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Purpose of
God for Creating man is that
Man should Inherit His Kingdom.
God became poor, a mere flesh man on earth in
order that men become rich by becoming
joint-heirs with Christ in heaven.
God lives in heaven of which the description of
its glory cannot even enter in the minds if the people. God wants to choose a
group of obedient people, make them righteous and holy so that they can live
with him forever. They will inherit the kingdom of God.
"Luke
12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
The
tangible part of us is our body, because we see and feel the body. God
created the body from the dust of the earth and it will return to the dust.
" Gen
2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
Eccl
3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing
befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one
breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is
vanity. 20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust
again." The body is flesh and it has life. When the life ends that
is the end of the body and we are dead. But our soul continues to live and
will never die. At the resurrection, the image of the body will be raised
and joined with the soul.
B.
Man is a Soul
The
true person of the human being is soul. In other words, soul is living
inside the house, which is the body. "Matt
10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell." The soul is created at our
conception but it never dies. At the death of the body, the soul who is the person
of the body, will either be sent to heaven or hell.
"Matt 25:34 --- Come,
ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world: 41
--- Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and
his angels:"
Even though the soul is a spirit
in nature, one soul and one body is permanently joined at the conception.
When the body dies, the soul leaves. S oul,
being the person, bears the character. Soul is responsible for our deeds.
The deeds of other living beings are controlled by their instincts since they do
not have souls.
The
first man was created from the dust of the earth. He has a soul at
creation. When God gave him the spirit by breathing into him, he (his soul)
became living soul.
"Gen 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." At
the genuine repentance of a person, God forgives him and gives the spirit of man to
him for his spiritual life. Then he becomes born again (living soul).
"1 Cor 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a
man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God.
12
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the
spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to
us of God."
At this point this person begins to understand the
things pertained to the kingdom of heaven.
"Job 32:8 But there is a spirit
in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding."
The
spirit is the light of life. "John
8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he
that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life." If he reverence the spiritual life, the spirit
remains with him until his physical death. At his death his spirit goes to God.
"Eccl 12:7 Then shall the dust return
to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
The
first man became a living soul. He was told that he will die in the day he
eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. That is, his living soul
will become a dead soul. That is, the spirit of man which God gave will
leave him at that point. "Gen
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."
If a person backslides and rebel against God, at a certain point God will take
the spirit away from him. "Psalms
51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take
not thy holy spirit from me." Even though this person continues to live, he
lives as a spiritually dead person as Adam
and Eve were dead at the Garden of Eden when they ate the forbidden fruit and
continued to live in the body.
The true God, who created everything that is created, lives in the glorious place called heaven. He is seated
on the throne in
heaven. "2 Chr 30.27
--- their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place,
even unto heaven. 1 Kings 22:19
--- , Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his
throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his
left."
God created man from the dust of the earth. God remembers that he is dust.
"Gen 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,--. Psalms 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust."
God has created everything for His pleasure.
"Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created."
It is also His pleasure to give his kingdom to
men and women, who were created by him from the dust of the earth.
"
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom."
"Psalms 4:3 But know
that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself:"
God
wants to bring the deserving men and women to His kingdom to sit on His throne and
to rule with Him. God gives commandments to the people, chooses
the obedient, purify them without spot or wrinkle, makes them holy and perfect as
God is holy and perfect, resurrects that is to raise them with glorious bodies,
declare them sons of God ( bride of Christ) as he has declared the Man Jesus as the begotten Son of
God. (For details you may click on this topic:
"Begotten Sons of God.") God brings them to heaven so that they may live with
Him and to rule with Him forever. Heaven
is so glorious, even the description of it cannot
enter in the minds of the people. 'God the Word' has left such a glorious bliss,
left even his status of Power as God, became as a mere man, in order to
bring mere men to the status of glory that He had, by raising their status to be joint-heirs with
Him. That is, He became poor to make them rich. God offers this
status to all men as Salvation. We are asked to count the cost and to accept the
offer on our free will. Is it too much to believe? Maybe so. But God is beyond
our comprehension. Trust God, and have faith in him. Do you want to partake of
it? "Isa
64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor
perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what
he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. 5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth
and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways:
---. 2 Cor 8:9 For ye know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became
poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
Rom
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 be also glorified
together."
"Luke 12:32
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom." This
is the ultimate Salvation when we reach Heaven. God the Father, God the Son and
God the Holy Spirit are in this great salvation, as the same way they were
in the creation. God the Father planned everything. God the Word became a man,
Jesus Christ. He died for the sins of the world and became the author
of salvation. He forgives the obedient. Jesus Christ preached the gospel (good news) of the kingdom of
heaven to the people. "Matt 4:23 And Jesus went
about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
kingdom,-." He called the obedient with the gospel, and lived
a sample life so that they may follow.
"1 Peter
2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his
steps:"
God the Holy Spirit guides them, gives them power to follow Jesus, abides with them and raptures them to
heaven.
"Rom 8:11 --- if the Spirit of him that raised up
Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall
also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
"Gen
1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:---
27 So
God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them." God
and man are of the same image, that is God should look like us. But God is a
Spirit and we are from the dust of the earth, which is
flesh. "John
4:24 God is a Spirit:--
Gen
2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,"
Spirit and flesh are not of the same image. At
our birth, we are born of the flesh and the spiritual birth has to take place
later. Most of the people may meet death without even being born again which is
born of the spirit. "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. 6 That which
is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." But everybody is born with a soul which is
our person.
