Monthly Archives: March 2015

EASTER 101 – GETTING TO KNOW THE FULL STORY OF EASTER! BY KIANG P LEE

Greetings once more friends everywhere! May the season of Easter replenish your spirit, and rejuvenate your heart to serve Him first!

As we enter the season of Easter commemorating the passion of Jesus, I would like to share two vital aspects of His life which depicts to us how He defeated and took care of human sin altogether. We are familiar with His death on the cross I shared with you in my last post. That’s only half the story, we often forget the first part. I will show how they both must come together so we are freed from sin completely. Both are acts of God which reconciles man to Him completely and forever.

True Origin of Sin: The Great Tempter

First, let’s answer how sin entered the human experience – this is vital to our understanding for Easter is about Jesus redeeming mankind from the human sin condition. We know it started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Our first parents was deceived and led away to disobey God’s instruction to not touch or eat the forbidden fruit. (Gen.3:3) 

The devil had deceived them into believing God lied to them, and eating the forbidden fruit would result in the exact opposite of what God had said – they would not die but live and “they would be like God” (Gen.3:4-5). It was the exact sin which drove him from being an archangel to become Satan. He wanted to usurp God’s authority and power and be God himself. He said, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Isa.14:12-14, esp. V.14). He effectively said, “I will take over as King of the Universe” (Isa.14:14, The Message). It is hard to fathom how he imagined He could pull off such a stunt. Perhaps jealousy, pride, and rage consumed him because of God’s grand purpose in man. Lucifer and a third of the angels were defeated in their rebellion and thrown out of heaven and Satan was born. God labelled him, “You who weakened the nations” (V.12b). His one purpose is to destroy man and God’s design and enterprise for man. (Gen.1:26-27).

So right from the outset we see that Satan is the instigator of sin which weakens people. This does not make man guiltless, Adam believed the devil’s word above God’s word. Man sinned, and he has to be atoned for. The Bible calls Satan, “The accuser of our brothers and sisters” before God (Rev.12:10, also 7-9). He is the great tempter who instigates sin in mankind. (1Thess.3:5) So, there is always two attributes to sin: there is the deceiver who instigates sin, the causal agent, and there is the sinner, whose sins has to be atoned for.

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The Great Tempter – Depiction of Devil in John Milton’s Paradise Lost (Wiki Commons)

We have heard the message of Easter through the passion of Jesus at the cross.  Is man saved merely as a victim of sin, and not from the arch-deceiver and instigator of sin himself? This is the missing piece in the Easter story. I believe the Easter message is incomplete if the devil is left out of the picture to account for his deception. The two go hand-in-hand to free man from sin completely.  And we’ll see that the two acts wraps Jesus ministry from the beginning to the end – from start to finish.

How, when, and where did Jesus save man from the clutches of the deceiver? It occurred at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry after He was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist. In fact, this had to be the first act of saving man Jesus had to do before starting His ministry – before dying on the cross. He could not have started his ministry without first taking care of the arch-deceiver and instigator of sin. He could not have begun His ministry before He corrected Adam’s mistake of plunging mankind into sin, and held captive in Satan’s deception. He could not begin without correcting Adam’s wrong and sin. Paul said, “as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1Cor.15:22). The scriptures say that immediately after He was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the Judean wilderness to prepare Him for His titanic battle with the devil himself and defeat Satan at his own game of deception, and free man from the grips of sin. He fasted for 40 days in his preparation for this battle.

“Four Drivers”

There are four main areas in human life the devil deceives, tempts, and instigates sin. He did it with Adam, and he tried it with Jesus, and he continues to deceive and hold mankind in his devious clutches today. I like to call them the “four drivers” of life. Paul says we ought not to be “ignorant of his schemes (temptations)” (2 Cor.2:11). Satan’s temptations of Jesus explains the “four drivers.”  (Matt.4:1-11) They are: 1/ Bread or physical sustenance – Matt.4:3-4.  2/ Security and happiness – Matt.4:5-7. 3/ Material gain – Matt.4:8-11. 4/ Power and influence. Satan gave his best shot at tempting Jesus to sin like he did with Adam, but he failed. Jesus overcame and defeated Satan in that titanic battle in the Judean wilderness, and God attributed His epic victory to mankind which brings righteousness, just as Adam’s disobedience was imputed upon humanity which brought sin, evil, and human suffering. Paul said, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor.15:22). By “alive,” in the spiritual sense, is to be without sin, for Paul says, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom.6:23).

