The Barrier

GOD AND HIS PLAN

God placed the first man and woman into the perfect environment of the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had daily fellowship with the Lord until the sin of disobedience erected a Barrier between themselves and God. Omniscient God had always known that sin would alienate man from his Creator; therefore, He designed a Plan in eternity past to provide for the removal of this Barrier. An expression of God’s grace, the Plan is basically divided into three parts: Phase One, salvation; Phase Two, the believer in time; Phase Three, the believer in eternity.

God the Father, the First Person of the Trinity, was the Author of the Plan; God the Son, the Second Person, was the Executor of the Plan; while God the Holy Spirit, the Third Person, was the Revealer of the Plan. From the divine viewpoint, Phase One began in eternity past at the conference of Divine Decrees’ when the Members of the Godhead, anticipating man’s failure, resolved the problem of sin. The Second Person of the Trinity was elected to execute this phase of God’s Plan. Historically, Phase One began with the virgin birth and concluded with the Cross, resurrection, ascension and session- of Jesus Christ. For the believer, Phase One is that instant of time when he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Phase Two for the believer begins immediately after salvation and is executed by the Holy Spirit in and through the believer. Phase Three, executed principally by God the Father, begins for the believer at the moment of physical death or the Rapture, whichever occurs first (1 Thess. 4:13-17).

The removal of the Barrier is solely the work of God, and apart from divine intervention, man would face eternal condemnation. No matter what we may possess in the way of abilities, talents or any other human assets, we are totally in- capable of saving ourselves or of having fellowship with God. No one has ever removed the Barrier by his own efforts or merits.

SUMMARY OF THE BARRIER

For the sake of illustration, let us say that the Barrier is composed of bricks. The first is SIN: “For all have sinned, and come short {missed the mark] of the glory [essence] of God” (Rom. 3:23). The second “brick” is the PENALTY OF SIN: “For the wages of sin is death. . .” (Rom. 6:23). The third is PHYSICAL BIRTH. Man is born physically alive, but at the same time he is spiritually dead that is, without fellowship with God (Eph. 2:1). The next brick is the CHARACTER OF GOD, or His divine essence. Man simply cannot measure up to the divine characteristics of perfect God! No one is as good as God! Therefore, the next brick is man’s RELATIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS. No matter how good man may be, his human righteousness is still lacking (Isa. 64:6). I call this MINUS-R. Finally, we have man’s POSITION IN ADAM: “In Adam all die. . .” (1 Cor. 15:22). Adam’s Fall and subsequent spiritual death not only disqualified all mankind from fellowship with God, but limited the physical life span of the human race.

SIN AND REDEMPTION

Since SIN and the PENALTY OF SIN have been covered in detail in the book, Slave Market of Sin, we will only summarize the principles. The-first sin in the human race was an expression of negative volition — disobedience to the stated will of God: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. . .” (Gen. 2:17a). Adam’s disobedience had far-reaching repercussions to mankind: his sin was imputed to the entire human race — that is, it was charged to OUR account as well as to Adam’s !"For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners. . .” (Rom. 5:19). Because Adam is the head of the human race, we stand or fall with him, and we also inherit Adam’s sinful nature. Adam BECAME a sinner; therefore, we are BORN sinners. We have no more choice in the matter than we had a choice in being born male or female.

For this reason, just as through one man Adam’s original sin entered into the world, and spiritual death through the sin of Adam, and so spiritual death spread to all men, because all sinned (the moment Adam sinned) (Rom. 5:12, corrected translation).

“All have sinned” because we all have old sin natures and because Adam’s sin was imputed to us! We are born in the “slave market of sin” and will remain slaves to our sin natures for as long as we are alive unless we avail ourselves of God’s solution — REDEMPTION.

The word “redeem” means “to buy, to purchase.” In the case of a slave, it means “to purchase his freedom from a slave market.” Redemption includes forgiveness of all sin (Heb. 9:22) and provides the basis for justification and immediate cleansing of sin at salvation (Rom. 3:24).

The Doctrine of Unlimited Atonement resolved the problem of the universality of sin. Christ was judged for every sin everyone in the world has ever committed or ever will commit (1 John 2:2). Redemption and unlimited atonement are available to the entire human race, but they are obtained only by those who believe in Christ.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).

THE PENALTY OF SIN AND EXPIATION

When God placed man on the earth. He also included a test of man’s free will (volition). One tree was forbidden and a PENALTY imposed for disobedience to God’s warning: “… for in the DAY that thou eatest thereof, dying thou shalt die (spiritual death)” (literal translation of Gen. 2:17b), because God’s righteousness cannot fellowship with sin. His justice must demand a penalty or payment for sin SPIRITUAL DEATH. “For the wages of sin is death . . .” (Rom. 6:23). When Adam used his volition to go negative to God’s commandment, he died spiritually. Many years later, as a result of spiritual death, Adam died physically (Gen. 5:5).

The debt which was incurred by the first man and passed down to the entire human race had grievous consequences! Without salvation, we would be doomed to eternal judgment; yet God never leaves man in a hopeless situation. In expiation, the spiritual death of Christ blotted out this staggering debt against us.

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross (Col. 2:14). “To expiate” means to atone for or to make amends for a wrong which you have done. A criminal must make amends for his crime by serving a prescribed sentence. When he has served his time, he is then considered to have paid his debt to society. Man owes God perfect righteousness, just as we owe the State perfect obedience to the law. But, as we have seen, our sins, our old sin nature (inherited from Adam) and the penalty against us have put us hopelessly in debt. Only GRACE could find a solution!

