THE LOST TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY


"...WAITING EAGERLY FOR OUR ADOPTION AS SONS."
                         Romans 8:23 NAS

   Throughout the history of Christianity, men of the true church
have said there is a deeper experience of God which follows the
"new birth" and is necessary for full salvation.

This experience has been wrongly called by various names such as:
"A second blessing... Filled with the Spirit...A second work of
grace." John Wesley called it "The Great Salvation!".

   No matter what it is called, this experience always represents
something very different from conversion and brings power for
service in God's Kingdom.

   The apostle Paul referred to this second experience by its true
name:  "the adoption as sons".  The adoption is the key to
understanding God's plan of salvation.  Simply said, the process of
salvation is this:  First we are BORN AGAIN and receive the Holy
Spirit of God.  Then later (after testing) we are ADOPTED AS
SONS and receive the Spirit of Christ.

   The New Birth and the Adoption are two separate spiritual
events, one involving the Holy Spirit and the other involving the
Spirit of Christ.

However, most  would argue that the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of
Christ are identical.  They say that the moment we are born-again,
we are also adopted as sons.  THEY ARE WRONG!  The proof
they are wrong hangs upon these questions:

     1.  Is the "Holy Spirit", the "Spirit of Christ"?

     2.  Are believers both born-again and adopted at
         the same moment in time?

THE SPIRIT WHO BEARS WITNESS TO BELIEVERS THAT
THEY ARE CHILDREN OF GOD IS NOT THE SPIRIT OF
CHRIST! (Proof follows)
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IS THE "HOLY SPIRIT", THE "SPIRIT OF CHRIST"?
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No!  The Holy Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are distinctly
different.  Most church scholars teach that they are one and the
same person, however the Bible clearly teaches the following facts:

     ONE.  The Spirit of Christ is something separate
           and distinct from the Holy Spirit of God.

     TWO.  The Spirit of Christ is received after
           we receive the Holy Spirit of God.

To avoid any confusion when referring to the two Spirits, I will
distinguish them with a symbol as follows:

     (HS) = Holy Spirit of God

     (SOC) = Spirit of Christ
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PAUL COMPARES THE TWO SPIRITS
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   In his letter to the Romans, Paul spoke of both the Spirit of God
and the Spirit of Christ in one verse.  He said:

1A  "However you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit,
       if indeed the SPIRIT OF GOD (HS) dwells in you.

1B   BUT if anyone does not have the SPIRIT OF CHRIST
      (SOC), he does not belong to Him."
                         Romans 8:9 NAS

In line 1:A, (above) Paul is referring to the SPIRIT OF GOD whom
we receive when we are born-again as CHILDREN of God.

However, in line 1:B, the contrasting word "BUT" clearly
introduces a different Spirit, i.e. the SPIRIT OF CHRIST whom we
receive later, when we are adopted as SONS of God.
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BORN-AGAIN CHILDREN ARE NOT YET SONS!
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   In the eighth chapter of Romans, Paul made a clear distinction
between those who were the born again CHILDREN of God and
those who were the adopted SONS of God.

First, he said this about those who were born-again:

2A  "THE SPIRIT (HS) Himself bears witness with
     our spirit that WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD."   
                          Romans 8:16 NAS      Already born-again


Then just seven verses later, Paul said that the "children of God" had
fruit of "the Spirit" but were waiting for adoption:

2B   "...but also we ourselves HAVING THE FIRST FRUITS OF
THE SPIRIT (HS)        Waiting for adoption


2C   even we ourselves groan within ourselves, WAITING
EAGERLY FOR OUR ADOPTION AS SONS." Romans 8:23
NAS

Please look carefully at those verses. Paul clearly said that:

     1. they were CHILDREN of God, (2A)
     2. they had the fruit of the Holy Spirit, (2B)
     3. they were WAITING for the adoption as SONS of God!

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ADOPTED SONS RECEIVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST
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     Paul told the Galatians that they would become sons by adoption
(not birth) and that each believer would know when he was adopted
because at that time God would send forth the Spirit of His Son
(SOC) into his heart as proof.  The apostle said this:

3A  "...God sent forth His Son...that we might receive the
      adoption as SONS.

3B   And because ("as proof")* you are sons,
     God has sent forth the SPIRIT OF HIS SON
     into our hearts, crying, "Abba!  Father!"
                         Galatians 4:4-6 NAS

It is important to note here that:

     1.  We become sons by adoption.  (3A)
     2.  Sons receive the Spirit of Christ. (3B)

* "because" with the sense of - as proof.  (So reads:  New English
Bible)

THE SPIRIT WHO BEARS WITNESS TO BELIEVERS THAT
THEY ARE CHILDREN OF GOD IS NOT THE SPIRIT OF
CHRIST! (Proof follows)

     IF...  We know that the children of God
            were WAITING to be adopted as sons.  (See 2:C)

     AND... We know that sons receive the
            Spirit of Christ                     (See 3:B)

     THEN...We know that those who were waiting
            to be adopted as sons had NOT received
            the Spirit of Christ.

