(Matthew 26: 30-35)

And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.  Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.  But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.  Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.  Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.  Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

Today, the faith of many people is same what Peter said, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. Peter confessed, "You are the Christ and the Son of God." But Jesus said, "You will deny me." The faith you believe will depend on whether it comes from the body or the spirit. In Romans and Galatians, "He who follows the flesh must die." He says, "Only those who follow the Holy Spirit are saved."

Jesus prayed to God to be one. The disciples are abandoning Jesus and being scattered, and Jesus is praying for God to “make one” for them. Peter learned the words of the Sermon on the Mount, and he saw miracles for three years, but he was unable to control the power of the body. In John 18: 25-27『And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.  One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?  Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.』

Peter knew that God revealed that Jesus was the Son of God. Still, the soul from the body does not change. Many church people may believe and follow "the way Peter cuts his ear with a sword." The Bible describes this as "the flesh." If you live in the flesh, the spirit must die. Even if many people learn and see the Lord's miracles, they do not have faith to follow the death of the cross. This is in Galatians 3:23『But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 』 The state before faith came is that Peter sees Jesus' miracle, experiences the miracle of walking on the water, witnesses the amazing sight of the Mount of Change, listens to the word of the kingdom of God, and believes in Jesus. “Before faith comes” means a state in which internal change has not occurred.

So, Jesus said to his disciples, "You can't follow me." He said, "After that, you can follow me." "After that" is "after the inner change." It means that the person whose inner change has been made can follow the death of the cross. Before the inner change, we want to avoid the death of the cross. If no internal changes are made, all run away from the cross. The Bible says this life is "the flesh." The soul that comes from the flesh cannot be saved. Only 『spirit』 is saved. In John 6:63『It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.』

The flesh must be removed. This is repentance. Repentance is not about sanctification, it is about dying with Jesus. Those who killed Jesus were the ones who waited for the Messiah and were in charge of the law. It means that before faith came, everything was bound under the law. Those who realize this are those who repent.

Just because you pray to Jesus and experience the Holy Spirit does not mean that you are converted if you are full of physical thoughts. There are two types of people. Those who forsake Jesus on the cross and die with Jesus. Those who do not repent eventually abandon Jesus.

In Galatians 3:24『Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 』Those who follow the law cannot be united with Jesus. They are those who forsake Jesus. However, if you realize through the law, "I am the one who left Jesus," they can also realize, "I am the one who is under the law." It means that the law becomes an elementary teacher. So, they can repent and escape the law and become united with Jesus. In many churches today, those who are under the law before faith comes are living the religious life they want. Today, we must realize that if we are not united with the cross of Jesus, we can be abandoners of Jesus. So, those who forsake Jesus are under the law. The only way to unite with Jesus on the cross is through repentance that denies him. Peter, who denied Jesus, was also imprisoned under the law. So, he had to abandon Jesus.

In Galatians 3:25『But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 』 "After faith came" means "the one who repented and was united on the cross with Jesus." He was deviated from the law. Many people think they are saved because they believe in Jesus. That faith is the faith that the law leads. So, they have never been associated with Jesus on the cross. Salvation starts with worrying, "Are you really saved?" If you have not repented and were not united with the cross of Jesus, you have never been saved. The way to unite with the cross of Jesus is to deny self who does not love the world.