Acting as our Substitute, Jesus Christ took the punishment for our sins, as God the Father judged them in His body on the Cross (1 Pet. 2:24). The penalty of sin was SPIRITUAL DEATH; the payment of sin was SPIRITUAL DEATH! The spiritual death of Christ occurred when the Father and the Holy Spirit forsook the Son while He was bearing the sins of the world. When at last Jesus cried, “It is finished,” He had paid our debt in full. Expiation was an accomplished fact.

PHYSICAL BIRTH AND REGENERATION

The very fact that our birth is physical implies certain restrictions, both human and spiritual. Adam had been created a trichotomous being, possessing a body, a soul and a spirit The body is merely the house which qualifies us for life on this earth. The old sin nature, which came into existence when Adam sinned, resides in the body and is the source of spiritual death. The soul, the real person inside, enables us to understand and enjoy human phenomena. Your soul contains self-consciousness (awareness of your own existence), mentality (the ability to think), volition (your decider), emotion (the appreciator), and conscience (norms and standards). The human spirit, which has the ability to absorb and categorize spiritual phenomena, is the only means by which man can have fellowship with God.

When he sinned, Adam lost both his human spirit and his capacity to have fellowship with God. He became dichotomous, possessing only a body and a soul. Since that time, all humanity is born in the same condition — physically alive but spiritually dead. Mentality and the old sin nature are developed before birth; these are inherited from our parents (the sin nature from the father — Gen. 5:3). When the soul life given by God combines with the mentality at birth, there is immediate physical life. The remainder of the soul’s essence is received at this time. At the instant you receive physical life, Adam’s sin is imputed to your sin nature, which is already present, and produces spiritual death. We are dead to God! To have fellowship with God, to be made alive unto Him, we must be born again. God has made provision for this through REGENERATION a supernatural work of God whereby eternal life is imparted by the Father to the believer in Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit. “And you hath he quickened {made alive], who were {being constantly] dead in {the sphere of] trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1).

The Biography of Nicodemus

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews (John 3:1).

The Doctrine of Regeneration is illustrated in John 3 in the well-known account of Nicodemus. Devout but unregenerate, Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews, comprised of Scribes, Sadducees and Pharisees. The Scribes were the guardians and the scholars of the Old Testament Scriptures; the Sadducees were aristocratic rationalists who denied all supernatural phenomena, such as the resurrection or the concept of eternal life; the Pharisees were religious legalists. For example, they prayed seven times a day and attended “church” three times a day. They were do-gooders and, whether sincere or insincere, they accumulated a tremendous number of good deeds. They worked overtime at doing GOOD because they were trying to get through the “pearly gates” by their own merit. If there were holy-day ceremonies to be observed, they observed them to the letter! They gave money to the poor, but it was done publicly with great pomp and fanfare in order to create a magnanimous impression! Their faces bore the sanctimonious appearance of the ultra spiritual, and their overt activities displayed an aura of consecration. If there were temple functions, they were first in line, shouting the loudest, praying the longest and performing sacred rituals in a manner calculated to attract the most attention! Erroneously, they believed they were making an impression on God!

Nicodemus was a typical Pharisee — fat-headed, religious, self-righteous, proud, vain, hypocritical and legalistic. He was one of those unbelievers Jesus described in Matthew 23:27 as “whitewashed tombstones” — beautiful on the outside (one of the prerequisites to becoming a Pharisee was outward physical perfection), but on the inside he was “full of dead men’s bones.”

This is the most difficult category of unbeliever to impress with the Truth, as far as salvation is concerned. I personally would rather deal with any other than a religious person because he is totally blinded by his own good-deeds system. He has no concept of the doctrine of total depravity but thinks in- stead that depravity relates only to people who lie around in the gutter. In some cases, guttersnipes might be respectable by comparison! The sins of religious people are some of the most despicable sins of all: for example, the sin of pride, which is rampant among them! Imagine trying to impress God by something YOU can do rather than being impressed with what GOD HAS DONE THROUGH CHRIST!

The name “Nicodemus” is simply a Greek word for ruler of the people. No matter how you slice it, Nicodemus was a very important person. Although his life was filled with good deeds and many ritualistic observances, which he was depending upon for salvation, he had moments of concern that possibly all was not well. Either from personal observation or from hearsay, he learned of Jesus’ power and wondered as to its source.

The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him. Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him (John 3:2).

Although there has been much speculation as to why Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, I suspect that he was so busy in the administration of doing good, in the recitation of long prayers, so preoccupied with the observation of prescribed ritual (all done in the energy of the flesh) that he simply did not have time to meet with Jesus during the day. At any rate, Nicodemus was not embarrassed — it was not one of those “back-alley” meetings!

By using the title “Rabbit Nicodemus, in effect, conferred an honorary degree upon the Lord. His comment, “we know,” indicates that Nicodemus was tremendously impressed with the knowledge of the Pharisees particularly his own. Even though he had just acknowledged the Lord’s academic prowess, he was not interested in what Jesus KNEW, but only in what He was DOING. Whether he had heard of the miracles or witnessed them personally, he was at this time more fascinated and attracted by the deeds of Jesus than by His words. Actually, the true purpose of miracles was to gain and focus attention on the message. In the case of Jesus Christ, the miracles which He performed further identified Him as “the Son of God with power” (Rom. 1:4). Yet, had the miracles been accomplished simply to alleviate suffering, then Jesus was remiss in not healing everyone in the world! But time is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity, and the eternal safety of the soul is more important than the soundness of the body. For all his assumed academic knowledge, Nicodemus paraded his ignorance of vital Biblical truths!

