Am I reading the Bible without error?

 

 

Am I reading the Bible without error?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Index

 

To begin.............................................................................................. 1~5

 

1. It is insufficient to represent salvation as the overall picture of the Bible...................................................................................................... 6~32

 

(1)  Start with a story in the Kingdom of God / 6

(2)  The Parable of the Prodigal Son / 14

(3)  Predestination and Election of Christ Before Creation / 16

(4)  People who appear in the material world / 21

(5)  The meaning of salvation through the death and resurrection of the cross / 25

(6)  The story of returning to the Kingdom of God concludes. / 30

 

2. We are failing to find redemptive-historical significance in the Old Testament............................................................................................. 33~71

 

(1)  Salvation begins with faith in God's covenant. / 33

(2)  Salvation is becoming sons of God. / 40

(3)  You must apply the blood of the lamb and eat its flesh for salvation to work. / 50

(4)  Salvation is expressed through baptism. / 56

(5)  Obtaining resurrection life is the core of salvation. / 60

(6)  The image of God must be restored in order to enter into Christ. / 63

(7)  Entering into Christ is the end of salvation. / 70

 

3. Contradictions in the doctrine of the Bible appear............................. 72~120

 

(1) The Theory of Double Imputation / 72

(2) Perspectives on Sin / 79

(3) The Doctrine of the Transference of Original Sin and the Sinful Body / 85

(4) Resurrection / 89

(5) Baptism / 100

(6) Faith / 103

(7) The Gospel and Legalism / 109

(8) On Obedience / 115

 

4. Interpretations of parables in the Bible are in disarray..................... 120~177

 

(1) The Story of the Garden of Eden / 120

(2) The Court Model in the Garden of Eden and the Temple / 125

(3) The Parable of the Vineyard and the Farmers / 131

(4) The Restoration of Israel / 137

(5) The Parable of the Fig Tree / 145

(6) Parable of the Heavenly Wedding Feast / 153

(7) The Parable of the Ten Virgins / 158

(8) The Parable of the Talents / 162

(9) The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats / 171

 

5. There is almost no biblical interpretation through the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Saints.................................... 177~222

 

(1) The Trinity / 177

(2) The Meaning of the Temple / 183

(3) On Salvation / 185

(4) The Concept of Rest / 194

(5) On Baptism / 198

(6) On the Kingdom of God / 201

(7) The Lord's Prayer / 206

(8) Jesus' Sermon on the Mount / 213

 

6. There is a lack of biblical interpretation through the relationship between the Gospel and the Law.......... 223~306

 

(Old Testament)

(1) The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and Its Fruit / 223

(2) Cain's Sacrifice and Abel's Sacrifice / 229

(3) Unclean Animals and Clean Animals / 232

(4) Noah's Ark and the Flood / 238

(5) Ishmael and Isaac / 245

(6) The Bitter and Sweet Waters of Marah / 248

(7) Moses and Joshua / 251

(8)John the Baptist and Jesus Christ / 253

 

(New Testament)

(1) The Baptism of Jesus / 258

(2) The Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ First Miracle / 262

(3) The Transfiguration of Jesus / 266

(4) Jesus Walking on Water / 271

(5) Jesus’ Miracle of the Five Loaves and Two Fish / 275

(6) Jesus Healing the Man Who Had Been Infirm for Thirty-Eight Years / 280

(7) Jesus Healing the Leper / 287

(8) Jesus Opening the Eyes of the Blind / 290

 

7. The faith of believers plummets as syncretism is accepted...................................................................................... 306~333

 

(1) Those Who Mix Legalism, Mysticism, and Prosperity into the Gospel / 306

(2) Things That Shake the Core of Faith / 314

 

8. There are many terms in the Bible that cause confusion in meaning.................................................................................. 334~402

 

(1) The Lord God and Jehovah God / 334

(2) Divinity and Divine Nature / 340

(3) Resurrection and Resurrected Body / 346

(4) The Kingdom of God and Heaven / 352

(5) Holiness and Sanctification / 356

(6) Carnal Life (Psyche) and Carnal Body (Sarx) / 361

(7) The Second Coming and Presence of Jesus Christ and the Carnal and Spiritual Millennium / 365

(8) Various Expressions of Jesus Christ / 377

(8)  Satan and Angels / 395

 

9. There are many translation differences and errors between the Greek Bible, the English Bible, and the Revised Korean Version........................................................ 402~432

 

(1) On Holiness / 402

(2) On Sanctification / 405

(3) The Unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit / 407

(4) Salvation Through Faith / 409

(5) Redemption, That is, the Forgiveness of Sins / 412

(6) The Renewal of the Mind / 414

(7) The Lord's Prayer / 417

(8) Other Errors / 418

 

 

(To begin)

Why do believers read the Bible? The answer to this is likely to seek salvation. Therefore, they realize that their perspective on the Bible is truly important. Many churches today hold the view that the world was originally a perfect creation, but it became this way because Adam misused the free will God gave him.

