through the commandment not to covet what is your neighbor’s.” Today, “things emphasized in legalistic churches” include tithing, Sunday observance, church service, early morning prayer, and calling the church building a temple. Pastors teach that keeping these things is faith. As Paul received a legalistic education, this desire arose. This desire means that something must be done. Rather, it makes dead sin alive. If a believer fails to observe even one of these, he or she becomes a sin. The more a believer tries to protect it with all his passion, the further his relationship with God becomes. In other words, the believer's desire to protect something destroys his or her intimate relationship with God.

Paul says that when he did not know the law, he had an intimate relationship with God. When he tried to keep his commandments, he expressed himself as being cut off from God and therefore he was dead. Paul realized this truth after meeting Jesus Christ in Damascus. The commandment to enter into life actually caused Paul to enter into death.

2. Christ in the Law

Romans 3:21 『But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;』The law did not change to become the gospel, but the law and the gospel were separate. However, this gospel was hidden in the law. The tree of life is hidden within the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Sinners could not keep the law, so they offered sacrifices, and through those sacrifices, sinners realized that they had no choice but to die, and discovered Christ who would come in the future. However, the Israelites did not find Christ.

When believers believe that Jesus Christ is the one sent by God, recognize that He has received God's authority to forgive sins, and enter into Christ, they receive the redemption of forgiveness of sins. Romans 3:24 『Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:』Redemption means paying a ransom and buying a slave. God buys Satan's slaves with the blood of his Son. This means that the people of the world are completely freed from sin through the atonement grace of Jesus Christ.

3. Legalists who seek to achieve righteousness by keeping the law

In today's Christianity, people distinguish between the gospel and the law. Some say, “We are not saved by the law, but by the gospel.” But there is a pitfall here. If we do not distinguish between the law and legalism, we can fall into this trap. Therefore, it would be correct to say that we are not saved through legalism, but through the gospel. All acts of keeping the commandments commonly spoken in the church are legalism.

The distinction between law and legalism is very important for salvation. The law is God's word given to the Israelites by God. God commanded the people to keep the law to attain the righteousness of God. The people tried to keep the commandments of the law, but they could not. That is why everyone tried to be freed from sin through animal sacrifices. The purpose of God giving the people of Israel the law is that you are all sinners, and if you realize that fact through the law, you should discover the seed of promise (Christ) through the sacrifice.

God promised the descendants of the woman in Genesis 3:15. And God wanted them to discover Christ, the descendant of the woman, through the daily sacrifices. Therefore, the law is the Word of God that finds Christ. Hebrews 11:24-26 says that Moses met Christ. After Jesus was resurrected, in Luke 24:27, while he was having a conversation with two of his disciples on the way, he said, “Then he began to explain in detail the things about him that he wrote in all the scriptures, beginning with the writings of Moses and all the prophets.” means Jesus Christ. And on the Sea of Galilee he says the same thing in Luke 24:44: “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.“I” is Jesus Christ. After all, it is Jesus Christ who is revealed in the Old Testament law.

In John 5:39, Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. What the law is saying is that it is the story of Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 34:16, “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.” The Book of Means the Law. When the people read all the laws, it tells us that Jesus Christ is in them.

Jesus Christ in the law is the one who died on the cross to save all sinners. Sinners killed animals and sprinkled their blood on the altar. The priest transfers the sin from the sinner to the animal, and the animal dies in the sinner's place. However, the dead animal is none other than a sinner. Although the animal dies instead, the sinner and the animal are united, and the sinner dies. That is why it is through the sacrifice that the rebirth is announced. Those who are united with the death of Jesus belong to the new creation, born again. In Hebrews 9:11, it is not something like the creation of this world. "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building"

The scene of Jesus and Nicodemus having a conversation with each other about the kingdom of God appears in John 3:1-9. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Only by being born again of water and the Spirit can we see the kingdom of God.” However, Nicodemus did not understand the meaning of Jesus’ words at all. So Jesus said in John 3:10, “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice his : and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” The Israeli teachers (rabbis) must have been well aware of the rules for sacrificing. This means that we do not understand the truth that animals are sacrificed on behalf of sinners through sacrifice, and that sinners die and are reborn as a result.

Thus, Christ is hidden in the law. Therefore, the law is strictly the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the same principle as the tree of life (Christ) is hidden in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (the law). Through the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God makes man aware of sin. Sin is a desire to become like God before eating the fruit. Human beings should look through the tree to see that there is a heart of greed. The dichotomous logic of “keeping the commandments is not a sin, and not keeping the commandments is a sin”. This is what prevents the believer from finding Christ in the law. That is what legalism is.

The law is the word of God that leads to the discovery of Christ, but legalism is a humanistic idea that removes Christ. Legalism and humanism are closely related. Legalism (humanism) ideas that are prevalent in the church do not deny me, but make me stand out. An example of this is the Ten Commandments. Humans must discover sin in the Ten Commandments and enter the cross of Jesus Christ, but they are bound by the commandments and debate whether or not to keep them. The Ten Commandments are God's commandments, but they contain God's love for sinners. It reminds us of the love of parents for their children. To be bound by rules is legalism.

Also, all the words that pastors force their members to lead a holy life like Jesus or give guidelines to lead a godly life of faith are legalism. They say that they are saved through the gospel of Jesus Christ on the cross, but they are trying to reveal themselves in their lives. Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, but many pastors are saving themselves. We must remember that all human beings are sinners, and as mortal beings before God, there is no other way than to live in union with Jesus Christ on the cross. If you do not remember the words of the Apostle Paul who shouted, “I die every day,” you will fall into legalism (humanism).

The figure of those who indulge in legalism emphasizes action. It is to listen to the rules that James speaks of and let the action appear. In James 2:26, it is said, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Those who are in Christ are shown by works, but if ministers make them think of their works as a mandatory rule, it is legalistic thinking. Those who emphasize action are no different from other religions based on legalism (humanism). Therefore, Christianity, which mixes the gospel of Jesus Christ with legalism (humanism), is no longer the true gospel of truth. We must be aware that all religions are already progressing in an integrated way. So, today's believers are living in an age that requires spiritual discernment in the church. If there is spiritual discernment, like the parable of the ten virgins, you can see that the gospel of Christ and legalism (humanism) are mixed in the church. The parable of the wheat and the tares is the same, and the parable of the sheep and the goats has the same meaning. Satan continues to try to mix the gospel of Christ with legalism (humanism).

Part 2. Faith and salvation

Ⅰ. Faith

1. Faith under the law

Galatians 3:23 『But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.』 Here, faith is faith in Christ. This means that all people are under the law before they are in Christ. If everyone had faith in Jesus Christ, there would be no need for laws. Those who are in Christ become people who can live without law. But, can such a person exist in the world? The problem is that he doesn't have anyone like that. That is why all believers must die with Jesus Christ. When a believer becomes dead with Jesus, he becomes one in Christ, and the Holy Spirit guides the believer to resurrection life.

Galatians 3:24-25 『Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster 』

When believers discover Christ in the law, the law is no longer needed. In this case, the law means legalism bound by regulations. When believers discover Christ, they break away from legalism and enter into the faith of Christ. The law, like a school teacher, continually informs the reader that Christ is within it. So, if the reader realizes, “Oh, that’s right, the law is ultimately about finding Christ,” then legalism is no longer necessary.

When believers step into a church to believe in Jesus, they usually find themselves under the law. At first, believers believe in “the Jesus they want.” This is what believers present themselves as Jesus who gives blessings, Jesus who guides heaven, and Jesus who gives blessings in this world. However, believers realize that they are under the law, Those who realize that they must enter from the law into the gospel of Christ realize that the union of death on the cross and resurrection must be achieved.

Romans 6:4 『Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.』

Baptism means death and resurrection. Believers believe that baptism means dying in water (water baptism) or being burned in fire (fire baptism). This is united with the death of Jesus on the cross. Resurrection is accomplished through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The resurrection of Jesus does not mean resurrection of the body, but resurrection of the spirit body. This is the resurrection from the spiritually dead.

Jesus is the one who came from heaven. Resurrection means returning to what was before. Jesus was God before he took on flesh. So the former body is not a physical body, but a spiritual body. So, the resurrection of Christ is the arising of the spirit and putting on a spiritual body.

Those who are united with Christ also return to their previous state of angelic spirit. Luke 20:36 『Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.』

2. Faith from heaven

Galatians 3:25 says, “But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Faith is a faith that comes from heaven. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” This blessing comes to those who are in Christ. Blessing is the resurrection life of eternal life. Saints believe that they will receive this blessing. He does not believe because he thinks, but rather, it is a gift (blessing) given by God to those who are united with Jesus who died on the cross and who are united with the resurrected Christ. Christ was the firstfruits of resurrection. The saints are the next to bear fruit.

3. The faith of Christ

Regarding salvation, it is not that I believe in Jesus Christ, but that I enter “into the faith that Christ believes.” This becomes faith in Christ. The subject of faith is not me, but Christ. The faith of Christ is faith in the death of the cross and resurrection. It is the belief that when Jesus dies on the cross according to Christ's predestination, the Father will resurrect him to heavenly life. The believer enters into this faith and becomes united with Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.』And, 『new creation』 in 2 Corinthians is the same word. Eternal life is achieved through the resurrection of Christ. This is the one who has been born again with resurrection life. Those who are born again in the resurrection of Christ also receive resurrection life. So rebirth becomes resurrection. Rebirth is a new creation, a new creation. Those who are born again will live in the new heaven and new earth. This is salvation.

In Galatians 4:29, “But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.” The one born according to the flesh is Ishmael, and the one born according to the Spirit is Isaac. 2,000 years of church history was like that. There are two lives in the church. Even today, in the church, those who are born according to the flesh persecute those who are born according to the Spirit. When saints preach the present resurrection, “believers who believe that the body will be resurrected after death” persecute true saints. Anyone who believes that the body will be resurrected after death is under the law and has not been born again.

In Galatians 4:23-25, “But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gender to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.』Mount Sinai is the place where the law was received, and Jerusalem is the place where the law is kept and kept. The one who receives the law and keeps it is Ishmael.

Ishmael are those who cannot cross the Jordan River. So, they are the ones who cannot inherit Canaan. According to the New Testament, they are those who cannot enter into Christ. Those who listen to and follow those born according to the flesh in the church will be destroyed. Only those born according to the spirit are saved. Those who are born according to the Spirit are those who are born with resurrection life in the Holy Spirit.

Even if a believer in the church believes that he or she has been born again, if he or she is not declared righteous by God, it is all due to “self-righteousness.” Those who are justified by God through resurrection life become, as in Romans 6:7, “the dead are justified.” The dead are those who died united on the cross.

Ⅱ. Salvation

1. The meaning of salvation

Salvation is being delivered from sin. Paul explained the meaning of salvation from various angles.

First, Paul connects “the saints’ receiving the righteousness of God” with salvation. God is just, and those who do not conform to God's justice are sinners and will be judged. So, it is explained that salvation is when a sinner obtains the righteousness of God.

