Welcome to Defender’s Voice. I am Paul Kattupalli. Loving greetings to every one of you in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hope you are doing well by the grace of God. Please visit our website www.doctorpaul.org. Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Support this ministry with your tax deductible donations. Those of you who support us, I sincerely thank you.
In today’s episode, I would like to talk about Jesus as our all sufficient Savior. Let me read this verse from First Corinthians 1:31
Christ Jesus, who has
become for us wisdom from God
– that is, our righteousness,
holiness and redemption.
First Corinthians 1:31
Please note those words. Jesus Christ is our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and our redemption. They go hand in hand. We cannot separate one from the other.
First, Jesus Christ is our wisdom.
Recently, India sent a lunar lander named Vikram and a lunar rover named Pragyan. The lander touched down near the south pole region on the moon. India became the fourth country to successfully land on the Moon and the first to do so near the region of the lunar south pole. This rover is called Pragyan, which in Sanskrit means wisdom. Wisdom is understanding reality and changing our behavior appropriately. This lunar probe gives us wisdom. It helps us in understanding the nature of the moon.
That is what Lord Jesus Christ did for us. He gave us wisdom. He helped us in understanding the reality. What is heaven? No scientist would tell you about heaven. No satellite can enter into heaven. What is hell? No scientist can send a probe into hell. No lander can land in hell and send us information about it. What is God? Noone can tell you the nature of God. Only Jesus Christ, the Omniscient God can tell us about those things. That is why we should worship him.
July 21, 1969
Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history as the first human beings to walk on the surface of the moon. Buzz Aldrin took some time to worship Jesus. He broke bread and drank the wine in commemoration of the Lord’s table. Whether you are on earth or on the moon, you should take time to worship Jesus. He is our wisdom.
Apostle Paul wrote this epistle to Corinthians, a city in Greece. The Greek philosophers talked about two most important things on matters of philosophy.
First, the reality and illusion
and then, the perfection and imperfection.
First the reality and illusion. What is real? What is illusory? In his book Republic, Plato describes a dialogue between his brother Glaucon and his mentor Socrates. He describes the allegory of the Cave.
Plato talks about a group of people chained to the wall of a cave. They face a blank wall. There is a fire behind them. They see shadows projected on the wall when objects pass in front of the fire behind them. They only see shadows. That is their predicament. They take those shadows as reality.
They don’t have access to reality outside their cave. One must be liberated from the cave to go out and see the reality as it is under the sun. One must be liberated from the chains to go out and see the objective nature of things under the sun.
Apostle Paul wrote,
These are a shadow of the things
that were to come; the reality
is found in Christ.
Colossians 2:17
In Greek he wrote,
ha estin skia ton
mellonton to
de soma tou Christou.
Skia and Soma. Skia is shadows. Soma is body. Skia is shadows. You see skias. You see shadows. How can you see soma? How can you see the essence?
The soma is Christ.
The essence is in Christ.
Satan shows you shadows and says, ‘This is reality’. Satan is the master of the shadow world. He creates illusions around people. He tells lies to create this illusory world around people. That is what happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
He told them, ‘Eat this fruit and you will become like God’. That is the most deceitful illusion Satan creates around individuals. If you listen to me, you will become like God. As they listened to Satan, Adam and Eve got completely detached from reality. The reality is we humans can never become divine. We are never meant to be divine. We are meant to be human. That is our reality. We should not live in the shadow world.
The reality is in Christ. He is our soma. He is our essence.
The Law of God was only a shadow. Christ is the reality.
The prophets were a shadow. Christ is the reality.
The Levitical priest hood was a shadow. Christ is the reality.
Tabernacle was a shadow. Christ is the reality.
All offerings like sin offering were shadows. Christ is the reality.
All festivals like Passover were shadows. Christ is the reality.
The Temple in Jerusalem was a shadow. Christ is the reality.
Then, perfection and imperfection.
The Greek philosophers talked about perfection and imperfection. Their famous example is a triangle. We all draw triangles. But they are only imperfect versions of a perfect triangle with perfect angles. Similarly, for imperfect love, there is perfect love. For imperfect wisdom, there is perfect wisdom. For imperfect joy, there is perfect joy. That is what God gave us in Christ.
Our love is imperfect. The love of Christ is perfect.
Our power is imperfect. The power of Christ is perfect.
Our joy is imperfect. The joy of Christ is perfect.
Our wisdom is imperfect. The wisdom of Christ is perfect.
Our holiness is imperfect. The holiness of Christ is perfect.
Reality and illusion
Perfection and imperfection
Lord Jesus Christ leads us from illusion to reality and from imperfection to perfection.
Secondly, Christ is our righteousness
Righteousness is not just an idea or a concept. It is connected to justice. It is connected to law. Every society writes its own laws based on its righteousness. When people violate those laws, they will be punished. The police go to arrest that person.
They give them a reason for their arrest.
