THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST (PART 5)

My Concern

Another Gospel

Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? – 2 Corinthians 11:28-29 (NIV)

Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? They zealously affect you, but not well;  yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you – Galatians 4:16-19 (KJV)

At some point in the ministry of Jeremiah he did not want to speak for God anymore but he could not help it as God’s word in him became like burning fire and he could not hold it in (Jeremiah 20:9). Paul the apostle made it clears that “though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of:  for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). The preaching of these men of God was not popular; they preached out of a burden that God had placed on them and it could be rightly said that they were mere vessels with which God passed his message to the people of their time; the messages these men preached were way greater than them. True gospel preaching in any age is not stardom or show biz; it comes with a price that only a few can pay.

My greatest concern about the messages preached today in the name of the gospel is that these messages lack the power to save. It is through gospel preaching that the power of God that saves sinners is manifested. Peter went to minister in Cornelius’ house. The people there listened to the gospel with a prepared heart and received it with faith. Without making an altar call and without hands laid on anyone and without saying any sinner’s prayers, these people were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, literally (Acts 10:44). God has ordained that salvation will come to men via gospel preaching and this is the reason Satan attacks the gospel. If he can succeed in ensuring that the gospel lacks its true ingredients, then it looses the power to save and all we will have in the local church is religion, entertainment, showbiz and a sheer waste of time. All of these will be happening while hordes of souls are lost to hell moment by moment.

There are no new tricks in the Devil’s bag. We must understand that Satan’s means of making the gospel loose its potency has not changed since the time of the apostles of Jesus.  In the days when Peter, James and Paul led the church, Satan’s primary means against the gospel was by confusing the grace that was preached in the gospel of Jesus with the laws of Moses. He is still doing the same today but in a subtle manner. This matter was what led to the Jerusalem Council meeting in Acts 15. The conclusion of that meeting was not the fact that four laws were enumerated for the Gentiles to keep but this: “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they” (Acts 15:11). The conclusion reached in that meeting is the belief that it is the grace of God that saves sinners and that the Christian life must be lived by this grace and not by any system of laws.

Today, the church is again weighed down by laws but not necessarily the laws of Moses but our inability to distinguish the Old Testament from the New. The church today takes much of it examples for Christian doctrine and practice from the Old Testament rather than the New. Thus, the priestly order of Aaron has been conveniently converted to a league of Men of God. Rather than submit to the admonition of Jesus that says we are all brethren (Matthew 23:8), we find it easier to have ordained Pastors and Bishops, who hold such authority in the church and cannot be questioned but must be revered. Any tendency to question these men, we are referred quickly to the Old Testament again were God placed a curse on those who dared challenge Moses: “touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm”. We forget quickly that the people of God in the New Testament have been made priests and kings unto God (Revelation 1:6). This fascination with the Old Testament extends to the church’s preoccupation with buildings.

Buildings: Symbol of Organized Church Systems

The temple in Jerusalem was the symbol of the Jewish religion. Today, the church building occupies an equal place of relevance. And regardless of the cost of building and maintaining it, the church building has become our symbol of religion too. It is this Old Testament mentality that informs tithes and offerings collected in church services; thanksgiving; child and property dedication; Sabbath observance; full time ministry; mass choir; anniversary celebrations, a queer belief that God dwells in church buildings and a host of other similar practices. None of these can be traced to the New Testament churches led by the apostles of the lamb.

Paul’s contention with the Judaizers of his time was not just because they practiced circumcision but because he was trying to ensure that the gospel and the church life that will emerge from its preaching will not be adulterated and thereby loose its potency. God meant for the church to be distinct from Israel and that distinction is not to be confused. Paul preached the doctrine of dispensations (Ephesians 1:9; 3:1-11). A mystery doctrine that teaches that even though God never changes, He has instituted certain changes all through human history to bring about His eternal purpose of redeeming humanity to Himself. This doctrine is a mystery in the sense that it was not revealed to Old Testament Israel but to the apostles of the Lamb, who in turn taught it to the church through their epistles: and therefore the distinction between the Old and the New Testaments. We have three dispensations that can be subdivided into two each. These are the Theocratic, Christocentric and Eschatological dispensations. The theocratic dispensation can be subdivided into the age of the gentiles and the age of Israel. The age of the gentiles will range from the time of Adam and Even, through Abraham and up till the time the nation of Israel came out of Egypt. The age of Israel will be from the time the laws were given through Moses until the time Jesus was born. Then we come into the Christocentric dispensation that can be divided into the Hypostatic Union and the Church age. The hypostatic union is the time when Jesus was born, through his earthly ministry and up till the time he died on the cross. It called hypostatic union because of the unique union of the God-man found in Jesus Christ. It also represent a unique time in the dealings of God with humanity when grace and law operated at the same time. The time of Jesus must be seen as a separate dispensation because that is the only time in history when God dwelt amongst men and it is the dispensation that makes other dispensation relevant. Then we come into the church age, which is the dispensation were we live in the present time. It ranges from the time Jesus died on the cross up till the time when the church will be taken away in rapture. This dispensation is not characterized by the laws of Moses but solely by grace. The teachings of the apostles, particularly that of Paul, are what theologians like to call Church Age doctrines. These doctrines are particularly designed to be taught to the church: for the equipping and perfecting of the saints until we all come to the full measure of maturity in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 4:12-13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). After rapture there shall be the eschatological dispensation that is subdivided into the time of tribulation and the millennial rule of Christ. When we understand dispensations, then we can understand the seeming discrepancies in the teachings of Paul and Jesus Christ¹. Jesus operated in a time of law and grace. He fulfilled the law and bequeathed its righteous requirement to the church. Paul taught that the church is no longer under the laws of Moses but under a new law that commands us to love God and men.

