BORN AGAIN ! There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus replied, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mothers' womb and be born?" Jesus replied, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God..." (John 3:1-5 NKJV) WELCOME to the New Birth Trail. Of all the teachings in the Bible, the New Birth is included within those "top ten" that are most commonly misunderstood. People who study the Bible long enough eventually discover that one must be born again, or he/she will in no way enter the kingdom of God.— This is exactly what Jesus told Nicodemus. It is not too hard to understand, is it? Yes, we must be born again. Since we cannot enter the kingdom of God without the New Birth, it becomes obvious then, if we're doing correct mental reasoning, that the New Birth (or being born again) has something to do with our salvation; No New Birth, no entry into the kingdom, right? — Precisely right. Again, it's really not too difficult to understand... The misunderstanding then of the "religious" world here lies in their misunderstanding of what the New Birth actually is. There are, due to human natures' ability to complicate the simple, many schools of thought on this—schools of thought that are really unnecessary. The New Birth is, in reality, one of the simplest doctrines of the Bible to understand. Yet Nicodemus, though a religious man, did not understand it (John 3:9). That is simply because it hadn't happened yet! No one was acquainted with the New Birth at that time because Jesus had not yet ordained or inaugurated it. The doctrine of the New Birth would not come into effect until after Jesus died on the cross and ushered in the New Covenant. (To understand more on the New Covenant, hike the Bible Map trail to the Covenants' Division trail junction.) I am sure Nicodemus eventually came to understand it, perhaps shortly after Jesus died and was resurrected. That is, if he attended Peters' first sermon after the resurrection; on the day of Pentecost of 33 A.D., where the New Birth was formally introduced, he would have surely understood (Acts 2:14-40). Or, if he had heard anyone preach about Jesus after the Pentecost of 33 A.D., he would have understood. All of the first century Christians understood. All of the world they preached to who came to accept their teaching understood... But somehow, in the time that immediately followed and down through the centuries, the teaching on the New Birth was perverted. In fact, I have met few Bible teachers in this 21st century who truly understand it. Isn't that amazingly strange? Modern day teachers and preachers, for the most part, do not have a grasp on one of the most basic concepts in the Bible. It is such a simple concept yet it appears, within the trend of todays' teaching, that the majority of folks seem to be unable to grasp the totality of it and the profound significance of water in the New Birth process. Water is a most essential part of Gods' eternal plan of salvation. Teachers today want to eliminate the simple yet necessary act of water baptism. Instead of welcoming the light of truth, they choose to walk in darkness. They seem to be, as the Scriptures predicted, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2nd Timothy 3:7). Who is to blame for their ignorance? Not their followers—or are they? Followers tend to believe whatever their leaders teach them. We are like sheep, remember? Sheep aren't too bright—one leads, the others follow. If one sheep would run off a cliff, the rest of the flock would follow right behind him. Sheep tend to think as a group and not necessarily for themselves, but that's another story... Yet, keep that thought in mind because it's part of understanding why the New Birth itself is misunderstood today. Of all of Satans' deceptions, I believe his falsehood regarding the New Birth to be the most destructive. Jesus said, The gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it (Matthew 7:14). I sincerely hope that you will be one of the few who find it. To that hopeful end, let us hike further down this trail of education and discovery, shall we? Allow me to explain to you just what the New Birth is, from the Biblical point of view. Then, within your own reasoning and not my persuasion, you can learn to see and to understand the simplicity of it, as well as the profoundness of it. When properly understood, the process may be so simple to you that it actually seems "foolish". But, remember that God uses the things which the world considers "foolish" in order to confound the wise (1st Corinthians 1:27)... In other words, the world will not see the simple because, within their own wisdom, it is perhaps too simple. Or, it may not be to their liking, or it may not be what they've been taught...etc. — God is so true, and we can be so "religiously" false, so utterly foolish! (1st Corinthians 1:25) However, through the Scriptures we can find wisdom and truth... So, what is the New Birth? According to Jesus, it is being born of water and the Spirit, that one might see the kingdom of God (John 3:5). That tells it all; right there. Jesus said it again in the presence of those whom He appeared to after His resurrection: He that believes and is baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16). Paul wrote this very truth to the Galatian Christians: As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).— Remember that I mentioned how Nicodemus did not understand Jesus' words regarding being born again—how he couldn't fathom entering his mothers' womb a second time? That is because the New Birth can only be understood through a spiritual comprehension of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, of which Nicodemus, at that particular time, could not relate to... Let me begin for you with this thought; To be born again, to be new as it were, to be not what we were, to take on new life, however you may put it, New Birth requires a prior death. Something or someone has to die, in some fashion, in order to be born again or born anew. Simple reasoning, right? In this case, a spiritual death and rebirth. A spiritual death of the old must take place before the new can arise... and that's exactly what happens in the New Birth, spiritually speaking. After all, Jesus did tell Nicodemus that being "born again" was a spiritual thing (John 3:8). From what we know about human life it would be impossible to die physically and then be born again, nor can we re-enter our mother's womb as Nicodemus suggested. The New Birth then is obviously a spiritual birth... Jesus had said, The truth is, no one can enter into the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. This spiritual birth process is fully explained by the Apostle Paul within the book of Romans, chapter 6, verses 2 thru the end of the chapter. Evidently there were some Christians from within the province of Rome at that time who had questions about it. Some of the New Testament letters were penned as a result of individual and congregational questions about particular matters. In addressing the Roman Christians, Paul taught both about the physical action and the spiritual symbolism of the New Birth. Peter talked about it in a similar way in 1st Peter 3:20-21. Jesus spoke of it in Matthew 28:18-20, and in Mark 16:15-16, as I mentioned earlier. There are indeed several other Scriptures that refer to the New Birth, and we will talk about some of those as we continue on this hike. Let us now examine what Paul wrote to the Roman churches, reminding them of the operation, significance and results of their New Birth... Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we became Christians and were baptized to become one with Christ Jesus, we died with him? For we died and were buried with Christ through baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also have new lives. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection. Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives....So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. (Romans 6;2-11, New Living Translation and King James Translation) Paul teaches here that, through baptism, we are buried with Christ into His death. The waters of baptism represent (spiritually) a grave or the burial place of Christ. We are physically lowered into this watery grave (therefore buried with Christ), where our sins are spiritually "washed away". We then physically rise from that grave, as Christ did, to walk in newness of spiritual life. Again, this is a spiritual death, burial and resurrection; a spiritual birth unto new spiritual life, that has taken place through this both physical and spiritual act of our faith. The physical act of water baptism then is indeed a portrayal of our own death (a spiritual death of our "old sinful selves"), a place where we meet spiritually with Christ in His death (where He shed His blood), a place where our sins are spiritually washed away in Christ, and a grave from which we are to spiritually rise and walk in newness of life. (See also Colossians 2:12) This is precisely the New Birth Jesus told Nicodemus about. This is also precisely why in Mark 16:16 Jesus had said, He who believes and is baptized will be saved. We have the water, we have the Spirit, and we have the blood.— Jesus did not mention the shedding of His blood to Nicodemus, because He had not yet been sacrificed on the cross. Nicodemus was having a tough time as it was just trying to grasp the concept of being born again, of water and the Spirit.