Words of the Bible

What is the difference between the forgiveness of sins and salvation?

The forgiveness of sins and salvation mean the same thing. We can easily understand this when we realize our origin. The salvation we need is the forgiveness of sins The word "salvation" means the act of saving someone from risk, harm, or destruction. Helping a person who is suffering from sickness to be healed or rescuing someone who is in danger of losing his or her life is also a type of salvation. However, the salvation that God provides is not of the body, but of the soul, and the salvation of our souls is also the goal of our faith. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you…

The Lamb’s Book of Life

The Bible teaches us that there is a distinction between God’s people who are qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven and those who are not. The people who practice lawlessness will not enter the kingdom of heaven, but they will all be driven out, no matter how loud they cry out, “Lord, Lord,” and no matter how diligently they believe in Christ and prophesy in His name (Mt 7:21-23; 25:31-46). This scene is similar to that of an immigration checkpoint. To enter a country, everyone has to pass through immigration at the airport. However, the immigration checkpoint has different lines for the citizens of the country or green card holders and foreigners; the former can pass through the immigration…

What a Strand of Hair Tells Us

Recently, the Center for Quantum Nanoscience of the Institute for Basic Science [IBS] swept the podium in related fields by inventing an atomic-scale storage medium. We are entering the 21st century nano age passing through the 20th century micro age. The tiny and fine storage area, a discovery after a century of research, has already been planted on our heads. It is hair. Hair starts growing even before birth. Seven weeks after conception, hair follicles1 are observed in the skin tissue. Around 10–13 weeks of pregnancy, the hair starts growing from the scalp, and around 20 weeks, eyebrows and eyelashes appear, and the fetus is covered by lanugo, a fine downy hair. Between 33 and 37 weeks, most of the…

Why did God liken the Holy Spirit to the former and latter rain?

To understand this, first we need to learn about the geographic settings and climate of Israel in relation to rain. Geographical Settings of Israel Israel has low rainfall and its soil is mainly composed of limestone and sandstone, so it is not easy to even find water underground. This is why the historical sites of Israel include many reservoirs which were used to collect rainwater for drinking, and Bible history also shows that the patriarchs like Abraham had to dig wells wherever they went and there were quarrels over water. Thus, rain was directly correlated with the livelihood of the people in Israel, their survival was threatened when it did not rain. … I will send rain on your land…

Because the Gracious Hand Was Upon Me

Hearing the city of Jerusalem lies in ruins, Nehemiah looks sad. After praying for a few days, he comes to Judah with the will to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem, being fully supported by King Artaxerxes he serves. Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem and examines the fallen walls of the city. Gathering the Jews, he says, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” When Nehemiah tells them about the gracious hand of God upon him and what the king said to him, they are moved and reply. “Good! Let’s start rebuilding it together.”…

Rejoice in the Lord

If we carefully examine all things made by God, we are able to realize how much grace God is bestowing on us. Around us there are so many things to be joyful and thankful for—fresh air, water, green pasture, loving people, happiness from a change of weather or season, and so on. So the Bible frequently mentions the virtue of being joyful and thankful, as one of the virtues that Christians must have. At a palace or a castle where a king lived, both in western and eastern countries, a special flag was planted to signify the presence of the king. Rejoicing always as Christians is like a flag that signifies God’s presence in us. On the contrary, if Christians…

I want to know in detail about the regular prayer. I want to know why we pray at the regular prayer times and what meanings are contained in the regular prayer.

God gave us, humans, the three conditions necessary for living—breathing, eating, and moving. If any one of them is missing, how can we sustain our life? Those who are in the truth sustain the life of their souls as they breathe through prayer, eat the words of life, and move through preaching. Just as we must breathe continually to sustain our physical life, the Bible says that we should pray continually. The reason is that prayer is like breathing. In order to save us, humans, God established the heavenly sanctuary where sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins are realized. In that sanctuary, Christ who is the High Priest offers a spiritual sacrifice for us according to the regulations He established,…

Covenant and Faith

Our society is maintained by promises. For example, a bill is just a piece of paper, but because of a promise made among people it has monetary value with which they can buy or sell things. If a child tears up a money bill and throws it away, people will get upset, but if it is a simple piece of paper, they will not care too much about it. That is because it does not have a promise attached to it, while a money bill does. So, a promise is important. There is a promise, or a covenant, between God and humankind as well. If we do not understand the relationship between a covenant and faith in our life of…

Today, churches believe in Jesus Christ. However, 2,000 years ago when Jesus came, why did they not believe in Him but rather crucify Him on the cross?

Among the many reasons the Jews rejected Jesus 2,000 years ago, the biggest one was that they did not believe the prophecies of the Bible (Jn 5:46-47). Jesus said that what testifies about Him is the Bible, and on the resurrection day, too, He testified about Himself through the Bible to the disciples who were not sure that He is Christ, so that He let them have conviction in their hearts (Jn 5:39; Lk 24:25-27, 32). That is why the apostles, too, testified that Jesus is Christ through the Bible (Ac 17:2). The Jews did not know the prophecy of the Bible, nor believe it. They persecuted Jesus because they just believed in the God whom they themselves had made…

God’s Gospel Workers

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” Lk 10:2 The children of Zion, who are living in the prophetical age of the Feast of Tabernacles, the season of harvest, are workers in charge of the spiritual harvest. Although we are lacking in many ways, God made us gospel workers and entrusted us with the gospel. In autumn when everyone is busy harvesting, a wise and diligent worker refreshes the spirit of his master, but a sluggard is like vinegar to the teeth of his master and smoke to his eyes (Ps 10:5, 26). Now, let us have time to check what kind of…

Which One Is Right between the Feast of Tabernacles and Thanksgiving Day?