   Think about it for a moment.  It is certain that if the children of
God were "waiting eagerly" for the adoption, they could not have
already received the adoption.

And since they had not received the adoption, they could not have
received the Spirit of Christ who comes at adoption.

Therefore, the Spirit who dwells in them (Rom 8:9) and witnesses to
them that they are children of God (Rom 8:16) cannot be the Spirit of
Christ!

   Most of the organized church system has lost the basic scriptural
truth that salvation is a process.  It begins with the new birth and
ends with receiving the Spirit of Christ at adoption.  God tests the
faith of those who are born-again before He adopts them.
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BORN-AGAIN CHILDREN ARE PROMISED AN INHERITANCE
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Do not be deceived; one may indeed be a born again CHILD of
God who has been promised an inheritance, and yet still not be an
adopted SON of God who has received that inheritance. Paul said
it like this:

4A  "I mean that the heir, as long as he is a CHILD, is no
     better than a SLAVE, though he is the owner of all the
     estate; but he is under guardians and trustees until the
     date set by the father.  SO WITH US..."
                                   Galatians 4:1 RSV

Thus we see that one may be a minor to whom an inheritance has
been promised, but who will not receive that inheritance until
certain conditions have been fulfilled.  That is to say that one may
be an "heir" and not yet be an "inheritor".
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SLAVES ARE NOT YET INHERITORS!
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   Paul goes on to explain the difference between a SLAVE who
has been promised an inheritance and a SON who has received that
inheritance. First, he said this about new believers:

5A   "So, with us; when we were children, we were SLAVES
      to the elemental [evil] spirits of the universe."
                                   Galatians 4:3 RSV

Then in reference to the "slaves" who had become "sons", he
said this:

5B   "And because [as proof] you are SONS, God has sent forth
      the Spirit of His Son into our hearts..."
                                   Galatians 4:6 NAS

Finally, Paul summed up his statement and said:

5C   "Therefore you are no longer a SLAVE, but a SON;
      and if a SON, then an heir through God."
                          Galatians 4:7 NAS

Paul was saying this:  "Because you have received the Spirit of
Christ, you know that you are now a SON and heir.  (i.e. an
inheritor of the promise)  Therefore you are no longer a SLAVE.".
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SLAVE TO WHAT?
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   What did Paul mean when he said "no longer a slave"? Jesus
Himself gives us the answer  to this question in the Gospel of John.
Our Lord warned us:

6A   "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin
     is the SLAVE OF SIN.

6B   And the slave does not remain in the house forever;
     the son does remain forever.

6C   If therefore the Son shall make you free, (from sin)
     you shall be free indeed."
                                   John 8:34-36 NAS

Thus we see that the SLAVE is one who has become a born again
child of God through faith, but continues to commit willful sin and
thus remains a slave to sin.  He will be lost because "THE SLAVE
DOES NOT REMAIN IN THE HOUSE FOREVER."

     Paul also warned the born-again believers in Rome that they
must give up their slavery to sin or die.  He wrote this:

7A   "You are SLAVES of the one whom you obey,
      either of SIN resulting in DEATH, or obedience
      resulting in righteousness."
                                   Romans 6:16 NAS

7B   "For if you live according to
      the flesh YOU WILL DIE.

7C    But if by the Spirit (HS) you put to death
      the deeds of the body YOU WILL LIVE."
                                   Romans 8:13 RSV

   One who is "born-again" can still choose to "live according to the
flesh" and remain a slave to sin.  (He will be lost!) Or by the power
of the Holy Spirit (HS) he can choose to obey God and "put to death
the deeds of the body". (He will inherit eternal life through the
Spirit of Christ!)
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ETERNAL LIFE IS IN THE SON.  (NOT IN THE HOLY SPIRIT)
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The apostle John said this:

8A   "...God gave us eternal life,
      and this life is in His Son.
      He who has the Son has life;
      he who has not the Son of God has not life."
                                   1 John 5:11 RSV

   When we are born again, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of
God who is the earnest (the guarantee) of our PROMISED
inheritance.  He is the one who will guide us, teach us, enable us to
overcome sin, and grow to spiritual maturity.

   When (and if) we grow to maturity, God will send forth "the
Spirit of His Son into our hearts".  It is Jesus Christ Himself who is
the promised inheritance and eternal life is in Him.  If His Spirit
lives in us we also will live!

                  THE PROCESS OF SALVATION

   1                   2                     3
________             ______               _______
 LOST                BORN                 ADOPTED
SINNER               AGAIN                  SON
--------                  ------               -------
                              (HS)                  (SOC)

Harold and Donna Kupp

    "And the dragon was wroth with the woman,
      and went to make war with the remnant of her seed,
             WHICH KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD,
      AND HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST."
                  Rev 12:17 (KJV)