My Contentions

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints – Jude 3

The major difference between the true gospel and a false one is that

False Teachers are Wolves in Sheep Clothing (Matthew 7:15)

God is at the center of the former while man is the central figure in the latter. The gospel of Jesus Christ peaks ultimately on the sovereign workings of God. So that when Paul discusses justification by faith in Romans, he could not but talk about the doctrines of Christians’ election (Romans 8:33) and Predestination (Romans 8:29-30; 9:1-33). He then concluded the whole discuss with a wonderful rendition on the sovereignty of God in chapter 11:

33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!   how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!   34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord?  or who hath been his counsellor?  35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?  36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things:  to whom be glory for ever.   Amen.

A thorough study of scriptures shows the sovereign out workings of God on the earth. History simply tells His Story. It is all for His glory. On the other hand, the false gospels center on man, his needs and how man can attain glory in this life; of course, at God’s expense. I shall be taking sometimes to explain some popular doctrines but will avoid linking them to specific popular preachers’ names so as not to breed unnecessary offence.

There are some doctrines today that place faith at the center of the Christian gospel. This faith is one that uses God to gain the good things of life. It uses scripture like Mark 11:24 to claim whatever is good, regardless of what God’s will on such things are. Adherents of this kind of religion use faith to get wealth and health. Their core justification for their kind of Christianity is the fact that it works. They forget quickly that the bible does not record anyone using his faith to get wealth and health, and if the early Christians truly lived this kind of gospel life, they would not have been recorded being persecuted, poor or destitute, as we have them well documented in

the New Testament (1 Corinthians 4:9-13). Jesus Himself would have been super rich and would have devised a less ignominious means of purchasing salvation for us than the cross.

There are many things that work today and these things do not have any root in the bible. The reason why we have adherents of Buddhism, Hinduism, Animism, and even Islam, is because there are certain metaphysical aspects of these religions that can be used to conjure material benefits to their adherents. I can never forget reading a book titled “The Cosmic Power within You” written by one Joseph Murphy. In it the author recounted many miraculous occurrences, blessings, healings, and prosperity that came the way of people who have learnt to use a certain cosmic power within them. That book never mentioned the name of Jesus, quote one bible verse or tell us what the cross of Jesus did. He simply was telling us that every human has a cosmic power that can be utilized to that person’s advantage. There is little difference between those who espouse a Word of Faith Christianity and Joseph Murphy except for the fact that the former use scripture to lend credence to the same doctrine the latter teach. The faith that is taught by the word of faith movement simply has as its end product or benefit the prosperity, health, promotions, healing and blessings of those who believe in it, however, in the name of Jesus. That is why this sort of faith is not the one in which the individual prays and waits for God’s will to be done. Rather this faith is a “living” or “active” faith whose outcome is dependent more on the person than on God in whom we are expected to place our faith in. Thus the need to be strong in faith; and not to waiver; and the need to continue exercising this faith through a positive world view and confessions, as the outcome is wholly dependent on your faith and not necessarily on God. “You are what you believe”, ministers of this gospel bellow. It takes people who have ventured into the world of metaphysics or have read the works of the likes of Joseph Murphy to understand my point here. The end result of it all is for man’s benefit and to bring glory to man. God is just a means or a vehicle to achieving this purpose. This is one leading example in which man has replaced God in modern gospel preaching. It is this teaching on faith that has led to others like it: the prosperity gospel and motivational teachings. At the root of all of these doctrines are man and his benefit, and not God and His glory. The teachings of Joseph Murphy come under the New Thoughts doctrines that became popular in the United States in the 20^th Century. Doctrines from New Thought form the over-aching doctrines in the Word of Faith movement. Paul the apostle certainly had the likes of the Word of Faith movement at heart when he talked of those who will see godliness as a means for making profit (1 Timothy 6:5)

