Second reason why we are alienated from the life of God

1.      Alienated from the life of God because of the hardening of the heart

The second reason why we are alienated from the life of God and unable to bear spiritual fruits it is because of the hardening and insensitivity of the heart, because although we claim to know God, we do not glorify Him as God, nor are we thankful, but we are futile in our thoughts, and our foolish hearts are darkened. Professing to be wise, we became fools, and are changing the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, birds, four-footed animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:21-23).

So how are we to glorify God? We are to glorify God in both the nature of the first Adam and that of the last Adam as we have been duly instructed saying: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

To glorify God in our body necessitates that we do not desecrate or defiled our human body because, from since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the human body is not simply dust and to dust it shall return, but instead, we have been reminded saying; “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh."

And so the admonition is, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:15-19).

So let us now think and walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise and consider this for a moment, if sexual immorality, be it homosexuality, sodomy, bestiality, adultery, fornication, all defiles the human body and deems it unworthy to inherit the kingdom of God, I therefore beg to ask the question, what will be the outcome of the human body, the temple of the Holy Spirit which has been injected directly into the blood stream with aborted human fetuses in order to mutate and facilitate whatever is in the vaccine with the human body, whether it be aids viruses or all sorts of stem cells directly into the blood stream?

Be our own judge! For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world, the choice is ours to make and if we are not chastened it is simply because we do not believe that sexual immorality is sin and that our human body is indeed the temple of the Holy Spirit.

But the scriptures categorically state; “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

So then, the multimillion question to all professing believers in Jesus Christ is, do you personally believe that, the Corona virus vaccines with whatever its composition defies the temple of the Holy Spirit? The choice is for each individual, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

Not only are we to glorify God in our body which has become the temple of the Holy Spirit, but we also have to glorify God in spirit which is being manifested:

a.       Through praise

For we have been admonished saying; “Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God." We glorify God in spirit; through the inward man by continually offering the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name, and allowing the word of Christ to dwell in us richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord” (Psalms 50:22-23; Hebrews 13:15; Colossians 3:16).

We glorify the Lord in spirit when we present ourselves before Him at His appointed times (His Sabbath days) and adhering to the protocol which states: “Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples; give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns; the world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously" (1 Chronicles 16:28-31; Psalms 96: 7-10).

We glorify God by being productive as stated by Jesus Who said; “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:7-8).

We glorify God by rendering excellent quality service as we have been duly admonished saying; “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Peter 4:11; 1Corinthians 10:31).

Last but not least, we glorify God through suffering in the flesh and so we have received the consolation saying; “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” (1 Peter 4:14-16).

And so, in this critical and trying times our consolation is; “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1Peter 4:12-13).

In every difficult situation the faith of every believer is on trial, but in this we are to greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, we have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of our faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

 To be continued

https://www.amazon.com/dp/145385777X

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATINGS6

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077M5T68T

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Reasons why we are alienated from the life of God

There are basically four reasons why some people are alienated from the life of God and fail to produce spiritual fruits.

1.      Alienated from the life of God because of Ignorance

Ignorance to the reality that humanity is both the offspring of the first and last Adam is a major reason why many are failing to produce spiritual fruits. As the offspring of the first Adam, man has no advantage over the beast as alluded to by the wise King Solomon who wrote; “For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?” (Ecclesiastes 3:19-21).

But with the advent of the last Adam the second man from heaven mankind has the preeminence over the animal for we have been duly admonished saying; “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.’

“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).

As the offspring of the first Adam, we were all by nature children of wrath, children of the devil as confirmed by the apostle Paul who wrote; “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Jesus Christ also made mention of the fact that we by nature were the children of the devil when He said to the Pharisees; “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:42-44).

And so, because of this huge disparity that exist between living the life which is in accordance to the flesh and the life which is in accordance to the Spirit, we have been duly instructed saying; “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ephesians 4:17-19).

How often do we hear people saying, “I have only one life to live,” in the context of "Let us travel, eat and drink, for tomorrow we die?" But the irony of truth is, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

The reality is, there is a daily struggle between the flesh and the Spirit, between the nature of the first and that of the last Adam, and so the admonition is;  "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16-17).

Let us therefore not be ignorant of who we are and use the freedom of choice we all have wisely and. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7-8).

Let us all therefore be mindful of the life in the Spirit which is contrary and in conflict with that of the flesh and originated from two different sources. In addition to this; "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. We cannot serve God and mammon. 

 To be continued

https://www.amazon.com/dp/145385777X

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFP1SMV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The reality and practicality of the new and living way

The new and living way is as literal and practical as that of the old way; it is the practical way of living by which one has access and relationship with the Father. The comparison between the old way and the new way is identical to a good tree and a bad tree as illustrated by Jesus Christ who said; “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33).

