We can pose this question: What was the reason for the destruction of all things? The answer is: Adam’s disobedience. Gen. 3:17. Jesus is the One who restored everything that was destroyed. It could only be restored through obedience. Just as sin—destruction—entered the world by one man, so this same sin—destruction—had to be overcome by one Man. Rom. 5:12-18; 1 Cor. 15:21-24. Therefore God had to send His own Son, born of a woman. Gal. 4:4. His education consisted of learning obedience by the things He suffered (Heb. 5:7-9), and His covenant with the Father when He came into the world was: “Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.” Heb. 10:7. The evidence for having restored by His obedience what was destroyed through the Fall was that He arose from the dead. Rom. 1:4; Heb. 13:20. Jesus’ work wouldn’t have helped anyone if He had not had followers. However, now we have received the promise and the opportunity, as it is written: “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” Then we will become Jesus’ co-workers in restoring all things by living and reigning over sin (which permeated everything because of Adam’s fall) through the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. This is why Paul and the others received the apostleship to work the obedience to the faith among the Gentiles to the glory of His name. Rom. 1:5. If the obedience of faith is restored, all things are restored. And Jesus says, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:10-11. We perceive that our joy will be full through obedience. It is through obedience that we enter into true liberty from the destruction of all things. All those who keep His commandments have a share with Jesus in the restoration of all things, for “the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” Then the “creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Rom. 8:19-21. Jesus is perfected, entering “into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” who shall also be perfected through obedience. Heb. 9:24. This is Jesus’ bride. Then the times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord “until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Many people would like to be profitable and do something great for humanity. They get engaged in welfare work and in political parties, and many of them become great in this world through their work. However, only those who keep Jesus’ commandments and overcome the sin that has permeated all of mankind, really do anything great. They have a share in redeeming all of creation from the bondage of corruption.Sigurd Bratlie

Jesus came, full of grace and truth. John 1:14. “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13. Jesus came with perfection, with all truth, with all the truths of life, with all the virtues, with light about all of God’s attributes and about everything that is in His mind and being. If our great delight is to be led, the Holy Spirit can and will and can lead us into all truth—far, far away from all the ways of sin, from everything that displeases God, from everything that is not in agreement with His mind and being. It is obviously very difficult to partake of something that is so indescribably exalted! It is so incredibly easy to be wrong, so that it is almost unbelievable what people can imagine the Spirit has led them to. This is precisely the reason for having the exhortation to obey our leaders—if we have them. And they cannot but be someone who was willing to be led by the Spirit to a godly life, to a far greater extent than to which we were willing to be led. Unfortunately, such people have been extremely few throughout the ages. Jesus came with all the truth and was full of grace, which is the help that everyone needs so that partaking of all of life’s truths can really be achieved! Then we are quite simply, being transformed! We become His followers; we become like Him. “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples [students, apprentices] indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32. What follows shows us with all clarity from what we are then—and not otherwise—set free: namely, committing sin. Therefore this is what we are called to and what is fully achievable, and which succeeds for everyone irrespective of how wretched he may be, if he fulfills the conditions! Therefore, he will achieve it if he immerses himself in God’s Word and abides in it, that is, in all the words of the new life. Precisely because the Word is absolutely true, it is impossible to abide in the Word without being set free from committing sin.Elias Aslaksen