Next to the faith movement is the holiness movement. While the former is a more recent occurrence, the latter dates back to the 18^th and 19^th century under the Puritans, Quakers and some of John Wesley’s followers. The holiness movement is a sharp reaction to

extreme grace preaching and living. There are those who believe that God’s grace permits them to live without laws or boundaries and in reaction to this, the holiness movement went the other extreme to say that God is still the God that enacted the Ten Commandments and his commandments are not for decoration in the bible. They also take scriptures like Hebrew 12:14 to give the impression that we are saved by our holiness. Their doctrines on holiness become so based on man and his efforts, that the grace of God in Christ Jesus is gradually edged out of the life of their churches. The mark of many of these churches is a pre-occupation with rules and regulations. The church dictates the mode of dressing especially for the female folks, insisting that they must wear head coverings. Many of the people in these churches become very hypocritical as they see the practice of religion more in external things than in inner purity. Salvation by works is their central doctrine. They are constantly in pursuit of making heaven – and consider any doctrine that suggests a Christian’s security in grace as utter heresy. These people live in constant fear of one’s sin making them miss heaven and can be a very poor representation of what the Christian life is and thus put off many people who have at some point or the other considered Christianity.

When we realize that the majority of churches in Nigeria fall into either of these two groups then we would appreciate the enormous task at hand. The gospel of Jesus Christ has continually been threatened by the gospel of man right from its inception and it is our duty to call the Christian church back from were it has fallen to. Yes, the foremost responsibility of the church is to propagate the gospel but what will we propagate if all we have is an adulterated message on our hands. We then realize that as much as we are called to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is incumbent on us to preserve it also.

My Convictions

Jesus said “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). I desire that all men will know God and Jesus Christ whom He sent,

and that by knowing Him men would have eternal life. It is for this reason I am sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in this five paper series. I believe that in the gospel there is inherent power to save sinners and to give sufficient grace to live the Christian life in a manner that is pleasing to God. I believe the undiluted gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of grace that has justification by faith as it central theme, and that God is so committed to His word that He is ready to confirm it anywhere it is preached. I am however concerned that the gospel will loose its power if it is not presented with the necessary items within it and it will simply become another philosophical talk or talk show or an avenue for entertainment (1 Corinthians 2:5). For this reason the gospel must be preserved from every sort of distortion.

I believe the aim of gospel preaching is to bring sons to God with Jesus Christ being the first born Son from the dead. Sons of God, in this case, denote men and women coming to maturity in Christ Jesus as they are indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God. So that unlike in the days of old when God ruled men with laws written on a tablet of stones, God desires that his sons be led directly by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8; Galatians 5:23; Hebrew 9). In this way their righteousness will be “greater” than that of those who lived under the laws of Moses in that the demands of the Spirit on God’s sons will always be greater. But it also means that every man can enjoy growth in grace at his own pace and not having to depend on a general standard of rules and regulations like in the days of Moses. So that the demand on the new born babe in Christ will certainly be different from the demand on the matured (John 21:22) and that way God can deal with his children at everyone’s spiritual level without anyone comparing himself with another. The beauty of the blessing of the Spirit is that God is with everyone that calls on the name of the Lord. They can enjoy being led of the Spirit and see God do great things in their lives, with everyone dealing with God according to the grace of faith He has dealt each man (Romans 12:3). The mark difference between spiritual babes and matured sons is that babes or children always require rules and regulations, while sons have exercised their spiritual senses to discern between good and evil (Hebrew 5:14|), and choose to do good without any system of laws to guide them.

I believe that the Christian church should be concerned with what its testimony is in the world. As it is now the name of the Lord is continually blasphemed by the actions of many Christian people, especially prominent Christian leaders. Our primary duty to the world as Christians is evangelism and this includes how we conduct ourselves in the eyes of the world. There is no reason why a Christian leader should indulge himself, living the life of a cooperate CEO of a multinational company, owning private jets, fleet of expensive cars, mansions, etc, in spite of the poverty ravaging the land. The fact that non Christians are at the forefront of criticizing this sort of lifestyle should deter such actions. Even if a Christian leader finds support for this in the bible, he should restrain from indulging himself in it lest he passes the wrong message to the world and lest our witness is tarnished. Gospel preaching is not in words alone but it is seen even more in our actions. When the life the Christian man lives begin to approximate to the way Jesus lived, the bible says the world will ask us a reason for our hope in Christ; then it becomes very easy to point to a crucified Christ. The case, as it is today, were virtually every air time on the local TV and radio, is occupied by either one church jingle or preaching, but does not translate to Christians living above board in their private homes and offices, is a disservice to the gospel and cannot bring

souls to Jesus as God wants. There is a need for a total overhaul of what true gospel preaching and living is, and this must be taught to the Christian community in our various local churches so that we may be the light and the salt Christ desires us to be.

