Sermons on important subjects by Rev. Paul C. Jong

< John 8:1-12 >
"But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?' This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.' And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.' Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'"

Jesus gave us eternal redemption. There is no one in this world who cannot be redeemed if anyone believes in Jesus as his/her Savior. He redeemed us all. If there is a sinner who agonizes over his/her sins, it is because of the person's misconception of how Jesus has delivered him/her from all sins with His baptism and crucifixion.

We should all know and believe in the secret of salvation. Jesus took over all our sins with His baptism and has born the judgment for our sins by dying on the Cross.

You should believe in the salvation of the water and the Spirit; the eternal redemption from all sins. You should believe in His great love that has already made you righteous. Believe in what He has done for your salvation at the Jordan river and on the Cross.

Jesus knew about all our concealed sins, too. Some people have a misconception about sin. They think that some sins cannot be redeemed. Jesus has redeemed all sins, every single one of them.

There is not a sin in this world that He has left out. Because He has blotted out all the sins in this world, the truth is that there are no more sinners. Do you realize that the gospel has redeemed all your sins, even your future sins? Believe in it and be saved, and give all of the glory to God.

In John 8, there is a story of a woman who was caught in the act of adultery and we see how Jesus saved her. We'd like to share the grace that she received. It isn't too much to say that all human beings commit adultery at some point in their lives. Every single person commits adultery.

If you don't think so, it is only because we do it so often that it appears as though we don't. Why? We live with so much adultery in our lives.

Taking a look at the woman in John 8, I contemplate on whether or not there is a person among us who hasn't committed adultery. There is no one who has not committed adultery, just as the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. All of us have done it, but we pretend that we haven't.

Do you think I am wrong? No, I am not. Look carefully within. Everyone on the face of the earth has done it. They commit adultery while gazing at women on the street, in their thoughts and in their acts, anytime, anywhere.

They just don't realize they are doing it. There are a lot of people who don't realize until the day they die that they have innumerably committed adultery throughout their lives. Not just those who have been caught, but all of us who have never been caught. All people do it in their minds, and in their acts. Is this not a part of our lives?

Are you upset? It is the truth. We are just discreet about it because we are embarrassed. The truth is that people these days commit adultery all the time, but do not realize that they are doing it.

People commit adultery in their souls, too. We, who were created by God, live on this earth without ever realizing that we also commit spiritual adultery. Worshiping other gods is the same as committing spiritual adultery because the Lord is the only Husband of all mankind.

The woman who was caught in the act was a human being, just like the rest of us, and she received the grace of God, just as we who were redeemed did. But the hypocritical Pharisees made her stand in their presence and pointed fingers at her as if they were judges, about to throw stones at her. They were about to rebuke and judge her as if they themselves were pure, and had never committed adultery.

Fellow Christians, those who know themselves to be a mass of sin do not judge others before God. Rather, knowing that they, too, commit adultery all their lives, they receive the grace of God which has redeemed us all. Only those who realize that they are sinners who have committed adultery all along are eligible to be redeemed before God.

Does one who lives purely without committing adultery receive His grace, or does the unworthy one who admits oneself to be so sinful receive His grace? The one who receives grace is the one who receives the abundant grace of His redemption. Those who cannot help themselves, the weak and helpless, receive redemption. They are the ones who are in His grace.

Those who think that they are without sin cannot be redeemed. How can they receive the grace of His redemption when there is nothing to redeem?

The scribes and Pharisees dragged the woman who had been caught in the act of adultery before Jesus and set her in their midst and asked Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now, what do You say?" Why did they bring the woman before Him and test Him?

They themselves had also committed adultery many times, but they were trying to judge and kill her through Jesus while trying to put the blame on Him.

Jesus knew what was on their minds and knew all about the woman. So He said, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." Then the scribes and Pharisees, starting from the oldest to the youngest, left one by one and only Jesus and the woman were left.

The ones who left were the scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders. They were about to judge the woman who had been caught in the very act of adultery, as if they themselves were not sinners.

Jesus proclaimed His love in this world. He was the Host of love. Jesus gave people food, brought back the dead, gave life back to the son of a widow, revived Lazarus of Bethany, healed lepers, and performed miracles for the poor. He took all the sins of sinners away and gave them salvation.

