Think about corruption—not just as a theological concept, but as something we understand in real life. When a computer file becomes corrupted, it can’t function as designed. When a government becomes corrupt, it deviates from its pure purpose of serving justice and the common good. When corruption enters any system—corporate, governmental, institutional—we demand accountability and transparency, right? We want those in authority to give an account of their actions. We want transparency so we can see the truth. We recognize that without accountability, corruption spreads unchecked.

This is what sin does to humanity. It’s corruption at the deepest level—a deviation from our pure purpose and design in unity with God’s will and love. We were created to live in perfect harmony with God, to reflect His character, to function according to His design. But sin corrupted that design. It didn’t just damage us superficially—it corrupted us at the core, affecting everything about how we think, feel, choose, and relate to God and others.

This corruption has two devastating consequences:

First, sin causes physical death and destruction. We see this all around us. Sin’s destructive consequences play out in broken relationships, shattered families, addictions that destroy lives, violence that tears communities apart, greed that exploits the vulnerable, pride that isolates us from others. Every funeral, every divorce, every act of injustice, every moment of suffering—all of it traces back to sin’s corruption of God’s good creation. The world is not as it should be because sin has corrupted it.

Second, and more fundamentally, sin causes spiritual death—separation from God. This is the deeper problem. Sin doesn’t just make life difficult; it severs the relationship we were designed for. It creates a chasm between us and God. Not because God arbitrarily decided to be distant, but because sin is fundamentally incompatible with God’s holy, righteous, just character.

Why Separation?

Here’s where we need to understand something crucial about God’s character: He is not only loving and merciful—He is also just and righteous. These attributes don’t contradict each other; they work together. And justice demands accountability and transparency.

We understand this instinctively. We want accountability, right? We want transparency. When someone commits a crime, we don’t just shrug and say, “Well, that’s unfortunate.” We expect justice. We expect the guilty party to give an account. We expect consequences. We expect the legal system to be transparent about the process and the verdict.

When someone violates corporate policies, there are consequences—warnings, suspension, termination. When someone breaks the law, there are consequences—fines, imprisonment, restitution. We don’t think this is cruel or arbitrary. We recognize that order and fairness need to be respected. Otherwise, the system loses its grip, and anarchy and chaos erupt. A judge who never enforces the law isn’t merciful—he’s unjust. A society that never holds anyone accountable for wrongdoing doesn’t have grace—it has chaos and corruption spreading unchecked.

God is the ultimate Judge, the ultimate standard of righteousness. When we sin—when we violate His law, when we rebel against His authority, when we corrupt His design—justice demands accountability. Justice demands consequences. Not because God is harsh or vindictive, but because He is just. A just God must uphold justice. A righteous God cannot simply overlook unrighteousness. The penalty for sin is death—both physical and spiritual, both temporal and eternal (Romans 6:23).

This is the dilemma humanity faces: God’s justice demands that sin be punished. God’s holiness requires accountability for corruption. But God’s love desires relationship with us. God’s mercy wants to restore what’s been broken. How can both be satisfied? How can justice and grace meet? How can God be both just (upholding the law and demanding accountability) and the justifier (forgiving sinners and offering mercy)?

This is where the gospel becomes breathtakingly beautiful. This is where we see the full display of God’s character—His justice and His grace meeting at one point in history, at one place, at one event: the cross of Jesus Christ.

God’s plan wasn’t to lower the standard, to pretend sin doesn’t matter, or to simply overlook our rebellion. His plan wasn’t to compromise justice for the sake of mercy. His plan was to satisfy justice Himself while extending grace to us. He decided to come in human form, to dwell in our struggles, to deal with the consequences of sin personally, and to establish relationship with us by paying the price Himself.

Listen to how the prophet Isaiah described this, written 700 years before Jesus was born:

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6).

Do you see what happened? The punishment that should have fallen on us—the accountability that justice demanded from us—fell on Him instead. He took up our pain. He bore our suffering. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

This is justice meeting grace. Justice is satisfied—sin is punished, accountability is rendered, the penalty is paid. But grace is extended—we are healed, we receive peace, we are forgiven. Not because justice was compromised, but because Jesus bore the justice we deserved.

Isaiah continues: “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:10-11).

