Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

On the evening of Friday, September 15, 2023 began the Jewish New Year. On the Sabbath (9-16-23), the people started observing Rosh HaShanah, which means “head of the year.” The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Ha Teruah, which means “day of shouting/blasting.” The word תְּרוּעָה [H8643] teruah (ter-oo-aw’) is used to describe either an alarm for war, a loud battle cry, the blowing of a trumpet, a blast for a march, or a shout of joy. During the Rosh HaShanah synagogue services, the shofar (ram’s horn) is blown 100 times. This is known as the Feast of Trumpets, which is the beginning the civil new year. This observance commences 10 days of repentance, ending on Yom Kippur, which means the Day of Atonement. The word יוֹם [H3117] yom (yome) means “day” or “period of time” and the word כִּפֻּר [H3725] kippur (ki-poor’) means “atonement.” And so on the Day of Atonement, the shofar is blown at the end of the evening prayer service for the first time since Rosh HaShanah.

(Numbers 29:1-11)
“1 Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets. 2 You shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the Lord: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; 3 also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. 5 Offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, 6 besides the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord. 7 Then on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall humble yourselves; you shall not do any work. 8 You shall present a burnt offering to the Lord as a soothing aroma: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old, having them without defect; 9 and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10 a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11 one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.”

In ancient Judaism, the high priest sacrificed an animal to cover for his own sins and the sins of his family, and then the sins of the nation. This holy day was a day of fasting and prayer. When the high priest had finished with the atonement sacrifice, a goat was released into the wilderness. This “scapegoat” symbolized Israel’s sins being cast out and to never return (Leviticus 16:8-10, 20-22, 29-34). In the temple, the Holy of Holies, was separated from the congregation by a veil from floor to ceiling. It was entered only once a year on Yom Kippur, when the high priest offered the blood sacrifice of atonement.

When Yeshua (Jesus Christ) died on the cross, that thick veil — that had once separated holiness from the congregation — was torn from top to bottom (Luke 23:44-46). Christ came as High Priest and entered the Holy of Holies (Heaven itself) once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own Holy blood, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-28). Believers in Jesus accept His sacrifice on the cross as the final atonement for sins, “24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith” (Romans 3:24-25). And it is written that when Jesus (the Messiah) returns, Israel will look on Him, whom they pierced, and they will repent (Zechariah 12:10). On that day of repentance, Israel will be forgiven and permanently restored, grafted back in (Isaiah 66:7-14; Romans 11:25-27).

The English word “atonement” comes from an Anglo-Saxon word, which compounds the words “onement,” with the preposition “at”; thus, “at-onement,” or “at unity.” In some ways, this word has more in common with the idea of reconciliation than our modern concept of atonement, which, while having “oneness” as its result, emphasizes rather the idea of how that unity is achieved, by someone “atone-ing” for a wrong or wrongs committed. Atonement, in Christian theology, concerns how Christ achieved this “onement” between GOD and sinful humanity.

The need for atonement comes from the separation that has come about between GOD and humanity because of sin. For it is written that all of us were born into sin (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12) and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Psalm 53:1-3; Romans 3:23). In both Old and New Testaments, there is the understanding that GOD has distanced Himself from His creations on account of their wicked rebellion. In Isaiah 59:2, the prophet tells the people of Judah, “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.” In Romans 5:8-11, Paul wrote, “8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
Therefore, atonement is the means provided by GOD to effect reconciliation. The atonement is required on account of GOD’s holiness and justice so that wrongs will be made right once again.

However, in order to fully understand the depth beyond the surface of atonement, we need to examine and understand both the Old and New Testaments.

The Old Testament:

In the Old Testament – which is the Jewish Tanakh – the sacrificial system was the means by which sins were atoned for, ritual purity was restored, iniquities were forgiven, the unclean became clean, and an amicable relationship between GOD and the offerer of the sacrifice was reestablished. In Leviticus 17:11, Moses, conveying GOD’s message to the Israelites, said, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” In essence, this is the basic operating principle for atonement in the Old Testament – the substitutionary offering of the blood of an innocent slaughtered animal in place of the life of the guilty person who offered it. However, there have been significant scholarly debates regarding whether this accurately portrays the ancient Israelite understanding of atonement.

The meaning of “to atone.”

First, there exists some disagreement over the precise meaning of the Hebrew word כָּפַר [H3722] kāp̄ar (kaw-fair’), which means “to atone.” Among the more popular suggestions regarding the definition of this word are the following: to cover, to remove, to wipe out, to appease, to make amends, to redeem or ransom, to forgive, and to avert/divert. But recently in our historical timeline, one influential theory is that atonement has little or nothing to do with the individual offerer, but serves only to purify the tabernacle or temple and the furniture within from the impurities that attach to them on account of the community’s sins. This theory, though most probably correct in what it affirms, unnecessarily restricts the effects of atonement to the tabernacle and its furniture. There are, to be sure, texts that specifically mention atonement being made for the altar (Exodus 29:36-37; Leviticus 8:15). However, the repeated affirmation for most of the texts in Leviticus and Numbers is that the atonement is made for the offerer (Leviticus 1:4; 4:20,26); atonement results in forgiveness of sins for the one bringing the offering. As far as the precise meaning of kāp̄ar is concerned, it may be that some of the suggested meanings overlap and that a particular concept is more prevalent in some passages, and another one in others. But as always in Hebrew scriptures, the word must be determined by its proper context. (For a specific example, see my other article, “Moved“.)

There has also been debate over the significance of the offerer laying a hand on the head of the sacrificial animal (Leviticus 1:4; 3:2). This has traditionally been understood as an identification of the offerer with the sacrifice and a transference of the offerer’s sins to the sacrifice. Recently, however, this has been disputed and the argument made instead is that it only signifies that the animal does indeed belong to the offerer, who therefore has the right to offer it. But again, this is unduly restrictive; it should rather be seen as complementary to what has traditionally been understood by this gesture. Indeed, in the rite for the Day of Atonement, when the priest lays his hands on the one goat, confesses Israel’s sins and wickedness, and in doing so is said to be putting the sins on the goat’s head (Leviticus 16:21), this would seem to affirm the correctness of the traditional understanding. All sins are transferred to the goat that then gets cast out from their presence. The sacrifice is thus best seen as substitutionary: it takes the place of the offerer; it is rejected in his place; it dies in his place.

The relationship between GOD and the offerer:

Second, granted that the word kāp̄ar has to do with the forgiveness of sins, the question arises as to the exact effect that it has on the relationship between GOD and the offerer. The question here is whether the effect is expiation or propitiation. Does the offering expiate the sin – wipe it out, erase it, remove it? Or does it propitiate the One to whom the sacrifice is offered? That is, does it appease and placate GOD, so that the threat of GOD’s wrath is removed? In one respect, the distinction seems artificial; it seems logical that expiation (erasure of sins) naturally results in propitiation (the appeasement of GOD’s wrath). On the other hand, the modern-day tendency to deny that GOD could possibly be a GOD of wrath makes the question relevant. In any case, there are certainly, in both religious and nonreligious contexts, passages where something like “appease” or “pacify” appears to be a proper rendering of the word kāp̄ar (Genesis 32:20; Exodus 32:30; Numbers 16:46-47; 25:1-13 ;1Samuel 3:14). The effect of atonement is that sins are removed and forgiven, and GOD is appeased. Therefore, both expiation and propitiation are true results of atonement.

In conjunction with this last point, it is also important to note that there are a number of places where it is said that GOD Himself does the kāp̄ar, that GOD is the One who makes atonement:

Deuteronomy 21:8 calls upon GOD, literally, to “Forgive [kāp̄ar] Your people Israel whom You have redeemed.”

In Deuteronomy 32:43, GOD will “atone [kāp̄ar] for His land and His people.”

Psalm 65:3 says, “As for our transgressions, You forgive [kāp̄ar] them.”

In 2Chronicles 30:18-19, Hezekiah prays, “18 May the good Lord pardon [kāp̄ar] 19 everyone who prepares his heart to seek God.”

Psalm 78:38 says that the Lord, being compassionate, forgave [kāp̄ar] Israel’s iniquity and did not destroy them.

Psalm 79:9 asks GOD to forgive [kāp̄ar] Israel’s sins for the sake of His own name.

In Isaiah 43:3, kāp̄ar is translated as “ransom,” and GOD says to Israel that He gave Egypt as their ransom.

In Ezekiel 16:63, GOD declares that He will forgive [kāp̄ar] all the sins that Israel has committed.

And so we see that in most of these passages, “to provide atonement” is to be understood as synonymous of “to forgive.” However, as many commentators have noted, in at least some of these passages, the thought is that GOD is either being called upon to take or is taking upon Himself the role of High Priest, atoning for the sins of the people. Again, it is important to remember GOD’s declaration in Leviticus 17:11 that He has given to the Israelites the blood of the sacrificial animals to make atonement for their sins. Atonement, no matter how it is conceived of or carried out, is a gift that GOD graciously grants to His covenant people.

That leads to a consideration of one particularly extremely relevant passage. Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12. In this text a figure referred to as “my [the Lord’s] servant” (52:13) is described as One who “took up our pain and bore our suffering (53:4). He was “pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities” (53:5). “The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (53:6). And then we are told, “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering” (53:10).

Now, there are many issues with regard to the proper interpretation of this “Servant Song” (as it is often called), one of them being whether the term translated “guilt offering” should really be thought of along the lines of the guilt offering described in the book of Leviticus (5:14 – 6:7; 7:1-10). But if the traditional Christian understanding of this passage is correct (and I believe it is), we have here a picture of GOD Himself assuming the role of High Priest and atoning for the sins of His people by placing their iniquities and sins on His Servant, a figure regarded by Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament to be GOD’s very own Son, Christ Jesus.

The New Testament:

The relationship between the Testaments:

When we come to the New Testament, four important initial points should be made. First, GOD’s wrath against sin and sinners is just as much a New Testament concept and consideration as an Old Testament one (as I explained in great detail in my article, “Purge The Evil”). GOD still considers those who are sinful and unrighteous to be His “enemies” if they are not in Christ (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21). Wrath and punishment await those who reject and refuse to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (John 3:36; Romans 2:5; Ephesians 2:3). Why? Because they rejected their only means of salvation from GOD’s wrath. Atonement is the means of averting this wrath. Therefore, if anyone rejects the covering of Christ, they will receive GOD’s wrath and it will be completely consistent with His justice.

Second, salvation is promised to those who come to GOD by faith in Christ Jesus, but there is still the problem of how GOD can, at the same time, be “just” Himself and yet also be the One who “justifies” sinners and declares them righteous (Romans 3:26). GOD will not simply declare sinners to be justified unless His own justness is also upheld. Atonement is the way by which GOD is both just and Justifier.

Third, as we saw in the Old Testament, ultimately, GOD is the One who atones, so also in the New Testament, GOD is the One who provides the means for atonement. It is by His gracious initiative that atonement even becomes possible. If Jesus’s death is the means by which atonement is achieved, it is GOD Himself who presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, for it is written in Romans 3:24-25 that we are “24 justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.” It was GOD Himself who “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). GOD Himself “sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1John 4:10). And Romans 8:32 says that GOD “did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all.” Additionally, Christ Himself was not an unwilling victim who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time; rather, Jesus was actively involved in the accomplishing of atonement by His sacrificial death. In John 10:15-18, Jesus said that He willingly lays down His life for His sheep, He willingly lays down His life so that He can take it up again, and He concludes by saying, “18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father” (see also, Luke 9:31; Hebrews 9:14). For this reason, it is written in Romans 5:6, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Christ’s first coming was a divine appointment, the kairos (proper timing of GOD).

Fourth, the atoning sacrifice of the Son was necessary because, ultimately, the Old Testament sacrifices could not truly have provided the necessary atonement, for it is written in Hebrews 10:1-4, “1 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Portrayals of Christ’s work of atonement:

It has become common as of late to refer to the different “images” or “metaphors” of atonement that appear in the New Testament. This is understandable on one level, but on another level there is something misleading about it. So, for example, when the New Testament authors speak of Christ as a sacrifice for sins, it is not evident that they intended for the reader to take this as imagery. Rather, Christ (the Son) truly is a sacrifice, offered by GOD the Father, to literally take away sins, and to bear in His own body the penalty that should have been placed on the sinners. Christ’s sacrifice has an organic connection to the Old Testament sacrificial system, as the “full, final sacrifice.” The author of Hebrews would not have considered this to be imagery. In fact, a better case could be made that, from his perspective, Christ was the real sacrifice, and all the instances of sacrifices in the Old Testament were the imagery. So, as we look at the different portrayals of Christ in His work of atonement in the New Testament, some of these may best be categorized as imagery or metaphor, while others perhaps are better described as a “facet” of, or a “window” on, the atonement. It should also be noted that the individual portrayals do not exclude the others, and in some cases, they overlap. So let’s examine the overlap.

