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Why does Romans 5:18-19 say, “One offense…one righteous act,” yet verse 19 says, “The disobedience of one man…the obedience of the One”?



First of all, we have to divide Romans 5:12-21 into definite sections. Verses 13 through 17 are a footnote to verse 12; verse 18 should follow immediately after verse 12. Verses 13 through 17 therefore are parenthetical, that is, an insertion, not the main text. Let us begin from verse 12.

Verse 12 says, “Therefore just as through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin, death; and thus death passed on to all men because all have sinned.” Adam was a channel through which sin flowed into the world, and death followed behind sin. So death passed not only to one man but to all men because all have sinned. Yet after Paul finished this verse, he feared that some might raise the question: “Since there was no law during Adam’s time, where did sin come from? And if there were no sin, how could there be death?” Paul, therefore, put in a parenthetical explanation, verses 13 to 17, which may be subdivided into three sections.

Verses 13 through 14 say, “For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not charged to one’s account when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned after the likeness of Adam’s transgression, who is a type of Him who was to come.” Paul meant that before there was the law, sin was not counted as sin. This does not mean that because there was no law, sin did not exist. Paul was dealing with a fact. Even though there was no law, sin was in the world. Since death was in the world, sin must have been in the world also. Since death has come upon all, all have sinned. Although the sins committed by different men are different from Adam’s sin, the death is the same. Paul was proving one thing: even though the act was done by Adam alone, it affected the whole human race. Not only did Adam receive the consequence, but the whole human race received the same consequence also. The same is true with Christ, because Adam prefigured Christ; Christ’s actions affected the whole human race.

Verse 15 says, “But it is not that as the offense was, so also the gracious gift is; for if by the offense of the one the many died, much more the grace of God and the free gift in grace of the one man Jesus Christ have abounded to the many.” This verse compares the offense itself (or its nature) with grace; the offense is inferior to grace. Paul’s reasoning was that since Adam’s sin caused the many to die, could not the grace of God be gained more by the many? He was comparing the nature of the offense with the nature of grace. He was saying, “What kind of grace is the grace of God? The grace of God was given freely to men through one man, Jesus Christ. Could it not abound more to the many? Certainly it could abound more to the many.”

Verses 16 through 17 say, “And it is not that as through one who sinned, so also the free gift is; for the judgment was out of one offense unto condemnation, but the gracious gift is out of many offenses unto justification. For if by the offense of the one death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” These two verses compare the end result (or the retribution) of the offense with the end result of grace. Concerning the end result, the offense is still inferior to grace. As a result of one man’s sin, God condemned his sin according to righteousness, and many were also condemned. Because of one offense, many were condemned. Yet grace can forgive so many offenses, not just one offense. Therefore, the end result of grace far surpasses the end result of the offense. If one offense could affect so many, it is not known how many would be condemned by ten offenses or a hundred offenses. However, God’s grace can forgive many offenses. The end result of grace is indescribably better. Verse 17 reinforces verse 16. Since we have both grace and righteousness, can we not reign in life? Surely we can.

Verse 18 says, “So then as it was through one offense unto condemnation to all men, so also it was through one righteous act unto justification of life to all men.” The thought in this verse immediately follows the thought in verse 12. Verse 12 says that just because one man, Adam, sinned, death came upon all men because all have sinned. Verse 18 continues by saying that through Adam’s one offense, all men were condemned, but through Christ’s one righteous act, which accomplished righteousness once for all on the cross, there was justification of life to all men. If a person does not believe this doctrine, he will not admit that he is a sinner. The Bible does not say that you become a sinner when you commit sin; the Bible says all men are sinners. As long as you are a human being, you are a sinner. You, therefore, are a sinner because Adam sinned. Many do not understand the salvation of Christ because they do not understand the things concerning Adam. If you can say that all men were condemned in Adam, why can you not say that in Christ all men were justified to receive life? Praise and thank God! What we have gained in Christ is much more than what we have lost in Adam. We are sinners because of Adam’s one offense, and we can be saved because of Christ’s one righteous act. Adam’s one offense brought forth such a result. Likewise, Christ’s one righteous act brought forth a far better result.

