by William Wilbur
John 3:5
Jesus answered, Verily, Verily, I say unto thee,Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
1 John 5:7,8
For there are three that bear record in heaven,the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:
and these three are one.And there are three that bear witness in earth,the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood:and these three agree in one.
In the Old Testament the Day of Atonement revealed the future Salvation through Jesus Christ.
Once a year, the High Priest (Aaron) would lay his hands on the head of a living goat called the "scapegoat." This act, was to pass all the sins of Israel for that year, onto this sacrifice.
The sacrifice (death) of this scapegoat would have been meaningless...if the sins were not passed onto it first.
In the same respect…
The sacrifice (death) of Jesus on the cross, would have been meaningless...if all the sins of the world were not passed onto him first.
John the Baptist, through his father Zacharias and his mother Elisabeth, was a descendant of Aaron the High Priest;
John who was the last Earthly Priest to represent all mankind.met with Jesus, the Heavenly Priest at the Jordan River.
Matt 3:13-15
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John,to be Baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him,
Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.
Then he suffered him.(for thus means… Baptism by the laying on of hands is the most appropriate, just, and fitting manner to "pass on" the sins of the world)
And as in the Old Testaments' "shadow of things to come" John the High Priest passed all the sins of the world onto Jesus (the sacrifice) at this water baptism.
Yes, the animal sacrifices of the old testament forshadowed what Jesus would come and do.
Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God,who would take on all the sins of the world...and then proceeded to the cross to pay for them with his life blood.
It makes perfect sense for Jesus to tell John that it was necessary for him to baptize him...for he couldnt proceed to the cross without the sins.
If the Priest in the old testament didn't put the sins on the head of the sacrifice first,the sacrifice was not acceptable to God, and its death would have been meaningless.
Likewise,if John didnt put the sins on the head of Jesus first,the sacrifice would also not be acceptable to God, and his death would have been meaningless.
Matt 3:16
And Jesus, when he was baptized,went up STRAIGHTWAY out of the water....
And it also makes perfect sense that Jesus came straightway out of the water as he was baptized by the hands on the head, straight down and straightway out...
John the Baptist was a significant part of our Salvation !!
What did Jesus himself say about John?
Matt 11:11
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist (Greater than Isaiah, Ezekiel, and even Moses)
Matt 3:16,17
And Jesus, when he was baptized,went up straightway out of the water:and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him,and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son,in whom I am well pleased.
After the baptism, the next day John saw Jesus again and witnessed to all;
John 1:29
...behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.
John knew Jesus was now carrying the sins of the world and witnessed it aloud!!
It isn't our baptism....but the baptism of Jesus that was essential to our salvation!! For this is where Jesus would "cut-off" all sin in the world. The sacrificial requirement of passing all sins onto Jesus
had been correctly accomplished.
(the WATER)
The Spirit of God had descended. In the form of a dove
(the SPIRIT)
Jesus would now proceed on to the cross,where he would accept the judgment for all sin....IN OUR PLACE
(the BLOOD)
God sent his Son to save us from all sins.
(past, present, and future)
Jesus came to save us from all sins.
(past, present, and future)
When Jesus cried out:
IT IS FINISHED!!
Was it not finished? Did he not save all of us who by faith accept his water, spirit, and blood sacrifice?
Was it not completely sufficient?
Heb 10:12,14
But this man, after he had offered ONE sacrifice for sins FOREVER, sat down on the right hand of God:
For by ONE offering he has perfected FOR EVER them that are sanctified
All we have to do is understand how this great salvation was accomplished and by faith accept it as the truth and believe.
Remember, the sacrifice (death) of Jesus would be meaningless...if he didn't take all the sins with him.
Satan's plan, is that we won't see the importance of the water aspect of Salvation and that while we profess to believe in Jesus, we will still have sin in our hearts upon Christ's return.
For if we fail to believe by faith in the water aspect of Salvation and that Jesus took all the sins of the world upon himself at his baptism; we will be found still having our sins in our hearts and we will not be fit for the Kingdom of God.
We must believe by faith, that Jesus cleansed our hearts of all sin.
We are no longer separated from God the Father, but are now restored children of God without sin.
Jesus took all sin (past,present and future)
to the cross
If a person doesn't believe this by faith and only believes in the blood on the cross....the sacrifice of Jesus would be meaningless for that person;as that persons' sins were not put on Jesus by faith in the high priests baptism.
Thus,that persons faith would fail to represent all the necessary aspects of true salvation...
the Water, Spirit, and the Blood
Let's take a look at the most important Holiday for Israel…
"The Passover"
This was a special day to remember and thank God,for the Exodus from Egypt.
God told Abraham, that if he and his descendants would enter into his covenant and be circumcised;He would become their God,and they would become his people.
Circumcision was the "cutting off" of the foreskin, signifying…the "cutting off" of sin and becoming Gods' people.
Only those who were circumcised became Gods' people and were allowed to eat the meat of the Passover celebration.
