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| Forgiveness of sins |
Above picture is Vihtori Storck's painting “Encounter in the wilderness” in the late 19th century (Päivämies April 10, 2009).
READ PREFACE, INDEX
Obstacles to repentance and receiving the absolution
Here is writings and excerpts
from what I have learned from the Bible, sermons and experiences. Veikko J. Pyhtilä, 2020
Repentance is sorrow of sins
and then believing in the gospel, the essence of which is the remission of sin,
the absolution. The gospel also includes words of counsel, reproof, and
teaching. Obtaining and receiving the remission
of sins from a person who has first received it by the power of the Holy Ghost
will comfort the heart, take away sins and unbelief ballast, and bring joy and
peace. Then comes the repentance of life, the rejection of sins, and the desire
to fight against sins and to correct offenses also with neighbors and the magistrates.
And believer, who got the grace of repentance start to follow Jesus and His own
herd in doctrine, life, and suffering as teaches the Holy Spirit in the soul.
The believer is like a new creation, wants to stay in true faith to the end
life, wants to confess his faith before people and bring to light especially
distressing sins to a trusted confessor and maintain a good conscience. The
fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Attitudes to living faith and changing them
·
Prejudiced and thoughtful: Get to know
it, learn more. The kingdom of God is covered with errors and faults, and there
are great sinners, but if sins are repented, blames to them must not be done
more. When you receive the gospel and get inside, you will feel differently
than the outsider. Then they will feel that this is true faith and other
religions are false because they lack the Holy Spirit, they are the product of
human and / or charming spirits, and their fruits also show and the Bible that
they are false.
·
Shame: Man is
ashamed of humbling his sins to repent, what others say, obstructing humanity.
Man must be encouraged and humbled, God can give him strength.
·
Difficulty: It is
difficult for a man to enter the narrow gate when the world, his own flesh, and
the enemy of the soul obstruct. Man finds it easier to walk the broad path with
others, with the majority, without having to confess to the world, withholding
the temptations of the world, etc. along.
· Angry: Why do you
get angry, which is the cause of your anger, be aware of your feelings and
yourself. Even the enemy of the soul or the corrupt old part of man can
influence anger. Control your
feelings and humble yourself into repentance.
·
Reasonable: There are so
many false spiritualities where hypnosis, the man-made image of religion in
man's mind, aspirations for power, historical examples, philosophies and so on
are influential. But what God has revealed is clearly different from man-made
religion. There are so few true believers and so many unbelievers and false
believers, quantity is not the issue but the quality, whether right or wrong.
The gate is narrow and the road is narrow, and few are the ones walking the
road. Even though the number of ungodly and false righteous is like the sand of
the sea, they will all perish unless they repent into true living faith. There
are many more grains of sand in the ocean than there are people in the world
today. Faith is not a matter of reason, it should be an understanding enlightened
by faith and the Holy Spirit, one must listen to the voice of God in the
conscience and God’s alive congregation. So much higher than the heavens from
the earth are God's thoughts in our thoughts. The Bible is not understood by
the dark mind, but requires the Holy Spirit in the living faith. However, the
Holy Spirit does not give everyone an explanation for all things, some only
open up at the end of time. The church is a statue and foundation of truth,
with many different gifts explaining the Bible. One need only understand what
is necessary for salvation. Anyone who has not been given full understanding,
such as a young child or mentally retarded, is not required full.
·
Indifferent, uninterested,
there are obstacles: Man has many temporal
interests, which, however, have to be abandoned in death. Man loves lusts and
mammon more than God. Man is content with this time, temporal, disappearing, or
false righteousness. Is the person longing for truly pure, holy, heavenly
peace, freedom, and joy? Person who has gotten and received grace of repentance
experiences peace, freedom, and joy in the Holy Spirit, them do not want to
give up, them are longing for more. Here in time, a believer may have bad or
ordinary feelings, but in heaven there is perfect and great happiness and
bliss, there is something that the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, and
no human thought has entered.
·
Not yet: Man would
like to move repentance to the future, to old age, but repentance may leave undone,
God may no longer allow possibility for repentance. Or a man hardens so that he
has no need, sorrow, to get his sins forgiven. So today, when the voice of God
speaks through word and conscience, do not harden your heart, but repent and
believe the gospel.
