@trustman

1) You said the Holy Spirit bestows at least one Spiritual gift. Is it possible then for that gift to be something else other than the gift of tongues?

2) If the above is "yes", how then can the Christian manage this inability to speak in tongues considering that we live in a society where an inability to speak in tongues may be mistaken for something else?

3) Is it possible for one to lose any of the gifts of the spirit? If yes, what are the circumstances that can lead to this? If no, why do you believe so?

@Yooguyz

This is my personal observation, it doesn't reflect the view of the organizers as one:

1. The presentation on abortion was excellent. Well researched, etc.

2. But the topic indicated social issues, plural, not just one issue. I would have loved a situation where you wrote short notes on each of the others you listed, eg sexism, gays, etc. You could then go on to make abortion the main discuss.

3. If its not too much trouble, you could still write short notes on the others issues you listed.

In all, its a good write up and I am grateful to you for helping us see the gospel in this light: social matters.

Gombs:

these said, let me ask you this, why term abortion as murder of an unborn child when in reality, a child's name is written in the book of life ONLY when he is born into this world? what is the biblical definition of murder?

Sorry mod I don't know if this constitutes derailing, but @Gombs how did you come about the bold? Is it biblical or you made it up?

@Yooguyz shed more light here, is there a bible verse that said a child's name is written in the book of life ONLY when he is born into this world?

If yes, what happens to he soul of a child who was miscarried at say 6months or that of a blue baby?

Gombs:


God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.


now, why did you quote me?

this is why...

i quite couldnt swallow the above underlined well... we inherited God's righteousness? the bibile said they which have receive the abundance of grace AND THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS...
I thought the good book lets me know the righteousness i have is a gift imputed to me for believing in the Christ?

striktlymi: Yooguyz you deserve a resounding round of applause. God has indeed used you to deliver such a powerful message.

Thank you very much for this heart warming compliment.

I would have loved to contribute a thing or two with respect to the questions Gombs asked but I will refrain from doing so because it may lead to arguments which I believe is against the spirit of this convention. In any case, I have some questions of my own which I hope would be answered satisfactorily, given the sensitive nature of the topic...

1) Is there any passage in Sacred scriptures where it is advised that we kill the unborn when we are faced with cases such as r*pe, incest etc?

The bible does not explicitly state that abortion is wrong in the case of incest and rape. Its a grey area.

2) If there is no passage that explicitly state the above, would it be appropriate as Christians to take matters into our own hands in such cases, knowing fully well that it may go against the commandment: "Thou shalt not kill"? As you said, God looks at the unborn as humans, thus killing them would go against that commandment

That was a very intelligent question you put forth, as appealing as it is to abort a child under such circumstances, the following points proves why abortion should not occur rape or incest

1.It is not relevant to the case for abortion on demand, the position defended by the popular pro-choice movement. This position states that a woman has a right to have an abortion for any reason she prefers during the entire nine months of pregnancy, whether it be for gender-selection, convenience, or rape. To argue for abortion on demand from the hard cases of rape and incest is like trying to argue for the elimination of traffic laws from the fact that one might have to violate some of them in rare circumstances, such as when one's spouse or child needs to be rushed to the hospital. Proving an exception does not establish a general rule.

2.Since conception does not occur immediately following intercourse, pregnancy can be eliminated in all rape cases if the rape victim receives immediate medical treatment by having all the male semen removed from her uterus.
3.The unborn entity is not an aggressor when its presence does not endanger its mother's life (as in the case of a tubal pregnancy). It is the rapist who is the aggressor. The unborn entity is just as much an innocent victim as its mother. Hence, abortion cannot be justified on the basis that the unborn is an aggressor.
This argument begs the question by assuming that the unborn is not fully human. For if the unborn is fully human, then we must weigh the relieving of the woman's mental suffering against the right-to-life of an innocent human being. And homicide of another is never justified to relieve one of emotional distress.

3) What do you think should be the Christian approach to social issues like IVF et al that are not explicitly mentioned in Sacred scriptures, considering that God is not an author of confusion? I hear Christians make comments like: "Let's be silent about those things not contained in scriptures". That for me would mean confusion. What in your opinion should the Christian do in such cases?

I think that the Christian should follow his consciense. I don't think anything is wrong with it because no child no murdered.

[striktlymi]

1) You said the Holy Spirit bestows at least one Spiritual gift. Is it possible then for that gift to be something else other than the gift of tongues?

1. Yes

2) If the above is "yes", how then can the Christian manage this inability to speak in tongues considering that we live in a society where an inability to speak in tongues may be mistaken for something else?

2. Societal perception should be a secondary issue for the Christian compared to God’s view of him. Being on God’s side should be paramount for him. The Christian’s position ought to be like the apostles’ in Acts 5: 29 – “…We must obey God rather than me.”

3) Is it possible for one to lose any of the gifts of the spirit? If yes, what are the circumstances that can lead to this? If no, why do you believe so?

3. The gifts of God are given by grace. Carnality may prevent the expression of a Christian’s gift.

DrummaBoy: @Yooguyz

This is my personal observation, it doesn't reflect the view of the organizers as one:

1. The presentation on abortion was excellent. Well researched, etc.

2. But the topic indicated social issues, plural, not just one issue. I would have loved a situation where you wrote short notes on each of the others you listed, eg sexism, gays, etc. You could then go on to make abortion the main discuss.

3. If its not too much trouble, you could still write short notes on the others issues you listed.

In all, its a good write up and I am grateful to you for helping us see the gospel in this light: social matters.

Noted! Am preparing papers on the issues you wrote and answers to my questions.

I love the questions am being asked they are intellectualy stimulating. I would answer all of them one at a time.

@yooguyz goodwork, though i wish you had spread your tentacles. I expected a little of many things.



@truthman fine job, your points were well listed...
I also noticed you attempted to draw the difference between the old and the as regard priesthood.


I'll like to know if you agree with ex 19:6, do you agree that isreal was also a kingdom of priest? If you don't, why?

If you do, then explain your comment in that light show how the shadows of old are brought to fulfilment in the new, do throw more light on how the new testament priesthood is foreshadowed in the old and how it is brought to its full flowering.

Peace.

SalC: Sorry mod I don't know if this constitutes derailing, but @Gombs how did you come about the bold? Is it biblical or you made it up?

now, the bible didnt explicitly state how a name gets into the book of life, but tell us how a name gets out. Whosoever is born into this world gets his name into the book of life, and if one dies in or with sin, his name is blotted out. some folks thinkk the name is written the day u get born again, and removed if u sin, and when u ask for forgiveness, it is rewritten and the cycle continues. the name is written ONCE and taken OFF ONCE (if need be). A child in the womb is not yet born into the world, for it is still in its mum's body, hence has no nature of sin, and consequently, unblamable...

John 1
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Jesus is the light that lights anyone born into this world, no matter how long one lives, only this light sets him free from darkness.

now, how does aborting an unborn child equates murder? i asked him to give the biblical definition of murder

Ubenedictus: @yooguyz goodwork, though i wish you had spread your tentacles. I expected a little of many things.

@truthman fine job, your points were well listed...
I also noticed you attempted to draw the difference between the old and the as regard priesthood.
I'll like to know if you agree with ex 19:6, do you agree that isreal was also a kingdom of priest? If you don't, why?
If you do, then explain your comment in that light show how the shadows of old are brought to fulfilment in the new, do throw more light on how the new testament priesthood is foreshadowed in the old and how it is brought to its full flowering.
Peace.

