• All e-books and audiobooks on The New Life Mission website are free
  • Explore multilingual sermons in global languages
  • Two new revised editions in English have been released
  • Check out our website translated into 27 languages
Search

Sermons

Subject 6 : Heretics

[6-1] Cults and Heretics within Christianity(Isaiah 28:13-14)

Cults and Heretics within Christianity

(Isaiah 28:13-14)
“But the word of the Lord was to them, ‘Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little,’ that they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught. Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem.”
 

There are many pseudo-journalists in the world. A pseudo-journalist refers to a person who, without proper journalistic credentials, takes advantage of the status of a journalist, often engaging in crimes such as extortion and blackmail to obtain money. The term “pseudo” means something that appears real but is actually fake—something that has the same outward appearance but is fundamentally different inside.

In religious circles, this is referred to as heresy, and within Christianity, there are many so-called “pseudo-religions” or “heretical sects.” The severity of their influence also seems to be quite significant. However, it is truly difficult to find people who clearly present the definition or criteria of heresy and teach it biblically.

With a heavy heart, I have written this piece to examine what the Bible says about heresy. For those who genuinely believe in God, this is a matter that requires serious reflection. Therefore, I hope to shed light on this issue through the Bible and provide clarity on heresy.

Biblical Definition of Heresy

How does the Bible define heresy?

The Bible defines a heretic as someone who believes in Jesus but has sin in their heart

Heresy is different in its end. In Titus 3:11, there is a clear biblical definition of heresy: “Knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.” A heretic is someone who sins by themselves and self-condemns. In other words, a person who believes in Jesus but has sin in their heart is a heretic in the sight of God’s Word.

The Lord took away all the sins of humanity by baptism, and yet, those who do not believe this blessed news of God saving sinners, and instead reject the atonement of salvation, self-proclaiming to be sinners, are heretics.

In Titus 3:11, God called those who believe in Jesus but still believe they have sin within themselves heretics.

How about you? Even while believing in God, we must always consider whether we might be heretics before God and live our faith life with this in mind.

Even though you believe in Jesus, aren’t you still claiming that you have sin before God because you haven’t heard the spiritual gospel truth of water and the Spirit? If you say you still have sin in your heart even while believing in Jesus, you are despising the salvation of Jesus’s gospel of water and the Spirit.

Before God, all who claim they have sin are acknowledging that they themselves are not children of God, not God’s people. Also, those who confess ‘Lord, I am a sinner’ while believing in Jesus need to reconsider their faith in Jesus.

When Jesus has eliminated all sins of the world, including yours, why do you still claim to be a ‘sinner’ while believing in Jesus? When our Lord took all your sins through His baptism and paid the full price for those sins by being judged on the cross, how can you not know this gift of salvation from the Lord and condemn yourself as a sinner?

Such a person becomes a heretic before God because they consider themselves sinners irrespective of God’s work of salvation.

We must rightly know and believe in the true Gospel, the blessing of being born again through water and the Spirit. If you claim to believe in Jesus without understanding the true Gospel and being born again, then you are currently a heretic.

Everyone who claims to believe in Jesus but is not born again is a heretic. This is because while Jesus has eliminated your sins, you yourself who claim to believe in Jesus still have sin in your heart.

The Origin of Heresy in the Bible

What is the most important qualification for a priest?

He has to be born again.

It can be seen through 1 Kings 12:25-26. ‘Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David.”’

Jeroboam was originally a servant of King Solomon, but due to Solomon’s corruption, he was appointed as the king of the 11 tribes of Israel following Solomon, according to God’s will during the reign of Rehoboam.

After becoming king, Jeroboam’s first concern was what to do if the people of Israel returned to the house of David, currently ruled by King Rehoboam of the tribe of Judah.

Thus, he devised a radical security measure, which was firstly to replace God with golden calves, and secondly, to change the place of worship from Jerusalem to Bethel and Dan. 1 Kings 12:28 says, “Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold.” He placed one golden calf in the temple of Bethel and the other in the temple of Dan, making the people worship these golden calves.

This act became a great sin before God across that era and subsequent times. He also set up anyone who volunteered as priests to offer sacrifices before God. “After this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of people for the high places; whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, so as to exterminate and destroy it from the face of the earth” (1 Kings 13:33-34). This is the origin and the result of heresy.

‘Whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.’ And even today, heretics appoint priests before God if anyone volunteers. People who apply to seminaries can become false pastors, false evangelists, false elders, false deacons, and false congregants upon graduation, even if they have not been born again through the Gospel of water and the Spirit as spoken by Jesus. This is a system that can lead to heresy.

How can unregenerate sinners become clergy? Any place that appoints the unborn-again as false clergy becomes a factory producing heretics. 

Looking again at the origin of heresy, Jeroboam first replaced God with golden calves to maintain his regime. Second, he appointed anyone who volunteered, even if they were not regenerated righteous people, as priests (pastors, evangelists, deacons, deaconesses, and overseers). The saying that ordinary people were made into false clergy means just this. It is the same today. Since Jeroboam, heresy has continued to flow in this manner.

Those who have not been born again of water and the Spirit should not become pastors or evangelists. Can one become a clergy just by attending a theological school or just by being recognized by a denomination? Are true clergy made in theological schools? No. Don’t you know that today’s theological system is producing false clergy?

The Bible says that God’s servants are appointed directly by God. But today, if you attend a theological school, you are made into a clergy. Do you think there is no problem with this? Judges in society become judges through examinations conducted by higher civil service institutions, but serving God is about following the Holy Spirit. Can one serve without the Spirit in their heart?

Of course, I am not saying that learning the Word is wrong, but merely having theological education does not qualify one to be a clergy. I believe that only those who are born again can truly become clergy.

Can one become clergy without God’s recognition? No. Only those recognized by God are true clergy. Clergy recognized by God are at least those who believe in the Gospel of water and the Spirit of Jesus and are born again.

The Bible records in 1 Kings 12:25-26 and Chapter 13 that the sins of Jeroboam provoked the wrath of God.

We must know about the sin of Jeroboam, who created false clergy, and we must not follow his example. It is necessary to be aware of this, and if one does not know, they should revisit the scriptures. Jeroboam was the originator and principal leader who appointed false clergy to protect his own kingship by replacing God with golden calves.

The same situation is occurring in our present reality. We should carefully consider whether today’s false ministers are also replacing God with golden calves to maintain their pastoral positions and false ministries.

Have church leaders not changed their ministry methods to focus on material blessings, fearing that their congregants might turn to ‘the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit’? Haven’t they emphasized that believing in Jesus brings material blessings and physical healing, while promoting their denomination as orthodox and appointing unborn-again people as false clergy?

This is akin to the sin of Jeroboam before God, and it is a great sin that provokes the wrath of Jehovah.

The Golden Calf God Served by False Clergy

 

Even today, there are many false clergy who serve the golden calf. These false clergy exploit the congregants under the guise of ‘Solomon’s thousand burnt offerings’ to extort money. Foolish congregants are being robbed of their money by these false clergy. Those who serve God as a golden calf are collecting donations for church construction, not because the church is too small, but to exploit money.

Solomon’s thousand burnt offerings were not about bringing and offering money. False clergy are extorting money by establishing pretexts to extract money from their congregants. Believers in God should not partake in such foolish acts. Just because you put money in an envelope daily and offer it doesn’t mean God receives it; it goes into the hands of false clergy filled with their own desires, just like Jeroboam. I hope you will not be deceived by false clergy who serve the golden calf as God again.

Then why was God pleased with Solomon’s thousand burnt offerings? It is about offering a sacrifice of faith before God by believing in the gospel of removing sin that God gives, as one acknowledges their own sinful nature that deserves death, just like the burnt offering sacrifice, recognizing their own sins.

The offering of a thousand burnt sacrifices was an act of worship in which thanksgiving sacrifices were offered through faith, believing in God’s salvation that He had eternally saved us through the sacrificial offering given in place of our death due to our sins.

Solomon’s offering of a thousand burnt sacrifices spiritually signifies coming before God daily in worship, reflecting on the Lord’s cleansing of sin through water and the Spirit. Understanding this meaning, we must no longer be deceived by the false priesthood of the golden calf faith.

Those Who Work in the Priesthood Without Being Born Again Are Heretics

What do heretics say about being born again?

They say they are born again of visions, dreams, and various kinds of spiritual experiences

In today’s Christianity, there are false ministers who tell others to receive cleansing from sin when they themselves haven’t received it - these people are all heretics. They do not know the gospel of water and the Spirit, so they themselves have not been born again, yet they tell others to be born again through water and the Spirit. This is truly absurd, and it is the way false clergy conduct their ministry.

False shepherds distort the truth of the gospel of water and the Spirit that cleanses all sins, telling their congregation members to resolve their personal sins individually before God on their own. They say, ‘Try mountain prayers, try fasting prayers, serve diligently, do well in dawn prayers, be obedient, give construction offerings. Just figure out how to receive cleansing from sin on your own.’ This kind of ministry by false religious leaders is fraudulent and merely an empty shell ministry without substance.

Someone shared their testimony of being born again, saying that in a dream there were people standing in line, and when it was their turn, Jesus called their name. They testified that this is why they believe they were born again — but is this the correct assurance of salvation?