Let’s now look at these four primary areas of human life the devil uses to deceive and instigate sin in man. Satan is well aware these are four drivers essential to human survival, and man values highly, hence I have called them the “four drivers” of life.

1)     Bodily Sustenance: With Jesus, Satan used bread, “If You are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matt.4:3). Recall, Jesus had fasted for 40 days and He was famished. For some of us, we would consider it being on the verge of starvation. So, to say that bread was a punishing temptation was an understatement. But Jesus was spiritually strong, He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” It was by God’s word that the world come into being. Jesus saw the bigger picture than mere bread and the cries of hunger of His human body. With Adam, the devil used the forbidden fruit. (Gen.3:1-6)  The devil tempted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit, “you will be like God, knowing good from evil” (V.5). He managed to convince them that God lied when He said, “you shall not eat it, you must not touch it, or you will die” (V.3). They succumbed to the temptation and sinned.

How does this translate to each of us in our time, as it relates to the “sustenance temptation?” “Bread,” which is made from grain, is proverbially known as the “staff of life.” A ‘staff’ is a support or prop synonymous with human livelihood. We turn to Jesus words, “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or stow away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?” (Matt.6:25-26). So “bread,” in a broad sense, is metaphor for a person’s basic occupation in which he earns a living. The society in Jesus’ day was mainly agrarian, so sowing and reaping was the main form of work and livelihood for the average citizen. Today, it’s no longer the case.

“Bread” – Staff of Life (Wiki Commons)

Is Jesus saying we are to not work and support our families – not in the least! Just because the devil used bread to tempt Jesus does not mean bread is now bad food – that’s preposterous. In fact, He said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). He means we’re not to make our work or career into an idol in place of God’s purpose for each of us. It is God who places unique gifts in each of us which we turn into careers and professions. The gift is not for us to turn into a money-making machine. We become mercenaries when gifts are turned into ATM machines. The fundamental purpose of His gifts is to activate His Loving purpose in us. For when we dedicate our gifts and careers chiefly for His purpose, the gift becomes our unique line and mode of communication with God. That’s the pattern of divine communication between God and man revealed throughout the Bible. Otherwise, we are using it for our own self-centered, and self-communicative, purpose. Love is other-centered, not self-centered. Jesus said, “the pagans (unbelievers) run after these things (make their gifts self-centered), and your heavenly Father knows that you need these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (turn your gifts for His Loving purpose), and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matt.6:32-34). Jesus is talking about the “care of this life” that’s driven by pride, lust, and self-centeredness. (1 John 2:16; Luk.21:34) So, the devil tempts us to sin through the “sustenance temptation” when we use our gifts for wrongful purpose. Gifts becomes idols and thereby, we sin. Gifts are for God-communicative, not self-communicative, purpose.

So bread is depiction for livelihood, and the devil tried to tempt Jesus by deception to look to him for His livelihood. Jesus brought us the victory by not succumbing to the devil’s wiles.

2)     Security and Happiness:  The devil tempted Jesus, made Him stand at the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem, saying, “Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Do not put the Lord Your God to the test’” (Matt.4:5-7). God gives His children security through angelic protection. Happiness is not possible without security. Without security we live in fear, not joy. Our happiness is secured through the many promises of God, including angelic protection.

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Temptation of Jesus on The Pinnacle of The Temple, Brooklyn Museum (Wiki Commons)

What we see in this temptation is the simple truth that the devil believes God’s people are in a special category of protection through God’s angelic hosts. (John 5:18; 91:11) But he turned a divine promise into its negative form to appeal to human vanity: “if you are the Son of God…” or “you will be like God knowing everything…” as with Adam and Eve. Jesus answered the devil’s temptation, and said in effect, ‘this is not about me or my ego, this is about God’s Love for me, His will be done, not mine.’ It’s tempting to apply human wisdom and pride to God’s promises, but humility must always be our mantra, where we say, “Your will be done, not mine;”  “by myself I can do nothing” (Luk.22:42b; John 5:30). We cannot hijack God’s promises for our own manipulation. Once people do that, before they know it, they’ll put their trust in themselves and physical worldly things to provide for their security. Things like money and wealth, their own human wisdom, their reliance on others, and devices for self enhancement, etc. Whatever you place your trust in, you worship. They have drifted as far from God and His promises don’t come through for them, and they wonder why. 