The irony of truth is, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ humanity stemmed from the tree of life which is Jesus Christ who is eternal life as we have been duly instructed saying; “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life’…And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1John 5: 11, 12, 20).

Jesus Christ said quite emphatically; “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2).

The stark reality is that, “in Him (Jesus Christ) we (humanity) live and move and have our being (existence), as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17: 28-30).

However, humanity needs not only to have the knowledge and assurance that it is in Jesus Christ we all live and move and have our existence, but to know, understand and believe also that, we need to have Jesus Christ living in us and so we have been duly admonished saying; “But as many as received Him, 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 1:1-13).

And so, unless one accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and invites Him to live in one’s life he/she is not considered a child of God because, the cycle is as follows; God is the source and origin of life and Jesus Christ is in Him, humanity are in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is in the believer and the Father in Jesus Christ, as Jesus said plainly to the Jews; “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him" (John 10:37-38).

And also in Jesus’ prayer to the Father on behalf of all believers He said; “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23).

It is therefore incumbent on everyone to start examining ourselves to see whether we are living in the spirit and bearing the fruits of the Spirit and so the admonition is; “Examine ourselves as to whether we are in the faith. Test ourselves. Do we not know ourselves that Jesus Christ is in us? --- Unless indeed we are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

It is important that we continually reminding ourselves that, from now on, meaning, from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17).

Unfortunately, not too many people have been taught the way of life in the Spirit which is diametrically opposite to the way of life in the flesh, or the way of the new, inward man as compared to the way of the old, outward man, for which we have been duly forewarned saying; “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16-17).

We should all therefore echo the sentiment of the apostle Paul who wrote; “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Unfortunately, our society, education and religious system have all failed to educate us about the struggle that exist between the old, outer man and the new, inward man or between the natural man and the spirit man as we have been duly admonished saying; “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:21-24).

And so although it is right to say that, “I have only one life to live” It is also imperative to know how we should live this life, whether we should live it in accordance to the flesh, the old, outward man, or whether we are going to live it in accordance to the Spirit which is the new, inward man. For we have been duly instructed saying; “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7-8).

So you see, our success depends on how we spend our lives whether it is living to gratify the outward man and reap the consequences of corruption or, living to gratify the inward man and reap the benefit of everlasting life which is the immortality of the human body because, the members of our body are instruments to both the outward and spiritual man and so the choice of life is ours.

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/145385777X

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFP1SMV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The reality and practicality of the new and living way

The new and living way is as literal and practical as that of the old way; it is the practical way of living by which one has access and relationship with the Father. The comparison between the old way and the new way is identical to a good tree and a bad tree as illustrated by Jesus Christ who said; “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33).

The irony of truth is, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ humanity stemmed from the tree of life which is Jesus Christ who is eternal life as we have been duly instructed saying; “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life’…And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1John 5: 11, 12, 20).

 

Jesus Christ said quite emphatically; “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2).

The stark reality is that, “in Him (Jesus Christ) we (humanity) live and move and have our being (existence), as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17: 28-30).

However, humanity needs not only to have the knowledge and assurance that it is in Jesus Christ we all live and move and have our existence, but to know, understand and believe also that, we need to have Jesus Christ living in us and so we have been duly admonished saying; “But as many as received Him, 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 1:1-13).

And so, unless one accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and invites Him to live in one’s life he/she is not considered a child of God because, the cycle is as follows; God is the source and origin of life and Jesus Christ is in Him, humanity are in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is in the believer and the Father in Jesus Christ, as Jesus said plainly to the Jews; “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him" (John 10:37-38).

And also in Jesus’ prayer to the Father on behalf of all believers He said; “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23).

It is therefore incumbent on everyone to start examining ourselves to see whether we are living in the spirit and bearing the fruits of the Spirit and so the admonition is; “Examine ourselves as to whether we are in the faith. Test ourselves. Do we not know ourselves that Jesus Christ is in us? --- Unless indeed we are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

It is important that we continually reminding ourselves that, from now on, meaning, from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17).

Unfortunately, not too many people have been taught the way of life in the Spirit which is diametrically opposite to the way of life in the flesh, or the way of the new, inward man as compared to the way of the old, outward man, for which we have been duly forewarned saying; “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16-17).

We should all therefore echo the sentiment of the apostle Paul who wrote; “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Unfortunately, our society, education and religious system have all failed to educate us about the struggle that exist between the old, outer man and the new, inward man or between the natural man and the spirit man as we have been duly admonished saying; “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:21-24).

And so although it is right to say that, “I have only one life to live” It is also imperative to know how we should live this life, whether we should live it in accordance to the flesh, the old, outward man, or whether we are going to live it in accordance to the Spirit which is the new, inward man. For we have been duly instructed saying; “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7-8).

