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…

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST (PART 2)

THE DOCTRINE OF GRACE

Romans 1:16,17 - Introduces the Gospel of Grace

The first part on these series on the gospel of Jesus Christ focused on what the message of the gospel really is. The purpose of that essay was for men to grasp the intent of God in sending His Son Jesus to redeem them from their sins. And by acknowledging that one is a sinner and asking God to forgive one of his/her sins, and then believing in Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior, such an individual is born-again and has become a child of God. But that is just the beginning of a very glorious walk with God.

Just as every man is born first as a babe and must grow up into adulthood, so also is it with every man that has received Jesus into his life: he is a spiritual babe and is expected to grow. Babies feed on milk (1 Peter 2:2). In fact medicine has only recently discovered an eternal truth that God had given humanity from creation, which is that the best source of nourishment for a baby is the mother’s breast milk. In other words, while a child can be given all sorts of assorted, man made and expensive baby formulas, the best kind of nourishment for the baby is the ordinary, in-expensive and often taken for granted, mother’s bosom milk. The same goes with the born again believer. He may feed on all sorts of doctrines we find out there and claim spiritual growth but proper spiritual growth will only come by feeding on sound spiritual truths. Many of these doctrine are so ordinary and taken for granted that, like the mother’s milk, they can very easily be overlooked. God has ordained it that for a Christian to grow properly such an individual must feed on the doctrine of grace. The scriptures say:

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.   To him be glory both now and for ever.   Amen – 2 Peter 3:18

Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.   For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace;  not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein – Hebrew 13:9

Doctrine

Doctrine means teaching. Following the believer’s conversion, such an individual must learn the doctrines of the faith as stipulated in the bible. The doctrines he learns will determine both his growth rate and his manner of growth. If he would grow fast, he must learn much doctrine; if he will grow well, he must learn true doctrines. The Christian walk is by faith: from first to last (Romans 1:17). This faith comes by hearing or learning the word of God (Romans 10:17). When a man becomes a Christian, he has a new spirit man but his mind is totally un-renewed. His thinking will be based on the things he has learnt all of his life. Such an individual must begin to learn bible doctrines to ensure a renewed mind set.

Among other things that will occur when he learns doctrine is that there will be a build up of faith in the individual: faith towards God. Another thing that will occur is a build up of love; love for God and for all of humanity, especially those who are of the household of faith. Proper indoctrination will give the new believer ability to hear God. God is Spirit and has recorded his mind on the pages of the bible. When a Christian is properly indoctrinated, he would begin to hear God instruct him on his day to day dealings in life. A build up of the word of God in the Christian leads to transformation from glory to glory. It is what gives the believer the solid foundation to withstand the fiery darts of the devil that are certain to come against him as a result of his new position in Christ Jesus. A sound knowledge of biblical doctrines gives the believer rest in the soul: he is not easily moved and is un-shaken by the vicissitudes of life.

This is why the need for sound bible teachers is so very important. The Christian’s growth is totally tied to what he learns. Ministers owe it a duty to their listeners to teach the word of God – undiluted. This means stating what the bible says and not what we think or what a popular preacher said the bible said. It is important that a congregation is taught the bible by allowing the bible to speak for itself. Congregations that have ministers who teach scriptures verse by verse are truly blessed because the people can see the train of thoughts of scriptures themselves, rather than the more popular topical teachings that are predominant among Christian congregations today. There are congregations that do not even have bible study sessions and what a disaster the people in these churches turn out to be. Jesus’ admonition to Peter was for him to feed his lambs and sheep (John 21:15-16). The success of the believer’s walk in life is totally tied to what he learns in his local assembly. Woe betides the congregation whose minister knows little, for then the people would know nothing.

Next to coming to Jesus Christ, the Christian must endeavor to learn bible doctrines. He must pray and trust God to lead him to a sound bible teaching congregation or mentor who will help him understand the fundamentals of the faith, and begin to build on these through his own personal study of scriptures.