Regarding the righteousness of God, in Romans 10:2-3, “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.』 The gospel is for the kingdom of God to be established on this earth. It is to ensure that God’s righteousness is realized. Israel was caught up in the idea of being the chosen people and did not realize this fundamental purpose. “Jesus Christ becomes the end of the law” because the righteousness of God could not be achieved through the law. Christ is the end of the law so that all believers can enter into the righteousness of God.

And Paul explains it through the theory of legal relationships, citing the law and the law of the Holy Spirit.

If I explain from a legal relationship. When those who were under the law become united with the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, they escape from the law and enter into the law of the Holy Spirit, and this is called salvation. This is an explanation of the legal logic of salvation. This means that although sinners legally belonged to Satan, saints paid the blood price of Jesus when he died on the cross, and their affiliation was changed to Christ. Romans 8:1-2 『There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.』

Paul explains in a spiritual sense. In a spiritual sense, Paul explains that a dead spirit is raised to resurrection life and returns to its original place,

It is explained through marital or parental relationships. For example, a man leaving his parents and joining his wife, or the relationship between a man and a woman. The spiritual meaning is that the spirit in the body of a believer was originally an angel of the kingdom of God, but became a sinner because he sinned against God and was trapped in the dirt, but returns to the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. This explanation is explained in terms of parent-child or marital relationships. Ephesians 5:30-31 『For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be One flesh.』

Man means one who has left God (Christ who came to the world). Wife refers to spirits who have left God and are trapped in the world. Spirits enter Christ and become spiritual one. The reason why God created a couple is to tell you that you are all beings who have left God and must become one with God again through Christ. So the family becomes the foundation of the church community.

In 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” The woman symbolizes those who have left God. The man symbolizes Christ. Therefore, believers who have left God should be silent before Christ, the head of the church.

And Paul explains through inheritance relationships.

Explain that the Son of God is the heir, and that becoming a son is salvation. The son and the children are the same children, but the children do not inherit the company. In Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; If so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together.』 Becoming an heir of God through being with Christ.

And Paul connects the state of the heart to salvation. Although it is not easy to express about the heart, it means the confidence or belief of the heart. Romans 10:9 『That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.』 Chapter 10 Verses 10-11『For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.』

2. Object of salvation

Ephesians 1:4-5 『According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,』The saying, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,” shows the importance of spiritual things before material things.

This means that Christ's predestination (in Christ) comes first, and then the results achieved in the world. Most church people say that they chose certain saints even before the creation of the world. This means that those who were in Christ before the foundation of the world are chosen.

The good pleasure of his will is 『good pleasure according to God's will』. God's will is for believers to become God's adopted sons.

The sign ‘adopted sons’ indicates the result achieved within Christ’s predestination. Believers do not become adopted sons in advance before the creation of the world, but become adopted sons in Jesus Christ. The priority is to enter into Christ.

3. Christ’s Predestination

Jehovah God is one. However, because of an angel who sinned in the kingdom of God, the rest was broken, and God directly became Christ, created the world, created humans, died on the cross, saved people, and restored the kingdom of God to its original state. You have planned it. So God becomes the image of the saints and the Trinity. The Trinity is God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the saints becoming one in the Holy Spirit.

Today, in theology, two predestination theories are included.

First, God created the world, created the Garden of Eden, and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, but they committed a sin (original sin) against God by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was God's prohibition. However, the logic is that God knew this would happen before the creation of the world and decided to save sinners by predestination of Christ.

Second, God chose in advance to save the saints before the foundation of the world. It is said that salvation is not achieved through human actions, but by God choosing humans who are unable to save themselves, emphasizing God's mercy and sovereignty over salvation. Predestination means that God, by grace, elects some people to eternal salvation, while others are left to suffer eternal judgment for their sins.

Looking at the contents of Christ's predestination, it includes blocking the light of God and creating a material world in order to imprison angels who have sinned, how to save the spirits thrown into the world by making them repent, and restoring the third heaven.

(Creation of the material world to imprison sinful angels)

The meaning of Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning he created the heavens and the earth,” means that “God created the material world by blocking the light of the kingdom of God.” The fact is that the material world we live in is the kingdom of God. Of course, it became a place of darkness because God's light was blocked for a certain period of time, but after that period, God will shine the light again and restore it. That light is Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God restored by light is the third heaven that appears in the hearts of believers. This third heaven is called the Garden of Eden, and after it is restored, it is said to be a new heaven and a new earth.

『In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.』 This means that the material world (world) was separated from the kingdom of God. It is the same concept as separating people by setting up prisons in some countries. Because the world is separated from the kingdom of God, there is darkness and emptiness.

The first man, Adam (Christ), represents the owner in the Garden of Eden. The first man, Adam, is a person who bears the image of God (Christ). The Bible also expresses that he was created in the world to give the body of sin to the angels who sinned. The fact that Adam, the first man created in the world, moved to the Garden of Eden shows that he is the owner of the Garden of Eden. This means that the first man, Adam, was Christ. And in Genesis 2:21-22, “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead of it; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made him a woman, and brought her unto the man.』The fact that the first man, Adam, fell asleep means that he died physically.

And the first man, Adam, symbolizes returning to the position of Christ. And the man Adam and the woman Eve were born. This foreshadows a new creation in Christ. The rib of the first man is used as a means. A creature called a sinful human appears. Because of sin, the man Adam and the woman Eve became people without the image of God. That is why God opened the way for them to restore God’s image through sacrifice.

This first person is separated in the Garden of Eden and divided into the male Adam and the female Eve, who symbolize the angels who sinned. The people whom God sent from the Garden of Eden into the world were not the first people, but the man Adam and the woman Eve. The first man, Adam, is translated as adama (man), but the male Adam is male (ish male). In English, both are expressed as man, which causes confusion.

In Chapter 3 of Genesis, God, the old serpent (Satan), Adam, and Eve appear in the Garden of Eden. “God sending the male Adam and the female Eve into the world” symbolizes the angels entering the body separated from the first man, Adam. God created six days and on the seventh day, Genesis 2:1 means, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the hosts of them.” In Chapter 3 of Genesis, God, the old serpent (Satan), Adam, and Eve appear in the Garden of Eden. “God sending the male Adam and the female Eve into the world” symbolizes the angels entering the body separated from the first man, Adam. God created six days and on the seventh day, Genesis 2:1 means, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the hosts of them.” It is a translation error. It should be translated, “The armies of heaven and the armies of earth were all fulfilled.” This means that the army of the earth made the evil angels of the third heaven take on flesh.

After the transition from the Garden of Eden to the material world, the male Adam and the female Eve began producing bodies, and the population increased from generation to generation. God traps the spirit in a dark place that has turned into darkness, and tells people to repent and return.

In Matthew 8:28-29, “And when he came to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by. that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time (Cairo)?』

Cairo is God's appointed time. The time of the material world is Chronos. The time appointed by God can be considered the time of judgment, but dark spirits must be confined within the body. When all dark spirits enter the body, become humans, die, and enter Hades, this material world will end and God will judge them, and they will either return to the third heaven or face the second death.

The Garden of Eden turned into a place of darkness because God blocked his light. As for the world, it is a place like a prison. Because angels are imprisoned in their bodies, they cannot see or feel. Prison is like being in the world but separated from it. The means of separation is the prison bars, but from the spirit's point of view, it is the human body. However, the one who controls the dark spirit in this prison-like land is still Satan. God is using Satan. He allowed Satan to be the ruler of the Garden of Eden until it was restored.

These are the words spoken by the devil when he was testing Jesus in Luke 4:6-7. 『And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.』

Again, in order for humans to return to the third heaven (Garden of Eden), the body must die and the spirit must return in a spirit body (resurrection life), but humans in the flesh forget God and oppose God. However, those who are in Christ are currently experiencing the third heaven. God has made the kingdom of God shine by shining the light of resurrection life on those who are in Christ. And the Kingdom of God was established through the presence of Hologos (Christ, the Word) in the hearts of the saints. In other words, the kingdom of God comes within the heart. Someday, when I take off my body, I will be able to see the third heaven. This is the gospel.

4. Those who enter into Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17 『Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.』

Salvation requires the believer to be in Christ. Because of Christ, God accepts those who are in Christ. This is called redemption. God uses the blood of Jesus to buy those who are in the net of sin from Satan. In order to do this, in verse 14, 『For the love of Christ constraineth us; Because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 』With the death of one person, all people are united with the death of number. To God, because Jesus died on the cross, everyone died. In verse 15, “And that he died for all, that they which should live not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” Therefore, those who live for themselves are those who did not die with Jesus.

We believe that those who die with Jesus will be resurrected with Christ. This resurrection does not occur when the body dies, but is a present resurrection. So, believers are reborn as spiritual bodies. Jesus is God who came in the flesh. If Jesus is resurrected after his physical death, it would be correct for him to return to his original position. So, it means that he rises again as a spirit. What would Jesus do if his body was brought back to life? Likewise, the resurrection of people means that they return spiritually to their previous state. Although saints have bodies, their dead spirits come back to life and they become children of God.

5. Israel and Gentiles

Israel and Gentiles can be explained by dividing them into two categories, and it can be explained that there are spiritual Israelites and Gentiles in one person's heart. First, to explain the two categories, in Romans 11:25-27, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.』

This is what Apostle Paul explains: “Israel’s eyes will be closed and the Gentiles will be saved.” Regarding the destruction of Israel, Luke said, “These days are the days of punishment that will fulfill all that is written,” and Luke called it “the times of the Gentiles” when God shines light on the Gentiles and brings them back to God. . It is said that “Jerusalem will be occupied by Gentiles until all Gentiles are saved.” Jerusalem is still ruled by Muslims. It contains the meaning that when the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled, they will return to Israel.

The reason God chose Abraham was to make the promise of a seed. The promise of the seed to Abraham is the promise of the seed to all people in the world. Isaiah 42:1 also contains the promise of the seed to the Gentiles. And Isaiah 49:6 also says that what is more important than the salvation of Israel is the salvation of the Gentiles and the light of salvation. Israel tried to find the way to salvation through the law, but failed, and now the Bible says that salvation can be achieved simply by believing in Jesus Christ through Gentiles.

Matthew 20:15-16 『Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Through the expressions “Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.”, believers can know that the salvation of strangers comes first.

Next is the parable of Israel and Gentiles that appears in the hearts of believers. These are the old man (Gentiles) and the new man (spiritual Israel). From the moment a person is born, the temple of the old man is planted in his heart. The old temple was left by God due to the fall of man. So the old temple turned into a temple for the Gentiles. However, Jesus Christ came to the world, declared heaven, and invited people to repent and come into him. This is the new temple. Jesus emphasized that the old temple must be destroyed. This is connected to the death of Jesus on the cross. Then, a new resurrection life will be established in heaven. As the new temple of life is built in the heart, Christ enters the heart and is restored as a new person (spiritual Israel).