This was God’s plan from the beginning—that His righteous servant would justify many by bearing their iniquities. That through His suffering, many would see the light of life. That His sacrifice would satisfy both justice and mercy, both accountability and grace.

→ The New Song is about Christ’s Redemption, not a Future Pastor

God Himself in Human Form

But here’s what makes this even more profound: the one who came to bear our sins, to satisfy justice, to extend grace—He wasn’t just a good man or a wise teacher or even a prophet. He was God Himself in human form.

The apostle John, who walked with Jesus for three years, who witnessed His miracles, who heard His teaching, who saw Him die and rise again, who felt deeply loved by Him—John began his Gospel with these words:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-4, 14).

John is making an astounding claim: Jesus is the Word who was with God and was God. Jesus is the Creator through whom all things were made. Jesus is life itself and light itself. And this eternal, divine Word became flesh—became human—and dwelt among us. God became man.

This wasn’t a man becoming God or a man being elevated to divine status. This was God humbling Himself to become man. Paul explains it this way:

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8).

Jesus was in very nature God—not just godly, not just God-like, but God Himself. Yet He didn’t cling to His divine privileges. He didn’t use His equality with God for His own advantage. Instead, He made Himself nothing. He took the nature of a servant. He humbled Himself to the point of death—the most shameful, painful death imaginable: crucifixion.

Why would God do this? 

Jesus Himself explained: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Even though He is God, even though He deserves to be served by all creation, He came to serve. He came to reach the unreachable, to touch the untouchable, to love the unlovable. He came to those whom society rejected—the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the lepers, the sinners. He ate with them. He spoke with them. He touched them. He loved them.

The religious leaders criticized Him for this: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:16-17).

This is who God is. Not distant and demanding. Not harsh and unreachable. But coming down, reaching out, serving, loving, sacrificing. This is the God of the gospel.

→ Answering the Common Objections to the Deity of Christ

Understanding What Love Means

But why did God do it this way? Why the incarnation, the suffering, the cross? Why not just declare forgiveness from heaven? Why not simply erase sin with divine power? Why go through all this pain and humiliation?

Because God wanted to demonstrate love in a way we could understand. Because He wanted to show us what love truly means. And because He wanted to give us the freedom to choose—to love Him back not because of force, but because of choice; not because of fear, but because of respect and gratitude.

Listen to how John describes this:

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).

This is love—not abstract emotion, not mere words, but concrete action. God sent His Son. He gave what was most precious to Him. He paid the highest price possible. 

This is how He showed His love.

Jesus Himself said: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). And then He did exactly that. He laid down His life—not just for His friends, but for His enemies. Paul writes: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

While we were still sinners. While we were still in rebellion. While we were still His enemies. He died for us. This is the extent of God’s love. This is the depth of His commitment. This is the price He was willing to pay.

And what does He ask in return? Not forced compliance. Not fearful obedience. Not organizational membership or educational achievement. He asks for love—freely chosen, willingly given.

Jesus said: “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). Not “If you fear me” or “If you want to avoid punishment” or “If you want to maintain your organizational standing.” If you love me. The motivation is love, not fear. The foundation is relationship, not obligation.

Paul explains: “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

Christ’s love compels us. Not organizational pressure. Not fear of judgment. Not anxiety about performance. Love. When you truly understand what Jesus did for you—that He, being God, humbled Himself to become human, lived a perfect life, suffered unjustly, died brutally, all to save you from sin and death—that love compels you. It motivates you. It transforms you.

This is why the gospel is about freedom to choose. God doesn’t force you to love Him. He doesn’t manipulate you with fear tactics. He doesn’t trap you with organizational requirements. He demonstrates His love through the cross, and then He invites you to respond. Will you accept His sacrifice? Will you trust in His work? Will you love Him back?

“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Our love is a response to His love. Our choice is made in light of His choice. Our sacrifice (giving our lives to Him) is a response to His sacrifice (giving His life for us). This is relationship, not religion. This is love, not law. This is freedom, not bondage.

For Further Exploration: Why God Allows Free Will: The Purpose of Choice and Love

Following Satan’s Pattern

Now, here’s where we need to be alert. Shincheonji uses these same Scriptures—they quote John 1, they reference Jesus’s sacrifice, they talk about love and relationship. But they twist the meaning, just as Satan twisted Scripture during Jesus’s temptation.