·
There are no sins: Man
imagines he has lived so well or is able to live so well that he does not need
to repent. Unbelief is the greatest sin. No man can obey the law. All people
everywhere need to improve. When the Holy Spirit awakens and opens the feeling
of man, he may feel that he is the greatest of sinners. Man, sins with
thoughts, words, deeds and omissions. And if it does good, it must come from
the love of the Holy Ghost, not from self-righteousness, which is also sin.
·
To consider the Bible as a
fairy tale or as a result of a visit by humanoids on earth: Bible
prophecies have been fulfilled. Jesus' action clearly shows that the Bible is
true. Jesus was not a humanoid; angels were not humanoids. Even today, some
believers have seen angels and heard angels sing. There is an invisible and
spiritual being that cannot be sensed by the physical and chemical senses
unless God specifically permits visions and miracles. God allowed Jesus to do
many miracles (much more than what is written in the Bible) that people would
believe and prove that Jesus was the Son of God, the prophesied Messiah sent by
God. Even a false prophet can do wonders, and even a devil can appear in the
image of an angel. God allows miracles for as long as is necessary. The
greatest miracle is when sin has been pressed upon and forgiven, it is such a
light feeling that it no longer depresses conscience.
·
There is another way of
salvation: According to the Bible, there is only one kind of faith and one cannot go
to a different gospel and order of salvation than God has ordained. The Holy
Spirit gathers together in one flock, not according to human opinion. People
would like to create their own image of God and interpret the Bible by taking
something out of it and adding something to it. Like children, people would not
want to believe God's revelation and humble themselves to repentance. People
oppose God's will with their thoughts, words and deeds. If no one in the world
resisted the will of God and sincerely sought out what the will of God was, all
people in the world would eventually come to repentance in true faith. That is,
one's own strengths, merits, jobs, opinions are an obstacle. Man should be
stripped of all his own and wrongs and humbled by the great sinner and even feeling
himself impossible to receive the gospel of the kingdom of God, the remission
of sins still proclaimed and offered by God's own people on earth to forgive
sins in Jesus name and blood by the power of Holy Spirit.
All people are born believers, even if they are born into the home of a believer, a non-believer, or a parent with a false spirituality.
The quotations are from the
Bible, King James version.
At the same time came the
disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And
Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And
said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever
therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in
the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name
receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe
in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck,
and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Psalm 87:5 And of Zion
it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest
himself shall establish her.
Most people do not remain believing, but fall away from it because of their sins, and when there is no gospel preached in the Holy Ghost from the living church of God, the absolution blessing taking care of the faith.
And you hath he quickened,
who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the
children of wrath, even as others.
But ye are come unto mount
Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to
an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the
spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new
covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that
of Abel.
Acts 8:17 Then laid
they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Acts 9:17 And Ananias
went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said,
Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as
thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled
with the Holy Ghost.
Acts 19: 6 And when Paul
had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with
tongues, and prophesied.
Repentance is fear of sins, and then receiving the remission of sins from Jesus' own in the name and blood of Jesus, whereby one receives the baptism of the Holy Ghost and the power to renounce sins and bear fruit of repentance. If a man is not baptized with water as a child, he also wants to receive it as a sign of a good conscience.
Matt. 3:2 And saying, Repent
ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matt. 3:8 Bring forth
therefore fruits meet for repentance:
Matt. 3:11 I indeed baptize
you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier
than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Matt. 4:17 From that time Jesus
began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matt. 9:13 But go ye and learn
what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Matt. 11:20 Then began he to
upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented
not:
Matt. 11:21 Woe unto thee,
Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in
you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago
in sackcloth and ashes.
Matt. 12:41 The men of Nineveh
shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they
repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is
here.
Matt. 21:29 He answered and
said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
Matt. 21:32 For John came unto
you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and
the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not
afterward, that ye might believe him.
Repentance alone
is not enough to forgive sins, but the gospel of the remission of sins from
Jesus' own who have the Holy Ghost is needed. If you seek help from the wrong
place from the Pharisees and scribes who did not have true faith and the Holy
Ghost, like Judas Iscariot, you will not be forgiven sins. Judas committed
suicide and did not be saved to heaven:
Matt. 27:3-5 Then
Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented
himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and
elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And
they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of
silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Mark 1:4 John did baptize in
the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission
of sins.
Mark 1:15 And saying, The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe
the gospel.
Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it,
he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they
that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Mark 6:12 And they went out,
and preached that men should repent.
Luke 3:3 And he came into all
the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the
remission of sins;
Luke 3:8 Bring forth
therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within
yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able
of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Luke 5:32 I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 10:13 Woe unto thee,
Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in
Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 11:32 The men of Nineve
shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for
they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than
Jonas is here.
Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay:
but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Luke 15:7 I say unto you,
that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth,
more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say
unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
that repenteth.
Luke 16:30 And he said, Nay,
father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Luke 17:3 Take heed to
yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent,
forgive him.
Luke 17:4 And if he trespass
against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee,
saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Luke 24:47 And that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said
unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times
of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Acts 5:31 Him hath God
exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance
to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 8:22 Repent
therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine
heart may be forgiven thee.
Acts 11:18 When they heard
these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God
also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Acts 13:24 When John had
first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the
people of Israel.
Acts 17:30 And the times of
this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Acts 19:4 Then said Paul,
John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the
people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is,
on Christ Jesus.
Acts 20:21 Testifying both
to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 26:20 But shewed first
unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of
Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to
God, and do works meet for repentance.
Rom. 2:4 Or despisest thou
the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that
the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom. 11:29 For the gifts and
calling of God are without repentance.
2. Cor. 7:8 For though I made
you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent:
for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but
for a season.
2. Cor. 7:9 Now I rejoice, not
that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were
made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
[after...: or, according to God]
2. Cor. 7:10 For godly sorrow
worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the
sorrow of the world worketh death.
2. Cor. 12:21 And lest, when I
come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which
have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and
fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
2. Tim. 2:25 In meekness
instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance
to the acknowledging of the truth;
Hebr. 6:1 Therefore leaving
the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith
toward God, [principles...: or, word of the beginning of]
Hebr. 6:6 If they shall fall
away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Hebr. 7:21 (For those priests
were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The
Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the
order of Melchisedec:) [without...: or, without swearing of an oath]
Hebr. 12:17 For ye know how
that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for
he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with
tears. [place...: or, way to change his mind]
2. Peter 3:9 The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Rev. 2:5 Remember therefore
from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will
come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place,
except thou repent.
Rev. 2:16 Repent; or else I
will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my
mouth.
Rev. 2:21 And I gave her
space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev. 2:22 Behold, I will
cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Rev. 3:3 Remember therefore
how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou
shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what
hour I will come upon thee.
Rev. 3:19 As many as I
love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Rev. 9:20 And the rest of
the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of
their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and
silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor
walk:
Rev. 9:21 Neither repented
they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of
their thefts.
Rev. 16:9 And men were
scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over
these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. [scorched: or,
burned]
Ilm. 16:11 And blasphemed
the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of
their deeds.
Obstacles to improvement and staying in faith from the bible
Luke 14:18 And they
all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have
bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me
excused.
Luke 14:19-20 And another
said, I have bought five yokes of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee
have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I
cannot come.
John 3:19 And this is
the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 12:42 Nevertheless
among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the
Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the
synagogue:
John 5:44 How can
ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that
cometh from God only?
John 12:43 For they
loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Matt. 10:37 He that
loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth
son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
1. John 2:15 Love not
the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him.
2. Tim. 4:3-4 For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own
lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they
shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
The sower soweth the word.
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have
heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in
their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who,
when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have
no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction
or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
[offended: or, stumbled, or, caused to fall into sin] And these are they which
are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and
the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke
the word, and it becometh unfruitful. [lusts: or, inordinate desires] And these
are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it ,
and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Acts 13:46 Then Paul
and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should
first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Hebr. 12:17 For ye know
how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected:
for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Rom. 1:28-31 And even as
they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with
all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full
of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of
God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to
parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful:
Hebr. 3:13 But
exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Asking for the Atonement for
yourself = Calling on the Lord's Name, Receiving absolution in Jesus name
Acts 22:16 And now why
tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the
name of the Lord.