The restoration of Israel must be understood from this perspective. On the surface, the Jews persecuted Jesus and crucified him in the past, but we must think carefully about whether the fact that today's Jews repent, believe in Jesus, and become Christians is the restoration of Israel. However, the restoration of Israel as spoken of in the Bible means the restoration of the kingdom of God in the hearts of believers. The restoration of Israel means spiritual Israel.

Part 3. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross

Ⅰ. meaning of death

1. To die

Romans 6:3『Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?』Believers who have believed in Jesus and been saved should naturally know this, but why do they not know it? Baptism here means death and resurrection. Water baptism and fire baptism symbolize death, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit symbolizes resurrection.

Romans 6:4 『Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.』Regarding being buried with him, believers who are united with Jesus' death on the cross are also dead. Also, just as Christ was resurrected, the saints were also resurrected in union with Christ.

Therefore, it does not mean that the visible body is dead, but that the body (clothes) of sin is dead. The body of sin (fresh) was expressed as the old man. This old man refers to the first man, Adam, and the physical body that continues from the first man, Adam. This physical body is different from the body. The physical body is a lump of flesh, but the physical body is like a garment (soul) worn by the spirit.

So, in Romans 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” The saints were crucified with Jesus for sin. They said it was the body. Since the body of sin is crucified, one dies to sin (baptism in water) and the physical body also dies (baptism in fire).

In Romans 6:2, 『God forbid. How shall we, that are dead(ἀπεθάνομεν) to sin(τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ), live any longer therein?』 τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ does not mean a sin of breaking the law, but a sin committed due to the weakness of the flesh. The meaning of apedanomen (ἀπεθάνομεν), “died,” is not that one’s life is cut off, but that one’s life is given up for a certain purpose. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross is the apodanomen. Just as Jesus Christ died, saints also die to sin in Christ.

Regarding fire baptism in which the physical body dies, Matthew 3:11-12 says, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance.” but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather. his wheat into the garner; But he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.』What is burned with fire is the soul received from parents, like clothes.

When a lamb dies as a ransom, the priest sprinkles its blood on the altar (baptism with water) and burns its flesh and skin with fire (baptism with fire). The equivalent of flesh and skin is the same as clothing, and corresponds to the leather clothes that God clothed Adam and Eve after they were driven out of the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:20-21『And Adam called his wife's name Eve; Because she was the mother of all living.Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.』

Saints who have received water baptism and fire baptism receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit from God. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a ritual that gives the clothes of resurrection. Resurrection means returning to what was before. If you look at it physically, the former thing is the body, but if you look at it spiritually, the former thing is a spirit trapped in the ground. The spirit trapped in the dirt was dead, but rose as a living spirit. And the revived spirit puts on new clothes, a spiritual body (clothes of Christ).

1 Corinthians 15:44-45, 『It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.』

The soul body (fresh) is the soul-like body received from parents. This body must die, and the spirit must be replaced by a new body from heaven. Therefore, the Bible describes it as a new soul body, a spiritual body. Therefore, salvation is said to be the salvation of the soul. The union of the soul from heaven with the resurrected spirit becomes salvation, returning to the past. 1 Peter 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

2. The first death

In Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.』Becoming is equivalent to spirit. When the spirit enters the earth, the spirit dies, the earth becomes the soul and comes back to life, and when the spirit leaves, the earthly body dies. Therefore, the first death is when the spirit is trapped in the dust. The Bible speaks of death to the spirit.

In Luke 8, the daughter of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue, died, and Jesus raised her from the dead. In chapter 8, verse 55, 『And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.』 God breathing into her and the spirit returning are the same. The spirit returned and became a living creature. When the spirit enters the soil, it becomes a living creature (soul).

When a living creature dies, the spirit and body separate and go their separate ways. Since a living organism (soul) is a combination of spirit and earth, when a person dies, the spirit leaves the body, and the physical life called the soul disappears.

John 6:63 『It is the spirit that quickeneth; The flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.』Through these words, we know that the spirit is dead. In Ecclesiastes 12:7, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.”

The earth is expressed this way because the human body is made of dust. In Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust thou return.』

3. The second death

This does not mean that the physical body dies, but that the physical body (Ethon) dies. Chapter 6, Verse 4『Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.』That is the burial of the soul.

The term second death appears in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 20:13-15『And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to his works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.』

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Death and Hades refer to the state of the spirit within humans. The question is whether or not one is united with Christ. He who is in Christ has the book of life within him. Those who do not have the book of life are judged by the law according to their deeds. Baptism is being judged by fire and the Holy Spirit. Baptism means death. It is the death of an old person. The old man is judged.

Death refers to the spiritually dead (old self), and Hades refers to the place where those who face the second death go. Those who are outside of Christ will be condemned to the second death by the Word of God and the fire of the Holy Spirit. Christ created the world with words and will judge it with words. Is his identity an old man or is he a new man with the book of life? He becomes what he thinks and believes. All of these things happen to individual believers.

Ⅱ. God's Justice and Love

1. Crime must be punished

Romans 3:19 『Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.』

Through the law, believers must realize that everyone is under God's judgment. However, the reality is that many churches teach that “God is love.” So, believers try to believe in a loving Lord. To the extent that they believe in the Lord, they also hear the voice of God. However, those who say they believe do not change. The Bible calls this the old life. Change is impossible in the old life. The old life must die. I see efforts to change the old life in other religions.

The Bible speaks of righteousness and love. However, many churches today emphasize love first. John 3:15 says, “That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” These words are a gift from God to “those who repent, die of their physical bodies, and are reborn with bodies of resurrection and eternal life.” When preaching in many churches, they say, “God loves you.” This is a delusion. However, we should say, “God is angry with all people,” but we cannot.

Through baptism (water baptism and baptism with a float), God lets humans know that “those under the law should die like Noah’s flood, and should die by fire like Sodom and Gomorrah.” Those who understand will be saved from the water (the ark) and from the fire (Lot's family).

Sin against God does not fundamentally mean a sin committed by a person in the world, but rather the sin of wanting to be like God. Of course, sins committed under the law are included, but the definition of sin means sin in the heart. So, the result is spiritual death (death). Fresh is like a container that contains sin.

The fundamental thing is that the body of sin (fresh) must die. Since humans cannot die on their own, God sent His Son to die on the cross. For those who repent and realize, salvation is achieved through the atoning death of His Son (forgiveness of sins) and the union of sinners (death of the soul). In Romans 6:7 it is said that the dead are free from sin. This is God’s justice and punishment.

2. Redemption

“Redemption,” meaning redemption, is the concept of purchasing a slave by paying a price. All people in the world have become slaves of Satan since birth. God gave control to Satan. In Luke 4:6, “And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.』

Redemption is God purchasing from Satan with the blood of his Son. There is no forgiveness of sins without redemption. After buying a slave, you wash the filth from it. In Titus 2:14, “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” A believer must be redeemed to become clean. God redeems those who repent and take off the clothes of their old self, making them His own.

1 Corinthians 16:19-20『The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with a holy kiss.』

Colossians 1:13-14 『Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins :』 The problem of salvation is not washing away dirt, but delivering from darkness. Sinners cannot see God because they are in darkness. In Matthew 4:16, quoting the words of the prophet Isaiah, “And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in” “their hands they shall bear thee up, rest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Those who enter into Christ have received forgiveness of sins through redemption.

Through the death of the Lamb, God buys those who are united with that death. So God forgives the sinner’s sins. Redemption is obtained by purchasing from Satan. In 1 Corinthians 7:23, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.』

In 2 Peter 2:1, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” .』

The reason God is called “Lord” is because God lives. Anyone who lies that salvation comes from the forgiveness of sins becomes a heretic. The church that says redemption is salvation becomes the true church. Otherwise, everyone is a heretic. Since we do not know the meaning of repentance, there is only forgiveness of sins.

3. Death of the Lamb

Romans 8:22-23『For we know that the whole groan creationeth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.』 In other words, redemption means redemption. We know that all creatures on this earth are groaning together and suffering the pain of childbirth. The Bible shows that all humans have suffered from the futility of life and the corruption of the world. However, there is no way for humans to escape from this on their own.

In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul testifies that God's providence of redemption was realized through Jesus' death on the cross. Paul is recalling the “words of the Holy Communion instituted by Jesus” to the believers in the Corinthian church he preached and established. 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 『And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me..』

The Holy Communion service commemorates the atonement (redemption) of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. The Holy Communion is when Jesus instills in his disciples awareness of his death on the cross and resurrection.

Jesus' death on the cross is likened to the death of the Passover lamb. During the Exodus, Moses told the people to take a lamb and put it on the doorposts and lintels. The angel of death passed by them. Although they are not physically dead, they are united with the dead lamb by roasting the lamb's meat. In the eyes of God, this means that the physical body is dead. So, through the death of the eldest son, they finally escape from Egypt, cross the Red Sea (baptism with water), pass through the wilderness (baptism with fire), and enter Canaan.

God's covenant is to enter Canaan, and the new covenant made by Jesus is to enter the kingdom of God. Canaan is a shadow of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God that Jesus speaks of means heaven in the hearts of believers. If believers do not realize and celebrate this through the Holy Communion, it is nothing more than a meaningless ritual. Jesus emphasized unity through the Holy Communion. Eating and drinking ultimately become one. Eating the meat of a lamb means becoming one with the meat of the lamb and the person eating it.

In 1 Corinthians 11:17-22, Paul emphasizes that believers become God through the Eucharist. 『Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.』

Apostle Paul explains “the important meaning of the Holy Communion between believers and the attitude toward it.” At that time, it was customary in Corinth for close people to gather together for a meal. The Corinthian church members also followed this custom and shared fellowship through love feasts within the church. This can be easily understood by thinking about the early Jerusalem church in Acts 2. “We gathered together, fellowshipped, broke bread, and ate with joy and sincerity of heart,” he said.

4. Jesus’ atoning death

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 『Your glory is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleaven. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.』

At the time, the Corinthian church thought that Jesus' death on the cross was simply for the sins of believers. These thoughts spread among believers like yeast. Paul is writing a letter to correct their thinking. Jesus' death on the cross tells us that not only is there a problem of sin, but the body of sin must also die. The death of the Passover lamb involves burning the meat and skin of the dead lamb at the same time as the sinner's washing away his sins, which symbolizes that the body of sin is also dead. In New Testament terms, it is the death of the old man, and it is also the death of the first man, Adam.

Likewise, the atoning death of Jesus is not only a death for sin, but also the death of the old man, the body of sin. The Bible expresses the death of sin through water baptism, and the death of the body of sin through fire baptism.

