It Is God That Justifieth

By Ock Soo Park

The Online Bible seminar was hosted on May of 2020, as on-site services and conferences became difficult due to COVID-19. With its surprisingly enthusiastic response, sermons were translated in 26 different languages and being televised to possibly 1 billion viewers worldwide through 248 broadcasting stations in 94 countries. The sermons from the eleven sessions, totaling about 990 minutes and receiving countless comments, is now a published book.
Faith does not refer to a devotion of heart nor to give effort to accomplish something. It refers to accepting the works which Jesus did for us. Jesus was crucified on the cross, and He has already washed away our sins. Unfortunately, there are still many Christians bound to sin saying, “Lord, I’m a sinner. Please forgive me of this sin.”
This book points to many scriptures in the Bible which testify the truth that Jesus has already taken care of our sins, forever. And it explains how we became righteous forever. Using extensive and deep knowledge of the Bible as the basis, this book explains spiritual life in a precise manner, causing people to automatically proclaim, “Ah, I truly understand!” Within the pages of this book, you will discover the vast and deep love of God towards you, and the amazing grace God has bestowed upon everyone. You will also come to discover just how blessed and glorious of a new creature God has made us. Readers will be filled with happiness, as if they discovered the treasure in the field.

• Language: English
• Publisher: (주)기쁜소식사
• Release date: Jun 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9788964430453

Book preview

copyright

IT IS GOD

THAT

JUSTIFIETH

First Edition, June 25, 2020

Ock Soo Park

Editors Hyunjoo Cho, Minhee Park

Book Design Hyeonjeong Kim, Jieun Song

Promotion and Distribution Junghee Park

Address Seoul, Yangchun-gu, Shinwolro 24 Gil 8 Good News Publications

Phone [phone]

Email [e-mail]

ISBN 978-89-6443-047-7

English Supervision Yeong Kook Park, Joseph Park, Terry Henderson

This book is protected under copyright laws and unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. Usage of any or all contents of this book requires written consent from the publisher.

Copyright Ock Soo Park, 2020

Preface

It is not easy to discover a treasure that is hidden in the field. But the heart of the one who discovers it is bound to change. People live and struggle with pain, suffering, and problems because they have not found Jesus, who is the treasure hidden in the field.

After I came to know Jesus, I changed so much and my life was completely renewed. I saw that no matter who the people were, they always changed once they met Jesus.

People today are very fixated on themselves. However, you can only meet Jesus when you depart from yourself. It is difficult to meet Him after you have fallen into yourself.

During the online Bible seminar I held in May of 2020, I shared the beautiful and blessed words about denying yourself and meeting Jesus. I hope that as you read this book, you will be able deny yourself and have the opportunity to meet Jesus. I also wish that you will come to believe the promises of God, and live your life through Jesus, who is more beautiful than us.

June 25, 2020

Ock Soo Park

Rev. Ock Soo Park

After becoming born again in 1962, he has traveled all over the world preaching only the Gospel. In Korea, his collection of sermons titled, The Secret of Forgiveness of Sin and Being Born Again, (revised edition: How I Became Free from Sin) was translated into 24 languages and brought the assurance of salvation and joy to people all over the world. His sermons have run in the LA Times and the New York Times over 50 times each. Many people are listening to his sermons and experiencing change. He has held the posts of Excellent Lecturer as a member of the Board of Education of Suwon City Prison, and Department of Character Development for National Defense. He is also very active in international mission work and youth development education. As the founder of the International Youth Fellowship (IYF), he has established branches in 80 countries, delivering the heart of God found in the Bible to the youths. As the Founder of Good News Mission, he has hosted Christian Leaders Fellowship (CLF) since 2017.

He is currently the pastor at Good News Mission Gangnam Church, with his sermons being broadcasted over the internet as well.