Jesus loves us. He is the almighty One who can do anything, but the Pharisees and scribes thought Him to be their enemy. That is why they brought the woman before Him and tested Him.

They asked, "Teacher, Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" They thought that He would tell them to stone her. Why? If we were to judge according to what is written in the law of God, everyone who has committed adultery would be stoned to death without exception.

All have to be stoned to death and all are destined to go to hell. The wages of sin is death. However, Jesus didn't tell them to stone her. Instead, He said, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."

The Law brings about wrath. God is holy and so is His Law. This Holy Law came to us in 613 articles. The reason God has given us 613 articles of the Law is to make us realize that we are sinners; that we are incomplete beings. It teaches us that we have to long for God's grace to be redeemed. If we didn't know this and thought about only what was written in the Law, we would've had to be stoned to death, just as the woman who was caught in the act.

The scribes and Pharisees who didn't know the truth of His Law might have thought that they could throw stones at the woman and, probably at us, too. But, who could dare to throw stones at a helpless woman as the same sinful being? Even if she was caught in the act, no one in this world could throw stones at her.

If the woman and each one of us were judged only according to the Law, we, as well as the woman, would have received a terrible judgment. But Jesus saved us, we who are sinners, from our sins and from the just judgment. With all our sins, if the law of God is applied strictly to the letter, who among us could stay alive? Every single one of us would end up in hell.

But the scribes and Pharisees knew of the Law only as it was written. If His Law was applied correctly, it would kill them just as surely as the one judged by them. In fact, the law of God was given to men so that they could realize their sins, but they have suffered because they have misunderstood and misapplied it.

The Pharisees of today, just as the Pharisees in the Bible, only know the Law as it is written. They should understand the grace, the justice and the truth of God. They have to be taught the gospel of redemption to be saved.

The Pharisees said, "The law commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" They asked, confidently holding their stones. They thought for sure that Jesus wouldn't have anything to say about it. They were waiting for Jesus to take their bait.

If Jesus had judged according to the Law, they would also have stoned him. Their purpose was to stone both of the woman and Jesus. If Jesus had said not to stone the woman, they would have said that Jesus scorned the Law of God, and stoned Him for blasphemy. It was a terrible plot!

But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, and they continued asking Him, "What do You say? What are You writing on the ground? Just answer our question. What do You say?" They pointed their fingers at Jesus and kept harassing Him.

Then, Jesus stood up and told them that the one among them without sin should throw a stone at her first. Then He stooped down and continued writing on the ground. Those who heard it, being convicted by their consciences, left one by one, beginning with the oldest, to the very last person. Jesus was left alone, with the woman standing in His presence.

Jesus told them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first," and He kept on writing on the ground. A couple of older ones started to walk away. The older Pharisees, who had committed more sins, might go away first. The young ones left as well. Let's suppose Jesus was standing among us, and we were standing around the woman. If Jesus had said to us that one who was among us should throw a stone first, what would you have done?

What had Jesus been writing on the ground? God, who created us, writes our sins in two different places.

First, He writes our sins on the tablet of our hearts. "The sins of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with the point of a diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of your altars" (Jeremiah 17:1).

God talks to us through Judah, who is our representative. The sins of human beings are engraved with a pen of iron, with the point of a diamond. They are recorded on the tablet of our hearts. Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground that all men are sinners.

God knows that we sin and He engraves sins on the tablet of our hearts. First, He records our works, the sins that are committed, because we are fragile before the Law. As the sins are recorded in our hearts, we realize that we are sinners when we look at the Law. Since He recorded them in our hearts and consciences, we know that we are sinners before Him.

Jesus stooped down the second time to write on the ground. The Scripture also says that all our sins are recorded in the Books of Works before God (Revelation 20:12). Every sinner's name and his/her sins are recorded in the Book. They are also recorded on the tablet of the person's heart. Our sins are recorded both in the Book of Works and on the tablet of our hearts.

The sins are recorded on the tablet of everyone's heart, young or old. That is why they had nothing to say about their sin before Jesus. They, who tried to stone the woman, were helpless before His words.

However, when you receive His salvation, all your sins in the Book of Works are erased and your name will be listed in the Book of Life. Those whose names appear in the Book of Life go to Heaven. Their good deeds, the things they have done in this world for the kingdom of God and His righteousness are also recorded in the Book of Life. They are accepted into Heaven. Those who are delivered from their sins will enter the place of eternity.