Nicodemus recognized that Jesus was a “teacher come from God,” for he admitted, “no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” But here is where Nicodemus missed the point: a Teacher from God TEACHES; a Teacher from God COMMUNICATES. If any change takes place, it will be in the heart of the individual who responds to the content of the MESSAGE; but that is not the miracle to which I am referring here. Many unusual and marvelous wonders had been performed: Jesus Christ raised people from the dead (resuscitation); He caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the demon-possessed to be free from demons, and lepers to be healed. When Nicodemus acknowledged Jesus as a Teacher from God, it is obvious that he was confused: a teacher TEACHES; yet Nicodemus failed to mention a single principle that Jesus taught — he could only recount the miracles! “No man can do” is present linear aktionsart: literally, “no man can keep on doing the miracles that thou doest.” In effect, he was saying: “The Sanhedrin, and specifically the Pharisees, have tried to explain away these extraordinary events; but we find it very difficult to do so because the miracles continue. We could say they were accidental or perhaps acts of nature; we could explain away a few of them; but when You consistently perform supernatural deeds, there is no explanation. Therefore, we must conclude that You are a Teacher from God!”

Nicodemus Interrupted

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

The interruption was well timed, for Nicodemus was long on eyewash and short on spiritual wisdom, as was typical of most of the Pharisees. We know this from their long public prayers, designed to attract attention! If there is anything that is spiritually depressing, it is a long-winded prayer. Assembly prayers are for the specific purpose of asking God’s blessing on the occasion. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus emphasized the importance of getting to the point! Whenever someone

prays a long prayer in public, almost invariably he is trying to impress someone other than God.

I will always remember an incident that happened in a Chapel period during my seminary days. Someone had prayed an unusually lengthy prayer, and after about ten minutes, a restless character in the back finally piped up and quipped in a stage whisper, “He must be catching up on his devotionals on our time!” With that. Chapel was broken up — and rightly so! Prayer in private may be as long as your inclination dictates; but PRAYERS IN PUBLIC SHOULD BE SHORT AND TO THE POINT! If you are asking God’s blessing on a service, simply do it and move on! In much the same way, Nicodemus approached Jesus with the intention of impressing Him. Jesus spared us a wordy dissertation when He interrupted Nicodemus and hit the true issue.

I’ve heard people teach courses on how to witness for Christ in which they say, “Now, you must do it this way: if they say that, then you say this; and if they say this, then you say that.” Jesus cut through all the eyewash and forthrightly presented the Gospel. He said simply, “You will never get into the Kingdom of God unless you are born again.” Jesus was talking to a man with every merit badge! This individual had made all the points that could be made: he prayed consistently, attended “church” regularly; and, as for good deeds, he had won all the blue ribbons. Humanly speaking, Nicodemus could claim every credit; yet Jesus had just insulted him by saying, “You’ll never go to heaven unless you are born again.”

For a person who had made a career of trying to earn a ticket into heaven by good deeds, this was quite a shock! I want you to correlate a principle here: the problem was his birth. Nicodemus had been born physically, but that was all. He possessed a body with its old sin nature and a human soul, and he was spiritually dead! Jesus did not tell Nicodemus, “The gates of heaven stand wide open because you have 1,280 good deeds, 3,642 prayers and umpteen thousand church attendance medals — you’re in.” To the contrary, he has just been told he’s out! Jesus said, “You cannot enter the kingdom of God unless you are born again!” Apart from God and certain of His holy angels, heaven is made up of only those who possess eternal life, whose sins are forgiven and blotted out and who have received the righteousness of God. Once a person is born again — and only then — can he “see” the Kingdom of God (2 Cor. 4:18). Nicodemus, though an intensely moral man, could not relate to spiritual information, and his reaction was most interesting.

Nicodemus saith unto him. How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born (John 3:4)?

This is a perfect illustration of a religious man’s blindness to spiritual truth. Without a human spirit, he was incapable of understanding spiritual phenomena. But the natural man {unbeliever] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14). Nicodemus assumed one must be born again physically, and he wanted to know the mechanics. He even suggested (and he was being a little facetious, to say the least, and possibly sarcastic) a reentrance into the womb. His suggestion must have seemed amusing to Jesus; but in deference to the dignity of the Scribes and the Pharisees, He refrained from laughing and continued with His theological discourse. Jesus could look inside and see that this man was truly seeking or he would not have come at all. Certainly, he was a long way from the truth when he asked, “Must you reenter your mother’s womb?” To prove to Nicodemus that He was not talking about physical birth, but spiritual birth, Jesus used a frame of reference which would be meaningful to a Jewish religious leader.

Water and the Spirit

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 (John 3:5).

Every time some people see the word “water” in Scripture, they instantly jump to a conclusion baptism! Water occasionally means H₂O; however, when literal water is intended, the context will so specify. Literal water is not indicated in this passage because Jesus was not discussing a literal, physical birth. There is also a spiritual connotation of water. It was this terminology to which Jesus referred; and Nicodemus, trained in the school of the Pharisees, should have been able to correlate it with one of three analogies:

(1) Salvation, as in Isaiah 55:1: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. . . .” The sinner is pictured as being thirsty and coming to Christ for salvation (cf. John 4:14). “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come . . . And let him that is athirst come . . . let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).

(2) The Bible or the Word of God, as in Ezekiel 16:9, compared with Ephesians 5:26. The Word of God applied provides spiritual cleansing. It makes the bitter experiences sweet (Ex. 15:25) and gives rest and refreshment (Psa. 23:2).