As the devil has, by deceit, made this world look to him for security and happiness, he tried to do the same to Jesus. Thankfully, for man’s sake, Jesus overcame the devil so that we too may do likewise, with His Spirit in us.

3)      Material Prosperity:  The “four drivers” are all connected. If we fail in one, we will fail in the other four. (Jam.2:10) In this third temptation, “the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of this world and their splendor, and said, ‘All this I will give you,” showing the earthly glory in all its worldly majesty. Jesus saw and was offered all the splendor of the earth’s kingdoms, material wealth and possessions. But Jesus was not going to be tempted by the material wealth He had created.

4)       Power and Influence: When Satan said, “If You will bow down and worship me” He was offering Jesus worldly power and reign and to acknowledge His dependence on him, rather than God His Father. Jesus replied, ‘Away from Me, Satan! For it is written ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him, and the angels came and attended to Him” (Matt. 4:8-11). Jesus was not about to live the ‘solitary’ life of the devil in place of the “Triune Life” He had for eternity with the Father and the Spirit. To have done so Jesus would have extricated Himself from the source and life of Love to a life of fear.

These are the four areas which people give 100% of their attention and effort in the pursuit of life. They are not wrong of themselves, for everything, a) sustenance and health, b) happiness and security, c) material wealth, and d) power, are all God’s to give, and are His gifts to mankind. The devil has always offered man counterfeits of God’s gifts and blessing. Satan uses his counterfeits as tools to keep man deceived, and tempting man to turn them into idols to bow and serve in place of God’ blessings. God says, “The gold is Mine, and the silver is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills, the fowls and the wild beasts are mine, the earth and its fullness and all that dwell in it” (Haggai 2:8; Psa.24:1; Psa.50:10-11). The world’s wealth does not belong to the devil to give to anyone. What belongs to the devil is the system he has created based upon fear, greed, lack, and founded upon rebellion, which, if man accepts, will turn God’s loving gifts to reflect his egotistical self. This is the basis of all human sufferings – we worship the created, instead of the Creator. Jesus said, “You can’t serve both God and money” (Luk.16:13). The Bible says clearly, “The one who loves money and wealth will never be satisfied with money” (Eccl.5:10; Isa.55:2; Jer.17:11). In other words, happiness and security is never found in money and material abundance. 

Define Your wealth. “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9. (Gold Nugget – Wiki Commons) 

However, when we receive material riches legitimately from the true Source of wealth, the Bible tells us, “The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and He adds no sorrow (toil) with it” (Prov.10:22; Matt.25:14-15; 1Pet.4:10, 8-9). In other words, His blessings comes with joy, not sorrow. Most of today’s stress-related sickness and disease comes from where people spend most of their lives – earning a living (bread). But God’s riches comes without toil (stress). It has been said that when you enjoy what you do, you never have to work another day in your life. Therein lies our destiny – I will share a beautiful word of wisdom about how to live this way. The joys of God’s blessing comes to man through a person’s gift bequeathed upon him/her by God. God does not give us material wealth to be consumed in our selfish ambition, for when we do, we will get caught up with the “deceitfulness of riches” (Matt.13:22). Jesus said, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:13-21). Rather, they are the outcome and consequence of our primary gift which God’s gives in order to serve Him and our fellowmen.    

Two-Pronged Action of Jesus to Once for All Time Defeat Sin

By defeating the devil in the very temptations he holds humans captive, Jesus forever freed mankind from the great tempter. Paul said “I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you, and that our labors might have been in vain” (1Thess.3:5). Think about it, the blood of Jesus –  the cross – undoubtedly the most important work of Jesus, takes care of past sins, but because we are humans in a fallen state of existence, we do sin, whether through human weakness, ignorance, or through rebellion. Man has sins he does not yet know, as the Psalmist say, “How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults” (Psa.19:12). Man’s freedom from suffering from his “hidden faults,” his weakness, his rebellion, is commensurate with his liberation from his prison of ignorance and the Spirit’s power in his life.