They explain that God created a perfect world and intended to dwell forever with Adam and Eve, who offered Him praise, worship, and adoration starting from the Garden of Eden, while He communed with them. However, because Adam and Eve misused their free will and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this vision was broken, and God had no choice but to destroy the world. Consequently, they believe that God's people perform good deeds with a good heart, aiming to change the world and, furthermore, transform the evil world into the Kingdom of God.

However, believers must realize that the world is not something that good people can change through their own efforts; only then will their mindset regarding the Bible change. The most important thing will not be efforts to improve how believers live, but rather realizing that they are beings in sin while living in the world, repenting, and turning to God.

This is not a task one can accomplish on one's own, but one that must be accomplished in Christ. In other words, it begins with realizing the meaning of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. From this perspective, one must first survey the entire Bible regarding Christ and study the Scriptures.

While learning and studying the Old Testament, I was shocked to discover that the translation of *Bereishit*—the theme of Genesis—as "in the beginning" was incorrect. Consequently, I attempted extensive research on *Bereishit* through Hebrew dictionaries and the overall context. As a result, I came to realize that *Bereishit* represents Christ, and is the theme of Genesis, the Old Testament, and ultimately the entire Bible.

The thought that a single word could shake the entire meaning struck me as terrifying. Convinced that the entire Old Testament is a story about Christ, and with Jesus’ testimony regarding the Old Testament in the Gospel of John resonating more clearly, I exerted great effort with the resolve to study the Old and New Testaments in conjunction. As a result, the New Testament came to be accepted as merely an explanation of the meaning of the Old Testament, while the Old Testament was accepted as a foreshadowing of the contents of the New Testament.

It was discovered that all biblical teachings focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross. Therefore, although they are expressed in various ways—as mythical stories, poetic literary works, 3D movies, or fantastic novels—one can realize that their intentions are all heading in the same direction.

When reading the Bible, it is extremely important to read with a proper flow and to consider the author's intention and the message conveyed through the words. Otherwise, one might simply view it as a historical narrative of Israel, love stories, war stories, healing stories, or stories of spiritual life and death, leading to a direction of learning lessons to live a diligent life of faith, making it difficult to grasp the true intention within the Bible.

The current state in which the Bible struggles to properly convey the truth can be broadly categorized into several factors. The first is that people are not reading the Bible while envisioning a comprehensive picture of salvation. The second point is that believers are not reading the Bible while connecting the Old and New Testaments. When reading the Old Testament, one should consider the nature of future prophecies and how those prophecies were fulfilled in the New Testament; however, since most believers fail to do so, it feels as if a veil is placed over the text until that picture is revealed.

If the connection between the Old and New Testaments is not considered, the Bible becomes a collection of the Old and New Testaments. Therefore, before delving into the various issues of the New Testament, one must examine what reveals Christ within the Old Testament.

Third, there is the disharmony between the Bible and doctrine. The history of the Bible being widely distributed and read by believers is not long. Consequently, doctrines emerged, and various doctrines have been grouped together and systematized under the name of "systematic theology," which is currently studied at theological universities.

Once, I was having a conversation about the Bible and doctrine with a pastor from a church I used to attend, and I had doubts regarding the doctrine of original sin. This doctrine states that all people in the world became sinners because of Adam. However, while the Bible clearly states that Jesus is without sin, there was one thing that raised a question in my mind.

I asked how it could be explained that Jesus, born of a sinner like Mary, was without sin, given that according to the doctrine of original sin, Jesus' mother would have also been a sinner. The pastor who was continuing the conversation with me at that time cut me off midway because it was shaking the very foundation of doctrine.

It is likely not the sin of the doctrine of original sin, but the body of sin. Here, not only doctrine but also translation issues play a role. Since then, I have come to realize that what can shake the essence of the Bible is not just doctrine, but translation issues that exert influence and affect the biblical interpretation perspectives of pastors who preach the Scriptures.

The fourth factor is translation issues and erroneous sermons. When reading the Bible as a whole, parts that are not smooth frequently appear. However, when this state persists, I would initially dismiss it as a translation issue and set it aside, only to skim through it by comparing it with an English translation. Then, thinking it was necessary to compare it with the original languages ​​of the Bible, Hebrew or Greek, I began to study and came to realize that doctrinal contradictions regarding the Bible, errors in original language translations, and the arbitrary interpretations of pastors are collectively playing a role in blocking the truth of the Bible.

If the Word of the Bible loses the trust of believers, it becomes difficult to restore. If left unchecked without diagnosing what causes this, the Bible and the church that proclaims it will lose their true nature.