(3) The Holy Spirit, as in Isaiah 44:3, compared with John 7:37-39: “ .. .out of his belly [innermost being] shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit. . .).”

Since Jesus spoke of a spiritual birth, which of the three spiritual uses of water applies? We can eliminate salvation because this is not brought out until Jesus convinces the Pharisee that He is referring to a spiritual birth. The Holy Spirit is eliminated on the basis of redundancy, as He is mentioned in the next phrase. We must conclude, therefore, that water refers to the “water of the Word.” Ultimately, everyone who is saved receives information directly or indirectly from the Word of God. The principle of the new birth, the mechanics, the provision — the Gospel — all are found in the Word of God (Psa. 119:50; 1 Cor. 4:15; Jas. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23).

The “Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit, the Agent of regeneration (Tit. 3:5). It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to take the Gospel and “boom” it into the mind of the unbeliever. No one has ever been saved and no one has ever understood the plan of salvation apart from this ministry of the Holy Spirit. Once a person believes in Christ, he receives a human spirit (1 Thess. 5:23), the Holy Spirit takes up His residence in the body of the believer (1 Cor. 6:19); and as the Holy Spirit fills and therefore controls his soul, the believer is able to learn spiritual phenomena (John 16:13-15).

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6).

Our first birth provides us with a body of flesh and blood, as well as a soul, and puts us into Adam’s family; but in order to enter the Kingdom of God (eternal relationship with Him), we must be spiritually alive. Therefore, Nicodemus should not have been surprised to learn that a person would need a spiritual birth.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again (John 3:7).

Jesus’ words, “Marvel not,” suggest the reaction of Nicodemus. He was standing there with his mouth open, his eyes popping and the veins probably standing out on his neck. He was totally shocked! No one ever spoke to a ruler of the Jews in this manner! Yet Jesus had emphatically proclaimed, “Don’t be surprised when I say unto you — you respectable, religious Pharisee — that you must be born again!” In spite of all his human accomplishments, Nicodemus was totally baffled. For the third time, Jesus had repeated the need of a second birth; now He capped it off with an unusual illustration.

From Whence Cometh the Wind?

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit (John 3:8).

Where does the wind begin, and where does it end? You hear it, and you know it is there, but you do not know where it started or where it is going. As the wind blows where it will, “so is everyone that is born of the Spirit” This is the clincher! The illustration indicates that the wind cannot be seen — only the effect is visible. You know wind exists because it hits you in the face, tosses the waves, bends the trees or blows dust into your eye. However, you do not know how the wind got there or where it is going. So it is with spiritual birth: it is unseen, but it is nevertheless real.

After this tremendous discourse, Nicodemus, the religious giant, finally had something to say. Notice the incredible shallowness of his soul. As a Pharisee, this man was established academically — well educated and smart! But, you see, all of his intelligence was only in the mentality of his soul. When it came to spiritual content, he was ignorant and just plain stupid because he did not have the ability to assimilate the information; nor would he be able to understand unless he was born again spiritually. Nicodemus had reached an impasse; he could not interpret spiritual precepts because he did not have the resources. For the present, however, he had a more pressing problem: he did not possess a human spirit; he was “dead” !After spiritual birth, the human spirit is added, and with this new equipment, you can begin to comprehend spiritual truths.

Nicodemus answered and said unto him. How can these things be (John 3:9)?

The Pharisee was amazed. “Where did you get this? I received no bibliography on this concept when I went through graduate school. I don’t have a single footnote on being born again. From the beginning, I was instructed to do, do, do! And now, for the first time, someone says something about being born! How can this be?” Nicodemus was really stymied. He was so well educated he had almost worn out his eyes reading and memorizing the Talmud, the Mishnah, et al.; yet he understood nothing. Here was a man who had such extensive training that he could speak eloquently in the temple and debate questions of a theological nature with consummate skill. To suddenly come up against something like this took a little skin off his nose, and it hurt! “How are these things possible?”

That remark opened the door to further conversation, and I want you to notice that Jesus was not above using sarcasm at the appropriate time. This sanctified sarcasm was about as subtle as the crack of a shillelagh over the cranium!

Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master [with a doctor’s degree] of Israel, and knowest not these things (John 3:10)?

Jesus challenged Nicodemus. “You mean to tell me you have your Ph.D. in philosophy and theology, and you don’t know what I’m talking about?” As a matter of fact, never once in any examination, in any seminar, in any classroom, never at any point did Nicodemus receive information like this. The curriculum was devoid of spiritual phenomena!

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We [the Trinity] speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness (John 3:11).

Because Nicodemus was blinded by his legalism and therefore still confused, Jesus continued: “I know what I’m talking about, even if you don’t!” Nicodemus had been told he must be born again, but he did not understand it. The words and the thoughts were there, but the principle was not clear to him. Jesus said, “Now look! YOU are all mixed up; but I am not mixed up!” This gives us a concept of witnessing: when you tell people about Jesus Christ, you should speak with confidence, and confidence comes from understanding the Gospel.

If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things (John 3:12)?

In the Greek, this “if” is a debater’s first-class condition. Jesus said, “Let’s assume for the moment that I have told you about human phenomena, about earthly things, and you do not believe; how will you ever believe when I present spiritual or heavenly principles? Let’s go over this just once more, Nicodemus, and this will do it!”

Christ, the True Issue

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven (John 3:13).

