The critical choices of life

The bible talks about a time of ignorance which God has overlooked: and now commands all men everywhere to repent.

This ignorance is the ignorance of the one and only true God who created the heavens and the earth, and man’s duality, by which man is both the offspring of the first Adam which is natural and of a temporary existence; and the offspring of the Last Adam Jesus Christ, which is divine, spiritual and eternal.

For this reason man’s life encompasses a series of choices which he has to make between these two diametrically opposite entities, which under no circumstances can or will co-exist together. These entities are at variance with each other, they are derived from two different sources, and any form of merger between the two entities is unacceptable before God and it is corruptible.

The choices one has to make because of his duality are:-:

1.      1. The choice between adopting God as the Father: Or, Satan as our father.

 Jesus, in no uncertain terms told the Jews who did not believe in him; “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

The crux of the matter is, we were all born into the kingdom of darkness under the ruler-ship of Satan the devil, and it is only to as many as received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, "to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13).

2.      2. The choice of having God as our Master: Or the riches of this world [mammon] as our master

Jesus told His disciples, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

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      3. The choice of having Jesus Christ as our King: Or, the rulers of this world.

The Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).

Samuel then said to the people, “You have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, but set a king over us’ (1 Samuel 10:19)!

When the people realized the evil they had done in rejecting God who was their King, and asking for a king like the other nations, they said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves” (1 Samuel 12:19).

Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver; for they are nothing.

For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake. Because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people, moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king” (1 Samuel 12:20-25).

This choice is what is termed, the lesser of two evils, where God allows man the freedom to choose their own king, healer, protector and reaps the benefits or the consequences of their actions, which of course is not the ideal choice, but God allows it because of man´s rejection of His sovereignty.                                                                                                                                                                               

4.     4. The choice of having our citizenship in the Kingdom of light in heaven: Or, having our citizenship in the kingdom of darkness in this world.

 It is stated clearly that, at conversion, God delivers us from the power of darkness, and translates us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, qualifying us to become partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the [kingdom of} light (Colossians 1:12-13).

Unfortunately many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthy material things.

But our citizenship should be in heaven, and should be eagerly awaiting a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body” (Philippians 3:18-21).

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      5. The choice of living in accordance to the Spirit: Or, living in accordance to the flesh.

There is definitely a life which is lived either in accordance to the Spirit, or lived in accordance to the flesh. As it is clearly written; “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want” (Galatians 5:16-17).

In fact, our human body is actually the instrument or mechanism that we use to either live in accordance to the Spirit, or to live in accordance to the flesh. Therefore have been admonished saying, "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God...I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness" (Romans 6:13,19).

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      6. The choice to live by faith in Jesus Christ: Or, by the requirements of the law.

We have been instructed saying; "Before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians 3:23-24).

Implying that, before one can come to have faith in Jesus Christ, and be justified byfaith, he/she must first be tutored by the law, so as to be in conformity with Jesus Christ. Because, faith comes by hearing: and hearing by the word of God, and also, it is through the law one has the knowledge of what sin is. For what shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet" (Romans 7:7).

But do we make void the law through faith? The unequivocal answer is; “Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).

7    7. The choice of having faith in the power of God: Or, having faith in the wisdom of men.

The apostle Paul said, “My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

Everything which man has invented, regardless how brilliant it seems to be, citizens of the kingdom of light should not place their faith in it, because, there is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is the way of death.

      8. The choice of justification by Grace: Or justification by works

It is stated quite explicitly that, “If [justification is] by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work." Grace is simply something which is unmerited, something one can never attain on his/her own merit  (Romans 11:6).

Nevertheless, it is stated quite clearly that; "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" Therefore, justification by grace did not do away with good works..

    9. The choice between two opinions, “If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings:18:21).

The choices we have to make is simply the choice between living the true, real, abundant life which Jesus Christ brought to humanity, or, living the alternative way of life which man has chosen to live for himself.

These two diametrically opposite life styles are compared to two trees, each bearing its own fruit. You either make a tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad. Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree, cannot bear good fruit.

In like manner a good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. No spring can yield both salt water and fresh water from the same spring; nor can fresh water and bitter water issued from the same spring.

Our human body is the instrument that is used as being servants of the spirit or, the servants of the flesh.  Just as we have presented our members as slaves of uncleanness leading to more lawlessness, we must now present our members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. We are servants to whom we present ourselves slaves to obey, whether sin – the alternative way of man which seems right to him, and leads to death, or of obedience to the laws of God which leads to righteousness, and produces fruit to holiness, and the end everlasting.

Which will you choose?

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph