how to recognize a true prophet of God?

if the King James Bible is the only one we should use?

if the Church is the 'new' Israel?

about the origin of Christmas?

about the origin of Easter?

what is apostasy?

what is revival?

who is Antichrist?

what it means to pass from death unto life?
(First John 3:14)

why and how Jesus "was made to be sin"?
(Second Corinthians 5:21)

why Jesus was called "The Lamb of God"?
(John 1:36)

what does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit?
(Acts 1:5)

what is "tithing" and is it for today?
(Malachi 3:10)

is a pre-tribulation "rapture" biblical?
(First Thessalonians 4:17)

what is faith?

what is grace?

how can forgiveness of sins result in the new birth?
(John 3:1-21)

What does it mean to "pass from death unto life"? I John 3:14 (KJV)

The Revised Version of the King James Bible puts the verse this way: We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.  He that loveth not, abideth in death.   Because we are born in the flesh we must be born again, this time by the Spirit.  To pass out of death into life is the passing out of the flesh life into the Spirit.  It is a work of God's Spirit, therefore the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in the new creation (in Christ Jesus) is, first and foremost, LOVE.   The evidence is seen in our love of others.

Why and how was Jesus made to be sin? II Corinthians 5:21

   Him who knew no sin [God] made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.  II Cor. 5:21 (Revised KJV)  Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3) in order to put flesh to death on the Cross.  He became sin (flesh.)  The word "sin" is considered to be a deed, which would make no sense for Jesus to "be sin" because a person cannot be a deed.  Paul is the same writer of both Romans and Corinthians.  He made it very clear that Jesus came to die so that He could free His people, (the Jews,) from their sins, as well as to make a way for both Jews and Gentiles to be born again by His Spirit.
   Both Jews and Gentiles are born as creatures of flesh, and need to be born again.  But the Jews, having the Law which exposed their sins, needed one final sacrifice for atonement for their sins.  Jesus made that atonement with His own blood.  The flesh life (sin) is unrighteousness, and so the new birth by the Spirit makes us "the righteousness of God" in Jesus.

(There is a thorough explanation of the why and how of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross in both The Law and The Sacrifice, and Forgiveness and The New Birth.)

Why was Jesus called the Lamb of God? John 1:36

Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples; and he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God!  John 1:35-36 (Revised KJV)

The answer to this question would seem, to most, to be fairly simple...Jesus died as a sacrificial lamb.  But there is a far deeper implication that has been overlooked by the majority.  In fact, I have yet to hear or read anything that explains why Jesus really died.  In the answer to the above question, I covered some of the reason He died, but the most basic reason is that He shed His blood, putting flesh to death on behalf of all mankind.  He put to death the one thing that stood between man and God - FLESH!  That is how He reconciled man to God.  But that is not the end.  Man must receive the free gift of life through trust in Jesus, and submit wholly to the Holy Spirit's presence and work in the new believer's life.

The law of Moses pointed Israel to Jesus through tutoring them in the sacrifice of animals as atonement for sin.  When Jesus came, it was to die as the one final sacrifice on behalf of the Jews, thus fulfilling the Law.  As the Lamb of God, He put away sin by nailing the ordinances of the Law to His Cross.  There was to be nothing left by which to accuse the Jews of sin.

 (There is a more complete explanation on the  sacrifices according to the Law, in The Law and The Sacrifice.)

What is the meaning of "the strength of sin is the law"? I Corinthians 15:56 (KJV)

Verses 55 - 58 say this: O death, where is thy victory?  O grave, where is thy sting?  The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our LORD Jesus Christ.  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not vain in the Lord. (RV)     Paul the apostle said those words.  He also said, in Romans 5:13, ...until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.  The Law revealed to the Jews their sinfulness.  It was impossible for them to fully obey the Law, therefore they transgressed the Law - and that was a sin.  

Paul explained this about the Law, in Colossians 2:13-15, And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did he quicken [make alive] together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses; having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; having put off from himself the principalities and the powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (RV)  As long as there was the Law there was sin, but Jesus took care of that.  And now, because of unbelief we are still sinners.  Unless we are born anew, putting our trust in Jesus (belief), we are lost. 

If any choose to follow the Law as a means to live righteously, they will fail.  They will be judged by the Law and will be found guilty of transgressing the whole Law.  Righteousness comes solely through faith in Jesus and the finished work of the Cross.

When we are in Christ our labour is a working out of the fruit of the Spirit.  Our labour is not vain because it is IN THE LORD.  Any deed done outside of our abiding in Him is a deed of the flesh, and is sinful, no matter how good it may seem to us.  To follow Moses' Law or any man made religious "law" is fruitless.