Ransom:

Some passages in the New Testament speak of Christ’s death as a ransom paid to set us free (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; 1Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 9:15). The same Greek word λύτρον [G3083] lutron (loo’-tron) — which is translated as “ransom” in these passages — are rendered as “redeem” or “redemption” in other passages (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14). Other forms of the same word are also translated “redeem” or “redemption” in Galatians 3:13-14; 4:5; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 9:12; 1Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 14:3. A near synonym of these words is used in Revelation 5:9; 14:4, referring to how Christ “purchased” people by His blood. In most of these cases the picture of Christ purchasing people is that of slaves who have been ransomed, redeemed, or purchased from the slave market, being set free from a life of slavery. Sometimes this is referred to as an “economic” view of atonement, though this label seems a bit crass, for the purchase is not of a commodity but of human lives at the expense of Christ’s own life and blood. Many skeptics or unbelievers like to claim that Jesus had to pay a ransom to Satan in order to get His children back, but that’s simply absurd because Satan is not on an equal level to where he would possess the power to withhold anyone from the Lord. That’s why Satan fell from Heaven (Luke 10:18; John 12:31; Revelation 12:7-9; 20:2) and why Satan had to receive permission to take action against Job yet was limited by what he could do (Job 1:12; 2:6). Simply put, the Lord is the Judge and it’s as if the Judge overruled the death sentence to those who truly repented and placed their faith in Christ Jesus, truly confessing that Jesus received what they deserved. Jesus paid their debt, and because of that, they are set free. It’s like receiving a Presidential pardon while on death row. Those who are ransomed are redeemed from a life of slavery to sin and to the Law, which is “a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10). Because we were slaves to sin and destined for death, Jesus died so that we may truly live and be set free eternally in new glorified bodies on the New Earth under the new heavens (1Corinthians 15:35-57; Revelation 21-22).

Curse Bearer:

In Galatians 3:13-14, there is also the picture of Christ as One who bore the curse of the Law in our place. The language is especially striking because rather than saying that Christ bore the curse, Paul says that Christ became “a curse.” This is an especially forceful way of saying that Christ fully absorbed and received the curse of GOD’s wrath that was meant for us.

Penalty Bearer:

Closely related to “curse bearer,” this portrayal depicts Christ as One who has borne the legal consequences of our sins, consequences that we should have suffered; rather, because Christ has borne the penalty, we are now declared to be innocent and righteous and no longer subject to condemnation. This idea stands behind much of the argumentation that Paul uses in Romans and Galatians, and it also intersects with other portrayals. Passages representative of this picture are Romans 3:24-26; 4:25; 5:8-21; 8:32-34; Galatians 3:13-14; Ephesians 2:15. It is also what should be understood by Peter’s description of Christ’s death as “the just for the unjust” (1Peter 3:18), as well as in 2Corinthians 5:21, where Paul states that Christ has become “sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Propitiation:

There are four passages where the NIV uses “atonement” or “atoning” in the translation to reflect either the Greek verb ἱλάσκομαι [G2433] hilaskomai (hil-ahs’-kohm-eye) or related nouns ἱλαστήριον [G2435] hilastērion (hil-ahs-tay’-ree-on) or ἱλασμός [G2434] hilasmos (hil-ahs-moss’). This is the word group that the LXX (Septuagint; Greek Old Testament) regularly uses to translate the Hebrew verb kāp̄ar and related nouns. There has been much debate about the precise meaning of the word in these four New Testament texts, in particular, as to whether it means to “expiate” (“remove guilt”) or to “propitiate” (“appease” or “avert wrath”). The better arguments have been advanced in favor of “propitiate”; at the very least, propitiation is implied in expiation. The wrath that we should have suffered on account of our sins has been suffered by Jesus Christ instead. Although the specific word is not used, this is the understanding as well in those passages where it is said either that Christ died “for our sins” (1Corinthians 15:3), “gave Himself for our sins” (Galatians 1:4), “bore our sins” (1Peter 2:24), or that His blood was poured out “for forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28; cf. Ephesians 1:7).

Passover:

In 1Corinthians 5:7, Paul states that “Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” Although the Passover has not traditionally been thought of as a sacrifice for sins (though many scholars would argue that it was), at the very least we should recognize a substitutionary concept at play in Paul’s use of the Passover idea. A lamb died so that the firstborn would live. And if you’re not covered by the Lamb’s blood, then you’re going to experience GOD’s wrath. The Gospel of John seems to have the same understanding. In John 1:29, Jesus is proclaimed as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” And then in his account of Jesus’s passion, John narrates that His crucifixion was precisely at the same time as the slaying of the Passover lambs (John 19:14).

Sacrifice:

This theme has already been touched on in the other portraits, but it is important to recognize the significance of this concept in the New Testament and especially in the book of Hebrews. There, Christ is portrayed as both sacrifice and the High Priest who offers the sacrifice (Hebrews 2:17; 7:27; 9:11-28; 10:10-21; 12:24). He came, not as some have argued, to show the absolute uselessness of the sacrificial system, but rather to be the “full, final sacrifice” within that system, that He would “make propitiation [hilaskomai] for the sins of the people” (2:17). The sacrificial system was useless to all of us mere humans born into sin because none of the sacrifices ever truly removed our guilt; every sacrifice was only temporary. But for this reason, Jesus, discussing the possibility of who can be saved, said in Mark 10:27, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

Of course, it is not just the death of Christ that secures our redemption. His entire earthly life, as well as His resurrection and heavenly intercessory work, must also be recognized. But with regard to the work of atonement per se, Christ’s earthly life, His sinless active faithful obedience to the Father’s will is what qualifies Him to be the perfect sacrifice in accordance with His deity. For if Jesus had only been a mere man through the sinful seed of Adam, His sacrificial death would not suffice eternally. It is because Jesus is GOD that His sacrificial death is eternally sufficient and without end. His bodily resurrection by the Holy Spirit is the demonstration of GOD the Father’s acceptance of the Son’s sacrifice (see “Trinity“). Romans 4:25 says, “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”

Therefore, both the death and the resurrection matter. For this reason, Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 15:13-19, “13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”

Conclusion:

Atonement fulfilled:

Sadly, the Jewish Temple was destroyed in 70 AD by the Roman Empire and it was never rebuilt. For centuries upon centuries now, the Jewish people have not been able to offer sacrifices in accordance to the Law of Moses (which they claim is still binding). And yet every year they will observe Yom Kippur without actually observing what is written in the Law. They have substituted sacrifices for prayer, good works, and charitable donations, hoping that their penalty of sins will be taken away without sacrifices. However, according to the Law that they claim to live by, every Jewish believer who has rejected Yeshua Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection have all died in their sins because (1) they did not offer any sacrifices to atone for their sins, and; (2) they have rejected the only perfect and permanent sacrifice made through Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus explained that after the Harvest, He is going to separate the wicked from His children, putting His sheep (His children) on the right and the goats (the wicked) on the left. But why are the wicked declared to be goats? Because it stems from the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. In Leviticus 16, the “scapegoat” is mentioned as part of GOD’s instructions to the Israelites regarding the Day of Atonement. On this day, the high priest would first offer a sacrifice for his sins and those of his household; then he would perform sacrifices for the nation. From the Israelite community the high priest was instructed to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. The priest brought the animals before the Lord and cast lots between the two goats – one to be a sacrifice and the other to be the scapegoat. The first goat was slaughtered for the sins of the people and its blood used to cleanse the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar. After the cleansing, the live goat was brought to the high priest. Laying his hands on the scapegoat, the high priest was to confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites – all their sins – and put them on the goat’s head. He then sent the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat carried on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man released it into the wilderness. Symbolically, the scapegoat took on the sins of the Israelites and removed the guilt from them. For Christians, this is a foreshadowing of Christ and of the wicked on Judgment Day.

Christ is the complete atonement for our sins. In many ways, He embodies each aspect of the Day of Atonement. We are told that He is our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14). He is also the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world (Revelation 13:8) as a sacrifice for our sins. And He is our scapegoat. 2Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Our sins were laid on Christ – He bore our sins just as the scapegoat bore the sins of the Israelites. Isaiah 53:6 prophesied Christ’s acceptance of the sin burden: “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” After the sins were laid on the scapegoat, it was considered unclean and driven into the wilderness. In essence, the goat was cast out. The same happened to Jesus. He was crucified outside of the city. Isaiah 53:3,12 says, “He was despised and forsaken of men…. He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.” Jesus embodied what the scapegoat represented – the removal of sins from the perpetrators.

However, on Judgment Day, it is written that the wicked will be separated, declared as goats, and then they will be cast out. Thus, like a Pasteur pipette or a sponge, Christ Jesus absorbed all sin and death unto Himself only to release it on the goats on the day of judgment when he casts them away into what Scripture refers to as outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). So, when you read such Scriptures as Psalm 5 (David’s prayer of protection from the wicked) and Psalm 10 (a prayer for the overthrow of the wicked), may you know and understand the greatness of GOD’s love! GOD loves the righteous so much that He absorbed all the pain, suffering, sin and death in life in order to separate all who are wicked from all who are righteous, to place the punishment back on the wicked and cast them away — all so that the righteous children of GOD can dwell in eternal joy with the Lord, who is the Great Shepherd! It was prophesied in Isaiah 25:8, and it is written as Truth in Revelation 21:4: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

In the end, through the great reversal, GOD will cast the scapegoats away so that the children of GOD (sheep) may have eternal life with eternal joy with the Shepherd (Jesus). However, we must remember that GOD desires all people to be saved (Ezekiel 18:23,32; 33:11; John 3:16-17; 1Timothy 2:4; 4:10; Titus 2:11; 2Peter 3:9)! So, what are we doing or not doing to the Lord with every action we do or do not do to other people? Are we feeding the hungry? Are we giving drink to the thirsty? Are we welcoming the stranger? Are we providing clothes to those who need to be clothed? Are we comforting the sick? Are we visiting those in prison? Are we stopping along our travels in order to help someone in need (Luke 10:30-37)? Are we loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44)? Are we forgiving others (Matthew 6:14-15)? Now that we know that everything we do or do not do to others is actually done unto the Lord, how does this knowledge change our perspectives on how we should live our lives? How does it change our perspectives on how we should respond to people? Now that we know that so many Jewish people are observing 10 days of repentance prior to the Day of Atonement, let us repent of any hatred in our hearts towards them and may we pray that their hearts will no longer be hardened so that their eyes and ears will be opened in order to receive the Truth of Yeshua Jesus Christ and be saved.

I’ll conclude with Romans 11:17-36: “17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “This is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.” [Isaiah 59:20-21; 27:9; Jeremiah 21:33-34]
28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? [Job 41:11; Isaiah 40:13] 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

Lord, we pray for Israel and all of Your children of the natural branches that they return to You and be grafted in again. And we pray for all others to come to knowledge of Truth as well. It seems impossible, but we know that what is impossible for man is possible with You. Amen.

Return to First Love and First Deeds

(Revelation 2:1-7)
“¹ To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: ² ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; ³ and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵ Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. ⁶ Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’ ”

· · · – – – · · ·

This message begins with “to the angel of the church.” The word “angel” is the English translation of the Greek word [G32] ἄγγελος aggelos (ang’-el-ahs), which means messenger. The word often refers to angels, an order of created beings superior to man (Psalm 8:5; Hebrews 2:7); however, by implication, it could also mean a pastor. This word is also used of a guardian or representative (Revelation 1:20), but in Greek literature as a whole and on several occasions throughout Scripture, this word refers to human messengers (Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24,27; 9:52; James 2:25). So, the “angel” might be a typical human messenger, a pastor, or a literal angel sent as a messenger to the church. Regardless, the most basic meaning of this word refers to a messenger. And because the original revelation came to John, it is most reasonable to believe that John entrusted human messengers to take the messages to the pastors of the churches rather than commanding angels to be his messengers. According to Scripture, angels receive their instructions directly from GOD rather than humans (Psalm 103:20; Luke 1:19).