To summarize, these include disconnected interpretations of the Old and New Testaments, contradictions between doctrine and Scripture, a lack of understanding of symbols and parables within the Bible, differences in perspectives on biblical interpretation, pastors preaching differently within the overall context, and inconsistencies between translation and content.

Due to these various causes, believers have come to feel that they are not reading the Bible properly. It is crucial that the Bible aligns with the purpose for which believers read it. Otherwise, it ends up becoming a Bible unrelated to salvation. To prevent this, the aim was to uncover the various factors that create misunderstandings and erroneous perceptions of the Bible among believers. I would like to state that I wrote this with the hope that it will serve a beneficial purpose for believers in engaging with the Bible and that it will enhance their correct understanding of the Scriptures.

 

 

                2026 .

 

Global Mission Committee

 

 

1. It is insufficient to represent salvation through the overall picture of the Bible.

 

(1) Beginning with the Story of the Kingdom of God

In the section on Anthropology (Chapter 1, Section 1) of *Introduction to Christian Theology* by biblical scholar Lewis Berkhof (translated by Shin Yun-bok), the explanation regarding the origin of the soul states: “There are three theories regarding the origin of each individual’s soul: creationism, pre-existence, and heredity.

First, creationism holds that when the body comes into being, God creates the spirit and breathes it into the body. It is a theory that God directly created each individual’s soul, and that its origin can be found in the direct act of creation at that time.

Although the soul is initially created pure, it enters into the structure of sin inherent in whole humanity, leading to the assumption that it was sinful even before birth. However, this theory makes God at least indirectly responsible for sin. It states that this is because God places a pure soul into the structure of sin, ultimately causing that soul to become corrupt.”

Second, pre-existence is the confinement of the sinful spirit within the body in the Kingdom of God. Some speculative scholars [argue] that the human soul existed in a pre-existence and And they claim that these souls that existed in the past have become the souls of the present.

In the past, this view was thought to provide the most natural explanation for the fact that all humans are born sinners. However, today, this theory is hardly welcomed.

Third is the theory of heredity. The theory of heredity posits that the soul is formed as knowledge and wisdom grow, while the body is received from the parents. A person's soul reproduces along with the body at birth, and therefore, it is transmitted from parents to children. However, if it were claimed that Jesus received both his body and soul from the sinful Mary, a major obstacle would arise. This is because it would become impossible to defend Jesus's innocence.

Among these, the second is theoretically the most reasonable, yet today, most advocate the theory of the creation of the spirit.

Humans are beings born into the world through the union of spirit and body. A being in which the spirit is united with the body implies that the spirit is trapped within the flesh. Humans became sinners from birth, and being a sinner means becoming a being spiritually severed from God. Being spiritually severed means being spiritually dead. Therefore, to be born From that time on, humans became beings who neither knew nor understood God.

In 2 Peter 2:4, it is stated that God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them into hell and confined them to dark pits to be kept until the day of judgment. It can be said that these dark pits represent the human body. Similar content appears in Jude 1:6.

Ephesians 2:2 states, “In those days you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.”

The nuance of the Greek Bible differs from that of the Revised Korean Version, which is a difference in translation.

Looking at the Greek, it reads: “En heis pote periepathesate kata ton aiona tou kosmou tou / kata ton archonta tes ekousias tou aeros tou pneuma tos tou / nün energuntos en tois huiois tes ateideias.”

The Greek can be translated by dividing it into three parts. First, the opening part is “En hais pote periefatesate kata ton aiona tou kosmu tutu,” which means “at one time you walked according to this material age.”

Second is “kata ton archonta tes ekushias tou aeros tou pneuma tos tou,” which means “you walked according to the spirit that is the ruler of the power of the air.”

The third is “Nun energuntos en tois huiois tes ateideias,” which translates to “now you are walking in the son of disobedience.”

The first and second parts are not explained in sequential order, but rather refer to what was walked in each respective era. The intention is to convey the message between the first and third parts. It is a Hebrew chiasm, a sandwich structure. Ultimately, it emphasizes walking according to the spirit that is the ruler of the power of the air. While the spirit that is the ruler of the power of the air is generally referred to as Satan, it actually signifies the evil spirits that oppose God. It implies that these evil spirits have a representative, and there are numerous evil spirits that follow him. His name does not appear in the Bible.

Since God confined these evil spirits within the flesh, they came to walk in the material world—the first part—that is, became human beings with flesh; and the third part is that they are now walking in the Son of Disobedience. The Son of Disobedience represents a spiritual being unrelated to Jesus Christ, as they were originally sons of God but disobeyed Him.

Ephesians 2:3 describes the state of man before receiving Jesus Christ. It states that they lived according to the desires of the flesh and did what the flesh and mind wanted, and were by nature children of wrath, just like others.

Genesis 6:1-3 tells the story of the sons of God seeing the beauty of the daughters of men and taking as wives the women they chose. Consequently, God became wrathful and judged humanity with a flood. “The Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not remain with man forever, because he is flesh.’”

Regarding this story, I have heard sermons claiming that evil angels from heaven descended to Earth, admired human women, and married them. However, while angels do appear in human form, the Bible states that angels do not possess bodies capable of marrying like humans.

Ultimately, this story symbolizes the spirit of a sinful angel from the Kingdom of God becoming human by combining with the earth of the world (symbolizing the woman of the world); since the spirit is dead, it implies that God is not with them.

One might ask: if God created the spirit clean, how can it be defiled by human sin? There is no passage in the Bible that mentions the spirit created by God being defiled.

It makes no sense to suggest that a spirit, which God made clean and placed within humans, could be defiled by any factor. If that were the case, it would imply that God created a clean spirit but placed it within matter, resulting in an impure spirit. Therefore, the theory of the creation of the spirit is problematic when humans are born.

The validity of the doctrine of the pre-existence of the spirit is demonstrated by the fact that Jesus pre-existed as a spirit. In Philippians 2:6-7, Jesus is described as the very essence of God. In John 6:61-64, the question is asked: "What would you do if you saw the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?" The place where he was before becomes the Kingdom of God. This implies that the spirit ascends to the place where he was before. Therefore, it is said that the spirit must be revived.

Jesus was conversing with the Sadducees about the resurrection, and He stated that at the resurrection, one would become like an angel. Angels are spiritual beings. They appeared unable to believe the statement that a person would die, be resurrected, and become like an angel, a spiritual being. It implies that one was originally an angelic spirit, was confined within a human body, and is now returning to being an angelic spirit.

In Luke 20:35-36, Jesus stated that the resurrected cannot die again, are equal to the angels, and, as children of the resurrection, are children of God. Jesus also reveals that John the Baptist came with the spirit of Elijah.

John the Baptist came before Jesus and said, "The kingdom of heaven is near; repent." He was the one who prepared the way for the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus. He was beheaded and died before Jesus. His death serves as a foreshadowing of Jesus' death on the cross.

Likewise, Elijah serves as a foreshadowing of Christ's resurrection, and Elisha serves as a foreshadowing of those who believe that the disciples will be united with Christ and resurrected. John the Baptist was a prophet who came into the world in the spirit of Elijah to testify to the coming of Jesus Christ and His ministry.

It is incomprehensible that speaking about the salvation of the spirit within the church community today is regarded as heresy. While there may be some believers who do not understand the concept of the spirit, it is truly regrettable to see that many display an attitude of unwillingness to even seek to understand it.

Many believers think of the "soul" instead of the "spirit." In ancient times, it was believed that the human body contained a soul or spirit, and that upon death, the soul or spirit would leave the body to go from this world to the next. Consequently, many believers today also perceive the spirit as the soul. They consider the soul or spirit to be something that naturally arises simply because a physical body exists.

The term "soul" is a translation of the English word "soul," and not only believers but also many pastors mention it. Therefore, some people even claim that humans are beings composed of flesh, soul, and spirit. However, this statement is incorrect. The English word "soul," translated as "hon," corresponds to the Hebrew *nephesh* and the Greek *psyche*, which are merely (limited) mortal lives.

This demonstrates just how much resistance there is still among believers regarding the concept of the spirit. To help believers understand, let's take the example of a robot. The robot age is beginning today, and a chip is embedded to enable these robots to operate. However, for a chip to function, it requires energy. If a battery is installed, it will move just like a human.

Robots are evolving in various ways, from those performing simple tasks to intelligent robots; considering that they are equipped with artificial intelligence, it can be seen that robots possess intelligence and thoughts similar to humans.

Here, we can compare humans and robots. The spirit corresponds to the chip installed in the robot, the battery represents the physical life (soul), and artificial intelligence represents the knowledge that enables the robot to demonstrate the remarkable ability to behave similarly to a human.

If the chip embedded in the robot malfunctions, the robot becomes inoperable. No matter how good the battery installed, it will become a useless battery. The same applies to the spirit. If the spirit is separated from the body, one becomes a dead person.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 states, "Remember that the dust returns to the earth, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."

When the body dies, the spirit that has departed from the body must put on a body of life; if it fails to do so, it enters into the fire. Depending on whether a person is united with Christ or not, there are two possibilities: receiving a body of life or a body of judgment.

John 5:28-29 states, "Do not be surprised at this, for the time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment."

Ultimately, the spirit putting on a body is resurrection, and this resurrection can be divided into the resurrection of life or the resurrection of judgment.