The greatest teachers in life are wisdom and consequence. Through them we acquire true knowledge in these four areas of life which frees us. We can never be completely free from sin as humans, but Jesus opens our eyes to deal with the sins the Spirit gives us eyes to see. Jesus’ eyes become our eyes through what He did in the wilderness of Judea when He defeated Satan’s temptations in His epic battle to free every man, woman, and child. Paul says “we are not ignorant of his devices” (2Cor.2:11). And that knowledge which frees is not some legalistic knowledge, but an act of God’s Love through the life and cross of His Son, in the power of the Spirit.

“God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you” – Psa.62:11

Please not: the two monumental acts of Jesus wraps His ministry from beginning to end – from the temptations in the Judean wilderness at the start of His ministry, and to the end on the cross of Calvary. Both work hand in hand to free man from his sins, past present and future. These two events, Jesus’ baptism and defeat of the devil, His perfect sinless life of doing good, and His death on the cross, and subsequent resurrection and ascension, encapsulates the perfect human life God our Father accepts on mankind’s behalf as the final answer to sin. 

It’s illogical for Jesus to save man from past sins via the cross, and not overcome the very temptations which is the cause of sin in the first place. This is the victory we win everyday in Christ which He has already done for us in the Judean wilderness by defeating Satan. (1 John 5:4) James tells us this, “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (Jam.2:17). Good work, or God’s Love in action, begins at home, or it starts with you personally, before it is played out externally to your neighbor. John said, “The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:6). He has given us example how to face and deal with the “four drivers” of life, and how to overcome the devil. We can’t defeat the devil on our own, we live the “Triune Life” and we do so because Jesus has already overcome him in our place, like He died on the cross in our place, to free us. He said, “In this world you will have trouble (sin). Take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, emphasis added; Eph.6:13). The Spirit gives us the power so Jesus victory is vicariously ours – He represents us in God’s presence so we can live triumphant lives. The Bible says, “We are complete in Him (Jesus)” (Col.2:10).       

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 “Away from Me, Satan! For it is written ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him Only.'” (Carl Henrich Bloch, Wiki Commons)

Day of Atonement

One final word to show how vital this aspect of Jesus’ work of dealing with the instigator of sin, the devil, and his death on Calvary. This event was prophesied long ago from the time of Moses. What happened in the wilderness of Judea in the temptations mirrors what Israel did before God on the annual Day of Atonement, known to the Jews as Yom Kippur. It was a high day in ancient Israel, full of symbolism and ritual with profound significance. A whole chapter was dedicated to the meaning of this day – it makes for interesting reading in Leviticus 16. The High Priest played the chief role on this day. The people fasted (so did Jesus in the wilderness) and confessed their sins before God: “Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites” (Lev.16:34). Once a year, God would appear before Israel in the holy place of the temple to cleanse Israel of all sins. The High Priest performed a unique ceremony with two goats. He symbolically confessed upon the head of one of the two goats all the sins of the people. Then a strong individual was assigned to carry the live goat with all the sins of the people and let go in the desert wilderness. The second goat was sacrificed and its blood brought into the holiest chamber before God’s presence in the mercy seat. The second goat represented Jesus and His death on the cross.

We can see the parallel: Jesus repented and was baptized and took upon Himself the weight of the sins of mankind for all times. Jesus had no sin to repent of, but He repented and was baptized for all mankind. He was Immanuel, the second Person of the triune Godhead. Immediately after His baptism, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness where, and after fasting for forty days, defeated the devil in his epic battle to free mankind from the arch deceiver. (Matt.4:1-11) Just as the goat of the Day of Atonement was taken into the wilderness symbolically heavily-laden with Israel’s sins, Jesus took all of mankind’s sins into the Judean wilderness, and placed them squarely upon the head of the instigator of sin, the great tempter, Satan.

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The two Goats of Atonement of Leviticus 16, Depicting Christ’s Twin Role Of Completely Saving Mankind from Sin  (Wiki Commons)

Jesus is the High Priest, and He is Savior symbolized in the goat sacrificed for our sins, and the second goat who took our sins into the desert wilderness. When Jesus came forth from the wilderness of Judea He proclaimed the Gospel, “the kingdom of heaven has come” (Matt.4:17). Such a proclamation could only be made after Jesus defeated the devil and mankind is no longer under his control. Ever since Adam’s eviction from Eden, the gate to Paradise is reopened by Jesus, the second Adam. (Gen.3:24; John 10:9; John 14:6 1Cor.15:45) We can have access to the ‘tree of life’ which gives us the life of the Spirit, and enter into Loving fellowship with the Father through His Son. Man can now live the “Triune Life.”