However, God does not speak this way. In John 3:5, it is written that “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” God’s written word states that only those who are born again through the gospel of water and the Spirit can be called born-again believers and born-again ministers. Those who believe they are born again through dreams, visions, or prayers of repentance are all false ministers.

Today, many follow denominational faiths within Christianity, but in reality, those who have not been born again according to Jesus’ words—by water and the Spirit—and those who fail to preach the gospel of rebirth are the very pseudo-clergy and heretics.

Religious Reformers and Present-day Christianity

When did the true gospel begin to be mixed in with and distorted by other religions?

From the time when the Roman Emperor Constantine proclaimed the Milan Edict in 313 A.D.

When did the various Christian denominations around the world begin to emerge? When did denominations like the Baptist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches originate? The Reformation took place in 1517, so it has only been a little over 500 years.

The early Christians were those who followed Jesus while He was on this earth. The meaning of the term ‘Christianity’ is ‘a group of people who follow Jesus.’ Initially, those who followed Jesus were the apostles, and the apostles and the early church fathers continued this faith until A.D. 313.

From the time Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., true followers of Jesus became mixed with false Christians — sinners who were not born again of water and the Spirit — leading to a thousand-year dark age of Christianity throughout the medieval period.

Later, in the 1400s, Martin Luther came forth with the message ‘the righteous shall live by faith’ and called for religious reformation. Shortly afterward, in the 1500s and 1600s, reformers such as John Calvin and John Knox led movements to break away from Catholicism. This was the beginning and entirety of the Reformation movement.

The Reformation was simply an effort to separate from Catholicism; it did not fully reject the doctrines of the Catholic faith as entirely wrong. The reformers did not leave Catholicism because they sought true faith through being born again of water and the Spirit, but rather because they wanted to escape the corruption and oppression of the Catholic Church. Thus, the Reformation was merely a movement for reform, not for the pursuit of true faith in Jesus Christ.

So, Protestant Christianity was called ‘Protestantism.’ This term originally meant ‘rebellious ones.’ Luther didn’t leave because he understood that Catholic faith itself was wrong. He only tried to stop the Catholic leaders from selling indulgences to build St. Peter’s Basilica.

Therefore, we can still see many by-products of Catholic faith remaining in Christianity today. Infant baptism, confession prayers similar to Catholic penance, sacred rituals, the notion that only those trained in seminaries can become clergy, and large, grand churches that appear holy—these are all remnants inherited from Catholicism.

Furthermore, from around the 1600s, the Reformed Church movement began in earnest, and it has only been about 500 years since the Reformation. The history of modern Christianity does not span thousands of years. In reality, it is barely about 500 years old. Therefore, we should not claim that any particular group is the one and only ‘orthodox’ church based on such a short history.

The reformation of Christianity is still ongoing and must continue in the future. However, there is one fundamental truth that must be known and believed: Jesus said that one must be born of water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. This truth must be believed and preached without compromise.

Are you believing in and preaching the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit, as Jesus said? If you are not preaching it, then you are not a servant of God. In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus that unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter or even see the kingdom of God.

Then, does the Bible only speak of the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit? Should we ignore other aspects, such as social service or living a holy life? No, we cannot. All these things are good, but they must come after believing in the gospel of water and the Spirit, which is God’s will. God’s will is for us to first believe in the gospel.

The Teachings of False Clergy!

Who is a heretic?

One Who Believes in Jesus but Still Has Sin in Their Heart

When did the rise of false clergy within Christianity begin?

Before Jesus Christ came, the Israelites worshiped the one true God, Jehovah. However, as the nation of Israel, a single ethnic group, became divided, pseudo-Christianity and heretical faith began to emerge during the reign of King Jeroboam, as recorded in 1 Kings 12 and 13. Please understand this historical fact.

The Bible clearly speaks about the teachings and doctrines of pseudo-Christianity in Isaiah 28 and Titus 3:10-11.

Scripture states that those who believe in Jesus yet still have sin are false clergy and false believers. Anyone who believes in Jesus but still has sin in their heart is considered a heretic before God—in other words, a false believer.

And concerning the teaching of heretics, Isaiah 28:9-10 says, “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

When speaking of the teachings of heretics, who are false clergy, it says they add precept upon precept and line upon line — what does it mean to add precept upon precept? The meaning is that they say ‘Be careful! Be careful! Be careful of those who claim to be born again in Jesus.’ They unconditionally tell people to be careful. They unconditionally tell people not to listen and not to go. They say this is how people fall into heresy.

If their faith is true, why can’t they defeat what these mere heretics preach by examining it against the Word? It’s truly pathetic to see them struggling without the Word while claiming to be orthodox and true believers. Those who are truly born again by faith overcome heresy with the Word.

What we really need to be careful about are false clergy. Today, there is a problem with those who call themselves traditional denominations unconditionally labeling as heretics the ‘righteous who are born again of water and the Spirit’ simply because they are different from them. Why is it heresy to believe in the gospel of salvation through being born again of water and the Spirit, as Jesus said?

Even if someone belongs to a denomination currently labeled as heretical, if they believe in and preach the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit, they are a true evangelist. On the other hand, those who claim to be the true faith but do not believe in or preach the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit are the real heretics.

The distinction between heresy and true faith depends on whether one believes in and preaches the gospel of water and the Spirit. It also depends on whether, after believing in Jesus, one still has sin in their heart or not.

If one has sin after believing in Jesus, they are heretics; if not, they are true believers. How can it be heresy when one knows and believes in Jesus’s gospel of water and the Spirit through the Bible’s words, and is born again through the spiritual elimination of sins?

Is someone who has no sin in their heart, being as white as snow through faith in Jesus’s baptism and blood of the cross, a heretic? Or is someone who has sin in their heart because they don’t believe in Jesus’s gospel of water and the Spirit a true believer?

Today, there are too many false clergy who hold beliefs that have strayed from the Bible. They only emphasize their doctrine of the blood of the cross and ignore Jesus’s baptism (water), claiming their gospel to be orthodox, which is why they are gradually moving away from the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit.

What difference is there between today’s Christianity and Catholicism? Just as the followers of Jesus in Catholicism are blindly devoted, is Christianity not also blind in its faith? This is why denominations have been divided within Christianity over time. Now, even within Christianity, we must resist false clergy. Only then can we hear the words of the true gospel and obtain true faith.

What do we have to do to avoid becoming heretics?

We have to be born again of water and the Spirit.

The Bible says that only those who believe in Jesus’s baptismal water and the blood of the cross have true faith. Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John 3:1-12.

False clergy are just pushing their congregants with zealousness. They emphasize the importance of early morning prayer. They tell people to be zealous every day and to be even more zealous. False clergy, no matter how zealous they are, still have sin in their hearts if they are not born again of water and the Spirit.

When we say we are righteous people who have received the elimination of sins by believing in Jesus’s gospel of water and the Spirit, they unconditionally oppose us with just one verse, “There is none righteous” (Romans 3:10). If they label those who have faith in righteousness as heretics, how can people hear the gospel and be saved from sin?

False clergy are pseudo-heretics. When the Bible says, ‘there is no righteous one,’ what does it mean? They speak without understanding the context. Was Apostle Paul really saying in Romans 3:10 that there was not a single righteous person in this world?

Romans 3:10 refers to the fact that no one was able to live perfectly under the Law. Jesus Christ, who is God, came and eliminated all sins of this world through water and blood, thus saving humanity from all sin. Therefore, those who believe in Jesus have become righteous. This is what is said in Romans 3:10 and the previous chapter.

False clergy only tell people to beware of heretics. They strictly warn and control their congregants, telling them never to go to any denomination other than the ones they approve of.

Therefore, even when church members want to attend meetings where the word of being born again of water and the Spirit is preached, they cannot come because their denomination forbids it. They prevent people from hearing despite having ears, thus preventing them from being born again. These are false clergy who will receive the same woes as the Pharisees mentioned in the Bible. Those who do this will receive terrible punishment from God in the future.

False clergy who are heretics must turn back. Who is a false clergy and heretic? Is it someone who has no sin in their heart after hearing and believing in Jesus’s gospel of water and the Spirit and receiving the removal of sins? Or is it someone who believes in Jesus but still has sin in their heart? 

The Bible states in Titus 3:11, “knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.” False clergy tell people not to attend gatherings where the righteous preach the message of being born again of water and the Spirit. They warn that something terrible will happen if they go.

Everyone, if they weren’t false clergy, would there be any need to fear heretics? But because they themselves are false clergy, they fear when truth comes. “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept” — this is the faith pattern of false clergy who are pseudo-heretics in both the Old and New Testament.

Our Lord also said this. When false clergy and pseudo-heretic leaders preach, they take a little from this book, a little from that book, a little of God’s Word, mixing it with words from philosophers and literary figures, along with their own thoughts.

False clergy educate their congregation with worldly teachings because they view their members as ignorant. True churches and true education must educate and preach with the living word of God. People don’t come to church to hear worldly teachings. Rather, they come to hear the blessing of “being born again of water and the Spirit” that Jesus gave through God’s written word, which cannot be heard in the world.

Believers come to church because they want to hear the Word, believe it, and become righteous through faith, so they can live a confident life of faith before God with a heart free from sin.