Remember that all the sins of every person are recorded in two places, so no one can deceive God. There isn't anyone who has not sinned or committed adultery in his or her heart. All people are sinners and are imperfect.

Those who have not accepted the redemption of Jesus in their hearts cannot but agonize over their sins. They are not confident. They are afraid of God and others because of their sins. But the moment they accept the gospel of the redemption of the water and the Spirit in their hearts, all the sins recorded on the tablets of their hearts and in the Book of Works are wiped clean. They are delivered from all their sins.

There is the Book of Life in Heaven. The names of those who believe in the redemption of the water and the Spirit are recorded in the book, so they will enter Heaven. They enter Heaven not because they haven't sinned in this world, but because they have been delivered from all their sins by believing in the redemption of the water and the Spirit. It is 'the law of faith' (Romans 3:27).

Fellow Christians, the scribes and Pharisees were sinners, just as the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery was.

In fact, they might have committed more sins because they deceived themselves and other people into believing that they were not sinners. The religious leaders were thieves with formal permits. They were thieves of souls, in other words, the thieves of life. They dared to teach others authoritatively, even though they themselves had not yet been redeemed.

There is no one who is without sin according to the Law. But a person can become righteous, not because he/she has not committed sin, but because he/she has been redeemed from all sins. Such a person is recorded in the Book of Life. The important thing is whether one's name has been recorded in the Book of Life or not. Since people cannot live without committing sins all their lives, they must eternally be redeemed in order to be recorded in the book.

Whether you will be accepted into Heaven depends upon whether you believe in the true gospel or not. Whether or not you receive the grace of God depends upon your acceptance of Jesus' salvation. What happened to the woman who was caught? She might have thrown herself down on her knees and closed her eyes because she knew she was going to die. She was probably crying in fear and repentance. People become honest with themselves when they face death.

"Oh, God, it is proper that I have to die. Please accept my soul into Thy hands, and take pity on me. Please take pity on me, Jesus." She pleaded to Jesus for the love of redemption. "God, if You judge me, I will be judged, and if You say I am without sin, then my sins will be erased. It is up to You." She was probably saying all of these things. She may have confessed that everything was left up to Jesus.

The woman who was brought before Jesus didn't say, "I did wrong, please forgive me for my adultery." She said, "Please save me from my sins. If You redeem my sins, I will be saved. If not, I will go to hell. I need your redemption. I need the love of God, and I need Him to take pity on me." She closed her eyes and confessed her sinfulness.

And Jesus asked her, "Where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She answered, "No one, Lord."

And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you." Jesus didn't condemn her because He had already taken away all her sins through His baptism at the Jordan river, and she was already redeemed. Now, Jesus, not the woman, had to be judged for her sins.

This woman was blessed with the salvation in Jesus. She was redeemed of all her sins. Our Lord Jesus tells us that He redeemed all our sins and that we are all righteous.

He tells us so in the Bible. He died on the Cross to pay for our sins, which He took away with His baptism at the Jordan River. He clearly tells us that He redeemed all who believe in the redemption of His baptism and judgment on the Cross. All of us need the written Word of Jesus and need to hold on to the Word. Then, we will all be blessed with redemption.

"God, I have no merit before You. I have nothing good inside me. I have nothing to show You but my sins. But I believe that Jesus is my Lord of redemption. He took away all my sins at the Jordan River and atoned for them on the Cross. He took away all my sins with His baptism and His blood. I do believe in You, Lord."

This is how you are saved. Jesus does not 'condemn us.' He gave us the right to be God's children: To those who believe in the redemption of the water and the Spirit, He has taken away all their sins and made them righteous.

Dear friends! The woman was redeemed. The woman who was caught in adultery was blessed with the redemption of our Lord Jesus. We can also be blessed like that. Anyone who knows of his/her sins and asks God to take pity on him/her, and anyone who believes in the redemption of the water and the Spirit in Jesus receives the blessing of redemption from God. Those who admit their sinfulness before God can be redeemed, but those who do not realize their own sins cannot be blessed with redemption.