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Jesus’ Death on the Cross – Final Answer to Sin and Satan’s Defeat (Eugene Lacroix, Wiki Commons) 

Let’s not miss the utter significance of Jesus twin roles as depicted in the two goats, what He did for man in the Jordan river and the wilderness of Judea – by repenting for mankind in the Jordan, He irrefutably took all of our temptations and sins in the “drivers of life” of life and atoned for them by overcoming the devil on all four counts. Then He proceeded to forgive all human sins by His death on the cross (Calvary). He performed a complete absolution of man’s sin condition and inaugurated the Father’s salvation for man as His very own children. Jesus repented as a perfect human being, so that as imperfect humans, we can repent  and be forgiven vicariously in Him. (2 Cor.5:21) This twin act of Jesus, the Jordan and Calvary, the Father accepts as the final, complete, and unmitigated response (atonement) to man’s sin condition into all eternity.

May the blessings of the season of Easter and Passover be with you all and your families.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Blessing:

Until we meet again in my next post, may the blessing of the God who ceaselessly expresses Himself in His dependable Triune Love, help you to receive Jesus as your personal Savior and live the “Triune Life” in the Spirit. May the Spirit enliven you and make all things concerning you possible in Triune Living as a Bulamanriver.*

Kiang,                                                                                                                                                          (Your Servant in Christ)            

* Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. To read the many facets of life of the Bulamanriver, go to my website www.bulamanriver.com where you can order a copy of my Book.

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

Note: Any information obtained from this website that is used for publication should be acknowledged by citing the website address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship. For general guidelines regarding web citations see The Guide for Citing Electronic Information

JESUS’ SACRIFICE – REDEEMING MAN FROM THE HUMAN SIN CONDITION, KIANG P LEE

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

Greetings friends around the world. Easter is the most important Christian season of the year for it commemorates the death and resurrection of the Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

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Christ on the Cross, By Eugene Delacroix – Walters Art Museum (Wiki Commons)  

God’s covenant promise shows God’s intimate Love for man, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb.8:12; John 3:16-17). Of course sin will always have a price, and Jesus paid the price with His life on the cross. Jesus was no ordinary human – He was the prophesied Immanuel, God in the human flesh. (Isa.7:14; Matt.1:23)  As Hebrews 9:14, says, “The blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. And for this cause He is the Mediator of the New Covenant, that by means of death…they which are called might receive the promise of eternal life.” He became once and for all, the PERFECT SACRIFICE which no sin can defeat.

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Golgotha (“Skull Hill”), Site of Jesus Crucifixion (Wiki Commons)

Sin and holiness cannot co-exist. God, in His holiness, will always exterminate sin, because sin cannot exist in the presence of the Holy God. Have you ever seen a powerful flood lamp light up a pitch dark arena? Darkness flees when light enters the arena, because darkness and light cannot co-exist, just as sin and God’s holy Love cannot co-exist. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). The light of Jesus through His sacrifice is enough to take man out of darkness and keep him sinless. If not, then He is an inadequate Savior, an imposter. But He is all-sufficient, all that remains is we believe, repent, and receive Him as Savior. Listen to our Father’s encouraging words to us through the prophet Isaiah, “Come, let us talk about these things. Though your sins are as scarlet, they can be as white as snow. Though your sins are deep red, they can be white like wool” (Isa.1:18-19).

A believer may say, ‘but I am still human, and I sin all the time.’ That’s true. John tells us, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:8-9). We still sin, through human weakness, we sin inadvertently most of the time, we all have the sin of ignorance – sins we do not yet see. (Psa.19:12-13). Yet, we place ourselves at God’s mercy and grace, for He says, “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb.8:12). In other words, Jesus sacrifice is all-encompassing that He takes care not only of our past sins, but our present and future sins. Paul said it this way, “God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Yes, it is the light of Jesus which no darkness can invade.