But what are those who claim to believe actually doing? Aren’t they blocking the path for church members to come before God’s Word of being born again of water and the Spirit? This is truly foolish. You may deceive church members, but you cannot deceive God. You may deceive church members, but you cannot deceive God’s blessed word of being born again of water and the Spirit.

If you truly want to hear God’s Word, you must turn to God. You must no longer block the gospel of salvation of being born again of water and the Spirit.

Heretics only educate their followers with doctrine. They prevent their church members from meeting believers from other denominations because their falsehood would be revealed through the Word. This is truly pathetic.

A pseudo-pastor can carry out ministry even without God’s Word. They preach, counsel, and lead a congregation with their own thoughts. However, one who ministers without the Word of God is a heretic. The Bible calls such people hired hands and wolves in sheep’s clothing (John 10).

Pseudo-believers are heretics because while they appear the same on the outside, they are different inside. False clergy are called such because they appear as Christian clergy on the outside but are sinful pagans on the inside. 

Some label churches that aren’t affiliated with denominations as heretics, but we see that these minorities choose not to join because existing denominations have strayed too far from the Bible.

What is wrong before God? Aren’t those who only preach their denominational doctrine instead of following the Bible’s words the real heretics?

Heretics all use their own standards to label others as heretics. Thus, because everyone is different, everyone becomes a heretic. But if heresy is not determined by personal opinions, then by what standard does one become a heretic or a true believer before God?

This must be discerned through the Bible’s words and the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit. Some people look at other denominations and say they were once heretics but now they’re not.

Pastors tell their congregations to receive remission of sins while they themselves have sin in their hearts, having not resolved their own sins. Such teaching is wrong and falls into the sin of Jeroboam. Those who claim to do the Lord’s work while still having sin in their hearts must realize that God’s holiness does not align with their sinful nature. They must recognize that they themselves are the heretics described in the Bible.

Titus 3:11 speaks about heretics, saying, “Knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.” A person who, with a corrupt faith, declares themselves a sinner, saying, ‘I have sin,’ and continues to sin before God—such a person is the heretic described in the Bible.

Therefore, whether one is a pastor, holds a position in the church, or is a believer, if they still have sin in their heart, they must recognize that their faith is heretical before Jesus. Fundamentally, they have become heretics because they neither know, hear, nor believe in the gospel of salvation of being born again of water and the Spirit.

If one meets a false teacher, learns incorrectly from them, and then teaches others the same way, they also become false. The Bible says that a tree is known by its fruit. A person who believes in Jesus’ baptism and blood and has become righteous will bring forth righteous and saved believers who have no sin.

On the other hand, those who believe in Jesus yet hold to the doctrinal faith that they are still sinners will produce many sinful believers when they learn and teach such doctrine. This result aligns with the Scripture that says, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:17).

The people of the religious group who call themselves ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ do not acknowledge Jesus as God. While claiming to be witnesses of God, they actually go around testifying to the falsehood that Jesus is not God.

False pastors and their followers add caution upon caution. “Be careful of this, be careful of that” — why so many warnings! They are afraid their falsehoods will be exposed. This is because they are pastors who lack the assurance of salvation through being born again with Jesus’s water and the Spirit. 

Cults deceive people with patchwork sermons, taking a little from here and a little from there. They are people who deliver knowledge, not faith, to their congregation.

What Do False Ministers Say During Their Sermon Time?

What Do Heretical Pastors Preach?

Worldly theology and man’s thoughts

“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:13).

When it comes to adding precept upon precept, they teach ‘this means this in Greek, and that in Hebrew, and there’s this theory here and that theory there.’ Also, cults warn that one should be careful of black-and-white truth of salvation. 

And they say, ‘Martin Luther did this, John Calvin said that, John Knox said this, and so-and-so said such-and-such, and we think both this and that are correct.’

False ministers don’t even know what they are saying or what they believe while they are speaking. 

Those who have the true faith of being born again can accurately distinguish between falsehood and truth. They can clearly discern between the gospel that leads to rebirth and the gospel that doesn’t. God’s servants who are born again deliver the clear gospel truth of water and the Spirit.

However, false ministers are gray-zone dwellers. Their faith is like that of a bat. Just as bats prefer caves during the day and outside at night, these false ministers believe the Bible can be interpreted this way or that way, and following their own thoughts in believing various things is heresy. Those who live their faith life this way are false ministers and heretics.

Also, the church members who follow false ministers are following without knowing what they are doing or what they believe and follow. Therefore, when false ministers go to hell, their church members go to hell with them. In this world, there are many church members who go to hell because they met the wrong spiritual guide.

Does the pastor who guides you know and believe in the gospel of water and the Spirit? Is he born again? Did he clearly deliver to you the gospel message of being born again through the written Word? If you have received this true gospel, you are blessed. And if not, you are someone following a false minister.

Church members who are not yet born again must hear sermons about being born again with water and the Spirit. And they must be born again. False ministers hate the gospel of being born again with water and the Spirit the most.

False cult ministers preach like this: ‘Jesus Christ came to eliminate our sins and eliminated all sins. And He is eliminating sins, and He will eliminate sins,’ speaking as typical false ministers do.

Do you think this makes sense? They say we are righteous. But we commit sins. So we are sinners again. This is how false ministers teach false doctrines and teach human thoughts and vain doctrines. Those who say one can be both a sinner and righteous are false ministers and heretics.

The Bible says that those who claim they have sin by themselves and commit sins because they are corrupted by themselves, these are the heretics.

Life Is Hard Under False Ministers Who Are Heretics

On what do heretics place the most emphasis?

On works

False ministers speak inconsistently. So when church members approach their pastors with questions about salvation that eliminates sin, that is, being born again of water and the Spirit, heretics cannot provide answers. Instead, they say irrational things like they were born again in a dream, or they were reborn without knowing it, or that only God knows about being reborn, not themselves. It’s a sad and ridiculous reality, but it’s not funny.

In John 3:5 Jesus clearly tells Nicodemus that “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” However, the reality is that they dare to oppose and call heretics those who are born of water and the Spirit, those righteous ones who declare they are born again of water and the Spirit.

False ministers claim they don’t speak about being born again because they are humble. Rather, they tell their church members not to attend revival meetings with titles about the blessing of being born again of water and the Spirit, warning that if they go there and try to be born again, they’ll be in big trouble and might be expelled from their denomination. They say if you want to keep faith with us, just remain as a sinner, and eventually God will make you born again on His own.

However, whether you are born again or not depends solely on you, and it’s your responsibility if you go to hell. But if you go that way, what becomes of my reputation, and where will the tithes, thanksgiving offerings, and Sunday offerings go?

Did I speak too directly? But this is the reality. Today’s state of Christianity is deplorable. There are even some pastors who tell people, ‘Even if you go to that church, continue giving your offerings here.’

False ministers tell their non-born-again church members, ‘Just stay in our church. However, your being born again is not my responsibility but yours. So figure it out yourself. Just stay quiet and go before God. You’ll know when you get there. I don’t know what happens after that. Just attend here because this is an orthodox denomination.’

I hope you know that our Lord will judge such people. God says He will make those with heretical faith stumble and be caught by the messenger of hell.

Heretics interpret the Bible with their own minds. The Bible should be interpreted through both Old and New Testament words, but they interpret it in their own way. Therefore, many biblical scholars and Christian ‘denominations’ have emerged in the world.

Because there are so many heretical denominations and scholars in this world, there are countless books of heretical doctrine in circulation. False pastors deliver messages by mixing ‘a little from this book, a little from that book,’ combining different doctrines. However, those who are truly born again through God’s Word only deliver the biblical message.

Heretics produce many false ministers. Heretics live well only in this world and then go to where sinners go, without being born again. This is the final destination God has allowed for false ministers.

God is patient at first. And God blesses even those who don’t believe in the love of truth, along with the righteous who believe in the true salvation of being born again through God’s water and the Spirit. However, for those who ultimately reject the blessing of being born again with water and the Spirit, He passes judgment of hell at the end of their life. If they ultimately go before God without believing in the gospel of being born again, they will be sent to hell.

God judges false ministers. Heretical pseudo-faith is extremely zealous and fervent at first. They take a little here and there from various human teachings, and eventually only insist on doctrines of human teachings, ultimately failing to be born again.

Heretics who are false ministers become works-based believers. The congregants who learn under them believe in Jesus but ultimately die as sinners without having their sins removed.

Pastors who cannot deliver the gospel of water and the Spirit for rebirth are great heretics before God. Heretics pressure their church members relentlessly: 40-day overnight prayers, 100-day dawn prayers, daily one-meal fasting prayers, mountain prayers, construction offerings, Solomon’s thousand burnt offerings, revival meeting thanksgiving offerings, and so on — they even chart and check each member’s offerings. Just by looking at their works (fruits), it’s clear they are heretics.

God’s curse falls not only on false ministers but also on the church members under heretics. Both pastors who minister without receiving the removal of sins and the church members who blindly follow them receive God’s curse.

False ministers like to cry daily and are good at reading the room. They need to watch for the deacons, elders, female church officers, church inspectors, and even the laypeople’s reactions. False heretical ministers can’t help but constantly read people’s faces every day.