— Again, the time was not right for him to spiritually understand it; Jesus had not yet been put to death on the cross, nor had He yet risen from the dead, nor had salvation been preached under the New Covenant. After all, no one could have been buried or risen with Christ (spiritually) when He had not yet Himself risen from the dead.— Let's hike still further now, that we might deepen your understanding here and eliminate any confusion, in our time in history, with regard to the water, the Spirit, and the blood... The Apostle John wrote about three things that have identified Jesus as the Son of God— "And Jesus Christ was revealed as God's Son by his baptism in water and by shedding His blood on the cross...not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit also gives us testimony that this is true. So we have these three witnesses...the Spirit, the water, and the blood...and all three agree. Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about His Son." (1st John 5:6-9 NLT) —To see a little more clearly into what John was saying, we must have a bit more understanding about one of God's many immutable attributes; His unwavering consistency, throughout history, in His plan of redemption for His creation. Note also this fact—God never does anything unless it is through His Word (John 1:1-3). We will therefore see how His Word stands as an indisputable witness to His acts. We will see also that as the witness of the Spirit, the water and the blood identify Jesus as Gods' Son, they serve to identify Christians as Gods' children as well... The Apostle John said that God made known (or revealed) that Jesus was His Son through three witnesses. The first one John mentioned was the water. The water baptism of Jesus is recorded in all four of the Gospels. He was water baptized by John the baptist just prior to beginning His earthly ministry. John was a prophet (and a physical relative of Jesus), sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus to minister to the world. John taught repentance toward God and baptized in water for that reason. John baptized all those of the Israelite nation who confessed their sins and turned their hearts back to God. The theme of John's preaching was that the kingdom of Heaven, or the kingdom of God, was "at hand" or "near". Thus Johns' baptism was a baptism of "repentance", in preparation for the coming kingdom. (Acts 19:4) One day, Jesus came to the Jordan river to be baptized by John. John knew in his heart who Jesus was. As a result of knowing that the son of God was in his presence, John did not want to baptize Jesus. — John said, "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you, so why do you come to me?" (Matthew 3:14) We also know now that Jesus surely did not need a baptism of or for repentance, for He never sinned.— But Jesus said, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." ( Matthew 3:15 NIV) —Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness (justification) of God. God has at many times, throughout history, inaugurated or ordained His people through water baptism. Two other prime examples are (1) He used the waters of the great flood in saving Noah and his family from the old world. Secondly (2), the children of Israel were baptized into Moses through the Red Sea. (1st Peter 3:20,21, 1st Corinthians 10:2) — After Jesus was baptized by John, God sent the Spirit (in the form of a dove) to rest upon Him, inaugurating His earthly ministry— "And a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with Him." Thus, in addition to the water, the Spirit of God was a witness. (Matthew 3:17) These are the testimonies of Gods' witnesses to His acts. The water and the Spirit had testified that Jesus was the Son of God. The water, through the of Spirit of God, had also testified of Noah and Moses. Again, Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He was setting an example for the future, that all who believed on Him would do as He did.— It was a figurative expression, as were the "water baptisms" of Noah and Moses, of the New Covenant entrance into His spiritual kingdom, where the Holy Spirit would be given to all believers.—Three years after Jesus' baptism by John, following His death, burial and resurrection, Peter preached, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) Thirdly, there is the testimony (witness) of the blood. God always requires a blood sacrifice to witness or confirm His acts. Just after the great flood, Noah built an alter and offered the blood sacrifice of the required animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose. Thus the blood was also Gods' witness to His covenant of salvation for Noah, his descendants, the creatures of the earth, and the earth itself (Genesis 9:8). This example of Noah completed the testimony (witness) of the water, the Spirit of God, and the blood.— Sometime after passing through the Red Sea, Moses and the children of Israel arrived at Mt. Sinai in the Arabian desert. This was where Moses climbed the mountain and received the Old Testament Law. From the sacrifice of young bulls, Moses took blood and sprinkled it on the alter and on the people, and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words" (Exodus 24:8).—Thus, once again, this time through the completed example of Moses, the witness of God was expressed through the water, His Spirit, and the blood. Perhaps now you can understand a little more about what the Apostle John was referring to when he wrote, acknowledging three witnesses that identified Jesus as the Son of God. (1st John 5:6) — By the same three witnesses, we (Christians) are identified as the Children of God. Without these witnesses we cannot make that claim (1st John 5:10, Romans 8:16).— With our entrance into the spiritual kingdom of God through water baptism, we have acted through faith, and have therefore been revealed as God's children through the testimony of the water, the Spirit, and the blood. Jesus was the ultimate blood sacrifice which redeemed us. Through our faith in Him we can stand justified, having obeyed from the heart that form of teaching delivered us (Romans 6:17-18). Salvation does not then come through the opinions or teachings of any particular "religious" groups, nor through our inner feelings of particular emotions, but only through the witness of the Word of God. Again, the Flood of Noah, the baptism into Moses at the Red Sea, and the baptism of Jesus at the beginning of His earthly ministry, were figurative representations of the spiritual entrance into the kingdom of God, which represents salvation under the New Covenant. The Word of God testifies to us of these things. A prime example here is 1st Peter 3:20,21; "In the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also..." — These are sometimes referred to as "types" and "antitypes". Once you train your thinking to the urgings of the Holy Spirit within you, you will discover hundreds of these representations within the Bible, from beginning to end. This is the New Birth, or being born again; Born of water and the Spirit is to rise from that watery grave and walk into newness of life with Christ. The Holy Spirit enters to indwell us just after we are physically baptized (Acts 2:38). In a similar way, though in greater measure, the Spirit descended on Jesus just after John baptized Him. For us, being born of the Spirit is to begin to understand things from a spiritual perspective, through the Spirit of God within—to see with a spiritual awareness how things, from the beginning of time, all fit together in Gods' perfect harmony. This is how we walk in a spiritual newness of life. These are the things Nicodemus could not understand. How could he? Yet, he was at that time not far from the kingdom of God.— Nicodemus is last mentioned in Scripture after the death of Jesus (John 19:38-42). He provided spices for embalmment and assisted in the burial of His body. Nicodemus' spiritual eyes were just beginning to open. I sincerely hope that he was later, born again. I hope that he was among those present at the preaching of Peter on that particular 33 A.D. Pentecost celebration. It was there that the way of the New Birth was witnessed for the first time. Through an understanding of the apostle's writings, you and I can be there firsthand. We can learn how to be truly born again. We don't have to rely on the man-made teachings regarding salvation which are not according to truth, though they permeate our present world. We can find, within the Scriptures, the divine answer to our question; "What must we do to be saved?" The answer is right there for the humble to see. It's real simple. I hope that your spiritual eyes have indeed been opened to the simplicity as well as to the profoundness of it. God's word is the true witness to these things. How can anyone miss the way? You may want at this time to hike the False Trail, as there are many false teachings out there in the "religious" world concerning the way of salvation today, within both denominational and non-denominational organizations. The television and the Internet are "loaded" with these false teachings also, as are most of the cult type religions. The False Trail will open your eyes to the more popular of these deceptive teachings.— If your desire is to understand more about New Covenant salvation which we have discussed along this trail, and to witness many examples of New Covenant conversions, then just hike a little further down this present trail to the New Testament Conversions' trail junction, just ahead... Thank you for taking the time to journey with us here on the Born Again junction of the New Birth Trail.