Just as the sacrifice (death) of Jesus on the cross would have been meaningless;if the sins of the world were not passed onto him first…
Participating in the Passover without being circumcised, and being Gods' People; would also have been meaningless.
In the new Testament we find that… spiritually…Rom 2:29
Circumcision is that of the heart.Spiritual Circumcision… is spiritually "cutting off" sin,
thus becoming Gods' people.
We do so by faith,and believing in the Water, the Spirit, and the Blood.
We "cut off" sin,by believing in faith, that Jesus took all sins upon himself at his baptism and then proceeded to the cross.where he would pay the price
(judgement) for them in our place.
The moment we see,understand and believe this beautiful truth;we no longer have any sins in our hearts,as they are immediately transferred to our sacrifice... Jesus; and the separation between us and God the Father has been eliminated forevermore.
If we don't believe Jesus took all sins to the cross, and just believe in the blood…We are essentially eating the Passover…without being spiritually circumcised.
We are attempting to be covered by the blood of Christ; without first becoming Gods' people.
Let's take a look at the book of Joshua
Joshua led Gods' people to the Jordan enroute to the "promised land".
When the Priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, stepped into the Jordan (known as the river of death);
The water was "cut off" and parted leaving dry land so they could cross over into the "promised land".
Forshadowing that Jesus was to be baptized by John at the Jordan; and would "cut off" all sin forever.
So we could enter the "promised land" by the Water, the Spirit, and the Blood sacrifice of Jesus !!
Let's now take a look at the Sanctuary and the Tabernacle:
The Tabernacle was constructed according to Gods' commands and it surely is relevant that he used
Blue, Purple, and Scarlet thread to match the Water, Spirit, and Blood.
The entry gate of the Sanctuary was also constructed with these colors, signifying that one must have the correct faith in Jesus, to even enter the Sanctuary and attempt to go back to God the Father through Christ. And it is no accident, that the Blue, Purple, and the Scarlet colors were all over the Tabernacle as well as on the entry to the Holy Place, to the Most Holy Place, and even on the veil between the Holy and the Most Holy Place.
The outer layer of the Tabernacle was brown signifying Jesus would come as a man underneath this is the red layer signifying Jesus would shed his blood underneath this is the white layer signifying He would make us pure as snow and then, the beautiful Blue/purple/scarlet layer
signifying the True Gospel of the Water Spirit and the Blood which would be the correct faith that allows us to go back to the Father, through Jesus Christ.
It is interesting, that these beautiful colors are the layer between us and the Father and that this truth was hidden underneath the coverings, yet not hidden at the gate of the Sanctuary or the entrance to the Holy Place.
Just a thought:
In Noahs' time.... it had never rained, and the people that didn't believe in the "water"....
were not saved by God,- but perished.
In Jesus' time...the people that don't believe in the "water" aspect of Salvation and the "cutting off" of sin will likewise perish.
Remember, the sacrifice of Jesus would be meaningless if he didn't take all the sins with him to the cross. Either he took all the sins with him and finished what he came to do; and we are saved by faith as we are sinless by his righteousness....
OR
we choose…not…to believe that all our sins are gone...and when he returns we wont be able to stand and face him; because we failed to believe the "Water" aspect of Salvation. which would mean;
we were never spiritually circumcised to become Gods' people...yet, we were trying to be covered by his blood.
When Jesus said: "It is finished"
Was it not finished?
If the Son therefore shall make you free,
You shall be free indeed!!
Praise, Honor, and Glory be unto Jesus Christ, the Living Son of the Living God !!
Accept his free gift of Salvation by saying a prayer similar to this:
Father in Heaven,in Jesus name I pray… to thank you Lord…for revealing to me that salvation
is only found in your Holy Son Jesus.
I confess Jesus,I am a sinner, destined for hell. I have broken all your laws and commandments.
Masses of sin are in me,and I can do nothing but sin over and over again.
So I call upon your Holy name Jesus, and accept and believe that you, take me as I am, and that you have already taken all my sins with thee to the cross.
All I have to do is believe by faith and my heart is cleansed of all transgressions; and I instantly become a child of God
and thy Holy Spirit dwells within me.
Thank you Lord Jesus for being a wonderful loving God and Savior.Truly You are most worthy of all Praise, Honor, and Glory. Amen.
Heb 10:12,14
But this man, after he had offered ONE sacrifice for sins FOREVER, sat down on the right hand of God:
For by ONE offering he has perfected FOR EVER them that are sanctified.
1 John 5:6
This is he that came by water and blood,even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.
And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1 Peter 3:21
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth now also save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Rejoice!!
You are now a child of God… a bright Light in a dark dark world. Reborn of the water and of the spirit!!
Acceptable to God the Father because of the righteousness of Christ!!
Let your light so shine!!
Remembering always….that faith without works is dead and by works was faith made perfect.
James 2:12
So speak ye and so do, as they that will be judged by the law of liberty.