Heretical pastors must practice hypocrisy every day.

‘Holy and merciful,’ they say, even though their hearts are full of sin, because they must follow their doctrines and speak holy words with their mouths, they become more hypocritical as days go by.

That’s why some pastors have said, “Ministering without receiving the Holy Spirit is itself a curse.” This means that those who do God’s work without receiving the removal of sins are heretics, pseudo-believers, and live the most cursed life. Pastors and church members who fall into this category must quickly turn around and believe in the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit, and be born again.

Anyone who believes in Jesus but is not born again has heretical faith. Such pastors and church members must turn to faith in the gospel of water and the Spirit. The righteous who are born again through believing in Jesus’s gospel of water and the Spirit share this gospel of being born again with others.

Heretics Only Shout ‘Peace’

How do heretic priests satisfy their followers?

They always cry out for peace, saying their followers can enter the kingdom of Heaven even though they are sinners.

In Isaiah 28:14-15, it says: “Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.”

Who are the haughty men? They are those who mix God’s Word with their own thoughts and deliver it according to their own will. Regardless of what their thoughts may be or what doctrine may say, they should accurately understand and spread the word of God as it is written in the text, but cult leaders and false pastors, both then and now, consistently mix God’s Word with their own thoughts when delivering it. These are the haughty.

“We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us.”

False clergy say that calamity will not come to them, so there’s nothing to worry about. Even though destruction and hell are coming to them, they say there is peace and absolutely no destruction or hell.

Everyone, you can only survive by quickly leaving these cults. The cults say it’s fine even if you haven’t been born again of water and the Spirit. Is it really okay not to believe in the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit? No. Unless you are born again of water and the Spirit, you absolutely cannot enter the kingdom of God. Are they saying it’s fine even if you can’t enter God’s kingdom? Are they saying it’s okay to go into the fires of hell? I hope not. I want all of us to believe in the gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit and go to heaven.

The cults deceive people by saying that because they believed in Jesus, even though they have sin in their hearts, they have been forgiven, are being sanctified, and will not go to hell.

Does one receive Jesus’s protection even with sin? Do sinners go to heaven? Does one not go to hell even if they have sin?

Everyone, does the Bible say that because you claim to believe in Jesus, you won’t be sent to hell even if you’re not born again? The Book of Revelation says that sinners who are not born again will be sent to hell.

‘We have made a covenant with death’ — The cults say that because they have sworn and made a covenant with death, death will absolutely not come to them. If they believe in Jesus but have sin in their hearts, and arbitrarily believe that hell will not come to them, does that really mean hell won’t come to them?

False clergy reassure people that even with sin, death and hell will not come to them. While they should prepare people with the gospel of water and the Spirit so they don’t go to hell, cults fail to do this. Being a pastor, deacon, elder, evangelist, or church member without being born again is what makes a cult.

God said that anyone who doesn’t know and believe in the gospel of water and the Spirit that Jesus fulfilled will go to hell, and we need to know and believe this truth.

Is it because we believe in Jesus despite our sins that we go to heaven? Can sinners go to heaven? Does the Bible say that sinners go to heaven? No, it doesn’t. Are there no righteous people in the Bible? Are you saved even with sin? Are there righteous people with sin? Those who tell such lies are cultists and false clergy.

The Bible states, “The wages of sin is death.” This is the law established by the Lord. The Lord sends all church members and clergy with sin to hell. 

However, we must know that He sends all saints and servants who are born again of water and the Spirit to heaven. 

“When the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves” they say. They boldly claim that because they have sin in their hearts but still firmly believe in Jesus, they will not go to hell.

However, because they are hidden under false doctrine, they cannot meet God and are deceiving people of this world. They live only believing in the doctrine of their own denomination to which they belong. Those who only believe in their denomination’s doctrine and don’t believe in God’s Word are cult groups and people who are willingly heading to hell. It is lamentable that there are so many cults in this land.

False Clergy Are Only Interested in Material Wealth

What’s the aim of heretical priests?

To extort as much money as possible from their followers

Cults are only interested in material things, they are greedy. They think, ‘How much is that person worth when they join our church? How much tithe will they give in the future?’ This is like burning incense and praying to a golden calf. When people come to church, they have no interest in their own souls and pray, ‘Please make things go well, make me rich, make everything successful...’ The unborn-again pseudo pastors guide people this way.

‘Everyone, after believing in Jesus, you’ll get coal briquettes, the barren will have children, and the poor will become rich’ — this is the fraudulent sermon content of pseudo-religious cults.

Many people are deceived by false clergy, suffer, get robbed of their money, and go to hell. How unfair is this! When people who were in cults come to their senses, they see that they’ve already lost too much in Jesus’s name. They regret how foolishly they followed such cults with all their might.

People belonging to false clergy are very zealous. Starting from dawn prayer, they have mountain prayers, special offerings, tithes, thanksgiving offerings, Sunday offerings, and many types of offerings. The collection basket comes around frequently.

Naive church members make offerings without distinguishing between their own money and church funds, even when painting the chapel. Such members believe that calculating what’s theirs while serving God is like serving idols, so they offer their possessions to God even beyond their means. They also paint with great enthusiasm and try to take on the responsibility of serving the church. Yet despite all this devotion, they still have sin in their hearts.

This is because their pastor didn’t teach them the gospel of water and the Spirit, so even though they attend church so diligently, they still have sin in their hearts.

Some church members have asked their pastor about the truth of salvation through being born again of water and the Spirit, but he didn’t teach them. At the time, they thought maybe the pastor was just being too humble. However, later they found out that person was actually a cult pastor.

Anyone who is not born again of water and the Spirit is a cult clergy member.

Pitiful Heretics and Their Followers

Who are the most pitiful in the world?

Those who minister without being born again of water and the Spirit

“Oh poor pastor! You poor thing, receive the removal of sins first.” The epitome of pseudo-religious cult faith is exactly like Jeroboam’s worship of the golden calf. The first thing cults do is build a temple and place a golden calf there to worship it. 

This is the same as building a large church to exploit money from church members. They take bank loans to build large churches and only exploit money from members. They stir up members’ emotions and pass around collection baskets. Then watches, rings, necklaces, cash, and other offerings pour in. These are false clergy. All cults use the same methods.

False clergy appear to be interested in souls, but in reality, they’re only interested in money. Perhaps this is what’s happening at the church you’re attending?

Don’t attend churches that only care about money. Don’t attend churches where members who give more money receive special treatment and higher positions. It’s very wrong for churches to announce individual offering amounts. Such churches are only exploiting money. Why should offerings be made public? Why announce who gave how much in the bulletin or from the pulpit? Why not let people give freely before God?

And false clergy tempt with these words: “Everyone, if you believe in Jesus, you’ll be blessed. I hope you receive blessings by believing in Jesus. Please serve diligently. The more you serve, the more blessings you receive. If you become an elder, you’ll receive material blessings.”

That’s why everyone wants to become an elder. If being an elder only meant serving, who would want to become one? In such churches, they choose elders based on who can provide the most financial support. They select elders based on how faithfully they believe in the denomination’s doctrine, how high their social status is, and how much money they can give to the church. This is the truth.

False clergy only know money. Cults are interested in building large churches and believe it’s fine if their members go to hell with sin as long as there’s no doctrinal problem.

Cults are those who work for a handful of bread. They bind people with church positions. As seen in Ezekiel 13:17-19, they freely give out positions like deacon, elder, senior deaconess, and steward. They use these positions to increase church finances and prevent people from leaving their denomination. Those who bind church members to their chapel through positions without preaching the gospel of water and the Spirit are cults.

Even if someone has only attended church for a few months, they’ll make them an elder if they believe well in the doctrine, have the ability to provide financial support, and serve well with material offerings. This is all the same sin as Jeroboam who replaced God with a golden calf.

False clergy worship the golden calf. While failing to help church members be born again before God, they only collect money by preaching that giving more material offerings brings blessings and making members pursue worldly wealth. They are people who only care about their chapel’s finances, regardless of whether church members go bankrupt. Such people are cultists and pseudo-religious leaders.

The Characteristics of False Clergy Who Deceive People’s Souls

 

The characteristics of false religious leaders lead believers away from God’s established sacrificial laws and words that remove sin. By leading people away from the gospel of water and the Spirit given by God, that is, the gospel of salvation from sin, they cause many people to go to hell.

The characteristic of pseudo-Christianity is that it does not clearly testify to God’s Word of water and the Spirit. Also, they cannot clearly explain the word of rebirth, being born again through water and the Spirit, which removes sin. They just preach by mixing a little from here, a little from there, a little from doctrine, and a little from the Bible.

False Ministers Are Characterized by Their Lack of Conviction When Preaching

 

The characteristic of false religious leaders is that when they preach, they say things like “it might be this way, it might be that way,” showing a lack of conviction in the Biblical words.

Because they don’t have their own faith embedded in God’s Word, they just speak as if they’re merely thinking that way. They only say things like “I think so, one could say that, just believe it.” They cannot teach with certainty. 

Christianity that belongs to false cults and heresies does not help people’s souls to be born again with water and the Spirit, and ultimately aims to send them to hell.

Heretics Play the Role of False Prophets

What constitutes blasphemy against the Spirit?

