Our home, the kingdom of heaven, is a place overflowing with eternal happiness. While we once enjoyed glory in heaven—a place free from cold, heat, and suffering—we now endure hardships on this earth because we sinned and came down here. This world is filled with challenges because it is a city of refuge where sinners come to repent. In the absence of sin, there is no pain or sorrow, only happiness.
When we are free from sin, we can enter the kingdom of heaven. Sin is lawlessness, and those who sin belong to the devil, making salvation impossible for them (1 Jn 3:3–10). God, who is without sin, came to this earth Himself. He did not hesitate to endure the pain of being crucified and was sacrificed as the Passover Lamb, freeing us from our sins through His precious blood. Once again, He came in the flesh that is like thorns and briers, to lead us to salvation by restoring the truth that had been taken away by the devil. We must understand the love of the Father, who came to remove our sin and lead us from the fiery sulfur to the kingdom of heaven.
Having received the forgiveness of sins through the New Covenant Passover, we must be vigilant to avoid being led into temptation and sinning again (2 Pe 3:17). Those who are lawless deceive people by saying, “You may commit a petty sin.” However, God says, “No one can serve two masters.” This means we must choose to either stand on the side of the devil or belong to God without sinning. Just as both a small stain and a large stain make something dirty, we must avoid sinning whether the sin is small or large. Even a little sin, if left unchecked, can grow and lead us to commit more serious sins. Those who practice lawlessness cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 7:21–23). Disobeying God’s commandments and rejecting the will of God’s word are both acts of lawlessness.
Sinners cannot control their sins. Even Paul experienced agony because of his sins while he was still in Judaism. Although he wanted to live according to God’s word, his sin made him greedy, arrogant, and hateful toward his brothers. In this way, he was living in sin. But after he met Christ, he was freed from sin and found joy (Ro 7:14–8:2).
Since we have received the forgiveness of sins through the Passover—the law of the Holy Spirit of life, we must transform from having a sinful mind to a spiritual mind and continue to grow. The sinful mind is hostile to God and leads us to sin. If we sin, it is proof that the sinful mind is at work within us. Conversely, when we do not sin, it is evidence that the law of the Spirit is active in us. The law of the Holy Spirit must always be at work within us. If we do not recognize the value of the kingdom of heaven or believe in God, who removes our sins and brings us back to heaven, we cannot please God and will inevitably fall into sin (Ro 8:5–9; Heb 11:6).
There are many temptations in this world, just as there were in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Therefore, we must make every effort to avoid sin and pray often. When we pray, we converse with God and the devil flees from us. If we do not study God’s word diligently, sin will continue to find its way back into our lives. However, if the word of God remains in us, the devil is driven out. To resist the devil’s temptations, we must put on the full armor of God’s word and fight against evil spirits with the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:10–20). We should not only listen to God’s word but also preach what we have heard. The Passover, in particular, is a powerful weapon that saves souls, which is why devils are very afraid of it. When we proclaim the words of the new covenant, our faith remains strong and we start to think righteously, like Lot, asking, “How can I keep people from sinning and lead them to heaven?” The desire to save souls is evidence that the law of the Spirit is alive within us.
The Bible teaches that on the day of God’s righteous judgment, those who have sinned will face punishment, while those who have lived according to God’s word will be transformed into spiritual bodies and ascend to heaven (Ob 1:15–17; Mal 4:1–3; Mt 24:37–44). Let us strive with all our effort to enter the glorious kingdom of heaven, a beautiful and boundless realm of freedom. The efforts we make in this world are insignificant, compared with the glory that awaits us in heaven (Ro 11:33; 8:16–18). My beloved ones, let us avoid sinning in this world, which is like Sodom and Gomorrah, and ensure that we reach the eternal kingdom of heaven, where there is no sorrow or pain.