But who is this message from? The One who sent the message is more important than the messenger. In Matthew 10:40-41, Jesus said, “⁴⁰ He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ⁴¹ He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” So, who is the One who sent this message to the church in Ephesus? Revelation 2:1 says the message came from “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands.”

What are the seven stars and seven golden lampstands? The word “star” is the English translation of the Greek word [G792] ἀστήρ astēr (ahs-tare’), which refers to the stars spread out in the sky. And Revelation 1:20 says, “the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” Thus, the stars represent the messengers of the churches; the lampstands represent the churches; and the number seven represents completeness. Therefore, the One who sent the message holds all messengers of all churches in His right hand (which represents possessing all power and all control). And if the Lord is the One who holds all things in His right hand (Psalm 63:8), then Jesus is the One true King who sends the messengers (Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalm 136:3; Isaiah 45:21-25; Philippians 2:5-11; 1Timothy 6:14-16; Revelation 17:14; 19:11-16).

If this message is for the church, it is important for us to understand the significance of the church for the importance of this message to be rightly understood. The English word translated as “church” is the Greek word [G1577] ἐκκλησία ekklēsia (ek-klay-see’-ah), which is a compound of the words [G1537] ἐκ ek (eck) and [G2564] καλέω kaleō (kal-eh’-o). The word ek denotes origin, meaning from or out of and can also convey the idea of an exit or a separation. The word kaleō means to beckon, to call, to invite, or to summon, and is used particularly of the divine call to partake of the blessings of redemption (Romans 8:30; 1Corinthians 1:9; 1Thessalonians 2:12; Hebrews 9:15). The word kaleō is used 148 times in the New Testament, but two examples highlight the importance of this invitation. In Matthew 22:1-14, this word is used in Jesus’s parable to describe a special invitation extended by a king who was asking people to attend a great marriage feast. Such royal events were closed to the public; a person could not attend without being invited. Thus, receiving an invitation to attend this type of special occasion was considered a great honor and privilege. In fact, this parable ends by explaining that if someone were to be discovered at the feast who did not belong, that person would be cast out. And in Luke 14:7-24, Jesus taught two parables in which various forms of this word are used 12 times to denote invitations given to people to attend a wedding and a great feast. The main message taught through the parables is that the invitation is a great honor and privilege; therefore, we should prioritize our lives around the king’s feast so as to show great gratitude to have been invited. No matter what happens in life, no event is more important than accepting the king’s invitation and ensuring attendance to the wedding and feast; consequently, no excuse will be valid for rejecting the invitation, no excuse will be valid for your absence. In fact, all excuses given will only amount to the reason why the person will not be inside, but will be found outside. Paul used this same Greek word multiple times to describe GOD’s call for people to repent, to come out of the darkness and to be part of the Kingdom in the light. For this reason, Revelation 22:14-15 says, “¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

The entire New Testament plainly teaches that all of us who have been called or invited to enter into the Kingdom and into the joy of our Master received the honored and privileged position as adopted children of GOD, which is a position we never would have received had the King not extended His loving invitation to us (Matthew 25:21,23; Romans 1:6-7; 8:28,30; 9:24; 1Corinthians 1:2,9,24,26; 7:18,20-22,24; Galatians 1:6; Ephesians 4:1,4; Colossians 3:15; 1Thessalonians 2:12; 4:7; 2Thessalonians 2:14; 1Timothy 6:12; 2Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 9:15; 11:8; James 2:7; 1Peter 1:15; 2:9,21; 5:10; 2Peter 1:3; 1John 3:1; Jude 1:1).

Therefore, when ek and kaleō are compounded together, the new word ekklēsia describes a chosen group of people who are called out from their homes in order to gather into some public place as a separated and prestigious assembly. The word stresses a special group of people called out for a special purpose. And to be deemed special is a great honor and privilege.

The earliest examples of the word ekklēsia is found in writings about Athens, where it was used to denote a prestigious assembly of Athenian citizens who regularly met to discuss civil matters (ex: Acts 17:19-34; 19:39). At those meetings, the distinguished citizens determined laws, debated public policy, formulated new policies, argued and ruled in judicial matters, elected the chief magistrates of the land, decided who should be banished, etc. To be called out from average society and invited to be a member of this special assembly was a great honor and privilege. However, it is worth noting that political parties and factions were strictly forbidden in this respected assembly. It was a body of equal citizens with equal voices who gathered to assist in the orderly development of society. The implication, therefore, is that the body of Christ (the church) have equal voices and should all collaborate together in order to achieve the same end goal. And this is why Paul reprimanded the church at Corinth for allowing strife and divisions among them (1Corinthians 1:11-15; 3:1-9).

In 2Timothy 4:1-5, Paul told Timothy, “¹ I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, ⁴ and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

The word “preach” is the English translation of the Greek word [G2783] κῆρυξ kērux (kay’-roox), which means a herald who conveys official messages on behalf of authority at the ekklēsia (assembly). During Homer’s time, the word kērux referred to a spokesman for a king, a prince, or some other superior authority. But in Athens during the Classical Greek period, the word primarily referred to the person charged with overseeing the official assembly, which included several different responsibilities: summoning the citizens of Athens when it was time to conduct an assembly, opening and closing each session, maintaining order and providing oversight, bringing correction to members who were out of order, publicizing the final decisions of the assembly, and calling soldiers to battle in times of war. In Paul’s letter, he instructed Timothy to be the herald on behalf of Christ. Just as the kērux of Athens lifted his voice loud and clear to accurately deliver the message that had been entrusted to him regardless of the crowd’s response to the message, Timothy was to be ready in season and out of season to preach (herald) the Truth regardless of the crowd’s response to the Truth. As a representative of the King of kings, the speaker does not have the authority to misrepresent the Truth or change the message in order to appease the audience. Regardless of the crowd’s response to the Truth, the speaker must proclaim the message boldly and accurately.

The use of the word ekklēsia informs us that it was never GOD’s intention for the body of believers to be a small group of silent cowards who remain isolated within a “holy” huddle. The purpose of the assembly was to discuss all details that affected their society and what needed to be done to ensure the best possible society. Just as the Athenians ruled in all matters regarding society, GOD calls upon the church to exert its influence in every aspect of society. Thus, the biblical concept of the church can be described as a body of believers who are called out from darkness and summoned into the light as representatives of Heaven in order to apply the Kingdom’s laws in the affairs of this earth. For this reason, the assembly (which is held in the light) will be sent back out into the darkness as lights for all to see (Matthew 5:14-16; John 15:16,19; 17:15-18). And to be called/invited as members of such a distinguished body is both an honor and privilege! However, it is not infrequent to observe that when humans become accustomed to honor, they often lose the ability to remain humble. When humans become accustomed to privilege, they often take for granted that which should be praised with gratitude.

In this modern time in which we all live, the word “church” is often taken for granted and is used to describe a building where religious services are conducted. But the luxury of meeting in or owning a building didn’t exist in the first century. The church (body of believers) did not have any formal meeting locations such as a public building which advertised itself as a meeting place for Christians; rather, they met in homes or in secret locations so as to avoid being persecuted by the Roman authorities.

As representatives of the Lord, we are supposed to be like the stars in the sky whose lights shine in the darkness, calling attention to the Creator. As lampstands, we are supposed to shine our light. For this reason, in Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, “¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

In Revelation 2:2-3, Jesus told the church at Ephesus that they were extremely hard workers, they endured through all pressure and suffering, they did not tolerate evil, they put to the test and identified liars who deliberately misled people for their own glory, and they had not given up or abandoned faith in Christ. However, in 2:4, Jesus said, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

The word “left” is the English translation of the Greek word [G863] ἀφίημι aphiēmi (af-ee’-ay-mee), which means to send away, depart from, divorce, neglect, keep no longer, abandon, to desert wrongfully, to leave something behind. In other words, this action describes the voluntary release of something once held dear so as to walk away from it, caring about it no longer. It describes a love that was once warm and inviting that became cold and unpleasant. Therefore, they wrongfully abandoned the “love” they once held dear, caring about it no longer.

The word “love” is the English translation of the Greek word [G26] ἀγάπη agapē (ag-ah’-pay), which means a selfless and sacrificial love. This love occurs when an individual sees, recognizes, understands, and appreciates the value of an object or a person, causing him/her to behold this object or person in great esteem, awe, admiration, wonder, and sincere appreciation. This type of love is irresistible, where one feels compelled to act on someone else’s behalf for that person’s benefit. This love is willing to sacrifice self for the sake of another. Thus, agapē is the supreme love.

But what is this “first” love? Jesus was pointing to the esteem, awe, admiration, wonder, and appreciation that was first awakened in their hearts for Him when they received Him as their Savior many years earlier. It seems as if Jesus was unhappy that they had been doing the same thing for so long, merely going through the motions of religious rigmarole, that what they were doing lost its excitement and joy. Though they still had faith in Christ, they no longer had the deep passion they once had. In other words, they became so good at playing the roles of the religious church who fought for Christ that they walked away from passionately pursuing Christ while loving GOD and loving others with an inspired selfless and sacrificial love. After fighting spiritual battles year after year – testing false apostles, training leaders, starting new churches, overseeing entire groups of churches, and dealing with spiritual wolves who were constantly trying to ravage their ministry base – it seems that the Ephesian congregation became so focused on protecting their church that they were no longer able to enjoy their relationship with Jesus as they had many years earlier. They had fought as soldiers for so long that they became expert fighters; however, they lost their ability to love their enemies with a selfless and sacrificial love. In other words, they were allowing their fire to go out. Their fire dwindled down to mere red hot coals.

Acts 19:18-20 describes a “first love” moment in Ephesus: “¹⁸ Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. ¹⁹ And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.”

The “first love” someone experiences after repentance produces an exciting, joyful, radical, far-reaching, profound transformation that completely alters every choice made in life. Truly, when someone becomes “born again”, that person experiences life from a new perspective and it’s exciting and joyful. I remember when I first became a follower of Christ, everything seemed new and I viewed life through a different lens which brought awe, inspiration, and creativity. Everything I did was passionately motivated to love GOD and love others.

In Revelation 2:5, Jesus continued, “Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.”

The word “remember” comes from the Greek root [G3417] μνεία mneia (mni’-ah). In ancient literature, this word denoted a written record used to memorialize a person’s actions; a sepulcher; a statue; a monument; or a tombstone. This relation with death is significant because it suggests that their first love had been buried and needed to be exhumed and examined. In other words, their first love needed to be resurrected back to life. They were not to allow their first love to become the writing of an obituary. They needed to examine the written records of the past, bring them to life in the present, and keep the first love alive in the future.

In 2Kings 22, a new king, Josiah, came into power. One day, king Josiah sent the scribe to Hilkiah, the high priest, in order to retrieve and allocate funds for repairs to be made to the house of the Lord. He was merely going through the motions, business as usual. However, while retrieving the funds, Hilkiah found the book of the Law that had been ignored and forgotten. He then gave the book of Law to the scribe, who then read it to king Josiah. Upon hearing all the words the Lord had spoken, Josiah tore his clothes in anguished lament. King Josiah examined the written record of that which had been lost and forgotten, but when he did, a renewed fire ignited within him to seek the Lord as he should have been seeking the Lord all along. Likewise, we must also do the same with the recorded history of our lives.

However, because the word mneia also refers to a statue or monument, this informs us that some memories serve as memorial stones to help remind us of important times we experienced GOD’s power, glory, and goodness.

In Genesis 28:16-18, after Jacob had a vision of the ladder where he saw angels moving up and down from Heaven to earth, “¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ ¹⁸ So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top.” Likewise, we must also remember the memorial stones we have erected in the past which proclaimed the goodness of GOD in our “first love” experiences.

It is written that the church of Ephesus needed to remember from where they had fallen. The word “fallen” is the Greek word [G4098] πίπτω piptō (pip’-tow), which describes descending from a higher place to a lower place, and it could mean to lose authority, to come down to a place of judgment, or even to fall down dead. However, the Greek tense doesn’t describe a present action of being in the process of falling; rather, it refers to a past experience of one who already fell and is now living in that fallen state.

