Differentiating the child of God from those of the devil (part 2)

The righteousness which when practice differentiates the children of God from the children of the devil is having faith in the act of righteousness by which man was imputed with righteousness. And since faith without works is dead, it means demonstrating this faith by whatever symbol that proclaims this act of righteousness.

 It is clearly stated that, “As the result of one man’s act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19).

The act of righteousness which imputed righteousness and brought life to all men, is the offering of the body of Jesus Christ which He offered to the Father as a sweet-smelling aroma, and which satisfies His will.

Righteousness has been attained on this basis from the very inception of humanity beginning with Abel. Immediately after we are given the two signs which differentiate the children of God from the children of the devil it is stated, “For thus is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brothers righteous” (1John 3:11-12).

So, what made God to regard Abel’s offering and disregard the offering made by Cain? Not only did God highly regard Abel’s Offering, but he was also commended as being a righteous man.

How did Abel attain righteousness? This is what we learn from the scriptures; “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the first fruit of the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord has regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard” (Genesis 4: 3-5).

We are further told that, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, by faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings” (Hebrews11:4).

The reason why Abel’s offering was accepted, and Cain’s not accepted is because Abel offered to the Lord the sacrifice, the sweet aroma which satisfies His will, one which depicts the best one can offer for man’s redemption. For the life of all flesh is in the blood; and God has given it to us upon the altar to make atonement for our souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.

The Lord instructed the priests saying, “You must not redeem the first born of an ox, a sheep or a goat; they are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.” Again, the Lord said to them; “The priests shall burn them (the fat) on the altar as food, and offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. You must not eat any fat or any blood” (Numbers18:17; Leviticus 3:16-17).

The sprinkling of blood and the burning of the fat of clean animals which were offered by Abel and also the Levites the priests were a type, that foreshadowed the real sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the best and only sacrifice that can fulfill the Father’s will in presenting the worshiper holy and blameless before Him.

 It is this secret mystery that was hidden for ages in God who created all things; that through the church His manifold wisdom might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.

This secret mystery was according to the eternal purpose which God has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confidence of access through our faith in Him. Therefore, the practical righteous act which distinguishes the children of God from the children of the devil is faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ which is demonstrated by partaking of the bread and wine. For it is written: “For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup you proclaim (demonstrate) the Lord’s death until He comes.”

It is this act of righteousness that the children of God have become enslaved to for having been set free from sin. They are enslaved to this act of righteousness because God requires that this offering, the food for His offerings, His sweet-smelling aroma be offered to Him at its appointed time. In fact, God set aside specific times for His children to come together before Him, specifically to offer to Him His offering.

For thus says the Lord; “These are the Lord’s appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the Lord by fire – the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. These offerings are in addition to observing of the Lord’s Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the Lord” (Leviticus 3:37-38; Numbers chapter 28 and 29).

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Differentiating the children of God from those of the Devil

  

Identifying the Children of God

It is without a shadow of doubt that the majority of people especially in the Christian religion believes that there is but only one God, the Father of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through Him we live, because in Him we live and move and have our being; He is the vine and we are the branches.

Nevertheless, it is stated quite distinctly that there are those who are regarded as the children of God, and those who are regarded as children of the devil; for thus it is written; “This is how we know who the children of God are, and who the children of the devil are” (1John.3:10).

In order to differentiate one from the other, two identifying signs have been given, but before we examine these two signs it is imperative that we know first of all how one can be regarded as a child of God and the other a child of the devil.

God the Father in His great mercy has given us (humanity) new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade away reserved in heaven for us. We were created through the resurrection of Jesus Christ to be like God in righteousness and true holiness.

Nevertheless we all have a human spirit which was dead (separated from God), because of the transgression of the first Adam, but was made alive again (given access to the Father), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but remains a free moral agency with the prerogative to join itself with either the spirit of the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience, and thereby becoming a child of the devil.

Or, the prerogative to join our spirit with the Spirit of God and becomes one spirit with the Lord. When joined to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Authority is given to be called children of God only to those who receives Christ, and believes in His name. At this point the Father qualifies them to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light, for He has rescued them from the kingdom of darkness, and translated them into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom they have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The fact that there are those who are the children of the devil should not be a surprise because Jesus Himself said to the descendants of Abraham; “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of My own accord, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear My word.’

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him, when he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:42-44).

Having established the fact that there are children of God and children of the devil, it is therefore imperative to know how we are able to differentiate them.

It is stated quite explicitly, “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother” (1John 3:10).

It is imperative that we first establish and prove what is this act of righteousness, that when practice differentiates the children of God from the children of the devil.