The Bible teaches that if the spirit puts on a body through the resurrection of life, it returns to the Kingdom of God where it originally resided; however, if it puts on a body through the resurrection of judgment, the spirit enters the grave of fire and judgment.

 

 

(2) The Parable of the Prodigal Son

 

The Parable of the Prodigal Son tells the story of the second son who asked his father for an inheritance. After receiving the inheritance, he left home, lived a dissolute life, and eventually squandered all his wealth.

After losing all his fortune, the son lived in a foreign land where pigs were raised, eating the fruit of the cypress tree. It was then that he remembered his father. He remembered that his father's hired servants lived a better life than he did. Thus, the story is about him returning to his father.

However, when he returned to his father, his father did not scold him; instead, he ran to him, kissed him, and embraced him. The scene depicts the father dressing him in his finest clothes, placing a ring on his finger, putting on fine shoes, and slaughtering a calf to hold a feast.

The story of the Prodigal Son symbolically expresses the story of a spirit that has sinned in the Kingdom of God, becoming a sinner and being trapped in the material world, only to repent and return to the Kingdom of God.

 

The angels who sinned were called sons of God, but because they committed sin, they became imprisoned in the prison of the world. God is waiting for them to abandon their own righteousness and return to Him. Jesus says that He came not to call the righteous, but sinners. He came to call them to repentance. The reason Jesus told the parable of the Prodigal Son is that the prodigal son represents those who displayed their own righteousness in an attempt to become like God.

However, He is telling them to repent and turn back. Yet, in this world, there are those who do not turn back like the prodigal son, but still believe they can achieve righteousness on their own. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, these people are likened to the older son.

In Jesus' time, the older son resembled the scribes and Pharisees. They were those who thought they could become like God on their own. Today, among the people in the church, those who are diligent in their religious life but consider themselves the masters are exactly like the older son.

 

A person who considers themselves the master can never truly know the heart of the Father. The parable of the Prodigal Son was Jesus' final parable. He is speaking metaphorically that all those living in the world, having left the Kingdom of God, resemble the prodigal son, and that they must repent and turn back to God. However, the world is becoming increasingly wicked.

Jesus says that the last days are like the days of Noah and Lot. We are living in an era where human thoughts are evil from childhood, and people know nothing of God's righteousness. Even in the church, it is not easy to find those who have repented in the sense that the carnal self must die. This means that while people profess to believe in Jesus with their mouths, those who are united with Jesus' death are extremely rare.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is about the prodigal son returning to his father. In Luke 15:32, "Your brother was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found," we must consider what the word "dead" means. It means that the Lord does not love everyone, but loves those who have died (the death on the cross) and are returning alive (the resurrected). Those who have died and are returning alive refer to the born-again believers who possess the resurrected life of heaven.

To die means to deny the carnal self. Thus, one becomes one who realizes that they are born into the spiritual. Jesus’ command to deny oneself applies here.

 

(3) The Predestination and Election of Christ Before Creation

 

The part regarding the predestination of Christ before the creation of the world can be understood through the content of John 1:1-2. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." There is a difference in translation between the Greek Bible and the Revised Korean Version. Translated again,

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.

 

"And in Him who was first was Christ the Word, and Christ the Word was with God, and God became Christ the Word." (Greek translation)

Chapter 1, verses 1-2 are divided into three parts.

First, in "In Him who was first was Christ the Word," the First One is God the Father.

And in the third part, "God became Christ the Word"—in other words, it means that God became Christ. This is also evidenced in Philippians 2:6: "He, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped."

Among the first and third parts, the second part is the core. "Christ the Word was with God." Christ, in accordance with the will of the Father, created the world and the first man; conceived by the Holy Spirit, born through a human body as Jesus Christ, and died on the cross.

Christ’s creation of the world is mentioned in John 1:3. "For all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that has been made."

God raised Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, in spirit, clothed Him in a heavenly body, and caused Him to appear in the form of resurrection. He acknowledges all who believe in Him and enter into Him as having died on the cross, and He resurrects them likewise with Jesus Christ, bringing them back to their original places. Next is the message concerning those who are chosen in Christ. In Ephesians 1:4, it says, "He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love, having predestined us according to His good pleasure to be His sons through Jesus Christ."

καθὼς ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς ἐν αὐτῷ πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ

“ἐν The part “αὐτῷ πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου” must be interpreted independently. “Just as He (the Father) chose Christ before the foundation of the world.” Therefore, looking at it as a whole,

 

“Just as He (the Father) chose Christ before the foundation of the world, He chose us in love to be holy and blameless before Him.”