Jesus essentially told the church of Ephesus to stop everything they’re doing and to spend time remembering. When was their point of departure away from their first love? When did they lose that awe, wonder, excitement, joy, and passion? When did they lose sight of the main goal? What is the main goal? Is it not relationship? To love GOD and to love others? They needed to remember why they do what they do. What were they willing to do in the past prior to experiencing so much rejection, persecution, intimidation, heartache, pain and suffering? When did they become less willing to take risks? When did they become less adventurous? When did the passionate pursuit become religious routine? When did their desire to thrive become merely trying to stay alive? When did their celebration of being considered worthy to be persecuted in the name of Christ become a fearful punishment that kept them in hiding? When did their dedication become desensitization? When did their commitment become complacency? When did their joy in serving become drudgery? When did their conversations with people change from sharing the Gospel out from love to arguing with people out from hatred in their hearts? When did the feeling of being an excitable child become the hopelessness an old bitter man? When did your blessed service become your servitude of burden? When did you become double-minded and split your complete devotion in half? Remember! What was it like when you first started following Christ? Did you not find joy in the simplest of things? Did you not see GOD in everything? Did you not have a childlike faith and an optimistic outlook? Did you not love people while also loving GOD?

Jesus commanded the church of Ephesus to repent. To repent simply involves recognizing that you lived wrongly in the past and now determining to live rightly in the present and dedicating yourself to living rightly in the future. Repentance is a change of mind that results in change of actions in a new direction; it is one major decision to place your trust in Christ Jesus for your salvation and multiple minor corrections along the way of following Christ in order to stay in alignment with GOD’s will.

When Jesus said to “do the deeds you did at first”, it means that returning to their first love would also mean replicating the works that accompanied their early on-fire faith. This means that they needed to return to the basics and do what they did before they got distracted and redirected. So, what did they need to start doing again? Jesus explained the basics to an “expert” in the Law in Matthew 22:37-40: “³⁷ And He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” ³⁸ This is the great and foremost commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’ ”

When Jesus said He would remove their lampstand out of its place unless they repented and did as they did in the beginning, it essentially meant that if they were going to merely exist as a lamp without fire, then there would be no need for that lamp to take up usable space. Again, in Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, “¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Therefore, if what we do does not glorify our Father in Heaven, we’re a lamp without fire, and so we will be removed and replaced with a lamp that is burning with fire.

So, what were the deeds they did in the beginning?

• They possessed a great spiritual hunger (Acts 18:20).
• They enjoyed fellowship among the brethren (Acts 18:27).
• They had an eagerness to repent and to receive what GOD had for them (Acts 19:1-6).
• They cherished the Word of GOD (Acts 19:8).
• They sacrificed their religious reputation for Jesus (Acts 19:9).
• They were committed to applying GOD’s Word to their lives (Acts 19:10).
• They were receptive to the power of GOD and to the gifts of the Spirit (Acts 19:11-12).
• They were quick to confess their sins and turn from their evil works (Acts 19:18).
• They were faith-filled and known for their love of the brethren (Ephesians 1:15).

Revelation 2:6 says, “Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

The word “hate” is the English translation of the Greek word [G3404] μισέω miseō (mis-eh’-o), which means to hate, to abhor, or to find utterly repulsive. It describes a person who has a deep-seated animosity or one who is antagonistic to something he/she finds to be completely objectionable. The person not only loathes that object but rejects it entirely. Thus, it would not be a case of merely disliking something, but thoroughly hating something.

But what were the deeds Jesus hated? According to Scripture, not much is known about the Nikolaités except that which is exclusively mentioned in both Revelation 2:6,15. In 2:6, Christ is speaking to the church of Ephesus and is commending them for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans. In 2:15, Christ is speaking to the church of Pergamum, telling them to repent for holding to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. But what exactly are the teachings and deeds of the Nicolaitans that the Lord hates? Well, in the passage to the church of Pergamum, the Lord compares the Nicolaitans to the Balaam/Balak group, who urged people toward the unholy combination of eating meat sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality. Obviously, according to what is written in 1Corinthians 8:1-13; 10:19-21, the problem is not unknowingly eating meats that had been sacrificed to idols; rather, the problem is the willing participation in pagan rituals and sexual immorality, thus violating the mitzvot (command) laid down for Gentile believers in Acts 15:28-29, which says, “²⁸ For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: ²⁹ that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

In Numbers 22-24, it is evident that Balaam/Balak tried to put a stumbling block before Israel by cursing them. Numbers 25:1-2; 31:16 tells us that Balaam’s counsel led to trespass against the Lord by use of Moabite women to seduce Israel into sexual immorality and idolatry. Deuteronomy 23:4-5 informs us that the sin revolving around Balaam was the evil desire to curse GOD’s chosen people. Micah 6:5 tells us to remember Balak and Balaam so that we might know the righteous acts of the Lord. And then GOD informs us in Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” And then Micah 6:10 warns us against the treasures of wickedness.

In 2Peter 2:13-22, Peter gives us insight about such people who suffer “wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ‘A dog returns to its own vomit,’ and, ‘A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire’ ” (see Ezekiel 18:24; Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-29; James 4:17).

Jude 1:4 tells us, “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (see Luke 6:46; Romans 6). Also, Jude 1:11 says, “Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah” (see Genesis 4:7; Numbers 16:3). And then Jude 1:12 tells us that these people were “caring for themselves.” Further, Jude explained in 1:15-16 by stating of the Lord against these people: “to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage” (see Matthew 23:11-12; Mark 9:35; Luke 22:24-27). And Jude concluded, in Jude 1:18-19, quoting both Paul and Peter, Jude says, “they were saying to you, ‘In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.’ These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit” (Acts 20:29-30; Galatians 5:13-26; 1Timothy 4:1-2; 2Timothy 3:1-9; 4:2-5; 2Peter 3:3).

Therefore, it is evident that the Nicolaitans were guilty of being worldly-minded and compromising the commandments of Christ, just as Paul and James had warned against in 1Corinthians 2:14-16 and James 3:14-16. In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul says, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” And then Paul goes on to explain how Christ is our ultimate example of selfless and sacrificial love who we need to imitate. But the Nicolaitans, putting themselves first, catered to their fleshly desires and used GOD’s grace as an excuse to sin, even though we should never do such a wicked thing (Romans 6).

Apart from what Scripture tells us, some early writings of church history (around a century after Revelation was written) identified the Nicolas from Acts 6:5 with the heretical sect of the Nicolaitans (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, I.xxvi.3.; Hippolytus, The Refutation of All Heresies, VII.24.; Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 3.29.1-3). Both Irenaeus and Hippolytus wrote that Nicolas taught a doctrine of compromise, implying that total separation between Christianity and the practice of occult paganism was not essential. In other words, Nicolas taught that Christians could do what Paul blatantly told us not to do: “I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1Corinthians 10:20-21).

The name of the Nicolaitans stems from the name [G3532] Νικόλαος Nikolaos (nik-ahl’-ah-ahs), which is a compound word from [G3534] νῖκος nikos (nee’-kahs) and [G2992] λαός laos (lah-ahs’). The word nikos comes from the word [G3529] νίκη nikē (nee’-kay), which means victory, success, overcome, conquer, prevail, or subdue. The word laos means the people (in general), as would be seen in a large assembly. It is also the word from which “laity” is derived. Thus, the name Nikolaos means one who conquers and subdues the people. Now, whether the Nicolas from Acts 6:5 and the heretical sect of the Nicolaitans are actually connected, we do not know for certain. Some scholars believe that the name is roughly the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for “Balaamites” (from בֶלַע and עָם, i.e., swallowing-up, or destruction, of the people). Regardless, the message is clear: even if in the beginning a person has a good reputation, possesses wisdom, and seems to be full of the Spirit, only the end of a person’s race will determine if that person was deeply rooted in Christ and whether he/she produced fruit or was a barren tree. In the end, the truth will be known as to who chose compromise over Christ.

In Matthew 10:37-39, Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

In John 12:24-26, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”

1Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.”

Hebrews 12:1-3 says, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

1John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

Therefore, the Nicolaitans were corrupted, worldly-minded, pseudo-saints who compromised on their commitment to Christ in order to seek gain for themselves at the expense of others. Whereas the Pharisees were too legalistic and demanded too much from people, the Nicolaitans were too loose, loving the world and the wages of unrighteousness. But the one who is focused on his/her first love, that person will be 100% completely devoted to the Lord and will fix his/her eyes on Jesus, living in faithful obedience to His commandments.

Revelation 2:7 says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.”

Seven different times in the synoptic gospels, Jesus announced that whoever had ears to hear, let that person hear (Matthew 11:15; 13:9,43; Mark 4:9,23; Luke 8:8; 14:35). Thus, this phrase was a familiar one to John – one that he most likely remembered Jesus saying many years earlier. However, in John’s revelation, Jesus included a new phrase with the familiar phrase by adding “what the Spirit says to the churches.” Though Jesus was speaking to the church of Ephesus in this specific message, all truths were to be received and applied to all churches as a message from the Holy Spirit. After all, what church wouldn’t benefit from the refreshing words of praise and the penetrating statements of instruction and rebuke? For this reason, Jesus goes on to say in Revelation 3:19, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”

Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “¹¹ My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, ¹² For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”

Hebrews 12:7-11, referring to that proverb, says, “⁷ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸ But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹ Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. ¹¹ All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

Again, Jesus said, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” The word “overcomes” is the English translation of the Greek word [G3528] νικάω nikaō (nik-ah’-o), which denotes a victor, a champion, or one who possesses some type of superiority. It can also refer to a military victory over an enemy. From this word came the name Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. To be an overcomer, the full commitment and passion of a champion would be required. In fact, the tense of the Greek informs us that this word speaks of a continuous and ongoing victory. And so yet again, Paul’s description of a champion winning the crown informs us how to be a victor. 1Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” For this reason, Paul instructed his disciple in 2Timothy 2:3-5, “³ Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. ⁵ Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.”
Therefore, Christians, refusing to be worldly minded, live their lives as completely committed soldiers for Christ the King, faithfully obeying His commandments.

In Luke 23:43, Jesus, speaking to the repentant criminal on the cross beside Him, said, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” That word “Paradise” is the English translation of the Greek word [G3857] παράδεισος paradeisos (par-ad’-i-sahs), which means a garden or park, which refers back to the Garden of Eden, which would be restoration of the original design (Genesis 2:8-9). The Greek word is from an ancient Persian word depicting a garden inside a walled enclosure. In Hebrew, it is the word [H6508] פַּרְדֵּס pardēs (par-dace’), which describes a forest, pleasurable park, orchard, or enclosed garden (Nehemiah 2:8; Song of Solomon 4:13; Ecclesiastes 2:5). In 2Corinthians 12:1-4, Paul used this Greek word to describe “the third heaven,” which means beyond the heavens of the natural creation. And this same region is mentioned in Revelation 2:7 when the Lord said to the church of Ephesus, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” And this is the river and tree of life on the New Earth under the new heavens as described in Revelation 22:1-2. The Septuagint used the Greek word to refer to the Garden of Eden; thus, Paradise is the new garden on the New Earth.

Therefore, the one who finishes the race as a victor will be granted eternal life and will be able to dwell with the Lord in the garden as the Lord originally intended. However, it’s possible to be saved though all works get burned up in their testing. In 1Corinthians 3:11-15, Paul warned, “¹¹ For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. ¹⁴ If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

However, in order for a church (or even a single believer) to prevent from being removed and replaced as a chosen vessel, the church (or believer) must return to the first love and do the deeds done at first so as to be on fire for the Lord. To be on fire for the Lord means to love GOD with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind while also loving other people as you would love yourself. But how do we do this? Like Paul, we must die daily to our flesh (Romans 8:8; 1Corinthians 15:31), walk by faith while being led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14; 2Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 5:16), and produce the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25) while continuously seeking to please our Father who is in Heaven.

Examine the following words of David in his repentant prayer to GOD in Psalm 51:10-17: “¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You. ¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. ¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise. ¹⁶ For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

In Matthew 18:3-4, Jesus said, “³ Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

In Mark 10:15, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

Psalm 123:1-2 says, “To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens! ² Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He is gracious to us.”

1Peter 2:1-3 says, “¹ Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, ² like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, ³ if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”

Conclusion:

Who is our first love? The Lord and His Word. In Luke 10:38-42, it is written that Mary was seated at the feet of Jesus, listening to His Word, while Martha was distracted with acts of service she considered to be important and mandatory. Martha got upset because, in her mind, Mary was neglecting religious duty and cultural obligations; however, Jesus praised Mary’s devotion to her first love and said, “⁴¹ Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

In Ephesians 6:24, Paul concluded his letter to the Ephesians by writing, “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”

Have you ever wondered why GOD called David a man after His own heart (1Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22)? Examine what David wrote in Psalm 63:1-8, which showcases the child of GOD’s “first love” devotion: “¹ O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. ² Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. ³ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You. ⁴ So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. ⁵ My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. ⁶ When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, ⁷ for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. ⁸ My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.”