To believe in Jesus while living as a sinner who doesn’t believe in His baptism

Matthew chapter 7 records the words about people who believe in Jesus but go to hell.

In Matthew 7:22, heretics plead before God’s judgment seat, saying “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” Then God says, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

It means they did not believe in the gospel that Jesus washed away their sins with water and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus eradicated all their sins. They have practiced lawlessness. What does it mean to practice lawlessness before God? It refers to those who preach about believing in Jesus while having sin in their own hearts.

Some might say or think, ‘What’s so wrong with that?’ However, before God, this becomes a great sin. When a sinner tells another sinner to believe in Jesus, because they themselves are not born again, they can never help another person to be born again through Jesus’s words of water and the Spirit.

Therefore, when a sinner tells another sinner to believe in Jesus, the result is that they create believers who are still sinners, and this becomes a sin before God, which is why God calls them lawless ones. Heretics served money as their god, they served the golden calf as their god.

This means they did not believe according to God’s Word and did not deliver the Word as it is. And they only extracted money from believers in Jesus. These are the ones who believe in Jesus but are wrong. It is lawlessness to act as a leader without receiving the elimination of sins. Those who practiced lawlessness acted as leaders, and if that wasn’t enough, they produced many heretical pastors.

False Ministers and Heretics Are Counterfeits of the Righteous

How do we distinguish between those who have been born again and those who have not?

By faith, we can discern by seeing whether there is sin in their hearts or not.

I hope you won’t be deceived by those who claim to be pastors while admitting they have sin. I hope you won’t have your money stolen. I hope you won’t give your hard-earned money to places where only sinners gather, to sinful shepherds. Please don’t offer your precious money to false shepherds who can’t resolve your sins through the Word.

If you want to give money to a church or chapel, it’s not too late to do so after your heart’s sins are removed through God’s Words of water and the Spirit, and after you have been cleansed of all past, present, and future sins through the Word and are born again. Do not give material offerings if you are not born again. After being born again, it is appropriate to give material offerings to serve God.

There are many imitations in faith. An imitation is something that looks the same on the outside but is different inside. Faith is the same way. While outwardly people seem to believe in Jesus the same way, there are those who believe in Jesus and have no sin in their hearts, and there are sinners who say they believe in Jesus but still have sin in their hearts. Which of these two is the imitation faith? I hope you can discern for yourselves.

Who is a true minister? Who is an imitation? Who is a heretic? Who is true? According to God’s Word, the righteous who believe in Jesus and have no sin in their hearts, having received cleansing of sins, are true. Those who are sinners with sin in their hearts are heretics. Heretics have sin in their hearts.

Then are all these people heretics? One might say or think this way. But let’s go back to the Bible. Does it mean that those who believe in Jesus but are not born again are not heretics? It’s very clear that those who believe in Jesus, are born again, and have no sin in their hearts are true believers.

Heretics are those who believe in Jesus while having sin because they are not born again. Heretics are imitations of the righteous. 

They also claim to believe in Jesus and say they have no sin, but still say they have sin, and they say they go to heaven, are saved, and serve God. It sounds similar to what the righteous say, but it’s completely different. Please don’t be deceived by the faith of heretics, which is an imitation of true faith.

False Ministers Who Will Be Judged

Why was the pure gospel changed?

Because false priests and heretics mixed people’s mistaken beliefs with the pure gospel.

“Therefore the Lord says, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, ‘Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries, and take vengeance on My enemies. I will turn My hand against you, and thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all your alloy. I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.’ Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness. The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees which you have desired; and you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens which you have chosen. For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades, and as a garden that has no water. The strong shall be as tinder, and the work of it as a spark; both will burn together, and no one shall quench them” (Isaiah 1:24-31).

God says that if you trust in people, you will be put to shame because of people. In God’s Word, He says that you will be put to shame because of the denomination you have chosen, and that shame will be like an oak whose leaves are withered and like a garden without water.

God’s Word says that false leaders and their church members who have human teachings but no Word of God will receive God’s judgment of hellfire like burning thread on the last day.

It states that false leaders, heretics who have not had their sins removed, sinners, and those who oppose God and the righteous will all receive God’s judgment by fire.

Churches built on human doctrine may look glossy and splendid on the outside, but in reality, they have nothing. 

Having no Word of God and no gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit that Jesus fulfilled is like a garden without water. It means that while it’s a tree, it’s like a dead tree. What fruit can a dead tree bear? If a well is called a well but has no water, what kind of well is it?

“The strong shall be as tinder, and the work of it as a spark; both will burn together, and no one shall quench them.” In God’s sight, those who have sin in their hearts and do not have the Holy Spirit have no Word of God, and though they appear strong outwardly, they are ultimately like tinder. They will be judged like sparks.

“Watchman, what of the night?” (Isaiah 21:11) The Lord speaks to those who are born again in faith. He is telling the righteous who have life that they must spread the gospel of water and the Spirit as light in the night full of sin.

God is light, and Satan is darkness. God leads to the right path, while Satan leads people to false churches through confusion and doctrine.

In the time of Prophet Isaiah, just like now, how confused was the faith of those who believed in God, how much human-made doctrine and teachings were mixed with God’s Word, and how much they fed and led the people of Israel with these... Our Lord decided to remove this.

“And take away all your alloy. I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning.” Sacrifices unacceptable to God refer to those established with human doctrine, mixed with impurities.

In God’s sight, He does not accept sacrifices where faith is not pure. Though it may seem right in human thinking, doctrinal faith spoken by humans is like polluted water mixed with many impurities. God severely rebukes these Israelites and especially rebukes the heretics, false leaders, and the princes of sinful church members.

If you look at Exodus or Deuteronomy, God did not act that way from the beginning. At first, God loved, helped, and greatly blessed the people of Israel. 

However, after passing through Deuteronomy and after the death of Joshua as leader, from the book of Judges onward, we see that the nation of Israel was invaded, and when God established a new leader, they would recover, but then they would again disregard God’s Word and act according to their own thoughts. 

Later, the prophet Jeremiah advises the people of Israel to surrender to Babylon. There is a spiritual meaning in these words. It means that the righteous should advise those who maintain heretical faith to surrender to the gospel of water and the Spirit.

God Rebukes False Ministers

Why does God rebuke false ministers?

Because they serve idols instead of God.

What is God’s harsh rebuke to His servants concerning the people of Israel? First, when they changed God’s law of sacrifice, second, when they appointed anyone from the common people as priests, and third, when they changed the dates of sacrifice.

Jeroboam changed the sacrifice date appointed by God from the 10th day of the 7th month to the 15th day of the 8th month, replaced God with a golden calf, and changed the Levitical priesthood from the tribe of Levi to ordinary people.

As a result, they made it impossible for people to be born again while believing in God. God rebuked such false leaders. Those who served the golden calf instead of God became heretical priests.

In fact, God didn’t act so severely just because His people served idols. Don’t you and I serve idols and continue to sin as we live? These sins of ours, our shortcomings, are not a big problem because we live by faith, having received grace before God.

However, the problem is that changing God to a golden calf, changing God’s law of sacrifice, and making ordinary people priests were major issues and sins that would bring destruction.

Is this sin an ordinary sin that can be overlooked? No. It is the greatest sin. How can the sin of replacing God with a golden calf be considered a small sin? The Bible records this as the sin of Jeroboam that provoked God’s anger.

God curses and destroys such people, both in the past and present. God is rebuking the people of Israel, saying He will curse them unless they turn away from this heretical faith that replaced God with a golden calf.

The City of Righteousness Defiled by False Ministers

 

The prophet Isaiah continues to speak about the sins of false priests. Originally, God’s people could receive complete removal of sins when Aaron the High Priest laid his hands on the unblemished sacrificial offering to transfer sins, according to the holy sacrificial law given by God.

Thus, by offering such sacrifices, the people of Israel became righteous people without sin before God, and even when they sinned due to their shortcomings, they could receive complete removal of sins before God.

The people of Israel and the priests could receive the removal of all sins by offering sacrifices before God through burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings that God established.

Therefore, they were righteous people who could dwell in the city of righteousness. Their city was a city of righteousness where God could walk together with them. In God’s sight, there was no friction or discomfort in walking together with the people of Israel.

The God who called Abraham’s descendants out of Egypt and led them into the land of Canaan to live there was the God of righteousness. The God who said, ‘Be holy for I am holy’ was the God of the righteous.

Because God was holy, He established the tabernacle’s sacrificial law of cleansing sins for the people of Israel, making them completely holy people without any sin. Because the people of Israel were His people, God completely removed their sins for an entire year at once through Aaron the High Priest, the sacrificial offering, and the sacrificial law, and therefore, the sanctified people of Israel could walk together with the holy God.

However, as time passed, the Israeli leaders and people became corrupt. Northern Israel became corrupt first, and later the southern Judah also became corrupt. Like how an older brother goes first then the younger follows, the north became corrupt first and the south later became corrupt. So both nations were completely destroyed. Finally, they were completely destroyed by the Roman general Titus in 70 A.D.

God promised Abraham’s descendants that He would bless them and give the land of Canaan to their descendants, so why did God curse the people of Israel? Why did God, who led the people of Israel to the land of Canaan, cause the Israeli nation to perish? There was God’s will in this.

