The mystery of the wisdom of God (part 4)

 

1.      Jesus Christ took on flesh in order to give man life

Jesus said quite emphatically; "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

Before the advent of Jesus Christ man only had a temporary existence, in order for him to have life and live forever, he had to partake of the tree of life, but was banned access to the tree of life after choosing to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so God drove out the man; 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 now, due to Jesus Christ coming in the flesh we have been admonished 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" (Ephesians 2: 1-3).

Since Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man has been walking after the imagination of their evil heart, deciding for themselves what is right and what is wrong. The spirit in man was disconnected from the Spirit of God and being carnally minded signifies that man  was an enemy of God because, the natural carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

So in order for God to maintain a relationship with man He chose certain men such as the patriarchs and the prophets and gave them His Spirit to communicate with Him and to stand between Him and man. He later chose the children of Israel and gave them His laws and statutes which were a copy and shadow of the reality until the time of reformation.

Now the way Jesus Christ gave man life it is through His resurrection from the dead. Since when Jesus Christ died all humanity died with Him, when He resurrected from the dead all humanity resurrected with Him also and so we have been duly admonished saying; “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 2:4-7).

But unfortunately, this is only the period of gestation and one needs not only to be conceived but also to be born again; The new birth however, begins only when the individual has Jesus Christ living in them through the Holy Spirit and so we have been duly instructed saying; “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 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 1:10-13).

And so, it is not simply the matter of, in Him we live, in Him we move and in Him we have our existence but principally it is to have Jesus Christ living in us, and so the cycle of life in the new creation is, Jesus Christ (the Word) is in the Father, humanity is in Jesus Christ, but one requires Jesus Christ to be in them in order to have access to the Father.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

The mystery of God's wisdom (part 3)

 

     3.   Jesus Christ took on flesh in order to release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Man was subjected to the bondage of sin and the law of sacrifices which could not present him perfect before God, because the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.

But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.  Therefore, when He (Christ) came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.

Then I said, 'Behold, I have come --- In the volume of the book it is written of Me ---To do Your will, O God.' "Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:1-10).

And so, since the wages of sin is death and the blood of animal sacrifices could not present the worshiper perfect before the Father because if they could they would not have ceased to be offered, therefore, through the death of Jesus Christ in whom all things exist, His death paid the penalty of sin for all humanity and released those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage, but this deliverance requires a certain application and protocol in order to effect the redemption and forgiveness for our transgressions.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Mystery of the wisdom of God (part 2)

1.       Jesus Christ took on flesh in order to destroy the devil and his work

Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death, Jesus Christ took on flesh in order to condemn sin in the flesh by not succumbing to sin, and so we have been instructed saying; "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8: 3-4).

So in order to destroy the work of the devil which is sin which results in death, Jesus Christ likewise shared in the same sinful flesh, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil and since He is the Creator of all things, lived a perfect sinless life in the flesh and so His death is sufficient to pay for the offences of all humanity.

And so, through the death of Jesus Christ in whom all things consist, His death paid the price of sin for all humanity and so all humanity died with Him at His death as we have been duly instructed saying;  “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again”(2Corinthians 5:14-15).

What this means is that, humanity is now indebted to Jesus Christ Who have purchased us with His blood and therefore, we should no longer live and consider ourselves as slaves of sin but rather as slaves of righteousness, for we have been duly instructed saying; “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” (1Corinthians 6:19-20).

Unfortunately, not everyone with this knowledge and the majority of us who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ continue living our lives as in the past not taking into consideration the fact that 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 are to put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Please note carefully that, the new man we are to put on is not something that we are developing or creating on our own but a new nature, a new man which has been created in us by God in true righteousness and holiness and so our responsibility is to grow and develop it.

And the way the new man is developed is by putting on the character of the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him and so, we have been duly admonished saying; “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Colossians 3:10; Romans 12:1-2).

Since we all died with Jesus Christ when He died our duty and responsibility is to do away with everything that has to do with our former nature and allow the nature of Jesus Christ to be formed in us.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

The wisdom of God in a mystery

The wisdom of God in a mystery

In order to truly understand who we are as a new creation it is imperative that we have a clear understanding and appreciation of the process by which we attained this new creation, a process which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1Corinthians 2:8,10).