So you see, our success depends on how we spend our lives whether it is living to gratify the outward man and reap the consequences of corruption or, living to gratify the inward man and reap the benefit of everlasting life which is the immortality of the human body because, the members of our body are instruments to both the outward and spiritual man and so the choice of life is ours.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/145385777X

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFP1SMV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

The reality of the new and living way

The reality of the new and living way

The new and living way is as literal and practical as that of the old way; it is the practical way of living by which one has access and relationship with the Father. The comparison between the old way and the new way is identical to a good tree and a bad tree as illustrated by Jesus Christ who said; “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33).

The irony of truth is, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ humanity stemmed from the tree of life which is Jesus Christ who is eternal life as we have been duly instructed saying; “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life’…And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1John 5: 11, 12, 20).

Jesus Christ said quite emphatically; “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2).

The stark reality is that, “in Him (Jesus Christ) we (humanity) live and move and have our being (existence), as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17: 28-30).

However, humanity needs not only to have the knowledge and assurance that it is in Jesus Christ we all live and move and have our existence, but to know, understand and believe also that, we need to have Jesus Christ living in us and so we have been duly admonished saying; “But as many as received Him, 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 1:1-13).

And so, unless one accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and invites Him to live in one’s life he/she is not considered a child of God because, the cycle is as follows; God is the source and origin of life and Jesus Christ is in Him, humanity are in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is in the believer and the Father in Jesus Christ, as Jesus said plainly to the Jews; “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him" (John 10:37-38).

And also in Jesus’ prayer to the Father on behalf of all believers He said; “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23).

It is therefore incumbent on everyone to start examining ourselves to see whether we are living in the spirit and bearing the fruits of the Spirit and so the admonition is; “Examine ourselves as to whether we are in the faith. Test ourselves. Do we not know ourselves that Jesus Christ is in us? --- Unless indeed we are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

It is important that we continually reminding ourselves that, from now on, meaning, from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17).

Unfortunately, not too many people have been taught the way of life in the Spirit which is diametrically opposite to the way of life in the flesh, or the way of the new, inward man as compared to the way of the old, outward man, for which we have been duly forewarned saying; “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16-17).

We should all therefore echo the sentiment of the apostle Paul who wrote; “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Unfortunately, our society, education and religious system have all failed to educate us about the struggle that exist between the old, outer man and the new, inward man or between the natural man and the spirit man as we have been duly admonished saying; “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:21-24).

And so although it is right to say that, “I have only one life to live” It is also imperative to know how we should live this life, whether we should live it in accordance to the flesh, the old, outward man, or whether we are going to live it in accordance to the Spirit which is the new, inward man. For we have been duly instructed saying; “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7-8).

So you see, our success depends on how we spend our lives whether it is living to gratify the outward man and reap the consequences of corruption or, living to gratify the inward man and reap the benefit of everlasting life which is the immortality of the human body because, the members of our body are instruments to both the outward and spiritual man and so the choice of life is ours.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/145385777X

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFP1SMV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Walking in newness of life

Walking in newness of life

Anyone who has truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and has been buried with Him through baptism into death, should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

If indeed we have heard Him (Jesus Christ) and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: we are to put off, concerning our former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of our mind, and that we put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness because,  just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6: 1-7; Ephesians 4: 21-24).

The crux of the matter is, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ we should regard no one according to the flesh, meaning that we should regard no one as just being physical and carnal but also as being spiritual. Why? Because at the resurrection of Jesus Christ the carnal mind which is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can ever be was crucified and buried with Christ and was raised in newness of life.

With the carnal mind man had no access to the Father except through multiple animal sacrifices which were offered year by year and still could not make those who approach perfect, but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ a new and living way was consecrated for us giving us direct access to the throne of grace And so we have received the consolation saying; “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10: 19-20).

What has eluded the mind of most professing believers is the fact that, humanity received from Jesus Christ a new mind and a new nature and has been reconciled to God. For we have the consolation saying; “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-11).

It is imperative to note that, it is not only the believer that has been reconciled to the Father but humanity as a whole, for we have been admonished saying; “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

God in Christ reconciling the world to Him is the new life in the spirit. Man was separated from the life of God due to sin as we have been duly admonished saying; “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).

The death of the spiritual man came as the result of Adam and Eve’s transgression, for the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17).

But the devil tempted Eve and said to her, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5).

The irony of truth is, although Adam lived for nine hundred and thirty years physically before he died, but the same day he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he died spiritually and so, to prevent Adam and Eve from partaking of the tree of life and eat, and live forever the Lord drove out the man from the garden and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

But at the advent of Jesus Christ we have received the assurance saying; “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:1-7).

This new life therefore, is the rebirth of the sprit in man which gave man access to the Father. But how many of us who profess to be believers are able to make a clear distinction between living in accordance to the flesh and living in accordance to the spirit, or in our present dilemma the difference between having faith in the wisdom of men and having faith in the power of God.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/145385777X

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFP1SMV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S9QXQ4E

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

How binding is God’s Decree to Man?