Sinful Sacrifices Offered to God by False Ministers

What do we have to do before we can serve God?

Have all our sins washed away.

There is God’s will in the destruction of Israel. We must understand who the king of the Israelites was at that time and who the false priest in the Tabernacle was. By knowing this, we can properly discern in this New Testament era what true faith is and what is not within today’s Christianity.

The king of Israel and the heretical priests of this time were opponents of God. The problem lies in the fact that the king appointed priests who ignored God’s sacrificial law. First, King Jeroboam, who had fundamentally wrong faith, appointed ordinary people, not from the tribe of Levi, as priests to offer sacrifices to God in the tabernacle. It was a major problem that he appointed anyone who wanted to be a priest and allowed them to offer sacrifices.

God commanded that those who work in the tabernacle and priests must be appointed from the tribe of Levi. Specifically, He ordained that only Aaron’s family line could serve as high priests. This is the Law that God established forever.

However, King Jeroboam appointed ordinary people as priests instead of Levites and had them offer sacrifices to the golden calves on behalf of the people. We must all realize how greatly this act provoked God’s anger.

Today, they appoint anyone who volunteers as pastors, elders, evangelists, or deaconesses even if they are unreborn sinners. These actions violate God’s fundamental sacrificial law and accumulate God’s wrath.

Everyone, do you think God will accept the sacrifices of those who have replaced Him with a golden calf? You must quickly abandon the golden calf and serve and honor God. We must understand and practice by faith that priests should be appointed from among the righteous who are born again, not from sinners. This matter must be reformed.

Isaiah 1:10-17 says, “Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah: ‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?’ says the Lord. ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies―I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

When we look at these words, we can see that the religious leaders of Israel offered sacrifices with great zeal according to their own will. Although their enthusiasm was remarkable, they were destroyed because they offered sinful sacrifices to God, having strayed far from God’s law.

We can see that they offered unlawful sacrifices to God instead of the sacrificial law established by Him. Additionally, we can see how they did not listen to God’s Word and how greatly they disregarded it.

They were so zealous that they brought countless sacrifices before God. The Bible records that the blood of sacrificial animals flowed like a river in the temple. The Lord saw this and said that the people of Gomorrah were committing sin.

God spoke to those offering sacrifices before Him, saying that they were not actually offering sacrifices but were committing sin before Him. God saw their sacrifices and said that He would rather they had not brought any offerings at all—that He wished they would not offer sacrifices to Him.

God said, “You are offering sacrifices to the golden calf, but the sacrifices you offer can never remove sins. I am too weary to endure this any longer. I wish you would restore everything according to the Law I have established and offer sacrifices again in the proper way; then I will accept your sacrifices. Otherwise, do not offer sacrifices in My name at all.” 

Their unlawful sacrifices were not acts of worship before God but acts of mocking Him and committing sin. Everyone, even if you believe in Jesus, if you still have sin in your heart while doing God’s work and serving Him, you must understand that you are actually committing sin before God.

Heretical Clergy Like the Teachers of Old Village Schools

What do heretics teach?

They teach ethics, not how to be born again.

False clergy appear to be even holier than the truly righteous when judged by outward appearance. The way they ascend to the pulpit is so solemn that most people are deceived by such external appearances of these heretics. With such a solemn and sincere appearance, they preach logically — first, second, third — and conclude their sermon by saying let’s all live kindly and righteously. Is this what God has spoken? How is their preaching any different from the moral teachings of an old village schoolmaster?

The church established by God is a gathering of saints who are born again through faith in the gospel of water and the Spirit, coming together to serve Jesus Christ. And such a church is truly the church of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is God who came to solve all our sin problems and has actually solved all the sins of the world forever. And the church established by God is a place where born-again servants of God and the righteous gather. There exists a true church of God on this earth that God acknowledges.

In God’s church, they don’t teach believers what actions they should take, but rather preach the gospel of water and the Spirit — that regardless of how you are, our Lord has solved your sins through Jesus with water and the Spirit. This is exactly what is taught in God’s church.

False clergy give instructions to their audience saying “do this, do that” while not lifting a finger themselves. Heretics are obsessed with passing down wealth to their children, not caring whether their members are starving or going to hell. They have no interest in spreading the gospel but are only interested in material wealth. You can tell false shepherds of heresy by their actions.

Heretical shepherds demand large amounts of compensation from the church. Beyond their official salary, ministers demand more and more, both visibly and invisibly, including education fees, book allowances, nurturing fees, visitation fees, and so on.

Some people even complain that their compensation is too low. Shouldn’t ministers be content with not starving while preaching and serving God’s gospel of water and the Spirit?

True ministers find comfort and peace in God. But heretical ministers who lack peace demand money from church members. They are serving the golden calf. Such people are 100% certainly heretics.

God’s church is sometimes called an inn and sometimes called Zion. Everyone, where is a church as beautiful as Zion? It is because it is where the gospel of water and the Spirit is preached.

Isaiah 1:21 says, “How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.”

This is not just a message given to false religious groups of the past. God says of His church, ‘Justice was abundant there.’

God is righteous and just. Because we are lacking, because we are born with sin as descendants of Adam and cannot help but sin, our Jesus came to this earth to eliminate all sins of this world from His side, and He eliminated all sins of this world through the water and the Spirit that He received. That’s how righteous our God is.

Also, God’s people come before God’s Law and say, ‘Due to my weakness, I have violated God’s Word and done evil before God. However, through faith in God’s law of righteousness, which is the gospel of water and the Spirit that the Lord has performed, I have received the removal of sin, and regardless of my weakness, I have no sin,’ as they confess by faith.

This is how we solve the sin problem through faith in water and the Spirit.

In the Old Testament, when people were lacking and did evil, they would confess, ‘I have violated God’s Word in these ways, I have done evil before God.’ When they came before God with this confession, God would cleanse them each time through the law of sacrifice, and for those who came once a year, He would eliminate a whole year’s worth of sins all at once.

Similarly, in the New Testament era, Jesus Christ came to this earth, took on all the sins of the world through His baptism, and was judged on the cross in our place, eliminating all sins once and for all and saving us who believe.

During New Year’s Eve services, many people pray with tears, saying ‘Lord, please forgive the sins I committed during the past year’ and ‘Lord, please save me and bless me in the coming year.’

Ladies and gentlemen, what is the truth of being born again through water and the Spirit? It is the gospel truth that the Lord came 2000 years ago and eliminated all sins of all people in the world once and for all, saving us eternally from sin. Jesus has saved us from all the sins of the world through water and blood. So if people still ask for remission of sins every day, what would our Jesus say? “How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; Righteousness lodged in it, But now murderers.” A heretic is one who believes in Jesus but claims to still have sin.

False Clergy’s Sermons Lack the Gospel Message of Being Born Again Through Jesus’ Water and the Spirit

Does God hear the prayers of sinners?

No. He can’t hear them because their sins separate them from God.

As the scripture here indicates, God calls those who believe in Him and call upon His name murderers. ‘If you still claim to have sins despite believing in Me, then should I come down again and die on the cross again?’ The baptism and the cross of Jesus are evidence and signs that Jesus Christ has saved us.

In 1 Peter 3:21, it says, “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism.” Baptism is the sign of salvation. Jesus Christ received baptism once to take on all the sins of this world once and for all to save humans from sin, and He was judged once on the cross and died for those sins. The truth states that Jesus eliminated all the sins of this world once and for all. And after three days, He rose again and ascended, and now sits at the right hand of God the Father.

Jesus received baptism once and died on the cross once to save us all from the sins of the world.

Jesus took on all the sins of humanity when He received baptism from John at age 30. When it is said that Jesus died once for the sins of the world, this means that all judgment for the sins of this world was completed once and for all.

But if we still ask Jesus to eliminate our sins now, does this mean that Jesus should come down to earth again and die once more on the cross, and that Jesus must continue to die repeatedly?

Those who believe in their hearts the gospel of water and the Spirit before God receive salvation from sin once and for all, become righteous once and for all, go to heaven, receive all the grace that God gives, and live happily for eternity.

When anyone meets the righteous, they can receive the righteous salvation of washing away sins through water and the Spirit. Therefore, all can become blessed people before God, and all who seek righteousness before God receive grace.

Let’s look at Isaiah 1:18-20, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword;’ for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

He said if you obey the gospel of water and the Spirit, you will eat the good produce of the land, but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. 

Our God says, ‘Come, let us reason together, let’s talk. Are you lacking? Are you not righteous? Don’t you have much self-love? Can’t you live according to the commandments before me? Can’t you live according to the Law? Even though you know, isn’t it difficult to do well? Then come.’ He says, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.’ This is the word of covenant that the Lord will righteously save sinners and make them righteous from His side.

Originally, when God first created Adam and Eve, there was no sin. But Satan the devil intervened in between. Satan the devil deceived people to go against God’s Word, and then made them commit sin, turning all people into sinners. They fell into becoming sinners.

Originally, humans were not sinners before God. They were ones who lived together with God in the Garden of Eden. But they fell into sin and became sinners because of Satan.