  

Grace

The grace of God revealed to humanity through Jesus Christ is the central theme of the New Testament. It reveals the free gift of God to humanity that any man can partake of by faith alone and not by his efforts. The grace of God is seen first in the saving works of Jesus Christ when he died on the cross and obtained redemption for all men who will believe in Him. This redemption is free in that man is not required to purchase it with money or with good deeds or sacrifices but simply with faith.

The grace of God also extends to the Christian believer in the blessing of righteousness. Most religion will determine how good an adherent is by the good deeds he does. But the one who has come to faith in Christ is in union with Him (Colossians 2:10), and thus he has the blessing of having the righteousness of Jesus Christ as his own righteousness and not that of his good deeds (1 Corinthians 1:30). This is probably the greatest blessings of the cross in our walk with God today, as the Christian does not look up to his efforts to find acceptance with God. Rather he looks up to Christ, and by his blood he has free entrance to the presence of God (Hebrew 4:16).

The grace of God extends to men in Jesus Christ as God comes to make his abode in the believer (John 14:23). The Spirit of God indwells the Christian and his body has become the temple of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, God’s Spirit was known to dwell in temples but today he dwells in men. The Holy Spirit helps the believer to be all that God wants him to be. He helps us to live a life that is pleasing to God. He instructs us in the way of that we should go. He strengthens our mortal bodies. He helps us to pray. He helps us to witness about Jesus. He gives us wisdom. He emboldens us. He is God who is with us and with Him we can do all things.

The grace of God assures us of a certain hope in the future: heaven. The greatest uncertainty in life for many people is were they would be spending eternity following death. The grace of God has secured an eternal home for us in heaven (John 14:2), that is kept for us by the power of God (1 Peter1:4-5) and not by our ability, strength, efforts or good works. We are saved by grace through faith and this is not by our effort but it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Thus a Christian that is properly brought up on a sound doctrine of grace does not fear death; he is not afraid of the ills of life and is hardly weighed down by anything. His hope is fixed on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.

Jesus Cares for You

Some have rightly defined grace as God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. But even that definition is too summary. God’s grace is all that God has done, is doing and will still do for the person who has come to a settled faith in Jesus Christ. God’s grace is independent of man’s effort or works; for if it really is of grace then it would not be by works and if it is by works, it can never be by grace (Romans 11:6). Grace and works are mutually exclusive in this case; although the grace of God helps us to do good works by the Holy Spirit indwelling us.

The Gospel of Grace

All of these blessings of grace that the cross of Jesus has secured for Christians are the truths that must be taught to the new believer in Jesus Christ for him to grow properly. These truths are encapsulated in what Paul the apostle referred to as the gospel of grace:

But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God – Acts 20:24

The gospel of grace tells of the good news of what God has done in Christ Jesus. It tells us of the riches that we have in Him (Ephesians 1:18). It tells us of the love of God for us Christians and of our security in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:30). It is a doctrine that is etched in liberty (Galatians 5:1) and must be carefully and reverentially disseminated so that the saints do not see this liberty as license to sin (Romans 6:1).

It is important that the Christian is properly and adequately nourished in the gospel of grace so that he may find strength in his heart to serve the living God. David Prior, speaking on Hebrew 13:9 said in his book Bedrock, “the value of this passage in the letter to the Hebrews is that it extricates two essential characteristics of truly sound teaching and holds them before us with unmistakable clarity – the grace of God and the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Unless the teaching in a local church is founded irretrievably upon these two essentials, God’s people will shrivel and die. There is no substitute for such steady, thorough exposition of God’s grace in a local church. Unless there is this consistent diet of sound teaching, believers will not be strengthened for the costly life of faith to which all Christians are necessarily called at (these times). If such unfolding of the grace of God is not done, a congregation becomes prey to any forceful or articulate personality who will either cajole or bully them into what he thinks a church ought to be and to do. Put more bluntly, no preacher or minister can tell a congregation how to behave or what to do. If Christians are not freely motivated by God’s grace in Jesus Christ, their activity is not (in any real sense) Christian.”

