So many people take the first step of salvation by receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior and then become stalemated. Their sins are forgiven, but they never seem to grow or progress beyond that point. Our salvation should be an ever-increasing experience with the Lord Jesus Christ. Receiving Him as Savior and having our sins forgiven should be the first step in a walk with God, not an only experience.
No one is born into maturity or manhood; one is first a babe. So it is in our spiritual experience with the Lord. First we are babes in Christ and then we grow into mature Christians. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27
It’s important for us to understand the principles in the Word. Many people have a basic knowledge of the Word, but they cannot understand why it isn’t effective in their lives. Without an understanding of the principles by which God moves, one’s Christian experience remains shallow and God remains vague. There should be a very real awareness that God is active in every aspect of our lives.
Notice the principle of transference as we study the Scriptures. It can launch us into a victorious walk with God.
Leviticus 4:27-31 And if any
one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against
any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be
done, and be guilty;
28 Or if his
sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his
offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he
hath sinned.
29 And he shall
lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in
the place of the burnt offering.
30 And the
priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the
horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof
at the bottom of the altar.
31 And he shall
take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice
of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet
savour unto the Lord; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it
shall be forgiven him.
The goat (or, lamb) as a sin offering was a type of Jesus Christ, who bore our sin on the cross and received the judgment due us. Even in the Old Testament sin offering we can see the principle of transference and how it works. If a person sinned he was to bring a goat to the brazen altar as an offering for his sin. The sinner then laid his hand on the head of the goat, transferring his sin to the goat. Thus the goat became sin. The next step was to kill the animal. This brought judgment on the sin and the man was forgiven. There was only one thing wrong with this procedure. The goat as a sin offering could not change the sinful nature of the man. So he was back again with another goat the next time he sinned. Now let’s see how this principle works with Christ as our sin offering.
Isaiah 53:4-6,11-12 Surely He hath
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was
wounded for out transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes we are
healed.
6 All we like
sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord
hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
11 He shall see
of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall My
righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore
will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with
the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered
with the transgressors, and He bare the sin of many, and made
intercession for the transgressors.
Did you see the principle of transference in these verses? He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows (verse 4); He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him (verse 5); The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all (verse 6); For He shall bear their iniquities (verse 11); He bare the sins of many (verse 12).
All of our sins were upon Him on the cross, and He paid the price for them; He received the judgment due us. If this is true, why are there so many people bearing the guilt of their sin and will be judged for it? It is because faith makes the principle of transference work. One retains his sin until it is transferred to the cross by faith. This ought to be one of the greatest truths we have ever heard. We can dump that sin! We can cast all our cares upon Him! (I Peter 5:7). This is the will of God for us. We do not have to walk around with the weight of guilt on our shoulders.
Hebrews 10:1-4 For the law
having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things,
can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually
make the comers thereunto perfect.
2 For then
would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once
purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3 But in those
sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
4 For it is
not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
While the sinner in the Old Testament received forgiveness for his sins, the blood of bulls and goats did not deal with the sin nature. The individual was still a slave to sin, and he was back time after time offering another goat.
Hebrews 10:5-9 Wherefore
when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest
not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me;
6 In burnt
offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast no pleasure,
7 Then said I,
Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O
God.
8 Above when
He said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou
wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then saith
He, Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that He may
establish the second.
God found no pleasure in the offerings and sacrifices of the Old Testament. His purpose is not to just be available so people can come and get forgiveness for their wrong doings. He wants a people that will be cleansed from their sins, and then do His will. He wants a people He can live in and move through. A better sacrifice had to be made; a sacrifice that would not only wipe away sins, but would open the door to a divine life. He wants us to be partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:4).
Hebrews 10:10-14 By the which
will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all.
11 And every
priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifice,
which can never take away sins:
12 But this
man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the
right hand of God;
13 From
henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool.
14 For by one
offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
The provisions for all things are summed up in the one offering of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. The sacrifice He made is a better sacrifice than the sin offerings of the Old Testament. Faith will transfer your sins to the cross, and make available for you his righteousness. The forgiveness of your sins, your sanctification and perfection were all accomplished in the work of the cross, and your faith makes it effective. Now that we understand how the principle of transference works to rid us of our sins, let’s see its relation to a progressive and ever-expanding salvation.
Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
When you receive Christ, your spirit comes alive. Your body, though, is still mortal. Eternal life begins in your spirit, but your body is still susceptible to sin. You can still get sick, and you can still die.
I Thessalonians 5:23-24 And the
very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and
soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is
He that calleth you, who also will do it.
Notice that the order is spirit, soul, and body. Salvation begins with your spirit, then your soul life is saved, and then your body comes into resurrection life. Your spirit is the real you; your body is the house you live in, and your soul life connects the two together and is an expression of what you are. Your mind and your emotions are in the area of your soul life. Our salvation is progressive from spirit to soul to body, until the total man is saved.
II Corinthians 1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us.
The apostle Paul speaks of our salvation in the past, present, and future tense. We are saved (spirit), we are being saved (soul), and we will be saved (body).
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.
A particular ministry of Christ now is the ministry of intercession. His intercession is not for us to take the first step of salvation and stop. He intercedes for us that we might come unto the uttermost salvation. He wants us to be saved completely – spirit, soul, and body.
Galatians 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you…
Paul had ministered to the Galatians and brought them into a relationship with Christ. Now his ministry to them was to bring them into maturity. He knew that the work wasn’t complete until Christ was formed in them. They must come into sonship. Has Christ invaded your whole life yet? Is He your Lord as well as your Savior? It doesn’t take much awareness to realize there are many levels of spiritual growth, but it takes a great hunger and dedication to become a full-grown son.
Now that we understand the principle of transference in getting rid of our sins, and we see that it is the first step to becoming a mature Christian, we need to know the spiritual principle that brings that maturity. There are many spiritual principles that God has given in His Word to make us a new creation, but we are interested in only one in this study. The same principle that transferred our sins to the cross can transfer His divine nature to us.
Romans 5:9-10 Much more
then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
Him.
10 For if, when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more,
being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
These verses are plainly stated, but even so, many miss what they are saying. Paul says, “We are justified by His blood, but we shall be saved by His life.” By faith our sins are transferred to the cross and we are justified. Just-if-ied never sinned, but that is not enough. It is not enough to be reconciled to God; we must also share in His divine life. By faith His life can be transferred to us, and that is where change takes place. The Old Testament sin offering brought forgiveness for the sins committed, but it did not deal with the sin nature. It did not transfer His deity to us.
One cannot discipline his flesh nature; it has to die. It has to be replaced with His nature. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Romans 6:5-7. That is not talking about physical death. It is talking about the death of the sin nature. By faith His divine nature is transferred to you in direct proportion to the degree of the death of your sin nature. Salvation is a cycle of transference. Your sin nature is transferred to the cross to die, and His divine life is transferred to you that you may live.
II Peter 1:2-3 Grace and
peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our
Lord,
3 According as
His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and
virtue.
The Lord has made complete provision for us. Everything pertaining to life and godliness has been granted to us. We can know Him! We can experience His life! We can experience His godliness! And this is not pie-in-the-sky; this is for right now! It would be sin to have so much available for us and to refuse it because of unbelief.
II Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
His precious promises have been given to us that we may appropriate His very being. He wants us to become partakers of His divine nature. Turn loose your faith! Make the principle of transference work for you. Your initiative starts it. Get rid of the bad things in your life, but do not stop there; start walking in His divine life.
John 17:1-3 These words
spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is
come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee:
2 As Thou hast
given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as
Thou hast given Him.
3 And this is
life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom Thou hast sent.
The Lord is pleased when you ask for forgiveness, and accept the shedding of his blood as your cleansing, but He is glorified when His life is active in and through you. The purpose of his coming is to be glorified and admired in all them that believe (II Thessalonians 1:10).
Verse 3 says that to know Him is eternal life. Most people who have received forgiveness for sins still do not know Him. To them God is vague and thought of as being apart from them. They think of Him mostly as being in the heavens somewhere. He is omnipresent, but we must be aware that His particular or unique abiding place is within us. And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. II Corinthians 6:16. Knowledge of Him comes from sharing His life, letting Him live and move within us. Do you want to know Him? Do you want to experience His life? Use the principle of transference. By faith appropriate His divine nature. It is a provision!
Copyright © 2003 by Henry DuBose