How and When Deliverance Is Accomplished

We have discussed how and when our transformation is accomplished, and then have presented a biblical basis for deliverance from sin as part of the atonement.

Now we will examine the concept of deliverance from the law of sin that dwells in our body.

It has been ventured that our deliverance from sin will take place when we die physically or when the Lord returns. But the Scripture contradicts these two proposed solutions. We will address these two unscriptural positions in a moment, but let us consider what the New Testament says about the removal of the presence of sin from God's saints.

As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:40-43-NIV)

The time is the end of the age. The Greek term translated "angels" means nothing more than "messengers." The Son of Man will send out His messengers. They will remove from his kingdom everything that causes sin. At this point we are not referring to forgiveness but to "everything that causes sin." In other words, we are speaking of the sin nature.

Look at passage closely. "From his kingdom."

We are referring to those who have been born again and are presently in the Kingdom of God.

We understand, then, that at the end of the age everything that causes sin will be removed from those who are members of the Kingdom of God.

Then there is a further step. "All who do evil" will also be removed from the Kingdom.

The idea is that God first will approach the saints and require that they cooperate in the work of removing sin from their personality. If they cooperate they then will shine forth in the Kingdom. If they do not cooperate they become part of "all who do evil" and will be removed from the Kingdom of God and cast into the fiery furnace.

This clearly is a purifying of the Kingdom of God, that is, of the Church. The Church is the Kingdom of God that shall govern the saved nations of the earth.

In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. (Daniel 2:44-NIV)

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 11:15-NIV)

Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so men may bring you the wealth of the nations-their kings led in triumphal procession. (Isaiah 60:11-NIV)

The purifying will take place at the end of the age. The purifying will be accomplished by God's messengers, whether angelic or human.

Today the Lord is helping us get rid of the sins that the Holy Spirit points out to us. The purifying has begun and we are to confess our sins to God that He may forgive and cleanse us. It is a judgment against sin, against Satan, and we go free provided we denounce and renounce the sins that have been pinpointed, resolving never again, with the Lord's help, to practice them.

We must be terribly resolute about our renunciation of our sins, for our deliverance depends on our determination to get rid of them. If there is any double-mindedness in us we cannot be delivered. We absolutely must make up our mind that we want nothing to do with the unclean works of darkness.

If we do not vigorously turn away from the sins that have been revealed to us, then we ourselves will be cast into the fire. The Lake of Fire retains authority over sin. God shields us from the Lake of Fire as long as we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the work of the removal of our sins. But if we do not cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of the removal of our sins, then the Lake of Fire will claim us for its own.

Unless we as a Christian overcome, through the Spirit of God, the works over which the Lake of Fire retains jurisdiction, we will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Consider the following verse:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Revelation 2:11-NIV)

"Will not be hurt at all by the second death." The above is addressed to believers.

Now let me emphasize the relationship between overcoming and the Lake of Fire.

He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:7,8-NIV)

Look carefully at the word "But." This word provides the link between the two verses.

The victorious saint will inherit all that God has shown us concerning the new world to come. God will be his God and he will be God's son.

But . . . but . . . but. But those who do not overcome, that is, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, and so forth, will find themselves in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

To overcome is to confess, denounce, and renounce our sins when they are pointed out to us. To not overcome is to not confess, denounce, and renounce our sins when they are pointed out to us.

It seems clear, doesn't it, that the day is to come when God addresses the problem of worldliness, lust, and self-seeking in His people. When He confronts us as an individual we are to respond by working with the Holy Spirit in the removal of our sins. In the meantime God's messengers are declaring what God has purposed to perform and are making known to the Lord's elect what the Holy Spirit is doing in the present hour.

Remember, when the Holy Spirit makes you aware of a specific sin in your life, be quick to confess and turn away from it. This is no day in which to dawdle and procrastinate. If we do, messengers will come who will rebuke and chastise us until we are willing to let go of our sins. I am speaking now of afflictions that will be sent to prepare the way of the Lord in our personality.

Notice also:

See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, (Malachi 3:1- 3-NIV)

The Lord will come to His temple and purify the Levites.

Who are the Levites?

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (I Peter 2:5-NIV)

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (I Peter 2:9-NIV)

And what did John the Baptist tell us about the Lord coming to purify His people?

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:10-12-NIV)

Can you see in the above passages that the Lord is not going to be content with forgiving His people? The day will arrive when He will actually remove sin from His Kingdom. Isn't that wonderful! To have our sins forgiven is wonderful. To have our sins removed is infinitely better. Do you agree with this?

There is a story in the Old Testament that portrays the way God deals with sin in His people. It is the story of Joshua and the five kings of the Amorites.

Joshua engaged the Amorites in battle. When he did, the five kings of the Amorites crept away and hid in the Cave of Makkedah.

Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. (Joshua 10:16-NIV)

After the Amorites were defeated, Joshua returned to the cave, brought out the five kings, and killed them.

This is the way it is in the Christian life. We are saved and then filled with the Spirit. After that we engage in warfare against the enemy. Then there comes a time when God is ready to get at the "kings" in our personality. Today is such a time. Get ready for the Lord to deal with the sources of sin and self-will that are in you.

It is interesting that there were five kings. The Blowing of Trumpets is the fifth feast, the celebration that follows Pentecost. The Blowing of Trumpets signifies the coming of the King, Jesus, to declare war against the enemies that are in His people.

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