What are the “first deeds” that should be done? They are the deeds that were done when people received salvation. What do newly saved people do? Examine Acts 2:42-47: “⁴² They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵ and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. ⁴⁶ Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” [see also, Acts 4:32-37]

Therefore, newly saved people experience a sense of awe, they seek to know the Lord more and more while praising Him in great gratitude, and they also seek to commit themselves to fellowship with other believers while holding all things in common in order to help all people in need. Newly saved people also invest their time into studying GOD’s Word, meditating on His Word, communicating with the Lord in prayer, sharing the Gospel, and loving their neighbors as they would love themselves.

In Ephesians 1:15, Paul commended the Ephesians for their love for all the saints. In Ephesians 5:1-2, Paul wrote, “¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; ² and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

In 2Peter 1:5-11, Peter wrote to those who had received the great gift of salvation: “⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, ⁶ and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, ⁷ and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; ¹¹ for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”

At first, a Christian might possess passion and love without having knowledge or position, but then after obtaining knowledge and acquiring position, the Christian might lose passion and love, becoming focused on “important” and “mandatory” religious duties. But all qualities are required to exist in a harmonious balance for a Christian to be a representative of the King and to be the light that shines into the darkness. For this reason, in Hebrews 10:32-34, the author instructs his audience to remember the former days after they had been enlightened when they endured great conflict and sufferings while showing sympathy to prisoners and even accepting joyfully the seizure of their properties. For this reason, Paul reminded the church at Corinth that if they did not have love, all that they had and all that they did would amount to nothing (1Corinthians 13). Therefore, we must remember our former days and humble ourselves before the Lord so that we will never judge an unbeliever as being unworthy to receive salvation. As difficult as it may be, we must always speak the Truth out from love (Ephesians 4:15), praying that the seeds we sow might fall onto the good soil (Matthew 13:3-9,18-23).

In Matthew 5:21-24, Jesus said, “²¹ “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. ²³ Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”

1John 4:19-21 says, “¹⁹ We love, because He first loved us. ²⁰ If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.”
[see also, Deuteronomy 15:7-11; Proverbs 3:27-35; Micah 6:8; James 2:1-9,14-17]

In Matthew 5:38-48, Jesus said, “³⁸ You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰ If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. ⁴¹ Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. ⁴³ You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸ Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
[see also, Luke 6:27-38]

In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, “³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In John 15:12-14, Jesus said, “¹² “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do what I command you.”

In 1John 3:14-24, John reminded all followers of Christ where the Christian’s focus should be set: “¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. ¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. ¹⁶ We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. ¹⁹ We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him ²⁰ in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; ²² and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. ²³ This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. ²⁴ The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”

In Romans 12:9-21, Paul summarizes what it means to live out “first love” and “first deeds” as a follower of Christ: “⁹ Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; ¹¹ not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ¹² rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, ¹³ contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. ¹⁷ Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. ¹⁹ Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. ²⁰ ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Picture Scripture: “Repent For The Kingdom” (Matthew 4:17)

(Matthew 4:17)
“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ”

…———…

Not only did Jesus tell people to repent because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, but followers of Christ (Christians) often tell believers and unbelievers alike that they need to repent. But what does it mean for someone to repent? The concept of repentance is better conveyed by the Hebrew verb [7725] shub (shoob), which means to turn, return back, restore, reverse, or to bring back. The basic meaning of the verb is movement back to the point of departure. In the first occurrence of this verb, GOD told Adam that he and Eve would “eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). This word can also mean to reverse direction as seen in 2Kings 20:10 when Hezekiah requested, “let the shadow turn backward ten steps.” This is the same word used in Genesis 8:3 to describe how the flood water receded or returned to its proper place. And in 1Kings 8:35, we see that it pertains to people turning away from sin. Deuteronomy 30:2 uses this word to describe when people return to the Lord in order to obey His commands.

A related word that comes from the verb shub is [4878] meshubah (mesh-oo-baw’), which means turning away, waywardness, backsliding, or apostasy. Mainly used in the book of Jeremiah, it describes those who travel the wrong direction, away from GOD in faithlessness and disobedience.

Another related word — as we learned from the “Moved” Picture Scripture — is [5162] nacham (naw-kham’), which essentially describes a turning and moving in a new direction.

And finally, the noun form in rabbinic Judaism is [8666] teshubah (tesh-oo-baw’), which may mean the return, the beginning, at the turn, or the starting anew, which means repentance. Thus, the word shub can either be an apostasy or turning away from GOD (Hosea 11:7; Jeremiah 11:10) or turning or returning to GOD (1Samuel 7:3-4; Hosea 14:1). But turning back to GOD is the main message of repentance (Zechariah 1:3; Malachi 3:7).

In the Old Testament, people showed outward signs of repentance such as fasting, mourning (sometimes while sitting in dust or pouring ashes or dust upon one’s head), ripping garments, wearing sackcloth, and even offering sacrifices (Leviticus 5:5-12; 2Kings 22:11,19; Nehemiah 9:1; Joel 2:12-17). However, the Israelites became so fixated on heartless pious performances that GOD repeatedly told them that He was not interested in their outward performances but rather a true change within the heart (Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 1:10-16; 58; 66:2; Joel 2:13).

In the New Testament, the dominant terms used for repentance are the Greek verb [3340] metanoeo (met-an-o-eh’-o), and the cognate noun [3341] metanoia (met-an’-oy-ah). The word metanoeo is a compound of the words [3326] meta (met-ah’) and [3539] noeo (noy-eh’-o), which comes from the word [3563] nous (nooce). The word meta means to turn, and the word nous is the word for mind, intellect, will, frame of thinking, opinion, or one’s general view of life. When meta and nous are compounded, the new word metanoeo depicts a decision to completely change the way one thinks, lives, or behaves. It means to perceive, understand, and think differently afterwards, to reconsider, and to have a change of mind. This is in contrast to the Greek verb [4306] pronoeo (pron-o-eh’-o), which means to perceive beforehand. It is for this reason there exists three steps to metanoeo: (1) new knowledge is received; (2) there comes regret for a previous course of action; (3) thus, the person embarks on a new course of action.

Therefore, genuine repentance is to truly change your mind, direction, and actions: We must acknowledge and confess our sins, renounce those sins, and repudiate the wicked lifestyle which is not in alignment with GOD’s will. True repentance is true change, a complete turning away from evil and turning to GOD. Scripture is clear that repentance is GOD’s requirement for all mankind (Matthew 3:8; Acts 20:21; 26:20).

And despite what some misguided people believe, repentance is absolutely necessary and prerequisite for salvation. And no— repentance is not a preaching of “works-based salvation” because the biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. (How many times do you change your mind which results in a change of action?) It is for this reason it is written that the Lord Himself is the One who leads all children of GOD to repentance (Acts 5:31; 11:18; Romans 2:4; 2Timothy 2:25). With faith in Christ comes the receiving of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 16:7; Ephesians 1:13-14); with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes conviction which leads to repentance (John 16:8; 2Corinthians 7:10; 1Thessalonians 1:5). Therefore, all children of GOD must “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8).

So, the question is, repent from what? Repentance in regards to salvation is to change your mind regarding sin and faith in Christ Jesus. It’s the decision to change your mind about living a sinful lifestyle (walking away from the Lord), to turn around, and walk toward the Lord. It is the changing of the mind from “Jesus is not my Lord and Savior” to “Jesus is my Lord and Savior.” It is the changing of the mind from “I will live my own way” to “I will seek GOD’s will and live according to His Word.” Repentance involves recognizing that you lived wrongly in the past and determining to live rightly in the future. Repentance and faith cannot be separated; it’s impossible to place your faith in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior unless you first repent from your old sinful way of life. And once we come to Christ, we fully acknowledge the fact that we are sinful and unable to save ourselves by our works and that we are saved by grace alone through Jesus’s finished work (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10,23; 5:8; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 19:30; Mark 16:6).

While repentance is not a work that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation does require obedient action from the individual who has changed his/her mind because true repentance always leads to action. An example of repentance can be seen in the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. Zacchaeus was known as a sinner, but then he repented and desired to turn away from a sinful life and live right by following Christ Jesus. Another example of repentance can be seen in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). In 15:17, he came to his senses. In 15:18, he confessed his sins. In 15:19, he humbled himself. In 15:20, his change of mind led him to a change in action. And because he came to his father, his father ran to him.

Only the repentant will live according to GOD’s will. But no one will be led to repentance without first having the saving faith. For without faith in the Commander, why would someone live according to the commands? Faith leads to repentance and repentance causes us to come into alignment with GOD’s will. Only those who live according to GOD’s will shall be redeemed because only the true children of GOD would live according to GOD’s will. Those who do not repent will be cast into outer darkness and eternal fire; therefore, repent and live!

The city of Nineveh was only spared because they repented. We are to turn away from evil and seek GOD’s will. John the Baptist said repentance was necessary and Jesus Himself said repentance was necessary. In fact, repentance and judgment are always linked together. Without repentance, you will perish; repentance leads to salvation. And as we learned in the “Lukewarm” Picture Scripture, Jesus even calls those who are already believers to repent. This means that repentance is one major decision to place your trust in Christ Jesus for your salvation and multiple minor corrections along the way of following Christ in order to stay in alignment with GOD’s will. The following Scriptures are examples in the Bible which showcase the fact that repentance is required for salvation and necessary throughout life here on this earth as we go through the process of sanctification: Isaiah 1:27-28; Jeremiah 15:7; Ezekiel 18:32; Jonah 3:10; Zechariah 1:3-4; Matthew 3:2,8; 4:17; 11:20-22; Luke 5:32; 13:2-5; 15:7; Acts 2:38; 17:30-31; 2Corinthians 7:10; 2Peter 3:9; Revelation 2:5,16,21-22; 9:20-21)

In conclusion, repentance is required for salvation. Have you repented? If you have not yet repented, you need to do so because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

What did Jesus mean when he said “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”? Scriptures such as 2Samuel 7 and Revelation 19-20 prophesy that GOD’s Kingdom will literally come to earth one day in a physical form. Because this will be a Heavenly Kingdom setting up location on earth, both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:2; 4:17) usually refer to it as “the kingdom of heaven,” which literally means it will be “the kingdom of the heavens.” The phrase “at hand” is an English translation of the Greek word [1448] eggizo (eng-id’-zo), which means to come near, to approach, in reference to things that are imminent. Thus, both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ told people that the Kingdom of all the heavens will soon be on earth.

But if the Kingdom of Heaven is to be established on earth, then the King of Heaven would need to be on earth. And so both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ said that the King is coming soon, is in fact near, and His arrival is imminent. But who is the King? The King is Lord Jesus (Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalm 136:3; Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:9-11; 1Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). But if Jesus is King, why did He say that the Kingdom of Heaven is coming soon rather than admitting He is King and then establishing His Kingdom on earth at that time? After all, in Matthew 12:28, while rebuking the Pharisees for their unforgivable sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, Jesus said to them, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” So, wouldn’t that mean that the Kingdom of GOD had already arrived? Wouldn’t that mean that the King had already arrived and was present? Yes and no.

Although Jesus is the Lion who will establish His Kingdom on earth in His second coming (Genesis 49:9; Hosea 5:14; Revelation 5:5), He first needed to be the Lamb in His first coming (Genesis 22:8; Exodus 12:5; Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29,36; Acts 8:32; 1Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:6; 6:9; 7:17; 21:23; 22:1,3). Although Jesus is King and will reign, He first needed to be the suffering Servant (Isaiah 53; Matthew 16:21; 17:12; 20:28; Mark 10:33-34; Luke 22:27; 24:26; Acts 3:18; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 2:9; 5:8). Also, it was true that the Kingdom was near because the King was quite literally near them physically because GOD incarnate dwelt among them (Matthew 1:23; John 1:1,14). However, the temporary physical presence of Christ in His first coming was merely a sample or foreshadow of the future establishment that would exist forever. In Mark 9:1-8, the disciples experienced this sampling when they witnessed the transfiguration of Christ in His radiance. But the disciples also experienced this sampling every time Jesus healed someone (Luke 10:9). Think about that: the overwhelming awesomeness of being with Jesus and witnessing Him heal and restore people was merely a sample of what is to come for eternity!