You are under arrest for shoplifting
You are under arrest for assault
You are under arrest for rape
You are under arrest for murder
They will make you stand before a judge. The prosecutor says, ‘Your honor, this man is accused of these crimes. I have this evidence to convict him.’ Then the judge will announce his judgment and penalties. So, righteousness, law, and justice go together.
The Law came from the righteousness of God. We failed to obey the laws of God. We were declared guilty by God, the judge of all souls.
Let us read a few verses from Acts chapter 17.
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked,
but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
because He has appointed a day on which He will
judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.
He has given assurance to this to all by raising Him from the dead’
Acts 17:30-31
God has appointed a day on which He will judge the world. How does He judge? He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. Who is this man? He is Lord Jesus Christ. He will judge this world in his righteousness.
The righteousness of Christ. If you reject Christ, you will be judged by his righteousness. If you receive Christ, you will be saved by his righteousness. That’s an important truth we must remember. Whether you are saved or unsaved, your eternal destiny will be affected by the righteousness of Christ. God has given assurance to all by raising Jesus from the dead.
Let us read Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of law for righteousness to every one that believes.
Romans 10:4
The law cannot make us righteous before God (Galatians 2:21). In fact, it makes us guilty before God. The law must be satisfied. Who satisfied the law to its perfection? Only Lord Jesus Christ.
Because He is perfectly righteous, only He was able to satisfy the law of God to its perfection. So, praise God. To everyone who believes, Christ is the end of law for righteousness. Let us read 2 Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
2 Corinthians 5:21
Jesus Christ, who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Romans 4:25 says,
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 4:25
Someone said, ‘Justification is just as if we never sinned’. We are justified. We are made perfectly righteous in Christ. That is as if we never committed a sin in our entire existence in this world.
Thirdly, Christ is our Sanctification
What is holiness? What is sanctification? Let me give you a few illustrations. We all breathe air to survive. The air we breathe is not perfect. It is contaminated with many pollutants. What is the difference between pure air and impure air? The pollutants. Remove the pollutants and you get pure air.
Similarly, the food we eat is not completely pure. What is the difference between pure food and impure food? Remove the pollutants from your food and you will get pure food. Similarly, the water we drink is not pure. Remove the pollutants from the water and you will get pure water.
Purity comes from removing the pollutants. Sanctification comes from removing spiritual pollutants. It takes us from an impure state to a pure state. It takes us from imperfection to perfection. It separates us from the impurities of this world. The Hebrew word for sanctification is kedoshim. We often find this word in the Book of Leviticus. It was mentioned 6 times in Leviticus (11:44; 11:45; 19:2; 20:7; 20:26; 21:6)
In Leviticus 20:26, it says
And you shall be holy unto me; for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that you should be mine.
Leviticus 20:26
God says, I am holy, that is why I severed you from other people. That is why I have set you apart from other people. That is why I have separated you from other people. In order to keep His people separate, God prescribed certain commandments. God told the people of Israel where they should live, how they should live, what kind of clothes they should wear, what kind of foods they should eat, what kind of relationships they should have, what kind of places they should visit, what kind of entertainment they should get.
God put his presence among His people in the Tabernacle. The tabernacle consisted of three divisions through which one must pass to reach the presence of God: the outer courtyard, the holy place, and the Holy of Holies.
Only the priests who belong to the tribe of Levi were allowed to enter the Tabernacle. The Holy of Holies contained the ark of the covenant. It represented the presence of God. This is the most sacred part of the tabernacle. It was highly restricted. Only the High Priest did enter this most holy place once a year, on the Day of Atonement. So, when we look at the Tabernacle, we understand that God desired to live among his people. However, He kept his sacred space for Himself and the people He allowed to enter. God took his separation seriously.
Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the tabernacle. In His incarnation, He tabernacled among his people. That was the unique revelation of God. There were many revelations of God recorded in the Old Testament.
God appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush (Exodus 3:1-6)
God appeared to the people of Israel on top of Mount Sinai like a consuming fire (Exodus 24:15-17)
God appeared in the Tabernacle like a cloud (Exodus 40:34-36)
God appeared to Israel as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. (Exodus 40:36)
God appeared in the temple in Jerusalem as a cloud.
These appearances of God are temporary and incomplete. But the revelation of God in Lord Jesus Christ is perfect, eternal and complete. We read in John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
John 1:14
In Greek, we read
Kai ho logos sarx egeneto kai
eskenosen en hemin
Eskenosen.
Variations of this word denote sanctification.
1 Thessalonians 4:4 Skenous is a vessel in sanctification
2 Timothy 2:21 skenous is a vessel for honor
Hebrews 11:9 Abraham lived in tabernacles in the land of promise. The word used here is skenais.
So, skenais is tabernacle. Eskenosen is tabernacled among us. Jesus Christ became the tabernacle of God. He lived a sinless and perfect life. He lived a separated life. He lived a sanctified life, untainted by sin and its pollution. As Christians, we entered God’s presence through Christ, who became our tabernacle. Christ was separated for God and in Christ we are separated for God.
