2 Corinthians 5:1-5 “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” (ESV), but the old English King James Version of 2 Corinthians 5:5 states, “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.”
Pastor Kyle continues: God prepares born-again Believers for Heaven and gives us the Holy Spirit as “the earnest” of eternal life in Heaven after this life is over. The word “earnest” here is the Greek word “arrabōn” meaning money which in purchases is given as a pledge or down-payment that the full amount will subsequently be paid. In Real Estate transactions, “earnest money’ is a pledge, is a certain amount of money that a buyer pays to a seller to demonstrate his good faith and intention to complete the transaction.
In John 3:3-7 Jesus proclaimed, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The Pharisee Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” Through personal repentance of sin, acknowledging and believing God, and accepting that by grace He sent Jesus Christ to die as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, we are redeemed, cleansed, forgiven and reconciled transforming conversion, and given the indwelling Holy Spirit now as an earnest guarantee of Heaven to walk with an eternal perspective and to guide us with spiritual discernment in the remainder of our days on this side of eternity. Born once (physical birth only) die twice; born twice (physical birth and spiritually born again) die once.
The natural “fallen in sin” man is dead in their trespasses and sins, therefore cannot see the kingdom of God or discern spiritual things, even though God is plainly evidenced in His creation all around them. The Apostle Paul explains in Romans 1:18-20, 25 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse … because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”
The Greek word for the “wrath of God” here is “orgē” meaning anger, wrath, indignation exhibited in punishment. The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines “wrath” as: The just punishment of an offense or crime. Gods wrath, in Scripture, is His holy and just indignation against sin. John 3:31-36 testifies, “He [Jesus] who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth [fallen humanity] belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He [Jesus] who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he [Jesus] whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” The gate to Heaven is narrow. Understand that fallen humanity [the natural man] is already found guilty and condemned by their sin, spiritually dead and spiritually blind in their trespasses. Those who believe the Gospel truth of Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord are not saved from sin, but from the wrath of God against sin. This is why the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 2:13-14, “We impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The Holy Spirit, though always at work in the world, is given to born-again Believers, the Body of Christ, Christ’s church - the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth only. Therefore, it is declared in Revelation 2:11, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.” Our decision for or rejection of Jesus Christ in our temporary mortal time here of Earth determines our permanent, immortal and eternal destiny after.
Let's conclude Pastor Kyle's message on this temporary world and eternity in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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