When Jesus presented Himself alive to His disciples after the resurrection, He gathered them together. Acts 1:6-8 says, “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’ ”

It is for this reason Jesus said, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). The Kingdom will come just as it is written in Revelation 12:10 and 19-20. And when Christ finally returns as the Owner and King, there will come Judgment just as it is written in Matthew 25:34: “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ ” And it is for this reason that when Jesus taught His disciples (and us) to pray in Matthew 6:9-10, the Lord said, “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Thus, our prayer should continually be that everything that happens here on this earth will mirror the future establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven. And in this way, our continual prayer for the Father’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven should align us with the Father’s will so that we will live according to His Word. While it is true that the Kingdom of Heaven is coming soon in the Lord’s second coming (according to GOD’s timing: Psalm 90:4; Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7; 2Peter 3:8-10), it is also true that the Kingdom of Heaven is present with us right now due to the Holy Spirit dwelling within us (Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Nehemiah 9:19; Matthew 18:20; 28:20; John 14:26; 16:7; Ephesians 1:13-15; Hebrews 13:5).

Regarding the second coming and the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven, Peter concluded his second letter to all Christians who were scattered throughout the Roman world with this exhortation: “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2Peter 3:14-18).

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The Artist J:

Salvation comes to us by God’s grace through faith and not by our own works. So what is repentance? If salvation comes through God’s grace then that means repentance is not a work. Repentance is not a set of actions that somehow earns God’s favor. Yet genuine repentance does in fact lead to taking action, much like faith. Faith is not a work, it’s simply trusting Christ, but believing on Christ does lead a person to do good works. Faith and repentance are like two sides of the same coin. If you have faith you must repent, and you can only repent of sin if you have faith.

As an example, think of a large room. At one end of the room is God the Father, and on the opposite end is all kinds of sin. You are standing on the side with the sin, with your face positioned toward the sin and away from the Father, but then you suddenly hear the word of Truth, that sin is separating you from ever reaching God, but then you hear that if you trust on someone named Jesus Christ whom God has sent to break that separation then He will lead you to the other side of the room. And you believe this good news to be true, that’s faith that has been formed in you. But as you now believe and have faith, you change your position to now face God instead of toward the sin. That’s repentance. And as you follow Jesus closer to the Father on the other side of the room you are naturally distancing yourself from sin behind you. That’s what repentance is. Leaving your sin behind you and drawing closer to God. Faith and repentance go hand and hand, and they cannot be separated. To have faith and to be looking toward God means looking away from sin.

God has called Christians to be a people chosen by God before the foundation of the world that live holy lives, and do good works. It’s one of the very reasons that Jesus saved us in the first place. Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people [not that all will be saved, but salvation has been presented to all people], training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age [God’s grace trains us to repent], waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us TO redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.”

We as Christians are saved by grace, meaning a gift from God that’s not merited by anything we’ve done or can do. Salvation is initiated the very moment we acquire faith on Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. This process involves justification, which means when we trust on Christ we are declared righteous, or seen as perfect in God’s eyes, credited solely on the merit of Jesus Christ from that point on (Romans 3:27-28; 4:5; Hebrews 10:14). We become regenerated, recreated, or born again. Which means the old person we once were has actually died, and we become a brand new being in Christ (John 3:3; Colossians 2:13; John 1:12-13; 2Corinthians 5:17). And we are then sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is God’s guarantee to us that we have been adopted as His sons or daughters and have an inheritance in the kingdom (Galatians 4:1-7; Ephesians 1:11-14).

That process of salvation takes place from God’s grace through faith. Yet salvation through faith leads to repentance and sanctification. They’re always connected. Look at what Paul says in the opening statements of his letter to Titus. In 1:1-2, he writes, “Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to build up the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth [The gospel of Salvation through faith on Jesus Christ] that LEADS to godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God promised before time began.”

Paul is saying that faith on Jesus leads to repentance. Believing on Christ leads to a change in one’s mind and heart toward sin. Christians trust on a Holy God who IS truth, so our mind should change it’s position away from lying. You’re believing on a Holy God whose very nature is entirely faithful so you should turn away from adultery. Do you get the point?

Repentance starts with a change of mind and heart toward sin. There’s never been a time that someone has repented of something that didn’t first have a realization that whatever that they were thinking of doing might be wrong or a bad idea in their mind. Which led to taking a different action.

This conviction to repent comes from the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, and is something granted to us by God. In one sense, God grants repentance to everyone. Not that everyone will repent or trust on Christ, but by God not immediately destroying us when we sin and fall short of God’s holy standard, He is in turn granting everyone an opportunity to repent. “Not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”, as 2Peter 3:9 says.

Just think, if God was not patient, merciful and long suffering toward people, but instead immediately incinerated all those who fall short of His standard the very moment they sinned then there would be no repentance. Yet God is very merciful, even to His enemies (which we all once were), so in that sense God grants the opportunity to repent to all people when they hear the word of truth. Matthew 5:44-45, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven [meaning Jesus is saying to love our enemies in order to be like our Heavenly Father because God loves his enemies]. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Much like the opportunity to repent when people hear the gospel.

But more specifically, repentance is granted to us who believe on Jesus Christ. We as Christians are empowered by the Holy Spirit whom the Father has given us. It’s the Holy Spirit who works in us according to His good pleasure to further weed out sin and form us further into the image of Christ. It’s Christians specifically who have been called by God from before the world began to be a godly people, and it’s the riches of God’s goodness and patience to us that compels us to repent. Romans 2:4 says, “or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?”

Titus 3:3-7 also says of God’s kindness and patience, that, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

If the good news in what God has done in us doesn’t drive you to repent of sin and have a desire to please Him, as only faith does, then nothing will. Repentance is something that happens when you hear the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, because you realize you are now called to live holy and so you set the posture of your heart and mind toward that of God.

Paul, (who was once Saul of Tarsus) brutality opposed the Gospel and persecuted followers of Christ. Jesus then revealed Himself to Saul, and Saul then believed the gospel. Now do you think after encountering Jesus that Saul’s mind and heart toward persecuting Jesus’s followers changed? Of course, and the rest of his life bore the fruit of that repentance. God saved Paul and then Paul repented.

But what if a Christian falls back into the same sinful patterns? Do we continually repent or is it a one time deal? Well, as long as we are still in this flesh and have not yet obtained our glorified bodies at Jesus’s return (which is called glorification), then we will continually struggle and have to fight with sin and so still have need for repentance in our lives. 1John 1:8-10 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Repentance is a continual process of realigning our minds to that of Christ’s will, picking up our crosses and denying ourselves and clinging daily to the grace of Jesus Christ. Does this mean we will never fail or struggle with the same sin we’ve once repented of before? Hopefully we won’t, but for some people it takes a long process to break some sins. Jesus says in Luke 17:3-4, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he REPENTS, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” And God is not going to instruct us to do something that He Himself doesn’t do.

These verses are not to condone or give an excuse to stay in sin, but quite the opposite. Seeing God’s great mercy and patience and kindness toward us, even in our struggles when we at times fall short once again of God’s standard, and when the devil comes into our mind bringing upon us condemnation instead of faith in Christ, we can say as Martin Luther once said, “When Satan tells me I am a sinner he comforts me immeasurably, since Christ died for sinners.”

God’s loving patience toward us should once again propel us to cling to Christ and repent all the more! Proverbs 24:16 says, “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again.” And 1John 2:1-2 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

But If you have been regenerated by God and He has given you the Holy Spirit (the mark of a Christian) to dwell in you, then you are obligated by God to live by the Holy Spirit in continual repentance and not by your fleshly desires. Setting your mind toward the things of the Spirit.

Before God sealed us we were in bondage to the law, and were to be condemned by it, but thanks to Jesus the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:5). So when our minds are set to walk by the Spirit, which is believing the Gospel and acting on it then it leads to life. Because believing God is counted to us as righteousness (Romans 4). We are declared righteous by God in the same manner as Abraham was in the Old Testament. Abraham walked by faith in God, and we are counted righteous when we walk by faith in Christ.

Romans 8:8-11 says, ”Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you [sealed when we first believe, Ephesians 1:13]. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.” So let’s walk in a manner that pleases Christ!

2Timothy 2:20-26 says, “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver bowls, but also those of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable,  he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord  from a pure heart. But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they breed quarrels. The Lord’s slave must not quarrel,  but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth. Then they may come to their senses and escape the Devil’s trap,  having been captured by him to do his will.”

Remember that if you have placed your trust and faith on Jesus Christ then you have died with Christ, and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2). For the law brought wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression! So walk boldly in the newness of life that Christ has given us, striving to walk in the same manner as Jesus walked. Walk by faith! Knowing that God is faithful to sanctify us completely, rebuking and disciplining us when we’re wrong, burning off our impurities in order that we may be presented blameless at Jesus’s coming! And God is faithful to do so! Because as long as we are abiding in Christ and trusting Him to save us; then it’s not the amount of faith that a person has that saves them, but simply whether or not faith is present. Which is absolutely amazing, and all the more reason to repent on account of God’s kindness! Faith on Christ, whether you have greatest trust, or faith as small as a mustard seed, saves entirely because salvation comes from WHO we have faith in. Praise Jesus! And He corrects those He loves! Revelation 3:19 says, “Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”

(Repentant man)

God I’ve been struggling with sin, and I’ve been losing so long I’m just ready to win, and I know that will only happen when on You I depend, I want my actions to prove I’m a follower and not just a fan, I know if anyone can change my life You can. Please be patient with me, I was never a righteous man, but if You’ll still have me then show me how to be obedient and repent, and if seventy times seven is how many times a sinner like me should forgive, then I pray that Jesus’s blood would be sufficient for the next time I slip, please don’t let me slip. My God, my friend, is Your grace sufficient to keep me til the end? If it is then please deliver me from this sin.

(God verse)

My son, my grace is sufficient, you already know it is. And my love for you is great and My mercy rich. You are every man examining himself to see if he’s in the faith. Your sin is not hidden from me, I am removing it trace by trace. The Spirit and flesh are always face to face, but only one will reign and the other has to die, and if you’re truly trusting on Christ then your life I will surely sanctify. I am faithful to keep my own, and no one can deny, that it’s hard to jump off a cross when your flesh is nailed to it, crucified. 

Picture Scripture: “Moved” (Genesis 6:5-7)

(Genesis 6:5-7)
“5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.’ ”

…———…

On the surface, Scripture seems to say that GOD regretted something He chose to do. But if GOD regretted what He chose to do, wouldn’t that mean GOD made a mistake? And if GOD made a mistake, wouldn’t that mean He is not GOD because He is not perfect? As good detectives, we should never accept something on face value. Truth seekers and children of GOD need to fully investigate with integrity in order to explore the depth beyond the surface.

Perceived Problem:
Genesis 1:31 says, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” So, how could GOD regret the creation He called good?

Scriptural Solution:
First, Genesis 1:31 and 6:6-7 speak of humankind at different times and under different conditions. The former (1:31) deals with humans in the original state of creation; however, the latter (6:6-7) refers to the human race after the Fall and just before the flood. GOD was pleased with humans in their intended design while they had been free from sin; however, GOD was displeased with humans due to them freely choosing to live evil lives (as stated in 6:5).

But what does it mean when Scripture says that GOD was sorry? How could GOD be sorry? Was GOD admitting He made a mistake? No. GOD does not change, neither His mind, His will, nor His nature.(Numbers 23:19; 1Samuel 15:29; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 6:17; James 1:17). The word “sorry” is the English translation of the Hebrew word נָחַם [H5162] nacham (naw-kham’), which is sometimes translated as “repent,” “to feel sorrow,” “to be grieved,” “comforted,” “changed his mind,” or “was moved.” Essentially, this word means “moved” or “turned.” While this word does mean that GOD felt sorrow, it also implied that GOD arrived at a turning point in which He would choose a new course of action and thus He turned and moved in that new direction. While GOD’s final purpose for humanity does not change, His means to carry that purpose forward may change according to the choices people make. And for this reason it is written in Ezekiel 24:14 that, “according to your ways and according to your deeds I will judge you.” Like a master chess player, GOD makes His move based on the moves people make, always positioning Himself with the winning position. GOD moves, but GOD doesn’t make mistakes; rather, humans make the mistakes and then GOD moves based on our mistakes.

In Genesis 6:6, it is written that GOD was grieved. Thus, GOD’s sorrow or turning point is directly linked with His grief. GOD was sorrowful that He created humans for a specific purpose yet they rebelled against His will for their lives and freely chose to live evil lives instead. And GOD’s grief is directly linked with 6:5 in that their wickedness was great and their thoughts were evil continually. The humans refused to turn (repent) from the path of evil and so GOD turned to act according to His nature in justice.