Verse 19 says, “For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be constituted righteous.” This verse explains that this result is much better than the other because this Man is far better than the other man. Putting it in another way, the other act was inferior to this act because the former man was inferior to the latter Man.
Verse 18 says that what Adam once did is far inferior to what Christ has done. Verse 19 tells us that the reason the act of Adam was not as good as the act of Christ is that Adam was inferior to Christ. Adam disobeyed, but Christ obeyed. Because of Adam’s disobedience, all men were made sinners. In the same manner, because of Christ’s obedience, all men were made righteous.

Verse 20 says, “And the law entered in alongside that the offense might abound; but where sin abounded, grace has superabounded.” The law does not cause the offense to abound; it only exposes the many offenses. The law does not cause man to sin; it only reveals man’s sins. This is like a mirror; it only exposes the flaws on my face but cannot increase them. The law is from without, and it shows us what great sinners we are. After we come to know ourselves, God shows us that His grace abounds much more than sin.

Verse 21 says, “In order that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Adam has passed away. Now there is only the gospel. Praise and thank God that we are saved, but not through ourselves. This is the gospel!

MuttleyLaff:
"¹⁸Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone,
but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.
¹⁹Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners.
But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous."
- Romans 5:18-19

Thanks again big bro
Let's still break it down for the viewers .

Why does Romans 5:18 say, “One offense…one righteous act,” yet verse 19 says, “The disobedience of one man…the obedience of the One”?

MuttleyLaff:
"But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
- Romans 5:8

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,"
- 1 Corinthians 15:3

The two verses, essentially both are communcating the same thing ichuka, there is no difference as such between them.

What did Christ die for? He died for our sins. Why did Christ die for us. He died for us because we are sinners, so the underlining common denominator in both Romans 5:8 and 1 Corinthians 15:3 is sin then. It is about tackling sin. Christ died and died for us because of our sins

You are right bro
It's like a coin which always have two sides.
One side is the sinner and the other is the sins committed by the sinner.
He died for both.

What is the difference between Christ dying for us (Rom. 5: and Christ dying for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3)?

The meaning of Christ dying for us is that Christ died for us as sinners. The purpose of His death was to save us, the sinners. We were gained and delivered from ourselves as a result of Christ’s accomplishment for us.

The meaning of Christ dying for our sins is that Christ died for the sins which we, the sinners, have committed. The purpose of this was to remove the record of our sins and deliver us from the punishment and power of sin so that our sins could be forgiven and we could be freed from sin’s dominion.

What is the difference between Christ dying for us (Rom. 5: and Christ dying for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3)?

francesawesome:
That's good to know

Lol sis,
Anyway goodnight

francesawesome:
Bro that's between me and Jesus

Lol sis.
Sis,we should stop preaching the gospel of fear,instead we should focus fully on the Gospel of Grace which is also the Gospel Love.
We should try to know the difference between Eternal Life and the Kingdom of God.
A believer might lose the Kingdom Reign but not his/her salvation.
My is Chuka,why is that?because I was born a Chuka!! (That's like been born again)
Whatsoever I do am still a Chuka(born again)
If I decides to work hard and become the Governor tommorow(that's like reigning in His Kingdom) but I might still lose been the Governor(that's like sins depriving me from reigning in the Kingdom)
But I AM STILL A CHUKA!! I can't lose that identity,why? That's who I am.if Chuka(born again) is a Doctor,Geologist or a tout,he's still Chuka.
Because Chuka was not born of blood ,or the flesh nor the will if a man ,but Of God!!!
It's all of God and not us .

My Father I thank you for your Mercies that's very sure in my life and destiny in Jesus name.Amen.

francesawesome:
You have said it all bro. Sin can cause a great havoc to our faith. The bible talks about a reprobate mind ,when gets comfortable in sin.
Sin can open doors to demonic attack.

Hi sis,
Pls I want to ask you same ?? I asked big bro.ok,
" Are you saved by yourself or by the Lord Jesus?”
Thanks

francesawesome:
You have said it all bro. Sin can cause a great havoc to our faith. The bible talks about a reprobate mind ,when gets comfortable in sin.
Sin can open doors to demonic attack.

Hi big bro,
Want to ask you a simple question.
" Are you saved by yourself or by the Lord Jesus?”
Thanks

LadyExcellency:
I have Satanic bible and all your comments seem to be lifted from there.

Are you a member of Church of Satan?

