Although I was raised Christian, no church ever taught me the true way of the love of God through the Bible. Actually, not until Christ Ahn Sahng Hong established the Church of God World Mission Society and personally taught all of the truths of the spirit did anyone know really why Jesus Christ was crucified.
It is “common knowledge” that Christ was crucified for our sins, but that’s just what it is – knowledge. What does it mean that He was crucified for our sins? In order to understand this we have to know about the sin He was crucified for. It is also common knowledge that we are sinners – that we are “born into sin”.
Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As the Bible says, the wages (penalty) of sin is death. What about the person who was never born – yet dies. It’s called a miscarriage, or still-born. Such babies are “born” dead. However, God said that death is the penalty of sin. How can the baby commit sin on the earth if it was never living on the earth? It is because God taught us that this earth is not where our life started:
Eccl. 12:7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
The Bible is the book God left us to teach us about our own spirit. One of the verses God gave us was here in Eccl. 12, where He says that the dust (meaning the body – Gen. 2:7) returns to the ground when we die and the spirit returns to God. Yet God is in Heaven (Eccl. 5:2), so when we die our spirit returns to God. Why does God say that our spirit returns to God? Could it be that we were there before? Yes, God made our body from the dust originally, so when we die our body turns back to just that – hence the saying “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” So since our spirit is returning to God in Heaven our spirit originally came from there. Although neither of us remember being from heaven, God has left all of the teachings about our spirit in the Bible just as a parent leaves letters for their children so when they grow older they can know about why things happened as they have in life. When we grow up in this world, we experience more drama and painful situations than good and happy ones. We can never be truly happy no matter what we do. It is because we can never accomplish the complete happiness we once had in heaven. Something did happen while we were there, something not good. Who would trade the Kingdom of Heaven for this word? Actually, what happened in heaven must have been very serious, so serious that God Himself came to look for us.
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The Son of Man (Jesus) did not have a low position in heaven. Actually, He is God almighty who created all things. In Heaven God commanded legions of Heavens armies and was respected by all the universe. But because He lost something from heaven, He gave up such a glorious position there. What could it be that He lost that He couldn’t just replace it? Cannot God the creator just replace and re-create whatever He lost? However, this thing that He has lost in His point of view was so precious that He viewed it irreplaceable. He even went through a life of suffering – even being crucified to find it. Actually, God taught us that we are from heaven, but now we are on the earth. Really, since we were born there first that is truly our home. But do either of us know how to go back home? That’s why the Father of Heaven came to find us, those who are lost from heaven.
Matt. 9:13 “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Comparing the two verses, we must be lost from heaven because of sin. Hence the reason we understand why the Bible says we are born into sin. Also, the fact that miscarriages and still-borns exists, the sin we are paying for was committed in heaven. Heavenly Father came 2000 years ago to look for us. Consider this: what sin did we commit up there that God could not just send an angel or prophet - but He Himself had to come to look for us? Look at our penalty? Our sin was so bad that the only way we could pay for it was with our life? On this earth, what kind of criminal is that? Even murders can get 30 to 40 years prison – but what about the criminals who are sentenced to death? This type of inmate is different than the average criminal. For this type of inmate…death row was created. Death row is sentenced to a person who cannot be forgiven even after 30 to 40 years after serving in prison. This type of inmate cannot be let out to the free world at all again because, really, no one wants them back there. Would you EVER want to live next door to Jeffrey Dahmer? As a Wisconsin youngster, he impaled animals on stakes. Then he grew up to be a cannibal, one who tortured 16 men and boys to death. Do you really think he could be forgiven and let out to the free world again, even after serving 30-40 years? His crime is unforgivable, so his only sentence is death. What about us? What is the penalty of every human being on earth after committing sin in heaven? Can anyone escape this earthly prison without dying?
So then, from all of this, we can gather how dreadful our sin was from heaven. It was such that no one, no matter how long living on earth cannot escape death. It is unforgivable – such that no angel wanted us back up there. However, to such criminals, wouldn’t their parents love them still?
That’s why who was the one who came to look for us? It was only God. And He taught us to pray “Our Father in Heaven.” How can we spiritual inmates return to heaven having committed the crime we did in heaven. Actually we cannot, but that’s why it says the free gift of God is eternal life ( no death from no sin) in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Eph. 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
God redeemed us through His blood. That means He died instead of us. That’s why He suffered the worst penalty of a criminal – crucifixion. This was the only was to pay for such a heinous crime. To us it’s just a free gift, but to God it was the pain of death. So as God cleared us of our punishment, the least that we can do is receive the way He gave us forgiveness. How dare sinners create the way to be saved saying “just believe”. According to the Bible, God actually gave us His blood before He wouldn’t be able to because of crucifixion.
Matt. 26:19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover…26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
So on the night of the Passover, God gave us His own body and blood that we may be forgiven of our sins. That’s why it is poured out for the forgiveness of sins. If forgiveness was just a matter of believing why would Jesus give us the physical act of eating and drinking His blood? It is because actually before He gave up His blood on the cross, He promised it to us just the night before. The blood shed on the cross was not for God but for us. We need the forgiveness of sins to be freed from this jail, so Our Heavenly Father gave us His own body and blood through the Passover. How precious is the Passover!
Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
God came to the earth and paid the price of our sin with His own blood. No prophet can do this. No angel wanted to do this. Yet the King of Heaven was eager to do this.
Luke 22:15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”
Although this New Covenant Passover contains the sacrifice of the Most High God for the forgiveness of our sins, it was unfortunately abolished in AD 325. We don’t have to be religious to know that there is a spiritual world existing and as there exists God also exists Satan – actually. Satan used a meeting of Bishops and religious leaders during this year to get rid of the Feast of Passover and stop the people of God from receiving the forgiveness of sins. 2000 years ago, the people at that time received God’s forgiveness through the Passover, however, after 325 AD no one had a hope for heaven. So to this day, people can never achieve true happiness. If the Passover remained abolished, what would happen to us in these days? So for us, God prepared one prophecy:
Heb. 9:27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Even before the Passover was abolished God was thinking of us in these last days! Christ said He will appear (is visible) a 2nd time bring salvation. Why does the Bible say this if Jesus brought salvation 2000 years ago? It is because the salvation, promised though the Passover, was abolished. For this reason, God already planned to come back – not for the disciples and Apostles, but for us. We are the ones living in this time that needs forgiveness. Did you know that God came again for us? 2000 years ago God came with the name Jesus Christ and underwent so much rejection to set up the way of forgiveness. So again, many, many people call Christ Ahn Sahng Hong a false Christ only because they look at His appearance. However, He gave us God’s body and blood. Only who can give us God’s body and blood? As only God can do this, He is God. The Bible says only the 2nd Coming Christ can bring salvation (Passover) yet before Christ Ahn Sahng Hong taught the Passover in 1948 no church regarded the Passover. It is because only the 2nd Coming Christ reveal the truth of the Passover. So Christ Ahn Sahng Hong is the 2nd Coming Christ, God who has come again. Yet again the Heavenly Father has undergone so much rejection and persecution to set up once again the way of forgiveness. Although this is happening to Him, the only thing God wants is Their children to repent. For all the suffering:
Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Despite all the suffering and rejection Heavenly Father Ahn Sahng Hong has gone through, the only thing He is concerned with is sinners repenting – receiving the forgiveness of sins through the Passover. So to make God happy, we should celebrate the Passover. If God is happy with us, one sinner keeping the Passover to be forgiven, how happy God will be if you let someone else keep it too!
That’s why even though we are not worthy to return to heaven, there is welcome there for us when we do return. For the King is Father Ahn Sahng Hong, God and savior of His own.