5. Those who died in union with Jesus

In the Old Testament era, in order for a sinner to be forgiven of his sins, a lamb was brought to the sanctuary yard and hands were laid on the lamb's head to transfer the sin. Then, when the sinner kills the lamb, receives the blood, and hands it to the priest, the priest sprinkles the blood on the altar (sinner: water baptism), cuts the lamb's body into pieces, and burns the flesh and skin (baptism with fire). That is why sinners believe that their sins have been forgiven by God. However, the relationship between the sinner and the dead lamb is important. The dead lamb died as a substitute, but in meaning, the sinner died. The sinner bleeds and his flesh is burned to death. If a sinner does not realize this, the sinner has not been forgiven of his sins by God.

Likewise, does the Jesus who died two thousand years ago, the Jesus who hung on the cross, have nothing to do with me? If a believer does not realize that Jesus hanging on the cross is himself, that death cannot be his death. So Paul emphasizes unity with the death of the cross. Galatians 5:24 says, “And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” By dying with Christ on the cross, one dies not only to sin (greed) but also to the body of sin.

Ⅲ. The meaning of baptism, which means death

1. Water baptism

1 Peter 3:21 “Water is now the sign of your salvation through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, namely, baptism, which is not the removal of filth from the flesh, but the prayer of a good conscience toward God.”

When baptizing at church, the pastor pours water on the head, but baptism is originally a ritual of immersion in water. It is an expression of dying in the water. And when he came up out of the water, he was reborn. Romans 6:3 『Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?』

Repentance means becoming dead to sin. Repentance means turning away from your greed to become like God. Wanting to be like God is the root of sin. Those who do not turn to the source of their sins have not repented. It can be said that the root of sin is greed. That greed is idolatry, a desire hidden in the heart. Greed must die. Romans 6:7 says that the dead are free from sin. Water baptism is not about washing away the filth of the body, but about dying to sin.

2. Baptism of Fire

Baptism of fire is death to the body (soul: old history) of sin. In Romans 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

The body (soul) of sin is destined to die. In Genesis 2:16-17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest eat freely: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for “Mut, Mut” means “die and die.” This does not mean that you should not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but that you should not eat from the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat with the knowledge of good and evil, you will die. The death before is connected to the first death, and the death after is connected to the second death.

The word ‘die’ means that humans are spiritually dead in their relationship with God. And it means, “You die again.” Because the spirit is trapped in this world, it dies once, but it dies again by being judged by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The death of the body is included in the first death. Living in this world itself is the first death in the eyes of God. That is why God speaks on the premise that the body will inevitably die someday.

“He said, ‘In the day you eat, you will surely die.’” In the Hebrew Bible, it says, “You will die and will die.” I think this was translated as 『surely』 because it was thought to be emphasized because there was a death twice during the translation process. Regarding dying twice, in Revelation 20:14, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.” This is the second death.』The second death is suffered by those who do not have a spiritual body. If a believer does not wear a spiritual body (a soul from heaven), he will not be able to return to God. The spiritual body is a spiritual body (soul) that is reborn by the Holy Spirit.

“He said, ‘In the day you eat of it, you will die and die.’” Here, the “day” in 『Eating Day』 is expressed as Yom (day). This Yom can be said to be while a person is in the world. It refers to the days of a person's life when he or she strives to become like God while in the world. In Matthew 8:22, “But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.』

Among those who were trying to follow Jesus, their family members died, and they said they would bury them and follow Jesus. This is what Jesus said. Anyone who does not follow Jesus is dead in spirit. “Let the (spirit) dead bury the (body) dead.” The state of leaving God is a state where the spirit is dead, and the body is also dead (including the fact that it will inevitably die someday). The reason why God “gives mortal bodies to people for a certain period of time” is that he said he would try to become like God, so he should try hard during that period and then repent and come back.

Part 4. resurrection

Ⅰ. resurrection of christ

1. First fruits

1 Corinthians 15:20 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” Jesus Christ was the first among those who slept, and his relationship with God was spiritually restored.

Chapter 15 Verses 21-22 『For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.』 The first man, Adam, symbolizes someone who is spiritually separated from God. The last man, Adam (Christ), refers to a person whose relationship with God has been spiritually restored. Everyone in this world inherits death (flesh) from the first man, Adam. However, those in Christ have inherited life (spiritual body) from Christ, the last Adam.

Just as the seed coat must die for the germ to take root and sprout, the physical body must die with Christ. In Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.』 The farmer sows seeds, but he sows the shape of the future.

A farmer sows seeds “thinking that the seeds will later become fruits.” The seed changes into shape. “The form on the earth or the form in the sky” changes into a glorious form at some point.

2. The resurrected body of Christ

The resurrected body of Christ was expressed as a spiritual body. When Paul talks about the seed, he compares it to the body, to animals, including humans, and then to the sun, moon, and stars in the sky. The purpose of Paul's various explanations is that in order to approach God, the body must be transformed into a glorious one.

The corruptible body refers to the physical body (soul body: old man) when it is separated from God. The spiritual body that is resurrected and lives in relationship with God is an incorruptible body. Any body without a relationship with God is a body of sin received from parents. The spiritual body is the resurrection body of Jesus and the body reborn of water and the Holy Spirit. Saints must die of the body of sin they received from their parents and be replaced with a new body from heaven. So Paul described it as a new body, a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15:45 『And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; The last Adam was made a quickening spirit. The first man, Adam, had his spirit trapped in his body, so his spirit died and became a soul. The soul (old self) we receive from our parents is a body of sin, and sin is contained within it. Therefore, a believer must receive a new soul (new person) from heaven in order for the believer's spirit to come to life.

Jesus' resurrected body (spirit body) was a mysterious body. Jesus told his disciples to go through a wall, then suddenly disappeared. His body was such a mysterious body that crossed time and space. People firmly believe that although the body they received from their parents dies, they are resurrected with the same body as Jesus. However, in resurrection, the previous body disappears and it is a body that comes from heaven, so it is a different entity from the previous body. Church people even think that the body they received from their parents is raptured and does not die. However, this is due to a misunderstanding of the resurrection. Resurrection is when the old disappears and a new body appears.

Judah explained this using the metaphor of Moses' corpse and Enoch. Moses' body also disappears, and it looks like the devil and the archangel Michael are fighting. This means that God made it disappear. So, the death of Moses foreshadows the death of Jesus. Jesus' body disappeared. Likewise with Enoch, there are many believers who think he was raptured when he was “taken by God,” which is a foreshadowing of resurrection. And I heard the story that Elijah, the spirit of John the Baptist who was born before Jesus, also ascended to heaven, and I think this is also a foreshadowing of the resurrection.

Ⅱ. resurrection of saints

1. Baptism of the Holy Spirit and resurrection of the saints

God raises the body of sin and the twice dead from sin. God baptizes with the Holy Spirit those who have received water baptism (death to sin) and fire baptism (death to the soul), and resurrects the dead spirit. God gives believers a spiritual body. This is resurrection.

Resurrection does not occur when you die, but when you are alive. The Bible says that people who have achieved resurrection are saints. A believer does not become a saint by believing in Jesus, but a believer becomes a saint only by believing that he dies and is resurrected with Jesus.

In Romans 6:4-5, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:』

When a believer becomes a saint, a temple is built in his heart and the kingdom of God is established. When a temple is built in the hearts of believers, God is present in the temple. Just as the stone temple of Jerusalem collapsed, the castle of the old man in the hearts of believers collapses, and the temple of the new man is built. The identity of a believer is to become a new person, not a previous person. The saints' affiliation changes from the world to the kingdom of God. Therefore, believers are not subject to the laws of the world, but to the laws of the Holy Spirit in heaven.

A true saint is one who died on the cross with Jesus and was resurrected with Christ. So a saint is someone who is in Christ. A temple (Holy of Holies) is established in the hearts of believers, and saints boldly enter the sanctuary as royal priests. Those who do not believe in resurrection while alive are under the law, going back and forth every day in the sanctuary yard seeking forgiveness for their sins. They are the ones who ask for the blood of Jesus every day for forgiveness of their sins. These people are no different from those who kill Jesus every day. They must become dead every day, but since they try to kill Jesus every day, they have no choice but to be judged according to the law.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 『For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are The same thing is said in 1 Corinthians 15:51, “alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 『Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,』

These words describe the death of the body of sin, transformation into a spiritual body, and the establishment of a temple in the heart of the believer. The former body of sin dies, and one receives a spiritual body from heaven and becomes one with God. When one receives a body from one's parents, the soul that appears (formerly the soul) is a dead soul. However, the soul that is born again and receives from heaven becomes a living soul. Resurrection means that believers receive a spiritual body (new soul) and their relationship with God is revived. Resurrection is not the resurrection of the body, but the resurrection of the soul (spirit body). That is why the spirit lives and moves towards God.

2. Old man and new man

Ephesians 4:22-24 『That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, after which God is created in righteousness and true holiness.』

“Those who have not entered into Christ” cannot put off their old self. The believer becomes a new person through the Holy Spirit in his heart. The new person means a new creation. This kind of work happens to those who are in Christ.

This has the same meaning as Romans 6:4-6. The new person is one who follows God. The new man means Christ. That is why those who follow Jesus Christ are new people. The new person is a new person created with righteousness and holiness of truth. This is what can happen if you enter into Christ.

The new person means the new temple, and the old person means the old temple. The first man, Adam, is an old man, an old temple built in the human heart. This became a place of idolatry without God. So, people create idols called themselves and worship them. He himself is God. So, Jesus dies on the cross as the first man, Adam. However, the last man, Adam, the new man, symbolizes the resurrected Christ. A new temple is built in the hearts of believers who believe in present-day resurrection, and the ascended Christ enters the hearts of believers.

Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

3. Third Heaven

The third heaven is sometimes called the Garden of Eden, and sometimes it is called the Millennium Kingdom. In Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 』

The millennium refers to the Messianic kingdom (restoration of spiritual Israel), and the Bible shows God's kingdom (millennial kingdom) on this earth. The millennium is a shadow of the kingdom of God. In other words, it is like the Garden of Eden. When the millennial kingdom enters the hearts of believers, Jesus Christ will return and rule. The millennium refers to the new temple built in the hearts of believers and the second coming of Christ into that temple to establish the kingdom of God. The saints are the millennium, the Garden of Eden, and the third heaven. So the number of saints is 144,000.

The millennium is another name for heaven, but has the same meaning. When a saint becomes a citizen of heaven, he or she is in the millennium. The Bible equates the millennium, or heaven, with the kingdom of God. Heaven (millennial kingdom) is when believers establish the kingdom of God while their bodies are alive. In Matthew 3:2 it says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and heaven means Jesus Christ.

A saint is a person who believes that Jesus Christ died on the cross and was resurrected. A temple (Holy of Holies) is built in his heart, and when Christ enters his heart, he becomes heaven. Therefore, those who do not believe in the present resurrection do not believe that Christ has returned and entered into the hearts of believers, and they cannot be considered to have come to heaven.

