Since the Levitical Priests served the Lord, their livelihood came from gifts and allotments from the people of Israel.  The animals that were offered as sacrifices, with the exception of burnt offerings, were given to the Levites (Nu 18:8).  The grain offerings, the offerings of first fruits, including the best of the oil and fresh wine, were given to the Levites (Nu 18:9-13).

The firstborn of all animals belonged to the Lord.  When they were offered to the Lord, the Levites were allowed to keep them (Ex 13:12; Nu 18:15).  The firstborn children also belonged to the Levites, except the children must be redeemed along with unclean animals (Ex 13:13; 34:20; Nu 18:15-16).  The children must be redeemed at one month old for five shekels of silver.  Rather than keep the children, the Levites received the price of redemption.  A donkey must be redeemed with a lamb.  If it was not redeemed, the donkey's neck must be broken.

Redemption of Land

Under the Law, the land could not be sold permanently because the Lord owned the land and allotted it to specific families, who were temporary dwellers (Lev 25:23).  Even if the land were sold, every fiftieth year, called the year of Jubilee, it would revert back to its original owner.  Every piece of land carried the right of redemption.  If a person sold it, his nearest relative had the right to redeem it.  The redeemer paid a prorated amount based on the number of years until the next Jubilee (Lev 25:24-28).

Widow's Redeemer

Under the Law of the Levirate marriage, if a man died and left a widow, the man's brother was obligated to marry the widow  in order to perpetuate the family line (Deut 25:5-10). Under the custom of Israel, if a redeemer redeemed a piece of property that belonged to a deceased relative who left a widow, the widow went with the property. The redeemer of property also acquired the widow as his wife along with the property.  This is how Boaz acquired Ruth, his Right Woman.¹

Ruth went to Boaz as he slept on the threshing floor.

Ruth 3:9
He (Boaz) said, "Who are you?"  And she answered,  "I am Ruth your maid.  Spread your wing (of your robe) over your maid because you are a redeemer."

Boaz woke up in the middle of the night and was startled to find a woman sleeping with him.  He asked who she was because it was dark.  She said she was Ruth and asked him to spread his robe over her because he was a redeemer.  He was a potential redeemer of the property of Naomi.  The redeemer would also acquire the widow Ruth in the deal.

Ruth 3:12-13
12  Now, truly I am a redeemer, but there is a nearer redeemer than I.
13  Stay here tonight.  Then in the morning, if he will redeem you, well, let him redeem; but if it does not please him to redeem you, I will redeem you as surely as the LORD lives.  Lie down until morning.

Boaz told Ruth that he was not the nearest relative.  So, another had first call, but he would go straighten the matter out in the morning.

Later in the day Boaz went to the city gate, which is where court was held.  When the nearer redeemer passed by, Boaz invited him to sit down.  Then he requested that ten of the elders of the city sit down with them.  The number, 10, stands for the Laws of Establishment.  This was to be a legal proceeding.

Ruth 4:3
Then he (Boaz) said to the redeemer, "Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother (relative) Elimelech."

Boaz informed the redeemer that Naomi had sold the property that belonged to Elimelech.  "Sold" is the perfect tense of the Hebrew makar, meaning to sell.

Ruth 4:4
"So I thought to inform you, saying, 'Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people.  If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem, tell me that I may know; for there is no one except you to redeem it, and I am after you.'"  And he said, "I will redeem it."

Boaz informed the redeemer that he had first choice to redeem the property of Naomi's deceased husband.  The redeemer at first said that he would redeem it.  However, Boaz proceeded to tell him more of the story.

Ruth 4:5
Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance."

Boaz explained that when the man bought the property, he would also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, and he would be expected to marry her and raise up an heir of the deceased.

Ruth 4:6
The redeemer said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I harm my own inheritance. Redeem for yourself my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it."

The redeemer balked at this because he would be investing his money in property that would eventually belong to the son of Ruth.  He would be paying his money for property that he would lose.  The price was the price of the yearly produce of the land.  This was not a good deal for him.

Ruth 4:7-8
7  Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm every transaction: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel.
8  So the redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself." And he removed his sandal.

So the redeemer forfeited his right of redemption.  He took off his sandal and gave it to Boaz according to the custom to attest to his forfeiture of the right of redemption.

So Boaz became the redeemer of the property that belonged to Elimelech.  He bought the property and married Ruth.  He was a widow's redeemer, not only for redeeming a widow's property, but also for marrying Ruth.  Ruth and Boaz had a son, Obed, who was the grandfather of David.

Purchased from Slavery to Sin

Before Salvation everyone was in the slave market of sin in the Cosmic System.  We were all slaves of Satan, the ruler of the world and prince of darkness.  The payment of Jesus Christ on the cross for the sins of the world redeemed all mankind from slavery to sin.  Freedom from the devil's power has been purchased.  It can be received by anyone by faith in Jesus Christ.  Those who believe in Jesus Christ have their sins forgiven and are set free from Satan's slave market of sin.  Those who reject Jesus Christ as Savior remain the captives of Satan under bondage to do his will even though their redemption has been provided.

The Christian who has been set free from the slave market of sin through the redemption in Christ Jesus should recognize his new Lord and Master and turn from his former way of life.

1 Corinthians 6:20
For you see, you were purchased for a price:  Now therefore, glorify God in your body.

The Corinthian Christians were reminded that they were "purchased for a price."  They were purchased from the slave market of sin by Jesus Christ.  The price was the Blood of Christ, which was His substitutionary spiritual death for the sins of the world.  The Blood of Christ purchased redemption for the Corinthians.  Yet some of them were engaging in sexual sins by which they were again enslaved to the Cosmic System by the Prostitute of Babylon.  Fornication, adultery, and prostitution are all under the power of the Prostitute of Babylon in which a demon empowers a female.  Thus, the Corinthians were falling back into the slavery for which they had been redeemed.  They fell under Satan's power through the Prostitute of Babylon.

Therefore, they were told to "glorify God in your body."  The body is the source of sexual sins.  Instead of sinning with the body, they should glorify God in the body.  This means their body should be full of the Light of God, and they should be engaged in activities which honor God.  The body is full of Light when a believer walks in the Light according to the example of the Lampstand in the Holy Place.  Walking in the Light includes fellowship with God rather than slavery to the Cosmic System (1 Jn 1:7).

Even a slave could be spiritually free in Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:22
For the one who was called by the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's freedman; likewise, the one who was called while free is Christ's slave.

A person who is a slave receives spiritual freedom at the time of his Salvation.  And a free person becomes the Lord's slave at Salvation.

1 Corinthians 7:23
You were purchased with a price; stop becoming the slaves of men.

Christians were purchased with a price.  They were redeemed by the Blood of Christ.  They have accepted Christ's redemption and have Spiritual freedom.  Therefore, they should stop becoming slaves of men.  Most people would not willingly sell themselves into slavery.  However, ignorant believers who obey the doctrines of men and demons give up their Spiritual freedom and become slaves in the Cosmic System.  Without Spiritual freedom, others with Old Sin Natures boss them around, and demons from the Cosmic System enslave them.  Redemption from sins is the opportunity to be spiritually free.  That opportunity should not be squandered after Salvation.

The angels around the Throne of God in Heaven sang a song about the redemption in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 5:9
And they sang a new song, saying,
"Worthy are You (the Lamb) to take the scroll and to open its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and language and people and nation.

The angels sang as they worshiped the Lamb (Jesus Christ).  They recognized Jesus as God and therefore, worthy to open the scroll containing the Judgments of the Tribulation.  The Lamb had been "slain," which means that He had been sacrificed.  He purchased for God the Father with His Blood all mankind.  This means the Blood of Christ redeemed all mankind – unlimited atonement.  The Blood of Christ was the price of redemption.

