What Are We Selling?

What are we selling?
We have all heard a message where the preacher or speaker asked, “If you die today, do you know where you will go?” The message is typically aimed at getting people to accept Christ—so as to avoid hell. Is this the goal we are propagating? Is our goal to preach Hell avoidance?

What is the original purpose?
As Christians, we understand that humanity has strayed from what was an apparently originally designed purpose because we were made with the capacity for autonomy. With God’s nature being the ultimate authority and source of all ideas and thoughts and behaviors, God defines what should and should not be—just by existing. What God would do, and think, is “Holy,” or set apart. What God would not do, or think, is what we call “sin.”  The Hebrew word for sin is “chet” (חֵטְא). It conveys the idea of missing the mark, akin to an arrow missing its intended target. The Greek word is “ἥμαρτον” (hēmarton), which means the same. We all miss the mark.

We are not created as God, so we cannot ever follow God’s standard perfectly. This explains how we are born as sinners. It is not that God made us to be sinners or that we are created as sinners, it’s just a deduction that since we are not God, we cannot behave and think as God—not without help, anyway. Since we cannot always act and think as Holy, like God, we will invariably create chaos because there are so many people serving themselves with their own version of how things should be. This ununified attitude creates discord, which leads to death, because it is not the way of God, who is the author, embodiment, and source of purity and life.

What are we saved from?
The Greek word for saved is σώζω (sózō) and carries a multi-layered meaning. It encompasses the concepts of saving or delivering from danger, healing, making whole, or curing from disease, and preserving or keeping from corruption.

We are saved from the sin and death that is a byproduct of disharmony with God. But we are the cause of our own sin and death. Irreducibly, we are saved from ourselves.

Only the Beginning
But deliverance from sin and death is not the end goal. It is only the beginning of salvation. God’s salvation offers healing and preservation from the corruption of the world from which we were delivered. What we ultimately are called to is to a Kingdom of God—to a cause that is bigger than ourselves—that is manifested in Jesus Christ.

• Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’”

Christ is Kingdom of God
With his appearance, Jesus announces to people that the Kingdom of God is at hand and seems to imply it is because He is in their midst.

• Luke 4:14-21: “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.  He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
  
• Luke 17:20-21: “Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.’”
  
• Colossians 1:13: “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”
  
• Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
  
• Matthew 12:25-28: “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?  And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.  But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.’”

This Kingdom is connected to the Fruits of the Spirit.
The fruits of the Spirit are found in Galatians 5:22 They are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians for the believers to be ready for the Kingdom of Christ (“day of Christ”) and to be filled with the Fruits of the Spirit (“fruit of righteousness”).

• Philippians 1:9-11: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Jesus embodies the Fruits of the Spirit.
The Fruits of the Spirit, as listed in Galatians, are deeply connected to the nature of Jesus. They represent the character traits that Jesus embodied and taught throughout His ministry. Here is how they connect to His nature:

• Love: Jesus’ ministry was marked by unconditional love, which He demonstrated through His compassion and sacrifice. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” John 15:9
  
• Joy: Despite facing trials, Jesus maintained a deep-seated joy rooted in His relationship with the Father. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11
  
• Peace: Jesus was known as the Prince of Peace and He brought peace to those who followed Him. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
  
• Forbearance: Jesus showed patience with His disciples, the crowds, and even His persecutors. “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”  1 Timothy 1:16
  
• Kindness: The gospels recount numerous instances of Jesus’ kindness, healing, and helping those in need. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14
  
• Goodness: Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”  Acts 10:38
  
• Faithfulness: Jesus was faithful to His mission and to the will of His Father, even unto death. “Then Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?’” John 18:11
  
• Gentleness: Jesus described Himself as “gentle and humble in heart” and treated others with gentleness. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Matthew 11:29
  
• Self-control: Throughout His temptations and trials, Jesus exhibited self-control, never sinning, or deviating from His purpose. “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” Luke 4:5-8

Our Purpose
These fruits are not only characteristics of believers but are also reflective of Jesus’ own attributes. When Christians exhibit these fruits, we are living out the qualities of Christ within us, thus revealing the nature of Jesus through our lives. The Holy Spirit works within believers to cultivate these traits, making us more like Christ in character and action. This transformation is a testament to the presence of the Kingdom of God within and among us, as we become bearers of Christ’s likeness in the world. We build the Kingdom and do God’s work by living the Fruits of the Spirit. It is what we are raised to do. It is our purpose. This is why we were created.

Faith
We fulfill our purpose by demonstrating faith—which is our offering to God. It is all we have of any value to God and what binds us with Christ.

• Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
  
• 2 Corinthians 5:6-9: “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.”
  
• Luke 18:16-17: “But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child (by the faith like a child’s) will never enter it.”
  
• James 2:5: “Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”

Again, it is not that God made us to be sinners or that we are created as sinners, it’s just a deduction that since we are not God, we cannot behave and think as God—not without help. And this is the goal—to live by faith. By faith, we rely on God to help us grow in the Fruits of the Spirt, which makes us active participants in the Kingdom of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus, who is the embodiment of both the Kingdom of God and the Fruits of the Spirit. 

Our goal is to be in unity with Christ, by faith, simply because we love and revere God and nothing more. Our goal is not to receive eternal life or an avoidance of punishment. Our motivation is that of true love, not personal reward. If we somehow loved God for the reward, we would be acting in self-interest, which is what we were delivered from, and that would not be love.

This harmony shines as a light to all.
Living according to the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—serves as a testimony to others and brings glory to God, acting as a light in the world.

• Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds (fruits of the Spirit) and glorify your Father in heaven.”
  
• Philippians 2:14-15: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life (The Kingdom of God, Jesus Christ).” 
  
• Ephesians 5:8-9: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth).” 

This allows us to relate to the nature of God because the Fruits of the Spirit are the nature of God. We must learn the fruits and become the fruits by faith because it is the only thing we have to offer God.

Why choice activates faith
We are created with autonomy because autonomy allows us to demonstrate faith. If we were not given the ability of choice, we could not exhibit faith because we would just do as we are made to do without any ability to say otherwise. But if we can choose, and we are given to our desires, which is the self (what else would we chose naturally? It is our only experience and point of view) because we are not created as God, then we have the opportunity to understand our differences with God. These differences reveal both us to ourselves and God to us in a way that we could not so richly understand if we were just told, shown it by sight (obvious fact) or if it were forced upon us.

By giving us the ability to choose, we are given currency to offer to God. We believe by faith, which God rewards. The very thing that dooms us God uses to illustrate his qualities—qualities we can partake in, and that unify us with God. This is why God created us with autonomy and still called it “good,” while knowing that many of us would not choose faith and not participate in a Kingdom that is not our own.

We are selling hope
We are not selling a no rules breaking and perfection-based avoidance of God’s wrath. We are selling deliverance and healing from sin and death that we ourselves caused. We are selling membership in the Kingdom of God, which is embodied in Jesus Christ, who’s very nature are the Fruits of the Spirit, in whom we believe by faith—faith that we offer to God—which gives us hope.

• 1 Peter 3:15: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”