Most churches state that because God is omniscient and omnipotent, and because Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan’s temptation after creation, fell into sin, and became evil, leading to a state where God would inevitably have to destroy the world at the end, God knew all of this and predestined before the foundation of the world to save only the chosen ones in Christ.

However, this means that first, the Father chose Christ before the foundation of the world, and then He chose the saints in Christ. God predestined Christ to save sinners and caused them to be chosen in Christ; while being chosen in Christ is God's providence, regarding the order of salvation, it is accomplished in the sequence of Christ's predestination and being chosen in Christ.

Ephesians 3:11 states, "It was done according to the purpose of the plan He had predestined in Christ Jesus our Lord from eternity." Being chosen in Christ was predetermined before the foundation of the world, and the object of this choice is one who enters into Christ (the Messiah). Before Jesus Christ came into the world, they would be those who looked forward to the Christ who was to come.

For example, they are the prophets of the Old Testament or the fathers of faith. However, after Jesus Christ came into the world, they become those who are united with His death and resurrection. Acts 13:48 states: "When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and praised the word of God (ton logon), and all who were appointed (tetagmenoi: the base form is tasso) to eternal life believed." Tetagmenoi carries the meanings of to arrange, appoint, command, decide, and determine. Those whom God has appointed to eternal life become those who enter into Jesus Christ.

This means that anyone who desires to enter into Jesus Christ can obtain eternal life. While the Jews rejected Jesus, the Gentiles accepted Jesus as their Savior.

To enter into Jesus Christ is to believe that Jesus's cross signifies an atoning death, and that those united with Him are also dead to sin. Furthermore, Jesus resurrected three days after dying on the cross. Those who believe that they have resurrected in union with His resurrection are those who enter into Christ.

To summarize, God predestined Christ before the creation of the world, and accordingly, Christ came to be with God the Father. Christ created the world, became human himself, and came into the world as the first man; he died (expressed as having fallen asleep) when male and female were separated, and thereafter was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary.

Furthermore, regarding the condition of salvation, God the Father planned in advance before the creation of the world that "God the Father would save those who enter into Christ." Those who enter into Christ become those who believe that they died with Him on the cross and resurrected with Him. The sincerity of faith is determined by God through the temptation of Satan, and He chooses them as His people.

 

(4) Man Manifested in the Material World

 

In Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning (Bereishit) God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth." Elohim was translated as God.

We must understand El, Eloha, and Elohim well.

El (singular) is God the Father. Psalm 19:1-4 states, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament displays the work of His hands. Day after day they speak, night after night they impart knowledge. They have no speech, no words, no voice is heard; yet their voice goes out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the ages. God (El) has set a tent in the heavens for the sun."

Eloha (singular) is Christ. John 1:1 states, "In the beginning was the Word (Ho Logos), and the Word was with God (Ton Theon), and the Word (Ho Logos) was God (Theos)." Ho Logos is Eloha, and Ton Theon is the same plural form as Elohim. This implies that Christ, the Word, was with the gods. The gods can be interpreted as angels.

Elohim (plural) is the One in whom the Father, Christ, and the saints have become one in the Holy Spirit; it represents the Father, Christ, and the saints. Therefore, it is grammatically expressed as a plural.

John 10:34 states, "Jesus said to them, 'Is it not written in your Law, "I said to you, 'You are gods' (Theoi: plural")?" In terms of translation, it should have been "gods" rather than "gods."

El appeared as Eloha, and Eloha intends to create Elohim. El can be known only through Eloha, and Elohim can be manifested only through Eloha. God (El) continues to create the heavens and the earth through Elohim. This heavens and the earth are the Kingdom of God and the land, and they become the Kingdom of God within the hearts of the saints. At this time, the Kingdom of God can also be called the image of God.

God the Father (El) Himself becomes the Son of God, Christ (Eloha), and Christ becomes the first man, Adam (Elohim). This is the principle in which El, Eloha, and Elohim become one.

The first man, Adam, became a human being when God poured His spirit into his body made of dust. God separated the first man to create male and female, and He ensured that the lineage would continue through them; He continued to breathe His spirit into humans whenever they were born.

The Bible describes a person clothed in dust within matter as a prisoner or a sojourner. They can be likened to those confined in a place like a jail, where they temporarily stay to receive judgment for the transgressions of the Kingdom of God. It shows that although the lineage has continued from the first man through men and women and countless others, God's chosen ones were not many.

Adam begetting a son in Genesis 5:3 carries this meaning. It implies that Adam realized the meaning of God's creation at the age of 130. The pioneers of faith come to realize the truth through the Son. The truth signifies Christ.

Man (Adam) is the one created in the image of God. This is the human being before being separated into male and female. And the Adam appearing in Genesis 5:3 is that male Adam who was separated into male and female. The male symbolizes Christ, and the female symbolizes those who have turned away from God (the Church). Therefore, it tells us that Christ and the Church must become one.