Paul in many instances personalized the gospel he preached and called it “my gospel”. He claimed he received it by revelation directly from God (Galatians 1:11-12) and it was not different from what the other apostles preached also (Galatians 2:2,9-10). However, this gospel of grace has some marked differences from the gospel Jesus preached, which some call the gospel of the kingdom. Jesus had a peculiar ministry that was strictly to the Jews. Jesus came to announce the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17), with the hope that the Jews will recognize their messiah and accept him but he was rejected and crucified. This gospel will still be preached to the Jews to usher in the millennial rule of Jesus Christ at the end of age. Also, Jesus operated under the law of Moses, fulfilled it and bequeathed its righteousness to us Christian (Romans 8:4). So because of the peculiar nature of the dispensation in which our Lord lived in, a dispensation that combined law and grace, he did not preach a gospel of grace but a gospel of the kingdom. However, after his death and resurrection and the church had been instituted, the gospel of grace was the message He gave to His apostles, with Paul as the leading harbinger, to reach the nations with – especially the gentiles.

The core of this gospel is the fact that Christ has fulfilled the law and has given to us the righteousness that God sort from it. The law is now null and void and had become obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). The believer is now blessed with immense resources through grace to begin to live in a newness of life that is Holy Spirit enabled. There are no laws to keep as such (Galatian 5:23b), but God’s laws are embedded on our hearts. We have the blessing of being led by the Spirit as sons of God. Etc.

The full extent of this gospel cannot be taught in a paper like this but surfeit to say that the gospel of grace tells us of the resources we have in Jesus Christ and how we could use them to fulfill God’s plans and purposes in our lives.

Conclusion

Whatever the Christian will turn out to be, following his conversion in Christ Jesus hinges on what he learn afterwards as doctrine. It is the doctrine he has embedded in his mind that will inform his practices. His practices will determine whether what he does in the kingdom is good works or dead works. The grace of God that brings salvation will certainly save him at last, but the success that he would make of this life hinges on how much doctrines he has learnt. This is one reason why false doctrine must be contended against earnestly because it results in two ills: creating malnourished and defeated believers; and it breeds false Christians – people who think they are Christians but are not but doomed for destruction.

In the midst of the confusion in Christendom, men can still turn to God in prayers and He will teach us the doctrines that we need to learn and practice. Jesus has said he that wills to do God’s will, will learn His doctrine (John 7:17). There is an anointing within us that can teach us all things, without the need to resort to any teacher. Thus, let us learn doctrine: sound and true bible doctrine. Let us be like the Berean brethren who searched the scriptures to be sure that all that was being taught them were found in the bible. And we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free.

PS:

In the first part of this lecture I said that the intention of that paper was not to ask anyone to be a Christian; but one would notice that I kept referring to those who have come to faith in Christ as “Christians” in this paper. Truth is that much of what goes by the name Christianity today is just mere religion; in the same way we have a plethora of religious groups in the world today. My aim in these essays is not to have people leave one religion to join another; rather, I desire that men understand the gospel of Jesus and come to faith in Him, which is an act that is way beyond professing a certain religion. Fortunately or unfortunately, people call those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Christians but the truth is that there are real Christians and false Christians. So the aim is not to ask people to begin professing a certain religion but to have the life of God which His Son Jesus Christ imparts in the spirit of men and make them begin to behave like Christ. Then can they truly be called Christians in the real sense of the word. Thus, I look forward to a situation were a professing Muslim grasp the meat of my discuss in these essays, come to faith in Jesus Christ and not even renounce his Islamic profession since that is just belonging to a religious group. What will save men at the end is having a renewed spirit in Christ Jesus and showing this by living as the Master demands we live and I am convinced anyone can do this regardless of the religion they profess.