Remember that scene? Satan took Jesus to the highest point of the temple and said: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone'” (Matthew 4:6).

Satan quoted Scripture—Psalm 91:11-12—but he twisted its meaning. 

He took a promise about God’s protection and tried to use it to tempt Jesus to test God presumptuously. He used God’s word against God’s purpose.

Jesus responded: “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test'” (Matthew 4:7). Jesus countered twisted Scripture with Scripture rightly understood. He showed that you can’t isolate one verse and ignore the rest of God’s word.

This is exactly what Shincheonji does. They take John 1:1—”the Word was God”—but then they redefine “the Word” to mean Lee Man-hee’s testimony rather than Jesus Himself. They take Jesus’s statement “I am the way” but then add “and Lee Man-hee is the way to the way.” 

They take the promise of the Holy Spirit but then claim the Spirit now works exclusively through their organization.

They quote Scripture, but they twist its meaning to serve their organizational purposes. They use God’s word, but they change God’s message. They sound biblical, but they teach something fundamentally different from what the Bible actually says.

What the Bible Actually Says:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-4, 14)

This passage is remarkably clear: The Word IS Jesus Christ. Not was, not represents, not symbolizes—IS. The eternal Word who was with God and was God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. This is the foundation of Christian faith—the incarnation, God becoming human.

What Shincheonji Teaches:

According to their Bible study, Shincheonji gradually redefines “the Word” in a way that changes everything. Let’s trace this shift:

From (Parables): “What is the seed that we need to be born out of?… The seed is the word of God” (referencing Luke 8:11). This aligns with Scripture—so far, this is biblical.

But notice the gradual shift in: “Understanding God’s word helps us understand God more fully.” They begin emphasizing that understanding—not Jesus Himself—becomes the key. The focus subtly shifts from who the Word is to what the word means.

By Revelation Overview, the reinterpretation is complete: They teach that “the testimony” is what brings fulfillment, and that testimony comes through “New John” (Lee Man-hee), who “sees and hears” Revelation’s fulfillment. They write: “New John = Servant (Flesh) → Witness and Advocate (Sees and Hears).”

Here’s the fundamental substitution they make:

Biblical teaching: The Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us

Shincheonji teaching: The word (testimony/understanding) becomes flesh through Lee Man-hee who reveals it

Do you see what happened? They’ve taken the most profound truth of Christianity—that God Himself became human in Jesus Christ—and reinterpreted it to mean that special revelation comes through their leader.

→ The Trouble with Hidden Messages – WMSCOG vs Shincheonji

Understanding What This Changes – Is Jesus a Person, a Plan or Idea?

This reinterpretation has profound implications for how we understand Jesus. Let’s think this through carefully:

In Biblical Christianity, Jesus is a Person—the eternal Son of God:

• He existed before creation (“In the beginning was the Word”)
• He is fully God (“the Word was God”)
• He became fully human (“the Word became flesh”)
• He is the complete revelation of God (“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son… has made him known” – John 1:18)

In Shincheonji’s system, Jesus becomes more like a plan or a stage in God’s revelation:

• He came to give the “sealed” word (prophecy)
• He pointed forward to the one who would “open” the word (Lee Man-hee)
• He was necessary but not sufficient—you need the “testimony” that comes later
• His role was to prepare for the “real” revelation that comes at the end times

This is a critical distinction. If Jesus is a Person—the eternal God who became human—then He is the beginning and end of our faith. Everything centers on Him. Knowing Him IS knowing God. Following Him IS the way to the Father.

But if Jesus is primarily a plan or a stage—someone who came to deliver a message that would later need unlocking—then He becomes a means to an end rather than the end itself. He becomes a stepping stone rather than the destination.

The Logical Problems with Shincheonji’s View

Let’s think through why this reinterpretation creates serious problems:

1. It Contradicts John’s Clear Statement

John 1:14 leaves no room for reinterpretation: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John is making an eyewitness claim: “We saw Him. We touched Him. We walked with Him. The eternal Word who was with God and was God became a human being named Jesus, and we witnessed His glory.”