So God says come, let us reason together, let’s examine this! He asks how many sins have you committed in this world? And how many sins will you commit in the future? ‘Oh God, it is impossible for me not to sin in the future. No matter how hard I try, it’s impossible.’ 

“Then how many sins have you committed until now?”

“Ah! God, putting aside all the big and small ones, you know that one thing that I can’t accept in my conscience, that time? You know that time, that sin, right?”

The Lord says, “Tell me about it. Is that all? Do you know how many more there are besides that? But I, who am God, will eliminate all your sins forever — first, the sins you remember, second, the sins you don’t remember, and third, even the sins you will commit in the future. Not only your sins, but I have eternally eliminated all sins of this world, from your ancestors above to your descendants below, to your grandchildren and their descendants. I am a righteous God. When I eliminated sins, I eliminated them all once and for all.”

God, who eliminated all sins of all people from Adam until the last day of this world, is the Alpha and Omega, the Savior of humanity who came to redeem all humans, all sinners from all sins, and is our almighty God.

“I am the LORD, the God of mercy.”

“I will judge those who are to be judged, and have mercy on those whom I will have mercy.”

We can receive God’s grace if we seek mercy before God and are honest before Him. And our God wants to bestow grace upon all people. He wants to make all people righteous. That is God’s love and heart — wanting to make everyone, without exception, His people and righteous ones.

God desires to wash away all the sins of every person as perfectly as white snow, once and for all, and He has accomplished all this righteousness.

Jesus has already cleansed all sins of all people through His baptism and blood. If a church cannot solve a person’s sin problem and life direction issues, it cannot be called God’s church.

Today, church members come to pastors and ask, ‘Oh pastor, I have sin, what should I do? No matter how much I repent, the sin won’t go away. I feel like dying. I feel like I can’t live a life of faith.’ Any leader who cannot definitively solve the sin problem at such times is a heretic. If they say ‘Figure it out yourself, go pray in the mountains, do a 40-day fast, just believe,’ then that leader is a heretic.

Such leaders and religious guides are full of impurities in their own souls, so they themselves don’t know the gospel of Jesus’ water and the Spirit. Their hearts are full of sin, and they themselves don’t know whether their souls will go to heaven or hell. Such a leader is not one recognized by God but is a false teacher and heretic.

A false believer is one who outwardly believes in Jesus but still has sin inside, one who hasn’t received the elimination of sins. Also, one who ministers while having sin is a heretic and false shepherd. We must all not be deceived by such heretics or false shepherds who cannot deliver the truth of the elimination of sins through water and the Spirit that removes people’s sins.

Regarding heretics, Titus 3:11 says, “Knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.” Those who believe in Jesus yet claim to have sin, not being born again, ignore and do not believe in the gospel of water and the Spirit, thus condemning themselves and trampling on His word. It is said within Christianity that these are the heretics.

Also, Titus 3:10 says, “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition.” Those who believe in Jesus but say they have sin are heretics. Heretics are different from God. It means they are not holy.

God is holy. Those who believe in the gospel of water and the Spirit through faith in Jesus have received the remission of all sins and have been cleansed. Therefore, those who believe in Jesus and claim to have sin are heretics.

We must stay away from those who claim to believe in Jesus but say they have sin both internally and externally. And we must find the lost sheep who haven’t yet heard this gospel, who want to believe but cannot because they don’t know, and share with them this gospel of being born again. Moreover, we must reject those heretics who obstruct and hinder the gospel of water and the Spirit that regenerates people.

We must share with the people of the world “the blessed gospel of being born again of water and the Spirit” that Jesus gave us. Amen!

Do Believers in Jesus Still Become Sinners?

 

No, you don’t. In 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 15, Apostle Paul, reflecting on his former self before meeting the Lord, said that he was “the chief of sinners.”

Today, many Christians think they are “sinners even though they believe in Jesus.” However, this is not true. While all people were sinners before believing in Jesus, when they properly know and believe in Jesus, they become righteous, not sinners.

Apostle Paul confessed that he was the chief of sinners when recalling his life as a sinner before believing in Jesus. However, when Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus, Paul came to know that Jesus was his Savior, and with gratitude in his faith, he spent his lifetime preaching this gospel of truth.

Paul testified that Jesus’ baptism, which is God’s ‘righteousness,’ was the baptism that took on the sins of the world, and furthermore, he testified that His death on the cross was because Jesus took on the world’s sins through baptism. Therefore, Paul became God’s servant who preached the gospel of water and the Spirit.

Paul reflected on his pre-salvation self, before meeting Jesus, and confessed in gratitude that he had been the foremost of sinners before believing. This statement has been misunderstood, leading some to think that even after believing in Jesus, Apostle Paul remained a sinner, which is incorrect.

However, in reality, Paul was not like that. Rather, he was someone who had nothing to do with sin and could meet the Lord at any time without any relation to sin.

Paul lived the life of an evangelist preaching the gospel of salvation where Jesus eliminated all sins of all people through His baptism and blood. Even now, the Pauline epistles are recorded in the Bible, testifying that the gospel of the early church in the apostolic age was the gospel of water and the Spirit. We must understand that Apostle Paul was confessing his gratitude to the Lord while reflecting on his past before God.

Was Apostle Paul still a sinner even after believing in Jesus? No. Although Apostle Paul was a sinner before being born again, he became righteous by believing in Jesus’ baptism and the blood of the cross as one, after realizing that Jesus was the Son of God and his Savior, and understanding the mysterious gospel that the world’s sins were transferred to Jesus’ body through His baptism.

When Apostle Paul called himself the chief of sinners, he was referring to himself before meeting Jesus when he persecuted believers in Jesus, and he said this while reflecting on the past with deep gratitude for God’s grace.

Who can say Paul was a sinner? Who can call righteous people sinners when they believe in Jesus’ baptism and blood as one salvation? Those who say such things do not understand the truth of Jesus’ vicarious redemption.

After Apostle Paul believed in God’s gospel of redemption, received the elimination of sins, and became righteous, he became God’s servant who preached the ‘gospel’ — the way of Jesus’ baptism and cross — through which all people could become righteous by believing in Jesus, the Son of God, as their Savior. People must understand that Apostle Paul was not a sinner but a righteous person, a servant of righteousness, and became Jesus’ true servant who preached the gospel to sinners.

How can someone who is still a sinner preach Jesus’ gospel of salvation to others? It would be a futile effort. How can one deliver something to others that hasn’t worked for themselves! How can one save others when they themselves need salvation! If someone who is drowning tries to help another drowning person, not only will they fail to save the other person, but they will both end up drowning together.

How can someone who is still a sinner save others? One must realize that a sinner can only lead another sinner to hell. How can someone infected with the plague save another person with the plague? How can someone deceived by Satan’s lies save another who is deceived?

Apostle Paul was once a sinner but became righteous by believing in Jesus’ baptism and blood for salvation. Therefore, he was used by God as a servant of righteousness preaching the gospel to sinners.

Apostle Paul could save other sinners through God’s righteousness. Apostle Paul was no longer a sinner. Paul lived a life as one who was born again and became a servant of righteousness. Therefore, after being born again, Paul lived not by the righteousness of the Law but by God’s righteousness. And while preaching the gospel, he became a servant of righteousness, an apostle of righteousness who brought many people back to God’s righteousness. He lived his entire life this way until he was called by the Lord and embraced in the Lord’s arms.

After being born again, the Apostle Paul became a servant of righteousness who preached not his own zeal or the righteousness of the Law, but God’s righteousness. Was Paul still a sinner after he believed? No, he was righteous. He became an apostle who preached the gospel of God’s truth as a righteous person.

Do not call Paul a sinner. Calling Paul—a man who received the elimination of sins and became God’s servant—a sinner is a misunderstanding and an act that dishonors God. Paul is righteous. Calling Paul a sinner damages the honor of both Jesus and the Apostle Paul. If Paul had remained a sinner even after meeting the Lord, it would make Jesus a liar. This is because Jesus saved Paul from being a sinner and made him righteous, using him as a servant of righteousness.

Are Sins Washed Away Just by Prayers of Repentance?

 

Sins are not washed away by prayers of repentance alone. This is because receiving the elimination of sins does not depend on human actions or prayers of repentance. Jesus did not save us by praying a prayer of repentance before God the Father.

Rather, to receive the washing away of sins, we must believe that Jesus is God, that He received a baptism similar to the laying on of hands in order to bear all the sins of the world, and that He shed His blood on the cross as the price for sin—dying and giving new life to those who believe in this truth. The true washing away of sins lies in faith in Jesus’ baptism, His blood shed on the cross, and in believing that Jesus is God.

Otherwise, can we wash away the sins we commit daily through prayers of repentance? No, we cannot. All the sins that we humans commit in this world were already transferred to Jesus 2,000 years ago when He came to earth and received baptism from John. We must believe in this spiritual salvation that Jesus completely saved those who believe in this truth.

The true washing away of all the sins of the world was accomplished when Jesus removed not only our original sin but also every sin we commit in the world through His baptism and the blood of the cross. This was because Jesus became the sacrificial lamb for us believers. Even though we inevitably continue to sin after believing in Jesus, those sins as well have been washed away by faith in Jesus’ baptism and the blood of the cross—that is, the truth of Jesus’ redemption.