Jesus took away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Any sinner in the world can be redeemed if he/she believes in Jesus. Jesus said to the woman, "Neither do I condemn you." He said that He did not condemn her because all her sins had already been born onto Him through His baptism. He took all our sins onto Himself, and He was judged for them instead of us.

The Pharisees, with stones in their hands, as well as the religious leaders of today, interpret the Law to the letter. They believe that since the Law tells us not to commit adultery, one who commits such sins will be stoned to death. They steal a glance at women with lewd eyes while pretending not to commit adultery. They cannot be redeemed nor saved. The Pharisees and scribes were the moralists of this world. They were not the ones Jesus called. These people never heard from Him, "I will not condemn you."

Only the woman who was caught in adultery heard those joyous words. If you are honest before Him, you can also be blessed like her. "God, I cannot but commit adultery all my life. That I am not aware of it is just because I do it so often. I commit such a sin several times each day."

When we accept the Law and the fact that we are sinners who must die and honestly face God, saying, "God, this is what I am. Please save me," God will bless us with His redemption.

The love of Jesus, the gospel of the water and the Spirit has won over the just judgment of God. "Neither do I condemn you." He does not condemn us. He says, "You are redeemed." Our Lord Jesus Christ is the God of compassion. He has delivered us from all the sins of the world.

Our God is the God of Justice and the God of Love. The love of the water and the Spirit is even greater than His judgment.

If God had enforced His judgment to complete His justice, He would have judged all sinners and sent them to hell. But because the love of Jesus, which saves us from the judgment, is greater, God sent His only Son, Jesus. Jesus took all our sins onto Himself and received just judgment for all of us. Now, anyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior becomes His child and righteous. Since His love is greater than His justice, He redeemed us all.

We must thank God that He doesn't judge us only with His justice. Once Jesus told the scribes, the Pharisees, and their disciples, "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Matthew 9:13). Some people may still kill a cow or a goat everyday and offer it before God, praying, "God, forgive my sins everyday." God does not want our offerings, but rather, our belief in the redemption of the water and the Spirit. He wants us to be redeemed and delivered. He wants to give us His love and accept our faiths. Can you all see this? Jesus has given us His perfect salvation.

Jesus hates sin, but He has a burning love for human beings, who were created in the image of God. He had decided even before Creation to make us His children, and blotted out all our sins with His baptism and blood. God created us to eventually redeem us, to clothe us in Jesus, and to make us His children. This is the love He has for us, His creations.

If God only judged us according to His just Law, we, the sinners, would all have to die. But He delivered us through the baptism and the judgment of His Son at the Cross. Do you believe? Let's confirm it in the Old Testament.

All the sins of this world were expiated through the faith in the ordination of the Old Testament and the baptism of the New Testament. In the Old Testament, all the yearly sins of Israel were atoned through the High Priest, who laid his hands on the head of a live goat without any blemishes.

"And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man" (Leviticus 16:21).

This is how they were atoned in the days of the Old Testament. To be redeemed from the daily sins, one brought a lamb or a goat without blemishes to the tabernacle and offered it at the altar. He put his hands on the head of the offering, and then his sins were passed on to the sacrifice. Then, the sacrifice was killed and the priest put its blood on the horns of the altar.

There were horns on the four corners of the altar. These horns symbolize the Books of Works written in Revelations 20:12. The sacrifice's remaining blood was sprinkled on the ground too. The ground represented the heart of man because man was created from dust. The people atoned for their daily sins this way.

However, they could not make sin offerings daily, so, God allowed them to be atoned once a year for all their yearly sins. This was performed on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement. On that day, the High Priest, the representative of all Israelites, brought two goats and laid his hands on them to pass all the sins of the people on to them and offered them before God to make atonement for the people of Israel.

"Aaron laid both his hands on the head of the live goat, confessed over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat."

God had appointed Aaron, the High Priest of Israel, to be the representative. Instead of everyone having to lay his hands on the offerings individually, the high priest, as the representative of all people, laid his hands on the head of the live goat for the remission of the year's sins.

He would narrate all the sins of Israel before God, "O God, Your children of Israel have sinned. We have worshiped idols, broken all articles of Thy Law, called Thy name in vain, created other idols and loved them more than Thee. We didn't keep the Sabbath holy, didn't respect our parents, killed, committed adultery and thievery.... We indulged in jealousy and quarrels."