And walk ye in the Spirit…
LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONG SUFFERING, GENTLENESS GOODNESS, FAITH, MEEKNESS, TEMPERANCE.
Peace that passeth all understanding
I....myself....have great peace within me; for now I understand....
How Jesus has taken all of my sins (past, present, and future)
with him to the cross.
And if you can believe it he has also taken all of yours!!
We are now accounted as righteous before God the Father because Jesus not only took our sins to the cross, he has also paid the price for them... in our place!!
It's so simple...
If you dont believe by faith that Jesus has taken all of your sins...when he returns you will still have your sins in your heart (mind) and you will not be able to stand before him and his brightness.
You can believe your sins are gone and paid for;or you can hold on to them and perish;because you didn't accept his free gift of Salvation.
If you accept his free gift of Salvation,your heart is emptied of all sin and the true Holy Spirit can thus enter.
This is the "rebirth" that Jesus said you must have prior to entering the Kingdom of God.
We are accounted as righteous before the Father,as we honor him,by honoring his Son Jesus and accepting his righteousness as our garment that the Father looks upon-
after we believe....
The WATER, the SPIRIT, and the BLOOD
In closing, We were born into sin We must be "reborn" into righteousness
Where do you believe Jesus took the sins upon himself?
In the Garden of Gethsemane?
Did he take them at the cross?
It is a very important question,as Salvation is based on your Faith;that Jesus was who he was,
and did what he did.
Since the entire sacrificial system of the old testament forshadowed what Jesus would come and do;we can no longer believe just in the blood at the cross.
We have to acknowledge that even though the Lord didnt plainly tell us that Jesus took the sins upon himself at his baptism...
He has given us wisdom enough to see and know; that the evidence is substancial and must be addressed by those who truly seek God.
People forget how sly Satan is.... He doesnt want us to know that Jesus took all sins at his baptism...
so that our sins will remain in our hearts and never get to the cross.
Jesus basically said if your mind even thinks about a sin; you may as well have done it.
He was trying to show us the great "degree" in which we are all sinners.
We are saturated with the disease of sin....
A person couldn't possibly pray enough to cover all their sins. and since this is so,
and sin can never enter heaven....
one man said: Who then could possibly be saved?
and Jesus replied, "with God all things are possible."
The ONLY way anyone can be "saved" is to becompletely COVERED by the righteousness of Jesus!!
But we have to truly know who Jesus is, lest we fall into the lost group that says:
Lord didn't we do great things in your name?
Didn't we cast out devils in your name?
And Jesus replies, I never knew you...
The True Gospel of the Water, the Spirit, and the Blood is that close relationship that we need to have
with our Lord and Savior.
I believe Jesus has paid the price for all sins!! but we first have to have put all our sins on him
by the Correct Faith of...the Water, Spirit, and the Blood....
Otherwise-
Jesus hasn't taken YOUR sins with him to the cross,and you are still carrying them in the table of your heart!! Jer 17:1
The sin of Judah is written with a PEN of Iron,and with POINT of a DIAMOND: it is Graven upon the Table of their Heart,and upon the horns of your alters.
The moment (the blinking of an eye) when one understands the "Water" part of Salvation...and SEES and BELIEVES by true FAITH...that Jesus has already taken all their sins at his baptism-
That is the moment you are reborn of the "WATER" Your sins, are instantly transferred to Jesus
and his payment on the cross covers them!!
You are instantly a child of God from that very moment, as the Father sees ONLY the righteousness of Jesus when looking at you.
What about daily sins??
Yes, you will sin until you die,or until all things are made new. But even those are blotted out...if you have the proper faith. Jesus does not have to come back again to pay for your daily sins!!
Heb 10:12,14
But this man, after he had offered ONE sacrifice for sins FOREVER, sat down on the right hand of God:
For BY ONE offering he has perfected FOREVER them that are sanctified.
When we sin, the Holy Spirit will convict us of these errors.... and we must CONFESS the sin, and REPENT (be sorry) and "TURN AWAY" from that sin.
We repent, but we DO NOT have to ask for FORGIVENESS!!
If we continue to ask for forgiveness; we do not have the correct faith; that he took ALL the sins ALL at once .... and paid for ALL the sins....ALL at once.
The sin is already gone and has already been paid for... IF...you have been reborn of the "WATER".
After we repent (are sorry) for the sin-
We return to our true Faith of the Water Spirit and the Blood!!
Meditating on how perfect and beautiful this Salvation really is.
Who purposely would use this wonderful truth as a license to sin once they realize; Jesus has truly freed them from all sin forever?
This beautiful truth breaks the "binds" of Satan for ever!!
I say once you truly believe this; the Holy Spirit gives you the power to not want to do those things of the fleshy nature. Yes we can fall back into that fleshy nature as it is always within us..
So we must keep from falling back into our fleshy nature by striving to always stay in the SPIRIT...
Meditating always on this "Perfect Salvation" and working for the Lord to reveal this beautiful gospel to others.
William Wilbur
http://www.myspace.com/whom_seek_ye