Eric Casagrande / Genelyn Novabos

Questions & Answers

A few weeks ago, someone from another website happened to read my article, entitled: The World Doesn’t Have A Sin Problem, and asked me if I wouldn’t mind answering a few questions for him.

The gentleman posed what I deemed to be excellent questions, and so it occurred to me that it would be a great idea to share them here with all our readers, along with my reply to him.

In order to protect the writer’s privacy, I will not reveal his actual name.

QUESTION:

One of your previous posts was about how America (and, by extension, the world), doesn’t have a sin problem, but a rejecting Christ problem, since all the sin of the world was placed by the Father upon Jesus on the cross, and so it is the rejection of Jesus and His atonement for sin which condemns a person. Am I correct in my understanding?

MY REPLY:

Yes, this is generally correct, with one very important clarification.

Many within the Body of Christ don’t understand the depth of what Jesus did at the cross. They see the removal of their sins – if I may use the analogy – as somewhat akin to winning the powerball lottery, whereby although you might have won a great prize – you have to put in a claim before availing yourself of the benefits. In other words – no claim, no gain - and you pay for your sins on the day of judgment.

Under this scenario, God is made to say: “Well okay - so Jesus did pay for all your sins at the cross. But I’m still not letting you off the hook that easy. If you don’t find out about it and lay claim to it … tough luck.”

This is not what God did through Jesus Christ at the cross.

The day on which Jesus Christ went to the cross, shed His blood and died, was the day on which the sins of all mankind were forever removed. It was not floating around in some Trustee’s office for centuries, waiting for you to put in a claim. In John 19: 28-30 it is written:

“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now

accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled,

saith, I thirst.

Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they

filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it on hyssop,

and put it to his mouth.

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar,

He said: IT IS FINISHED! and he bowed his

head and gave up the ghost.”

Proof this divine transaction was completed on that day nearly two thousand years ago, was in the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days later! We read Paul’s confirmation of the matter, in 1 Corinthians 15: 17, where he states:

“If Christ be not raised, then your faith

is in vain; you are still in your sins.“

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, was God the Father saying: “I approve of what was done at the cross, and I am forever satisfied that full payment, for all mankind, has been completed.“

QUESTION:

I’m curious about what your view is, regarding the spiritual condition of the unevangelized heathen who has received neither the law or the gospel.

Is he/she covered or not covered?

MY REPLY:

If by covered you mean did what Christ do at the cross apply towards them as well, then my answer would be: “Yes“. The total sin debt incurred by all mankind was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross (as mentioned previously).

In John 1: 29, it is written:

“The next day John saw Jesus coming to him,

and said: Behold, the Lamb of God, who

takes away the sin of the world.”

Absolutely nobody was excluded.

QUESTION:

If he/she is covered, then why should he/she be evangelized? Is it so he/she can be presented with the option to reject?

MY REPLY:

The purpose of evangelization, is to share the fantastic news of what Jesus Christ did at the cross with the lost, who by believing the message, become born-again.

I think you might be misunderstanding what I am saying, so allow me to give an indepth explanation of the two-part process in God’s plan of salvation.

Part One

Because of Adam’s transgression in the Garden, all mankind after him was born into sin. This was a very serious problem that needed to be corrected.

Part Two

Additionally, because of this transgression, all of mankind after him was born spirtually dead. This was another very serious issue that had to be corrected.

Everyone on the same page, so far?

It has always been God’s desire to have a personal, and deeply intimate relationship with His children. When Adam sinned, it created a roadblock between God and man, which lead to a relationship that became highly dysfunctional.

In order to restore His relationship with mankind, God Himself came into the world, born of a virgin, in the person of Jesus Christ, in order to deal with the sin problem (”part one“), that plagued man. Through His shed blood, death on the cross, and resurrection, Christ forever removed the roadblock (sin), which stood between God and mankind.

Having demolished the roadblock, Christ now cleared the way for God to deal with the spiritual death (”part two“) that trapped mankind. When we hear and believe the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ, crying out to Him in faith, God sends His Holy Spirit to permanently indwell us, and thereby has taken us from spritual death to spiritual life in Christ.

This transfer is what it means to become born-again, and is an integral part of salvation (John 3: 3-7):

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily,

I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he

cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born

when he is old? Can he enter the second time into

his mother’s womb and be born?