Are you a Christain ?

francesawesome:
I read a story narrated by Kenneth Hagin, Jesus was teaching him about demon possession. He saw a vision of a lady who happens to be pastors wife. He knows them very well. The lady left her husband. God was trying to tell Kenneth Hagin about what happened to the woman. The woman was born again, spirit filled. Satan tempted him by saying "oh lady, if not that you're born again, you would have gain power and firm with your beautiful look and voice" she knew it was Satan and rebuke him, later the same talk came and she pondered over it then her husband was no longer appealing to her again. She divorced him, dated another, left the man, to another man. Jesus said if she had repented, she would have forgiven her and restore her. But something happened. During those times she backslided church member always come around to try and win her back. Until one day, a church member met her in a hotel room and tried winning her over, she said "as long as Christ is concern to hell with all of you". Kenneth hagain said immediately, her spirit was full of darkness. Jesus told Kenneth, she has made her choice, she ha rejected me. It is impossible to save her now because she has embrace darkness. This story plus others. It is very possible for one to loose his/her salvation. Read the triumphant church by Kenneth Hagin

Hi sis
God cannot contradict Himself.
He said once we believe Eternal Life is ours.
The Life He gives is Eternal.

Ihedinobi3:
Hello ichuka.

Hyper-Calvinism is popular and, unfortunately, wrong. Its popularity is only a problem because it is wrong. It is not wrong just because it is popular.

God's Predestination or Foreordination of believers does not remove our free will. Minus free will, there is no reason for man's existence at all, much less for the things we go through here on earth.

God has always been and always is omniscient. So He chose us to be saved before we were even created because He knew that we will choose to be saved during our lives here on Earth. That is what Predestination means. It does not mean that we had no choice but to be saved. Only those who choose to believe in Jesus Christ and hold on to that faith in Him until the end of their mortal lives are saved. This is a matter of choice as the Bible teaches. No one is forced to love the Lord or to believe in Him. No one is forced not to love the Lord or to believe in Him. See John 3:16-21; 1:12.

As long as we choose to believe, we are saved. The Image of God that we possess means that it is only us who can decide our fate. Not even the Lord Himself interferes in our choice, how much less any creature. This is what makes our eternal salvation so safe. The freedom of our will is guaranteed by the Lord God Himself. Nobody can tamper with our right to choose. If we want to be saved, there is no force in Heaven, on earth, or under the earth that can stop us from being saved. If we don't want to be saved, the same is true: nothing can make us saved. It is entirely up to us to choose. The work for our Salvation has already been done by the Lord Himself. Ours is merely to decide if we want it to apply to us or not, and to hold on to our choice when it is made.

So, for example, Pharaoh decides that he will only rebel against the Lord. Not even the great plagues that the Lord unleashes upon him stop him from doing so. In fact, with every new plague, he only chooses to harden himself more against the Lord. The Bible does say that the Lord Himself hardened him, but that only means that the Lord provided him with special enabling to harden himself. Our free will is powered by the Lord Himself, so if He does not provide us with the ability to exercise it, we simply would not be able to choose anything at all. The choosing is done entirely by us, but it is the Lord who provides us with the ability to choose in the first place.

So, the fact that the Bible teaches the Predestination or Foreordination of believers does not at all mean that a true believer cannot choose to throw his faith away. The Lord Jesus taught us the exact opposite in Matthew 13. We can choose to stop believing. We ought not to, but we can. If we want to avoid being seduced or threatened into doing so, then we ought to grow spiritually and become able to stand resolute in our faith no matter what lies we are told or what we are threatened with (Ephesians 4:11-16).

Hi big bro
How can something that's Eternal be lost?
Can God contradict Himself?No!!
He said whosoever believes,receives Eternal Life.not temporary but Eternal Life.
The Kingdom is different from eternal life.
The Kingdom can be lost but not His Life in us.

zyzxx:
eyah
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Maybe you should know that out of 12 tribes of Israel, 10 were taken away from his generation only two they end up with his son?


Don't change, u will know that there what we call hell and day of judgement, it not day of moimoi

You guys are missing it
If you are truly save and the Spirit of God is in charge of your life then where comes the sins?

Romans:29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Romans 8:29-30 is the only chain in the entire Bible. It is a chain of different rings linked together. This is a most precious and complete chain. The first ring of this chain is God's foreknowledge of man. The second ring is our predestination to be conformed to the image of His Son. The third ring is the calling of those who have been predestinated. The fourth ring is the justification of those who have been called. The fifth ring is the glorification of those who have been justified. It is a series of rings linked to one another. We think that we first knew God when we were saved and justified. But the Bible says that before we were saved and justified, God knew us already. Those whom God knew long ago, He marked out. To be marked out means to have a check mark put by our name, indicating that He has claimed us for Himself. For what purpose were we marked out? It is so that we would be like His unique Son, Jesus Christ. He not only wants one Son, Jesus Christ; He came to mark us out so that we would be identical to His Son. Those who were marked out are called. The ones who are called are known by Him. He called the ones whom He knew and marked out. After He called them, He justified them.

