耶稣或巴拉巴, 你选择谁?

When Jesus and Barabbas were led before the people of Israel, the people were given a choice to release Jesus or Barabbas. The people choose to release Barabbas. Through the influence of the (宗教的) leaders of the people, the people didn’t choose for the good and for righteousness by releasing the innocent Man Jesus Christ, but they chose for evil and unrighteousness, by releasing the guilty prisoner Barabbas, who was a thief and murderer and deserved the death sentence. And so the guilty Barabbas, who deserved to be crucified was released and the innocent Jesus was scourged and crucified(马修 27:15-26, 标记 15:6-15, 卢克 23:13-25, 约翰 18:38-40).

There are many aspects to this event, including the following two, 即, that the people were influenced by the (宗教的) leaders and therefore chose evil instead of good and released the criminal; 罪人, and judged the Righteous, and that Jesus Christ took the place of the prisoner Barabbas, 罪人; the transgressor of the law, who deserved to be crucified and took the punishment upon Himself, while Barabbas was released.

耶稣或巴拉巴?

Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, 说, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered Him for envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify Him. Then Pilate said unto them, 为什么, what evil hath He done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify Him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified (标记 15:6-15)

那儿有人, who don’t understand that when God’s people were given a choice between the releasing of Jesus or Barabbas, the people chose to release the guilty prisoner Barabbas, whose name means son of a father or teacher, instead of releasing the innocent Man Jesus Christ, and point with a judgmental finger to the people.

But isn’t it so, that in our age many do exact the same thing and reject Jesus Christ; 这个单词, and chose the sinner and sin through the influence of the words of the devil and by believing and following his words and do the works of the flesh and approve of sin?

They don’t choose to submit to God and walk in obedience to the Word after the Spirit in the will of God and do righteous works, but they reject the words of God and chose to walk after the will, 欲望, and desires of the flesh and do the works of the flesh and persevere in sin.

And so many approve of sin and/or persevere in sin

God is light and in Him is no darkness

这就是我们所听到的关于他的信息, 并向你宣告, 上帝就是光, 在他里面毫无黑暗. 我们若说我们与神有交通, 并在黑暗中行走, 我们撒谎, 并且不说实话: 但如果我们行在光中, 就如他在光中一样, 我们彼此有团契, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 约翰 1:5-7)

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: 因为违背律法就是罪. And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. 凡住在他里面的，就不犯罪: 凡犯罪的都没有见过他, neither known Him (1 约翰 3:4-6).

But everyone, who is born of God and has received His nature and belongs to Him, should not walk in darkness and persevere in sin. Because in Him is no darkness and if we are in Him, then shall there be no darkness in us and we shall not do the works of darkness.

每个人, who persevers in sin walks in darkness and not in the light.

If someone says to walk in the light, but do the works of the flesh and doesn’t repent, then the unrighteous works of the person show that the person belongs to the world; 黑暗王国, and not to Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God (1 约翰 1:5-11).

圣经说, that God has not called us unto uncleanness, 但为了圣洁. He, 因此, that despises, despises not man, 但上帝, who has also given unto us His Holy Spirit (1 帖撒罗尼迦人 4:7)

When you refuse to submit to God’s Word and His will and keep living in uncleanness; sin and iniquity, then you shall not be any different from the world. Because those, 谁属于世界, belong to the generation of fallen man and walk as enemies of God and His Word as transgressors of the law of God in darkness and live after the flesh in uncleanness (另请阅读: ‘If Christians live like the world of what should the world repent off?').

He that does righteous is righteous, 即使他是公义的, but he that commits sin is of the devil for the devil sinned from the beginning

小孩子, 不要让任何人欺骗你: 行正义的人就是正义的, 即使他是公义的. 犯罪的都是出于魔鬼的; 因为魔鬼从一开始就犯罪. 为此目的，神的儿子显现出来, 为要除掉魔鬼的作为. 凡由神生的，就不犯罪; for His seed remaineth in him: 他不能犯罪, 因为他是由神生的。神的儿女在此显明, 和魔鬼的孩子们: 不行义的，就不是出于神, neither he that loveth not his brother (1 约翰 3:7-10)

And so many believe the lies of the darkness and chose to submit to the sinful nature of the flesh and obey the will of the flesh and do the works of darkness, whereby they obey their father, 恶魔, who is a transgressor of the law of God and a liar, a thief, and a murderer.