Acts 4:10-12 Be it known
unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even
by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was
set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 2:21 And it
shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be
saved.
Rom. 10:14 How then
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher?
One must abandon the "goods" of false spiritual wealth, his own successful wandering, his goodness, his trust in his good works, his attachment to the temporal disappearing treasures, and humble himself to enter the narrow gate of repentance.
Luke 18:25 For it is
easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter
into the kingdom of God.
Matt. 19:16-22 And,
behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do,
that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good?
there is none good but one, that is , God: but if thou wilt enter into life,
keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no
murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not
bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept
from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be
perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that
saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
The following misinterpretations of the Bible are also an obstacle to repentance and "goods" of false spiritual wealth:
·
Sins are forgiven by praying.
Wrong because prayer is not the answer yet.
· The sins are
forgiven in the communion. Wrong, for even Judas Iscariot, even enjoying the
supper, was not forgiven of his sins. Communion is a memorial meal for Jesus'
own faith to strengthen his faith. A non-believer goes to supper to his judgment.
·
Sins are forgiven by water
baptism. Wrong, because baptism does not remove the defilements of the flesh,
but is a covenant of good conscinece with God. The baptism of the Holy Spirit
and the baptism of water are mixed.
·
One can believe in one's order
and power. False, because faith is God's work and it is the fruit of the Holy
Ghost, faith comes from hearing when the Holy Spirit opens the ears of the soul
to hear and believe the gospel that Jesus' disciples preach today.
·
A man can do good work, or at
least support his own salvation. Wrong, for salvation is by faith alone, by
grace alone for Christ's sake. The fruit of living faith is the true good
works.
·
Man has walked so well that he
does not need repentance: False, for there is no one who does good, all have
departed and become utterly worthless.
·
Sin is forgiven directly from
heaven, for example, in revelation, in good feelings. Wrong, for Christ is not
brought straight down from heaven, not from below through deep contrition, not
from the prayer chamber. The prodigal son received God's oral administration,
but it was not until the ministers put on him the garments of Christ's
righteousness so he was forgiven of sins and the Holy Ghost.
·
Sins are forgiven by listing
and confessing sincerely to the confessor father. Wrong, because the errors who
understand, confess only those sins which we know, we know what the Holy Spirit
reveals and confirmation is grace advantage to remain in the faith, not for coming
into faith. In absolution, all sins are forgiven at once, even if the recipient
does not confess just general sinfulness. Nor is studied the depth of
repentance. If the confessor dad or the preacher does not have the Holy Ghost,
is not living in true faith, the remission of sin will not help.
·
Meditation, yoga,
philosophies, etc. Doctrines can help mentally and physically, but sins do not leave
off from your conscience.
The most important, precious, necessary, first thing and things which follow
Seek first the kingdom of
God and his righteousness, and all things shall be given unto you. God
has allowed me to find my true living faith and His own here on earth, though I
did not seek them. In my early youth, God raised me up and showed me how
and from whom I can forgive unbelief and other sins. I should have gone to ask
from my believing mother for remission, but I was afraid and ashamed, and I did
not go to repentance at that time, but prayed that I’ll do it later. Before the
Alajärvi summer service, I had received the gospel from my sister before, but I
did not remain in faith when I didn't acknowledge it to my parents. Later, when
I was only 18 years old, in earnest, at the Helsinki Peace Association, I asked
for the blessing of the gospel of remission for myself. In this case, at first,
I had serious doubts when I was delayed repentance, but supported by brothers
and sisters in faith I got strength to remain believing. God allowed me hard
trials of faith (including bad feelings) right from the start, because He had
shown so clearly through my conscience in my youth what was to be done and what
was the only true faith on earth, yet I did not repent at that time. As a
child, my mother would have blessed me with the gospel of remission, but I was
ashamed to receive it, and my mother would not bless me then. When one has
already passed his early childhood and understands, one must express his will
to believe and to receive the remission of sin.