He listed all the sins. "God, neither the people of Israel nor I have been able to keep any of Thy Law. To be redeemed of all these sins, I lay my hands on the head of this goat and pass onto it all those sins." The high priest laid his hands on the offering for all the people and passed all the sins onto the head of the offering. Ordination, or the laying on of hands means 'to pass' (Leviticus 1:1-4, 16:20-21).

God had given the sacrificial system to the people of Israel so that they could pass on all their sins and be redeemed. He specified that one should prepare a sin offering without blemishes and that the sin offering should die instead of the person. The redemption of individual sinners was like that.

However, on the Day of Atonement, the sin offering was killed and its blood was taken inside the Holy Place and sprinkled on the mercy seat seven times. Thus, the people of Israel atoned for a year's sin on the tenth day of the seventh month.

The high priest entered the Holy Place alone to offer the sacrifice, but people gathered outside and listened to the sound of the golden bells on the hem of the robe of the ephod of the High Priest. The golden bells rang seven times as the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat. Then, the people would rejoice that all their sins were atoned. The sound of the golden bells implies the sound of the joyous gospel.

It is not true that Jesus loves some selected people and redeems only them. Jesus took away all the sins of the world all at once with His baptism. He wanted to deliver us once and for all. Our sins could not be redeemed every day, so they were blotted out all at once.

In the Old Testament, atonement was given through ordination and the blood of the sin offering. Aaron laid his hands on the head of a live goat in front of all the people and listed all the sins that people had committed during the year. He passed the sins onto the goat in front of all Israelites. Where did the sins of the people go after the laying hands of the High Priest on the scapegoat? They were all passed onto the goat.

Then, the goat was led away by a 'suitable man.' The goat, with all the sins of Israel upon it, was led to the desert where there was no water and no grass. The goat, then, would wander the desert under the burning sun and finally die. The goat died for the sins of the Israelites.

This is the love of God, the love of redemption. This is how they atoned for a year's worth of sins in those days. But we are living in the time of the New Testament. It has been about 2000 years since Jesus came down to our world. He came and fulfilled the promise that He had made in the Old Testament. He came and redeemed all our sins.

Let's read Matthew 1:20-21. "But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins'" (Matthew 1:20-21).

Our Father in Heaven borrowed the Virgin Mary's body to send His Son to this world to wash away all the sins of the world. He sent an angel to Mary and told her, "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS." It meant that the Son coming through Mary would become the Savior. Jesus Christ means the one who will save His people, in other words, the Savior.

Then, how did Jesus save all of us from sin? The way Jesus took away all the sins of the world was through His baptism at the Jordan River. When John the Baptist baptized Him, all the sins of the world were passed onto Him. Let's read Matthew 3:13-17.

"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying 'I have need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?' But Jesus answered and said to him, 'Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he allowed Him. Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"

Jesus went to John the Baptist to redeem all of us from our sins. He walked into the water and lowered His head before John. "John, baptize Me now. It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. As I am to take away all the sins of the world and deliver all sinners from their sins, I need to take away their sins with baptism. Baptize Me now! Allow it!"

Thus, it was fitting to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River and right at that moment, all the righteousness of God that redeemed our sins was fulfilled.

This is how He took away all our sins. All your sins were passed onto Jesus, too. Do you understand this?

Believe in the redemption of Jesus' baptism and the Spirit and be saved.

God had first promised Israel that all the sins of the world would be washed away with the laying on of hands and the sacrifice of the sin offering. However, as it was impossible for everyone to lay hands on the head of the goat individually, God consecrated Aaron to be the high priest so that he could offer the sacrifice for all the people. Thus, he passed all their yearly sins onto the head of the sin offering all at once. This was His Wisdom and the Power of redemption. God is wise and amazing.

He sent His Son Jesus to save the whole world. So the sin offering was ready. Now, there had to be a representative of all human beings, one who would lay his hands on the head of Jesus and pass on all the sins of the world onto Him. That representative was John the Baptist. It is written in the Bible that God sent the representative of all humankind before Jesus.

It was John the Baptist, the last high priest of man. As it is written in Matthew 11:11, "Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist." He is the only representative of humans. He sent John as the representative of all human beings so that he could baptize Jesus and pass on all the sins of the world to Him.