Because Jesus has already become the savior of humanity, He has taken upon Himself and eliminated all the sins of our actions that we commit until we die.

The Lord came to this earth and at age 30, at the Jordan River, through “fulfilling all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15), He received baptism and accomplished all of God’s righteousness by. The Son of God, Jesus, took on all sins by receiving baptism. Jesus’ baptism carries the meaning of being washed and in its original language, carries the spiritual meaning of being transferred.

Because all the sins of humanity, all the sins of us who believe in Jesus, were transferred to Him when Jesus received baptism, the sins in our hearts are completely washed away.

Also, baptism means ‘to be immersed’ or ‘to be buried,’ which signifies that all the sins of our world were transferred to Jesus through His baptism, and He died in place of sinners. And those who believe in the fact that Jesus took on all the sins of the world along with all their sins become sinless through that faith.

True faith is knowing and believing that our Lord, long ago, about 2,000 years ago, took on all the sins of humanity through baptism at the Jordan River and fulfilled all of God’s righteousness.

The correct faith for those living in modern times who believe in Jesus is believing in our hearts that when Jesus received baptism from John the Baptist, He washed away our original sin, our personal sins, and all the sins of the world at that moment. This is how we wash our sins of action, like washing our outer garments. If our Lord had not taken on our sins through His baptism at the Jordan River in ancient times, none of us would have had any way to cleanse the sins we commit through our actions.

In Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are those who keep His commandments” means that those who are blessed are the ones who maintain this sinless faith by confirming the true gospel of baptism (Matthew 3:15, Hebrews 10:9-16).

All sins were already removed when the Lord was baptized in the Jordan River.

Now, we must bring before Jesus the sins of the world that we commit in our weakness, and by saying, “Lord, You have removed this sin too, haven’t You? You have removed this sin as well, haven’t You?”—and by believing, confirming by the Word, and giving thanks—this is the correct faith and spiritual salvation.

Therefore, Jesus came to this earth, was baptized, went to the cross, died, and was resurrected on the third day. Thus, He became the Savior for those who believe.

The saying that “Blessed are those who keep His commandments” means that by believing in the truth of the atonement through baptism and the blood—which removed all our faults about 2000 years ago—and by daily confirming that truth with faith to cleanse one’s heart, that is the faith of keeping His commandments.

This is the truth by which not only original sin but also personal sins are removed. True faith is the belief that, through Jesus’ baptism, all the sins of the world were transferred to Him.

Are Sins Removed Through Confession?

 

No. Sins are not removed through confession. They are removed by believing in the gospel of water and the Spirit. Sins are removed from the hearts of believers through faith in Jesus’ baptism and blood, which eliminated all our sins. 

When people confess their sins, it comes from acknowledging God’s law, but receiving the elimination of sins comes when people believe in Jesus’ baptism and the blood of the cross as the atonement for their sins, and through this faith, they receive salvation from sin.

The water of Jesus’ baptism and the blood of the cross are the truth of salvation that rescued people from all sins. The removal of all sins for people does not depend on their confession, but on believing that the Lord took on all the world’s sins through His baptism.

Jesus’ crucifixion was the punishment He received in place of sinners, and true elimination of people’s sins was accomplished through Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan River. We receive the elimination of sins by believing in God’s salvation through atonement.

Sin is not eliminated merely by confession. If there are those who teach that all sins can be eliminated simply by confessing, they are people who neither know nor respect God’s true salvation.

Confession of sin is what humans should do before God, while the elimination of all sins once and for all is the spiritual salvation accomplished by our Lord Jesus. Therefore, we must believe in the salvation accomplished through Jesus’ baptism and blood, which is the salvation of atonement.

Do not say that sins are forgiven just by verbally confessing them to God. One must know that their sins would lead them to hell, and it is through believing in the gospel of salvation - Jesus’ baptism and blood that accomplished our salvation - that we receive the elimination of all sins.

We must understand that we receive the elimination of all sins once and for all through faith in the truth of Jesus’ water and blood.

Sins are absolutely not eliminated each time we confess them. If anyone insists on confession alone for the removal of sins, they will receive condemnation to hell from God on the last day. Therefore, we must believe in the true gospel. 

Let us now become those who have received the elimination of sins once and for all by believing in Jesus’ baptism and blood, not just with our heads but with sins in our hearts being removed.

The Day of Atonement

 

The annual Day of Atonement for the nation of Israel was on July 10th. Likewise, the day of atonement for the sins of all people in the world is the day Jesus came to this earth and was baptized by John. Because on that day all the sins of the world were transferred to Jesus, it is the Day of Atonement on which we receive the elimination of sins by faith in Jesus’ work (Matthew 3:13-17).

The Day of Atonement on which God abolished all the sins of the world is the day that Jesus was baptized by John (Matthew 3:15). It was the Day of Atonement that “fulfilled all righteousness in this way.”

Method of Atonement: On the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament, like other festivals, purification rituals were performed in the tabernacle, and the high priest washed his body and wore linen garments rather than his bright official robes. 

He then selected one bull as a sin offering for himself and his household, and one ram for a burnt offering (Leviticus 16:3-4). Then the high priest laid both his hands on the head of the sacrificial sin offering to transfer the sins. 

In the Day of Atonement, the laying on of hands was essential in transferring sins to the sacrifice, and if there was no laying on of hands in the sin offering, the sinner’s sins could not be transferred to the sacrificial animal. Therefore, he transferred his sins and the people’s sins at once through the laying on of hands, because without it, the judgment of the sacrifice dying by shedding blood as a substitute could not be accomplished.

Leviticus 16:21 states, “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.” 

From this passage, we see that Aaron took two goats from the congregation as sin offerings and one ram as a burnt offering. 

Then he placed the two goats at the entrance of the tent of meeting and cast lots—one lot for the LORD and the other for Azazel. The goat chosen by lot for the LORD was offered as the sin offering, and the other goat was set before the LORD and was to be sent away into the wilderness alive (Leviticus 16:7-10). 

In other words, through Aaron laying both hands on the sacrificial animal and transferring all the sins of the children of Israel, the sacrifice that bore the people’s sins received judgment through the shedding of blood as an atoning sacrifice on their behalf.

Therefore, in the Old Testament atonement sacrifice, the laying on of hands to transfer sin was absolutely necessary; according to the prescribed atonement ordinance of God, without exception all the sins of the Israelites were transferred onto the goat for Azazel, which, as the atoning sacrifice, was set in the desolate wilderness for reconciliation with God. In this way, it was possible to cleanse the sins of the entire year for the people of Israel.

In the New Testament, in a similar manner, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist—a baptism that serves as a form analogous to the Old Testament laying on of hands. John baptized Jesus with both hands, and Jesus, who came as the Lamb of God, received the transfer of all the sins of humanity. Through this, Jesus accomplished the atoning salvation of God the Father and became the sacrificial offering for atonement (Leviticus 20-22; cf. Matthew 3:15, John 1:29, 36).

In the Old Testament, after the casting of lots between the two goats was completed, Aaron laid both hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering for himself and his household before killing it (Leviticus 16:11). Then he filled the censer with burning coals from the altar and put incense on the fire before the LORD behind the curtain, so that the cloud of incense would cover the mercy seat. He then sprinkled the bull’s blood with his finger seven times on and in front of the mercy seat.

Then for the people, he laid hands on the goat for the sin offering before the LORD, killed it, and sprinkled its blood as before. Coming out to the altar, he took both the blood of the bull and the goat and sprinkled it on the horns of the altar (Leviticus 16:12-19).

In this sacrificial ceremony of atonement, the essential procedure was Aaron’s laying of hands on the head of the sacrifice. This was the atoning ritual where Aaron laid both hands on the head of the live goat before the altar and transferred all the sins and iniquities of the children of Israel to the sacrifice.

As seen in Leviticus 1:4, a designated person took the scapegoat that received the laying on of hands into the wilderness and released it. The sacrificial animal, bearing all the sins of the Israelites, would cry in the desert and die as a substitute — this was the sin offering of the Old Testament.

The New Testament’s atonement sacrifice is the same. Jesus received baptism from John to bear all sinners’ sins and became the sacrificial offering of atonement by shedding His blood on the cross in place of sinners, eliminating all sins of those who believe.

In the faith of Christians, it is indispensable to acknowledge that Jesus Christ, the great High Priest of heaven who enables believers to receive the elimination of sins, was baptized, died on the cross, and was resurrected. This is the fulfillment of salvation through being born again by water and the Holy Spirit, as Jesus proclaimed.

What is God’s True Church?

 

God’s church is an assembly of righteous people who have received the elimination of sins in their hearts by believing in the substitutionary baptism and blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The church is where righteous people who have been sanctified by Jesus Christ’s baptism and blood gather to live their faith lives serving the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:2). 

As stated in Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God,” God’s true church is where those who have been sanctified in faith gather — those who have received the elimination of sins by believing in Jesus, who is God, who bore our sins through His baptism, and who saved us sinners by receiving all judgment for sin through His death on the cross. Amen!

This sermon is also available in ebook format. Click on the book cover below.

RETURN TO THE GOSPEL OF THE WATER AND THE SPIRIT [New Revised Edition]

The New Life Mission

TAKE OUR SURVEY

How did you hear about us?