The Kingdom of God is in your
midst. The kingdom of God is not a stone or a stump, but a group of people who
believe correctly. Wherever two or three gathers in His name, Jesus is in their
midst. Jesus said to his disciples, I am with you always, even unto the end of
the world. The 12 disciples have already passed from time to age, so there are
still Jesus' disciples on earth. He who has a congregation as a mother
on earth has God as Father in heaven. Indeed, our Father's prayer belongs only
to believers because they have God as a merciful Father in heaven. Only they
can ask their sins forgiven in prayer, but prayer is not the answer, but God, by
publicly preached of gospel, forgives sins. It is true that a believer
can forgive his daily weaknesses as pre-gift, because it is not possible to ask a
believer for forgiveness every minute. A believer is under grace, not under the
law. Those unbelieving are under the law, and the law is already clinging to a
wrong thought. The believer has a desire to avoid sin and to fight against sin.
Unbelief is the
greatest sin and from that follow other sins. Man sins every day with
thoughts, words, deeds and omissions. Those got grace of repentance have
two parts: Spirit fights against flesh and flesh against spirit. The desire of
the flesh is spiritual death, but the desire of the spirit is eternal life and
peace. The congregational mother is again giving birth and caring for
God's children. The living church is the body of Christ, which is not divided. One
kind of faith, one baptism, one herd and one shepherd, Jesus.
Luther said: I believe that there is a small group of Saints on earth
with no grouping and division, in the same sense and understanding.
Jesus said to Himself, "Receive the Holy Spirit whose sins you
forgive on earth, those who have been forgiven in heaven, whom you do not forgive,
they will not get their sins forgiven. Repentance and remission of sins in His
name must be preached from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. It has no name
other than Jesus where we must be saved and without bloodshed there is no
forgiveness of sins. One must go to the sprinkling blood, which speaks better
than the blood of Abel, who cried out for revenge. Believers preach the gospel
in the name and blood of Jesus as the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Faith comes from
hearing and hearing through the word of God. The Word of God is divided
into law and the gospel. The law gives the contrition of sins, which
shows the impossibility of man to fulfill the law. The essence of the gospel
is the remission of sin and its proclamation is the ministry of the Holy Ghost.
First, the preacher himself must have received the gospel from those who have
previously believed, that he can proclaim the remission of sins to other
willing, repentant people. When a person has received the gospel of the
kingdom of God, he will receive the power of the Holy Ghost to believe the sins
forgiven, which will comfort the heart, bring peace, freedom, and joy in the
Holy Spirit. Man is then given the Holy Ghost, who gives guidance in the right
righteousness of life. If you have, for example, taken another's property by
injustice, you want to pay back many times over. What only the Holy Spirit
reveals otherwise for repair, the person wants to fix them, wants to talk about
in confession also to trusted believer; to the father confessor, not to
leave matters as obstacles for faith and would like to agree offences with
fellows and a good conscience is so maintained. When all sins are
forgiven in the name and blood of Jesus by the preaching of the Holy Ghost,
then all sins are truly washed away and man is acceptable to heaven at that
moment. But if God gives the journey of endeavor, then the Holy Spirit will
begin to open up, brighten the bad things to be put away, then has to be obedient
that the enemy of the soul will not overcome and that conscience will be
healed.
He who believes, as the Bible says, from the heart must flow the waters of life. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. He who does not believe is already condemned when he did not believe in the name of God's only son. It is God's work that man believes.
He who believes, as the Bible says, from the heart must flow the waters of life. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. He who does not believe is already condemned when he did not believe in the name of God's only son. It is God's work that man believes.
All nations are born in Zion,
the kingdom of God. Jesus says of the child: Whoever aggravates one of these
least who believe in me, it would be better for the millstone to be hung around
his neck and to be immersed in the depths of the sea. All small children are
born believers at birth and are therefore baptized. Children who die as
baby without baptisms go to heaven. Baptism is not where is put away the
filthiness of the flesh, but it is a covenant of good conscience with God. Communion
is a memorial meal and a confirmation of faith and belongs to believers.
Unbelievers eat and drink supper for their judgement.
One can spiritually die out of faith
through sins and transgressions. There are sins, that are act sins to death
and everyday weaknesses that are not immediately spiritual death. Sins become
an obstacle to faith. Faith is a firm trust in what is hoped for and
does not doubt the unseen. The believer has the confidence that sins are
forgiven and goes to heaven. The believer wants heaven and not hell. Good
conscience is already a piece of heaven on earth. In Hell, sins burn forever.