Those who do not attain the millennium are spiritually dead. They are those who have not achieved present-day resurrection. Church people today think that the millennium means the second coming of Jesus to earth and the kingdom ruled by Jesus. Accordingly, there will be seven years of great tribulation in the world, and theories such as premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism emerged. And based on the words of 1 Thessalonians 4, some believe that there will be a rapture to avoid the tribulation.

However, believers must realize that the second coming of Christ has already occurred for them. When Christ returns, the saints will receive the name 144,000. So, the name of Christ is engraved in the book of life in the saints' hearts, and the names of the saints (144,000) are engraved in Christ. This means the millennium. The millennium is not a concept of time and space, but is only a symbolic expression. It means the kingdom ruled by Christ, the kingdom of God in the hearts of believers.

4. The Kingdom of God in the Heart

In Acts 19:8-9, “And he went into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.” But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but sparked evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.』Paul preached for three months about the kingdom of God. The Bible says:

Paul's idea of the kingdom of God had several characteristics.

First, the kingdom of God is “the kingdom of Christ” (Eph. 5:5) and “the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1:13). “The reason why the kingdom of God is identified with the kingdom of Christ, his Son,” is because God’s righteous reign is realized through the person and work of Christ. God is executing his royal sovereignty over this world through his Son, Christ. No one can see the kingdom of God except through Christ. Those who experience His redemptive grace are “delivered by Christ from the power of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13), which Paul defines as obtaining “redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Above all, at the center of the decisive realization of the kingdom of God, salvation is the cross and resurrection, ascension, and second coming of Christ. The kingdom of God, realized in and through Jesus, is finally completed when Jesus dies, resurrects, ascends to the right hand of God's throne, and returns and enters the hearts of believers.

Second, the kingdom of God is characterized by the operation of the Holy Spirit.

The concept of the kingdom of God is also related to the work of the Holy Spirit in Paul's letters. When Jesus died and was resurrected and ascended to the throne of heaven, he took over God's sovereignty over the entire universe. The kingdom of God has now become the kingdom of his Son, and the reign of God has now become the reign of Jesus Christ. And he enters the hearts of the saints and rules this world through the saints. All of this happens through the Holy Spirit.

When Christ, ascended to the heavenly throne, exercises sovereignty in this way, he always exercises it through the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33; 5:31-32). In this sense, the Holy Spirit is the executive power of Christ's royal reign. “Christ, who entered into the hearts of the saints,” exercises the dominion handed over from God the Father through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, for Paul, the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:17) or “the Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit is the power that realizes the royal reign of Christ in the lives of believers and the power that makes them reproduce the image of God through Christ.

Third, the idea of the kingdom of God has contemporary characteristics. (1 Corinthians 4:20; 15:24, Colossians 1:13; Romans 14:17, Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:5)“Saints currently experience the kingdom of God in Christ” because they believe in a present resurrection. Those who cannot currently experience heaven are those who live in the past, and those who believe in resurrection after the death of the body also live in the future.

Fourth, the kingdom of God belongs to saints who participate in divinity. In 2 Peter 1:4, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

2 Peter 1:5-7『And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledgeAnd to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.;』

Eight virtues appear here, as if they must be accomplished step by step, but in faith there is virtue, in virtue there is knowledge, in knowledge there is self-control, in self-control there is perseverance, in perseverance there is godliness, and in godliness there is brethren. There is brotherly love, and in brotherly friendship there is love.

The word 『add』 is translated in the English Bible (niv) as 『make every effort to add』. Of course, the King James translation is 『giving』, and in the Greek original it is παρεισενέγκαντες (Pareisenenkantes: apply) ἐπιχορηγήσατε (Epichoregesate: give)』(eight virtues) are given and applied.

This is not achieved through human efforts, but the Bible says that when one becomes one with God, divinity appears in this way. Virtue (excellence) is created through faith, and gifts are received through knowledge (unity with God), so a person can become arrogant. He who realizes this becomes self-controlled. So, it is connected to patience (hypomone). Hypomone is staying at the throne of the Lord. So it becomes piety (Eusebeian: loving God).

Ultimately, this is a picture of what happens when God comes true in the believer's heart. This is how the Father, Christ the Son, and the saints are connected and become one through the Holy Spirit, creating the kingdom of God in the present.

Ⅲ. Gifts given to saints

1. Tongues and prophecy

Most church people think of tongues as a special language received from God as a result of believers' longing for spiritual things. Before Jesus' resurrection and ascension, he told them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for his Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, in Mark's upper room, the Holy Spirit came to Jesus' disciples. And his disciples began to speak languages other than Hebrew.“At that time, the diaspora from various countries, including Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, and Cappadocians, who had gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Pentecost,” witnessed a strange sight.

In Acts 2:11, “Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” When Jesus' disciples spoke in tongues, there were two reactions. The first is that Jesus' disciples are from the Galilee region, so how can they speak such foreign languages? Dialect means a foreign language.

Second, the disciples spoke of God's great works. When many people (diaspora living abroad) listen to the great works of God spoken by the disciples, they find that they are talking nonsense. So they said, “Are these people drunk?” They are talking gibberish that they cannot understand. Tongues are speech that is difficult for others to understand.

This story is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, died on the cross, and was resurrected to save humanity. It is a story about the spirit. People who said things like this were considered truly drunk at the time. In Acts 2:17, Peter explained the story of the Book of Joel to the people. 『And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:』

“The essence of what the disciples said to the people” does not lie in the tongues of the various nations, but in the great work of God. So, “the disciples speaking in tongues” is not speaking words that people cannot understand, but speaking about great works of God. However, when the disciples preach the gospel about the great work of God's kingdom (death on the cross and present resurrection), people do not understand and avoid it. So, the gospel sounds like a foreign language. This is a dialect.

The gospel is a personal blessing to believers. And, when the disciples preach the “gospel that sounds like speaking in tongues” for those who do not understand the gospel, an interpreter must be present because it serves as evidence. This is because the Holy Spirit plays the role of helping disciples understand the meaning of difficult words when they preach the gospel. So, the “gospel that feels like a foreign language,” even though it is spoken to the other person, is spoken by the Holy Spirit and is what the Holy Spirit makes us understand. Those who reject the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven of their sins. “He who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands; he speaks mysteries in the spirit.”

When a believer does not understand the death and resurrection of the cross, it becomes blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Even though the disciples “say that Jesus took all their sins by carrying the cross,” they claim that present and future sins require the blood of Jesus again. Regarding resurrection, even though Jesus Christ achieves a present resurrection for believers, they believe that resurrection occurs after the body dies.

Prophecy is the gospel of God's great work. In today's church, believers cannot fully understand the words of truth spoken in the Bible. The reason is that most church pastors preach based on doctrine. “Understanding and conveying through the power of the Holy Spirit” is conveying the true truth. So the saints learn the great secret of the kingdom of God. This is a prophecy.

Prophecy is not something that predicts “personal good or bad fortune,” but it is a way to properly convey the kingdom of God within the church. “Tongues and prophecy” are inseparable. Speaking in tongues is for non-believers, and prophecy is the gospel for believers. It is a reappointment with the same logic, just a different target. Those who speak in tongues today and say “la la la la” do not understand the words of the Bible. Believers must be spiritually awake and realize the true truth.

2. Love and fellowship between believers

1 Corinthians 12:13 『For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.』Whether Jews or Greeks, they are one in Christ. The idea of the Trinity is also included here. In the relationship between God the Father, Christ, and the saints, they become one. Furthermore, believers become one in the Holy Spirit. All of this is connected by the Holy Spirit.

Apostle Paul likens the relationship between Christ and believers to that of a tree and its branches. And Paul compares the body to the head and each part of the body. The body is one whole, but each has a role. 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 『Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.』

The church refers to believers in whom the kingdom of God has come in their hearts. The place where the saints gather is also the church community. This means that as two or three people gather together, God will be with the church community. So, the church community can be said to be not a building, but a gathering of believers, and there will be some who have not entered the kingdom of God. Therefore, it was very important to “teach them and go out and spread the gospel.” Therefore, the church community establishes a system to lead the community.

First, an apostle means one who rules. An apostle is someone who manages church believers well. Apostles are those who manage the spread of the gospel and believers on a macro level. This apostolate is performed by being given a gift. We can see that at the time of the early church, Peter served as an apostle to the Jews centered in Jerusalem, and Paul served as an apostle to the Gentile areas.

Second, prophet means prophet. Third is the teacher. Teacher means the gift of teaching. Fourth, it speaks of those who exercise miracles. There can be many different ways to perform abilities. It means that believers evangelize to many people and bring them to church. Fifth, the gift of healing for believers is to utilize the spread of the gospel through healing. Additionally, the gifts of helping each other, governing, and speaking in tongues are introduced. “Helpful gifts” are people who play a role in helping church believers who are experiencing difficulties for various reasons.

“Rulers” today refers to the office of elders. Speaking in tongues in church is connected to interpreting tongues, so when someone speaks in tongues, an interpreter is appointed so that believers can understand. The interpreter ensures that all believers know “the words that God speaks through the mouth of those who speak in tongues.” Speaking in tongues is not about what a believer prays to God, but rather about God making His will known through the believer.

“The reason why the church community should be organized in this way” would have been so that the gospel could be spread well and the community could become one through the gospel. So, the community would have gathered together to discuss and pray so that the gospel could be spread well. This is the fellowship between saints. Fellowship among believers is not something that comes from gathering in a church building to discuss worldly affairs or chatting like a club meeting.

3. The power of the saints

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 『Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?』

Regarding the judgment of the world and the angels, Jesus says this about the role of the disciples in judging Israel: In Matthew 19:28, “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve.” thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Also, in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:21, Jesus refers to the degree of authority given to the saints in the end times. 『His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over. a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.』

Paul used a more indirect way to forgive sins. In Acts 13:38-39, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could.” not be justified by the law of Moses.』

Because Jesus Christ is resurrected and does not rot, he can give people this holy faith. So, as promised, those who believe in the fact that He came to this earth will be freed from sin, and all who believe in Him will be justified, and those who do not believe in this gospel until the end and despise it will surely perish. The reason for being free from sin is because Jesus Christ was put to death from the law, so he becomes dead in Christ as well. Since he died to the law, the saints in Christ also become free from the law. In this way, Paul indirectly preached the message of forgiveness of sins.

In the case of Peter, he directly said, “Receive forgiveness of your sins.” In Acts 3:19, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

Part 5. spread the gospel

Ⅰ. Church as a base for spreading the gospel

1. The meaning of church community

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.』The church community is a community that spreads the gospel of Jesus Christ.

『 ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind』 δὲ κατηρτισμένοι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ.

“Same (en to oto ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ) mind (noi νοῒ)” This mind is used in 1 Corinthians 14:14, “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind (nus νοῦς) bears no fruit.” “The spirit (pneuma) prays” means praying in the Holy Spirit. This means that if a believer does not do it through the Holy Spirit, no matter how much he focuses his mind alone, he cannot do it. So, the same heart is a heart united by the Holy Spirit.