At the time when Jesus said this, no member of the human race had ever entered the third heaven, the abode of God. Although billions of Old Testament people had been saved, after death they resided in Paradise until the Representative Man was resurrected, ascended and accepted by the Father. The first Man to enter into heaven was Jesus Christ. The “Son of Man’ is a title of Christ, which emphasizes His humanity. That Jesus declared He was in heaven at that very moment was an interesting puzzle for Nicodemus to work out in his spare time. Quite possibly, it was one of the two factors that caused him to become a believer.

Jesus Christ is omnipresent: He is everywhere. While He was in heaven. He was standing there talking to Nicodemus! You see, the reason He could be there and in heaven at the same time (billions of light years away) is because He is the God-Man, undiminished deity and true humanity in one Person forever — the unique Person of the universe. While He is God, just as are the Father and the Holy Spirit, He is different from the Father and the Spirit in that He could stand there in a human body and talk to Nicodemus. Yet He is different from Nicodemus and all other members of the human race because He is God. HE IS UNIQUE. In the presentation of the Gospel, the Person of Jesus Christ is always the issue. If Nicodemus recognizes Jesus’ Person, he will accept Jesus’ Word. Then he must accept the work of Christ.

How To Be Born Again

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up (John 3:14).

Jesus made one last appeal on ground which was familiar to Nicodemus. In order to become a Pharisee, he had to memorize the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) and take a stiff examination; therefore, he was familiar with Numbers 21. All that was necessary was a summary, just a flashback, and Nicodemus could orient to the principle. The analogy of the brass serpent was an anticipation of the ascension; but the “lifting up” began at the Cross. The serpent lifted up on the pole was analogous to the saving work of Christ on the Cross.

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:15).

“That” introduces a purpose clause and states the reason for Jesus Christ’s being lifted up on the Cross. This clear declaration tells Nicodemus, and every person who reads or hears the Scripture, how to be born again: BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ! Faith is the absence of works or human merit. The value of faith lies in its object. For salvation, the object of faith is Christ! “Whosoever” means any member of the human race — religious, irreligious, non-religious, moral, immoral, amoral — ANYONE!

When you believe in Christ, you become a trichotomous being. You retain your body, with its old sin nature, and soul, but you receive the indwelling Holy Spirit and a human spirit. Nicodemus received Christ as his Lord and Savior, possibly even that same night. We do not know the time; we do know the results. Nicodemus was one of the two pallbearers of our Lord; Joseph of Arimathaea was the other. Very interesting! Both of them were Pharisees; both of them were rich and prominent men. At one time, both of them were dead in sin and separated from God.

Once again, let’s look at the problem of the Barrier between man and God. If man is to know God, the Barrier must removed. The bricks of sin and its penalty were removed by redemption and expiation through the spiritual death of Christ on the Cross. The problem of physical birth is solved by regeneration. Whatever we lost by physical: birth fellowship with God we now have by virtue of a new birth. In addition, we are placed into the Royal Family of God (Gal. 3:26), we become sons of God (John 1:12) and God is our Father (2 Cor. 6:18).

MAN’S RELATIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

The next element in the Barrier is, to some, the most con fusing of all — the problem of man’s righteousness. It is quite obvious that some people are very good, humanly speaking. Some unbelievers are the finest people I have ever known, and there are several reasons for that. First of all, an unbeliever has a very simple mechanism on the inside; he is not subject to the many complex and difficult inner and outer pressures (the world, the flesh and the devil) which affect the life of the believer. Consequently, since the unbeliever is as simple as a Model-T Ford, it is easy for him to chug along down the road in any century. Unbelievers have both undesirable and admirable qualities; they have the ability to obscure their obnoxious characteristics and to hide their personal problems. In contrast, I have noticed that many believers make a parade of their problems.

Here, then, is the issue of righteousness: obviously, some people are very nice, some people are very good, some people are better than others — and that is the real problem. We often establish the fact that a person is good because he is BETTER than other people. Some people know how to keep their mouths shut, mind their own business, and they never welsh on an obligation. You can hardly beat that! They are fine, relaxing, lovely people to be around. And why do they seem “good” to me? Because I compare them with nosy busybodies, maligners, gossipers, and welshers — people who have no sense of responsibility. I say, “These people are wonderful; these other people are way down on the totem pole.” So, according to my standards, one group is “good” and one is “bad.”

But let’s compare this system of morality with God’s standards. The person I admire has honorable characteristics, and I enjoy his company; but with all his noble qualities, he is still MINUS-R. He does not stack up with God at all! God is PLUS- R — absolute righteousness. He has perfect characteristics perfect righteousness, justice, love, eternal life. God has never welshed on an obligation — God is immutable; He keeps His word. So when I compare this individual with God, I have to admit that he just does not measure up to God at all.

Here is God’s opinion of us: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory [essence] of God” (Rom. 3:23). “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Eccl. 7:20). “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” (Rom. 3:10, II). “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. . .” (Isa. 64:6).

Three Types of Unbelievers

There are many kinds of unbelievers in the world; but generally speaking, they fall into three categories: the religious person like Nicodemus; the moral or self-righteous individual; and the immoral person. The moral person is the “good guy,” a respected member of society, who never does anything overtly wrong or sinful. He is kind and courteous and contributes to all worthy causes. His trouble, however, is that he banks on his own righteousness to get him into heaven. He usually thinks he is so good that he does not need salvation.

Then there is the immoral person. He is obviously out of line, and everyone knows it; he makes no bones about it. He may be the up-and-at-’em type who “chases,” connives and makes shady business deals; or he may be the down-and-outer who gets drunk, steals and ends up in the gutter or in jail. The difference in the moral and the immoral person lies in the fact that the immoral person’s sins are obvious, while the self- righteous and religious types have hidden their carnality behind a facade of respectability.

The Barrier of Good Works

Man’s good deeds form a tremendous barrier to God because they often lead to religious and sanctimonious illusions. Some misguided do-gooder thinks, “I am going to heaven because I’m so marvelous. I am going to heaven because I have all these merit badges.” Such a person will never make it because all the good deeds in the world add up to MINUS-R (man’s righteousness), and MINUS-R cannot have fellowship with PLUS-R (God’s righteousness). The presence of the old sin nature and the absence of a human spirit make it impossible to have fellowship with Absolute Righteousness. The only way to be saved is to have a righteousness that equals God’s righteousness.

If you refuse to accept Christ, then you may as well stop playing the righteousness game and live it up for the few years you have left on earth, because there is going to be “hell to pay” in the future. Religion and morality just won’t cut it! Jesus said, “ .. . except your righteousness shall EXCEED the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20). Now how are we going to move this road block, this barrier, out of the way? The answer is found in the Doctrines of Imputation and Justification.

IMPUTATION

The Credit Side of the Ledger

It takes but a stroke of the pen to change MINUS-R into PLUS-R, but it took infinitely more to change our unrighteousness into the righteousness of God.

For he [God the Father] hath made him [Jesus Christ] to be {become] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him [Jesus Christ] (2 Cor. 5:21).

God the Father is the Author of the Plan of Salvation for the human race. “Hath made” is aorist tense: “once and for all the Father has made Jesus Christ to become sin,” which is a reference to atonement.

When He hung upon the Cross, all of the sins of the entire human race were imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ! This is a reference to the Doctrine of UNLIMITED ATONEMENT (1 John 2:2). That was the removal of the first brick of the Barrier. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” Christ was qualified to die for our sins because He was sinless Himself, and, therefore, qualified to be the Sin-bearer. So, billions and billions of sins — as a matter of fact, every sin that you and I have ever committed or will ever commit, past, present and future — He bore in His own body on the Cross.

Our sins were charged to Christ, but until salvation, we still have MINUS-R. We are on the debit side of the “balance sheet” because we are born spiritually dead: Adam’s sin was imputed to our old sin natures at the moment of physical birth. In order to receive PLUS-R, the righteousness which belongs to Christ, we simply exercise non-meritorious positive volition and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:22). When PLUS- R is credited to our account, that is called IMPUTATION, an ancient accounting term, which means “to put on the credit side of the ledger.” EXPIATION takes us out of the “red,” while imputation puts us “in the black.” We do not work for it; we do not deserve it. The work of Christ on the Cross leads us from “filthy rags” to the riches of His grace!

The Vain Pursuit of Righteousness

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed [pursued] not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith (Rom. 9:30).

Thousands of Gentiles were saved in the Old Testament as well as in the New. Isn’t this interesting? Many of the Jews thought they could get into heaven by cranking out their own righteousness and by keeping the Mosaic Law; but no matter how much good they cranked out, it all added up to MINUS-R. Many Gentiles, on the other hand, did not try to keep the Ten Commandments for salvation; they did not pursue after righteousness; yet they attained it. How? They “have attained [aorist tense — once and for all] to righteousness, even THE righteousness which is BY FAITH.” In other words, the Gentiles believed in Jesus Christ.

At the moment of salvation, PLUS-R — God’s righteousness was imputed to them by faith. However, the Jews who were trying to be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, kept working, striving, struggling; and all they ever got for their efforts was MINUS-R! The harder these Jews tried to work their way into heaven, the deeper grew the hole they dug and the deeper they went into debt; they worked and worked, but never got anywhere (Rom. 4:4). It was MINUS-R all the way!

But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone (Rom. 9:31,32).

“The law of righteousness” is PLUS-R, attained by faith in Christ. They did not have PLUS-R because they did not seek it by faith; they did not believe in Christ. They tried to be saved by keeping the Law. Therefore, they stumbled over the Stumblingstone, who was Christ.

JUSTIFICATION

Now, where does justification come into the picture? Let me put it this way: IMPUTATION credits to our account the righteousness of Christ; JUSTIFICATION declares or pronounces us righteous. On the basis of the righteousness of Christ imputed to the one who believes, God declares the undeserving sinner justified, vindicated, acceptable to Himself. God is free to declare him free from guilt because the believer now possesses the righteousness of Christ! To put it simply, to be justified means to be the possessor of PLUS-R; it does NOT mean “just as if I had never sinned” !

Knowing that a man is NOT justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of {in] Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall NO flesh be justified (Gal. 2:16).

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24).

How are you vindicated in the eyes of God? By being “good” ?Definitely not! “By the instrumentality of His grace.” By now you should be familiar with grace. “Grace” is the en- tire Plan of God. Grace means that God provides what we cannot earn and do not deserve. PLUS-R is not a merit badge; it is a grace gift given freely upon salvation!

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus/Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference (Rom. 3:22).

As soon as you read the phrase, “righteousness of God,” you know immediately that this refers to PLUS-R. It is the righteousness which belongs only to God (genitive of possession). How do you receive PLUS-R? By FAITH — not by keeping the Law! “Which is” is in italics in the King James Version and is not found in the original manuscript. The translators have supplied it in order to make smoother reading; but we do not need it here. “Even the righteousness of God BY MEANS OF faith...” “Of” is an objective genitive and should be translated “faith IN Jesus Christ.” “Unto ALL....” Why is this righteousness available to everyone? Because when Christ was judged for sin on the Cross, He paid the penalty for everyone (unlimited atonement). He bore the sins of every person who has ever lived or ever will live. The phrase “upon all” specifies the conditions. Who receives PLUS-R? All those who believe! It makes no difference whether you are moral or immoral, atheistic or religious, in God’s sight “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23); therefore, all are saveable.