Instead of choosing Jesus Christ; 这个单词, and obeying the Word and doing the Word, they choose and obey the devil and the sinful flesh and because of that, they show that they love sin and death rather than righteousness and life.

This not only happens in the lives of many believers, but also in the lives of many preachers, 别处, and leaders of churches, who suppose to be born again and spiritual and ought to walk as mature sons of God after the Spirit in de will of God, but instead, they carnal and walk after the flesh and do the will, 欲望, and desires of the flesh and a.o. lie, cheat, 偷, drink, get involved with sexual uncleanness, 淫乱, 通奸, 和离婚 and act like it’s all normal.

And if they are caught and people address their behavior and confront them with their deeds, their acting talents arise and they show some remorse and repent and are believed by the people and are restored and after a while, they revert to the same behavior and commit the same sin again and walk the same road as before, whereby they not only defile and damage the church, but also make a mockery of the gospel of Jesus Christ and crucify Jesus Christ again(另请阅读: ‘你能再次将耶稣钉在十字架上并公开羞辱他吗?', ‘‘Lay hands suddenly on no man, 保罗的意思是什么?, 和 ‘Can you be complicit with the sin of fellow believers?').

Many churches have become indifferent towards sin

Many churches have become indifferent towards sin and approve of sin in the church and allow the people to walk in sin and/or fall back into the same sin over and over again, even if they are in ministry.

Instead of condemning the sin and acting according to the Word and calling to repentance and the removal of sin, they condemn the believers of the church, who obey the Word and condemn sin, and to substantiate it, they use some pious words and subjects from the Bible, 断章取义, like false love, 恩典, and forgiveness (另请阅读: ‘What does it mean to deliver a person unto satan?’, ‘What is false love?’ and ‘Lost in the sea of grace’).

And so they turn evil into good and good into evil and because of their carnal humanistic behavior, they reject the Word and turn the truth of God into a lie and worship and serve the sinner and their sins and give power to the devil, who continues his destructive work.

The grace of God is not a permit to sin

那我们该说什么? 我们要继续犯罪吗, 使恩典显多? 上帝禁止. 我们该如何, 向罪死了的人, 继续住在那里? 你不知道吗, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? (罗马书 6:1-3)

然后怎样呢? 我们会犯罪吗, 因为我们不受法律约束, 但在恩典之下? 上帝禁止. 你不知道吗, 你们把自己当作仆人来服从, 你们是他的仆人，你们要服从他; 是否犯了至于死的罪, 或顺从正义? (罗马书 6:15-16)

But Jesus has not taken man’s place on the cross, so that man could remain living in sin. The grace of God and the blood of Jesus Christ are not a permit to persevere in sin.

Just like sin reigned as king unto death in the old man, the grace reigns through righteousness in the new man unto eternal life by Jesus Christ and His perfect work of redemption.

Jesus has taken the place of (堕落) man on the cross, so that through regeneration in Christ; the death of the flesh and the resurrection from the spirit from the dead, (堕落) man would be healed (made whole, reconciled) and be truly free. Reconciled with God and free from the power of sin, free from the authority of the devil and the kingdom of darkness, where death reigns.

Just like what happened to Barabbas, the thief, and murderer. The sinner, the transgressor of the law, who was found guilty and deserved the death penalty, was released and Jesus took the place of Barabbas and carried sin (transgression of the law) and the punishment for sin, which is the death.

Jesus Christ gave His life and died for mankind

But what nobody knew, was that Jesus not only took the place of Barabbas and carried the punishment for sin, 这就是死亡, but Jesus took the place of the whole human race.

Jesus Christ gave His own life and died on the cross for all those sinners, who were born of the seed of Adam and belonged to the generation of the old man, and by hearing the words of God and the confrontation with their sins and sinful nature and their state as sinner repent and lay down their own lives and follow Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Living Word (另请阅读: ‘Someone has to pay the price!.’).

Do you love Jesus Christ?

小偷不来, 但为了偷窃, 并杀戮, 并销毁: 我来是为了让他们得生命, 并叫他们得的更丰盛 (约翰 10:10)

If ye love Me, 遵守我的诫命 (约翰 14:15)

As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love (约翰 15:9-10)

如果你爱耶稣基督, you shall submit to Him and keep His commandments. 因为耶稣说, that if you love Him you shall keep His commandments. And as long as you keep His commandments you will abide in His love.

But if your love for Jesus Christ becomes lukewarm and you don’t spend time with Him and don’t do what the Word says, but give priority to other things, it won’t take long before you will return to your old life and chose to please your flesh instead of the Spirit.