Certainly, it cannot be our own righteousness, because it is clearly stated that, “We are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousness are like filthy rags. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” We are all under the power of sin as it is written; “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God, all have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one” (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10-12).

Neither can it be righteousness from the keeping of the law, because it is again stated quite clearly that; “Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith, but as it were based on works. They stumble over the stumbling stone.” It is well understood that, “No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law; rather, through the law they become conscious of sin” (Romans 9:31-32; 3:20).

What therefore is the act of righteousness which, when practice differentiates God’s children from the children of the devil?

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 To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The manifestation of God’s glory

The Prophet Ezekiel in describing the glory of God wrote; “Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 1:28).

The rainbow is the sign of the covenant God made between Himself and man, and every living creature that is with man. In fact, it is God’s perpetual covenant with the earth (Genesis 9:12-17).

The rainbow with its seven splendid colors depicts the seven attributes which when formulated together, produced the divine nature of God which is love (1John 4:8).

The seven colors of the rainbow which depicts the glory of God are:

1.     Red - depicting our precious life we give in service to God and planet earth. It is the service of brotherly kindness.

2.     Orange- depicting godliness, our moral and virtuous living, by abstaining from what is evil, and be obedient to the word.

3.     Yellow - depicting the genuineness of our faith which is more precious than gold that perishes, even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1Peter 1:7).

4.     Green – depicting perseverance/ patience, a by-product from the testing of faith. Because, “The testing of faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-3).

5.         Blue – depicting the color of a clear blue sky, reflecting godly divine knowledge.

6.         Indigo – depicting self-control, standing between knowledge and virtue.

7.         Violet – depicting virtue, which is the application of godly knowledge, with sacrificial love.

Virtue is more than simple moral goodness. It is a source of inner strength/power, by which the moral goodness is executed. It is the power which exercises or executes faith (Mark 5:30; Luke 6:19;.8:46),

These seven traits as depicted by the colors of the rainbow, forms the composition of love, and therefore we should make every effort to add to our faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge; and to knowledge; self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For, “If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is short-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins” (2Peter 1:5-9).

Our spiritual growth can also be measured by our relationship with the world. For whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4).

We are therefore admonished saying; “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world” (1John 2:15-17).

Spiritual growth can also be measured by one’s zeal and desire to worship and fellowship with God and His Son Jesus Christ, by fellowshipping with one another at God’s appointed times, known as holy convocation.

May the eyes of our spiritual understanding be enlightened.

Lucius Joseph

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Measuring our Spiritual growth

How can our spiritual growth be measured? Is it possible to measure it as we are able to measure our physical growth?

We are told that, “God’s divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence [virtue], by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature” (2Peter 1:2-4).

The objective for human life is to develop God’s divine nature. It is to rid the body of sin, so that the body can become the spiritual temple of God, and our everlasting dwelling.

 The growth and development of the new spirit man is, “In knowledge after the image of its Creator” And therefore we are admonished to, “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (Colossians 3:10; 2Peter 3:18).

All of God’s promises to us are to His praise and glory. They are all contained in the glory and virtue [excellence] of Jesus Christ which we are to emulate and share, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2Corinthians 1:20).

Therefore, because of God’s promises, “We are to purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2Corinthians 7:1).

In order to be able to measure our spiritual development, we need to clearly define what is glory and virtue. We ought not to be afraid of examining ourselves. In fact, the exhortation is to, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves; that Jesus Christ is in you? - Unless you are disqualified (2Corinthians13:5-6).

Glory, the desired end for which we have been justified, called, and predestined is:

a.      A distinctive feature; the highest pinnacle or distinction. A trait, which distinguishes something above the rest; splendor, honor, fullness of perfection, radiant beauty, magnificence.

b.     It is the pinnacle of God’s majestic powers, His awesome beauty, His unsearchable knowledge, His indescribable wisdom, His holiness, His amazing strength, and His perfect love.

c.      The developing state which follows salvation (2 Timothy 2:10; Romans 2: 7, 10).

d.      A transformation by the Holy Spirit, dependent on the individual’s assessment of the Lord’s glory. The level of one’s glory is dependent on the degree in which Christ is formed or magnified in the individual (2Corinthians 3:18; Colossians1:27; Galatians 4:19; Philippians 1: 20; 2Corinthians 4:10-11).

e.      A developing state as a result of suffering [not wrongfully] but as a Christian. Considered to be greater than all present sufferings (Romans 5:3; 8:18; Hebrews 2:9-11, 1 Peter 4:12-16; 2Corinthians 4;17;

f.       The future state of all those who will appear with Jesus Christ at His return (Colossians 3:4).