In grace time, when a man lives on earth, repentance is already to be
made; after death, it is too late. Remember your Creator in his youth before
the bad days come. Whoever moves repentance to tomorrow, builds his bed to
hell. When you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. The voice of God
speaks and God expresses himself in the revived conscience of man, in
Jesus, in the Bible and in the Church of God in preaching, in nature, in the
stages of life. The Church of God is the statue and foundation of truth.
The fruit of the Holy Ghost is faith,
hope, and love, which lead to all truth. Unless we have love, even the best
deeds will do nothing. Salvation is by grace through faith without works of
the law. Whoever comes to God must believe, for without faith it is
impossible to please God. Luther said: I believe that I cannot believe in or
come to Jesus Christ by my own power or sense, but the Holy Ghost has called,
gathered, and enlightened, sanctified and protected me in the one true faith.
Luther received remission from Hussites. Living faith has moved north since
the time of the early church. In the last days, the Spirit of the Lord will
rest on the northern countries. Behold, those who went north made my spirit rest in
the north. Living faith in Lutheranism reached Sweden. Then the living faith in
Sweden was among the New Readers. Priest Brandell, from whom “Mary of Lapland”
received the living faith. Laestadius received a living faith from Mary of
Lapland. Paul, too, did not receive living faith and Holy Spirit when he saw
Jesus in vision, but was called to go to Ananias, the believer, who preached
his sins forgiven by laying on hands and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in
the Holy Ghost.
Faith comes from hearing, not
reading. We have a strong prophetic word, and we do well when we take heed it. The
Bible is written under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the people under
the influence of the Holy Spirit have written the Bible. It is for doctrine,
for reproof and for correction. Faith is strong in knowledge, power, and in the
Holy Spirit. The gospel, the essence of which is the remission of sin,
is the power of God for each of its believers to be saved. He who believes, as
the Bible says, from the heart of it shall flow the waters of life. The Bible
cannot be explained with dark mind, but the Word of the Bible opens with the
Holy Spirit. Where is the researcher of this world, hasn't God considered
human wisdom as madness? Even devil can read the Bible and refers the
Bible, but it misapplies the word of the Bible. Nothing can be taken away from
the Word of God, nothing added. His word endures forever, before heaven and
earth disappear than a stroke of God's word. One passage in the Bible explains
another passage.
When Jesus came with the time
of the new covenant, the Old Testament sacrificial service ceased and polygamy.
The Holy Spirit and Jesus have led the church of God, for example, that
a church servant should be a man of one wife. That is, women are advised not to
be ministers of the church as preaching priests, although believing women, like
all true believers, can be priests of the Holy Ghost and can forgive sins,
including children who have preserved the faith of the child. The word server
should be an example. Anyone who marries with an abandoned, commits adultery, is therefore
not biblical to remarry as long as the former spouse lives. Only death
separates in marriage. Moses had allowed divorce because of the hardness of
human hearts, but that was not the case when God ordained marriage as a
union between man and woman. The Lord killed Oona, who let go of the seed.
Thus, spiritual death takes place out of faith in fornication, contraception,
masturbation, homosexuality, and premarital relationships.
Reproduce and fill the earth, God did not command to contraception. All the people of the globe would fit into the Finnish territory and each would have a land area of about 38 m2 (about 6.3 m * 6.3 m, land area of Finland 304,643 km2 = 304,643,000,000 m2 ). But it would be too densely populated, because there must be space for plants and animals. It is estimated that the Earth can provide food for up to 10-11 billion people - otherwise increasing population will begin to take up too much space from food production. If Paul said it was good to be single or not to marry too young, the population would not grow as fast as they do today. In developed countries, such as Finland, the problem is that birth rates are too low. Taking care of the environment and avoiding people being greedy for wasting necessary resources would save the environment more. If all were true believers, no armies, no armaments, no wars needed, and no crime, that would be a great saving for the environment. If people worked hard and conscientiously, and all people were guaranteed jobs and livelihoods, things would be better in time. Divinity is both a temporal and an eternal blessing. The temporal riches are not always a blessing, but through riches one can sin. Do not give me poverty or riches, but a portion of bread.
Reproduce and fill the earth, God did not command to contraception. All the people of the globe would fit into the Finnish territory and each would have a land area of about 38 m2 (about 6.3 m * 6.3 m, land area of Finland 304,643 km2 = 304,643,000,000 m2 ). But it would be too densely populated, because there must be space for plants and animals. It is estimated that the Earth can provide food for up to 10-11 billion people - otherwise increasing population will begin to take up too much space from food production. If Paul said it was good to be single or not to marry too young, the population would not grow as fast as they do today. In developed countries, such as Finland, the problem is that birth rates are too low. Taking care of the environment and avoiding people being greedy for wasting necessary resources would save the environment more. If all were true believers, no armies, no armaments, no wars needed, and no crime, that would be a great saving for the environment. If people worked hard and conscientiously, and all people were guaranteed jobs and livelihoods, things would be better in time. Divinity is both a temporal and an eternal blessing. The temporal riches are not always a blessing, but through riches one can sin. Do not give me poverty or riches, but a portion of bread.
All people everywhere should repent.
Repentance is the sorrow of sin and then the belief in the gospel of the
kingdom of God, the remission of sin, which comforts the heart and results in
the improvement of life and the rejecting sin. There are only few who have
entered through a narrow gate of repentance into a single flock of sheep. There
are a lot of them on the broad way, easy to walk, but they go toward eternal pain,
damnation. Noah's days had only eight believer, in addition to small children,
who died in the Flood in childhood faith, were saved into heaven. Before the
Second Coming of Jesus, people are like in the days of Noah. When Jesus comes
to earth a second time, will he find faith? There will be such a bad time that
even the elect will be deceived, but the time for sake of the elect will be shortened.
Before the end of the world,
the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached to all nations for a testimony,
and then will come the end. Now it has still been
receptive faith e.g. among Africans and Indians. And God shall choose two from
a city and one from a tribe, and bring them to Zion, the kingdom of God.
Through the kingdom of God on earth, new Jerusalem, are entered the kingdom of
glory in heaven. God's desire for all people is that they would repent, but God
has foreseen who will do it, who will be faithful to the end. Therefore, God's
elects are those who are faithful unto the end, and repent when they fall. Mostly as a child, God has taken away those who He has seen love light more
than darkness to the end (I think so, but I have to raise my hat because I
don't fully understand). God holds a small church on earth that the living seed
of God's word will remain, that people will be able to receive the remission of
sin and remain in faith to the end. All men are given a time of grace.
All people are believers at birth, but not all are permanent. No unholy or
unclean is allowed into heaven and must be faithful to the end. Lucifer,
too, did not obey God, but began to oppose God and was thrown down on the
earth to try the created human beings, to which side they eventually bow down to
God or the Devil.There is no faith without
trials.
The gates against the street are closed, people seek the living word of the Lord, but cannot find it. It is then late to knock on the door of the kingdom of God when the door is no longer opened. People cry for false righteousness, to the mountains and hills to cover them. People, on the other hand, have a deep peace of hardness. Peace, peace is nothing to worry about and fire suddenly falls on them and they can't escape. In recent times, the mountain where the living faith is influenced by the Holy Ghost is higher than all other mountains. It is distinguished from false righteousness and impiety. However, God's kingdom is covered with errors and faults.
The gates against the street are closed, people seek the living word of the Lord, but cannot find it. It is then late to knock on the door of the kingdom of God when the door is no longer opened. People cry for false righteousness, to the mountains and hills to cover them. People, on the other hand, have a deep peace of hardness. Peace, peace is nothing to worry about and fire suddenly falls on them and they can't escape. In recent times, the mountain where the living faith is influenced by the Holy Ghost is higher than all other mountains. It is distinguished from false righteousness and impiety. However, God's kingdom is covered with errors and faults.
Even a believer may sin because the
old part has not repented and the enemy of the soul goes around like a
screaming lion in search of whom he would swallow, the world lures with its
sweet temptations. Thus, the three-allied enemy is the world, our own flesh,
and the enemy of the soul, which the believer must fight, not by his own power,
but by the power of God. Weapons: The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, the
Shield of Faith, the Iron Cap of Bliss, a true understanding of faith, and feet
ready to preach the gospel of peace.