It is evident that everything God created was decreed and foreordained to fulfill a particular function and purpose in life.  Man like every other created being is no exception: just as it is stated; “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” Because, God commanded and they were created, therefore every created thing must fulfill the purpose for which they were fore-ordained.

 Evidently everything fulfills precisely what it was decreed to perform in the exact manner with no abstention with the exception of man. Take for example God’s ordinance with the heavens, in the Lord’s discourse with Job the Lord said to him; “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?’ (Job 38:33).

 It is clear that the ordinances of the heavens are, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:14-18).

The lights in the firmament of the heavens have never failed to divide the day from the night, or to give light on the earth. The sun which is the greater light has never failed to rule the day as ordained: neither have the moon and stars failed to rule the night as ordained. They have never failed to be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.

 So reliable are God’s ordinances with the heavens that the Lord made a New Covenant with Israel saying; “Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The Lord of hosts is His name): If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever" (Jeremiah 31:35-36).

 The Lord also made an ordinance with the sea, and He revealed this decree to Job by saying, “…Who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; When I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; When I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors; When I said, "This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!' (Job 38:8-11).

 Despite the vastness of the ocean and its majestic waves, the sea shore is its boundary, even when a tsunami or a tidal wave strikes and the waves go beyond their boundaries, their quickly resort to their designated area. This again is an ordinance which is perpetual, and it is daily in operation.

The Lord also made a decree with the horse, and He revealed this to Job by saying; “Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder? Can you frighten him like a locust? His majestic snorting strikes terror. He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms. He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; nor does he turn back from the sword. The quiver rattles against him, the glittering spear and javelin. He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded. At the blast of the trumpet he says, 'Aha!' He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of captains and shouting” (Job 39: 19-25).

 Nothing scares a horse, he mocks at fear, he rejoices in his strength, he covers distances with fierceness and rage, he does not turn back from danger, this is what he is destined to do, and he does it consistently without fail.

 But what about man! Is God's decree to man as consistent and irrevocable as that of the heavens, the sea, and the horse? Logically it should be because David in the Psalms wrote; “Let them [including man] praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away” (Psalms 148: 5-6).

 The decree which the Lord made with His creation is irrevocable, including the one he made with man saying; "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:26-28).

 Man’s first decree is to be in the image and according to the likeness of God, but is man like the other created things fulfilling God’s decree? Unfortunately not, because man has the power of choice to choose God's ordained way of life, or his own way, as it is written; "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.”

 Therefore because of the prerogative to choose, man must be taught the ordinances of God in order to make his choice, and when he has made the right choice, he must seek the provisions which are available to him to fulfill his ordained purpose.

 For example to attain man’s first decree which is to be in the image and likeness of God, man must first seek to know and understand the mechanism which is already in place by which this state can be attained, and therefore the apostle Paul wrote; “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Colossians 1:9-12).

 Man’s destiny unlike those of the other created beings who operate by decree and from natural instinct, are destined for higher degree of glory than how they were originally created, and therefore must put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.

 Man therefore can only fulfill his destiny by being instructed in the ordinances ordained for him to follow. So how can man fulfill his decree of becoming the image and likeness of God?  First of all one needs to know and understand what it means to be in the image of God, and what it means to be in the likeness of God. Technically there is not much of a difference between the word image and likeness. In fact the word image denotes “A likeness or copy, resemblance, form, appearance.

Therefore the word image here denotes form or embodiment. Signifying that man is a being in whom God is embodied like the body of Jesus Christ of whom it is said; “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2: 9-10).

In the God’s word translation of the bible it is stated this way “All of God lives in Christ's body.” And in the New American standard version of the bible it states it this way, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” The likeness is undoubtedly to be like Him in nature, and in character until Christ is formed in us, because Christ came to set us an example that we should follow His steps.

For man to become the image and in the likeness of God, for which he is destined it was foreordained before the foundation of the world the he should be holy, for it is written;  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

 There is only one way by which man can attain his destiny is through the blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and so it is written; “ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth --- in Him.”

“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1: 3-11).

 To fulfill God's decree for man which was destined before the foundation of the world, one must understand and fulfill the mystery of God’s will which is recorded in Ephesians chapter three, and unveiled by the apostle Paul stating;  “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This does, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes” (Ephesians 3:2-5; 1Corinthians 11:23-24).

Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.”

For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order.”

Unlike the rest of God's creation man does not fulfill his decreed purpose by instinct, but rather by choice, and a concerted effort using the resources available to him, that were foreordained before the foundation of the world for his glory, which is the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

 So let us not neglect so great a salvation, and let us not receive the grace of God in vain.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/145385777X

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFP1SMV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

 Copyright © 2013 by Lucius Joseph

All rights reserved