Now, the other side of the exact same coin can be seen in Exodus 32:14 where it is written “So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.” The same word nacham was used to describe how GOD relented from immediate judgment.

Perceived Problem:
While Moses was upon the mountain receiving the Law from GOD, the people were at the foot of the mountain worshiping the golden calf which they had created (Exodus 32:4-6). When GOD instructed Moses to go down to them, He told Moses that He would consume them and instead make a great nation from Moses (32:10). When Moses heard this, he pleaded with GOD to turn from His anger. And in 32:14 GOD relented. But doesn’t this imply that GOD changed His mind and that He took an order from a mere human being?

Scriptural Solution:
It must be emphatically maintained that GOD does not change (Numbers 23:19; 1Samuel 15:29; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 6:17; James 1:17). He neither changes His mind, His will, nor His nature. There are several arguments that demonstrate the immutability of GOD. We will consider three.

First, anything that changes does so in some chronological order. There must be a point before the change and a point after the change. Anything that experiences a before and an after exists in time, because the essence of time is seen in the chronological progress from before to after. However, GOD is eternal, outside time, and thus not limited by time (John 17:5; 2Timothy 1:9). Therefore, there cannot be in GOD a series of before’s and after’s. But, if GOD cannot be in a series of before’s and after’s, then GOD cannot change, because change necessarily involves before and after.

Second, anything that changes must change for better or for worse, for a change that makes no difference is not a change at all. Either something that is needed is gained that was previously absent, which is a change for the better, or something that is needed is lost that was previously possessed, which is a change for the worse. But, if GOD is perfect, He does not need anything; therefore, He cannot change for the better. Likewise, if GOD were to lose something, He would not be perfect; therefore, He cannot change for the worse. The logical conclusion is that GOD cannot change.

Third, relating directly to the passages under examination, if anyone were to change his mind, it must be because new information has come to light that was not previously known, or the circumstances have changed that require a different kind of attitude or action. Now, if GOD changed His mind, it cannot be because He has learned some bit of new information that He did not previously know, for GOD is omniscient — He knows all (1Kings 8:39; Psalm 139:1–4,15–16; 147:5; Isaiah 46:10; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 9:4; 10:29–30; 12:25; Mark 2:6–8; Luke 6:8; John 1:47–48; 4:18; 11:11–15; Acts 1:24; 1Corinthians 2:10–11; 1John 3:20). Therefore, it must be because the circumstances have changed that require a different attitude or action. But, if the circumstances have changed, it is not necessarily the case that GOD has changed His mind. It may simply be the case that, since the circumstances have changed, GOD’s relationship to the new circumstances are different because they have changed, not GOD.

When Israel was at the foot of the mountain engaged in idol worship, GOD told Moses that His anger was burning against them and He was prepared to destroy them in immediate judgment. However, when Moses interceded for them, the circumstances were changed. GOD’s attitude toward sin is always anger, and His attitude toward those who call to Him is always an attitude of mercy. Before Moses prayed for Israel, they were under GOD’s judgment. By Moses’ intercession for the people of Israel, he brought them under GOD’s mercy. GOD did not change; rather, the circumstances changed. The language used in this passage is called anthropomorphic, or man-centered, language. It is similar to someone saying, “The house is on my right” but then moving and saying, “Now the house is on my left.” Neither of these statements are meant to imply that the house had moved. Rather, it is anthropomorphic language from a human perspective to describe that the person had changed his/her position in relation to the house. Or in the specific Scriptures under examination, the Rock — the solid immovable foundation, who is the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:4; 2Samuel 22:2-3; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 8:14; 28:16; Matthew 7:24-25; Luke 6:46-49; Acts 4:8-12; 1Corinthians 3:11; 10:4; Ephesians 2:20; 1Peter 2:4-8). When Moses said that GOD relented, it was a figurative way of describing that Moses’ intercession successfully changed the relationship of the people to GOD. Moses brought the nation under the mercy of GOD’s grace, and out from under the immediate judgment of GOD. And so GOD does not change, neither His mind, His will, nor His nature.

When GOD first initiated His judgment to destroy the people, He was acting consistently with His justice. When Moses interceded for the people, GOD relented in order to act consistently with His mercy. The truth is that as people change their actions and wills, GOD changes His response to them, according to their deeds. The Relentless Rescuer will relent if one decides to repent. Now, ponder: was the conversation between GOD and Moses a test for Moses’ leadership? Would Moses fight for his flock? Was he only concerned about what others would think or did he genuinely care about them? I believe that GOD relented from immediate judgment for at least two reasons: (1) GOD desired to honor the love Moses had for the people; (2) GOD wanted to give Moses an opportunity to see for himself why those wicked people deserved judgment. After all, GOD knew that the wicked people would die; in fact, it happened not much later (Exodus 32:27-28). Moses traveled back down the mountain to find the Israelites worshiping a golden calf. As soon as Moses saw what GOD had already seen, it was Moses who changed his mind, realizing that GOD’s judgment had been right all along. However, the delay of GOD’s judgment was GOD’s mercy and the people’s opportunity for learning.

GOD Himself explains what causes Him to nacham, to turn and move in that new direction. It is written in Jeremiah 18:7-10: “7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; 8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; 10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it.”

When GOD said He would “relent” or “think better of the good,” it is the same word nacham. In fact, this is exactly what happened to Ninevah when Jonah finally preached the message of repentance to them — they turned (repented), and then GOD turned (relented). It is written in Jonah 3:10: “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.”

And so this word in proper context throughout Scripture needs to be understood as a turning point in how GOD responds to the turning points of what humankind freely chooses to do. It’s like a contract agreement with special stipulations of “if that, then this.” In GOD’s omniscience, with every turning point of what humans will choose to do, GOD has already planned ahead His turning points on how He will respond.

Joel 2:13 says, “And rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.”

GOD essentially said, “Don’t tear your clothing in a pious performance. Stop putting on a religious show for the people. Instead, may your heart break so that you will learn to live righteously. If you turn, I’ll turn. If you repent, I’ll relent. I want to relent. But I am Holy. Please do not invite GOD’s wrath upon yourself because you refuse to separate yourself from sin.”

Our hearts should break just like Jeremiah and Paul (Jeremiah 8:21; Romans 9:1-3).

In Genesis 6:5-7, when GOD saw all the evil, His responsive action was to nacham — He turned and moved in order to enact judgment. Centuries later, in response to the same evil, the Lord’s action was to nacham — He turned and moved; however, this time He relented from judgment as the Relentless Rescuer, willingly sacrificing Himself on the cross in order to pay your debt of death due to sin (John 10:17-18; Romans 5:6-8; 6:23). On the surface, it seems as if GOD changed His mind from the Old Testament to the New Testament, but that’s not true. GOD never changed His mind — Christ on the cross had been the plan from the beginning. Every act of judgment had been in response to what humans freely chose to do. However, the free gift of salvation was in response to what humans could not do — save themselves.

Understand this: GOD had a plan from the beginning. His plan involved “very good” creation (Genesis 1:31) with the great gift of free will. Just as a parent expresses sorrow over a rebellious child, GOD expressed sorrow due to our rebellion. GOD’s plan involved a cleansing destruction from water (Genesis 6:17), a complete sacrificial atonement of sins (Hebrews 10:10), a cleansing death and new birth from water (Romans 6:3-4), and then a final destruction and cleansing of fire (Luke 17:29-30; 2Peter 3:10; Revelation 20:9). It pained GOD that His beloved people had to endure pain and suffering in order to inherit eternal life, but this life on this earth is the necessary furnace of faith for refinement (Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 18:3-6; Proverbs 25:4-5; 2Timothy 2:21) so that we can dwell in His holy presence. Remember: GOD loves us and wants us to live in His holy presence, but evil/sin and righteousness/holiness simply cannot coexist (1Corinthians 10:21; 2Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 5:6-12). Every “coexist” bumper sticker you see on a car is evil illogical nonsense.

Now, if you want to fully understand why GOD would relent, then you need to fully understand why humans need to repent. The truth is that everything you do causes GOD to turn and move in a new direction according to the choices you make. But is GOD moved by your faith or does He turn because you have grieved Him due to the evil you choose to practice (Romans 8:8; Hebrews 11:6)? In GOD’s predestined “if this, then that” foreknowledge, the Lord chose to forgive and invite into salvation all people who place their faith in Christ Jesus (John 3:16,36; 6:40; Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:4-6,11). From the very beginning, GOD had already “changed His mind” to remember your sins no more the moment you place your faith in Christ Jesus and walk according to His will (Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Hebrews 8:7-13; 10:14-18). Therefore, GOD didn’t actually change His mind about sin. For everyone who places his/her faith in Christ Jesus, the circumstances have changed and thus GOD’s relationship to the new circumstances are different because they have changed, not GOD.

(Psalm 25:4-7)
“4 Make me know Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.”

Amen.

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The Artist J:

We know that God is all-knowing, unchanging, eternal, and transcendent, meaning outside of time. Everything that God does is good, and at no point can God ever do something not good. We also know that God is sovereign, meaning He reigns entirely over creation in accordance with His plans from the very beginning to the very end, as Ephesians 1:11 says when it says that God works all things according to the counsel of His will. God has planned out everything from all eternity with His perfect foreknowledge; not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father, as Jesus says in Matthew 10:29.

Yet there are verses in Scripture that speak of God regretting or repenting, or changing His mind on something, like in Genesis 6:5-7 which says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted [or was greatly sorrowful] that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ ”

Another verse like this is in the book of 1Samuel. During this time in history God appointed a man named Saul to be king over Israel because the people of Israel wanted an earthly king. God warned them in chapter 8 that it would be harder on them, but Israel didn’t listen to God’s advice and so God gave them Saul. Saul does turn out to be a bad king just as God warned them, but eventually God would use man’s evil choices of wanting a king over God to still work things out for good by giving them David, whose line of descendants would be Jesus Christ — God in the flesh — God as an earthly King. Yet in 1Samuel 15:11, God says “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.”

So does this mean that God felt that He made a mistake in making Saul king? No. God doesn’t make mistakes, and He knows that. But God was still greatly hurt and sorrowful by Saul’s sinful actions. God is a very personal God, mourning with those who mourn, feeling joy and being pleased by faith, and anger and grief towards sin. But we can be positive that God did not feel like He made a mistake by His own actions, which are always perfect. Here’s why: the author of 1Samuel, in order to clarify the matter, writes in the same chapter (15) saying in verse 29 that “the Glory of Israel [God] will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.”

So 1Samuel 15 shows us that in some type of way God does regret or repent, but not in the type of way we as humans think of regret or repentance because God is not a man. Numbers 23:19 likewise says, “God is not a man, that He would lie, Nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” So it’s not that God regrets, repents or changes His mind like He feels that He made a mistake as humans would, because these verses make it absolutely clear that God doesn’t change His mind as humans do. So whatever is going on here is not what we as humans would interpret as regret, or repentance. Yet it is similar enough that the author describes it in anthropomorphic terms such as regret, or changing His mind, which seems to be the closest way of describing what God is doing in limited human terms that we can relate to, but this type of “changes His mind” is completely unique to God.

We as humans regret, repent or change our minds when we ourselves have done something wrong, or become aware of new information. God, on the other hand, in His foreknowledge has all information and knows that He certainly did not make a mistake. What we can be completely and utterly sure of is that God did not somehow regret things because He was somehow surprised that man sinned. Though sin grieves God, God had already completely and entirely known that man would fall into sin before God even started creating anything. God had even planned on man’s fall. We can be absolutely certain of this through God’s plan through Jesus Christ to pay for our sin and show mercy to God’s elect (Christians).

God knew man would sin when He created the world because Revelation 13:8 tells us that all of God’s elect were written in God’s Book of Life of the Lamb from before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4-5 says “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.” Also, in 2Timothy 1:9 it says, God “saved us [Christians] and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus BEFORE THE AGES BEGAN.”