So here are seven secrets that were hidden from the rulers of this age (Satan and his demons) which if they knew, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

1.      Jesus Christ took on flesh in order to experience life like a human being

Consider therefore, the Lord the Creator divesting Himself of His awesome power and glory and took on the nature of sinful man, in order to experience life like any ordinary man so that sin in the flesh could be conquered: A plan which was foreordained before the foundation of the world for our glory.

An so, having divested Himself of this awesome power and glory the Lord took on the nature of man, lived a perfect, sinless life, He conquered sin in the flesh by not succumbing to sin and by this the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made us free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:2-4).

And so we have been duly instructed saying; "For inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same". Jesus Christ Himself suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted: Also, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered (Hebrews 2:14, 18; 5:7-8).

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To be continued with brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

What it means to be a new creation (part 2).

 

1.     The Holy Spirit who now dwells in us does the work

The second important thing to note for being a new creation is that it is no longer the individual who lives and does the work but it is Jesus Christ who lives in us that does the work as illustrate by the apostle Paul who wrote:

a.       “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).

b.      “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

c.       “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

d.      “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21),

e.       “The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27).

Therefore, Christ living in the believer through the presence of the Holy Spirit is the new creature who has been created as foreordained by God even before the foundation of the world as illustrated by the apostle Paul who wrote; “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” (Ephesians 1::6).

Unfortunately, most professing believers do not know, understand and believe in the process by which we became a new creation and what is required of us for being a new creation.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

What does it means to be a new creation?

What it means to be a new creation?

Being a new creation is something I do not think that the majority of us who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ have taken seriously or have a clear understanding of what it means to be a new creation even though it is clearly stated; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The question is, what old things that have passed away and what all things that have become new? The old things that have passed away is our old independent, carnal, sinful nature whose inclination is to decide for itself what is right and what is wrong since the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

And the all things that have become new consist of the following:

1.      A spiritual mind

A spiritual mind which is now in harmony with the laws of God and is and will always be in subjection to the laws of God because according to the terms of the new covenant which applies to the new creation the Lord says; “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10; 10:16).

In the new creation, the heart has replaced the table of stones on which the laws were written so that the new creation will observe and keep them out of love, sincerity and truth and the laws placed on their minds so that they will always be mindful of them and keep them, For we have been duly instructed saying; “for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified” (Romans 2:13).

And so, we have been duly instructed saying; “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1Corinthians 2:11-14).

So first and foremost what has become new is a new spiritual mind in which the Holy Spirit dwells and for this reason we are to set our minds on things above and not on the things of the earth Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth for we died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

What does trusting God entails (part 4)

Since the life of the believer is hidden with Christ in God our perception concerning life should be like that of Jesus Christ and the original apostles who made some very clear statements such as;

·         Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works” (John 14:10).

·         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).

·          “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

·         “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1John 4:4).

Since in a believer it is Christ who lives in them and the life which they now live is by faith in the Son of God who loved them and gave Himself for them, a believer’s trust therefore, must be in the following:

·         God’s name.

For it is written, “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name” (Psalms 33:20-21).

·         In God’s Word

For according to the Psalmist David, “Let your mercies come also to me, O Lord – your salvation according to Your word, so shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in your word” (Psalms 119:41-42)

·         In Jesus Christ

In whose name Gentiles will trust: Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Matthew 12:21; Philippians 2:9-11).

Therefore, those of us who profess to have surrendered our lives to God: let us truly examine ourselves in this time of global disasters, pandemic and financial crisis and ask ourselves the question where our trust is? Is it in God, is it in our security? Is it in the wisdom of men? Remember, we have been admonished saying, “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” He is faithful in keeping His part of the covenant let us keep our part of the covenant by learning to trust Him and having our faith in the power of God and not in the wisdom of men.

And so, we have been duly admonished saying: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3).

It is therefore imperative that we focus our attention more on the inward man than the outward man therefore; we are not to lose heart because, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day and 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” (2Corinthians 4:16-18).

Remember, with a true believer it is no longer the individual who lives but it is Christ who lives in them and the life that we now live in the flesh we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us, for it is Christ in us the hope of glory. This is part and parcel of the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph