The Transfer

The domain of darkness is the kingdom of this world under the despotic reign of the prince of darkness. He is the ruler of this world of sin — a usurper from before the fall of man and creation (Gen 3; Lk 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Satan is the adversary of man, faithful angels, and Almighty God. He is the evil one in this present evil age (Gal 1:4). Demons do his bidding, as their dark lord. Reprobate humanity is identified in relationship to the devil as his children (Jn 8:44; 1 Jn 3:10).

As the father of lies, Satan blinds the minds of the natural man to prevent him from seeing the Gospel of God (2 Cor 4:4). With a darkened mind and a darkened heart, man has joined the sinful rebellion of Satan against God (Gen 3). For this reason, the natural man shares the sentence of judgment with the devil and his demons. The lake of fire was created by God for Lucifer and his minions (Mt 25:41). Man joined the mutiny and that ship is going down (2 Pet 3:7–12).

One of the attributes of eternal hell is outer darkness (Mt 8:12; 22:13; 25:30). Not that the prince of darkness will rule there, but all assigned there by the judgment of God will suffer eternal punishment (Mt 25:46; Jude 7). This righteous judgment is just and fitting considering the nature and extent of each offender’s crimes against the infinite majesty of our holy God (Rom 2:5; Rev 16:7; 19:2).

As vessels of wrath being prepared for destruction (Rom 9:22), the sons of disobedience serve Satan in the spirit of antichrist (Eph 2:2; 1 Jn 2:18, 22; 2 Jn 1:7). They serve their master as slaves of sin (Rom 6:6), displaying every imaginable corruption with no shame or remorse for their wicked deeds. Bad fruit is the product of a bad trees. This is how you identify them (Mt 7:17–18; 12:33; Lk 6:43).

The Bible refers to the children of the devil as the children of wrath because the wrath of God is revealed against their ungodliness and unrighteousness (Rom 1:18; Eph 2:2; 1 Jn 3:10). They have no one to deliver them from the wrath to come when the righteous Judge comes to execute justice against them (2 Cor 5:10; Rev 19:11–21; 20:11).

Everyone conceived in his or her mother’s womb is an heir to Adam’s original sin (Ps 51:5; Rom 5:12). The nature of the natural man is sin (Eph 2:3). Everyone born has the inclination to sin and to do evil all the time (Gen 6:5), which is lawlessness (1 Jn 3:4). From the earliest age, children must be taught to repent of their sin and trust Christ Jesus, the only acceptable sin bearer (Acts 17:30–31; 1 Thess 1:4; 1 Pet 2:24).

The plight of the natural man is that he has no right standing before God. There is nothing good in him, according to God’s assessment of him (Rom 3:10–12). Thus, it makes sense that the natural man does not seek after God and has no love for God in his heart (Jn 5:42). He does have hatred for God (Rom 1:30); hatred for Christ (Jn 7:7); and hatred for the redeemed of the Lord (Jn 15:18–25). The reason is that he knows and he fears the judgment and punishment to come upon him (Mt 25:41, 46; Jude 7; Rev 20:14–15).

It takes a decisive and preemptive act of God to transfer a natural man from the domain of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col 1:13). Slaves to sin in the kingdom of this world do not have the will nor the ability to leave the keep of the red dragon (Rev 12:3), who only wishes to use and abuse humans before disposing of them to the consequences of their sins. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23); and it is appointed once for a man to die and then comes the judgment (Heb 9:27).

Salvation belongs to the Lord (Ps 3:8; Jon 2:9; Rev 19:1). In God’s predetermined plan and foreknowledge (Acts 2:23), He predestined vessels of mercy to be prepared for glory (Rom 8:30; 9:23), by adopting them as His children (Eph 1:4–5; 1 Jn 3:1, 10). As children of God, God has made these chosen ones to be qualified as heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17; 11:5; Col 1:12).

The language of salvation is important. We must see that God the Father chose who would be heirs of the promise and heirs of the kingdom (Rom 11:5; Eph 1:4–5; 1 Thess 1:3; Heb 6:17; Jas 2:5). God the Son redeemed each one who was given to Him by the Father (Jn 6:37; 17:2, 6, 24); and whom the Father would irresistibly draw to the Son (Jn 6:44, 65). It is the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Son (Jn 14:26; 15:26), who causes God’s elect, redeemed, people to be born again of God (Jn 3:1–8; 1 Pet 1:3; 1 Jn 4:7; 5:1). Stated another way, the Spirit of God has made them come alive from being spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins (Jn 6:63; Eph 2:1, 5; Col 2:13).

Salvation is a transfer. It moves the object of God’s mercy and grace from darkness to light (Acts 26:18). It moves those who were spiritually dead to God in their souls unto life in Christ (Jn 20:31; Rom 6:4, 23; 1 Tim 6:13; 2 Tim 1:1). They were slaves of sin but now slaves of Christ (Eph 6:6), their Savior and Lord (Lk 2:11; Phil 2:11; 3:20), who loved them and gave Himself for them (Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2, 25). Hardened hearts of stone have been taken out and replaced by malleable hearts of flesh (Ezek 36:26). Haters of God have been transferred to the position of lovers of God. These were outside of Christ, but now they are in Christ — by transfer.

The language of being transferred is also crucial to avoid the delusion of self-effort leading to self-glory, by suggesting one other than God has determined who is saved and how they are saved. Simply put, He chose us (Rom 11:5). He redeemed us (Col 1:14). He transferred us (Col 1:13). All of these are summarized in the simple words, “He saved us” (Titus 3:5).

Finally, the kingdom of God’s beloved Son, promised long ago to David (2 Sam 7), was announced and inaugurated at the birth of Jesus Messiah in Bethlehem of Judea (Mt 1; Lk 2). The kingdom of God, under the rule and reign of God’s only begotten Son (Mt 28:18), now grows in opposition to the illegitimate kingdom of this world and its devil leader. It will be a fight to the end of history; but the end is sure, as the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Rev 11:15). The kingdom of the King of kings is everlasting (Ps 145:13; Dan 4:3, 34; 7:14, 27; 1 Tim 6:15).

As God transfers the full number of His people into Christ’s domain and dominion, by giving them His Spirit, He will not lose nor forsake even one of them (Jn 10:28–29; Heb 13:5). Our King reigns (Rev 19:6); and He will keep us safe and secure until He comes to take us home to glory, body and soul, when He comes to judge this world with perfect righteousness (Ps 9:8; 96:13). On that day, there will be one kingdom, not two. His kingdom will never end in the new heavens and the new earth…when the transfer is complete.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

November 25, 2023

Colossians 1:13