Redemption and Sanctification

Sanctification Follows Redemption
Paul
Sanctification of the Corinthians
Sanctification in Marriage
Positional Sanctification
Approach to God in Worship
Good Conscience
Sprinkled Blood

Sanctification Follows Redemption

After Paul was saved on the road to Damascus, Ananias was sent to him to explain the new way of the Spiritual life.  Ananias said to Paul:

Acts 22:16 Paul's Baptism
"And now, why are you delaying?  Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, having previously called upon His name."

Ananias told Paul to get up and be baptized.  Water baptism was used at the beginning of the Church Age as a symbol of identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.  Paul was told to "wash away your sins."  This refers to the sanctification at Salvation when a person is separated from his sins that were paid for on the cross.  Paul's sins were washed away at Salvation.  Water baptism symbolizes that.

"Having previously called upon His name" – this is an aorist participle, which precedes the action of the main verbs (get up, be baptized, and wash away).  Paul had previously called on the name of Jesus Christ when he expressed faith in Him at Salvation  (Rom 10:13).

Sanctification of the Corinthians

Unbelievers, who reject Salvation and follow their own sinful desires, will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  They will not go to Heaven when they die.  Before the Corinthian Christians were saved, they engaged in sins like other unbelievers (1 Cor 6:9-10).

1 Corinthians 6:11
And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

The Corinthian believers were behaving like other unbelievers before Salvation.  But at Salvation, they were "washed."  "Washed" is a synonym for sanctification at Salvation that means being purified or cleansed from the stigma associated with sin.  "Sanctified" refers to Positional Sanctification at Salvation.

"Justified" means declared Righteous by the work of Christ on the cross.  "Justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ" means justification based on the work of Christ associated with His person.  The believer who is justified has God's Righteousness and the Righteousness of Christ.  "By the Holy Spirit" means the Holy Spirit performed the sanctification of the believer at Salvation and honored the believer as justified in the sight of God.  The Holy Spirit set the believer apart, consecrated him to God, and entered him into union with Christ.

Sanctification in Marriage

The corporate relationship of the husband and wife in Marriage corresponds to the relationship between Christ and the Church.  Jesus Christ purified the Church from sins and sanctified it.  Similarly, the husband must sanctify his wife in order for the marriage to be holy.

Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself as a substitute for her;

Jesus Christ loved the Church and gave Himself as a substitute for it at the cross.  Similarly, the husband must love his wife and go to the cross for her through Eclipse Testing.²

Ephesians 5:26  Positional Sanctification
that having purified her, He might sanctify her by the washing of water by the communicated Word (Gospel).

"Having purified her " is an aorist participle that precedes the action of the main verb ("sanctify").  This refers to purification from sins by the work of Christ on the cross (Heb 1:3; 2 Pet 1:9).  This is Retroactive Positional Truth, which means our sins were judged at the cross.

"That He might sanctify her" refers to Positional Sanctification at Salvation.  The subjunctive mood is potential for those who will believe the Gospel (1 Cor 7:14; 1 Thess 4:4, 7).

"Washing of water" refers to the Baptism of Holy Spirit, which enters the believer into union with Christ (Jn 3:5; 1 Cor 6:11; 1 Pet 1:2).

"Communicated Word" is the Greek rh'ma (rhema), which means communicated Word, and refers to the Gospel (Rom 10:8).

In the Marriage analogy, Christ went to the cross to provide Sanctification for the Church, His Bride.  Similarly, the husband must be willing to sanctify his wife through Eclipse Testing to deliver her from the Sin Leading to Death.  Marriage must be holy, which means set apart to God.  The husband and wife must execute Marriage in the filling of the Holy Spirit separated from the world.  The husband must lead his wife spiritually, and the woman must follow under his authority.  If the husband or wife falls into sin and does not Rebound, the Marriage is no longer sanctified.  Carnality (lack of sanctification) destroys the Marriage.  A carnal partner will die the Sin Leading to Death.

Positional Sanctification

When a person believes in Jesus Christ at Salvation, his sins are forgiven and he is sanctified.  The Holy Spirit enters him into union with Christ in Heaven.  This is called Positional Sanctification.

Titus 3:5
Not on the basis of deeds which we have performed in righteousness, but according to His mercy, He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit,

We are not saved by our own deeds.  Our deeds, no matter how good, are human righteousness, which falls short of Divine Righteousness.  God saves us on the basis of His mercy.  The work of Salvation is all God's work, not ours.

God saved us "by the washing of regeneration."  "Washing" refers to Positional Sanctification as symbolized by the Laver (Col 1:14; 1 Cor. 6:11).  At Salvation we are removed from all defilement of sin by being set apart and entered into union with Christ in Heaven where there is no trace of defilement.  "Regeneration" is the Greek paliggenesiva (palingenesia), from (pavlin, back, again, anew) + (gevnesi", birth), meaning regeneration, rebirth, or born again.  At Salvation we receive a new Spiritual birth.  We receive a human spirit that is capable of communicating with God.  We are no longer spiritually dead and devoid of spiritual life.

"And the renewing of the Holy Spirit" – the Holy Spirit performs the work of Salvation to make us new.  "Renewing" is the Greek ajnakaivnwsi", (anakainosis), from (ajnav, back, again) + (kainov", new in kind), meaning renewal.  It refers to the transformation into an entirely new Spiritual species by the work of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15; Eph 2:15; 4:24; Col 3:10).

Approach to God in Worship

Because the sins of the believer have been forgiven and he is sanctified, he is able to have fellowship with God.  He must Rebound to insure the forgiveness of sins, sanctification, and the filling of the Holy Spirit to enable him to approach God in worship.

Hebrews 10:22
Let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of the faith, having our hearts sprinkled pure from a degenerate conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

"Approach" refers to approaching God in worship.  This corresponds to entering the Holy Place.  The heart refers to the right lobe of the soul.  A true heart is based on the truth of Bible Doctrine in the Edification Complex of the Soul (ECS).  This is Y-axis alignment corresponding to true Love for God and symbolized by the Lampstand in the Holy Place.

"Full assurance of the faith" is analogous to the Table of Shewbread.  This corresponds to X-axis alignment in the Spiritual life.  This is the thinking of Bible Doctrine in the mind, or left lobe of the soul.

"Having our hearts sprinkled pure from a degenerate conscience" – this refers to purification of the conscience.  "Sprinkled pure" is the Greek rJantivzw (rhantizo), which means to sprinkle, referring to the rite of purification; to purify.   This refers to the sprinkling of blood on the Brazen Altar to provide purification from sin.  "Sprinkled pure" refers to purification of sins at Salvation, which results in forgiveness, followed by sanctification (Ex 24:8; Ps 51:7; Heb 9:13, 19; 12:24; 1 Pet 1:2).  The degenerate conscience of the unbeliever must be purified into a Good conscience at Salvation.  "Degenerate" is the Greek ponhrov" (poneros), meaning evil, bad, base, worthless, degenerate.   It refers to the conscience of the unbeliever which approves evil and does not recognize Divine Good.

"Having our hearts sprinkled pure from a degenerate conscience" means having our conscience purified at Salvation from its degenerate, worthless state.  This comes to mean having a pure conscience after Salvation.  This requires the filling of the Holy Spirit from Rebound.  Unconfessed sin leaves the conscience under the control of the Old Sin Nature.

"And our bodies washed with pure water" – this is analogous to Positional (and Experiential) Sanctification symbolized by the Laver (Ex 29:4; Acts 22:16; 1 Cor 6:11; Eph 5:26; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 3:21).  Washing the body is analogous to Positional Sanctification at Salvation and to Rebound after Salvation.  This is Z-axis alignment under the authority of God the Father.

Good Conscience

The new Spiritual species created at Salvation includes an intrinsically Good conscience that is capable of discerning Divine Good and evil.