This person, our soul is made in the image of the Person of God. "Matt 12:18 --- in whom my soul is well
pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, ---
Heb 10:38 --- if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in
him." That
is, God is a person, a Soul. We are also a person which is our soul. You and me are
made in the image of God, because of our souls.
God was made flesh, that is, he
became a mere man without any power attributes of God.
"John 1:1 In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
14
And the Word was made flesh---." When God became flesh, he was called
the Son of Man and His name was 'Jesus'. His
disciples called him Lord in the sense that He was a 'Guru' who is a
'Dignified Teacher'. "Matt 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and
thou shalt call his name JESUS." He lived as a Perfect
Man as an example to us so that we may follow his steps in our living.
"1 Peter 2:21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving
us an example, that ye should follow his steps." He humbled
Himself, was obedient to the Father, offered Himself as a sacrifice on the cross
as the Lamb of God for the forgiveness of our sins.
"Phil 2:7 But made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." He
became the author of our salvation, if we obey Him.
"Heb 5:7 Who in the
days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong
crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in
that he feared;
8
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the
things which he suffered; 9
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal
salvation unto all them that obey him;"
At
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God made Him Lord in the heavenly sense so that every
knee on earth, in hell and in heaven shall bow and confess that He is Lord. "Phil
2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is
above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father." At the resurrection
He was declared 'the Begotten Son of God' or in other words, God made Him 'Christ'. "Psa
2:7 I will declare
the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I
begotten thee. Acts 13:32 And we declare
unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in
that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second
psalm,
Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." He became 'Lord' and 'Christ'.
"Acts
2:36
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made
that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
'God the Word' is now 'the Lord Jesus
Christ'. 'The Lord' refers to his lordship over earth, hell
and heaven. 'Jesus' refers to the fact that He became a Man, the son of
the Virgin Mary, who was glorified by God at the resurrection. 'Christ' refers to his position as
the Begotten Son of God and as God
who is raised to the throne of God. He is our 'Lord Jesus Christ'.
Now He is a Spirit and He is God even though He was a Man. By the declaration of God
He posses all the Omni-Powers of God. He is our God.
God
as the Father gave His only
begotten Son to the people and draws them to His Son.
"John
6:44
No
man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will
raise him-"
He
chooses those who respond to His love with their love and obedience.
"Psa 4:3
But
know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will
hear ---." God's
abiding will give total victory to them over sin and Satan.
"1 John 2:14 I have written unto you, young men,
because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome
the wicked one."
God when He became a man and set an example for us to follow.
"1 Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called:
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should
follow his steps:
22
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:"
He died for the forgiveness of our past sins.
"Romans
3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to
be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."
Now he is the author of eternal salvation.
He saves all those obey Him. The disobedient will be forsaken.
"Heb 5:9
And
being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey him;"
God
a s the Holy Spirit guides and gives power to follow
Jesus Christ. He abides with them and raptures them to
heaven.
"Rom
8:11
But
if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his
Spirit that dwelleth in you."
This
God became a mere man in order to make mere men to become like Him and to make
him a part of Him eternally.
True
Christians will purify themselves as Jesus Christ is pure, so that they could become a part of God.
"1 John 3:1
Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:
therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2
Beloved, now are
we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he
is.
3
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he
is pure."
The
true God, who is the creator of everything that is created, lives in the
glorious place called heaven.
"2 Chr 30:27 their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy
dwelling place, even unto heaven."
The description of heaven cannot even
enter in the minds of people. His ultimate purpose of his creation is to choose
a group of obedient people to live with him, to enjoy his glory forever.
"Isa 64:4
For
since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him
that waiteth for him. 5
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh
righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways:"
God became a man and preached the gospel (good news) of the kingdom of
heaven.
"Matt
4:23
And
Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of
disease among the people. Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
Those who loved God and believed
the gospel followed his steps in obedience.
"1 Pet 2:21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving
us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22
Who did no sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth:---"
These are the chosen
of God to inherit his kingdom. They will become joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
God Bless You
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The Salvation of God
Jesus Christ saves his people from their sins.
Matt 1:21 … she
shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save
his people from their sins.
God gives grace to
the Humble
James 4:6 But he
giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace
unto the humble.
God works in those
who fear and obey him.
Phil 2:12
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but
now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling. 13
For it is God which worketh in you both to
will and to do of his good pleasure.
If we are saved
God has worked in us and
we will walk in his ways.
Eph 2:8
… by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we
are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should
walk in them.
Jesus Christ Demands that
Sinning People must Repent
Matt 4:17 … Jesus
began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mark 6:12 And they
went out, and preached that men should repent.
Acts 17:30 And the
times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to
repent:
Rev 2:5 Remember
therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or
else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his
place, except thou repent.
Rev 2:16 Repent; or
else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword
of my mouth.
Rev 2:21 And I gave
her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
22 Behold, I will
cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
23 And I will kill her children with death;
and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and
hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
Rev 3:3 Remember
therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If
therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt
not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Rev 3:19 As many as I
love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
What is Grace?
It is the word, power, and presence of God given to
humble people so that they overcome flesh, world, and Satan. Those who overcame
are saved people.
Eph 2:1 And you
hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
(in sin is death, out of sin is life)
2 Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: 3
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times
past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
(in time past they have committed sins, now they do
not sin) 4
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us, (God has done it
because of his mercy and love toward them) 5
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, by grace ye are saved;
(this is called saved by grace).
Alleluia
John 3:7 -You must be
Born Again
Mailing Address
Pastor Isaac Livingston
Alleluia Church of God
P.O. Box 962
Oak Park, IL 60303, USA
Comments or Suggestions
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God Bless You
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