My Conclusion

There is no end to any discuss on what the gospel of Jesus Christ is. It is my desire that Christian people can read what I have written and ask themselves if what I have written is according to scripture. That will demand that they must be like the Berean believers who checked everything Paul taught them before holding them up as doctrine. If in doing this, my readers find out that what I have written is the truth, I will desire that they compare this gospel with what they hear in their churches. If it turns out that it is in anyway different, they owe it to themselves to ask their ministers some very uncomfortable questions. And if adequate answers cannot be given, they may need to find other congregations to fellowship with.

What I have written is not mere theology. I have endeavored to

The Christian's Constitution

teach the bible not based on my understanding but by taking the scriptures at face value. Bible teachers are always in danger of reading into scriptures what it never says and that is why I maintain that the best kind of bible study is teaching the scriptures, especially the epistles, verse by verse. Anyone who has done this has always gone away with a richer grasp of the bible. It may also be necessary that bible teachers use sound bible concordance to trace root meaning of words in their original Greek form and know the context in which words are used, while at the same time paying attention to the historical perspectives within which the epistles were written and whom the epistles were written to. This way it becomes very easy to know how to apply these messages to our time. A plethora of errors are being propagated because bible teachers are not studious enough. Every Christian minister must be a theologian if he must be able to rightly divide the word of truth.

My hope is that if anyone has not made a decision for Christ and has managed to read through all I have written, such a person would come to faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I believe that the same God, who is mighty to save you, is also sufficient to keep you safe unto that day when we shall be in God’s kingdom. I also trust God that Christians who have read this piece will find increasing grace to grow in their faith in the Lord: loving God and humanity, and increasing in a zeal to better human life through true gospel preaching and living.

Thank you for reading and God bless you greatly.

1. For a more in-depth study of the doctrine of Dispensation, I recommend R. B. Thieme Jnr’s book on the same subject. Others have also written exclusively on it and a simple google of the word would shed some light on it.

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST (PART 4)

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH (2)

Abraham’s Testimony

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? – Romans 4:1

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.  – Galatians 3:7

What can we say that Abraham learnt in his walk with God? He learnt that faith is the antithesis to works. Romans 4 gives a fine account of Abraham’s testimony of his faith walk with God. The first lesson we see from this account is that Abraham learnt that it was faith that made him just or that gave him right standing (righteousness) before God. Ideally, if a man works for something, what he gets in response for this is not a gift but a wage. A wage is not a grace because grace is a gift and a man’s wages can never be said to be a gift. Therefore if a man would enjoy the grace of God, it cannot come as a result of the works he carries out. On the other hand, the one who does not work but believes, the reward for his faith is righteousness. Thus we see that works is an antithesis to faith. Abraham leant that his righteousness and the graces he would enjoy in God shall come only as he trust God and not a result of what he does (his works).

In Romans 4:7, Paul describes the man who obtains his righteousness by faith as blessed. Quoting David he said that this righteousness by faith is seen in three lights: sins may be forgiven, or sins are covered or sins are not imputed. Abraham’s account in Genesis helps us to understand this very well. Abraham is reported to have lied; Abraham waged wars where the innocent is very likely to be killed; Abraham slept with his house maid; Abraham walked in unbelief and went ahead of God to obtain Ishmael; Abraham had concubines and seeds out of wedlock; and possibly many other sins not recorded in scriptures. But when God will give his account of Abraham, he said “… Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Genesis 26:5). What happened to the other times when he disobeyed God? His sins were forgiven; his sins were covered; and his sins were not imputed. How? By the righteousness of faith.

We see quickly from this discuss in Romans 4 that there are two sorts of righteousness we can submit ourselves to. The righteousness that comes by the law and righteousness that comes by faith. The nature of the righteousness by law is that it is the product of keeping the laws of God. And no matter how well this is done, it is destined for transgression, sin and condemnation. The righteousness that is by faith comes simply by believing. It is a righteousness that is not of the law: and where there is no law, there is no transgression (Romans 4:15). To put it succinctly, those who are of the righteousness of faith cannot be said to have sinned before God because their sins are forgiven, covered and cannot be imputed on them.

Abraham also learnt that his faith could produce tangible results. Scripture records that although his body was dead and Sarah’s womb was dead, he did not waver in faith; rather, he strengthened himself in faith and waited for God. Abraham received the child of promise when he was 99 years of age. Therefore, this faith does not just produce right standing with God only; with it, we can access God’s promises in our lives and see Him meet our needs.