1 Peter 3:21 Baptism of HS
And corresponding to that, Baptism now saves you – not the removal of dirt from the body, but the appeal of an intrinsically Good conscience toward God – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"Corresponding to that" refers to the context of the saving of Noah by the ark on the water, which was analogous to water baptism (1 Pet 3:20).  But the "baptism" in this verse that saves us is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit entering the believer into union with Christ at Salvation.  This results in Positional Sanctification.  "Not the removal of dirt from the body" means this is not cleansing the body, but Spiritual purification.

"But the appeal of an intrinsically Good conscience toward God" refers to the new conscience that is created at Salvation (2 Cor 5:17).  "Intrinsically Good is the Greek ajgaqov" (agathos), meaning intrinsic good – 'Divine Good.'  The new conscience after Salvation is able to discern Divine Good.  That was not possible before Salvation.  The forgiveness of sins at Salvation also leaves the conscience pure, and this is Divine Good production.  With sins forgiven the believer can be filled with the Holy Spirit, which enables the new conscience to function effectively in the New Spiritual life.

"Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" – this is the continuation of the phrase, "Baptism now saves you."  The Baptism of the Holy Spirit enters us into union with Christ, who is resurrected.  We are saved to be resurrected like Christ.  Resurrection is the Greek ajnavstasi" (anastasis), from (ajnav, up) + (stavsi", standing) = resurrection from the dead (1 Cor 15:20; Rom 6:5; 1 Pet 1:3).  Resurrection of the body is redemption of the body and Ultimate Sanctification.  Jesus Christ redeemed us from sins and was the first to be delivered from this Earth through resurrection.  In the context, resurrection is analogous to Salvation as a bird is to a ship.

Sprinkled Blood

Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant to the Church.

Hebrews 12:24
and to Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant to the Church, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than Abel.

"The sprinkled blood" is a metaphor for the Blood of Christ.  The sprinkled blood of animal sacrifices was previously used to redeem people from sin.  The animal blood symbolized the Blood of Christ, which provided redemption for all mankind.  The blood of animal sacrifices was "sprinkled" on the Brazen Altar, the Mosaic Covenant, and the people to purify from sins through the redemption solution.  The "sprinkled blood" of Jesus refers to His substitutionary spiritual death at the cross which provided redemption for all mankind.  The "sprinkled blood" of Jesus purifies the believer from personal sins at Salvation resulting in the forgiveness of sins.

The "sprinkled blood" of Jesus "speaks better than Abel."  Abel was the first son who was born-again under the Adamic Covenant and the first born-again son in history.  He worshipped God with animal sacrifices, communicated the Gospel to his brother, and poured out his blood as a martyr.  Abel testified of the redemption solution, but Jesus Christ is the reality.

1 Peter 1:2
Chosen ones according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctification of the Spirit leading to obedience and by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:  May Grace and Peace be yours in the fullest measure.

Peter's epistle is addressed to the "chosen ones" (1 Pet 1:1).  These are the elect based on the foreknowledge of God.  They have chosen to believe from their own volition.  This is not predestination.  God foreknew that they would choose Salvation.

"By the sanctification of the Spirit" – this is Positional Sanctification at Salvation by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

"Leading to obedience" is the Greek eij" (eis, leading to) + uJpakohv (hupakoe, obedience).  This refers to obedience to faith after Salvation.

"By the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ" – this is a metaphor in which the sprinkling of the blood refers to purification from sins at Salvation, redemption of the soul, and accepting the redemption solution, which results in forgiveness of sins.

"May Grace and Peace be yours in the fullest measure."   Grace is God's Grace provision for the believer's every need.  It is all that God is free to do for us because of the work of Christ on the cross.  Peace is  reconciliation with God, and it is the fruit (production) of the Spirit whereby the believer has Spiritual rapport with God and harmony with mankind.

Peter's wish is for the believers to have Grace and Peace "in fullest measure."  This is the Greek plhquvnw (plethuno), which means to be multiplied, grow, increase.

Redemption after Salvation

Experiential Redemption and Sanctification
Brazen Altar
Laver
Door
Holy Place
Holy of Holies

Experiential Redemption and Sanctification

Brazen Altar

The believer after Salvation is in a conflict against sin (Heb 12:4).  Sin attacks the battlefield of the soul from within and without.  The Old Sin Nature (OSN) inherited from Adam attacks from within, and sin from Satan and the world attacks from without.³  Redemption from sin in the daily life of the believer is a constant struggle (Rom 7:24).  The one who sins is the slave of sin (Jn 8:34; Rom 6:6, 16-17, 20).  Although redemption was accomplished on the cross and all sins have been paid for, the believer must constantly choose the redemption solution.  He must leave his sins and old life behind since he was crucified with Christ (Rom 6:6; Gal 2:20).  He must keep himself free from sin (1 Tim 5:22).  This requires the filling of the Holy Spirit, which frees the believer from sin and Satan, including the power of the OSN and the world (Rom 8:2; 1 Jn 4:4).

The daily struggle is to recognize sin, and then Rebound and press on in the Spiritual life.  Failure to recognize sin in the life leads to intensified punishment and suffering (Rom 7:24).  Sin enslaves.  A sin that is not judged with Rebound will fester and grow into Hardness of the Heart (Scar Tissue of the Soul) and eventually into a stronghold of evil.  Hardness of he Heart blocks the Light, which blacks out the soul, confuses, and grieves and quenches the Holy Spirit. It also weakens the Spirit of human life in the body and leads to illness and infirmity.

Dealing with Hardness of the Heart is a much bigger problem for the believer than confessing his sin, forgetting it, and moving on.  Dealing with Hardness of the Heart is a major struggle of executing the Spiritual life to overcome problems that bring intensive suffering.  Punishment for Hardness of the Heart leaves many weak and sickly.

Grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit associated with Hardness of the Heart opens the soul to the infiltration of evil from the Cosmic System.  Satan tempts the believer to sin and appeals to the lust pattern of the OSN.  The believer may be tempted to react to an injustice.  Then the root of bitterness springs up and many others are defiled from the vengeance of bitterness in the Cosmic System (Heb 12:15).  Under the influence of evil in the Cosmic System, the believer becomes enslaved to Satan to do his will (2 Tim 2:26).

Laver

After sins are forgiven through Rebound, God purifies the believer from all wrongdoing.  Purification from all wrongdoing is sanctification after Salvation.  Wrongdoing includes evil, human good, dead works, and defilement associated with sin.  Wrongdoing falls short of the Righteousness of God and rejects the Grace of God.  It is man's attempt to solve his own problems and satisfy himself in the devil's world apart from Grace.  It includes self-righteous hypocrisy, wanton pleasure, and bitter recrimination, as well as moral and immoral degeneracy.

Wrongdoing is the dirt and filth that accompanies sin.  When the believer Rebounds, God the Holy Spirit sanctifies, or washes the believer clean. He purifies from all wrongdoing so the believer can return to fellowship with God and resume the Spiritual life.

Believers who do not Rebound are not cleaned up.  They are like people who do not take a bath.  They are like hogs that lie in the mud (2 Pet 2:22).  They stink!  Putting on clean clothes without taking a bath is not acceptable.  This corresponds to legalism, which is putting on a self-righteous façade.  Wrongdoing includes legalism and lawlessness.

Since none of the major Christian denominations teach Rebound, this is a major problem.  Those Christians who do not Rebound are apostates and reversionists.  They stink, and they are the slaves and pawns of the devil.  Their behavior is no different from unbelievers in the Cosmic System.  Therefore, the growing believer must avoid such persons as these (2 Tim 3:5).

Door

Rebound redeems the believer from the slave market of Satan's Cosmic System so that he may advance through the Door of Grace Orientation.  The Door is the access, or approach, into the Spiritual life as symbolized by the Holy Place.  Grace orientation is required to execute the Spiritual life.  Legalism and lawlessness are outside of  Grace.

Grace is the free gift of God.  It is all that God is free to do for man based on the work of Christ on the cross.  Grace is all God's work.  Man simply goes along for the ride.  The believer must choose to accept what God gives in Grace and reject all substitutes.  The world is full of substitutes, and Satan is a master counterfeit.  He has infiltrated every aspect of life, including the Church, to distract believers from Grace.