Recognition and Awards

Excellent Lecturer Award, Troop Information and Education, Army of Republic of Korea, 2004

Medal of Excellence of Service, Government of Benin, 2015

Africa Excellence Leadership Award, 2017

Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy, National University of Mongolia, 2006

Honorary Doctorate in Education, Azteca University of Mexico, 2016

Honorary Doctorate in Theology, Chiapas Christian University of Mexico, 2019

www.ocksoopark.com

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1   Being Justified

During This COVID-19 Pandemic

What Things Soever Ye Desire, When Ye Pray, Believe That Ye Receive Them

Stomach Ulcer, It Hurts, but I Am Healed

The Word of God, Which Defeated the Scorpion’s Poison

That Day, 250 People Who Believed the Word of God Were Freed from Disease

Will You Believe Your Thoughts or the Word?

Chapter 2   The Reason We Have Suffering and Hardships in Our Lives

Why Does Nothing Work for Me?

That Banana Tree Is My Wife’s

Why Must We Experience Suffering and Sadness in Life?

I Want to Live a Year with You

A Small Pot of Oil Filled the Vessel

To Enter the Position of Denying Myself

For I Will Forgive Your Iniquities and Remember Your Sin No More

Chapter 3   For Thus It Becometh Us to Fulfill All Righteousness

There Is Power in the Word

The Hospital Said He Would Not Live More Than 2-3 Days

How Can the Power of Jesus Become Mine?

The Bible Precisely Records the Way to Forgive Sins

Why Do You Lay Your Hands on the Head of the Goat or Lamb?

Behold, the Lamb of God Which Taketh Away the Sin of the World

Only if You Believe the Truth Accomplished at the Cross

Chapter 4   For by One Offering He Hath Perfected Forever Them That Are Sanctified

Do You Like Sitting in the Wheelchair?

Let Me Walk According to His Words

If Only Your Spinal Infection Becomes Jesus’ Problem

Peter, Lovest Thou Me?

Perfected Forever

Now I Can Walk and Even Write a Letter

Chapter 5   The Sin Offering Given on Earth and the Sin Offering Given in Heaven

I Am the President, but I Too Have Sin

My Nickname Is, the Forgiveness of Sin Specialist

Lay Both Hands Upon the Head of the Goat, Transferring the Sins

Why Put the Blood Upon the Horns of the Altar?

The Eternal Sin Offering Given in Heaven

Jesus Who Bore All Our Sins

We Are Washed, Justified, and Sanctified

Chapter 6   I Will Establish a New Covenant

The Royal King of Eswatini Who Sought the Word

The Online Bible Seminar with Viewers from All Around the World

The Only Condition That Made Me a Pastor Was Grace

The Unclear Spiritual Life of Mixing the Word with Man’s Thoughts

The First Covenant Between God and Man, the Law

The New Covenant Established by God for Man

Now We Live in the Era of the New Covenant!

Chapter 7   We Are New Creatures, Old Things Have Passed Away

What Kind of People End up in Prison?

An Answer No One Expected, He That Is Without Sin Among You, Let Him First Cast a Stone at Her

Jesus, Who Rose Again for Our Justification

One Day, I Fought with Jesus and Lost

Old Things Are Passed Away, All Things Are Become New

The Woman Caught in the Act of Adultery Now Lives with the Heart of Jesus

Chapter 8   Peter Who Became a Little Jesus

Will You Accept Me When I Get Released from Prison?

God Said to Me That I Am Righteous and Holy

Why Do You Love a Person Like Me?

Now I Believe Jesus and Will Go to Heaven

The Jesus Inside Me Can Heal That Lame Man!

Through the Words of Jesus, Through the Heart of Jesus

Chapter 9   Are You the Good Samaritan or the Man Who Fell Among Thieves?

The Lady Who First Received Salvation Through Me

God, Please Give Me a Room to Get Through the Winter

What Comes First, the Law Which Says to Not Lie, or the Sin of Lying?

What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?

The Good Samaritan Did Everything

Only if You Believe the Truth That Jesus Washed Our Sins Away

Chapter 10   The Maidservant Who Wore the Lenses of Faith

Ah, You’re Right! A Lady from the US Who Believed Unconditionally

Why Are We Worried? God Is with Us

I Was Sent Here for My Leprous Master

I Have a Maternity Nurse License!

Those Who Receive Blessings Here and Those Who Leave

That Is Why Afflictions Call for Blessings

Chapter 11   Go, Wash in the Pool of Siloam

The Minister’s Daughter

God, Please Give Me a House to Preach the Gospel in Gimcheon

How Can I Stop the Servant of God from Using This House?