This isn’t symbolic language. This isn’t parable. This is eyewitness testimony to a historical reality. The Word is not an idea, not a testimony, not information that needs unlocking—the Word is a Person, Jesus Christ.

When Shincheonji redefines “the Word” as something other than Jesus Himself, they’re not just offering a different interpretation—they’re contradicting what John explicitly said he witnessed.

2. It Contradicts the Purpose of John’s Gospel

John didn’t write his gospel to point forward to another revealer. He wrote it to reveal Jesus as the complete revelation of God. Look at how John concludes:

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).

Life comes through believing in Jesus—not through believing in Jesus plus understanding Revelation through someone else. John’s entire gospel builds to this point: Jesus is sufficient. Believing in Him is enough.

3. It Makes Jesus Incomplete

If Jesus only gave us the “sealed” word that needs someone else to “open” it, then Jesus didn’t finish His work. He started something that required completion by another person 2,000 years later.

But look at what Jesus actually said: “It is finished” (John 19:30). And: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13).

Jesus is not the beginning of a process that needs Lee Man-hee to complete. He is the beginning AND the end. He is complete in Himself.

4. It Contradicts the Nature of Salvation

Scripture is clear about how salvation works: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Not Jesus plus understanding. Not Jesus plus testimony. Not Jesus plus another person’s revelation. Jesus alone.

When Shincheonji adds the requirement of understanding Revelation through Lee Man-hee’s testimony, they’re adding to the gospel. They’re saying Jesus is necessary but not sufficient. You need Jesus AND their organization’s interpretation.

But Paul warned about this: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all” (Galatians 1:6-7).

This is why Jesus warned: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:15-16). False teachers don’t usually announce themselves as false. They come in sheep’s clothing—they look like believers, they sound like Christians, they quote Scripture. But inwardly, they’re wolves—their teaching destroys faith, breaks relationships, and leads people away from the true gospel.

How do you recognize them? By their fruit. Does their teaching lead you closer to Jesus or away from Him? Does it make Jesus more central or less central? Does it make salvation simpler or more complicated? Does it create freedom or bondage? Does it produce love or fear? Does it build up the church or tear it apart?

The Church: God’s People, Not an Organization

This brings us to an important clarification about what the church actually is. Shincheonji claims to be “the church” and says all of Christianity has become “Babylon.” But they fundamentally misunderstand what the church is.

The word “church” in Greek is “ekklesia” (ἐκκλησία), which means “assembly” or “gathering.” It doesn’t refer to a building or an organization or a denomination. It refers to people—specifically, the people of God gathered together.

When Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18), He wasn’t talking about constructing buildings or establishing organizational structures. He was talking about gathering people—all those who believe in Him—into one body, one family, one community.

Paul explains: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). The church is the body of Christ—all believers, regardless of denomination, location, or organizational affiliation. If you are in Christ through faith, you are part of His church. You are part of the ekklesia, the assembly of God’s people.

This means the church is not limited to one organization in South Korea. The church is not defined by membership in Shincheonji’s twelve tribes. The church is all believers in Jesus Christ—in Korea and Kenya, in house churches and megachurches, in Baptist congregations and Presbyterian assemblies, in cities and villages around the world.

Yes, the church has problems. Yes, there are false teachers and hypocrites and divisions. But problems don’t mean God has abandoned His people. Jesus promised: “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). The church—God’s people—will endure because Jesus is building it, and nothing can overcome what He builds.

→ The Endurance of the Church: Shincheonji and Christianity

→ Shincheonji Gets Matthew 16:18 Wrong

→ How Shincheonji gets the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares Wrong

Walking Through Consequences Together

Now, let’s return to what it means to accept Jesus as Savior. When you trust in Jesus, when you believe in His sacrifice for your sins, something profound happens: Jesus becomes your advocate, your representative, your cosigner before God.

Think about what a cosigner does. When you need a loan but don’t have sufficient credit, a cosigner with good credit vouches for you. They say, “I’ll guarantee this loan. If this person can’t pay, I will.” Their good standing covers your lack of standing.

This is what Jesus does for us spiritually. We don’t have sufficient righteousness to stand before God. Our record is corrupted by sin. But Jesus, who has perfect righteousness, vouches for us. He says, “I’ll guarantee this person. 

My righteousness covers their sin. My payment covers their debt.”