Grace began at Salvation (Eph 2:5, 8-9; Tit 2:11), and it must continue throughout the Spiritual life (Psa 84:11; Heb 13:9; Jas 4:6; 1 Pet 5:10; 2 Pet 3:18).   God has given the believer a new life in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:2; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10).  Grace orientation is required to find that new life and live it.  Courage is required to give up the old life (Gal 2:20; 5:24) and stick with the new life until the end (Phil 3:13-14; 2 Tim 4:6-7).

Holy Place

Advancing through the Door of Grace Orientation into the Holy Place is the result of using the redemption solution for the Spiritual life.  The redemption solution of Rebound in the Outer Court purifies the believer for the purpose of living the Spiritual life as symbolized by the function of the priest in the Holy Place.  The three pieces of furniture in the Holy Place symbolize alignment of the X, Y, and Z axes of the Spiritual life.

1. Table of Shewbread – X-axis
2. Golden Lampstand – Y-axis
3. Altar of Incense – Z-axis

Failure along any axis is a stumbling block that leads to sin and requires returning to the redemption solution through Rebound.  Failure to Rebound leads to reversionism.

Ephesians 4:17-19 Reversionism
17  This, therefore, I explain and solemnly declare in the Lord that you no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk in the vacuum of their mind
18  having been darkened in their way of thinking, having been alienated from the Life of God because of the ignorance which is in them, because of the scar tissue of their heart.
19  Who, because they have become callused have given themselves over to licentiousness, resulting in the practice of every kind of immorality with insatiable lust.

Reversionism leads to breakdown along each axis of the Spiritual life and Hardness of the Heart.

1. X-axis – ignorance of Bible Doctrine
2. Y-axis – darkness
3. Z-axis – loss of capacity for life; alienated from the Life of God

Although redemption and sanctification are symbolized by the Brazen Altar and Laver, they also apply to life in the Holy Place.  Life in the Holy Place symbolizes Experiential Redemption and Experiential Sanctification.  For example, Jesus said,

John 8:32
and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

The truth is Bible Doctrine, which corresponds to the Table of Shewbread.  Being free corresponds to redemption.  Jesus also said:

John 17:17
Sanctify them by means of doctrine; Your Word is doctrine.

Sanctification is the result of learning doctrine, which is associated with the Table of Shewbread.  Thus, sanctification is the result of redemption.  Redemption sets a person free, and sanctification purifies him from all wrongdoing.

Redemption after Salvation comes through Bible Doctrine (Jn 8:31-36).  Freedom from the slave market of sin after Salvation comes from learning Bible Doctrine.  Spiritual freedom is only possible by obeying Bible Doctrine.  Obeying Bible Doctrine redeems the believer from sin and evil (Jn 8:32) and results in sanctification (Jn 17:17).

Learning the truth (Bible Doctrine) frees from the Cosmic System.  Satan controls the Cosmic System through lies (Jn 8:44).  Ignorance of Bible Doctrine enslaves in the Cosmic System.  The High Priest of Israel offered sacrifices on the Day of Atonement for sins committed in ignorance (Heb 9:7).  Spiritual growth requires learning to avoid sins of ignorance (1 Pet 1:14).

Those who reject Bible Doctrine die in the wilderness (Heb 4:6).  Learning Bible Doctrine and living in Spiritual freedom require the filling of the Holy Spirit (1 Jn 1:9).  Spiritual freedom is the right to choose, to exercise the volition without coercion (Philem 1:14; 1 Pet 2:16).  Redemption is freedom from sin.  Forgiveness is freedom from sin.  Forgiveness is received at Salvation and by Rebound.

Experiential Redemption in the Holy Place comes by:

1. X – Obeying Bible Doctrine (Jn 8:32; Rom 6:22a; 1 Jn 3:24)
2. Y – Abiding in Divine Love and Light (Psa 18:28; 112:4; Isa 5:20; 9:2; Jn 12:46; 15:9-10; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:19; 2 Cor 4:6; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 Jn 1:7; 2:9-10; 3:14; 4:12, 16)
3. Z – Obeying Divine Authority (Prov 4:4; Rom 13:1; Eph 5:25-26; Gal 5:1; Phil 4:6-7; Heb 13:17; 1 Pet 5:6)

Sanctification is separation from sin and evil and consecration to God (Jer 1:5; Jn 6:69; 10:36; 17:19; 1 Thess 5:23).  Sanctification is holiness, or Righteous integrity (Lev 11:44-45; 1 Pet 1:14-16).  Sanctification is the result of using the redemption solution.

Ephesians 5:25-26
25  Husbands love your wives just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself as a substitute for her (Positional Redemption),
26 that having purified her (Positional Redemption) He might sanctify her (Positional Sanctification) by the washing of water by the communicated Word (Gospel).

Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church by providing Positional Redemption at the cross resulting in Positional Sanctification for all who would believe.  Verse 26 is about Positional Redemption and Sanctification, but the application of husbands loving their wives is experiential.  The husband must love his wife daily and use Experiential Redemption and Sanctification.  He must be willing to go to the cross for her (Experiential Redemption) more than once in order for God to provide Experiential Sanctification for her.

Sanctification is the Grace production of the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:16).  It is God's work, not man's.  Sanctification is freedom from the defilement of sin, including dead works, human good, and evil.  It is purification from all wrongdoing (1 Jn 1:9; 2 Tim 2:21).  Sanctification is freedom and separation from the world, the flesh, and the devil.  It is freedom from the love of the world (1 Jn 2:15-16) and the love of money (1 Tim 3:3; Heb 13:5).

Sanctification is the result of Salvation and Rebound.  Experiential Sanctification comes by executing the Spiritual life as symbolized by living in the Holy Place.  It is associated with the three items of furniture in the Holy Place associated with the three axes of the Spiritual life.

1. X – Obeying Bible Doctrine (Ex 19:5; Deut 7:6; Jn 17:17, 19; Eph 5:26; Rom 6:19, 22b; 1 Pet 2:9)
2. Y – Abiding in Divine Love and Light (Jn 1:5; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35; Rom 13:12; 1 Cor 7:14; 2 Cor 6:14; Eph 5:8; 1 Thess 5:5)
3. Z – Obeying Divine Authority (Deut 6:2; 11:8; 1 Tim 6:14)

Holy of Holies

The Holy of Holies symbolizes the Throne Room in Heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ sits on the Throne of God.  The Ark of the Covenant symbolizes Christ our all and in all.  The content of the Ark symbolizes the essence of God.  The Mercy Seat symbolizes the Throne of Grace.

On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest offered sacrifices for himself and the people.  He sprinkled blood before the Ark of the Covenant seven times to symbolize unlimited atonement.  He also sprinkled blood on the Mercy Seat.  The blood symbolized redemption and the blood on the Mercy Seat symbolized propitiation of God the Father.

The ritual on the Day of Atonement symbolized the work of Jesus Christ on the cross when He paid for the sins of the world.  Jesus Christ is our High Priest, who offered Himself (Heb 9:11-12).  The Blood of Christ was His substitutionary spiritual death for the sins of the world, which secured for us eternal redemption (Heb 9:12).  And the Blood of Christ is able to "purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Heb 9:14). After Christ had finished bearing the sins of the world, He entered into Heaven itself, where He appears "in the presence of God for us" (Heb 9:24).

As the blood on the Mercy Seat propitiated God the Father yearly, the Blood of Christ propitiated God the Father permanently.  Because the Father was completely satisfied with the work of Christ on the cross, He is justified in giving us Eternal Life and many other great blessings (Rom 5:16-18).  Because of the redemption solution of Jesus Christ that propitiated God the Father, the Church Age Believer is adopted into the Royal Family of God, indwelt by all three members of the Trinity, and filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Ark of the Covenant with the covering of the Mercy Seat is a reminder of all that God is free to do for us because of propitiation from the redemption solution of Jesus Christ.  The Blood of Christ propitiated the Father.  So redemption resulted in propitiation, which freed God the Father to pour out Grace blessings upon believers in Christ, especially the Church.

The Grace Blessings associated with the Ark of the Covenant include fellowship with God, sharing His Love, Happiness, Righteousness, and Holiness, and receiving Divine Good.  Believers become sons of God, members of the Royal Family, and receive an inheritance of double blessing.  And believers become priests, who have access to God to represent themselves and others forever.  All this is possible because the redemption solution propitiated the Father.

Redeemed from a Life of Sin and Death

Redeemed from Sin
Redeemed from Death
Redeemed from Slavery
Redeemed from Ignorance
Redeemed from Darkness
Redeemed from Disobedience
Redeemed from the Old Life

Redeemed from Sin

When Adam and the woman ate the forbidden fruit, they died spiritually.  They were dead in their sin and cut off from God.  "The wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23a).  The unbeliever is spiritually dead, and the believer in sin is spiritually dead, even though he has not lost his Salvation (Eph 2:1, 5; Col 2:13).

Sin brings instant spiritual death and alienates a person from God.  Handling sin requires the redemption solution.  Jesus Christ redeemed us from our sins on the cross.  The unbeliever can accept the redemption solution through faith in Jesus Christ.  When he believes in Jesus Christ, he will receive Salvation, which delivers him from spiritual death into Spiritual life.  Spiritual life enables a person to have fellowship with God.

The believer in spiritual death can accept the redemption solution through Rebound.  When he names his sins to God, then God forgives his sins.  That is the redemption solution.  Then God purifies the person from all wrongdoing.  That is sanctification.  Thus, the believer who Rebounds is forgiven of his sins and sanctified.  He is welcomed back into fellowship with God and able to resume his Spiritual life.

Ephesians 2:5
Even when we were dead in transgressions, He (God) made us alive together with Christ (BHS) (by Grace you have been saved).

"When we were dead in transgressions," refers to spiritual death as unbelievers.  At Salvation God "made us alive together with Christ."  This is the Greek suzwopoievw (suzoopoieo), from (suvn, together) + (zwov", life) + (poievw, make), which means to make alive together with someone else.  "Made alive" refers to the creation of the new Spiritual life at Salvation when the believer becomes a "new spiritual species" (Gal 6:15; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 2:15, 4:24; Col 3:10).

"Together with Christ" refers to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which enters the believer into union with Christ as a member of His Body.  This is Positional Sanctification.  The believer also becomes a member of Christ's Royal Family and shares His destiny.  So, at Salvation the believer receives a new Spiritual life that is to be lived along with the risen Christ on the basis of His redemption and by means of the Grace of God.

Redeemed from Slavery

The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed mankind from the slave market of sin.  Anything that enslaves a person deprives him of freedom to live his life.  Types of slavery from which a person needs to be redeemed include:

Slavery to:
    sin (Jn 8:34; Rom 6:16, 20; 8:2, 6)
    men (1 Cor 7:23; Gal 2:4)
    money (Matt 6:24)
    world (Rom 16:18; 2 Pet 2:19-20)
    Satan (Eph 2:2; 6:12; 2 Tim 2:26)

Slavery to Sin

A person who sins is a sinner.  Sin is separation from God.  All sinners are separated from God.  They are not free but bound to their sins in opposition to God.  Jesus told Jewish believers about slavery to sin.

John 8:34
Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin."

The believers were sinning; therefore, they were the slaves of sin.  The desire to sin comes from the Old Sin Nature (OSN).  When a person obeys the OSN, he is a slave to the OSN, which may also be referred to as sin in the singular.  Regardless, sin takes away Spiritual freedom and enslaves.

John 8:35
Now the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

Slaves do not have permanent homes in someone else's house.  An example is Ishmael.  However, the son remains forever with a permanent home.  Examples include Isaac and Jesus Christ.  Slaves of sin go out of the house of God when they sin.  Jesus is the true Son and seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16).  He remains in the house and is over it (Heb. 3:6).

John 8:36
If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free in reality.

Freedom is available by faith in Jesus  Christ (Gal 3:26).  The one who believes in Christ is free from sin and the Cosmic System.  His debts are paid.

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that to whomever you place yourselves at disposal as slaves for the purpose of obedience you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either sin, resulting in death, or obedience resulting in Righteousness (+R)?

In the master-slave relationship, the slave is the slave of the one he obeys.  "Either sin, resulting in death" – "sin" refers to the one obeyed.  Sin in the singular refers to the principle of sin – i.e. sin in the Cosmic System, the world, and the OSN.  "Death" refers to spiritual death, which is separation from God.  The result of obeying sin is spiritual death.

"Or of obedience resulting in Righteousness" – this refers to obedience to God and His commands since it is opposite "sin."  "Righteousness" is the Greek dikaiosuvnh (dikaiosune), meaning the righteousness of God that demands the justice of God; Divine Righteousness, +R.  The result of obeying God is Divine Righteousness, which means the X-axis of the ECS is still intact, and the ECS is fully functional.  The person maintains his Divine Integrity, and he has Spiritual freedom.

Romans 8:2
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the Law of sin and of death.

"The Spirit" is the Holy Spirit, and "life" is the new Spiritual life received at Salvation by faith in Christ.  "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" refers to the doctrine of the new Spiritual life in the Church which sets us free from the Mosaic Law.  "The Law of sin and death" refers to the Mosaic Law, which defined sin that resulted in spiritual death.   The simpler meaning of the verse is the filling of the Holy Spirit frees us from slavery to sin from the OSN and spiritual death.

Romans 8:5 Sin vs. Spirituality
For you see, those who are controlled by the flesh (OSN) keep concentrating on the things of the flesh (OSN), but those who are controlled by the Spirit keep concentrating on the things of the Spirit.

"Those who are controlled by the flesh (OSN)" are slaves to the OSN and to sin.  They keep concentrating on the desires of the OSN.  However, in contrast, those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit keep thinking about Spiritual things.  Thinking about Spiritual things refers to Divine viewpoint from metabolized Bible Doctrine.  Thus, the filling of the Holy Spirit frees a person from slavery to the OSN.

Romans 8:6 Death vs. Life
For you see, the way of thinking of the flesh (OSN) is death, but the way of thinking of the Spirit is Life and Peace.

"The way of thinking of the flesh (OSN) is death" – the thinking of the OSN is in the sphere of death.  Sin causes spiritual death, which will lead to physical death.  Furthermore, the thinking of a spiritually dead person is associated with all types of wrongdoing.  In contrast, the thinking in the filling of the Holy Spirit is Life and Peace. "Life" refers to Capacity for Spiritual Life, and "Peace" refers to Spiritual Rapport with God and harmony with mankind.

Thus, the unbeliever is redeemed from slavery to sin by Salvation, and the believer is redeemed from slavery to sin by Rebound.  The filling of the Holy Spirit frees the believe from slavery to sin.

Slavery to Men

Slaves of men refer to people in slavery.  Since Jesus Christ redeemed us from the slave market of sin for a magnificent Spiritual life, we should avoid slavery (1 Cor 7:23).  Obeying a legalist, false teacher, or anyone who does not have legitimate authority also enslaves a person.  Judaizers, who were false teachers, sneaked around to try to catch Paul in some violation of the Mosaic Law, which Christians are not even obligated to obey (Gal 2:4).  Legalistic teaching in churches include:  Tithing, dress codes, dietary rules, grooming requirements, and taboos such as smoking, drinking, and wearing makeup, or legalistic standards regarding entertainment or social life (Col 2:20-23).

Slavery to Money

The love of money enslaves.  There is nothing wrong with having money if a person has the capacity for it, but putting trust in money rather than God leads to slavery.  The same problem exists with slavery to the details of life in which a person is enslaved to materialism.