The main reason is of course that we are justified by faith, and faith comes through hearing (lit: comprehending) the Word of God. In other words, if we want to become Christians by faith, we must do so by the method or by the teaching which that faith has established. We must continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine as did the early Christians (Acts 2:42). In this way our faith becomes literal faith; real faith, true faith. Many teachings by various religious organizations regarding salvation today are not the pure, genuine teachings of the One, true faith. They are in fact distorted, short-cut, or perverted versions¹ of that faith. ¹ (For more information regarding false teachings on salvation, hike the False Trail at this Website) Many are of the belief that since the gift of eternal life is free, that we have to do nothing to obtain it but ask. It would not be a "covenant" if this were the case... A "covenant" is an agreement between two parties with stipulations that both sides must meet. Though we cannot earn this gift because it is free, we must cooperate with God in our own, individual salvation (Philippians 2:12). Faith without any actions toward that faith is dead, being alone (James 2:14,17). Jesus said that the Word of God is like pure seed (Luke 8:11) that is sown into a field (Matthew 13:24). God's law of natural order is that a seed shall bring forth after its own kind (Genesis 1:11, 12). The point is that if a pure Christian is to be produced, he/she can only be produced through the pure, genuine seed; God's Word.— Allow me to illustrate this truth a bit further... Gods' law of reproduction applies in the plant kingdom; Every seed must bring forth after its own kind. When a seed is sown into a field it produces a new plant, identical to the plant from which the seed came. We would not expect to plant wheat and reap corn. This law of reproduction also applies within the fleshly kingdom. Every seed must bring forth after its own kind. We would not expect eagles to produce canaries. A human infant can come only from human parents. There are no exceptions then within the plant, fish, bird, animal or human kingdoms; a pure seed brings forth after its own kind. This law of reproduction also applies within the Spiritual kingdom. When the New Testament apostles planted the pure Word of God into the hearts of men & women, only true Christians were produced. Those who were taught by the apostles believed in Christ, repented of their sins, confessed Christ as Gods' Son and were water baptized into Christ for the remission of their sins through Jesus' blood... Only in this same way can anyone today become a Christian, a child of God, a part of Christ's New Testament Church, a brother or sister within the spiritual kingdom of God (Galatians 3:27, Colossians 1:13). Let's take a hike through some New Testament conversions that you might see that all those who believed the truth, and became New Testament Christians through the teaching of the apostles, became so in the same, exact manner; by acting on and moving forward in faith, to do Gods' will. Examples of NT conversions are found throughout the book of Acts. Acts is a careful history of the development of the early church. It contains for us the only "live" examples of the New Birth, the seeds sown by the apostles which have produced true Christians throughout the centuries... ¹ Acts 2:41,47; And those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added unto them... And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. ¹ ( The origin of the New Birth; the first New Covenant conversions in history) Acts 8:12,13; When they believed Philip concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed, and when he was baptized he continued with Philip... Acts 8:35-38; (Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch) Then Philip opened his mouth and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may". And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God". So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and he baptized him. Acts 9:18; Saul received his sight at once; and he arose immediately and was baptized. (See also Acts 22:14-16) Acts 10:46-48; Then Peter answered, "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 16:14,15; Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple form the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay"... Acts 16:30-34; The jailer brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, along with your entire household." Then they shared the word of the Lord with him and all who lived in his household. That same hour the jailer washed their wounds, and he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized...He and his entire house rejoiced because they had all believed in God. Acts 18:8; And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized. Acts 19:3-5; So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism", they replied. Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized * into the name of the Lord Jesus. * Note: This is an example of believing people who had been previously baptized, but had to be baptized again because their first baptism was done under the authority of a teaching of a different type. Their previous baptism was not incorrect, but it was not according to the requirements of understanding (by faith) under the New Covenant; See Romans 6:17,18 Acts 22:14-16; Then Ananias said, "The God of our fathers has chosen you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from His mouth. You will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash away your sins ! ¤ These New Testament conversions have each shown Gods' law of reproduction in action. Every seed brings forth after its own kind. Only in this same way can anyone become a Christian today. This is salvation by grace, through faith. Belief which matures to saving faith moves the sinner to submit to the will of God. Through His grace, God forgives and blesses the obedient believer; When one is baptized into Christ he puts on Christ (Galatians 3:27). At the same time he is baptized into His death, and therefore has access to the merits provided through the death of Christ (Romans 6:3). In this same act of obedience, one is buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). He has been planted in the "likeness" of Christ's death, to come forth in the "likeness" of His resurrection (Romans 6:5). By the grace of God, the old man (or self) is crucified (or done away), and the body of sin destroyed (figuratively) when one is baptized into Christ for the remission of sins (Romans 6:6, 1st Peter 3:21)... This is the foundational or elementary teaching of the New Birth (John 3:5) from the Bible. There are many teachings today contrary¹ to this one and only acceptable plan of salvation. Jesus has said (Matthew 15:13,14); "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."— It is our plea in addition to God's direction that you will avoid the false teachings on salvation, and that you might come to know, believe, and obey the truth, found only in the Bible, God's only written revelation to man. ¹ (For more insight on blind teachings regarding salvation, hike the False Trail). ¤ Thank you for hiking with us along the New Testament Conversions' junction of the New Birth Trail. I hope it has been an illuminating trek. For more great learning adventures in understanding both the physical and spiritual significance of water, I encourage you to hike the Lake Trail at this website.
This helps to emphasize the importance of a study of the work and person of the Holy Spirit. If we are ever to counteract false teachings regarding the Holy Spirit, we must return to our Bibles and see what they really teach about Him! An accurate scriptural view of Spiritual influence is something not hastily acquired. It requires not a little reading, much thought, and an unusual care to avoid falling into error. Anything less than the most thorough investigation is sure to miss the truth. An accurate view is important because of the crucial role the Holy Spirit plays in God's scheme of things. Again, it is important because of the many errors and misunderstandings which relate to the personality of the Holy Spirit. It is important because, without a proper understanding of the Holy Spirit, we can never properly understand His revelation to us in the Scriptures. After all, the Scriptures were written entirely through His influence. (2nd Peter 1:20,21 2nd Timothy 3:16) We will consider seven attributes of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of identifying for you what and who He is, what He has done and continues to do, as well as what and who He is not, and what He has not done and won't do. — I hope this concentrated overview will allow you a greater understanding in the identity of the Holy Spirit, as well as a deeper understanding and appreciation of and for the work of the Spirit within the Christians' life... 1. The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person-Spirit, a member of the three-person-spirit Godhead: I do not mean that one God is three Gods. Rather, I mean that there is only one infinite Spirit Being, but within that Spirit essence there are three personal distinctions, each of which may be called God, each capable of loving and being loved by the others, and each having a distinct part to play in the drama of salvation. The Holy Spirit possesses all the characteristics of divinity; eternity, absolute power or authority (omnipotence), above and independent of the material universe (transcendence), and knowing everything (omniscience). (Genesis 1:26, Matthew 28:19,20, Mark 1:9-11, John 15:26, 2nd Corinthians 13:14, 1st John 5:7, Romans 15:13, Hebrews 9:14, Micah 3:8, Psalm 139:7-12, 1st Corinthians 2:10,11.) 2. The Holy Spirits' work in the Old Testament period: The Spirit was active in several ways in the Old Testament. He was involved in the creation of the universe and of mankind. He worked in the lives of men and women to heighten their abilities and powers, giving them the wisdom and skill to guide armies, build the tabernacle, interpret dreams, govern nations and resist Gods' enemies. He inspired the prophets to make known Gods' will and to reveal future events. He inspired the writers of the Old Testament Scripture and enabled them to produce a true revelation of God. (Genesis 1:1,2, Job 26:13, & 33:4, Psalm 104:30, Judges 3:10, Exodus 31:3, & 35:30,31, Genesis 41:16 & 38, Numbers 27:18-20, Judges 14:19, 2nd Peter 1:21, Ezekiel 2:1,2 & 11:5, 2nd Timothy 3:16,17.) 