If six billion people on earth went to Jesus now and each had to lay their hands on Jesus to pass on their sins, what would happen to His head? If more than six billion people in this world had to lay their hands on Jesus, it would not be a pretty sight. Some enthusiastic people might press down so hard that all His hair would fall out. Thus, God, in His wisdom, appointed John to be our representative and passed all the sins of the world onto Jesus, once and for all.

It is recorded in Matthew 3:13, "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him." This was when Jesus was 30 years old. Jesus was circumcised 8 days after His birth, and there are few records of Him from then until He turned 30.

The reason Jesus had to wait until He was 30 years old was to become the lawful heavenly High Priest, according to the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy, God told Moses that the high priest should be at least 30 before he could minister the high priesthood. Jesus was the heavenly High Priest. Do you believe this?

In the New Testament, in Matthew 3:13-14, it says, "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying 'I have need to be baptized by You.'" Who is the representative of humankind? John the Baptist. Then, who is the representative of Heaven? Jesus Christ is. The representatives met. Then who is the higher? Of course, the representative of Heaven is higher.

So John the Baptist, who was so bold as to cry out to the religious leaders in those days, "Brood of vipers! Repent!" suddenly became humble before Jesus. "I have need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"

At this point, Jesus said, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Jesus came to this world to fulfill the righteousness of God, and it was fulfilled when John the Baptist baptized Him.

"Then he allowed Him. Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water and the heavens were opened up to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"

This is what happened when He was baptized. The gates of Heaven were opened up when He was baptized by John the Baptist and took away all the sins of the world.

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12).

All the prophets and the law of God had prophesied up to John the Baptist. "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." Everyone who believes in His baptism can enter the Kingdom of Heaven without exception.

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and took away all the sins of the world. Later, He told the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, "Neither do I condemn you." He didn't condemn the woman because He took away all the sins of the world at the Jordan and He Himself, not the woman, had to be judged for those sins.

Jesus blotted out all the sins of the world. We can see how afraid He was of the pain He would have to endure on the Cross because 'the wages of sin is death.' He prayed to God three times on the Mount of Olives to take this judgment away from Him. Jesus was flesh and blood, just like other human beings, so it is understandable that He was afraid of the pain. Jesus had to bleed to fulfill the judgment.

Just as the sin offerings in the Old Testament had to bleed to pay for the sins, He had to be sacrificed on the Cross. He had already taken away all the sins of the world and now He had to give His life for our redemption. He knew that He had to be judged before God.

Jesus didn't have any sin in His heart, but as all sins were passed onto Him through His baptism, God had to judge His own Son now. Thus, in the first place, the justice of God was fulfilled and secondly, He bestowed His love on us for our salvation. Therefore, Jesus had to be judged on the Cross.

"Neither do I condemn you, nor do I judge you." All our sins, intentional or unintentional, recognized or   unrecognized, had to be judged by God.

However, God did not judge us. God judged Jesus, who had taken all our sins onto Himself by His baptism. God did not want to judge sinners because of His love and His compassion. The baptism and the blood on the Cross was His redemptive love for us. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

This is how we know of His love. Jesus didn't condemn the woman who was caught in the act of adultery.

She knew that she was a sinner for she was caught in the very adulterous act. She not only had sin in her heart, but also carried it in the flesh. There was no way she could deny her sin. However, because she believed that Jesus took away all her sins, she was saved. If we believe in Jesus' redemption, we will be saved. Believe it! It is for our own good.

All people sin. All people commit adultery. But all people are not judged for their sins. We have all sinned, but those who believe in the redemption of Jesus Christ are sinless in their hearts. One who believes in the salvation of Jesus is the happiest person. Those who are delivered from all their sins are the most blessed. In other words, they are now righteous in Jesus.

God tells us about happiness in Romans 4:7, "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." We all sin until the time we die. We are lawless and incomplete before God. We continue to sin even after we are aware of His Law. We are so weak.

But God delivered us with the baptism and the blood of His only begotten Son and tells us, you and I, that we are no longer sinners, and that we are now righteous before Him. He tells us that we are His children.

The gospel of the water and the Spirit is the gospel of eternal redemption. Do you believe it? To those who believe, He calls them the righteous, the redeemed and His children. Who is the happiest person in this world? The one who believes and has been delivered by believing in the true gospel. Have you been delivered?