Matthew 6:24 (Luk 16:13)
Absolutely no one is able to serve two masters; for you see, either he will hate the one and love the other, or cling to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon!

God should be our master – not mammon.  "Mammon" is the Aramaic mamon, which came into the Latin as mammon.  It means wealth (personified).  The contrast of God and mammon implies that mammon is in the Cosmic System.  The coin of the realm in the devil's world is money, but in the Kingdom of God, it is Bible Doctrine.  Since Satan tempts with the love of money, the believer must remain free from the love of money (1 Tim 3:3; 6:10; Heb 13:5).

Slavery to the World

Apostates are in the world.  They are not sanctified to God.  Obeying apostates will enslave a person to the world.

Romans 16:18 Apostate Slaves
For such men (apostates) are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own stomach (emotion, Ecumenical Babylon); and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

Apostates are not slaves of Jesus Christ. They are not under the Lord's authority (Z-axis).  They are slaves of their own stomach.  "Stomach" is the Greek koiliva (koilia), meaning belly, stomach; appetite (emotion).  The stomach symbolizes the emotion.  It also symbolizes Ecumenical Babylon (X-axis, Phil 3:19).⁴  Apostates are enslaved to Ecumenical Babylon in the world.  They use smooth and flattering speech.  Their communication is not under the power of the Holy Spirit but the Cosmic System with human viewpoint, lies, and deception (Ps 12:2; 41:6; 62:4; 116:11; Jer 9:4-5; Rom 3:4).

"They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting."  The heart is the right lobe of the soul, which is associated with the Y-axis of the Spiritual life.  Thus, the apostate attacks the heart of the believer.  The apostate is enslaved to the world, and the believer who accepts the apostate will also be enslaved to the world.

Reversionistic false teachers are enslaved to the world.

2 Peter 2:18-19
18  For you see, bellowing bombastic words of vanity, they entice by lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who barely escape from those who live in error,
19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a person is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

While false teachers promise freedom, they themselves are slaves of corruption from the world.

2 Peter 2:20 Doom of the Reversionist
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the epignosis-knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

After escaping the defilements of the world through learning some Bible Doctrine, the reversionist turns away from doctrine.  Consequently, he is again entangled in the world worse than he was before he began learning doctrine.

Slavery to Satan

Before a person becomes a believer, Satan rules his life.

Ephesians 2:2 Satan's Power Over Man
In which sphere (real spiritual death), you formerly walked according to the lifestyle of this world according to the powerful ruler of the air, the spirit that is now operating in the sons of disobedience.

Unbelievers are spiritually dead (Eph 2:1). They walk (operate) according to the lifestyle  of other spiritually dead people in the world and blindly accept the lies of the Cosmic System.  They are enslaved to the "powerful ruler of the air," which is Satan.  He is a spirit who operates in unbelievers.  He is so slick they never suspect him.  They are called "the sons of disobedience," or unbelief, because they disobey God and do not believe in Jesus Christ, who redeemed them from sin and the power of Satan.  They have rejected the redemption solution.

Satan rules the world through the Cosmic System, which is symbolized by the ancient city of Babylon, the first great world empire.  Satan is a master genius, who was the highest ranking angel before he sinned and rebelled against God.  Satan commands a vast army of millions of demons who operate throughout the world to enslave mankind and thwart the Plan of God.  Satan enslaves people through his demons, whose goal is to corrupt and destroy people and take them to Hell.

Unbelievers in spiritual death are defenseless against Satan and his demons, but Christians, who are protected by the power of God, can resist Satan and avoid his traps.

Ephesians 6:11 Armor of God
Pick up from the rack and put on the full armor of God, that you might always be able to stand your ground against the strategies of the devil.

In the analogy of a Roman soldier going to the rack and putting on his armor for battle, the Christian must put on the armor of God to stand against the strategies of the devil.  The armor of God is compared in the verses that follow to the armor of a Roman soldier.  The weapons of the Christian soldier, however, are spiritual.

Ephesians 6:12 Spiritual Warfare
Because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against demon Commanders, against demon Managers, against demon world Powers of this darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies.

Demon Commanders, Managers, and Powers are hierarchies of Satan's command structure.  Four levels of ranking demons are listed in Colossians 1:16, beginning with Throne Angels.  The point is that Satan's demon armies are highly organized.  To stand up to his powerful command structure requires the armor of God, which is available to the Christian.

People are not the enemy.  Satan, who enslaves and influences people, is the enemy.  Satan and his demons are involved in every aspect of life.  The carnal believer, who is not sanctified from the world, will face strong opposition from it (Jas 4:1-6).  Satan is the real enemy behind the opposition.  He is the one who stirred the hatred against Jesus Christ to send Him to the cross.  The believer must grow spiritually and become strong so that he can resist the devil and become a winner in Spiritual Warfare (Jas 4:7).

The daily metabolization of Bible Doctrine is required to become strong spiritually.  The Edification Complex of the Soul must be completed, and that requires sound doctrine.  Believers without sound doctrine will be casualties in Spiritual Warfare and slaves of the devil.  Paul gave Timothy advice on dealing with those believers who oppose sound teaching.

2 Timothy 2:25
With humility disciplining those in opposition, so that God may grant them a change of mind for understanding Bible Doctrine (Truth),

The first requirement for handling those is opposition is "humility."  The teacher must have humility toward God, which means Z-axis alignment.  "Humility" is the Greek prau>vth" (prautes), which means humility toward God (Jas 1:21; 3:13) and thoughtfulness of others (Col 3:12).  It is often erroneously translated gentleness.

"Disciplining" refers to straightening out through teaching.  This is not counseling.  The pastor is not to be a counselor.  The Holy Spirit will do the counseling when the correct doctrine is taught (1 Jn 2:27).  If those in opposition will listen, God may grant them "a change of mind" for understanding Bible Doctrine.  "Change of mind" is the Greek metavnoia (metanoia), (metav, change) + (nou`", mind) = a change of mind. This is not repentance, since repentance includes penance.  Changing the mind removes a person from the power and spell of Satan.  The main reason that Bible Doctrine is not accepted is because of the spirit of Jezebel, which is like a shield that blocks doctrine from being heard.

2 Timothy 2:26
and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

This is addressed to believers.  "Come to their senses" is the Greek ajnanhvfw (ananepho), from (ajnav, up) + (nhvfw, be sober), meaning to become sober; come to one's senses.  It means to return to rational thinking.

If these believers come to their senses and listen to doctrinal instruction, they may escape the snare (or trap) of the devil.  Satan has laid a trap for them with false doctrine, and they are under his power.  Some of Satan's snares are:

Snares – sin (Rom 7:23), guilt (Psa 32:5), lust (Rom 7:5; Jas 4:1), lies (Jn 8:44), deception (2 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 2:14; Rev 12:9), sophistries (2 Cor 10:5), false teachers (Matt 13:41; 2 Pet 2:1), impurity (Eph 4:19), lawlessness (Rom 6:19; 2 Thess 2:3), idols (1 Cor 6:15; Col 3:5), confusion (Isa 3:12, 9:16, 59:4; 1 Cor 14:33), insanity (Deut 28:28; 2 Pet 2:16), false values (money (1 Tim 6:10), materialism (1 Jn 2:15-16), ambition (Isa 14:14; Rom 2:8; Phil 1:17; Jas 3:14, 16), power lust (Isa 14:13-14), love of the world (Rom 12:2; 2 Tim 4:10; Jas 1:27; 1 Jn 2:15)).

"Having been held captive by him" – these believers who oppose sound doctrine are enslaved to Satan.  They are not possessed, but their soul is under demon influence.  Who are these people?  They are all those who are not actively learning Bible Doctrine from their Right Pastor under the ministry of the Holy Spirit.   They include those in churches where Salvation by Grace and Rebound are not taught.