That is why we often hear Jesus preaching about sanctification. For example, Matthew chapter 5, verse 8,
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Matthew 5:8
Some people say, ‘God insisted on sanctification for his people in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament, because Jesus died for our sins, we are no longer required to live a life of separation and holiness for God’. That is a false view of God.
God desired separation for his people in the Old Testament. And He desires separation for his people in the New Testament. That is the theme of the tabernacle. In the Old Testament, the tabernacle represented a holy God and his sanctified people. In the New Testament, Christ being our tabernacle, we are sanctified for God.
Sanctification does not mean we do not mingle with unbelievers. It means following God’s standards in our daily lives. For example, in Ephesians chapter 5, verses 3-4, Apostle Paul teaches us about holiness.
“But as for sexual immorality in all its forms, and the itch to get your hands on what belongs to other people—don’t even talk about such things; they are not fit subjects for Christians to talk about.”
Ephesians 5:3-4
Don’t even talk about such filthy things. Be separated from the impurities of our world. That is sanctification. This sanctification should reflect in our conversations, in our thinking, in our activities, in our entertainment, and in our relationships. Because Christians are called to be ‘a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a peculiar people’ (1 Peter 2:9). God called us not to uncleanness, but unto holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). So, Jesus Christ is our sanctification. He made us holy before God. He separated us for God. He sanctified us for God.
Finally, Jesus Christ is our Redemption.
To sanctify his people, first, God must redeem them. We read in John chapter 8, verse 32.
Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
John 8:32
In Greek it says, pas ho poion ten hamartian doulos estin tes hamartias. Doulos means slave.
Every time we sin, we become slaves to sin. There are no masters to sin. Only slaves. Redemption means liberating us from this slavery to sin. To liberate someone is no easy task. Every slave has a price. You must be able to pay the price to liberate the slave. A master might say, ‘the price of this slave is 5 million dollars’. You might say, ‘Wow, I don’t have 5 million dollars to liberate this slave’. Or you might say, ‘I have 5 million dollars. But this slave is not worth my money’.
Even if you are willing to pay the price, the master of the slave might say, ‘this slave is not for sale. I would like to keep him in bondage forever’. In those circumstances, you must be able to defeat the master to liberate the slave.
So, to liberate a slave, you must have power. You must be able to pay the price. Who has the power to liberate us from the slavery to sin? Who is willing to pay the price to redeem us?
The Israelites were in bondage in Egypt. Their master was Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler in the ancient world. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and requested him to let Israelites leave Egypt. Pharaoh became furious and shouted at them, ‘How dare you ask for freedom? Go back to work’.
Moses would not be able to liberate them from Egypt. Aaron had no power to liberate them from bondage. Only God was able to liberate them. Only God was willing to pay the price to give freedom to his people. That was the message of the Passover. The details were given in Exodus chapter 12. Every house should take a lamb. A lamb for a house. They should kill the lamb, take its blood and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the house. God told them, ‘Every one must hide under the blood of the lamb’. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Exodus 12:13.
That is the key verse of the passover. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Passover is about redemption, and redemption is about shedding the blood of the lamb. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Passover. He is the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. He is our redemption.
St.Peter wrote, ‘You were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot’ (1 Peter 1:19). Just like the Israelites hide under the blood of the lamb, we take shelter under the blood of Christ. And God tells us, when I see the blood of Jesus, I will pass over you.
Jesus Christ is the perfect lamb of God. He was without blemish and without a spot. He willingly paid the price with His own life. Greek philosopher Plato talked about people enslaved in a cave. They were not able to see the light of the sun. They were limited to see only shadows in that dark cave.
Who can liberate us from this dark cave? Who can cut the chains that enslaved us? Praise God. Jesus Christ came to liberate us. He came to redeem us. He called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
1 Peter 1:20 says, Christ the redeemer was ‘foreordained before the foundation of the world’. Our redeemer was foreordained in the foreknowledge of God. The Greek word used here is ‘Proegnosmenou’. ‘Proegnosmenou’ is the wisdom of God. God in his wisdom prepared Christ for our redemption even before the foundation of the world. God created human beings in his image. God knew that they would disobey him. God knew we would become slaves to sin, Satan and hell. But, God in His grace and in His wisdom, prepared His own Son for our redemption.
So, Christ is our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and our redemption. These four go together. We see the wisdom of God in making us righteous, holy and redeemed. We cannot be wise without holiness. We cannot be holy without redemption. We read in Proverbs 1:7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
The fear of the Lord leads to wisdom. The fear of the Lord leads to holiness. Even in Christian’s life, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption go hand in hand. To conclude, Lord Jesus Christ is our all sufficient Savior. He is our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and our redemption.
May I ask you to receive Him as your Lord and Savior today? God bless.