 God has called us to His eternal glory, as it is written, “To this He called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2Thesssolians 2:14; 1 Peter 5:10).

Since we have been called to God’s eternal glory, and we are being transformed from one degree of glory to another, depending on the image of the glory we have before us. What sort of image do we have before us, and how does the image of God’s glory manifest itself?

To be continued

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

In pursuit of higher learning (part 5)

6.         Gentleness

Which is the mild spirit, combined with tenderness, is actually a required spiritual clothing for the man of God: For it is written; “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians .3:12).

This quality is essential to how Christians live in this world. They are to be reminded to, “Be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle to all, showing all humility to all men” (Titus 3:1-2).

They as servants of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition. This quality plays an important role in how one restores a weak brother. We have been admonished saying, Brethren, if a man is overtaken or caught in a sin, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).

Gentleness is an essential ingredient in fulfilling our high calling. We are urged to, “Live a life worthy of the calling we have received. Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love, make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).

It is an incorruptible ornament in a marriage relationship. Wives are admonished saying; “Do not let your beauty be that of the outward adorning of arranging the hair, of wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1Peter 3:3-4).

In like manner, one should not let the pursuit of higher learning be that of attaining an accreditation for a bachelor or a master’s degree, but as children of God who have received the free gift of eternal life from God through Jesus Christ and should make it their aim to pursue a degree in glory through the discipline of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

Believe it or not, “We all with unveiled faces are beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image from one degree of glory to another, which comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit” (2Corinthians 3:18).

The highest degree or honor one can ever achieve is an immortal glorified body, which is synonymous to everlasting life, and will be accredited by Jesus Christ at His return. This degree in glory varies from one degree to another, similarly to that of the sun which has one glory, the moon another, the stars another and every star out of the billions differs from star to star in glory.

It is therefore imperative that we take heed to the apostle Paul’s admonition who wrote; “I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion (1Timothy 6:11-16).

Remember, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh, will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7-8).

The irony of truth is, pursuing a college degree is sowing to the flesh, and will eventually reap corruption. No offense intended.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

In pursuit of higher learning (part 4)

4. Love

This is the unselfish benevolent concern one exhibits towards God the Father, Jesus Christ, and others. Love towards God the Father and Jesus Christ is, manifested in the act of obedience as alluded to by Jesus Christ who said, “If you love Me keep My commandments’. ‘He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.’ And, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:15, 21, 23).

This act of obedience or love is a demonstration of true faith in God. Such love constrains us from committing evil, and propels us to love one another as we love ourselves. The remarkable thing about this love is that it is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrong doings, takes no delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and never fails.

The true expression of this love is by loving God with all our heart, with all our understanding, and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.

The application of such love gives boldness; because whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

5.         Patience

This is the ability to bear trials without grumbling. This attribute is produced from a good and noble heart who hears the word of God, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. This is figurative to the seed which fell on good soil and produced a crop. Patience is the product of suffering, tribulation, and the testing of our faith, which in turn produces character. Hence, we are to do everything without complaining or arguing, so that we may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which we shine like stars in the universe as we hold on to the word of life’ (Philippians 2:14-16).

 To be continued

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

In pursuit of higher learning (part 3)

Godliness

Which is holy living as an absolute necessity because it is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1Timothy 4:8).

Unfortunately, this state of life has been perverted by men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of (material and financial) gains. God fearing people have been warned to, ‘Withdraw themselves from such people, because godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and it is certain we can carry nothing out, but if we have food and clothing with these, we shall be content. One should therefore avoid covetousness, and be content with such things as he/she has.

3.         Faith

Which is believing that God is who He is, and a re-warder of those who diligently seek Him. And, having confidence in the testimony that God has given us with regards to His Son through the medium of the scriptures, preaching, and the gospel. The testimony which God has given concerning His Son is that, “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has (the real) life; he who has not the Son of God has not (the real) life” (1John 5:11-12).

The apostle John said, “I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” This assurance should give everyone the motivation and impetus to pursue a higher learning in the life in the Spirit because, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And since it is clearly stated “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? “And, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (Hebrews 11:1; James 2:20; 26).

It is therefore imperative that we learn to exercise our faith and experience the results as stipulated by Jesus Christ who said; “I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. Also, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you” (Matthew 17:20; Luke 17:6).

The exercising of faith is a personal responsibility as we have been duly instructed saying; “Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves; And again, whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:22-23).

Therefore, it is everyone’s individual responsibility to come to the knowledge and understanding of Jesus Christ and what He has bestowed upon humanity and express our gratitude and appreciation for what He has done for us and learn to have trust and confidence in Him and the power and authority He has bestowed upon us.

 To be continued

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph