EPISODE 17 – FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE BIBLE (Part 7) – “God’s sacrifice for the world” скачать в хорошем качестве

EPISODE 17 – FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE BIBLE (Part 7) – “God’s sacrifice for the world”

Could it be that our entire understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice is… mistaken? Is it possible that by focusing on the physical image of the cross, we are losing sight of the true, spiritual meaning of salvation? If you want to see the Bible from a completely different perspective, stay with us. In Episode tenth we examined the Ten Biblical Principles. Today we focus on Principle Number Seven —one of the most important and most frequently misunderstood. It concerns the question: For whom was Jesus’ sacrifice truly made, and what does it actually consist of? Many people repeat: “God died for the whole world.” But does the Bible truly teach this? Let’s take a closer look. 1. A Common but Oversimplified View of the Sacrifice Most people view Jesus’ sacrifice primarily as His physical suffering—the pain of the cross, mockery, and humiliation. Added to this is the idea that a person must “choose God,” “decide to be saved,” and then keep the law so as not to lose salvation. This creates a human program of salvation based on effort, rituals, confession, and repeated ceremonies. The problem? Such rituals make it seem as though Jesus did not die “once for all.” As though His sacrifice were not effective. Yet the Bible says that the rituals were only a shadow pointing to something greater—the coming of the Holy Ghost and the New Covenant written not on tablets of stone, but on the heart of man. 2. The Spiritual Picture of the Sacrifice In its spiritual message, the Bible reveals something far deeper: The true sacrifice of Jesus is not His physical death, but His Spirit given to the elect. “Bloodshed” symbolizes the outpouring of the Holy Ghost—not biological suffering. For the elect live, until the moment of salvation, under the influence of “the spirit of this world.” Salvation is therefore the deliverance from the spiritual power of Satan. Thus, when we read that “God died for the world,” it means: He died for His elect out of the world, not for every individual without exception. The Bible speaks of various groups of the elect—therefore the word world can refer to those who have not yet been saved. 3. Classic Verses in a New Light For example: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) or “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16) If the elect belong spiritually to this world until the moment of salvation, then they are the ones whom Jesus “cleanses”—removing from their hearts the spirit of Satan and giving them the Holy Ghost. Why is this important? Because the Bible teaches both that God saves the world and condemns the world. This makes sense only if “the world” refers to different groups of people—the elect and the non-elect. 4. “Killing Jesus” – What Does It Mean? When a person relies on the law, rituals, and personal effort, he is—symbolically—repeating the act of condemning Jesus. The law condemned Him to death because He represented Grace, that is, salvation by the Spirit. Thus, reading the Bible only in a physical sense, without its spiritual meaning, “kills” Jesus—reducing Him to history, to flesh, to the past. Yet His true work is spiritual, living, and is manifested today in those whom God saves. 5. Spiritual Transformation Resurrection in the Bible is the picture of transformation: From a spiritually dead person emerges one who is spiritually alive—only through the work of God, never through human effort. This is why salvation is the “narrow way.” A person cannot approach God by himself. He can be saved only if God appointed him to salvation before the foundation of the world. “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (First John 2:2) “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” (First John 4:14) “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” (Romans 5:15) The common image of Jesus’ sacrifice—physical, emotional, and based on human decisions—is only a shadow of the truth. The true sacrifice is spiritual, directed toward the elect, and manifested through the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is God who saves, not man.