^“Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the Ghost.  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;” Matthew 27:50-51.

The Lord Jesus Christ came in the flesh to die on Calvary’s Cross.  His physical body was prepared by God as a Sacrifice to redeem fallen man.  The miracles Jesus performed while on this earth,  although wonderful, were not the reason Jesus came.  Jesus came as the Perfect Lamb of God to redeem man to a Holy God.  The Roman soldiers did not execute Jesus, He laid down His life willingly.  “Therefore does My Father love Me, because I lay down My Life, that I might take it again.  No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father.” John 10:17.   Jesus freely laid down His life.  The reason for His Incarnation was to purposely lay down His life.  Through the Holy Spirit, He offered Himself “without spot to God” (Hebrews 9:14) for all; for whosoever will accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.

By understanding this great Truth, we also understand that Jesus’ Resurrection was a given.  Please don’t misunderstand, I am in no way dismissing the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, God forbid no.  I am simply saying, when we understand the single purpose for Jesus’ birth was to be our Sacrifice to God, the ONLY Sacrifice God will accept, to pay the debt for our sin and give us dominion over sin, we also understand His Resurrection was never in question.  There was no “fight” in hell with the devil.  Jesus did not die spiritually as many teach.  He came to die on Calvary’s Cross to redeem man.  As soon as Jesus gave up the Ghost, the veil of the Temple was rent.  This means, and I say this in no uncertain terms as clearly as I know how…When Jesus gave up the Ghost and the veil was rent that nothing, and I do mean nothing else is required to be born again, regardless of what one’s religion teaches.  Furthermore, there is also no other way we have dominion over our sin nature except through the same faith that brought us in to the Kingdom of God, faith in Jesus and what He did on Calvary’s Cross.   Jesus paid the price for our sin in full.

When we are taught about Jesus, Who He is and what He has done, our faith is in Him.  Sadly, the modern church cares more about Shemitahs, harbingers, 40 days of purpose and spirits of python which directs our faith in schemes of man.  There is nothing we can do in the flesh to have victory over sin.  It is our faith in the power of God, which is Jesus and His finished work on the Cross, that gives us dominion over sin.  Far too many spend far too much time fighting a fight they are not called to fight.  We are called to fight the fight of faith…faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  When our faith is placed on our works, no matter how religious they seem, the veil is not rent for us. Don’t misunderstand, it is rent, just not to us when our faith is moved from the One Who destroyed it, Jesus.  It is us that is the problem, not Jesus’ finished work.  The Holy Spirit only isolates our sin nature and gives us dominion when our faith is in the One Who gave us dominion, Jesus.

Only when we are totally and completely dependent on what Jesus has already done and our faith is in Him, can the Holy Spirit give us dominion.  Many of us Pentecostals place our faith in the power of the Holy Spirit for our deliverance.  May gently remind my Pentecostal Brothers and Sisters, the Holy Spirit will always point us back to the Cross of Jesus and never to Himself.  “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.” John 16:13.  We cannot access the power of the Holy Spirit with our faith in the Holy Spirit.  He, the Holy Spirit, is only commissioned to honor faith that is in Jesus, not man made schemes or self efforts (Romans 8:2).

It is only the Cross of Christ that makes humility possible.  When we understand there is nothing we can do to accomplish what Jesus has already done, we are either humbled or hardened….the choice is ours.  The church must repent and return to the Cross of Jesus for both Salvation and sanctification.  They have frustrated the Grace of God and caused many to stumble.  The Cross of Jesus lays waste man made schemes…He is not a method, He is our Lord and Saviour, Who is sitting at the Right Hand of God.   Jesus is alive and active in His Church.   We will all give an account for our stewardship of the Gospel of Jesus.  Choose carefully.  – Donna Clark Warren