If justification is the first step in a Christian's relationship with God, it does not matter much for us not to be justified again in the future. If I pick up two pennies today and throw them into the fire tomorrow, it does not matter much to me. Not to be justified is, of course, a loss on man's part. But God suffers no loss. However, we have to know that the history of our relationship with God does not start from justification and salvation. Rather, it starts from God's foreknowledge. God's foreknowledge is the beginning of everything. To be marked out is the second step. To be called is the third step. Only after the third step do we have justification. If we were to lose our justification and become sinners again, we would put a question mark on God's omniscience. Since God foreknew us and marked us out, how can we still perish after we are saved? A person predestinated by God can never be thrown into hell and burned like a piece of wood.

Praivit0:
A lady was a fervent member of her church choir, she got into the university and decided to get a boyfriend.

One day she went to visit her man and she lost her virginity through fornication.


On her way back home, she had a fatal accident and died and ended up in hell.


If you die with an unconfessed sin, you will end up in hell. This story I told isn't fiction. It's a revelation from God.


Let him that has ears hear what the S

Hi bro
These topic had been trashed here in NL.
Christains need to understand the full/correct meaning of Mercy/Grace of God.
Even in the OT the Mercy of God in the life of David was SURE!!thats no matter what David did,Mercy covers all.
That's the sole reason the Kingdom wasn't taken away from his linage.
Isaiah55:3..,Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David.

@OP
NOT PISSIBLE.

Thank u Father for your Mercies that's Sure in my life and destiny in Jesus Name Amen

Luke1:35
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

King James Bible
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
The above verses stated the 'Holy Thing/One'
Shall be called the Son of God.
Meaning it was what was in Mary that was Holy!! Excluding Mary.
In John1:114 it says the Word became flesh.meaning the Word became flesh in Her.
No mixture of blood or flesh
Christ was unique.

MuttleyLaff:
I can live with this remark. It is similar to, there is one H₂O, but when solid, its static and hard, when liquid, its fluid and flows, and when gaseous, its free, invisible, untouchable etcetera

Right bro
Ice,water and steam has different characteristic but Same molecular formula
H2O.

kkins25:
are you implying that jesus and jehova are the same entity? are you saying that in heaven now, there is no longer a jesus since he was God before he manifested into the skin of man (as muttleylaff would put it)

There's one God with different personalities

shalom4eva:
Jesus Christ is the WORD of God and that makes him a part of God as told in John 1 vs 1, but my issue is that, if you read throughout the bible, Jesus never directly referred himself as God, He always talk about his Father in heaven and calls himself the son of God. So if we say he is God why did he not mention it for ones in all his direct statements.

Bro you are looking at it from one side of a coin.you are right how can He claim to be God while He was a Man then.isnt right .but that's doesn't negate the fact that He is God before He came and when He left back to He's Throne in Heaven.

Hairyrapunzel:
But bible says there is but one Lord jesus christ or are you accusing paul of lying?

No mind am

kkins25:
this is nothing but a formulation by mr apostle paul and his cohorts of fake prophets aka apostles. Even though paul might not have meant it literally but well its his fault christianity is what it is today.

6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things, and we by him. 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

christ was not God but god.


Psalms 110:1
The LORD (yhwh)said to my Lord(possibly jesus), Sit you at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool. there is a big difference sir, btw LORD and lord.

Lol ok

MuttleyLaff:
No ooo ichuka, no ooo, no pour marijuana, put and dump inside my pocket ooo
ichuka, MuttleyLaff and Ihedinobi3's we are each and all be big bros, not leaving out missjo as big sis
Nobagar is an island of have all the answers, information and knowledge.
Nobody except God, has all the answers, is All knowing. Alleluia.

Hi bro
I hear u
Missjo is my Big Sis too naaa.
Just that u guys n some few other has been my mentor for long.

missjo:
Lol Muttley.
Was just getting some things done and did not want to be distracted by your shenanigans

Hi sis,
muttleylaff and Ihedinobi3's are my big bros
I also presumed they have all the answers
Pls continue with them.