It states that Adam, the male, fathered Seth at the age of 130. Seth becomes the one who is born again in Christ after the male Adam dies (symbolizing Christ). The image of God is restored only when the physical body dies. This constitutes salvation.

Genesis 5:1-32 presents a lineage of ten generations from Adam to Noah. This lineage is not a concept of a genealogy based on human bloodline, but rather represents God's plan of salvation. Thus, after God's creation of the world, the lineage continues for ten generations until all humanity is annihilated, and a new creation takes place from the ark.

This conveys the truth that in salvation, a new creation occurs only after death. Noah appears at the pinnacle of this. To rest can be understood as meaning to find peace. The ultimate destination of salvation is God's rest. Those who enter into Jesus Christ find rest.

God desires that humans living in the world realize why they live in the world and where they came from, and that they repent and turn back; He grants them the opportunity to repent. What determines whether one can return to the Kingdom of God, or not, is repentance for one's own sinfulness, which is why He causes them to cry out to God.

In the history of salvation in the Bible, there are several instances where God extends His hand of salvation because His people cry out to Him. This scene is particularly vivid in the Exodus. Thus, God grants spiritual freedom by enabling them to escape from a sinful world.

 

(5) The Meaning of Salvation Through the Death and Resurrection of the Cross

God has presented the path of salvation to those who repent. That path is the death and resurrection of the cross. God does not forgive the sins of those who wish to become like Him. The sin of sons rebelling against the Father is precisely this kind of sin. However, the way God forgives sin is by taking on the form of sin Himself and dying miserably to it like a sacrificial lamb. It means to believe that sinners, too, have died in this way. This is the union of faith.

In Romans 6:3-7, God acknowledges that those who possess faith united with the death of Jesus on the cross have also died to sin on the cross, and that those united with the resurrected Christ are also resurrected. Therefore, the Bible (Ephesians 2:5-6) reveals that they are those who have spiritually returned to the Kingdom of God.

It means that although the physical body is in the world, one is spiritually in the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom of God is expressed as Heaven within the hearts of the saints. 1 Corinthians 15:12, “It has been preached that Christ has risen (ekegertai) from the dead (nekron νεκρῶν). Why, then, do some of you say that there is no resurrection (anastasis) of the dead?”

Ekegertai means the spirit coming to life from among the dead. And anastasis means the spirit putting on a spiritual body. It is saying that resurrection is exactly this.

Egegertai (ἐγήγερται) does not mean "to come back to life," but rather "to rise" (arize). Anastasis (ἀνάστασις) means "to be established from above (heaven)." The resurrection of Jesus signifies that He rose from those who were spiritually dead. Being spiritually dead means that one's relationship with God has been severed.

This means that Jesus Christ rose from spiritual death to restore the relationship with God. Therefore, those who have entered into Christ are resurrected together, and their relationship with God is restored.

In 1 Peter 3:18, it says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."

Anastasis means being established from above. In other words, through the resurrection of Jesus, God intends to establish those who have entered into Christ as heirs of the Kingdom of God. This is being born again. Being born again is resurrection. Paul asks, "Why do you say that there is no resurrection?" He is pointing out that the believers in the Corinthian church were thinking of resurrection solely as a physical resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:13-14 states, "If there is no resurrection (anastasis) of the dead, then Christ has not risen either. If Christ has not risen (egegertai), then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain."

Here, too, the terms anastasis (ἀνάστασις) and egegertai (ἐγήγερται) are used. Egegertai does not mean "to come back to life," but rather "to rise spiritually" (arize). In other words, it signifies the restoration of the relationship with God, whereas anastasis means "to be established from above (heaven)," which refers to becoming an heir to the Kingdom of God.

This might lead to the misunderstanding that resurrection is merely a spiritual matter. Resurrection means that the body comes back to life outwardly, but this body is not one received from parents, but one received from God.

Paul speaks of resurrection for the restoration of the spiritual relationship with God. He states that God raised Christ to life in a spiritual body for the purpose of restoring the relationship with Him.

Romans 8:10 says, "And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness." This implies that if Christ had not been spiritually resurrected first and the relationship with God not restored, faith would be in vain, and no one would be saved.

Without resurrection, the phrase "in Christ" would also be meaningless. Resurrection means becoming a life of walking with Jesus. A life that does not walk with Jesus is described as a worldly life. Ultimately, the life of resurrection (being born again of water and the Spirit) refers to the presence of the Ho Logos within the heart of the believer; it means that the believer, too, dies of the physical body and is born again in a spiritual body, entering into the Ho Logos to converse with and walk with Him. Therefore, the resurrection of the saints becomes a present resurrection. Jesus Christ was the first among those who had fallen asleep to be spiritually resurrected, thereby restoring the relationship with God.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22: "For since death came through one man (the first man, Adam), the resurrection of the dead also comes through one man (the last Adam). For as in Adam all died, so in Christ all will be made alive (Zopoiedesontai)."