3. The Holy Spirits' work in the early New Testament period (Before 100 AD): A wise man has said that from Creation to Incarnation was the Age of the Father. From the Incarnation to Pentecost (33 AD, approx) was the Age of the Son. From Pentecost until Christ returns is the Age of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that all personalities of the Godhead were not and are not active in all periods, but merely that One Person of the Godhead worked more prominently in each period. There are at least 264 references to the Holy Spirit within the New Testament, including 59 in the Gospels, 57 in Acts, and 131 in the Epistles. The activity of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament can be seen in a number of ways; The Holy Spirit was completely identified with the life and teachings of Jesus. Jesus was conceived by the Spirit, baptized with the approval of the Spirit, anointed with the Spirit, able to perform signs by the Spirit, led by the Spirit, and raised from the dead by the Spirit. Only of Jesus was it ever said that He received the Holy Spirit without measure; (Luke 1:35, Matthew 3:16, 1st John 5:6, Luke 4:18, Matthew 12:28, Luke 4:1,2, Romans 8:11, John 3:34) Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to work with the twelve apostles in a special, unique way, never promised to other men; giving them miraculous divine reassurance, miraculous divine guidance, and miraculous divine gifts, including the power to speak and write the inspired word, the power to speak in the differing languages of their hearers, the power to confirm the inspired word through miracles, and the power to bestow miraculous gifts on others through the laying on of their own hands. (John 14:26, & 16:13,14, Acts 2:5-12, Hebrews 2:3,4, Acts 8: 17,18) The Holy Spirit was at work in the establishment and building up of the church. ¹ The Holy Spirit was at work in the inspiration of the New Testament. (Acts chapter 2 & throughout the entire book, also Ephesians 2:20-22.) ¹ Acts 2:4, 1st Corinthians 2:13, 2nd Timothy 3:16,17. 4. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (prior to 100 AD): The Baptism of the Holy Spirit signaled the establishment of the church (or spiritual kingdom; Colossians 1:13) and marked the beginning of the Christian dispensation (Pentecost, 33 AD, approx). Not only was it a fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy to the apostles, but a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy as well. Only the twelve apostles received it at first, empowering them to be the formal witnesses of Christ and the New Covenant. This later included Paul as well. To carry on this endeavor, the Holy Spirit guided them into all truth, and confirmed the truth which they revealed with miraculous signs and wonders. Sometime later (perhaps as much as 10 years later), The Holy Spirit fell on a man named Corneilus, a Gentile, as well as his entire household (all Gentiles), just as it had on the apostles at the very beginning. These were the first Gentile conversions in history. This completed the prophecy of the "baptism" of the Holy Spirit on "all Flesh", for the Spirit had shown the apostle Peter and the Jews who were present there with him that the Gentiles were now also fit subjects for the Gospel of God's grace. Jews and Gentiles (all flesh) had now both become "one" in Christ. Thus was fulfilled a part of the major purpose of Jesus' death on the cross. Thus was fulfilled the promise for the "baptism" of the Holy Spirit on "all flesh". (Acts 2:16-21, 10:44-48, Joel 2:28-32) These were the only recorded occasions of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. There is a definite note of wonder about this particular baptism, as it was clearly not the normal experience of those converted to Christ in that day. Its purpose, according to Jesus, was to establish and confirm the word; the "all Truth" of God (remember, the New Testament had not yet been written...it was, at that time, being lived out).— It should be readily seen then that this particular purpose was fulfilled prior to 100 AD when, with the death of all of the apostles, the apostle's doctrine (New Testament) was finally completed. Their purpose in Gods' plan of redemption had been fulfilled through the Holy Spirit. We will examine this concept a little more in attribute # 5. (Acts 1:4-8, Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2:3,4, John 16:13, Hebrews 2:3,4, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 11:4-18, Ephesians 2:14-18, Acts 2:42) 5. The Miracles, Signs and Wonders of the Holy Spirit (prior to 100 AD): In New Testament times, during the infancy of the church, certain men and women were given special, miraculous gifts by the Holy Spirit. These miraculous gifts were intended primarily for the purpose of revealing and confirming the divine truth of the New Covenant. Once these miraculous gifts had served that particular purpose¹, Scripture teaches us that they would "pass away". (Hebrews 2:2-4, 1st Corinthians 13:8-10.) ¹ The written completion of the New Testament The New Testament speaks of four "measures" or "manifestations" of the Holy Spirit; A) The unlimited measure of the Holy Spirit (John 3:34). Only Jesus is said to have received the Holy Spirit in unlimited fullness. B) The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which we have already discussed. C) The Miraculous Gifts ("Charismata") of the Holy Spirit (1st Corinthians 12:4-12). At least nine different miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit are mentioned in the New Testament. There are several New Testament passages which give insights into the purpose of these miraculous gifts in the life of the early New Testament church. These "gifts" were given to Christians only by the laying on of the apostle's hands; Acts 8:18 & 19:6, Romans 1:11, 2nd Timothy 1:6. Therefore, with the death of all of the apostles (prior to 100 AD), these particular gifts have "passed away". (1st Corinthians 13:8-10) D) The Non-Miraculous Gift ("Dorean") of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). This refers to the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which God gives to all of His children upon their water baptism into Christ. (Acts 2:38, Romans 8:9-11, Galatians 3:27, Ephesians 3:16,17) 6. We are not Alone; The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38): The indwelling Holy Spirit is promised to all non-believers who learn to become believers, repent of their unbelief, and are water baptized into Christ. This promise began at the Pentecost of 33 AD and will last until the end of the Christian age, when the dead are raised and Christ returns to gather the saved, and they are at that time transformed into incorruptible, immortal beings. (Acts 2:38,39 & 1st Corinthians 15:51-55) There are times when it is easy to feel that we are all alone... on our own... with nothing but our own weak, feeble strength to fall back on... Sometimes God seems so far away. We are not sure that the God "out there" is present in our lives "down here".— That is why a proper understanding of the doctrine of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is so necessary to victorious Christian living. "And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us" (1st John 3:24). "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit". (1st John 4:13) In Romans 8:9 we are told that the Holy Spirit "dwells" in us. In Romans 8:10 it says that Christ "dwells" in us. In Romans 8:11 it says that God "dwells" in us. What does it mean to "dwell" in the sense in which the word is used in Romans 8:9-11? The Greek word used is OIKEO, which is a form of the word OIKOS, which means "house". It means to occupy a house, to reside, inhabit, to take up residence or remain in. It carries the idea of living in or abiding in.— It must be understood that God, Christ and the Holy Spirit do not dwell in the Christian in the same sense or to the same extent. God and Christ dwell in the Christian representatively; but the Holy Spirit dwells in the Christian actually! In other words, God and Christ are present in our lives through the Holy Spirit, who serves as their agent and representative, but the Holy Spirit is actually present in the Christian's life. Since God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are united in the Godhead, what one does, they all do. For example, 2nd Corinthians 5:19 says that, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. God was in Christ through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also the link between God and the Christian, and the link between Christ and the Christian. Since we cannot literally see Him, this indwelling of the Spirit is indeed difficult to understand. Since He dwells in us by faith, it is not then something we can physically "feel". So, how can we then know He is there? How can we know what He does within us?... We know that He is an agent of God and Christ, but, since the miraculous gifts are no longer necessary because the written Word is confirmed and complete, what then is His purpose within us? We do not feel, sense, or see His presence (John 3:8). He does not chill our spines or send out electrical pulses. How do I know that my own spirit is within me? Not by internal perception, but by external evidence. I cannot feel it, isolate it or command it... but I know that without it I would not live (James 2:26). In the same way, the evidence or the indwelling Spirit of God is not internal but external, expressed through love; joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-25). The Scriptures are plain; If we are children of God, then we have God's promise that His Spirit dwells within us! Peter wrote that we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises; that through these we become partakers of the divine nature (2nd Peter 1:3.4). Our entire New Testament Christian experience is based on promises (Hebrews 8:6) and, again, not on our feelings! This is why without faith it is impossible to please God. It is through believing (acting on God's promises) that we will receive His promises. (Hebrews 11:6, James 2:23, 24) The purpose of the indwelling Holy Spirit is to assist us in some way in living the Christian life; to conform us into the image of God's Son. This does not mean that we are aware of what the Spirit does for us as He does it. We know that He is doing something because the Bible assures us that it is so. Once again, we must believe in the promises. The Spirit helps us conquer sin and resist temptation. He leads us in our daily walk. He helps us with our human limitations, weaknesses and illness. He helps us to contemplate the eternal purpose for the more difficult times of life that transform and reform our character. He assists