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

Introduction

Jesus' Sufferings brought Redemption to Humanity

One common index in all of humanity is the fact that there is much suffering in our world today. This alone has made many question the existence of God. They say “if there is a God, why is there so much suffering around”. Suffering is seen everywhere but even more in places were there are full scale wars being waged. This scene played out in the movie on the Rwandan genocide, Hotel Rwanda. In the height of the conflict a Nun asked her Rev. Father, “were is God in all of these?” He couldn't answer. When the United Nations troops stationed at the hotel were asked to withdraw with every expatriate on ground, the Rev. Father said he would be remaining with the locals, even though that meant suicide. He then turned to the Nun and said he has found were God was in this conflict: God was with the suffering and murdered people of Rwanda and he would be remaining behind with Him. The answer to those who question the place of God in the lives of suffering people is that God is with people who suffer.

Romans 8:22 says “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” The world is in pain, this is due to its bondage to corruption as indicated earlier in verse 21. This corruption can be traced to the problem of sin and man’s exceeding sinfulness, so that every suffering in the world today can be traced to sin in the lives of men. God identifies with the suffering of all of humanity and knowing the root problem of suffering to be sin, God sent Jesus Christ to save men from their sins: “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:  for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:  for he shall save his people from their sin.” – Matthew 1:21.

The Gospel

The gospel message is the good news of God’s saving activity in Jesus Christ in redeeming men from their sins. This cannot be over emphasized as the problem of sin is all too well known in the world today and most religion teach that God dislikes sin. What many of these religions do not teach is that God has also given us a solution to sin.

In the nation of Israel, whose history and religion is well documented in Old Testament, God gave the ritual of animal sacrifice as a form of atonement for the sins of his people. We see that this activity was actually foreshadowing the coming of Jesus Christ who was to become God’s Sacrificial Lamb to take away the sin of the whole world (John 1:29, Revelation 5:6). God fulfilled his promise of sending the messiah when Jesus Christ was born and following thirty three years of ministry on earth, he was crucified on a Roman Cross. Jesus died and rose again after three days having purchased eternal redemption for as many as would believe in Him. The scripture tells us:

“6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.   7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die:  yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.   8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.   9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.   10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.   11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.   12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;  and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…18 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.   19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” – Romans 5

One thing is clear from the above scriptures: Christ died to reconcile sinful humanity to God, who were at enmity with their creator because of sin. The good news about this act of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is that salvation is free of charge! The same way we became sinners by being born of earthly parents who descended from sinful Adam, so also shall we be made righteous by being born-again of the Spirit, when we commit our lives to Christ and receive Him into our lives by faith. The solution to sin then comes to us in two folds: first, we have the blessing of His righteousness that is given to us as a result of our union with Christ by faith (Colosians 2:10) and next we receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit in our lives to help us live lives that are pleasing to God (Galatians 5:22-23).

Coming to Jesus

Jesus Welcomes You

In the gospels, Jesus Christ made a passionate appeal to men to come to Him: “28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.   29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;  for I am meek and lowly in heart:  and ye shall find rest unto your souls.   30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” – Matthew 11. Peradventure there is some one reading this who desires to come to Jesus and be born-again so as to be free from sin, all that is required is sincerity of heart, mind and purpose. One thing is sure: God is also willing to give His own life to you. The first step is repentance. This will involve acknowledging that you are a sinner and asking God to forgive you your sins. Know that your being a sinner is primarily because you are born a human being in this world and secondarily because you commit sins. So the magnitude of sins you commit does not matter; there are individuals who naturally are morally upright. Such people are as much sinners as Hitler, if they have never committed their lives to Jesus Christ.