Nothing surprises God. God knows all things, which means He cannot learn, because there is never any new information for Him to learn. A.W. Tozer, in his book “The Attributes of God” puts it this way:
“That God is omniscient is not only taught in the Scriptures, it must be inferred also from all else that is taught concerning Him. God perfectly knows Himself and, being the source and author of all things, it follows that He knows all that can be known. And this He knows instantly and with a fullness of perfection that includes every possible item of knowledge concerning everything that exists or could have existed anywhere in the universe at any time in the past or that may exist in the centuries or ages yet unborn.
God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters, all mind and every mind, all spirit and all spirits, all being and every being, all creaturehood and all creatures, every plurality and all pluralities, all law and every law, all relations, all causes, all thoughts, all mysteries, all enigmas, all feeling, all desires, every unuttered secret, all thrones and dominions, all personalities, all things visible and invisible in heaven and in earth, motion, space, time, life, death, good, evil, heaven, and hell.
Because God knows all things perfectly, He knows no thing better than any other thing, but all things equally well.”

So God does not “change His mind” due to a making a mistake or something He’s done wrong, or lacking information. How God is unique is because He does know that He must do what is RIGHT and enact justice for OUR wrongdoings, and that grieves Him, yet Scripture shows that repentance may cause God to shift from His administering of wrath into that of mercy.

As Jeremiah 18:7-10 says, “At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good [no longer do] which I had promised to bless it.”

God may honor people’s faith in repentance by pardoning the calamity He was going to bring upon them. Micah 7:18 says, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.”

God’s “changing His mind” in Scripture seems many times to correspond with His administering wrath or grace toward people. God delights in showing mercy, so relenting from wrath is consistent with His nature. God is immutable, meaning that His very nature, or who God is will always consistently stay the same. And God has consistently and unchangingly let people know from the beginning of Scripture that sin and disobedience invokes destruction and brings about death. The wages of sin is death. On the other hand, God has consistently shown that repentance and obedience in faith pleases Him, and brings about mercy and eternal blessings. God stays consistent in this stance and never changes; rather, what changes is not God but a person’s obedience/disobedience towards God that is ever changing.

Yet when people and nations are disobedient to God to the point of invoking His wrath and severe punishment, instead of simply destroying the guilty party immediately, Scripture shows that God usually tells and warns someone that God is close to judgment. Then this person usually always prays and mediates on the guilty party’s behalf, or they may warn the people headed for destruction to repent and stop sinning so they won’t be destroyed.

An example of this is when God came to Abraham directly as a friend and warned Abraham that He was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness. God could’ve simply destroyed the cities without saying anything and He would have been perfectly just to do so. God can do whatever He pleases. But instead, Scripture says that the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” God knew Abraham would plead with Him on the people’s behalf because Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was in Sodom. Sin requires God’s justice, but now on account of one man’s righteous plea, God allowed those who were obedient to His words to be called out of the cities’ destruction when He sent messenger angels on Abraham’s behalf to Sodom. God’s judgment did befall the cities, but Abraham’s mediation allowed for those who believed and obeyed God’s words to be saved. And this was always God’s purpose in telling Abraham.

Another example can be seen in Job 42:7-8 when God said that His anger burned against Job’s friends because they didn’t speak right about Him. God sent them to Job and he prayed for them. And God said “For I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them (repented), and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer and God’s anger ceased from them.

Another example is in Exodus 32:7-14 when God tells Moses that the Israelites had created a golden calf to worship, and that He now was about to destroy them. God didn’t have to tell Moses, but He did. The Lord spoke to Moses as man speaks to His friend. When Moses pleaded with Him, it says, “the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.”

Now destruction did still come upon the unrepentant. Three thousand Israelites died that day when Moses came down the mountain, but like with Abraham, God spared the repentant who listened to God’s words through Moses on account of one man mediating on their behalf. God’s justice required their destruction for their sin, but by God telling Moses that He would have to destroy them, God knew that Moses, who was faithful to God, would pray for the Israelites in order that God would relent and show mercy to all those who repented and sided with Moses and God. God showed grace toward Israel who was sinning, by getting Moses to intercede on their behalf so that God would show mercy to those who repented. It’s a representation of God’s sovereignty and omniscient foreknowledge.

Another example is nearly all of the prophets in the Old Testament. They all have practically the same story. God was going to destroy a nation for their disobedience and sin toward Him, yet God in His mercy let His prophets know of this destruction in order that they would pray, and lament, weep over, preach, and tell these nations to repent and perhaps God would relent. The prophets mediated on the people’s behalf.

All these examples throughout Scripture have the same pattern. So why does God do this? Why does God always tell someone and warn of the destruction beforehand? There are at least two reasons. One, because God is by nature merciful as well as just. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, His promise being that His righteous judgement will come upon sin. Yet God is patient toward us, showing mercy, and not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance as 2Peter 3:9 says. Having to bring destruction grieves God, saying in Ezekiel 18:23, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?”

And secondly and ultimately God established these examples to show us Christ. All these examples are a type and shadow of Jesus, our righteous mediator in our own dire situation.

The whole world is headed for the destruction of God’s wrath. 2Peter 3:7 says, “the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” And all of us were once sinners and enemies of God, headed for that destruction, but Jesus knew from the Father just as Abraham, Job, Moses, and Jonah, and all the prophets, about this calamity. Jesus Christ interceded on our behalf through the cross, but unlike the examples, Jesus didn’t only preach or pray for us, but bore that judgment on our behalf! Because justice must take place, but Jesus rose again to life, showing that God’s wrath was satisfied in all those who repent of their unbelief and trust on Christ to save them. Just like Sodom and Abraham, and the Israelites and Moses, even though the destruction is still coming, all those who follow, trust and side with Christ will be delivered from that destruction on account of Christ. Even in spite of our previous sin. Because we have the ultimate mediator constantly speaking on our behalf between us and God. All the other examples were just shadows being casted by the light of the Father, pointing us to the object of our faith and those shadows. Christ Jesus! Jesus is our spokesman who for all eternity made the Father “change his mind”, whatever that may mean as apart from the human sense of the phrase, about His wrath toward us. For 1Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 10:26-27

Hebrews 10:26-27 says “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”

…———…

There are two important keywords to take notice of in these two verses: (1) The person received the knowledge of Truth; (2) however, the person goes on sinning willfully. Receiving the knowledge of Truth (which is the Gospel of Christ Jesus) is not the same as accepting and integrating the Truth into your life. Instead, the person rejects Truth in order to pursue sin. Willfully sinning is a refusal for repentance. If you want to better understand the act of repentance, as it turns out, I wrote an article on that: “Repentance”.

And because we cannot save ourselves, if a person rejects Christ dying in his/her place, that person rejects his/her gift of salvation. There is no other way to receive forgiveness of sins; there is no other way to salvation (John 14:6). Other Scriptures make it clear that if a person is truly saved, that person will not practice lawlessness; he/she will have a changed life as a new creation in Christ and will bear fruit of righteousness (Romans 13:14; 2Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:7-17; Colossians 3:10; 1John 3:4-10; Matthew 7:16-20,24-25; Luke 6:43-44; John 13:17; 15:1-11; James 1:21-25). True children of GOD do not pursue sinful lifestyles because we know the Truth and the Truth sets us free and we are no longer slaves to sin (John 8:31-32,34-36; Romans 6:17-18)! Instead, we live in obedience out from love. Deliberately sinning is defiance; a refusal to repent is rebellion. And this is why we must die daily to our flesh (Luke 9:23-24; Romans 6:11; 8:13; 1Corinthians 15:31; Galatians 2:20; 5:24).

Hebrews 10:26-27 makes it absolutely clear that if you have received the knowledge of Truth, you are now without excuse. In John 15:22, Jesus confided to His disciples that, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.” Likewise, in Acts 17:30-31, Paul preached, “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

With the knowledge of Truth, you now know the right way to live and you do not have a license to sin (Romans 6). You are without excuse. Willfully sinning is to take advantage of GOD’s grace and that’s a slap to His face. Would you dare to slap the King in His face after He forgave your debt and released you from prison? Never!

Though Jesus accepted everyone by sacrificing Himself for everyone’s sins (John 1:29; 3:16-17; 1John 2:2; 4:10), many people will ultimately not accept Him because they want to be rulers of themselves and they don’t want to let go of their favorite sins (Matthew 19:22; Luke 6:46,49; John 3:19-20; 6:60-66; Romans 1:18-31). And it is because of their rejection of Him and their willful disobedience that Jesus will not be able to approve of them and they will be judged accordingly (Matthew 25:31-46; John 15:22; Acts 17:30-31; Hebrews 10:26-27). Though Jesus accepts all people and invites all people to partake in His holiness, the Lord cannot approve of hypocrisy, willful disobedience, and/or rebellion and lawlessness (John 2:13-16; Matthew 7:21-23; 21:12-17; 23:1-33; Revelation 20:10-15; 21:8).

Now, Hebrews 10:26-27 does not refer to Christians stumbling over common temptations and failings; the book of Hebrews encourages us to seek GOD’s mercy and grace in such cases (2:18; 4:15-16; 12:1-6). Rather, the “sinning willfully” refers to repudiating Christ. When 10:26 says “sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth,” it is referring to 6:4-6 in that, “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” Thus, the sin is willful because they received all they needed in order to be saved yet they still chose to reject a relationship with the Lord, profanely regarding Jesus’s sacrificial death as something of no value to them. And if they had heard the Truth and “tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit” yet still denied the Holy Spirit, which “insulted the Spirit of grace” (10:29), they committed the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Spirit. As it turns out, I wrote an article on that: “The Unforgivable Sin”.

In Matthew 13:3-9,18-23, Jesus used the parable of the sower and the seeds to reveal the truth about true children of GOD. Some people don’t understand, evil inundates their lives, and they never get rooted in Christ. Some people initially receive the Word with joy (perhaps because it’s something new and different that might help them be happy), but those people never established roots and they immediately fall away due to hardships. Some people never establish roots because they allow the worries of the world and wealth to prevent them from having a genuinely deep and meaningful relationship with the Lord. Only some people — in this example, 25% — are those of good soil, who hear the Word, understand it, and produce fruit. Just because some people initially receive the Gospel and claim Christianity does not mean they are truly saved. Only those who are rooted, do not fall away, produce fruit, and endure until the end are truly saved.

All throughout Scripture, we are instructed to endure until the end and it is the one who endures to the end who will be saved (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13; John 6:27; 1Corinthians 4:12; 10:13; 13:7; 2Corinthians 1:6; 2Timothy 2:10-13; 4:5; Hebrews 12:3-17). It is for this reason we are instructed to run the good race with endurance until the end so as to win the crown of victory (1Corinthians 9:24-27; Philippians 3:14; 2Timothy 4:6-8; Hebrews 12:1-3; James 1:12). The truth is that those who fall away were never truly saved if you view the beginning from the end as GOD does (Isaiah 46:10; Revelation 21:6). It is for this reason it is written in Hebrews 3:14 that, “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.”

The end of your story is what truly matters, not the beginning. So, will you endure until the end or will you fall away? Right now, we are in the great apostasy. As it turns out, I wrote an article on that: “Apostasy”. Many well-known pastors have fallen away, people have “deconstructed” and abandoned GOD’s will, and many wolves in sheep clothing have inundated churches worldwide in the woke name of progressivism. For all who fall away, they only reveal the truth that they were never rooted in Christ. People cannot and do not lose their salvation because a person cannot lose what he/she never truly had. Logically, a person simply does not walk away from truth in order to willingly live out a lie. A true believer will never walk away. There’s nowhere to go. Everything else is a lie.

Hebrews 10:35-39 goes on to explain to us that whoever turns back and falls away was never fit for the Kingdom because the righteous person lives his/her life trusting in the Lord with all his/her heart, mind, strength, and soul (Proverbs 3:5-7; Luke 9:62). As it turns out, I wrote an article on that: “Don’t Look Back”.

If you would like to study further an example of how falling away from the faith via deconstruction only reveals how a person was never truly saved, I wrote an article on that: “Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?”

Another example that showcases this truth is my in-depth study on Judas Iscariot: “Judas”.

In conclusion, you have now received the knowledge of truth. You are now without excuse. If you fall away, you were never rooted in Christ and never had a genuinely deep and meaningful relationship with Lord while pursuing the Father’s will. Those who fall away pursue their own desires rather than the Father’s will. As it turns out, I wrote an article on that: “The Father’s Will”.

Anyone who is in alignment with the Father’s will would never fall away because it is not the Father’s will for you to fall away. In John 10:27-30, Jesus gives to us His assurance of our assurance in Him: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

True children of GOD are in the Father’s hand and the enemy is powerless, unable to separate us. It is written in Romans 8:35-39: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In the name of Christ Jesus, may your roots grow deep, your wisdom grow as deep as your roots, and may you endure until the end.