us in our prayers and intercedes for us, insuring that God is fully aware of our needs. He insures us of our ultimate immortality. And, after our physical bodies die, it is through Him that we will be resurrected to life. It is not easy to determine how the majority of each of these things I've listed here are accomplished. The constant conflict within us between the Spirit and the flesh make things difficult to understand. Some believe the Spirit works only through the Word of God. Others believe providence plays a part. Some believe He directs the guardian angels that "minister" (help us and provide for our wants and needs) to we Christians (Hebrews 1:14). Perhaps it would not be inappropriate to suggest that any of these three are not mutually exclusive, and perhaps it is possible that all three are correct. (Ephesians 3:16, John 3:8, Romans 8:14-27) 7. The Fruit of the Spirit-Filled Life (Galatians 5:22-25): God intends for our lives to be like fruitful gardens. It must be our aim then to make our lives a garden of God, by cultivating the fruit of the Spirit; allowing the Spirit to have His way with us. In Galatians 6:7-8, Paul emphasizes that the kind of harvest we reap in this life and beyond depends on the kind of planting we do; We are either sowing after the flesh or after the Spirit! The Holy Spirit dwells in us then, not as a prized exhibit to be showcased, but as a vitalizing power to permit spiritual fruitfulness; Fruit that will conform us into the image of God's own Son. The fruit of the Spirit then cannot be manufactured—it must be grown... Without the Spirit there is not life; If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Romans 8:9). In John 3:5, Jesus insisted that before we can have spiritual life, we must be born again of water and the Spirit. 1st Peter 1:23 says that we are born again, not of perishable seed but imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. In nature, life is produced through seed. The seed of spiritual life then is the word of God, which has been revealed by the Holy Spirit (Luke 8:11). Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His Creatures (James 1:18). When we obey the truth which the Holy Spirit has revealed to us in Scripture, we are then born again. It takes water—moisture—for a seed to germinate. Baptism is a necessary condition of the new birth (Romans 6:3,4). It is at that time we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). It is at that time we can begin our growth in spirit, through the indwelling of the Spirit... Spiritual life is then nourished in us by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:10-27). The Holy Spirit gives us aid and power in living the Christian life. This takes place through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives brings a dimension of spiritual power to us. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God's power works within us. Romans 15:13 says that we may be filled with joy, peace, and hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.— Just as a plant receives nourishment from rain, sunshine and soil, so we are nourished and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Once again, this is not a "feeling" or an "emotion". It is a promise (Ephesians 1:13). We are to act in faith according to this promise (2nd Corinthians 7:1). This will then allow our "feelings" and "emotions" to react legitimately.— Keep in mind however that we can and do "grieve" the Spirit by the way we conduct our lives, and through the things we say and do to others (Ephesians 4:30). We can also "quench" or smother, put a limit to, as in snuffing out a candle flame, the desires of the Spirit, by the will of our flesh; our own sinful nature (1st Thessalonians 5:19). The greatest truth we can learn about God in the Bible is found in 1st John 4:8; God is love. The greatest truth we can learn about Christian living in the Bible is Galatians 5:22; The fruit of the Spirit is love. Love is a fruit "for all seasons", which expresses itself in joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.— Someone has aptly referred to these characteristics as the "love cluster". Love is then the sum of all of these qualities (1st Corinthians 13:4-8). If you have love, you have all of these things. If you lack love, you lack them all. Love is expressed in part in each of these ways. Such love is not possible without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is indeed then the ultimate purpose of the indwelling Spirit in our lives; To conform¹ us into the image of God's Son, for He is love. ¹ (1st John 4:8, Romans 8:29, 2nd Corinthians 3:18) To grow the "fruit of the Spirit", the fruit for all seasons in the garden of our lives, we must walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), be led by the Spirit (5:18), and sow to the Spirit (6:8). Before we can bear the right kind of fruit, we must be the right kind of tree. Again, only those branches abiding in Christ can bear much fruit (John 15:5-10).— Are you in Christ? It is in Him that you are spiritually created anew (Galatians 3:27, 2nd Corinthians 5:17). If not, we would like to help you find your way... If you have not hiked the Born Again junction of this New Birth trail, I suggest that you hike back to that junction and do that. Your New Birth will bring you into the family of God, at which time the Holy Spirit will indwell you, allowing you the grace and freedom of walking in newness of life. ¤ Thank you so much for hiking with us here on the Holy Spirit junction of the New Birth Trail. It has been indeed a difficult trek, but I hope that you now have a greater understanding as to the identity and work of the Holy Spirit throughout history.— We hope also, after a needed rest, that you will continue hiking on ahead to the junction at the Mountain of Believing. It is a steep climb from its base, but the unique knowledge and depth of understanding, which you can add to your faith on that climb, will be well worth your effort... THE MOUNTAIN OF BELIEVING
We will consider the Mountain of Believing from four elevations; Base Camp, The Early Ascent, The North Face (rock of promises) and The Summit Ridge:
The Mountain of Believing is a no-nonsense climb. Actually, dear reader, believing in God is a gift. There is, in spite of world opinion, only one true God, who is extraordinarily revealed in nature and Scripture through three distinct personalities. These are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). There is also only one way, according to Scripture, to approach this Godhead... Jesus has said; "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Yet, Jesus also said; "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent Me draws him... everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me". In addition, Paul said, "No one can say that Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit". He also said, If we are led by the Spirit of God, then we are the children of God. (John 14:6 & 6:44,45, Romans 8:14, 1st Corinthians 12:3) According to the word of God, no one, no matter what their religious beliefs, ideas, philosophy or personal background, can come to God, except through Jesus. That overrules the vain attempts of many people in various world religions, who think they know how to approach the God of the universe.— Secondly, no one can come to Jesus, unless he or she is drawn to Him by the mercy of God the Father. Again, belief is a gift.— Thirdly, everyone who truly learns from the Father, comes to Jesus.— Fourthly, no one can claim that Jesus is Lord, except through the Holy Spirit. And finally, only if we are led by the Spirit of God, can we claim to be the children of God... Any world "religion" or "philosophy" which teaches anything other than the preceding teaching, is obviously a false and vain religion, or philosophy, and rightly, according to Scripture, should be considered as such. Coming to God and believing in Jesus is unquestionably a matter of God allowing it to be so (Ephesians 2:8). Once again, believing in the Godhead (God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit) is a gift. True belief in God then becomes an individual honor that, for reasons only God knows, is not given to every creature (Romans 9:15). You must learn to treat it as such. If you are a true believer, you must endeavor to learn the value of such good fortune in your life. You have indeed a most precious gift... True belief itself is an exceedingly high mountain that must be climbed from base camp. Let's talk about this that you might better understand what I am saying and where I am going.— As a gift, freely given to you, your personal belief in God now becomes a matter of your own maturity into understanding (Hebrews 6:1-3). You have been given a gift and you have to work with it. Since we are incapable of spiritually believing without God's gift, it is obvious that the understanding involved with this gift and concerning this gift requires intensive training and an unlimited amount of time. The emotion of initial belief that God exists, that He is real, is only ground level or base camp. We must climb a high and difficult mountain toward spiritual maturity from that point. God requires that we grow with our gift—that we mature in our faith... The mountain of believing itself is steep. The ascent trail to spiritual maturity is narrow and there are numerous places along that trail where climbers have stopped to rest—places where many remain resting, not able to or not wanting to continue the arduous journey. Their faith is limited, hindering their belief, thus, spiritual maturity cannot take place within them. They have not realized the extreme value of their gift. A growing Christian, increasing in faith and belief, will encounter many people like this at these resting places as he or she continues on their upward journey. Maneuvering around them on the narrow trail can sometimes be difficult, but never impossible. Here are some of the difficulties you, as a true believer, may encounter... At base camp itself you will find many new believers. They are not necessarily short-time believers. Many there have believed in God for a long period of time but, again, their faith and belief have not matured. They haven't understood their need to climb further up the mountain. They remain at base camp where they can and do encourage new arrivals, yet, their own personal desire can be not to continue any further. They often feel that they do not need to proceed any further. Again, they unfortunately have not realized the true-in-depth value in their gift of belief. They are, shall we say, unfortunately "content" at that particular state. The reasons for their contentment vary and many camping there are not necessarily "honestly" content... Some are content with the basic concepts of salvation.