“Same meaning (gnome)” is used in 2 Corinthians 8:10. 『And herein I give my advice(gnomen): for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.』 It was the joy of Christ's presence that Titus had recently received. Titus prays the Pruschke prayer, but it doesn't work properly, so he always asks Paul to teach him how to do it. Paul advised Titus to focus on the grace of the Holy Spirit. Not long ago, Titus said to Paul, "He himself is a professional." “I heard the voice of God through Shuke prayer.”

So, this is the scene where Paul comes to the Corinthian church and tells them that if they wish as earnestly as Titus did, it can be achieved. What Paul means is “to experience the presence of God in the heart.” Therefore, “same purpose” means that the kingdom of God comes into the heart and its saints gather together to pray proschke. The church community is a community that prays like this. Today, in the church, most people do not know what the Proschke prayer is and are steeped in faith in blessings and blessings and pray for things to go well in the world. How did the Proschke prayer become a prayer? The Proschke prayer is a prayer that enters the Holy of Holies in the heart.

In “to put together completely” (κατηρτισμένοι), katertismenoi means to complete, to repair, and is used in Matthew 21:16. 『And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus said unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected(Katertismenoi) praise?』 When Jesus healed the blind and the lame, the children said, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” but the chief priests and scribes were angry. That is why Jesus says this.

Children and young children symbolize people who do not know much about the kingdom of God. This means that if a believer does not know much about the kingdom of God, but has a desire for the kingdom of God, God will make it perfect. Church community means a community with a desire for the kingdom of God.

2. Missionary trip and seven churches

Paul, Barnabas, and John called Mark were commissioned as missionaries by the Antioch church. As these three people traveled through Gubro Island, they experienced confrontation and conflict, and also experienced an incident of conversion. After “John Mark” returned home from Perga, Paul and Barnabas continued to travel inland, entering the central cities of Galatia, evangelizing large numbers of people and establishing churches. In Acts 14:19, Paul is said to have been stoned at Lystra and dragged out of the city, almost dead. But the Lord brought him back to life.

The two missionaries made a large semicircle from Antioch and arrived at Derbe in the Galatian region. Paul did not proceed any further, but looked back at the new churches that had been established up to that time and worked to further strengthen the faith of Christians. Afterwards, they turned around and returned to Antioch in Syria.

Unless Paul was driven out by persecution, such as being stoned, he stayed with the new believers and taught them. And Paul visited them again as soon as possible, even at the risk of his life. He even went back into the city that had just showered him with stones.

After returning to Antioch and completing his missionary report, Paul sent a letter to the brothers in the Galatian region, assuring them that he was praying for them and urging them to rely solely on God's grace for salvation. This is because “false teachers taught the Galatian saints that salvation could be achieved only by mixing God’s grace with the law and works.”

Paul attended the first church general meeting in Jerusalem, arguing on behalf of Gentile converts before Jewish opponents. After that, he went on his second missionary trip to meet again the saints he had evangelized to during his first missionary trip.

During Paul's second missionary journey, Paul, Timothy, and Silas left Antioch in Syria and arrived in Galatia by land to encourage the believers there. However, the Holy Spirit prevented them from going north or south, so they went to Troas, which is on the Aegean Sea. According to Acts 16:9-10, there Paul saw "a vision in a dream of a man from Macedonia crying for help" and sought to leave for Europe with his companions.

The churches of Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus were born through Paul's second journey. Paul stayed in Corinth for 1 year and 6 months, teaching people about the kingdom of God. During this time, Priscilla and Aquila accompanied Paul and helped him. Paul and his party stopped by the Jerusalem church to say hello and then returned to Antioch.

Paul and his party spent most of their second trip in Macedonia, Achaia, and Greece. Some converts regarded Paul's second missionary journey as his second appearance, and through the two letters he wrote during this period, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, he placed great emphasis on the resurrection and second coming of Jesus Christ.

In Paul's third missionary journey, Paul and his group (Paul accompanied a total of nine people during the third missionary journey) strengthened the Galatian believers and then headed west and arrived at Ephesus. During this period, the word of God entered every region of Asia. Paul stayed in Ephesus for a total of three years, where he preached about the kingdom of God. In all of Paul's active evangelistic ministry, he never stayed in one place for this long. After brief visits to Macedonia, Achaia, and Greece, Paul returned to Ephesus, and despite several warnings that he might be arrested there, he hastened to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost.

During his third missionary journey, Paul went to the major cities of the time, established churches, trained elders, and entrusted them with evangelism in those areas. The fact that there were seven churches in Asia when the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation (Revelation 2-3) proves that Paul's strategy was effective. Among the seven churches, there is no record that "Paul personally visited six churches excluding the Ephesus church," but those six churches were gathered around Ephesus.

Paul's fourth missionary journey began in Jerusalem. When Paul went up to the temple in Jerusalem, Jews from Asia rushed to him and dragged him out of the temple. This is because they regarded “Paul, who did not discriminate against Gentiles,” as a reactionary who rebelled against Judaism. According to Acts 21:31-34, they beat Paul to death. This caused some unrest among the crowd. Then, the commander of the Roman army was concerned that a small disturbance would develop into a riot, so he dispatched his soldiers and urgently arrested Paul. As Paul endured a trial that lasted several years and continued death threats from the Jews, he decided to defend himself before the emperor in Rome.

However, “the ship carrying Paul and other prisoners to Rome” was hit by a fierce storm. According to Acts 28:30-31, the ship, "swept by the mountainous waves of the Mediterranean," was wrecked and landed on the coast of the island of Malta (Melita), south of Sicily, with the passengers safely brought ashore. Upon his arrival in Rome, Paul was placed under house arrest for two years, but he enjoyed relative freedom to receive visitors and to publicly preach Jesus Christ.

During this time, Paul wrote Philippians to express his gratitude to the saints who took care of his needs. In this letter, Paul reported his current situation and comforted the recipients during their suffering. Although he was imprisoned in a Roman prison, he was even more happy and thankful. Because if he had not been in prison, he was able to share the gospel with people he would not have been able to reach. Paul taught the Philippian believers to always rejoice in the Lord.

Paul's 5th missionary journey focused on "spreading the gospel to Spain, at the western end of the Roman Empire," "encouraging Timothy, who was serving as a pastor in Ephesus," and "Encouraging Titus, who was serving as a pastor on the island of Crete." It was leaning. Paul visited Crete and Ephesus to encourage his two sons of faith, Timothy and Titus. Christ's Great Commission was to make disciples.

3. Conflict within the church community

There were also cracks in Paul's process of establishing the church community. There were two spiritual leaders in the Corinthian church. It was Apollos and Paul. In 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I have planted, Apollos watered; But God gave the increase.” Since Paul is said to have planted the church, he was the leader at the time of the church establishment. On the other hand, we can assume that Apollos exerted great influence in later times. Further in chapter 1 verse 12, he speaks of each person to whom he belongs. Paul, Apollos, Cephas, Christ. Four names appear, but there are only two "leaders whom they saw and learned from": Cephas and Christ. They were fighting over whether it was Paul or Apollos. In chapter 1 verse 13, 『Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” Paul is saying that the name Paul is not important, but only doing ministry in Christ is important.

Even today, the church community is divided into numerous factions. To quote Wikipedia, Christianity has its origins in the early church, which was run by the apostles after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Starting with the catholic or catholic church, which believed or claimed to have inherited the power of the apostles of the early church, Due to language differences, it was divided into the Eastern Church in the Greek language area and the Western Church in the Latin area.

In the 11th century, the "Union of the Five Patriarchal Churches of the Catholic Church" broke up due to political conflict and differences in cultural and theological positions (Filioque controversy, icon controversy, mutual excommunication), and the Roman Church was divided into four churches (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem) refused to unite, resulting in a major schism in the church, which was completely divided into the Western Church and the Eastern Church. Afterwards, the Eastern Church developed into a federation of national dioceses centered in Constantinople, while the Western Church grew around the Roman Diocese, centered in Rome and governed by the Pope, for 500 years.

In the 16th century, the Western Church separated from the Pope as corruption and non-Christian elements spread within the Church and a church renewal movement developed against the backdrop of humanism. Starting with the Pope-centered Roman Catholic Church and the German Lutheran Church, it developed into various Protestant churches, including the Reformed Church (Presbyterian Church), the Church of England, and the Methodist Church.

And the church creates doctrines according to their theology, teaches them at theological colleges under the name Josinhal, and evangelists and pastors produced there teach in the church according to those doctrines.

The question of how well the gospel of Jesus Christ has been passed down from the early church to the present is negative. First of all, there are not many people who are well versed in Hviri or Greek, and the translation of the Bible has many differences from the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament, and there is a tendency to interpret the Bible literally or to interpret it in a humanistic way due to the introduction of liberal theology. This has increased.

When the truth is degenerated into untruth, the "church community proclaiming untruth" is a church community in name only, not a church community like the one at the time of the early church. So, believers should pay close attention to these points. Because it is related to salvation.

4. Challenges outside the church

The challenges outside the church at the time of the early church can be summarized in three points. These are humanism, legalism, and gnosticism.

First, a word about humanism.

From a Christian perspective, humanism refers to an ideology that focuses only on human interests and not for the glory of God the Creator, which is the purpose of human existence. In other words, it means a Christianity that is human-centered, not God-centered. How can these things happen?

“Christians imbued with humanistic ideas” do not accept “the words of Romans 8:1-2 as present and future.” The gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ is dismissed as a thing of the past, and the precious blood of the cross is thought of as a means for forgiveness of sins. That is why believers put themselves forward and work hard to avoid committing sins. While they are trying not to sin, the widespread belief is that breaking the commandments is a sin and that “keeping the commandments and doing them is not a sin.” They have the idea that they will stop sinning, become good people, and return to the kingdom of God. This is because the Garden of Eden is thought of as an event that occurred on this earth. So, humans were kicked out of the Garden of Eden for breaking the commandments, and people think that the Garden of Eden can no longer be found.

In the opinion of Christians steeped in humanism, “effort not to commit sin” is to become a good person. They engage in various activities with a good heart, and believe that becoming good is the way back to God. They believe that although their past sins have been forgiven through the work of Jesus on the cross, they must now fight the good fight in the future.

“Striving to be good” is no different from other religions. Although the love of the cross of Jesus Christ was in the past, for the present and future, "they come to think that all efforts to be good are no different from the love of the cross and the mercy of other religions." This is the thinking of Christians who have fallen into humanism.

That is why they think that there is salvation in all religions. No matter how hard man tries, he cannot go to God's good. Only union with Jesus Christ by dying on the cross can lead to God's love and holiness. Today's "humanistic Christians" must realize their wrong ideas about sin and enter into the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Second, it is legalism.

Distinguishing between law and legalism is very important in salvation. The law is the word of God given by God to the people of Israel. God commanded the people to “keep the law so that they may attain the righteousness of God.” The people tried to keep the commandments of the law, but they could not keep them completely. So, everyone tried to escape from sin through animal sacrifice. “The purpose of God giving the law to the Israelites” is “that you are all sinners, and if you realize that fact through the law, you will discover the seed of promise (Christ) through sacrifice.”