Thanks

MuttleyLaff:
Playing MIA cos of heat, erhn?
Hi missjojo, missjo

Lol
U sure? Lol
If u want to yan yan oo
I got ur back bro.

Acidosis:
That passage is filled with many lessons. Had this lesson last month in my Sunday school class. There are many hidden secrets in the parable of the prodigal son I never knew growing up. I did my personal reading and research knowing I was going to teach a class. You should too. Our understanding of Bible stories most of the time are too limited and constrained to what we were told some decades ago in children's sunday school classes.

One of the lessons of the parable of the prodigal son is the power of inheritance/sonship. The father had two sons, right? The younger one asked, and he got. Isn't? The other didn't ask, and he got nothing, even grumbled and became jealous. Isn't it?

The prodigal son's troubles didn't start by wasting his father's resources in a foreign land. His troubles began the moment he asked his father for his share of his inheritance. How do you claim inheritance (WILL) from a father that is very much alive??


Too lazy to type more.

Thanks bro

MuttleyLaff:
1/ missjo, what verse, would that be?
2/ Also how as per your understanding, have you interpreted the verse to be? I am guessing you're referring to the latter part of John 17:24, as the verse you posted to ihedinobi3 above. Right?
3/ What is the relevance of the verse to my question about when in time, did God start being a Father?
4/ Backing up with scripture reference(s), who first, in the earliest recorded bible history, did God become Father to?
5/ Backing up with scripture reference(s), list up to five lot, close or more, who God from the beginning of being a Father to date is Father to.
6/ missjo, how was the world, creation created?
7/ missjo, with what was the world, creation, created with?
8/ missjo, what was with God before the creation of the world, even before the world began?
9/ missjo, what was Jesus from this very beginning, before being or becoming Jesus, hmm?
10/ missjo, do you think its hard for God or there's anything wrong in God sending Himself on an errand to earth, hmm?
11/ missjo, technically speaking who and what would you call the person who sent to earth, the one called Jesus Christ, hmm?

Mind you missjo, you haven't yet and at all, answered the thrust of my question missjo and that being, when, as in meaning, at what point or moment in time, did God start being a Father. Don't forget your backing scripture to support and validate your answer with. Thanks in advance for your reply missjo lol.

Hi Bro
Take it easy na.
We are here to edify our spirit-man right?
All these your questions pass eng/geo-502 questions oo.

Hairyrapunzel:
The father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God


Keep twisting trinity. As usual jw will twist and even lie to justify their non biblical beliefs.
Which time did trinity say the father is the son? Liar
Always lying

You are even the antichrist. You think all your audience are illiterates that you can deceive any how.

We didn't give our brains to any gb to think for us o. We are independent thinkers

Bro ignore him pls

Why does Luke 15 use three parables? Is not one adequate?



There are three parables in Luke 15 that speak of something being “lost.” The first parable concerns a lost sheep, the second, a lost coin, and the third, a lost son. After reading this chapter, many wonder why three parables are used to typify a sinner when only one should be sufficient. We must realize, however, that the Lord’s intention in speaking these parables was not to talk about the lost ones, rather, His emphasis was on God’s treatment of a lost one. If the Lord was only concerned about man’s lost condition, one parable would have been sufficient. However, His focus was on how God treats a lost one, therefore, all three parables were necessary. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Triune God—each have a specific work on the lost one. These three parables clearly portray to us the three aspects of God’s work.

Can the sequence of these three parables be rearranged? No. If they were randomly rearranged, the gospel would not be in the proper order, because these three parables speak about the sequence of God’s plan of redemption. The first parable concerns the Lord Jesus coming to do the good Shepherd’s work. John 10 tells us that a good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (v. 11). Following this, the Lord told the parable of a woman seeking for the lost coin. There is a difference between the good shepherd looking for the sheep and the woman seeking for the coin. The good shepherd looked for the sheep outside the house, and the Lord Jesus left the Father’s house to come to the world to look for us. The woman sought for the lost coin within her house. She lit her lamp, swept the house, and sought diligently. The woman typifies the Holy Spirit. First, the Lord Jesus came to accomplish redemption; then the Holy Spirit came into us to enlighten us so that we might receive the Lord Jesus’ accomplished redemption. The Bible reveals that God has two gifts for us, not just one. God gave us His Son, and He also gave us the Holy Spirit. Some preachers make the mistake of preaching only half of the truth. They only tell people, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life” (John 3:16) and neglect the words spoken by the Lord Jesus: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever” (14:16). God not only sent the Lord Jesus as a good Shepherd to seek for us, but He also sent the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. The first parable does not mention the lamp. The second parable mentions the lamp. The first parable speaks of searching outside the house. The second parable speaks of searching within the house. The Lord Jesus went outside the house, that is, He went to the world to find the lost sheep. The Holy Spirit is in the house—within us—enlightening us with the lamp to seek diligently for the lost coin. The last parable is of a father waiting at home for the return of his son. The Savior has come, and the Holy Spirit has come to seek so that the Lord’s accomplished redemption will not be in vain. God is waiting at home for the son to return so that the Holy Spirit’s accomplishment will not be in vain.