— They have believed and have been baptized into Christ, but no longer continue to study the Bible and learn about their Lord and His individual purpose for them. Many others there have also believed in Jesus, but have not been baptized. Most of these are those who have been erroneously taught that water baptism is not necessary for their salvation. A misunderstanding of the Scriptures is usually at the root of this particular problem. Many of these non-baptized persons have actually left base camp and wandered up on the mountain of believing.— We'll talk about how and why they got up there momentarily.— In the meantime, there are also some truly converted Christians at base camp who have not started up the mountain because of their fear of leaving the world behind. They hold to the philosophies and scientific teachings of the world, and do not totally accept the truths of God. Their level of belief is indeed a "base camp" level. But non-baptized believers who have ascended to different levels on the mountain of believing are there because they desire to continue their learning. Although they are unaware that they are not truly Christians by obedience to the faith (Acts 5:32), they can mature somewhat in their learning. They are however limited as to the distance they can ascend on the mountain of believing. Not having laid a true foundation at base camp, much of their understanding, or misunderstanding, is based on the trickery and deceit of Satan. They continue to learn, but never come to the knowledge of the truth (2nd Timothy 3:7). This is because the Holy Spirit is not within them to guide them. A new believer only receives the Holy Spirit through obedience to Christ; These believers have not followed His teaching on becoming a Christian. When a crowd of about three thousand hearers asked Peter on that Day of Pentecost, 33 A. D., "What must we do to be saved?" Peter answered, "Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:37, 38) Those not truly obedient to the faith are, sadly, thorns among the roses on the mountain. They are not however past learning of their need for true conversion, their need for an active belief, but will remain shortsighted or blind until they do so. Unfortunately they make up nearly 90% of the believing world today. They feel that believing is enough, but haven't learned that the demons believe as well, and tremble (James 2:19). They also lack the ability to purely influence new believers, causing many to continue to live in error of the truth. They are not against Christianity, but they lack the knowledge of the most vital elementary doctrines of its teachings. In time they can become hardened in their own personal beliefs, thus failing to understand their need to renew their minds and become like little children. (Romans 12:2 & Matthew 18:2-4) Until they do, they will not ascend very far beyond base camp. Being deceived by Satan, some of them will even profess to be teachers of the truth, leading many astray. The point of this entire lesson is for you to learn and to understand that the strength of your belief in God requires a firm foundation of truth, and a continued ascent in your learning; an ascent on the Mountain of Believing. The more you learn of God through experience in understanding truth, the stronger and more effective your belief in Him and His care for you will become; Your prayer life will improve. Your ability to understand your own needs and the more important needs of others will become exceedingly more evident. Your ability to understand the Scriptures and bring them to life will embrace your heart and mind. Life will take on new meaning and an ever-increasing hope. The peace that passes all understanding can be available to you... Let those of you then whose desire is truth courageously depart from base camp, opening your hearts and minds, and begin an illuminating ascent with me on the Mountain of Believing...
If you have been given the gift of belief and you have left base camp and begun your ascent on the Mountain of Believing, then you are embarking on an incredibly eye-opening, thought provoking, life changing journey... As you ascend on to spiritual maturity you will begin to leave the world's concepts behind and below you. The basic philosophies and false scientific teachings and beliefs of the world do not compare in any way with the truths of God. They "muddy up the water" so to speak and make it difficult for the truth to be taught or to be understood. For instance; the age of the earth, along with the formation of mountains, rivers and canyons are completely misunderstood by most modern scientists. Yet, the accurate knowledge of these things should be indeed basic to the true believer. I am going to give you a few examples of some basic truths that you will need to learn to believe in before you get too far up from base camp. Without these understandings your further ascent on the mountain will be indeed slow going, difficult, and eventually impossible. First and foremost is the understanding that Gods' only written revelation to us (the Bible), is absolute truth, and anything that disagrees with it can only be interpreted as being misrepresented, misunderstood, misleading, or false. If you have progressed to this point of understanding, which does take some study time, you should then have a firm grip on the following truths; 1) The Lord formed the heavens we can see and the present earth upon which we live, with all of its full grown plants, fish, birds and animals in six (6) literal 24 hour days. He also made the planets and the stars, the sun and the moon, to give light upon the earth. All are in perfect order, according to His plan. All things of nature upon the earth are in perfect harmony, depending upon one another for continued existence. All things point to a supreme intelligence as creator. True scientists tell us that if one studies the physical sciences long enough and hard enough, he/she is forced to come to this conclusion. 2) On the sixth day of creation, from the dust of the earth, the Lord made man in His own image (a spirit being with creative abilities). He made a woman from the rib of this man, Adam, who was to be his helper and his equal. She was called Eve (meaning mother of all living), and together they became the original ancestors of the entire world's human population. 3) This present earth, from the time of its habitable formation, is less than 7000 years old. 1656 years after our earth's creation (around 5000 years ago), the Lord brought an overwhelming flood of waters upon a greatly populated earth, which destroyed all mankind, save 8 souls who were aboard an ark, and which reshaped the entire earth geographically as we now know it. Many plant and animal species and sea creatures were buried into extinction during that cataclysmic flood, which account for present day coal and oil deposits as well as the fossil record. From the surviving family of Noah and his descendants, the people began repopulating, were eventually divided by race and language (through divine miracle at the tower of Babel), and continued to move about, populating areas of the entire earth. This post-flood population is still growing. 4) Since Satan is the ruler of this world (Matthew 4:8,9 & John 12:31), you cannot therefore trust in the wisdom, nor in the philosophies, nor in the majority of the educational systems of the various kingdoms in this present world. The world for the most part rejects the authority of God and is ignorant concerning His attributes. The wisdom of the world is mere foolishness in His sight (1st Corinthians 3:19). 5) Following the life-giving attitudes of a man called, Jesus, the Son of God, is the only way of true wisdom and life for the entire believing world. No one can come to God the Father, anywhere in the world, regardless of their beliefs, except through a belief in and submission to the saving will of Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Fact: If you doubt any of the five truths I have listed above (a very small list I might add), please don't take offense, you are just not yet a true believer in God. If you cling to the false sciences, deceptive philosophies or vain religions or traditions of the world and call yourself a believer in God, then you are unfortunately only deceiving yourself. The early ascent from base camp requires that you acknowledge who God is, and that you trust in what He has proclaimed and not in the concepts, theories, and conclusions of unknowing or unbelieving men and women of the world... Know that the "knowledge" (wisdom) of mankind within this world is pure foolishness to God (1st Corinthians 3:19). If you want to increase in faith and belief, then you must courageously turn from the world in your thinking and follow the truths of God. You must be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). You may, at first, find truth difficult to follow since you were educated by the world. All of us have been educated by the world. Its affect in many cases is similar to "brainwashing". This may seem a harsh term, but keep in mind that God has said that Satan is the ruler of this world, that this present world is fading away, that it will be destroyed, and that truth will be all that remains (2nd Peter 3:10). Renewing your mind with what is true and right and everlasting, and then acting positively on those realizations, is the only thing that will save you or anyone else. It's time now to ask yourself... Have you truly begun the early ascent from base camp? Without accepting and learning to trust in the five minimum understandings I have listed above, you will be unable to grow properly in your faith and unable to climb any higher, spiritually, on the mountain of believing. But know that belief in the truths of God can indeed set you free, that you might indeed benefit from your climb. Jesus Himself said; "If you abide in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31, 32) In this world we are indeed slaves—slaves to the worlds' teachings, and slaves to the consequences of those teachings upon and within our earthly lives. But in Christ and in His truth we are made free; Free to embark on learning the truth, free to reject the teachings of men, free from the condemning judgment of God, and spiritually free to live our earthly lives until the end, learning from God alone, trusting in God alone, serving others through God alone, and looking forward to eternal life. What unparalleled assurance we have in trusting our Creator!