John writes: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).

We have an advocate—someone who speaks in our defense, someone who represents us, someone who stands between us and judgment. And our advocate is Jesus Christ the Righteous One. His righteousness qualifies Him to represent us. His sacrifice pays for our sins. His advocacy ensures we’re not condemned.

This means that when you accept Jesus, you’re not alone in facing the consequences of sin. Yes, consequences still exist—we still face the earthly results of our choices, just as David did after his sin with Bathsheba. But we don’t face them alone, and we don’t face the ultimate consequence—eternal separation from God.

Jesus walks with you through the consequences. He guides you. He comforts you. He strengthens you. He teaches you. He transforms you. The relationship continues even when you fail, even when you struggle, even when you face difficulties.

Remember King David’s story. After his terrible sin—adultery and murder—God confronted him through the prophet Nathan. David repented: “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13). And Nathan replied: “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.”

God forgave David. But David still faced consequences—his family was torn apart by violence, betrayal, and dysfunction. His son Absalom rebelled against him. His kingdom was shaken. The consequences were severe and painful.

But through it all, God didn’t abandon David. God walked with him through the consequences. David wrote: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). 

Even in his brokenness, even in his failure, even in the midst of consequences, David experienced God’s closeness, God’s salvation, God’s presence.

This is what it means to have Jesus as your advocate, your cosigner. Not that you never face consequences. Not that life becomes easy. But that you never face anything alone. God’s presence sustains you. His grace is sufficient for you. His love never fails.

This reveals something fundamental about God’s character that runs like a single thread through the entire biblical narrative: God does not abandon His people. He restores them. He patiently awaits their return from exile. He pursues them when they wander. He welcomes them when they come back.

Look at the pattern throughout Scripture:

Adam and Eve sinned and hid from God. God came looking for them: “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). Even in their sin, God pursued them. And He promised a future redeemer who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). Judgment, yes—but also promise, provision, and continued relationship.

Israel repeatedly rebelled and turned to idols. God sent prophets to call them back. When they were exiled as consequence of their sin, God didn’t abandon them in exile. He promised: “When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and will bring you back from captivity” (Jeremiah 29:13-14). 

Exile was consequence, but not abandonment. God patiently awaited their return.

The prodigal son took his inheritance and squandered it in wild living. When he came to his senses and returned home, his father didn’t say, “You blew your chance. You’re no longer my son.” Instead, “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). 

The father was watching, waiting, hoping for his son’s return. And when the son came back, the father ran to meet him, embraced him, and celebrated his return.

Do you see the pattern? This is who God is. He doesn’t abandon. He restores. He doesn’t give up on His people. 

He patiently waits for them to return. He doesn’t slam the door when they fail. He keeps it open, watching for their return, ready to run and embrace them when they come back.

This is the same God throughout all of Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, the narrative is consistent: God pursues His people. God calls them back when they wander. God restores them when they repent. God never changes His character. He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

This is radically different from Shincheonji’s narrative, where God abandoned Christianity for 2,000 years, where the church fell into complete darkness, where God left His people and started over with a new organization. 

That’s not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is faithful even when His people are faithless. He doesn’t abandon His church. He doesn’t give up on His people. He restores, redeems, and renews.

For Further Exploration:

→ Examining SCJ’s Portrait of God

→ The Doctrinal Issues of Betrayal, Destruction, Salvation

There’s one more crucial truth we need to understand about who Jesus is and what He accomplished: Jesus is the new temple—the place where God meets with humanity.

In the Old Testament, the temple in Jerusalem was the place where God’s presence dwelt, where sacrifices were offered, where people came to meet with God. The temple was central to Jewish worship and identity. It was the physical location where heaven and earth intersected, where the holy God met with His people.

But in 70 AD, the Roman army destroyed the temple. It was burned, demolished, torn down. The physical place where Jews had worshiped God for centuries was gone. This was devastating—how could they worship without the temple? How could they offer sacrifices? How could they meet with God?

But Jesus had already predicted this and revealed the answer. When the Jewish leaders challenged His authority, Jesus said: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They thought He was talking about the physical building: “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But John explains: “The temple he had spoken of was his body” (John 2:19-21).