Jesus and I Who Became One Through the Heart

He Went to Siloam Because He Was Blind

Review Report

World Wide Online Bible Seminar,

Repentance and Remission of Sins

A Path of Witnessing the Gospel Never Before Seen in the History of Christianity

Chapter 1

BEING JUSTIFIED

Being Justified

I

am thankful that, by the grace of God, I can speak about Jesus to many people all over the world. The word of God enters our hearts and it becomes our life, bringing us joy and hope.

I will begin by reading from the words of Mark chapter 11, verse 24:

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

These short, but beautiful words were spoken by Jesus himself. No one other than Jesus can speak these words. And no matter who you are, amazing things will happen if you believe these words in your heart today and pray with the faith that they shall be achieved.

During this COVID-19 Pandemic

The world today is unstable and in difficulty. There are many people infected with COVID-19 and many have died as a result. People are prohibited from moving about freely and their daily lives are very restricted. COVID-19 has also prevented our congregants from coming to church for quite a while. The efforts of the government have greatly improved the situation in Korea. Recently, churches have been allowed to hold services. However, church members have to practice social distancing if they want to attend.

While people were prohibited from physically coming to church, I had to give my sermons in an empty chapel, staring at empty chairs—many managed to tune in from their homes via different methods of live broadcasting. Soon after, Easter came around. For the last several years, we held our Easter Commemorative Service in a large professional indoor baseball dome called Gocheok Skydome. This year, we were unable to gather in large numbers for services due to the pandemic, so we had to hold the commemorative service via the online platform, Zoom.

Since I was preaching in the empty chapel of my church, I was initially unaware that we were actually having signal problems in the middle of the service—they notified me afterwards. During the Easter Commemorative Service, I preached in Korean and it was translated into four languages: English, Spanish, Chinese and French. The signal problems were due to our server crashing because 200 million people were trying to log in to watch this service. This was very unexpected and it shocked us. The responses of those who tuned in were tremendous. The response from South America was particularly passionate. By the time I finished my sermon, over 4,000 comments were posted by Spanish-speaking audience members. Most of those comments were about how they received the forgiveness of sins and were very moved because of it.

As a result of this, we decided to have a Bible seminar online. Famous TV stations all over the world offered to broadcast the sermons. At first, the operations team of the Bible seminar reported that an estimated 130 million people would be able to see and hear the words of the Bible seminar. However, that evening, they reported that 300 million people would potentially be able to view the seminar. As the number of TV stations wanting to broadcast our services increased, the potential views also increased to 370 million, then 440 million, and had grown to 700 million. I have been told that the words I am preaching now are being broadcasted to potentially 800 million people around the world. I think this may very well be the first time in the history of Christianity for something like this. Even though I say 800 million, I have no idea how large that number actually is. However, I am truly able to say that I am extremely thankful.

What Things Soever Ye Desire, When Ye Pray, Believe That Ye Receive Them

Right now, I am very healthy, but I was not healthy when I was young. Because I was short and very weak, I hated contact sports like soccer or rugby. Instead, I enjoyed sports like volleyball, which did not require strenuous activity or physical strength.

Then in May of 1987, something happened—I came down with a stomach ulcer. I loved food, so this ulcer was a particularly miserable illness for me because I was unable to eat. I suffered from that stomach ulcer for three months. Before the ulcer, I weighed 70 kilograms. But I dropped seven kilograms over that three-month period.

The reason I am speaking about my stomach ulcer in such detail is because an amazing change happened in my spiritual life from it. At the time, I knew many verses in the Bible, however, I was still very short on knowing how to exercise faith in the word. No matter how much of the Bible you may know, it is pointless if it just ends with knowledge. When you begin to believe the words that you know, those words within you will change you into a completely new person.

After getting a stomach ulcer in May of 1987, I had a mouth, but I could not put any food into it. My stomach became extremely irritated and unhappy with food. No matter what I ate, I would get diarrhea. This was also hard on my wife. She did everything she could to feed me the right foods, but nothing worked. Whenever I managed to make myself eat, I would get diarrhea and it was very painful. I used to boast in front of my wife but once I became sick, I felt really bad for her.

My pants and my suit were so loose because I had lost seven kilograms. Doctor Il Young Choi, head of the Department of Internal Medicine at Hanyang University Hospital, told me, Pastor, the wall of your stomach is like a damp piece of tissue paper. Your stomach wall has become so thin, there is a high chance it might burst at any time. You must be careful. If your stomach bursts, you will die within 24 hours. Whenever I ate, I would get diarrhea immediately and it was unbearably painful. However, when I took the medication prescribed by Dr. Choi, my insides felt good. I thought, Wow, I didn’t know it could feel this nice inside my stomach. I took the medicine and it was really good for about a week. Eventually, I got used to the medicine and it felt like I was not on medicine at all.

My wife and children would cook delicious food. But the only thing I was given was a small portion of rice porridge, three small sheets of seaweed, four centimeters by four centimeters, and a very small amount of dilled meat. I could only look at the other food—I could not eat it. I felt very frustrated. I often speak at conferences as a guest speaker. That year, my conferences were scheduled five to six months in advance. However, I did not want to go to a conference and have the hosts worry about my stomach, so I did not tell them about my ailment. As a result, the churches that invited me prepared lots of greasy food, and they sincerely asked me to eat everything because I was the guest speaker. It was extremely painful.

I spent three months like this. Early one morning, I woke up and thought about what was going on. I was twice as busy during the summer and I knew there was no way I could get through all the scheduled events with my poor health. That morning, I knelt down and sincerely prayed to God.

God, my stomach hurts so badly. There’s is no way I can make it through all the summer events with my stomach like this. God, I am praying to you so sincerely, so please heal my stomach.

While I was praying, a verse came to mind as if God was speaking it to me:

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:24)

These are amazing words. Whatever it is that you pray to God for, it says to believe that you have received it and it shall be done. I knew these words, but I never really seriously thought about them. The words came to me differently that morning, though. I never knew there were words like these. If I pray and just believe God has answered my prayer, it shall be done. My illness can be healed as easily as this.

People read and hear the words in the Bible, and they may even know of them by heart. If they were given a test of their biblical knowledge, they would do very well on that test. However, there are many people in the world who do not believe those words. In front of those words of Mark chapter 11, verse 24, I said to myself, It would be so nice if my illness could be healed just the way these words say it can. I then said another prayer: God, my stomach hurts so badly. Please heal my stomach. Since the Bible says all I have to do is believe my stomach is completely healed, I believed it was healed. God, I believe my stomach is completely healed. Thank you.

Stomach Ulcer, It Hurts, But I’m Healed

However, there was a real problem. I thought about having breakfast in the morning. Korean people love kimchi. Kimchi pairs well with any kind of food. It is good with cold rice, it is amazing with ramen noodles, and it is even very delicious with steak, too. There is a saying that some Korean men can live without a wife, but no Korean man can live without kimchi. Kimchi has a very strong taste. The fact is I should be eating kimchi if I believe my stomach is really healed. The problem is I was unable to eat kimchi because of my stomach. Even porridge gave me diarrhea, so I thought I would die if I were to eat kimchi.

The reason I could not have kimchi was because of my stomach ailment. However, I should be able to if I truly believe I am healed. The Bible says that if I pray and believe I am healed, then I am healed. The Bible says for us to first believe that we are healed. Anyone could believe after they are healed, even if you told them not to. However, the Bible tells us that even though we are not physically healed yet, once we believe God will heal us, we believe that we are already healed. Even though my stomach still hurts, I will be healed if I believe I am healed. So, if I believe I am actually healed, I should be eating kimchi. Nevertheless, that was no easy task.

I thought to myself, Eat kimchi? What if my stomach bursts? Dr. Choi told me I could die within 24 hours if my stomach were to burst. He told me that my stomach wall was as thin as a damp tissue.

When I took a look at myself, I saw that I was not believing the promise of God. It is true that my stomach hurt. But on the other hand, if I believe that my stomach is healed, that faith is fulfilled accordingly. However, I was not believing due to the fact that I was worrying and thinking, What if my stomach bursts? I was not believing the word of God. I always preached to my congregation to believe the word of God, but there were times where I was not believing the word myself.