Once a believer has repented
of his fall, it should no longer be remembered. But if a
believer has fallen out of faith, it cannot be taken as an example of a
believer. In the final judgment, Jesus says to those on the right, come
blessed my father, and own the kingdom, etc. And to the left, depart from me,
you cursed with the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. So not
all people get to heaven. So, fire is eternal, not purgatory, as the Catholic
Church has taught. Here in the time of grace, by the word of God must be burned
all the unholy and filthy by coming to services and to believers to listen to
the sermons and teachings of the word of God. Is My word like a hammer breaking
every mountain, and like a fire. Don't go warming to the wrong fires, listen to
the false teachings that are tens of thousands of different in the world right
now. I was spiritually hungry and you did not allow me to eat, and spiritual
thirst and you did not give me drink, I was naked and you did not clothe me
with Christ's righteousness. You could not, when you unbelievers and false righteous
did not have the Holy Spirit, you had not entered into the kingdom of God, nor
had you allowed others to go there.
The ministry is the ministry
of the Holy Ghost, and it does not help when one speaks of one's own reason
and power and tries to believe and do good deeds that do not flow from the living
faith as the fruits of the Holy Ghost. By the fruits of the tree is known.
Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the
fire. If believing without the work of the Holy Ghost, the fruits are dead. The dead
do not thank, but the living does. If these remain silent, the stones will
thank. The trees of the field clash their hands together and it is a sign that
does not disappear. The daughters of the hymn will become silent. Nowadays
there is hardly so much thanksgiving voices in the church of God than when there
were at times of great awakenings and were many those repenting. As God adds
people, He adds joy. As the servants put on the garment of Christ's
righteousness on the prodigal son, he received the engagement of the Holy
Ghost, his sins were forgiven, and a song and leaps were heard. David also leaped
in praise; his bowl was overflowing. Not to be drunk with the wine from
which evil proceeds, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Wine is a
symbol of the Holy Spirit. Jesus drank some wine that did not intoxicate. He
did not drink so strong alcoholic drink. In Finland, we sometimes drink home
brew that does not intoxicate. As an example, we do not raise and tinkle the bowls,
even if there is only juice in the bowl. We do not buy medium-alcoholic brew,
etc. As a home teacher, the Holy Spirit taught after Laestadius got the
repentance grace when he drank the wine offered by the priests and he had to
repent of it and get it forgiven. Grace teaches, not the letter of the law, the rejection of all
wickedness, and the lusts of the world, and to have a life of chastity and
piety. He that has not His Spirit is not His own, and the fruits are
according to it. In the bright sun of mercy, even the smallest garbage is
visible, in the light of the moon, in the light of the law, only some things
are revealed as sin. The Holy Spirit is accurate. Great sin leads to hell
and even small sin does not leave between. If you give the devil a little
finger, it takes the whole hand and the whole body. Remember to celebrate your
day of rest already violated by law nowadays. Not from the same mouth thanks
and curse. People swear, use bad language, talk about filth. There are so many
ways of breaking ten commandments, if one commandment breaks, you are at fault
for the whole law. The lustful gaze is already making adultery. He who has
foolish angry is already a murderer. The greatest commandment is love. However,
if you did not act with love influenced by the Holy Ghost, even if outwardly could
able to avoid very bad sins, you have not fulfilled the law.
Do not love the world, and
nothing in it, the lust of the flesh, the request of the eyes, and the glory of
life. He who loves the world does not have the love of God in him. The love of
the world is hatred of God. The world (that is, unbelieving people) offers
sinful light music, pictures and movies that feed on sinful lusts, theater,
literature, entertainment, etc. The child of God wants to be separated and
absent from anything that is contrary to faith and good conscience. Whoever
remains strong until the end, will be saved. When I am weak, I am strong,
because then I need the power of the gospel and contact with other believers and
thus, I am likely to remain in faith. However, I only understand halfway,
but the essentials for salvation have been revealed to me by God.
Repentance should be done by
everyone as soon as possible, because already today one
can already die and become so deeply hardened that one with peace of mind dies and
awakens only in hell. If repentance is postponed, it may be so that there is no
strength to believe, even if to you is proclaimed the forgiveness of sins, the
enemy of the soul brings so big doubts or obstacles, that they are difficult to
overcome. When God closes the gates against the street, no outsider can repent.
Veikko J. Pyhtilä, 2020