Peace with God

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ – Romans 5:1

Sin puts men at enmity with God but being justified by faith we have peace with God. This is no fragile peace – it is not the peace of a graveyard; it is a peace founded upon what Jesus Christ did for all men on the cross. This peace is not even threatened by what we do after our justification before God. This peace is not threatened by sin.

It is important that we grasp the enormity of the peace that the man who is justified by grace through faith has with God so we may understand the blessing that comes with New Testament Christianity. Jesus spoke of this peace when he said “these things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation:  but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). So we see that an aspect of this peace is that we have grace to face world tribulation. Also, having peace with God means we have access to God. It means we can come boldly to God without the feeling of guilt. It means we can pray to God and believe that God has both heard them and can answer them.

This peace with God is not founded upon what we can do or cannot do, it founded upon what God has done: because only the Almighty God can justify a sinner. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ: that man, who was far away and separated from a holy God, can be brought nigh by faith in the cross of Jesus and be justified from all things (Acts 13:39). This justification gives the man peace with God and freedom to access his presence.

I remember the afternoon, many years ago, when I read the words of Romans 5:1 for the first time and God by His mercies helped me to understand it. I was caught in a state of wonder, love and worship, and up till now when I read that scripture, I thank God for the peace He has made with me. The strength of this peace is founded on who God is and not on who we are.

May God indeed help us all the grasp the length and breadth and height of this peace found in the cross of Jesus; revel in it and allow it to dictate the basis of our eternal relationship with God the Father.

The Chemistry of this Justification

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous – Romans 5:18-19

By the chemistry of our justification I wish to describe the basic components that brought about this great position with God. Romans 5:6-21 gives the account of two men: the first Adam and the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45). Both of these men’s action had an adverse effect on the concept of sin in humanity. The first Adam, the man formed by God, was created in innocence and was without sin. Genesis 3 gives an account of how this Adam sinned and died spiritually, so that every man born after him came with a sin nature. This concept of original sin, found in every child born of man, is the theological term used to describe the sin nature passed unto every person born into the world. It must be understood that no one gets this sin nature by doing anything: we get it by being born of Adam. That is what the scripture above means by one man’s disobedience turning many to sinners.

The beauty of Justification by Faith follows a similar concept. When we become justified by faith through the grace found in Jesus Christ we become born-again. In the same way we were born of the flesh through our parents (and Adam), we also become born of the Spirit through Jesus Christ. This spiritual birth leaves us with a righteous nature in contrast to the sin nature that we received when we are born of Adam. The wonderful news here is that just as we become sinners without doing anything but being born of the flesh, so also we become righteous without doing anything but being born of the Spirit. The man that is justified by faith and is born-again, has a righteous nature that cannot be earned by works and cannot be lost to sin. So that the same way the sin nature condemns men to hell and eternal separation from God, so also does the righteous nature “condemn” men to heaven and eternal bliss with God.

The story of justification by grace through faith simply tells the wonderful story of Christ redeeming men from sin. It also shows us that the blessings that comes with redemption cannot be earned by works neither can they be sustained by works. Justification by faith permits the believer to sit down, relax and enjoy the grace of God without doing anything to earn it.

Grace is not Lawlessness

What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? – Romans 6:1

The doctrine of justification by faith shows us that sin does not threaten our eternal home with God. Christians have eternal security! Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more than it (Romans 5:20), so much so that sin cannot threaten the effect of the grace of God. What this means is that the depraved and untaught minds then thinks that the grace of God permits lawlessness.

It is for this single reason that the doctrine of justification by faith is not taught in our churches. Church leaders feel that if people know these truths, it will give them the sort of freedom that leads to sin. When Martin Luther began preaching these truths that liberated

Christendom in the 16^th century, the Roman Catholic Church said “Justification by faith is the chief error of protestant churches”. Unfortunately, many untaught men, who may not call themselves Roman Catholic, also think that justification by faith is heresy, because of the tendency to lead to lawlessness.