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus (Rom. 3:26).

Why can God the Father save sinners without compromising His PLUS-R? Because His justice and righteousness were satisfied at the Cross. God is perfectly just in forgiving us because Christ, who is absolute righteousness, became our Substitute. The Justifier is the One who passes out PLUS-R to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. This principle has always been true since the Fall of Adam. Let’s take Abraham as an Old Testament example. How was Abraham saved? We will use a principle of debater’s technique and suppose for a moment that Abraham was justified by his good deeds.

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works {good deeds], he hath thereof to glory {something to boast about], but not before God (Rom. 4:1, 2).

If Abraham WERE justified by deeds or good works, he could boast all right, but not to God!

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Rom. 3:27, 28).

If Christ does all the work, where does that leave boasting? What happens to human activity? What happens to “operation good works” ?They are all EXCLUDED! The way of salvation has always been the same, before and after the Cross.

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God [in the Lord — Gen. 15:6], and it was counted unto him [credited to his account] for righteousness (Rom. 4:3).

PLUS-R was credited to Abraham’s account through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But what about the people who are trying to “work” their way into heaven?

Now to him that worketh {keeps on hustling for his salvation] is the reward not reckoned [credited on the basis] of grace, but [on the basis] of debt (Rom. 4:4).

In other words, the more you work, the deeper into debt you go.

But to him. that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted [credited to his account] for righteousness (Rom. 4:5).

The imputation of divine righteousness results in vindication for the one who believes in Christ, and the Barrier of relative righteousness is removed.

THE CHARACTER OF GOD

When the Bible speaks of God’s glory, it is referring to His character or essence — that combination of qualities which distinguish an individual. God is One in essence but Three in Personality. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit possess the same characteristics — sovereignty, absolute righteousness, justice, love, eternal life, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, immutability and veracity. Where God is concerned we are dealing in absolutes. That is why God cannot make allowances for our sins and failures. He has set the perfect standard, and anything less falls short of His glory.

Sin is an outrage to God’s holiness (His righteousness and justice) and an offense and insult to His perfection. Since we have all sinned, we are all unacceptable to God. God simply cannot have anything to do with sin or unrighteousness. His righteousness demands condemnation for sin. His justice executes what His righteousness demands: sin must be judged. The problem is obvious: divine blessings cannot go through the “grace pipe” to man until righteousness and justice are satisfied. And HOW can they be satisfied?

Lets go back to the Eternal Life Conference. Billions of years ago, God made a sovereign decision to treat-sinful man in grace — the perfect expression of divine justice. The Father provided a Plan whereby man could have fellowship with Him forever. God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, was willing to take the sinner’s place and pay the penalty of his sin. As absolute righteousness, the Son would satisfy the demands of a righteous and just God. When He bore the sins of the world on the Cross, He satisfied the righteousness of the Father. Now, instead of cursing, it is possible for blessing to come through the grace pipe to man. Now God’s love can flow in man’s direction, and behind that love is eternal life. God gives eternal life to every person who will meet His Son at the Cross.

PROPITIATION

The work of Christ on the Cross which satisfied the Father’s holiness is called PROPITIATION This is the Godward side of the Cross.

Whom [Jesus Christ] God hath set forth {publicly displayed] to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God (Rom. 3:25).

Propitiation is the same Greek word [HILASTERION] as “mercy seat” in Hebrews 9:5 and means “a lid” or “a place of covering.” The mercy seat was the lid situated over the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. The Ark, a box made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold, depicted the unique Person of Christ: the wood spoke of His humanity; the gold, His deity. This box contained the tables of the Law, Aaron’s rod that budded and the pot (urn) of manna — all symbolizing various aspects of Israel’s sin in rejecting God’s provision. The mercy seat of pure gold covered the emblems of sin. Facing each other on either side of the mercy seat, were the Cherubim — one representing righteousness, and the other, justice. As they looked down on the mercy seat, they saw, not the sinfulness of man, represented by the contents of the box, but rather the blood which had been sprinkled on top of the golden lid.

Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest went alone, past the second veil into the Holy of Holies, carrying in a bowl, first the blood of a bullock for his own sins, then the blood of the sacrificial goat for the sins of the people, and sprinkled it over the top of the mercy seat (Lev. 16:14-17). “Righteousness and Justice’ looked down and saw the blood of the innocent sacrificial animal that had been slain at the brazen altar. This ritual foreshadowed and represented the Cross, where historically, righteousness and justice were satisfied.

“Blood” in Romans 3:25 refers to the propitiatory work of Christ on the Cross, which satisfied the Father (Isa. 53:11). Before the Cross, God suspended judgment of sin until such time as Christ became the propitiatory Sacrifice. Now God has publicly displayed Him as our Mercy Seat THROUGH FAITH — faith in His saving work on the Cross! He demonstrates His righteousness by crediting PLUS-R to everyone who believes in Christ.

God’s character is vindicated and no longer presents an obstacle to His fellowship with mankind. Now, if Christ’s work on the Cross was all that was necessary to satisfy the Father, how dare anyone think he must add something to it! Salvation’s work is finished (John 19:30)! You never need to beg or to ask God to be merciful to you. He is always and continually propitious because of what Christ did on the Cross!