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,

Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that

which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto you, You must

be born again.“

When we become born again, we don’t become a revived version of what Adam was before the fall … we become a new species of being that never existed previously (2 Corinthians 5: 17).

To conclude – there are two parts to the salvation experience: The first is the removal of the sin roadblock through the shed blood, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (which was done on that day almost 2,000 years ago, for all mankind). The second is to believe the Gospel message of what Christ did on the cross, and become born-again through God’s Holy Spirit.

The first act is an irreversible free gift by God, through Jesus Christ. But the second part requires the individual to make a choice to either accept, or to reject Christ. A rejection of Jesus Christ doesn’t put the roadblock back in place … but it does prevent the individual from experiencing the new birth, without which you cannot enter the kingdom of God.

I hope this answers your questions.

Eric Casagrande ajaja ajajaja ajajajaja ajajajajajajaja ajajajajajajajajaja Evaggelion Ministries

HOME

Eric Casagrande / Genelyn Novabos

Questions & Answers

A few weeks ago, someone from another website happened to read my article, entitled: The World Doesn’t Have A Sin Problem, and asked me if I wouldn’t mind answering a few questions for him.

The gentleman posed what I deemed to be excellent questions, and so it occurred to me that it would be a great idea to share them here with all our readers, along with my reply to him.

In order to protect the writer’s privacy, I will not reveal his actual name.

QUESTION:

MY REPLY:

Yes, this is generally correct, with one very important clarification.

Under this scenario, God is made to say: “Well okay - so Jesus did pay for all your sins at the cross. But I’m still not letting you off the hook that easy. If you don’t find out about it and lay claim to it … tough luck.”

This is not what God did through Jesus Christ at the cross.

The day on which Jesus Christ went to the cross, shed His blood and died, was the day on which the sins of all mankind were forever removed. It was not floating around in some Trustee’s office for centuries, waiting for you to put in a claim. In John 19: 28-30 it is written:

“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now

accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled,

saith, I thirst.

Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they

filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it on hyssop,

and put it to his mouth.

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar,

He said: IT IS FINISHED! and he bowed his

head and gave up the ghost.”

Proof this divine transaction was completed on that day nearly two thousand years ago, was in the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days later! We read Paul’s confirmation of the matter, in 1 Corinthians 15: 17, where he states:

“If Christ be not raised, then your faith

is in vain; you are still in your sins.“

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, was God the Father saying: “I approve of what was done at the cross, and I am forever satisfied that full payment, for all mankind, has been completed.“

QUESTION:

I’m curious about what your view is, regarding the spiritual condition of the unevangelized heathen who has received neither the law or the gospel.

Is he/she covered or not covered?

MY REPLY:

If by covered you mean did what Christ do at the cross apply towards them as well, then my answer would be: “Yes“. The total sin debt incurred by all mankind was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross (as mentioned previously).

In John 1: 29, it is written:

“The next day John saw Jesus coming to him,

and said: Behold, the Lamb of God, who

takes away the sin of the world.”

Absolutely nobody was excluded.

QUESTION:

If he/she is covered, then why should he/she be evangelized? Is it so he/she can be presented with the option to reject?

MY REPLY:

The purpose of evangelization, is to share the fantastic news of what Jesus Christ did at the cross with the lost, who by believing the message, become born-again.

I think you might be misunderstanding what I am saying, so allow me to give an indepth explanation of the two-part process in God’s plan of salvation.

Part One

Because of Adam’s transgression in the Garden, all mankind after him was born into sin. This was a very serious problem that needed to be corrected.

Part Two

Additionally, because of this transgression, all of mankind after him was born spirtually dead. This was another very serious issue that had to be corrected.

Everyone on the same page, so far?

It has always been God’s desire to have a personal, and deeply intimate relationship with His children. When Adam sinned, it created a roadblock between God and man, which lead to a relationship that became highly dysfunctional.

This transfer is what it means to become born-again, and is an integral part of salvation (John 3: 3-7):

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily,

I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he

cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born

when he is old? Can he enter the second time into

his mother’s womb and be born?

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,

Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that

which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto you, You must

be born again.“

When we become born again, we don’t become a revived version of what Adam was before the fall … we become a new species of being that never existed previously (2 Corinthians 5: 17).

I hope this answers your questions.

Eric Casagrande ajaja ajajaja ajajajaja ajajajajajajaja ajajajajajajajajaja Evaggelion Ministries

HOME