If we have overcome our fears of doubt regarding the Bible itself and we know that it is true, and if we have courageously disregarded the concepts, theories and error-filled conclusions of false science (1st Timothy 6:20,21), it is now that our early ascent from base camp is complete. It is time to climb on toward more mature understanding. It is time to approach the North Face, which I call the rock of promises, so named because our entire Christian experience; birth, initial growth, maturity, ultimate salvation and eternal life, is based entirely on God's promises (2nd Peter 1:4). However, even though we have worked hard and reasoned wisely within ourselves to come this far, through believing and acting on those promises, the chances of us turning back to our former thoughts and ideas can become much greater... Satan wages a constant battle within us and around us to turn us from God. The more knowledge, faith and belief we accumulate, all the more fiercely he fights against us; "For we do not fight against a physical enemy, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places". (Ephesians 6:12) Satan (the devil himself) does not want you to learn anything that will be detrimental to his hopeful reign over your personal life. He is the prince and ruler of this world. He will accuse you for the remainder of your earthly life. Since your ideas toward the world have now changed considerably, you are going to lose the confidence of some close relatives, perhaps even those within your own household. You're also going to lose the intimate friendship you may have with some of your associates. In addition, the farther up the mountain you climb, the fewer true believers you will encounter, for, narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few ever find it — Bottom line, the Christian path of life is extremely difficult on this earth. The end rewards however will be exceedingly great. (Ephesians 2:2, Matthew 4:8,9, Revelation 12:10 , Matthew 7:14, 2nd Timothy 4:7,8) The most difficult portion of your climb up the mountain of believing comes when you reach what I am calling; The North Face, or the rock of promises. You will reach the base of this area when you have overcome and conquered the previous encounters we have discussed along this trek. You have believed in many of Gods' teachings and promises thus far, or you wouldn't be where we are now. Yet, this particular face of the mountain, the "rock of promises", is even more difficult to ascend.— It has been a foot trail so far, but now you are going to need both your hands and feet, some ropes, as well as lots of courage, faith and hope—the no-nonsense stuff. Due to the immeasurable weakness of human nature, our natural mind, many of Gods' promises seem notably difficult to comprehend and to hold on to. But remember, we count on His promises through faith, not by sight (2nd Corinthians 5:7). When ascending a steep, rock face as the rock of promises is, I would like you to imagine that there are several pitons hammered into the rock at various intervals along the ascent. Climbers pitons are wedged shaped at one end for hammering into small cracks in the rock. The outer end of the piton is usually in the shape of a ring, or hook, for securing your carabiners (self-locking rope holders similar to "D" rings) as you make the climb. Once pitons are hammered into place they usually remain in the rock for use by future climbers.— We're going to imagine the piton placements as the individual promises of God, which you are learning to trust in on your ascent up the mountain of believing. Each piton represents a different promise that you must ascend to, hang onto with your rope, understand or accept, and then continue on up from. You will have a great distance to climb up this rock of promises before reaching the ridge of faith that ascends toward the summit... I hope that your climbing gear is in good shape for this North Face (rock of promises) ascent. When you first became a Christian, being water baptized into Christ, the Bible teaches us that at that grand moment, when you arose from the watery grave, your past sins were forgiven (washed away in the blood of Christ, Romans 6:3-11) as the Spirit of God entered your life. This promise of forgiveness of sins is, I believe to us, the greatest of Gods' promises in the Bible. Yet, sometimes we humans have difficulty in believing that the promise is really, totally, true. One reason for this is that, after baptism, we are still capable of sin and still continue to do so, even after we have been given the promise of a new life! Our nature to sin does not change through baptism, only our position with God changes. We still sin, and if we say that we do not sin, we only prove ourselves to be liars. However, though we may continue to unwillingly sin, we are repeatedly cleansed by the blood of Christ through confession, true repentance and prayer (1st John 1:8-10). Another reason we may doubt this promise of forgiveness is the fact that we may bear lasting consequences from our past sins; consequences that war violently against our ability to accept forgiveness.— We cannot bring back the person we murdered. We cannot bring back the wife and children we deserted through adultery. We cannot get out of prison for the robbery we committed. We cannot return to the job we got fired from. We usually cannot undo the words we spoke in anger or the damage we committed through rage. We usually cannot win back the hearts of those we have hurt or lost through our sin.— In other words, the consequences of our sins will continue, whatever they are, even though God has forgiven us of the sins themselves, for God has promised; "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). Consequences can totally break the spirit of a man or a woman. Life can become painfully unbearable for the forgiven sinner, due to the unforgiving consequences of sin. All the suicides that have ever been committed throughout the world are the direct result of an inability to bear the consequences of sin, no if's, and's or but's about it. A third reason we may doubt this promise of forgiveness is that other people usually don't truly forgive us the way God does. God forgives us, totally removing our sins, even from His memory! People usually don't forgive us to that extent. Somebody will always continue to point the finger at you. Someone will always be there to put you on a guilt trip. Fortunately, God doesn't think like people do. His ways are far above our ways, as are His thoughts, His intentions, and His judgments. No one can know His mind or be His counsellor (Isaiah 1:8, Hebrews 8:12 & Romans 11:33-36). The fact remains that His compassion never ends. He forgives us of our sins. His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-24). I believe the forth reason I'm going to give you here is the most profound. We cannot grasp an understanding of Gods' true and everlasting forgiveness of sin because we cannot forgive ourselves. I have searched the scriptures for many years, but have not found and example of anyone who could honestly forgive themselves. I heard a renowned man once say that it was an impossible thing to do. So far, I agree with him. I believe with all of my heart that we can learn to accept the consequences of sin, but I don't believe we can ever completely forgive ourselves for the sin(s). On the other hand, some people use the crutch; "Well, I'm only human." Though that is true, it will not remove the scars from our own heart, nor from those hearts we've scared.— Jesus died a horrible death for our sins. How can anyone forgive themselves for that? What the inability to forgive ourselves should accomplish, is to allow us to see our need to serve God more willingly and fervently—for those who have much to be forgiven of, will love much, and those who have little to be forgiven of, will love little (Luke 7:47). I have learned that personal pain develops humility. Though I am mentally crippled by the pain of my former sins, I would not have learned how to depend on God without that pain, nor would I ever come to understand the depth and utter depravity of my sins and the irreversible damage they have caused. I would not be able to fathom any part of the crucifixion of Jesus. It is the guilt of sin, the pain of sin, the remorse of sin and the consequences of sin that teach me who and what I really am. It is this deep anguish within my soul that serves to bring change to my heart of stone, produce healing within and build character. That particular anguish of deep repentance was one of the reasons King David was called, by God Himself; a man after My own heart (Acts 13:22). The piton then which represents God's forgiveness, this very first on the rock of promises, is indeed a difficult one to climb on past, is it not? The problem is, if you do not get past it, you're going to be stuck right here, just above the base of the rock. You will not be able to climb successfully any further or higher on up this mountain of believing. Your understanding will be much too limited to truly take in the magnitude or depth of any other of God's promises. There are indeed many wonderful promises on ahead of you, and you need to get above this piton by learning to accept who you are, what you are, and how God deals with your sins. This may take some time, and that's not really a problem. The key is in knowing where you are on the rock of promises, acknowledging where you are, and then having the patience to remain where you are until you have acquired the knowledge, skill and courage to proceed upward. This patience will result in an illuminating increase of understanding, faith and belief in your Christian journey. God has indeed given us many exceedingly great and precious promises (2nd Peter 1:3,4). Among those most familiar to us are; His love, mercy and forgiveness. His careful guidance, answered prayer, food, clothing, relief of worries and cares—actually everything that concerns us, including inner peace and even eternal life! He has further promised us vast, new heavens and a new earth, with unending peace among its inhabitants.