Jesus Himself is the temple. He is the place where God’s presence dwells fully: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). He is the place where the perfect sacrifice is offered—Himself. He is the place where humanity meets with God—through Him, we have access to the Father.

This is why the destruction of the physical temple in 70 AD didn’t end God’s plan. The physical temple was always meant to point to Jesus, the true temple. 

When the shadow was destroyed, the reality remained. When the symbol was torn down, the substance endured.

And here’s the beautiful truth: when you believe in Jesus, you become part of this temple. Paul writes: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). And again: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

You are God’s temple. Not a building in Jerusalem. Not an organization in South Korea. You—when you believe in Jesus Christ, when His Spirit dwells in you, you become the place where God’s presence lives. You become part of the spiritual temple that God is building—a temple made of living stones, with Jesus as the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4-5).

This means you don’t need to go to a physical location to meet with God. You don’t need to travel to a specific building or join a particular organization. Jesus is the temple, and He is accessible wherever you are. When you trust in Him, God’s Spirit dwells in you, and you become part of God’s temple—His dwelling place on earth.

This is the gospel: not a physical location, not an organizational structure, not a building or a headquarters. But a person—Jesus Christ—who is the temple, the meeting place between God and humanity. And through Him, we have direct access to God, immediate relationship with Him, permanent dwelling of His Spirit within us.

The Real Parallel

Remember earlier in this chapter when we examined Shincheonji’s Noah’s Ark analogy? They use it to argue that salvation requirements change from era to era—just as the ark was necessary during the flood but not after, different eras require different means of salvation.

But Jesus Himself used Noah’s time differently. He said: “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26-27).

What’s Jesus’s point? Not that we need different arks for different floods. His point is about readiness and response. In Noah’s time, people ignored the warning. They continued their normal lives, unconcerned about the coming judgment, until it was too late. They had opportunity to respond, but they didn’t take it seriously.

The parallel Jesus draws is this: people today are doing the same thing—ignoring the reality of coming judgment, continuing their lives unconcerned about their relationship with God, dismissing the call to repentance. The issue isn’t finding the right organization or location. The issue is responding to God’s offer of salvation through Jesus Christ before it’s too late.

And here’s the crucial difference from Shincheonji’s interpretation: The ark in Noah’s time was a physical solution to a physical crisis (the flood). But Jesus is not a physical solution to a physical crisis—He’s a spiritual solution to a spiritual crisis (sin and death). The ark was temporary and situational. Jesus is eternal and universal. The ark saved people from drowning. Jesus saves people from eternal death—separation from God.

So yes, we should learn from Noah’s time—but the lesson is not “find the right organization before time runs out.” The lesson is “respond to God’s offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. Don’t ignore the warning. Don’t dismiss the invitation. Don’t assume you have unlimited time to decide. Don’t continue in spiritual complacency while judgment approaches.”

But here’s the beautiful difference: Noah’s ark had limited space—only those inside were saved. Jesus’s salvation has unlimited capacity—“whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Whoever. Not “the first 144,000.” Not “those who find the right location.” Not “those who join the right organization.” Whoever believes.

The ark was a physical place you had to physically enter. Jesus is a spiritual reality you enter through faith—wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever your circumstances. The ark required physical proximity. Jesus offers spiritual relationship accessible to all who call on His name.

The Real Place of Salvation: Jesus Himself

This brings us to the fundamental difference between Shincheonji’s gospel and the biblical gospel: the place of salvation.

Shincheonji teaches that salvation is found in a physical location—their headquarters in Gwacheon, South Korea, identified as “Mount Zion.” They teach that you must go to the Promised Land, just as Israel went to Canaan. You must flee Babylon (Christianity) and come to Mount Zion (Shincheonji). The place matters. The location determines your salvation.

But the biblical gospel teaches that the real place of salvation is not a geographic location—it’s a person. Jesus Himself is the place of salvation. He is the ark that saves you from judgment. He is the Promised Land where you find rest. He is the temple where you meet God. He is the city of refuge where you find safety. He is Mount Zion where God dwells.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Not “Come to this location.” Not “Come to this organization.” Come to me. Jesus is the destination. Jesus is the refuge. Jesus is the place of salvation.