Jesus Christ in the law is the one who dies on the cross to save all sinners. Sinners killed animals and sprinkled their blood on the altar. The priest transfers the sin from the sinner to the animal, and the animal dies in place of the sinner. However, the dead animal is none other than a sinner. Although the animal dies instead of the sinner, the sinner and the animal are united, and the sinner dies. So, the Bible tells us that sinners are reborn through animal sacrifice. Those who are united with the death of Jesus belong to the new creation that is born again. In Hebrews 9:11, it is not like the creation of this world.

In this way, Christ is hidden in the law. Therefore, the law is strictly the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the same as the tree of life (Christ) hidden within the tree of knowledge of good and evil (the law). Through the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Bible helps humans realize their sins. Sin is the desire to become like God before eating the fruit. Through that tree, humans are asked to see that the heart of greed exists. The dichotomous logic that “if you keep the commandments it is not a sin, and if you do not keep the commandments it is a sin” does not allow believers to discover Christ within the law. That is legalism.

The law is the word of God that allows believers to discover Christ, but legalism is an ideology that eliminates Christ. The “legalistic (humanistic) ideology” prevalent in the church does not deny Me, but rather promotes Me. A representative example is the Ten Commandments. Believers must discover sin in the Ten Commandments and enter into the cross of Jesus Christ, but believers are bound by the commandments and would rather keep them. The Ten Commandments are God's commandments, but they also contain God's love for sinners. Being bound by the rules of the law is legalism.

Additionally, “words that seem to indicate that a pastor is forcing believers to lead a holy life like Jesus or giving instructions to lead a godly life of faith” are all legalism. These people “say that they are saved through the gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ, but they try to show themselves in their lives.” Jesus tells us to deny “self,” but many pastors are keeping their “self” alive. We must remember that all humans are sinners and have no choice but to die before God, and that there is no other way than to live a life united with Jesus Christ on the cross. If believers do not remember the words of Apostle Paul, “I die every day,” they will fall into legalism (humanism).

The image of those who fall into legalism emphasizes action. What James is talking about is “hearing regulations so that they can be acted upon.” James 2:26 says, “Faith without works is dead.” If you accept salvation through faith, you must break away from legalism through action, but this points out that believers do not do this. Many believers still believe in the gospel, but try to follow the law.

Third, this is a word about Gnosticism.

Gnosticism is called Gnosticism (Gnosticism in English). Gnosis is a Greek word meaning mystical, revelatory, high knowledge, or enlightenment.

According to the Wikipedia dictionary, 『Gnostic activists realize that the true origin of humans lies in the Supreme Divine through Gnosis, and through this realization, the spiritual element of human nature, or spirit, escapes the material world and becomes free. 』

Regarding the fundamental idea of Gnosticism, they believe that humans have divinity, but that divinity has been hidden because the spirit is trapped in the material body. So, they think that through wisdom they can recover their divinity and become divine beings. Those who advocate Gnosticism do not advocate one form, but have diverse ideological views. Perhaps all religions except Christianity could be a branch of Gnosticism. However, it would probably be surprising if this kind of idea entered Christianity.

Church people say that God created humans as beings resembling the image of God, but when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the image of God disappeared. So, it is said that humans must escape from sin and restore the image of God. The way to escape from sin is to believe in Jesus Christ, and God forgives all sins through the blood of Jesus. As a result, God sends the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Jesus, and the image of God is restored.

The image of God is not a deity that can become God, but Jesus Christ. In Colossians 1:15, 『Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:.』

God is the invisible image of God, but Jesus “appeared in a visible image. Those who do not have the image of God are those who do not have Jesus Christ. “Working hard and living a religious life to maintain the image of God” means that God It comes from not understanding the meaning of the image. Those who believe that “we must practice our faith diligently to prevent the image of God from disappearing” may think of the image as a divinity that can become a god. , they are no different from believing in Gnosticism.

Many church people think that if they believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit will come. Believing in Jesus is “believing in dying with Jesus and being reborn,” but many believers mistakenly believe that if they just believe in the name of Jesus, all their sins will be forgiven and they will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift. The Holy Spirit will not come unless the believer dies with Jesus. However, even though a believer does not die with Jesus, he seeks to receive the Holy Spirit. In the Book of Acts, Simon the Magician thought he could buy the Holy Spirit with money. Even today, many churches emphasize the gift of the Holy Spirit. Believers believe that God works through mystical experiences. Through a mystical experience, believers think that the Holy Spirit has worked on them and they have become holy people, or they think that they have become divine.

Regarding the gift, people are said to have received God's prophetic ability, and they may predict the future of others or predict certain events that will occur in the country or society. They communicate directly with God through mysterious words (speaking in tongues) and pray for him to heal their illnesses and to be blessed and prosper on this earth.

If a problem is solved, they think they have magical abilities. This is no different from what Gnosticism calls “awakening the hidden divinity.” All of these actions were “permitted by God to his disciples in the early church in order to spread the gospel of Christ,” which many church people today believe are awakening the divinity (image of God) in their hearts. .

Most of the “religions pursuing gnosticism” share the same ideology. It is to awaken the divinity within your heart. So, we are trying to achieve it through human efforts. So the story of religious integration comes out. But Christianity is a completely different story. The Bible (Romans 1) says that there is no divinity in the human heart, only evil greed. The greed of this heart is the old self. The Bible says that believers should not live a holy life and keep the image of God, but that they should unite with Jesus Christ and die of their old self. When Jesus said to deny oneself, it was with these words in the background. Why is greed of the heart a sin in Christianity? This is because it is a desire to become like God. Gnostics do not consider the desire to be like God to be a sin. Because they think they can become gods themselves.

Ⅱ. Preaching about the Kingdom of God

1. The kingdom of God preached by Paul

Acts 19:8, 『And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.』In chapter 19, the core ministry of Paul's third missionary journey It records the pioneering ministry of Ephesus. Paul stayed there for about three years, where he taught the Word of God. This period was the period when Paul's missionary work blossomed. Paul set aside his disciples in the academy of Tyrannus and preached to them every day. At that time, all the people of Asia, whether Jews or Greeks, heard the gospel. In addition, the amazing work of the Holy Spirit took place, causing magicians to repent and burn their magic books.

What does Paul talk about about the kingdom of God? It is not specifically indicated. However, we can guess through the stories before and after.

The first is a story about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 19:1-2, “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.』 Certain disciples are disciples of Apollos. Paul asked them about the Holy Spirit, and they said they had never heard of it. Apollos knows about the Holy Spirit, but he just didn't receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, so why don't the disciples know about the Holy Spirit?

The core of Christianity is the faith of being born again by water and the Holy Spirit. However, not knowing the Holy Spirit is not Christianity. It is shocking that “Apollus, who did not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit,” was the leader of the church. And the disciples had not even heard about the Holy Spirit. Even today, many ministers and believers in the church are like this.

19:4-5 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.』“Baptism given in the name of Jesus” is called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The water baptism that John gives is the concept of washing away sins. However, water baptism, as Paul says in Romans 6:3-7, means dying to sin. And the baptism of fire mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew is death to the soul. This all symbolizes Jesus’ death on the cross.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit means resurrection, and to those who are united with the resurrection of Christ, God gives new life through the Holy Spirit. Anyone who does not have resurrection life has never received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So, when a believer receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a new temple is built in the believer's heart, Christ returns to the believer's heart, and Christ becomes present (parousia) in the believer's heart. So, the saints enter the Holy of Holies, and the prayer they pray at this time is called the Proschke prayer.

However, in verse 9 of chapter 19, it slanders, “But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spoke evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.” Those who do this are Jewish legalists. Legalism at that time had a serious impact on the spread of the gospel. So, it appears that Paul explained the difference between the law and legalism.

2. The Kingdom of God, the content of the gospel spread

“The core of the gospel that today’s believers must preach” is about heaven in the heart. This is because the kingdom of God in which Jesus declares, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” is heaven, and it is the kingdom of God in the heart. This is the ultimate purpose of the gospel. So, the fruit of the gospel is that believers die on the cross with Jesus, believe in the present resurrection with Christ, and achieve the kingdom of God in their hearts through him. Just as seeds are sown and bear fruit, sowing the seeds is the death of the cross and the present resurrection. If a believer does not preach this and says, “If you believe in Jesus, you will go to heaven,” this is not spreading the gospel.

In Matthew 3:2, 『Repent, for the kingdom of heaven (he basileia ton uranon "ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν") is at hand.』 A distinction must be made between heaven and the kingdom of God. The Greek word “he basileia ton uranon” is translated as the kingdom of heaven, which is the kingdom of God in the heart.

God has come near, and believers are told to turn to God. “The kingdom of heaven has come near” means that Jesus Christ has come near. Jesus Christ enters the hearts of those who repent. “Singular uranon without article” is the sky seen with the eyes. “Plural heavens without article” means the worldly church community. “Heaven with articles” means the kingdom of God, and “plural heavens with articles” means the kingdom of God in the heart.

“Angels who sinned in the kingdom of God” took off their clothes and their spirits were imprisoned in a pot, becoming humans. Humans are beings trapped in the world. So, humans die twice. In Genesis 2:17, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (mut).” The Hebrew Bible says, “ It says “die (mut) and die (mut).”

And, in John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” It was expressed as “be born again.” , the previous one dies (twice) and is born from heaven. Regarding the two deaths, the first death is death to sin (baptism in water), and the second death is death to the soul (baptism in fire).

“Death on the cross” is death to sin and the process of taking off the dirty clothes of the soul. So, Jesus preached the gospel to the spirits in prison. In other words, He entered into the hearts of all humans and made known to them that you must die. In 1 Peter 3:19-20, “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.』

Water baptism means death to sin. Romans 6:6-7 『Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.』

“Death of the soul” is the death of the soul (the first man, Adam), the body of sin, through fire baptism. This is changing from the body of sin to the body of spirit (clothes of Christ). In Matthew 3:11-12, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance.” but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather. his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.』

There are three days between the death and resurrection of Jesus. The third day signifies the building of the temple. In John 2:19, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The saints who die with Jesus have a new temple built in their hearts. And resurrection is a change of clothes from a physical body to a spiritual body (new soul).

Ascension means “the saint’s entrance into the temple built in the heart.” This is because the temple means the kingdom of God. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” And, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heaven becomes the kingdom of God in the heart. It foreshadows that in the future, Jesus will die on the cross, be resurrected, and ascend to the kingdom of God. So, saints are also at the right hand of the throne in the kingdom of God.

The Second Coming is “God entering the temple in the hearts of the saints.” This is Immanuel, and in Greek it is Parousian. It means the presence of God. Church people still wait for the second coming of Jesus, but the second coming of Jesus has come true for those whose temple has been built in the hearts of believers. That is why saints and Christ meet in the temple and have a heavenly wedding feast. For those who do not believe this, Christ will return as judge.