— These promises are all found within Gods' written word, the Bible. Each of these promises require distinct elevations of understanding on our part. These levels of understanding are indeed spiritual levels and not physical levels. We attain to these spiritual elevations of understanding only through our continued faith and trust in God; our continued ascent on the rock of His promises. Our belief usually requires faith in things that are not necessarily seen. Yet, if we look at these "things" spiritually, we will eventually be able to see them.— After we ascend the rock of promises and reach the summit ridge, there is in fact much we can actually see...
The picture associated with this elevation is that of the Devils' Backbone, a razorback ridge on the high summit trail of Mt. San Antonio (Old Baldy), the highest peak in southern California's San Gabriel mountain range. The Devils' Backbone is a hair-raiser, an extremely narrow trek across a steep ridge, yet, it offers grand vistas of both the Lytle Creek drainage on the north and east, and San Antonio Canyon on the south. I nearly met with disaster here once but was saved by Dr. Mike Mucci, a fellow hiker who's swift hand caught the frame of my backpack, just as I had lost my footing. I learned something that day about hiking on that spiny ridge — to place one foot directly in front of the other, and to keep both eyes on my hiking boots with each and every step. It is definitely a place that will heighten your awareness... We have the given means and ability to also heighten our spiritual awareness; through the things God has made, and the faith which those things can generate. We can learn so very much through the visible things around us that can give us wondrous insight into the invisible things.— The Scriptures tell us; From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God has made. They can clearly see the invisible qualities... his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God (Romans 1:20 NLT). The summit ridge is a place where correct, repeated Biblical reading, faith, belief and trust mesh together and allow you to see as you have never seen before. The trek from base camp to the early ascent, to the rock of promises and on up to the summit ridge culminates in a foundation that cannot be shaken. From here you can learn to see the unseen. This concept was profoundly revealed through the simple, everyday teachings of Jesus, the Son of God; "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, and yet I say to you that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Now, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow, will he not much more clothe you, Oh you of little faith?" (Matthew 6: 28-30, Luke 12:27,28) King Solomon was by far the wealthiest and best dressed man who ever lived on the face of the earth. His possessions also far exceeded those of the wealthiest men on earth today (1st Kings 3:12). Yet, in all of his glory and splendor, he was not arrayed (fashioned/adorned) as magnificently as a simple flower of the field.— From the summit ridge you can see vast fields of radiant flowers far below you. You can see majestic mountains and diverse canyons formed by the hand of God. This is also the home of the big horn sheep, the owl, the hawk and the golden eagle. It is indeed an honor to view any of these creatures. The rocks, the trees and the varying plants of the surrounding terrain speak to you of the incomparable glory and wisdom of God in His creativity... Have you ever plucked just an ordinary blade of grass and examined it closely? The intricate design of water canals and matter, in just a single blade, is awe-inspiring! How much more in unfathomable, detailed splendor then are all these wonders seen from atop the summit ridge! Since God has taken such extreme care in His array of these things, how much more care has He put into each of us, individually, as human beings, His highest order of creation on the planet earth? How utterly fortunate we are to stand on this summit ridge where we can physically see and spiritually contemplate each of these things and all of these things... How honorable it is to be able, if we are indeed able, to touch a great rock, or even a small one! How satisfying to scoop up a handful of fine pebbles and grains of sand from your foot trail and sift them through your fingers! How comforting to feel the wind atop this high place! How artistically harmonious are the wind-shaped bristle cone pine, the lodgepole, jeffrey, sugar, white fir and the towering ponderosa! There are, within view here, a variety of green and flaming yellow fern that smother the banks of a melodious creek that winds among a great mixture of boulders and exquisite thickets of manzanita! There is the distinctly sharp scent of sage and incense cedar! At this elevation the sky overhead is a fierce blue, the air pure and clean—Who cannot know that the hand of the Lord has done all this?! (Job 12:9) The wise man or woman who has studied Gods' Word, who has increased in faith and believed in His promises, who has ascended to the summit ridge in their faith, having seen the unseen attributes of God through the things He has made; he or she has indeed stood on the pinnacle of faith! He or she understands, with great depth, the value of Gods' creation and can take any part of it anywhere with them in their heart or picture it within their mind. He or she can use it to fight temptation, to sustain themselves through hard times and to truly praise and honor God in good times. He or she can find great satisfaction and incomparable joy in teaching, helping and encouraging others.— If you have come this far in your faith, if you have reached the summit ridge, then you have indeed conquered many things. You have spiritually discovered the variety of talents of which God endowed you with for this very purpose. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, can become available to you (Philippians 4:7). This mature faith and trust can lead you confidently across the ridge and to the actual summit of the Mountain of Believing... The summit of true believing is putting belief into action. True belief will allow you to put yourself in your own place and to put God in first place, which is on the front line, first and foremost in your life; in your thoughts, in your words and in your deeds. True belief will allow you to walk with God as His friend. True belief will allow you to understand the more important inner needs of others and to freely give your life to and for them as Jesus did. It will allow you to give generously of the things God has so freely given to you; Compassion, Mercy, Forgiveness, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Meekness and Self-control. This is the fruit of the Spirit of God within you; This is love, the greatest attribute and the very greatest commandment of God. Indeed, welcome to the Mountain of Believing! ¤ Where are you on the spiritual Mountain of Believing? Are you at Base Camp? Have you started the Early Ascent? Are you somewhere on the North Face (rock of promises)? Have you climbed to the Summit Ridge? Have you crossed that narrow spine toward the Mountains' Summit? — Wherever you are, don't quit. Give it all you've got. Pray in earnest. Share your discoveries in truth with others along the way. Be patient in each of these endeavors. God, in His own time, will lift you up, and you will know and can rest in the fact that He can indeed do all that He has promised !
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