This means salvation is not about geography—it’s about relationship. You don’t need to travel to Korea. You don’t need to find a specific building. You don’t need to be registered in organizational tribes. You need Jesus. And Jesus is accessible wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever your circumstances.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). You can call on His name from Korea or Kenya, from a church building or a prison cell, from a hospital bed or a battlefield, from a city apartment or a rural village. The place doesn’t matter. The relationship matters.

Paul emphasizes this accessibility: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:8-10).

The word is near you. Not far away in a specific location. Not locked behind organizational membership. Not hidden in complex symbolic interpretations. Near you—in your mouth and in your heart. Salvation is as close as believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth. That’s it. That’s the gospel. Simple, accessible, immediate.

→ Jesus already revealed all mysteries for salvation, 2000 years ago

→ The New Song is about Christ’s Redemption, not a Future Pastor

Direct Access: No Mediator, No Bureaucracy

This is the beauty of the gospel: direct access to God through Jesus Christ. No organizational bureaucracy. No human mediators. No educational requirements. No tribal registrations. One on one—you and Jesus.

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). One mediator. Not a chain of authority from God to Jesus to an angel to Lee Man-hee to you. Not a system where you must go through human leaders to access God’s salvation. One mediator—Jesus Christ—and He’s accessible directly to all who believe.

The New Testament makes this explicit and powerful: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

Think about what this means. In the Old Testament, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place—the innermost part of the temple where God’s presence dwelt. And he could only enter once a year, on the Day of Atonement, with the blood of a sacrifice. A thick curtain separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple, symbolizing the separation between holy God and sinful humanity.

But when Jesus died on the cross, something remarkable happened: “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). The curtain that separated humanity from God’s presence was torn—not from bottom to top (which would suggest human effort), but from top to bottom (showing God’s action). God Himself tore open the barrier. He opened the way. He made access possible.

Now, because of Jesus’s blood, we can draw near to God directly. We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place—not physical confidence based on our worthiness, but spiritual confidence based on Jesus’s worthiness. We can approach God with a sincere heart and full assurance. Not through organizational membership. Not through human mediators. Not through completing education programs. Through Jesus’s blood alone.

This is not a third wheel, not an additional requirement, not a supplementary system. This is the gospel—simple, direct, relational, accessible to all. God and you, mediated only by Jesus Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit, secured by grace, received by faith.

Jesus said it Himself: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Through me. Not “through me and then through someone else.” Not “through me for 2,000 years and then through another.” Through me. Period. Direct access. No bureaucracy. No organizational gatekeepers. Just Jesus.

→ Typography of the Holy Place and Most Holy Place claims that God is United with Satan

The Hope: Transformation, Not Just Information

The gospel offers something Shincheonji’s system cannot: genuine transformation. Not just new information about symbols and prophecies. Not just organizational membership and tribal registration. But actual, internal, spiritual transformation—becoming a new creation in Christ.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

This is not about destroying your old beliefs and replacing them with new doctrines. This is about God transforming you from the inside out—changing your heart, renewing your mind, giving you new desires, new perspectives, new power to live differently. You become a new creation. The old life dominated by sin is gone. The new life empowered by the Spirit is here.

And notice what Paul says: “All this is from God.” The transformation is God’s work, not yours. God reconciles us to Himself. God doesn’t count our sins against us. God does the transforming. Your part is to trust in Christ. God’s part is to do the transforming work.

This transformation happens through relationship with Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. It’s not something you achieve through study and effort—it’s something God does in you as you trust in Christ and walk with Him daily. It’s the fruit of relationship, not the product of religious performance.

Paul describes this transformation: “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

We are being transformed—present continuous tense. It’s an ongoing process. We’re being transformed into Jesus’s image—becoming more like Him in character, in love, in holiness. With ever-increasing glory—progressively, gradually, continuously. And this transformation comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit—it’s God’s work in us, not our work for God.

And this transformation is ongoing. You’re not expected to be perfect immediately. You’re not judged by whether you pass exams with 90% accuracy. You’re in a relationship where God is patient with you, where His grace is sufficient for your weakness, where He’s committed to completing the work He started in you: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

God began the work. God will complete it. Your salvation doesn’t depend on your ability to finish—it depends on God’s faithfulness to finish what He started. This is assurance. This is security. This is the gospel.