Did Jesus omit taking your sins? No, He took all your sins with His baptism. Believe it. Believe and be redeemed of all your sins. Let's read John 1:29.

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'" (John 1:29)

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

John the Baptist passed all the sins of the world onto Jesus at the Jordan. The next day, he witnessed that Jesus was the Lamb of God who took away all the sins of the world. He took on to His shoulders all the sins of the world.

All the sins of the world refer to all the sins that human beings commit in this world, from Creation until its end. About 2000 years ago, Jesus took away all the sins of the world and redeemed us. As the Lamb of God, He took away all our sins and was judged for us.

Any sin that we human beings commit was passed on to Jesus. He became the Lamb of God who took away all the sins of the world.

Jesus came to this world as a humble man, as the One who would save all the sinners of the world. We commit sin because we are weak, wicked, ignorant, and because we are silly and incomplete. In other words, we sin because we inherited sin from our common ancestor, Adam.   All these sins were swept up and put on the head of Jesus through His baptism at the Jordan. He ended it all with the death of His flesh on the Cross. He was buried, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day.

As the Savior of all sinners, as the Victorious, as the Judge, He now sits at the right hand of God. He does not have to redeem us again and again. All we have to do is believe in Him to be saved. Eternal life awaits those who believe, and destruction awaits those who do not believe. There is no other choice.

Jesus delivered you all. You are the happiest people on earth. You surely will commit sins in the future because of your weaknesses, but He took all those sins too.

Is there any sin left in your heart? —No—

Did Jesus take it all? —Yes! He did.—

All people are the same. No one is holier than his/her neighbor. But as so many people are hypocrites, they believe they are not sinners, when indeed, they are sinners too. This world is the greenhouse that nurtures sin.

When women step out of their houses, they put on red lipstick, powder their faces, curl their hair, dress in nice clothes, and wear high-heels.... Men also go to a barber to get their hair cut, groom themselves, put on clean shirts and fashionable ties, and shine their shoes.

But while they may look like princes and princesses on the outside, they are absolutely filthy on the inside.

Does money make men happy? Does health make men happy? No. Only the eternal redemption, the forgiveness of all sins, makes people truly happy. No matter how happy a person looks on the outside, the person is miserable if he/she has sin in his/her heart. Such a person lives in fear of judgment.

A redeemed person is bold like a lion, even in rags. There is no sin in his/her heart. "Thank you Lord, You saved a sinner like me. You blotted out all my sins. I know I am unworthy of receiving Your love, but I praise You for saving me. I am eternally redeemed of all my sins. Glory be to God!"

A person who is delivered is a truly happy one. A person who has been blessed with His grace of redemption is a truly happy one.

Because Jesus, 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,' has taken away all our sins, we are without sin. He 'finished' salvation for us at the Cross. All our sins, including yours and mine, are included in 'the sin of the world,' and therefore, we are all saved.

Dear friends, the woman who was caught in adultery believed in the words of Jesus and she was saved. Her story is recorded in the Bible because she was blessed with His eternal redemption. However, the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees ran away from Jesus.

If you believe in Jesus, it is Heaven that awaits you, but if you leave Jesus, you will go to hell. If you believe in His righteous acts, it is like Heaven, but if you do not believe in His works, it is like hell. Redemption is not up to the endeavors of any individual, but to the salvation of Jesus.

Let's read Hebrews 10. "For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purged, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year, For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come —in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.'' He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:1-10).

"By God's will" Jesus offered His life to take our sins all at once, and was judged all at once and resurrected.

Therefore, we have been sanctified. 'Have been sanctified, (Hebrews 10:10)' is written in the present complete tense. It means that our redemption was completed absolutely, and does not need to be mentioned again. You have been sanctified.

"And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10: 11-14).

You are all sanctified forever. If you commit sins tomorrow, will you become a sinner again? Didn't Jesus take away those sins also? He did. He took away the sins of the future, too.

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"But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them.' then He adds, 'Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.' Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin" (Hebrews 10:15-18).

The phrase 'there is remission of these' means that He expiated all the sins of the world. Jesus is our Savior, both my Savior and your Savior. Believing in Jesus has saved us. This is the redemption in Jesus and the greatest grace and present from God. You and I, who have been redeemed of all sins, are the most blessed of all!

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