Satan holds these people captive to do his will.  They do his bidding just as the woman in the Garden.  They become cosmic evangelists to lure others to Satan, and they become murderers who sacrifice others to Satan.  The best place to find these people is in apostate churches.  Such people have a real affinity for evil.  They don't know good from evil (Isa 5:20).

Redeemed from Ignorance

Jesus Christ redeemed us from all our sins, known and unknown.  Committing a sin in ignorance is still a sin.  The person who is ignorant falls into sin without seeing it coming or recognizing his error.  So ignorance hinders a person from taking full advantage of the redemption solution.  Although his sins are paid for, he doesn't understand that he is sinning.  If he understood the things that were sins, he could avoid them.  If he understood God's commandments, he could avoid breaking them.

So, the Christian needs to be redeemed from ignorance.  The new believer must orient to his Salvation by submitting to God's authority and learning basic doctrine (Matt 11:29-30; 1 Pet 2:2).  The importance of Bible Doctrine is illustrated by the Table of Shewbread, which emphasizes the importance of epistemological rehabilitation.  Jesus said,

John 8:32
and you shall know the truth (doctrine), and the truth (doctrine) shall make you free.

Learning Bible Doctrine redeems the soul from ignorance and provides Spiritual freedom.

Romans 6:17
But Grace be to God, because you were slaves of sin, but you became obedient from the heart to the pattern of doctrine which was passed on.

The Roman Christians as unbelievers were slaves of sin.  But after Salvation they became obedient to Bible Doctrine.  They were obedient "from the heart."   They put their heart into it.  They were motivated by the love for doctrine.

"To the pattern of doctrine which was passed on" – here "pattern" is the Greek tuvpo" (tupos), which means copy, image; type, pattern, model.   The doctrine taught is a pattern.  The pattern must be learned.  We are to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18; Eph 4:12-13, 24).  We are to write doctrine on the copybook of our heart (Prov 3:3; 7:3; Jer 17:1; 31:33; 2 Cor 3:3; 2 Tim 1:13).  The doctrine was "passed on," which means it was handed down to the congregation through pastor-teachers.

Romans 6:18
and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of Righteousness.

We are freed from sin by the redemption provided on the cross.  Being free from sin, we are slaves of Divine Righteousness.  Sin separates from God.  Righteousness is from God and belongs to those in the Kingdom of God.

The Exodus generation, whom God freed at the first Passover from slavery in Egypt, subsequently died in the wilderness because they rejected Bible Doctrine (Heb 4:6).  The Passover with the blood on the doorposts symbolized the redemption solution, but unbelief prevented the Exodus generation from being free from their sins.

1 Peter 1:14
As obedient children, stop being conformed to the former lusts in your ignorance,

Believers should be like obedient children.  They should obey Bible Doctrine and stop being conformed to former lusts of the Old Sin Nature from ignorance of Bible Doctrine (Rom 6:12).  The conscience must be transformed by learning Bible Doctrine in order to conform to the new Spiritual life (Rom 12:2; 1 Tim 6:3).

1 Peter 1:15
but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;

"Holy One" is a title for God, who has no sin because He is God.  "Who called you" refers to common Grace, whereby God gives a person the Gospel so that he can make a decision to believe in Jesus Christ for Salvation.  Just as God is holy, believers should also be holy in all their behavior.  Being holy is being sanctified, which is purification from all wrongdoing through Rebound.  The only way to be holy after Salvation is to Rebound.

1 Peter 1:16
because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy.

Just as the Lord is holy, the believer should be holy (Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7).  Being holy means being sanctified.  It means consecrated to God and without sin.  This is only possible through Rebound.

Redeemed from Darkness

"God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness" (1 Jn 1:5).  The only way to have fellowship with God is to walk in the Light (1 Jn 1:7).  Therefore, the believer must be redeemed from darkness.  Darkness is the result of sin and failure to choose the redemption solution.

Psalm 18:28
For You light my lamp;
The LORD my God illumines my darkness

The Lord lights the believer's lamp.  This is a metaphor for the Divine Light which God supplies to the believer.  Just as the Golden Lampstand in the Tabernacle provided light for the Holy Place, the Light from God provides Light for the believer.  The Divine Light controls the human body, illuminates the soul, and produces the stage of life.  The Light of God illumines the darkness in the life of the believer.  Darkness blacks out the frontal lobes.

Jesus called the Pharisees "blind."

Matthew 15:14
"Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.  And if a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into the ditch."

The Pharisees were religious leaders, but they were spiritually dead and full of darkness.  They were like blind guides of the blind.  They did not see the Divine Light and therefore could not see where they were going.  The principle is that if a blind person tries to lead a blind person, both will fall in the ditch.  Not only were the Pharisees headed for the Sin Leading to Death, but so were their followers.

This lesson applies today to the religious crowd in apostate Christian churches and other religions.  The leaders of these groups are blind to the Light of God either because they are unbelievers or because they are believers in spiritual death without the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Those who do not believe in Jesus Christ are not saved, and those who do not Rebound are not filled with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus came as Light into the world to redeem us from darkness.

John 12:46 Light in the World
"I have come as the Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in the darkness."

Jesus Christ was the Light of God in the world.  Those who believe in Him will not remain in the darkness of the Cosmic System.  They will be redeemed from darkness through faith in Him.

1 John 1:7 Fellowship in the Light
But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

The believer who operates in the Light is in fellowship with God the Father, who is also in the Light.  The believer is in the Light because he has accepted the redemption solution.  The blood of Jesus purifies him from all sin.  To be purified from sin after Salvation, the believer must Rebound.  The believer who is purified from his sin also has the Light of God.  He is redeemed from darkness.

1 John 2:10 Love and Light in Fellowship
The one who loves his brother abides in the Light, and there is no stumbling-block in him.

The one who loves his brother is a Christian who has Divine Love for a fellow believer.  "Brother" refers to another Christian, although it could also apply to other members of the human race. The believer who loves others is residing in the Light.  He is in the sphere of Divine Light in fellowship with God.

There is no stumbling-block in this believer who is in the Light.  A stumbling-block is a cause for sin and failure.  It is something that trips a person up and causes him to fall into sin.  For example, it could be bitterness (Eph 4:31; Col 3:19; Heb 12:15; 1 Jn 2:11; 4:20), jealousy (SOS 8:6; Jas 4:5), fear (1 Jn 4:18), a stain (impurity), weakness, or temptation to sin.

1 John 2:11 Blackout of the Soul
But the one who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Hatred is a sin.  Sin opposes God and leaves a person in darkness.  Just as darkness blinds a person's eyes, spiritual darkness from sin leaves the soul in darkness.  In this state of Blackout of the Soul (BOS) a person does not have Divine viewpoint.  He cannot make correct application of doctrine, and he does not know where he is going in the Spiritual life.

At Salvation the believer is transferred out of darkness into the Light of God (Acts 26:18; Col 1:13; 1 Pet 2:9).  Therefore, the believer should operate in the Light after Salvation.

Ephesians 5:8 Darkness and Light
for you see, you were formerly darkness, but now Light by means of the Lord.  Walk as children of Light.

We were "formerly darkness" as unbelievers.  "Darkness" is not a locative case but nominative.  It means being darkness – not in darkness.  Unbelievers are full of darkness.  They are the personification of darkness.  In contrast, believers have the Light of the Lord.  At Salvation they received the Light of God and became Light bearers.  They are "Light by means of the Lord" (instrumental case) and "Light in the sphere of the Lord" (locative case).

"Walk as children of Light."  "Children of Light" are descendants of the Lord.  After Salvation we should operate as children of Light.  We should be redeemed form darkness and execute the Spiritual life.  We should have Divine viewpoint and the Divine Good production of the Light.

Ephesians 5:9 Light Production
For the fruit (production) of the Light is in the sphere of all Divine Good, Righteousness, and Doctrine.

The believer who walks in the Light will have the production of the Light in three areas.