Paul said: “Unto the pure all things are pure:  but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled” (Titus 1:15). When the one who is truly justified by faith and is born again in God finds the truth that sin cannot threaten the relationship he has with God, it engenders greater devotion, love, and worship in him towards God. He cannot continue to sin so that this grace can abound; his response is “God forbid!   How shall I, that is dead to sin, live any longer therein”. Rather than using his new found freedom to serve sin and the flesh, he uses it to serve God and righteousness. At the same time he realizes that sin does not possess the potency that many claim it has and so he has grace to face his sins squarely. One of the realities of the born-again life is the fact that Christians still sin. And this can be very discouraging if we do not have the right doctrines to face our sins with. But if the born-again man knows that sins do not threaten his salvation, he can go to God in prayer and confess these sins (1 John 1:9), receive a cleansing by the blood and then receive strength to overcome that sin whenever it comes. Overcoming sin is both spiritual and practical. Spiritual in the sense that the born-again man has a righteous nature; and practical in the sense that he now begins to learn how to live without sin. This exercise requires a great deal of practice (and patience) that would come with failures - he will surely sin. He must find forgiveness and continues to learn to overcome his sin. Overcoming sin itself is spiritual growth. This growth means that at some point one is a babe and a spiritual babe must be carnal (1 Corinthians 3:1). He, however, is expected to grow; which will be seen in his ability to subdue his flesh more and more. The doctrine of justification by faith that helps the believer to grasp the concept of his eternal security does not permit the believer to be lawless, rather it gives him the ability to face his sins and overcome them, while he revels in the grace of God. The gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to be taught to the church by men gifted with the grace to teach, flowing from holy living. Jesus’ words are spirit and they are life. When men hear these words, faith builds up in them and the spirit in those words becomes flesh in them. Hearing the true gospel transmits the grace for holy living to the listener. So that while some are coming to saving faith in Christ, those who are already saved are receiving grace in their heart to serve God and to live lives that are pleasing to Him.

On the other hand, when the defiled and unbelieving hear the truth of justification by faith, it leads them to lawlessness. We must understand that narrow is the way that leads to eternal life and so even in a congregation the number of people that would have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ are always in the minority. So when the gospel is preached some will latch on it and use it to justify their lawless living. But the fact that men use truth in a lawless manner should not stop us from stating it. Justification by faith is an eternal truth in the word of God given to us for our edification but those who choose to use it in a lawless fashion shall have God to answer to.

 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction – 2 Peter 3:16-17

No Condemnation

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus – Romans 8:1

The whole of Romans chapter 7 dwells on the concept of the believer's battle with sin. There we find the great apostle himself talking about his own struggle with his sins. If we will be honest with ourselves as Christians and do not act hypocritical, we would admit that Paul was speaking for everyone of us in that chapter. In the height of his despair with sin the apostle asks: “O wretched man that I am!   who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” This question leads quickly to the person of Jesus Christ: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.   So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God;  but with the flesh the law of sin”. And then he makes the eternal truth in the opening statements of chapter 8: there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. That verse ends right there in the older and original manuscripts of scripture bearing the letter of Paul to the Romans. The seeming conditional statement: “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”, was added in newer manuscripts of scriptures including the King James Version (KJV). But this alteration does not change the message of scripture: sin cannot condemn a believer! Why?

Because we operate under a higher law. There are two laws, according to Romans 8:2, the Law of sin and death and the law of Spirit of life. The law of sin and death says: the soul that sin will die. Or, the soul that sins is condemned to death. The law of Spirit of life does not give such a condition. It simply gives life; that is all  it does! When we are born-again, we are delivered from the law of sin and death, which the laws of Moses exemplified, to the law of Spirit of life. There is no condemnation under that law. This is the good news. Christians have been delivered from the power and penalty of sin. The power of sin no longer rules them so that they may live in holiness and the penalty of sin is no longer over them so that they cannot be condemned even when they sin.

We see clearly that this good news clearly stated in the gospel of Jesus Christ is concerned wholly and solely with the question of sin. Some argue that we should not preach sin in churches so that people will not be discouraged. But they say this because they present a problem without the solution. If while discussing sin, we also show to them that there is a solution to it, no one will be discouraged with messages on sin. Others argue that every message that must be preached in church must dwell on sin and offer holiness as the solution to it. The problem with this sort of teaching is that the wrong solution is offered to the right problem. Scripture never teaches anywhere that we are saved by being holy: scripture teaches that we saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Holiness is a mark on the new person in Christ; it is this mark that must be seen on anyone that shall enter into God’s kingdom that was spoken of in Hebrew 12:14b. Unfortunately, there are some churches that never mention sin. They speak of a super grace that allows them to live as they like; such individual are already accursed!

The good news, again, is that Christ Jesus came into the world to saves sinners of whom I am chief (1 Timothy 1:15).

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST (PART 3)

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

The doctrine of justification by faith is the central doctrine in the gospel of grace and it is worth being discussed alone. The magnificence of the grace of God in redeeming humanity is the fact that it portrays the sovereign works of God in redemption. When God made the heaven and the earth, the book of Genesis does not record anywhere that any other person helped Him. Even when man fell, God was the one who took the initiative to restore man by prophesying of man’s future redemption (Genesis 3:15) and then even took steps to paint a picture of this redemption by killing an animal and clothing Adam and Eve(Genesis 3:21). In the same way, when God shall redeem fallen man through Jesus Christ, He shall be doing it in spite of anyone’s effort. All that will be required to partake of this blessing is faith. Justification, in lay man’s parlance, is the process of being made just before God, and we would be discussing how this comes about by faith alone in this essay.