Taking away the first or second parable would make the other parables inadequate. If the good Shepherd did not come to lay down His life for the sheep, redemption would not have been accomplished. If the Holy Spirit did not enlighten men, none would be convicted concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:.

Without the good Shepherd laying down His life for the sheep, it would not have been possible for the Father to take in the prodigal son when he returned home. The enlightening work of the Holy Spirit is based on the Lord’s death. If the Lord had not died, the heavenly Father could not have forgiven man’s sins. Otherwise, God would be unrighteous. We must lay hold of this fact: God’s forgiveness of sins is His righteousness. God loves us. Nevertheless, God’s love comes through His righteousness. If this were not so, God would be unrighteous, act contrary to His righteous nature, and be only tolerant of us. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. If forgiveness could be obtained without the Lord’s blood, there would be no need of a Savior. Then how are we saved? Even though we have sins, the Savior has truly borne our sins. Therefore, we can boldly come before the presence of God and please Him. If we did not have a Savior, we would never have peace in our conscience. Since the Lord Jesus has died and accomplished redemption, the heavenly Father is waiting to receive us. When the prodigal son returned home, his father did not have a rebuking word or a word exhorting him to repent, because the Savior had accomplished redemption for him, and the Holy Spirit had enlightened him. As a result, his sins were forgiven and washed by the blood.

Even though the Lord Jesus has died and the heavenly Father is waiting at home, no prodigal son would be able to return home without the enlightening of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts man of sin, causing him to regret his unbelief. The Holy Spirit convicts man of righteousness, causing him to question why he has not received the Lord who is resurrected, ascended, and well-accepted by God. The Holy Spirit convicts man of judgment, causing him to question why he follows Satan who has been judged and is no longer his master. This is all done by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we should believe in what the Lord has accomplished and also pay attention to what the Holy Spirit will accomplish.

One group of people only stresses what the Holy Spirit will accomplish, neglecting what Christ has already accomplished. Another group emphasizes what Christ has already accomplished, neglecting what the Holy Spirit will accomplish. Those who emphasize what Christ has accomplished say that Christ has died, resurrected, and accomplished everything and that the work of the Holy Spirit is merely to guide us to the truth, meaning that He only informs men that Christ has died, resurrected, and entered into glory. Those who emphasize what the Holy Spirit will accomplish say that the Holy Spirit must specifically work within us so that we will have a special experience. Each of these two views is biased. A bird has two wings. If we clip off one wing, it cannot fly. Each of these two views clip off one of the bird’s wings. If a person only focuses on what Christ has accomplished, he will not have any experience. On the other hand, if a person only focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit, he will lack a proper foundation because the work of the Holy Spirit is based on what Christ has accomplished.

In 2 Corinthians 13:14 Paul says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” God’s heart is love. God purposed to save man. Love is something within. When it is expressed, it is grace. The outward expression of love is grace, and the inward reality of grace is love. Therefore, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is spoken of first because redemption was accomplished by Christ. God loves, and the love of God in the person of Christ results in grace. The Holy Spirit conveys Christ’s accomplishments into us. This is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not impart anything of Himself; rather, He flows what Christ has accomplished into us. It is impossible to receive the Lord’s grace without the Holy Spirit. And if we only want the Holy Spirit without receiving what Christ has accomplished, it is also impossible to receive the Holy Spirit. A water pipe allows water to flow. Neither a pipe without water nor water without a pipe is effective. Therefore, the three parables in Luke 15 are not repetitious, they are a portrait of the sequence in God’s way of redemption. Christ accomplished redemption, the Holy Spirit enlightens man, and God the Father receives us by His love.