POSITION IN ADAM

We have come to the final obstacle in the Barrier between man and God — our POSITION IN ADAM. The first man Adam, was the representative head of the human race. As we have seen, all future mankind stood or fell with him and in him. By his willful disobedience, sin and spiritual death cairn upon the entire human race; thus, “in Adam all die” (1 Cor 15:22). We have become “alienated from the life of God” (Eph 4:18). As long as we remain “in Adam,” the limitations of our natural and brief lives present a barrier to fellowship will God, who is Eternal Life.

There are two things which every member of the human race must have if he is going to live with God forever. One is PLUS-R, and the other is God’s life eternal life. Before w( can realize this position, we must enter into the propel relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. That new relationship is ours through personal faith in Him, and it guarantees us a new position: “in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15,22b)….

POSITION IN CHRIST

Adam was the first member of his species — Homo sapiens (Rom.. 5:14). Jesus Christ, the LAST ADAM, is the head of a “new species” — believers in union with Himself: “Therefore if any man be IN CHRIST, he s a new creature [species]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). “Old things” does not mean old habits; bad habits are retained along with the sin nature. They can be broken; but that is another story covered in the book, Old Sin Nature vs. Holy Spirit. A believer is a new creature, not because of something he does or does not do, but because of what God does for him at the moment of salvation. The “old things” which have passed away are all the debits that put us behind the Barrier. The “new things” are all those wonderful assets we have on the other side of the Barrier through POSITIONAL TRUTH.

The moment we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit picks us up “by the nape of the neck” and places us in union with Christ — the baptism of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). From that day forward, we are one with Him. Our physical birth, which is our position in Adam, ceases to be a problem, for with regeneration the life of Christ becomes OUR LIFE! Christianity is a relationship — NOT a religion.” Our new position guarantees us an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ.

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life (1 John 5:11, 12).

You are familiar by now with the top and bottom circles. We may be in or out of the bottom circle, depending on our use of 1 John 1:9. But regardless of what we may or may not do, we can never be removed from the top circle. Our union with Christ is eternal and depends on who and what God is and has done not on you and me. Because of all that our Lord did for us. He is free to offer us the life which is part of the character of God eternal life — life that qualifies us for fellowship with God in time and in eternity.

RECONCILIATION

With the last obstacle removed, there is no longer a Barrier between man and God! The removal of the Barrier is called RECONCILIATION.

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood [spiritual death] of Christ. For he is our peace [reconciliation], who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new .man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby (Eph. 2:12-16).

Reconciliation is the manward side of the Cross. It is the sum total of all that Christ did on the Cross in removing the Barrier. God is propitiated; man is reconciled! Jesus Christ did not come to usher in world peace between nations; He came to provide peace with God for us who were His enemies (Rom. 5:10). “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto him- self. . .” (2 Cor. 5:19). This does not mean that all the world is automatically saved but that ALL MAY BE SAVED. Sin is no longer the issue — Christ is! Where once stood the Barrier, Christ now stands — the only Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5).

Walk Over the Line

Jesus Christ gave Himself that you might be brought to God. Whereas before the Cross only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, now the way has been opened once and for all into the presence of God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). The only barrier remaining is your attitude toward the Person of Christ. What will you do with Him? All you have to do is to walk over the line: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). In the words of the Apostle Paul,

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20).

Jesus Christ is not here on earth to extend the invitation to you personally. Instead, He says through His Word, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). “ .. . him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). Not everyone reads the Bible, so believers must stand in the place of Christ as His ambassadors with the word of reconciliation.

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18).

God the Father planned reconciliation; God the Son accomplished it; God the Holy Spirit reveals it Man simply receives it. To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19). Why doesn’t God credit their trespasses to the account of the human race? Because Christ bore them on the Cross. Sin is not the issue; Christ is! Man can put up his own barriers of works. Every time he tries to work his way into heaven by his own good deeds, he builds his own barrier. Therefore, it is up to the believer to make the issue clear.

A Purpose in Life

Once you step over the line and believe in Christ, you have a new purpose in life: you have a message, a ministry, a title — ambassador for Jesus Christ. Whatever your business, whatever your activities or circumstances in life, you are just as much in full-time Christian service as the pastor- teacher. True, that is a special gift; but every believer is a royal priest in Christ! God has given us a message worth telling: Christ has solved the sin problem (1 Cor. 15:3, 4) and made peace between man and God.

And having made peace through the blood of his cross [expiatory sacrifice], by him to reconcile all things unto himself. … And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through [spiritual] death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight (Col. 1:20-22).

We owe the world the Gospel (Rom. 1:14-16). Paul said, “Woe is me {and this includes us] if I preach {proclaim] not the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16). This is our responsibility; but more important, “the love of Christ constraineth us. . . that they {believers] which live should not henceforth live unto them- selves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14,15). The more we love Jesus Christ through the daily intake of doctrine, the more we will have the capacity to live a life pleasing to Him.

Remember that you cannot love Jesus Christ nor live as unto Him apart from Bible doctrine resident in your soul; nor can you make the salvation issue clear apart from knowledge of doctrine. That has been the purpose of this book to clarify the doctrines pertinent to salvation so that you can fulfill ACCURATELY your ambassadorship. Your first and foremost purpose is to take in Bible doctrine under the ministry of your right pastor-teacher and grow to spiritual maturity (2 Pet. 3:18)! Only then will you fulfill the purpose for which God left you on this earth!