The Ongoing Battle: Dust in Our House

Here’s an analogy that might help us understand the ongoing nature of this relationship and the daily walk with Jesus. Think about cleaning your house. When you leave your house for a while and come back, you find it covered in dust. The dust didn’t appear because you did something wrong—it’s just the natural result of air flowing through your life. The air carries particles that settle on every surface.

Jesus came into our house—our heart—to clean that dust away. He swept clean the corruption, removed the grime of sin, restored what was broken. But here’s the reality: the dust always comes back. Not because Jesus’s cleaning was insufficient, but because the air keeps flowing. The air is the world that constantly interferes with our daily decisions—temptations, pressures, distractions, corrupting influences that settle on our hearts like dust on furniture.

So we need to dust regularly, continually, non-stop. Not to earn Jesus’s presence—He’s already there. Not to maintain our salvation—that’s secure in His finished work. But because Jesus is our guest in our home, and we want to present our home clean, right? We want to honor His presence. We want to maintain the relationship. We want to remove the dust that accumulates so it doesn’t build up and obscure our vision of Him.

This is what it means to walk with Jesus daily. Not working to earn salvation. Not performing to maintain organizational membership. Not studying to pass exams. Simply maintaining relationship—confessing sin when the dust accumulates, receiving forgiveness, allowing Him to clean what’s been dirtied, and continuing to walk together.

John writes: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Notice: He is faithful. He will forgive. He will purify. The work is His. Our part is confession—acknowledging the dust, admitting the sin, bringing it to Him. His part is forgiveness and purification—cleaning what’s been dirtied, restoring what’s been corrupted.

This is daily relationship with Jesus. 

Not a one-time transaction where you join an organization and you’re done. Not a performance-based system where you’re constantly anxious about whether you’ve done enough. But an ongoing relationship where you walk with Jesus daily, where you bring your struggles to Him, where you receive His grace and forgiveness, where you’re progressively transformed by His presence.

The Real Choice: Relationship, Not Location

Jesus came to establish that relationship, to give us a second chance. This time we understand the consequences of sin—we’ve experienced the brokenness, we’ve felt the separation, we’ve seen the corruption. We’re making an informed choice, not an ignorant one. We’re choosing relationship with God, knowing what we’re being saved from and what we’re being saved to.

And here’s what’s at stake: Jesus is trying to save us from another death—eternal death, which is permanent separation from God. This is crucial to understand: eternal death is not God abandoning us. It’s us abandoning God. It’s us saying, “I don’t want to be with You. I don’t want Your authority in my life. I don’t want relationship with You. I choose to remain separated.”

God respects that choice. He doesn’t force relationship. He doesn’t drag people kicking and screaming into His presence. If someone genuinely, finally, ultimately rejects Him, He allows them to experience what they’ve chosen—existence without Him, which is what hell ultimately is. Not torture for torture’s sake, but the natural consequence of choosing to be separated from the source of all life, love, joy, peace, and goodness.

C.S. Lewis put it this way: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it.” Hell is not God’s vindictive punishment—it’s the ultimate respect for human choice. If you choose to reject God, He ultimately honors that choice, as painful as it is.

This is why Jesus described Himself in parables as coming down to find those who are lost. He’s the shepherd searching for the lost sheep: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home” (Luke 15:4-6).

He’s the woman searching for the lost coin: “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin'” (Luke 15:8-9).

He’s the father watching for the lost son to return home: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).

Do you see the pattern? God searches. God pursues. God watches. God waits. God runs to embrace. This is the God of the gospel—not distant and demanding, not harsh and unreachable, but coming down to search for us, to reach us, to eat with sinners, to be relatable, to meet us where we are.

Jesus said: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He came to seek. He came down from heaven to earth. He left the glory of heaven to enter the brokenness of earth. He came to search for the lost—not to wait for them to find Him, not to hide in an organization and require them to discover the right location, but to actively seek them out.

That is the God of the gospel from the Bible. Not a God who stays distant and demands you find the right location. Not a God who requires you to pass through organizational bureaucracy and human mediators. Not a God who changes the requirements every 2,000 years. But a God who comes down, who searches for you, who offers relationship directly—one on one, no intermediaries, no organizational membership required.

Recommended Series:

→ Alpha Course
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