Brother, it’ll be the Feast of Tabernacles in a little while. The autumn feasts have already approached. The weather is getting cool. Well, I have a question. A friend of mine who attends another church talks much about Thanksgiving Day. Is it the same as the Feast of Tabernacles? No. Although many people think that the two are similar because both are kept in autumn, they are totally different. The Feast of Tabernacles is God’s feast that leads us to salvation. But Thanksgiving Day is just a day men made. Moreover, it is not recorded in the Bible. Thanksgiving Day is not in the Bible? No, it’s not. Thanksgiving Day was created hundreds of years ago in America. In 1620,…

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All churches claim to preach the gospel, but the meaning of the gospel is vague. What is the gospel?

About two thousand years ago, Jesus came to the earth and preached the good news of the kingdom of heaven to save us. Since it was Jesus who preached the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel means all the teachings that Jesus gave us to lead us to the kingdom of heaven. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”Mt 24:14 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the…

Take Care of Others Through the Gospel

I know that our brothers and sisters in Zion are always working hard for the gospel, regardless of hot summer or cold winter weather conditions. God came to this earth to seek and save the lost and preached the gospel. This gospel, which leads human beings to the kingdom of heaven, is the new covenant that we are keeping and preaching now. If we summarize the gospel of the new covenant in one word, we can say that it is the “gospel through which we take care of others.” The Bible likens the relationship between God and His people to the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. Christ, the good Shepherd, took care of His people, represented as the…

In the Bible, there is a scene where Jesus rebuked people saying, “You worship God in vain.” Why did He say that it was in vain when they worshiped God?

It is easy to think that they receive blessings if they just worship God. However, the teaching of the Bible is different. Jesus said that even though the prophets believe in Him as the Savior and do many things in His name, they will be unable to enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 7:21-23). People who believe in God give service to God as worship to God. If they are prophets and leaders, they must have given countless services. Nevertheless, they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, which makes their worship meaningless. 2,000 years ago, the reason that the religious leaders worshiped God in vain is that they kept men’s rules. Outwardly they pretended to be the leaders who loved…

Eyes, the Window that Holds the World Within

The novel Blindness written by José Saramago, a Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, begins as a man suddenly goes blind while driving one ordinary afternoon. Soon after, his wife who nursed him, the patients of the clinic where the man came to receive treatment, and the eye doctor who treated him go blind. The unexplained blindness spreads like an epidemic, and society collapses rapidly. It is a novel that realistically depicts the power of vision just like the saying, “In the land of the blind, the one eyed-man is king.” We often forget the importance of vision. However, it doesn’t take much to understand how much we depend on sight—you just need to cover your eyes. Humans receive so much…

God Repays Everyone According to Their Deeds

Foolish people say in their hearts, “There is no God,” and their hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong (Ps 14:1). However, God inspects everything and repays everyone for what they have done. According to the way of the world as well, everyone is paid back for what they have done. If they give love to others, they will be rewarded for their love someday, and if they do evil, they will be paid back for their evil. Whatever they do, it will always return to them. Our God came to this earth and did the greatest good for us—He loved us and saved our souls. So, in order to repay God for His love, we are putting forth…

Neither Do I Condemn You

A group of people appear before Jesus who is teaching people in the temple courts. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees bring in a woman caught in adultery. “In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” they asked Jesus. They are using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. To them who keep on questioning him, Jesus opens His mouth. “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” They felt guilty and left one by one, and Jesus and the woman were left. Jesus says to the woman in a low voice. “Then…

I know that each of us has a soul and that there is the spiritual world, but I can in no way imagine what it will be like. Is there any way I can imagine even a little bit of the spiritual world?

A human consists of the dust of the ground, which is the flesh, and the breath of life, which is the soul. When a man dies, his flesh returns to the ground and the spirit, to God. In other words, in our afterlife, there surely exists the Kingdom of Heaven, the spiritual world, where we live together with God. It is just that it is invisible and that it is hard to explain about the world. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”1 Co 2:9 The highest dimensional space discovered by modern science to this day is the universe. With human…

God, Wonderful Counselor

Each and every teaching God has given us is written down in the Bible. However, there are many people who neither know God nor recognize God’s will even though they read the Bible. It is because God takes away the wisdom and understanding of those who follow man-made rules and gives it only to His chosen people—He opens their spiritual eyes and ears so that they can understand His words (Isa 29:13-14; Mt 13:10-16). Considering this fact, we come to know that God is truly “Wonderful Counselor.” When we look carefully into all things created by God, we can find the profound providence of the Creator in them. We can also see through the Bible that God’s wonderful counsel is…

The Church of God is called Zion. Is there a reason?

The name of the church that Christ established on this earth 2,000 years ago is the Church of God (1 Co 1:2; 11:22; Gal 1:13). The Church of God is also called Zion (Heb 12:22; Rev 14:1). When we find out what kind of place Zion is, we can understand why we call the Church of God Zion. Zion was the name of a small mountain in Jerusalem. After the ark of the covenant of God was placed there, the term “Zion” was used to represent not only Jerusalem but also Israel (1 Ki 8:1). To understand the reason that the Church of God is called Zion, we need to understand the relationship between King David and Jesus first. King…