The Righteousness of God and the Sinfulness of Man

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:  for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:  as it is written, The just shall live by faith – Romans 1:16-17

The book of Romans, chapters one to eleven, is the central biblical text that teaches justification by faith. The scripture above shows us that there is a concept called the righteousness of God. From other biblical texts we understand this better as God being absolutely holy, perfect, good, upright, unblemished, and full of love. The bible reveals this righteous attributes of God and shows us that for human beings to relate with God and live with Him for all of eternity, we must be holy as God is holy: we must be like God (Leviticus 20:26; 1Peter 1:16). Therein lays the trouble because the same book of Romans describes man to us:

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.   They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable;  there is none that doeth good, no, not one.  Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit;  the poison of asps is under their lips:  Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:  Their feet are swift to shed blood:  Destruction and misery are in their ways:  And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes – Romans 3:10 -18

The State of a Sinner

There is therefore nothing in the credential of the ordinary man that commends him to God. This same scripture indicts man by stating that all of have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). What is sin? Man may want to ask. Sin is failing to keep of God’s laws which He gave through Moses to His people, the Israelites. Regardless of the standard of righteousness man compares himself with: whether it is Moses’ laws or the laws in our conscience or even national laws, man sees himself continually coming short of meeting the righteous requirement of any set of laws given.

To suggest that this is the same man who would live with a holy God for all eternity is to state the unthinkable. Man is simply doomed and condemned to eternal damnation. But …

Justification without the Deeds of the Law (Expose on Romans 3: 19-31)

19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law:  that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 

This is the truth: whichever way we slice it, all the world lays guilty before a holy God. God gave the laws to the Jews but showed them that it was bound to be broken when Moses shattered the tablet of stones on which the ten commandments had been written with the finger of God, on his way to presenting it to Israel. So, the Jews, who considered themselves the holy people of God in Paul’s days, were as sinful before God as the “lawless” gentiles (Romans 2:23). This logic applies to Christians also who, sometimes, flaunt their self righteousness, thinking that as long as “we are serving God” or “ doing good” or “living holy” or “living right”, we have God’s approval. This is not so. The verdict of scriptures is that whatever standard of right that comes through human effort still condemns man to guilt before an absolutely holy God (Isaiah 64:6).

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:  for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Adherence to the law, obeying the precepts of the law, legalism, or obedience to divine precepts will not make anyone just before God. This is where Christianity departs from every religion of the world. While other religions seek divine favor by obeying prescribed laws in some holy books, the bible here shows us that no one will be made right in God’s sight by obeying laws: either God’s own laws given through Moses or other so called divine laws that men have made up to appease some gods.

The reason why the law was given was not for men to be right with God but for men to see their utter depravity and their need for deliverance from sin. The law came to show us what sin is and our inability to be saved from it. Scripture declares that the law was not made for the righteous but for sinners (1Timothy 1:9).

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Halleluyah!!!

We began this discuss by putting the righteousness of God in contrast to the sinfulness of man. We saw that God is absolutely holy, perfect, good, just and love; while man is the opposite. We then saw that God’s laws even made man’s situation worse by showing man his utter depravity but God does not leave man in his despair. The above verse shows us that the righteousness of God has been manifested to men and that this righteousness does not come by the way of adhering to laws. In fact it could not come by that way because man has shown from the time of Moses that he could not keep those laws. This righteousness of God is without the law (KJV); this righteousness is apart from the law (NIV); this righteousness is independent of the law (Amplified). Thus we have it in black and white: God’s own righteousness is manifested to the whole world and it is not depending on the laws of Moses or any law for that matter. Praise the Lord!

And this righteousness is not the making of Paul the apostle; the Old Testament – the law and the prophets – spoke of its coming.

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:  for there is no difference:

The wonderful righteousness of God that had been described above, albeit with finite and inadequate words, is here presented to all men if they will only dare to believe. John 3:16 tells us that whosoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life – the very words of Jesus Christ Himself. The greatest blessing of God to sinful humanity is revealed little by little in these scriptures: that man can partake of the righteousness of God, not by keeping laws or doing works, including laws that God Himself gave the nation of Israel through Moses, but simply by placing faith in His son Jesus Christ. It sounds too simple to be true!

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Man’s terrible state is again repeated while a great hope, the gospel of grace, is being enunciated. But alas, man can look himself up in the mirror of God’s words and not despair only because a Sure Hope in the Person of Jesus Christ is offered to him.

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Let us take note of some words in the above verse. This justification cannot be purchased; it cannot be bought; it cannot be worked for; it is free – free of charge. It reminds one of a song in the 90’s “The best things in life are free…” Indeed the best thing in this life – the salvation of our souls – is free. But truth is, nothing is free in life; everything that appears free has been paid for. Jesus Christ paid for our salvation by redeeming us from what some call “the slave market of sin”. This justification we are speaking about is actually by grace; that is, it is given to us. The means of receiving it is however by faith.