That morning, I read the words of Mark chapter 11, verse 24 again and again and again for a long period of time. The Bible clearly read, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. However, I was still worrying. I felt that kimchi would cause a big problem for my stomach. I was not believing in the word of God. I read the Bible again and again some more, and then thought, If I believe what the doctor said to me, kimchi is dangerous. So, would I have stomach problems or not?

I realized that these thoughts were arising because I was not clearly believing in the word. Wow! Even though I’m a pastor and I go around preaching, I’m not believing in the Bible. I am such a terrible person. I thought about it yet again. If I believe these words of the Bible, then surely I will be healed. This is the word of God. If I don’t believe these words, it means that I am not believing in God. I need to have the faith that I would be healed. I said one final prayer after thinking this through: God, thank you. My stomach is healed.

I then went to have breakfast. I had a lot of guests that morning, so my wife prepared lots of food. Sure enough, on one corner of the table, there was a very small bowl of porridge, some seaweed, some dilled meat, and a few anchovies that were unluckily caught. I pushed everyone aside, grabbed a bowl of rice on the table (I did not even know whose bowl it was!), and put it in front of me. I took a spoon and devoured the rice. I even ate kimchi. It had been a while since I last ate any kimchi, so it was very spicy. My wife walked by and saw me eating. She was shocked.

Honey, what do you think you’re doing? she asked me.

My stomach is healed, I replied. My wife just stared at me, speechless, and then walked away. I finished an entire bowl of rice that meal.

After I received salvation, I wanted to free up some time to read the Bible. I researched sleep a lot and learned how to reduce the hours I slept. I also trained myself to take extremely quick showers in order to conserve even more time. Before I was married, it never took me more than two minutes to eat a meal. I needed to save time to read the Bible. And I never just sat on the toilet. I would memorize Bible verses there. And I read the Bible and memorized more verses while walking on the street. I had so much work to do, so there was no way I could read the Bible without taking these measures. My body became used to this lifestyle. Even to this day, my habit of eating very fast has not changed. It is a problem. Occasionally, I get to dine with the presidents of countries. Those are instances where I need to slow down and pace myself while eating with a president. However, when I eat, I always wind up finishing all the food and clearing my plate very quickly. So sadly, I have to sit there and nibble on the side dishes.

I finished my bowl of rice quickly that morning, too. I looked around and the others were not even halfway through. I put my spoon down and I immediately felt pain in my stomach. It became unbearably urgent, so I told the table, I’m sorry, please excuse me, and rushed to the bathroom. I had diarrhea. My stomach hurt. I thought to myself, I definitely believed, so then, why does my stomach still hurt? I believed that my stomach was healed, so I ate the kimchi and the soybean paste, but my stomach hurt. My next thought: Let me look not at the circumstances—let me maintain my faith. My stomach is healed. With that, I made a resolution. However, Satan did not back down. He gave me this heart: If your stomach is healed, then why does it hurt? You are having diarrhea right now. Is that being healed? Is that being healed? Is that being healed?

The Bible states that things shall be done according to my faith, but I still had pain in my stomach. I was having diarrhea. I held the words of the Bible in my heart, I am all healed. I am completely healed.

Satan kept on insisting, Then it should not hurt. I should not be having diarrhea. Is this what it means to be healed? It is not completely healed.

Right then, a different thought came to mind. Ah! When Jesus went to the house of Jairus, Jairus’ daughter was dead in the eyes of people, but Jesus said she was sleeping. That’s right! Jesus’ eyes and my eyes are different. My eyes make it seem like she’s not healed, but she is healed in the eyes of Jesus. That means I am healed!

But your stomach hurts.

It does hurt, but if Jesus says I’m healed, I am healed.

It hurts, but you are saying you’re healed?

That’s right, it hurts, but I am healed.

I finished another full bowl of rice for lunch, and as soon as I put my spoon down, I ran to the bathroom with diarrhea. Oh my stomach, I said to myself, but my heart didn’t change at all. "Stomach, hurt if you want. I am healed as God promised. My stomach is healed.