How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter! [Song 7:1]

(…continue from part three…)

4)            1Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” The ‘quickened’ of 1Peter 3:18 is zoopoieo (zō-o-poi-ye’-ō): ‘to (re-)vitalize; to make alive.

                The following verses are proofs of the Christian’s acquitted and discharged persona. Acts 13:37-39 “But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. 38) Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39) And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Every born again Christian assumes Christ’s ‘no corruption’ persona. The word ‘forgiveness’ of the 38^th verse is aphesis (a’-fe-sis) meaning: ‘1. a removal. 2. (figuratively) a pardon, a release (from guilt and penalty).’ The word ‘justified’ is dikaioo (d̮iy-kai-o’-ō): ‘1. to regard as righteous. 2. (judicially) to regard as innocent.’ To be scripturally ‘justified’ is as if one has never committed any sin at all. He is a brand new man, all the days of his regenerate life. What does 2Corinthians 5:17 say? “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The newness is eternal freshness: for it resides before the unchanging Jehovah in the celestial assizes of the Rainbow Administration.

                Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The Christian’s existentiality is not under the Law of Moses. There is, therefore, no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1); the Eternal Judge has legally pronounced them acquitted and discharged Christians. Romans 4:23-25 “Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24) But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25) Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” Dikaiosis (d̮iy-kai’-ō-sis) is the Greek for ‘justification’ and it means: ‘aquittal (for Christ’s sake).’

                2Corinthians 5:14-17 “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:  15) And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16) Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Sunecho (sïn-e’-chō) is the Greek for ‘constraineth’ which means: ‘1. to hold together, i.e. to compress (the ears, with a crowd or siege) or arrest (a prisoner). 2. (figuratively) to compel, perplex, afflict, preoccupy.’ The word ‘judge’, krino (kriy’-nō), in this context, is  ‘(properly) to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or judicially)’; and not that of condemnation.

                A stupefying change is the occurrence when Jesus died for us on the cross. When He died, we, the preordained elect of the foreknowledge of Jehovah, died with Him to rise with the Great Shepherd on the third day. Our nature, through this inexplicable phenomenon, changed. We took on His divine nature: never to be arraigned for any spiritual offence, here on earth and in the empyreal assizes. Glory be to Jesus, now and forever. Amen!

                Titus 3:5-7 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6) Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7) That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” All that a Christian does is just respond to God’s love and call; a personal righteousness is not a requirement, simply because the right stand of Adamic direction is fraught with corruption. It cannot appeal to God’s compassion. The Lord, for this reason, set in motion His saving grace, placed it in Jesus Christ: that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16); which properly translates into “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” (Romans 10:9).

                The Greek for ‘regeneration’ in Titus 3:5 is paliggenesia (pal-ing-ghen-es-ee’-ah), which classically is of Cicero’s [The Roman statesman and orator Mārcus Tullius Cicerō (106-43 BC)] restoration to rank and fortune on his recall from exile. The New Testament understanding is: ‘(spiritual) rebirth (the state or the act), that is, (figuratively) spiritual renovation; specifically Messianic restoration:‘ and ‘justified’ is dikaioō (dik-ah-yo’-o): ‘to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be; to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent.’ Dikaioō is a restoration that gives one a new nature as if that one had never committed any sin. As a matter of the scriptural veridical fact, the Lord Jesus has paid for our spiritual debt, not in part, but in full.

                Spiritual acquittal and discharge takes place only when one is born again. To be born again, say, with all your heart, this simple prayer:

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”     

(…to be concluded…)

Read part three here

Click here to read the concluding 5th part

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