1. "Divine Good" is the Greek ajgaqwsuvnh, (agathosune), which means goodness, uprightness – Divine Good production.  God produces Divine Good in Grace in the life of the believer.
2. "Righteousness" is the Greek dikaiosuvnh (dikaiosune), which means the Righteousness of God that demands the Justice of God.  This is the Righteous production of God, which is beyond human merit.  It is a right thing done in a right way.
3. "Doctrine" is the Greek ajlhvqeia (aletheia), which means truth, Bible Doctrine.  This is production that fulfills the truth of scripture.

The Laodicean congregation, who failed the prosperity test, were spiritually blind.  Although they were wealthy, they did not use the redemption solution after Salvation.

Revelation 3:17 Failing the Prosperity Test
Because you say, "I am rich, and I have become very wealthy; indeed,  I have need of nothing," but you do not realize that you are stressed out, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,

The Laodiceans knew they were wealthy and thought they had it made.  Because of their lack of Divine viewpoint, they were ignorant of their spiritual problems.  They had not been experientially redeemed.  The Lord listed their spiritual problems.

1. "Stressed out" – Greek talaivpwro" (talaiporos), Rom. 7:24 (only other use in NT).  Stress means the inability to handle pressure and lack of objective thinking.  Stress stems from lack of doctrinal thinking on the cerebral cortex, which leads to operation outside the Control Limits of the Soul.
2. "Miserable" – Greek ejleeinov" (eleeinos), means unhappy, miserable, without capacity for blessing, no true sense of appreciation; self-centered, eyes on the problem rather than the solution.
3. "Poor" – Greek ptwcov" (ptochos), meaning poor – no ECS with refined gold or Divine Good Production; no core, foundation, roots, or good values.
4. "Blind" – Greek tuflov" (tuphlos), blind – BOS – Y-axis failure.  Blind means:  (a) Not enlightened; walking in darkness, (b) Unable to see the Stage of Life and have doctrine verified, (c) Unable to execute the Spiritual Life.
5. "Naked" – Greek gumnov" (gumnos), naked – no clothing of soul and body from the ECS; no robe of Righteousness (Isa 61:10) – X-axis failure.

The list of spiritual problems is the result of failure to use the redemption solution, beginning with Rebound, after Salvation.  The Lord gave them some advice on how to straighten out their life.

Revelation 3:18 Divine Solution, X, Y, Z Alignment
I counsel you to buy from Me gold which has been refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.

The Divine solution offered to the Laodiceans consisted of three things corresponding to alignment of the X, Y, and Z axes of the Spiritual life:

1. Z-axis:  Buy gold refined by fire – gold symbolizes Divine Good production, and refining by fire refers to Fire Testing,⁵ which is Divine Punishment to remove the dross (Je 6:28-30; 1 Cor 3:12; Jas 5:3; 1 Pet. 1:7; 4:12).
2. X-axis:  White garments for clothing – white symbolizes purity and sanctification, and clothing refers to the robe of Righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), which is the ECS.
3. Y-axis:  Eye salve to anoint the eyes – eye salve is the Greek kollouvrion (kollourion), eyesalve; a famous Phrygian powder for the eyes made in Laodicea, Latin collyrium.  Eye salve symbolizes the solution to BOS – i.e. walking in the Light.

The Divine solution for the Laodiceans, who were wealthy, was to buy from the Lord gold, white clothing, and eye salve.  Buying the three items corresponds to Experiential Redemption.  The solution symbolizes redemption along the X, Y, and Z axes of the Spiritual life.  These three axes correspond to the three items of furniture in the Holy Place.

Redeemed from Disobedience

God's commandments define the boundaries of sin.  Disobedience to His commandments constitutes sin, which results in spiritual death and slavery.  Obedience to His commandments is Spiritual life and freedom.  Disobedience opens the door for cursing, and obedience opens the door for blessing.

The redemption solution is the Divine solution to man's sin.  If the solution is accepted, man can receive Eternal Life and great blessing.  If the solution is rejected, man will have spiritual death, great cursing, and Eternal Judgment.  After Salvation the believer who accepts the redemption solution and uses Rebound has the power of the filling of the Holy Spirit and fellowship with God.  The believer who rejects Rebound is spiritually dead and separated from God.  If he does not change his mind, he will receive a life of Divine punishment in reversionism.

Disobedience to God leads to a life of Divine punishment in three phases, warning, intensified, and dying discipline.  Obedience to God leads to Spiritual Maturity, Spiritual Rapport, and Dying Grace.  There will also be Divine punishment, but it will lead to blessing.  Obedience to God in testing will lead to promotion, more Grace, and blessing for Time and Eternity.

So, obedience to God is the best way to redeem the time in this life.  After Salvation, the Spiritual life needs to be redeemed from all disobedience.  The believer who obeys God to the maximum also glorifies God to the maximum.  That happens in Spiritual Rapport.

Romans 13:1 Authority
Let every soul be in subjection to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except established by God, and those who exist have been established by God.

God is the source of all authority; therefore, all authorities should be obeyed.  Even the governing authorities of the land are established by God's Sovereign Design.

Romans 13:2 Resisting Authority
Therefore, the one who resists authority has resisted the ordinance of God, and those who resist will receive Judgment upon themselves.

Those who disobey authority are resisting God, and they will receive Divine Judgment upon themselves.  Disobedience to authority is a sin.

The Galatians were new believers who were violating God's commandments by listening to false teachers.  The Judaizers taught them they must be circumcised.  This was false.  Church Age Believers are not under the Law.

Galatians 5:1 Spiritual Freedom
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Therefore, keep on standing firm, and stop being entangled again in the yoke of slavery.

Paul explained that Christ set us free from the slave market of sin on the cross so we could have Spiritual freedom.  Therefore, they should stand firm on their freedom in Christ.  They should "stop being entangled again in the yoke of slavery."  To submit to circumcision would be giving up their Spiritual freedom and being enslaved to the Mosaic Law, which is non-operational in the Church Age.

Obeying God's commandments in the scripture provides Spiritual freedom (John 8:32, 36; Rom 8:15; 2 Cor 3:17; Gal 2:4; 5:13).  Disobedience to God's commandments is sin and results in slavery (Job 18:5-21; Acts 15:10; Rom 6:15-23; 8:15; Gal 2:4; Heb 2:15; 2 Pet 2:19).

Obedience to Divine authority leads to Grace promotion.

1 Peter 5:6 Grace Promotion
Allow yourselves, therefore, to be humbled under the mighty hand of God that He may promote you at the proper time.

Allowing yourself to be humbled is responding to Divine authority with humility.  This is Z-axis alignment in the Spiritual life.  "The mighty hand of God" is a symbol of Divine punishment.  Being "under the mighty hand of God" refers to being under Divine punishment.  Allowing yourself "to be humbled under the mighty hand of God" means to be willing to accept Divine punishment.

Accepting Divine punishment in suffering is a test of Grace Orientation.  The believer who accepts his punishment and rides it out in the filling of the Holy Spirit with the application of the Problem Solving Devices⁶ will qualify for more Grace and promotion at the proper time.

God will promote the believer at the proper time (Psa 75:7; Matt 23:12; Lu 14:11; 18:14; Jas 4:10).  God's time is the right time.  Therefore, the believer should wait on the Lord for promotion.  It is not the one who recommends himself but the one the Lord recommends that is approved (2 Cor 10:18).

Next

References

1.  Larry Wood.  Ruth, "Ruth Discovers Boaz's Genealogy," Sept. 24, 2013.
2.  Larry Wood.  Marriage Grace, "Adam's Suffering," Sept. 23, 2013.
3.  Larry Wood.  Sin: The Universal Threat with Deadly Consequences, Sept. 25, 2013.
4.  Larry Wood.  Emotion, Oct. 7, 2013.
5.  Larry Wood.  Fire Testing, Aug. 15, 1998.
6.  Larry Wood.  Grace, "Problem Solving Devices in the Tabernacle," March 13, 2014.