Look, there is one plain fact which cannot be denied, God cannot unite Himself in Loving union with a human if he or she is in a sinful condition (state of existence). The believer is in a saved condition in the Holy Spirit. (2 Cor.1:22)  Too many times a believer looks at his or her individual sins and pronounce himself or herself “unworthy.” But our trespasses, whether through weakness, unintended, or ignorance, is not the issue – that’s taken care of through Jesus sacrifice when we ask for forgiveness and repent. Our attention must be focused on our “saved condition” which unites us with God our Loving Father. (Eph.2:18)

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Garden Tomb Where Jesus Body Was Laid & Resurrected (Wiki Commons)

What do I mean by “saved condition?” It means the Holy Spirit is living in the believer as His temple. Paul said, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price (Jesus). Therefore, honor God with your bodies” (1Cor.6:19-20). Jesus told the disciples before He was crucified, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17a). The Spirit’s presence changes man’s condition from being sinful to being righteous in Christ. From the condition of darkness to light. It is the condition which spawns the activities which that condition permits. And what is that activity? It is nothing but the activity of Love between our Father and His human children. What is the role of the Spirit? The Spirit’s purpose is to sanctify the believer so he/she can be always unified to the Father through Jesus. (Rom.15:16; 1 Cor.6:11) We are always living our lives vicariously in Jesus’ glorified humanity in heaven through the power of the Spirit in us, so we can be unified in Love with the Father – always. I have come to call this the “Triune Life” for all three, Father, Son, and Spirit are involved in our salvation.

Yet, we are still living in our weak and fallen human state of existence. Does this give us the license to live in careless abandon? (Rom. 7:18-25). Man’s propensity to sin is no excuse to live licentiously, but to enlighten man of his need for a permanent Mediator. Jesus cleanses our hearts in the washing of the water of His Spirit (Word) that flows in us. (John 7:38-39) It is a process that will take a lifetime, but in the same process we live in the condition of our true self, the new man who lives in Jesus in a saved condition (Rom.7:24-25). If Jesus is sinless, then we are; it’s that simple. John tells us the difference in these two conditions when he says, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing” (John 6:63).

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The Ocean, Enabling Condition for Marine Life, Like The Spirit Is the Enabling Condition for God-Life in Man (Pic: Wiki Commons)

The Spirit is the sanctifier of man who works to make him more like Jesus. (John 16:12-15; Rom.8:29)  All man’s sins and trespass, past, present, and future, are adjudicated in Jesus’ condition as Savior and Mediator, in His High Priestly role in heaven. The life condition we have in Jesus keeps us right with God (1 Cor. 1:30).

John the Baptist said this about Jesus, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luk.3:16). To baptize means to immerse like a covering. Remember this, and never forget it: In the presence of God we live and are immersed in His Love, for “God is Love,” and the Bible tells us, “…Love shall cover a MULTITUDE of sins.” (1 John 4:8; 1 Pet.4:8) Love is light, sin is darkness. Isn’t that amazing? In order to be unified to God, we must be sinless, and we are because Jesus gave His life and died on the cross upon Calvary! In Jesus we are immersed in His Love through the Spirit. “God’s Love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom.5:5). Go now friends, and live in that frame of mind – live joyfully in the presence of our heavenly Father. That’s why we celebrate Jesus life, death, resurrection, and ascension, at this time of year we call Easter.

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Dove, Symbol of the Holy Spirit and Sanctifier of Man (Wiki Commons)

In my next post I will share a missing piece of the Easter story. You will see that without it the Easter story is only partially complete. See you then.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com. Thanks for visiting. 

Blessing:

Until we meet again in my next post, may the blessing of the God who ceaselessly expresses Himself in His dependable Triune Love, be with you this Easter season and may His blessings be with you always. May the Spirit enliven you and make all things concerning you possible in Triune Living as a Bulamanriver.*

Kiang,                                                                                   

* Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. To read the many facets of life of the Bulamanriver, go to my website www.bulamanriver.com where you can order a copy of my Book.

See the BULAMANRIVER Video at: http://youtu.be/8uA0Bq7UoYA

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

Note: Any information obtained from this website that is used for publication should be acknowledged by citing the website address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship. For general guidelines regarding web citations see The Guide for Citing Electronic Information

BULAMANRIVER – WHO IS HE? BY KIANG P LEE

Greetings friends!