When you have asked God to forgive you your sin(s), then you must believe that you are a child of God: faith. Faith is extremely vital because coming to Christ is a spiritual act that cannot be felt physically. You must believe that God is all too willing to receive a sincere and penitent individual who has asked Jesus to be the Lord of his life. Following this, you must get to know the person of Jesus Christ by reading the accounts giving of Him in the bible, especially the New Testament. Associating with professing Christians will also help you in this new found faith in Jesus Christ.

At this point I wish to make it clear that the process of an individual’s conversion is supernatural and it is the act of a sovereign God. There is more of the working of God in bringing men to salvation in Christ than what we do to be saved. So, while the steps enumerated above are good in themselves, God can save men in whatever way he wants. One common denominator to the salvation experience is that the person who is saved begins to know God more. Jesus said: “this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent”. Knowing God is salvation itself. When men come to know and understand the person of God and Jesus Christ, they can go to Him and believe in Him unto salvation. So as much as we encourage repentance and faith in God, what will ultimately cement the salvation experience is getting to know God more through His word and enjoying an assurance of salvation.

Beware of a Different Gospel

Another Gospel

We cannot discuss the subject of the gospel of Jesus Christ and not also talk about another gospel like it. While Christ’s gospel aims to have genuine born-again Christians, this other gospel produces pseudo Christians: men and women who profess the Christian faith but have never met the author of salvation. Another gospel results in hypocrites filling the pews and sometimes pulpits of churches; they lack the life of God and all that is about them is pure religion. Their religion is based on rote, the commandment of men and dictates of tradition. This other gospel takes the following format but it is not limited to:

1.      A prosperity gospel: health and wealth

2.      A motivational gospel: success

3.      A Word of Faith movement

4.      A ritual gospel that sees conversion in infant baptism

5.      A gospel that is easy to believe, that does not require repentance

6.      A holiness movement

Much of Christendom today is replete with individuals whose conversion has the above gospel as their foundation of faith. I do not question whether those who believe these gospels are saved or not because only God knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19), I however believe that the gospel that Jesus Christ and His apostles espoused is not in any way similar to those listed above. Those who have come to faith in Jesus through these gospels will need to check themselves well to be sure they are in faith, lest they have believed in vain.

Conclusion

The aim of this article is to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who wish to know Him and receive Him as their personal Lord and Savior. I have shown that the challenge of the world today is sin and sin is the author of all of mankind’s sufferings. I wish to conclude by saying that God would have all men to be saved and that believing in Jesus Christ is by faith alone; God is not demanding money or good deeds from you to be saved. I have not said that my readers should become Christians. Indeed Jesus Christ was not a Christian. The name Christian was some sort of nick name given to the followers of those who espoused the teachings of Christ. I am convinced that a man may profess any religion and still be saved, if he has come to believing faith in Jesus Christ through personal confessions of his sins to God and having active faith in God for his life now and in the times to come.

The times are hard and there is no assurance that human suffering is about to decrease. The assurance we have, however, is as we have seen quoted in Matthew 11:28, when Christ promised that as many as come to Him will have rest in their souls. Regardless of the suffering on the outside, God has promised his redeemed people a rest in their souls. This is the true victory of the cross: rest in our souls; strength in our inner most being; love for God and all of humanity; peace – abundant of peace; joy overflowing; vision; focus; hope; assurance of salvation; etc.

Jesus Gives True Joy

None of these things can be bought with money and none of them are tangible – rather, they are the effect of the workings of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives. This Spirit has been given to us as a down payment of our future glory. The Christian’s greatest joy is that when this entire world is over, and life is ended, there is a sure hope – a home made ready for us by Christ Jesus in heaven.

Praise the Lord!

PS:

If as a result of reading this article, you have made a decision to commit your life to Christ, I rejoice with you. I would like to hear from you. Please send me an email on yesufudeji@yahoo.com and I can help you with some advice on how to continue in the Lord. If however, you have some questions about faith in Jesus Christ, you may reach me on that same e-mail and I would respond to you. Thank you.