Adam symbolizes those who are spiritually severed from God. Christ signifies those whose spiritual relationship with God has been restored. This means that all people in this world have inherited death (flesh) from Adam. However, those who are in Christ have inherited life (a spiritual body) from Christ.

Zopoiedesontai means "will be made alive." In "Zopoiedesontai" (to make), the root "zo" of Zopo signifies spiritual life. Christ is the firstfruits, and those who are in Christ are the next fruit-bearers. The fruit is those who possess resurrection life.

The core of the Gospel is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection on the third day. The death on the cross is to free us from sin and transgression, and the resurrection is to give new life. Ephesians 2:5-6 states, "He made us alive together with Christ, even though we were dead in our transgressions (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

Receiving resurrection life means being seated in heaven (eph-uranois) in Christ. The word "heaven" uses the same term as "kingdom of heaven" (uranon) spoken of in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 3:2 says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The kingdom of heaven mentioned here refers to Jesus Christ. It means that Jesus Christ is the kingdom of heaven and is heaven itself.

One can enter the Kingdom of God only through Jesus Christ. This is because Jesus holds the key to the Kingdom of God. It means that those who are dead in sin and transgression cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Only those who possess resurrection life can enter, and they receive resurrection life when the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon them. God pours out resurrection life upon repentant sinners through Jesus Christ, bringing to life those who are dead in sin and transgression.

Those under the power of Satan, the ruler of the world, have no resurrection life and cannot be seated in heaven. Only those who believe that they have died with Jesus Christ and resurrected with Him are seated in heaven.

 

(6) Concluding with the story of returning to the Kingdom of God

When a believer sheds their flesh, they return to the complete Kingdom of God. Jesus described Himself as the Alpha and the Omega. This means He is the beginning (Christ’s predestination) and the end (being sealed as God’s people) of salvation. This expression is found not only in the Book of Revelation, but also in the Old Testament and the New Testament (John 1:51).

This is what Jesus said to Nathanael (Bartholomew), who had become His disciple.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The angels of God are angels. This signifies that the fallen angels come into the world with the first man, Christ (symbolizing Jesus who died on the cross), and that they shed their bodies of sin, resurrect in Christ, and return to the Kingdom of God. This is the very scene where Jacob, the son of Isaac, had a dream while sleeping with a stone as his pillow in Bethel. Isaac prefigures Jesus Christ. He is the son born when Abraham was 100 years old. Jacob, as Isaac's son, symbolizes spiritual Israel today.

God is expressed as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and He declared Himself to be the God of the living. God established a covenant with Abraham, and just as Isaac was born as a result of that covenant—much like Jesus Christ, who was conceived and born of the Holy Spirit—and just as the twelve disciples were chosen in Jesus Christ, Jacob obtained twelve sons to form the twelve tribes. This expresses that salvation is thus conceived by the Holy Spirit and receiving resurrected life. The saint in Christ is also conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of water and the Spirit, died with Christ on the cross, resurrected, ascended to heaven, and becomes one who returns to enter into the flesh of the saint.

When Moses was in Midian, he met the Lord at the burning bush, and God commanded Moses to lead the people imprisoned in Egypt out of Egypt. When Moses asked, “Who are you, and how shall I introduce you to the people?” the words God spoke in Hebrew were “Haya Asher Haya.”

God shortened “Haya Asher Haya” to simply “Haya.” Haya is the invisible God who has manifested Himself in the world. God is invisible to human eyes. The one who came in the flesh is Jesus Christ. Therefore, because God comes as the Word, it is “Haya Asher Haya.” The meaning of Haya is self-existence.

Haya is the God who comes through the window of grace, concludes with the word of power, and returns to the window of grace. He enters the world through the grace of the Word and exits through the grace of the Word. He comes to the material world for a brief moment and then returns. In the phrase “Haya Asher Haya,” Asher is situated between the “Haya” of the beginning and the “Haya” of the end (God who enters the world through the word of grace and then leaves).

Separation from God and separation from the world are both separations (bara) of the same meaning. While the Hebrew word bara means "to create," it implicitly carries the meaning of "to be separated."

Since Asher is located between the chayas, it signifies separation from God and separation from the world. Referring to the First Man Adam and the Last Adam, Jesus Christ, it implies that the First Man Adam (Christ) brought the sinful spirits into the world, and the Last Adam (Christ) takes them away.

The One who came in the name of Jehovah is Jesus Christ. One must realize that all the stories of the Old and New Testaments are stories about Jesus Christ.