Ⅲ. christian doctrine

1. Principles of doctrine

From Christian doctrine, the death of the cross and resurrection cannot be excluded. Jesus’ death on the cross has the meaning of atonement. However, as Romans 6 states, sinners also died with Jesus. Resurrection also means that the saints who are united with the resurrection of Christ are currently resurrected to heavenly life. If this is missing, it is not a correct doctrine.

The death of the cross is marked by baptism, and through water baptism (death to sin) and fire baptism (death to the soul), believing and confessing that the sinner has died is repentance. And, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, believers take on a spiritual body. This is resurrection. The spiritual body is built in the hearts of believers, and this is called the new temple.

When the new temple is built in the hearts of believers, Christ will return and enter the hearts of believers, and the kingdom of God will be established in the hearts. The saints and God are having a wedding feast in heaven. Therefore, God and the saints become one. The unity of the Father, Christ, and the Son in the Holy Spirit is the Trinity.

2. Pastoral Doctrine

Each of Paul's letters presents a variety of pastoral guidelines and each has its own unique characteristics. This can be understood from several perspectives and points of view. The first thing to think about is “the nature and direction of the church and ministry.” This is an aspect that deals with how the church is formed and what goals and direction it should have. This is directly related to the nature and direction of ministry. References to this can be found here and there in Paul's letters. However, among them, we can find Paul's clear thoughts and perspectives on the nature and direction of the church and ministry in Romans, Colossians, and Ephesians. These three letters have two common characteristics related to church ministry.

First, in all three letters, Paul appears as an indirect and supporting figure rather than as a direct and leading figure in church ministry. In Romans, it is a letter to a church that Paul has not been to, in Colossians it is a letter to a church that was mainly formed through the ministry of others (for example, through the leading ministry of Epaphras), and in Ephesians, it is a letter written with the intention of circulating among various churches. This indirect and auxiliary nature of the three letters is connected to the pastoral need to systematically inform each church of the nature, goals, and direction of the church.

Second, in all three letters, “theoretical explanations appear in the first half of each letter, and specific recommendations accordingly appear in the second half.” “Theoretical explanations and specific exhortations” appear in Romans in 1:18-11:36 and 12:1-15:13, in Colossians in 1:3-2:5 and 2:6-4:6, and in Ephesians. It is described in 1:3-3:21 and 4:1-6:20. This “form of composition woven with theory and exhortation” is connected to Paul’s intention of identifying the essence of the church community through Christ and suggesting the direction in which the church should move forward.

(1) The essence of the Roman Church and ministry

Romans is an epistle that systematically explains what the gospel of Christ is. Paul explains the gospel of Jesus Christ while keeping in mind the influence of the distorted Jewish legalism that was widespread at the time. Therefore, we can see that the book of Romans is permeated with controversy with Judaizers.

However, Paul's intention is not only a theological debate. He participates in theological debates, but on the other hand, he has pastoral intentions in hopes that the Roman Church will win the debate and become a desirable church community. The heart of the pastor who wants the Roman church to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ well and grow into a new community through Christ, that is, a desirable church, is underlying the book of Romans.

Because of this intention, Paul first discusses at length “in 1:18-11:36” what the gospel of the Son of God is (see 1:3-4; 1:9), which creates a new community (new Israel, new humanity). Explain. And in 12:1-15:13, Paul specifically exhorts what the “community created by the Son of God,” that is, the Roman Church, should look like.

In this way, the book of Romans reveals the essence of the church by teaching the gospel and clearly shows Paul's intention to recommend the desirable form of the church. “The essence of the church revealed in Romans” is the community of new people through Christ, and the essence of ministry is the activity of establishing a new community (spiritual Israel) through Jesus Christ. The Epistle to the Romans is “an epistle that well reflects the nature of the church and ministry as thought by Paul,” and therefore, readers can gain an important perspective on the nature of the church and ministry from the Epistle to the Romans. In Romans, Paul follows the gospel of Christ to ensure that the new community, spiritual Israel, created by Jesus is fully established.

(2) Ephesians, goals and direction of the Colossae church and ministry

From the beginning, both epistles make it clear that "the will of God is important, and the realization of that will is manifested as a holy church" (Ephesians 1:3-3:21; Colossians 1:3-2:5), and Paul presents what the church should be like (Ephesians 4:1-6:20; Colossians 2:6-4:6).

In this process, both epistles describe the realization of God's will from two perspectives: God and humans. The first half of both letters explains "from God's perspective, how God's will was accomplished in Christ in a holy church," and the second half exhorts "what the holy church should look like from a human perspective."

The Epistle to the Ephesians speaks of this very systematically. “God’s will to create holy sons of God (spiritual Israel) in Christ” is realized through the redemption of Jesus Christ and the sealing of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:3-14). “The result of its realization” is to become a church filled with Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23), and on an individual level, the church becomes spiritually alive through Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10). ), in the communal aspect, Jews and Gentiles unite as one and become a holy community (Ephesians 2:11-22).

Paul offers a pastoral prayer “that God’s will be fully accomplished” (Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:1-21). The wish appears to be “ultimately recommending the appearance of a desirable church community” (Chapters 4-6). First, the “desirable appearance that the holy church should have” is presented in principle (Ephesians 4:1-24), and then it is explained in detail and exhorted (Ephesians 4:25-6:20).

Colossians is not much different from Ephesians in its basic framework. First, Paul speaks of “a new person who is redeemed and created anew through Christ” (Colossians 1:13-20) and declares that this is realized in the Colossian church (Colossians 1:21-23). This is “God’s will to create a new person through Christ” (Colossians 1:1, 9). Paul undertakes “pastoral work in the hope that His will may be fully accomplished” (Colossians 1:24-2:5), and explains in detail what this type of pastoral ministry exhortation is (2:5-4:6). Presents what the church should look like (Colossians 2:6-8) and expresses the details in detail from the passive aspect (2:16-23) and the positive aspect (3:1-4:6) do.

In this way, both letters reveal that “it is God’s will to become a holy church community through Christ,” and Paul advises how God’s will should be realized in reality. In this respect, it can be said that the two epistles strongly reflect the goals and direction of Paul's ministry. The goal of ministry is “to realize the new person through Christ, that is, the holy church community,” and ministry must proceed in the direction of achieving that. In the end, Paul speaks of the goal of ministry as “realizing a holy community through Christ,” and speaks of the proper direction in which ministry should take place.

(3) Pastoral direction revealed in 1 and 2 Timothy

The books of 1 Timothy and Titus show a slightly different aspect from the characteristics of ministry shown in the letters discussed above. While “Romans, Ephesians, and Colossians” speak of the nature and direction of ministry, and “Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Galatians, and 1 and 2 Corinthians” show specific problems in the church and practical prescriptions for ministry, “1 Timothy” takes a deeper interest in organized and generalized pastoral methods.

This interest stands out in four ways.

First, rather than showing Paul directly carrying out ministry, these two letters show the ministry that Paul was teaching. Paul teaches appropriate pastoral practices to Timothy, who pastors in Ephesus, and Titus, who pastors on the island of Crete (1 Tim. 1:3; Titus 1:5). Therefore, Paul focuses on “presenting a pastoral policy” rather than giving “specific answers to detailed problems in the ministry field.”

Second, these epistles have a special interest in church politics (1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). Both letters speak of Timothy and Ti's own role as well as those with whom they would exercise pastoral leadership. What is important is how “Timothy or Titus” connects with other people and what position they occupy in the church. Therefore, Paul is deeply interested in how pastoral leadership appears in the framework of church politics.

Third, Paul is deeply interested in church organization. Paul presents the justification for Timothy and Titus to establish ministry leaders and explains how to establish them (1 Tim. 3:1-7, 8-13; 5:22; Titus 1:5, 6-9). Paul specifically presents the roles and standards for appointment of elders (overseers) and deacons. The two letters show interest in the organizational framework within which church ministry should be conducted.

Fourth, both epistles are interested in teaching strategies. This does not mean that the two epistles are completely uninterested in the content of the teachings. However, these two letters specifically pay greater attention to methods and strategies for teaching church members. On the one hand, the two epistles explain how to stop problematic people, and on the other hand, they explain how to impart sound advice to people.

(4) The direction of pastors revealed in the book of Titus

The Book of Titus is “a letter passing down Paul’s pastoral methods to Titus.” Like 1 Timothy, the book of Titus also shows the style of ministry delivered by Paul. However, if 1 Timothy is a pastoral instruction, we can say that Titus is a pastoral instruction. Paul wants to systematically teach Titus, who must minister on the island of Crete, how to minister.

If 1 Timothy was intended to help Timothy “how to minister to the church in Ephesus,” Titus is intended to systematically teach “how Titus should minister on the island of Crete” (Titus 1:5). Therefore, the book of Titus shows a more systematic bird's eye view of the ministry Paul teaches than 1 Timothy. This bird's eye view of ministry appears in three ways.

First, Paul emphasizes teaching as the most important point in his pastoral method. It is no exaggeration to say that the book of Titus actually deals with the issue of teaching as a whole. Most of the body of the letter deals with the issue of teaching (Titus 1:10-3:7), and the latter part of the letter repeats the theme of the teaching (Titus 3:8-11). The “problem of teaching in ministry” that Paul seeks to convey occupies a central position. The most important means of ministry that Paul seeks to pass on is “teaching.”

Second, Paul says that the teaching must proceed in two directions. He argues that, on the one hand, he must prevent wrong teachings, and on the other hand, he must continue to spread correct teachings. On the negative side, he says that he must stop those who teach incorrectly (Titus 1:10-16), and on the positive side, he must convey correct teachings worthy of the truth in a concrete and practical way (2:1-3:7). Paul places greater emphasis on the latter. But these two must go together, he says.. The ministry of teaching must proceed on both sides.

Third, Paul emphasizes that the ministry of these teachings must be carried out with plural leadership. Paul passes on the ministry of teaching to Titus, but it is not only given to Titus, but also to the leaders who will be with Titus. So, from the beginning of his epistle, Paul instructs to appoint elders (pastors) to be with each city on the island of Crete (Titus 1:5). The elders must be appointed strictly (1:6-9), and their highest responsibility is to teach the Word and give exhortation. Together with them, Titus must stop groups that teach incorrectly and strive for correct teaching (Titus 1:9). “Plural leadership consisting of multiple pastors” is the basic organization and pattern of ministry that Paul transmits to Titus.

In this way, the book of Titus concisely and clearly presents “the most important point of ministry that Paul wants to pass on.” The contents can be condensed into two things. It means striving for the ministry of teaching and working together with multiple pastors (elders). To sum up the ministry that Paul teaches, it is “Strive for correct teaching through multiple leadership.”

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The gospel of Jesus Christ revealed through Paul

The Gospel of Jesus Christ through Paul

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