The title of this blog site is Bulamanriver. For those who are recent visitors, and may not have read my previous post about this, let me introduce you. Its etymology comes from three words: bula, man, river.  Bula is derived from the Fijian (Fiji is a South Pacific Island nation) language which means “life.” Man is God’s creation who is given the gift of life. River is the metaphor for God and His Love. Therefore, Bulamanriver conveys the meaning of the “life of man walking with God in His Love.Of course, any statement of such reference has to have biblical derivative. In fact, Bulamanriver finds its etymology in the following biblical passage:

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water shall flow from the inmost being of anyone who believes in me.”  (He was speaking of the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him)” – John 7:37-39.

This scripture further expounds Bulamanriver to mean: man is the riverbed, who is the receptacle for the “living waters” of the Spirit of God, which brings true life.

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River of Living Waters – Metaphor for God’s Love and Spirit (Pic: Wiki Commons)

Who is Bulamanriver? You, the believer, is Bulamanriver! You are the riverbed who is given the Spirit of “living waters” to flow in you, so the life of Jesus, you, and Spirit is unified. Recall, all this happens only when you believe in Jesus as your personal Savior: “anyone who believes in Me.” To believe in Jesus means to follow His way of Love in a changed life. This forges a union in what I have called the “Triune Life.” It means a life which devolves from the Trinitarian nature and Being of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

When you think about this, man, in his fallen state of existence, has always had “deathly waters” flowing in him since Adam submitted to the devil’s deception in Eden. Now, God our Father in His Love and compassion has reversed the condition and poured His Spirit in man’s riverbed. This was made possible when Jesus defeated the devil in His titanic battle in the Judean Desert after His baptism by John, and His death on the cross at Calvary. (Matt.4:1-11; John 18-20)

God is Love, so the “living waters” (Spirit) flowing in man (riverbed), is God’s Love. (1 John 4:8) God, who Himself is Love, flows into our riverbed and covers all our sins. A river cannot exist without its waters. Without its waters, all the putrid, unsightly, and foul-smelling underbelly of the riverbed is exposed for all its imperfections (sins). Hence, we are warned, “Do not quench the Spirit (“living waters”)” (1 Thess.5:19). So, this is the life of the believer: he is the riverbed immersed and “hiding” under the cover of the full-flowing “living waters” of Jesus through the Spirit. All he sees as he looks up and out is this covering Love of Christ in the “living waters” of the Spirit. Paul asserts this, saying, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3; Ps. 17:6-9).

Without its waters to give it identity, the river ceases to exist. Soon enough the jungle takes over, and even the riverbed is no more which now becomes part of the jungle. In truth, the river is the source of life for the jungle and all the living species in it. It is the source of life for peoples, farms, for transportation, it’s the economic lifeline for river dwellers. But if the riverbed should become part of the jungle, how will the jungle eco-life survive? Who will water and give it life? This is your identity as a Bulamanriver – you give life because God is the life in you, you do not take life. The jungle takes life, so does the people, farms, animals, and all the myriads of things dependent upon it. But the river never stops giving, but flows gracefully to all. God says, “I am about to do something new. See I have already begun! Do you see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. The wild animals in the fields will thank Me, the jackals and the owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed” (Isa. 43:19-20, NLT). This is why the river is the metaphor for God and His Love. Love is the abundance of everything so we have all we need, want and desire.

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Rainbow over River Conwy, UK (Wiki Commons) River Gives Life-Giving Waters

I hope this clarifies, as well as informs you, my new readers and others alike, of the meaning of my blog site: Bulamanriver. From that, it requires no speculation what to expect in my posts. Think of my blog as a river, where God in His Love is flowing to you. Drink and be filled!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Blessing:

Until we meet again in my next post, may the blessing of the God who ceaselessly expresses Himself in His dependable Triune Love, be with you always. May the Spirit enliven you and make all things concerning you possible in Triune Living as a Bulamanriver.*

Kiang,                      

* Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. To read the many facets of life of the Bulamanriver, go to my website www.bulamanriver.com where you can order a copy of my Book.

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

Note: Any information obtained from this website that is used for publication should be acknowledged by citing the website address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship. For general guidelines regarding web citations see The Guide for Citing Electronic Information