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Propitiation is translated “sacrifice of atonement” in the New International Version (NIV) bible. We understand this better when we look up the Levithical order’s set up to atone for the sins of the Israelites by sacrificing a lamb or some other animal for the remission of the sins of the people.

Jesus' death on a Roman Cross to secure salvation
for all Men

We see here that Jesus’ blood and sacrifice on the cross is God judging the sins of the whole world, and putting them on Jesus, and our Lord paid for the penalty of all men’s sins (1John 2:2). The full benefit of this propitiation, however, will come to a man only as he puts faith in what Jesus did on the cross and trusting in that blood to cleanse him from all his sins. Now we understand better the words of the angel in Matthew 1:21 when he said to Joseph that Jesus’ mission on earth was to save men from their sins.

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness:  that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

God is just and he is a justifier. God is just means he is fair. His justice will not overlook sin and thus he must punish it. He however sent his son to pay the full penalty for sin by His sufferings on a Roman cross and with this done, He can be fair to justify anyone who places active faith in the done work of the cross. This way God can be both just and be a justifier.

27 Where is boasting then?  It is excluded. By what law?  of works?  Nay:  but by the law of faith

Any man who earns his right standing by keeping the laws of Moses or by adhering to some system of works that bestows a form of goodness on him has every right to boast. He may say he is doing all of it by the grace of God but his boast is still indirectly in his efforts. But the one who is simply forgiven and did nothing to earn this forgiveness, but simply believed in Christ cannot boast of anything. His boast will rest on what Jesus has done on the cross. This was clearly exemplified in the ministry of Jesus when he told his followers that he that is forgiven much loves much but he that is forgiven little loves little (Luke 7:47). This is the difference between the prodigal son and his elder brother. While the former felt he should be treated as a servant at best but ended up being treated as a precious son; the latter felt he should be treated as a royal son but felt despised. The prodigal son definitely understood the grace of God that saves sinners and could not boast of anything.

What religion does in the hearts of men is to give them a reason to boast in their accomplishments. What the grace of God does is that it makes us appreciate our continual indebtedness to God’s mercies. That feeling of inadequacy, inability to boast and deep indebtedness is not something that is meant to come and go at the time of conversion. No. It is the way God wants us to live all of our lives till we meet Him in heaven. For example, there are those who think they can make heaven. As long as there is something in an individual that makes him feel he can make heaven, he would never appreciate this grace we are discussing about here. He would always have a reason to boast. If however, you understand that heaven is made for you, and you cannot make it but rely wholly and solely on the cross of Jesus to make it, you would have no course to boast but to glory in Jesus’ cross both now and in eternity.

28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

This is the conclusion of the matter: justification by faith.

Jesus gives true Freedom

We are made just by faith in Christ’s blood and His righteousness. We are not made just or right or holy by keeping Moses’ laws; the ten commandment; the morale laws; the civil laws; the ceremonial laws; traditions of men; church rules and regulation; by tithing; by circumcision; by keeping the Sabbath; by living holy; by living right; etc. WE ARE MADE RIGHT BY FAITH!!!

29 Is he the God of the Jews only?  is he not also of the Gentiles?  Yes, of the Gentiles also:  30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.   31 Do we then make void the law through faith?  God forbid:  yea, we establish the law

I understand that many people make a great deal out of verse 31; they justify the position of works making men right before God by saying that even Paul said we are to establish the law. They also go further by quoting Jesus in Matthew 5: 17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:  I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.   18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.   19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:  but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.   20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.  

When Paul spoke about establishing the law, he was only re-echoing Jesus’ words about fulfilling the law. Jesus came to fulfill the law and he fulfilled it perfectly. Our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross was accepted by God because He was sinless in his thirty-three year sojourn on earth and thus could present Himself as a perfect offering to God. Jesus obeyed and fulfilled the law and thus there is no need to keep the law anymore: it is null and void (Hebrew 8:13). The righteousness that Jesus spoke about that must exceed that of the Pharisees is the righteousness Paul spoke about in Romans 3: The Righteousness of God, which is bequeathed to anyone who believes in Jesus. The Pharisee obtained their righteousness by keeping the law, however imperfectly. We obtain our righteousness by believing in Jesus only.

Paul could not have argued against the law extensively in Romans 3 – stating that our righteousness must now be obtained by faith and then backtrack to say that we must keep the law to obtain righteousness. That will be doing injustice to basic logic. God had a reason for given the law. He wanted a holy people (1Peter 2:9). Today God has his holy people, who have come to place faith in Jesus. This people are holy by the grace of God and thus have established the laws of God.

To be continued…