Remember my focus is on The Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian.
However let me attempt some answers. What we have under the New Covenant far exceeds anything before it. Yes there was a foreshadow in the Old. But in the New we have a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD. Royalty is added to priesthood. The fullness has come in the New. The book of Ephesians chapters 1 -3 brings this out vividly. Jesus guaranteed a better covenant under the New – Hebrews 7: 22, Hebrews 8.

trustman:

Remember my focus is on The Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian.
However let me attempt some answers. What we have under the New Covenant far exceeds anything before it. Yes there was a foreshadow in the Old. But in the New we have a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD. Royalty is added to priesthood. The fullness has come in the New. The book of Ephesians chapters 1 -3 brings this out vividly. Jesus guaranteed a better covenant under the New – Hebrews 7: 22, Hebrews 8.

i believe you are still on topic.

I understand your point.

Yooguyz:

Every child is gift from God irrespective of how he comes, prepared or unprepared. Would you destroy a gift from Mr president just because you were not prepared to have it?

if your sister is rraped, would you honestly advice her as above? knowing fully well she does not want to be a mum yet, say she's 15?

That's the more reason why she should keep the child because abortion would hide the molesters crime and give him the impetus to do more

you are telling a 13 year old who is not psychologically, mentally, biologically and physically ready to keep a child she didnt ask for? from the above bold which i find absurd, if she keeps the child, it would expose the rappist's crime and take away the impetus to do more?

The decision in the case lies in the hands of the mother.

in other words, you are saying abortion is ok in this instance if she decides to stay alive and follow the doctor's recommendations, no? now relate it to your paper presentation... you see how incomplete it is now?

Christians who are heaven bound are killed and persecuted everyday, would you justify the murder of belivers because they will go to heaven when they die?

where and how is the above related to my post?

believer is already born, has an account in heaven for deeds, his name is in the book of life.

unborn child has no account yet for his deeds for he is not born into the word of sin, his name is not in the book of life..

anyways, let's not derail the thread..posterity would judge for themselves, they would ask themselves the questions i asked you, questions you dont honestly want to answer cos it would definitely undermine ur paper presentation.

cheers bro!

Grace for unborn children, oh la la. Nice one @yooguyz.

Image123: Grace for unborn children, oh la la. Nice one @yooguyz.

Ephesians 1
3 Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION of the WORLD, that we should be holy andré
without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will,

Has anony gone AWOL?

Morning y'all

Gombs:

now, the bible didnt explicitly state how a name gets into the book of life, but tell us how a name gets out. Whosoever is born into this world gets his name into the book of life, and if one dies in or with sin, his name is blotted out. some folks thinkk the name is written the day u get born again, and removed if u sin, and when u ask for forgiveness, it is rewritten and the cycle continues. the name is written ONCE and taken OFF ONCE (if need be). A child in the womb is not yet born into the world, for it is still in its mum's body, hence has no nature of sin, and consequently, unblamable...

John 1
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Jesus is the light that lights anyone born into this world, no matter how long one lives, only this light sets him free from darkness.

now, how does aborting an unborn child equates murder? i asked him to give the biblical definition of murder

I find this submission quite disturbing because it raises a lot of question which was part of the initial question I asked, but in other not to derail this thread I will allow the presenters carry on with the purpose of this thread. Maybe when they are done, I will bring this up again or create another thread for this.
Thanks. Hope you are ok?

SalC: Sorry mod I don't know if this constitutes derailing, but @Gombs how did you come about the bold? Is it biblical or you made it up?

@Yooguyz shed more light here, is there a bible verse that said a child's name is written in the book of life ONLY when he is born into this world?

If yes, what happens to he soul of a child who was miscarried at say 6months or that of a blue baby?

Abortion as we know it today was not practiced in biblical times, and the Bible never specifically mentions the issue of abortion. It is clear from the Scriptures that an unborn baby is known by the Lord, even from the time of conception (Psalm 139:13-16). Although the Bible does not mention abortion or aborted babies, we do have two keys to help us unlock the answer to the question of whether the souls of aborted babies go to heaven.

The first key is from the only passage in the Bible where something specific is said about the death of infants. In 2 Samuel 12 we learn of David’s affair with Bathsheba, another man’s wife. David was informed by the prophet Nathan that the child produced by that union would die. David then began to fast and pray, asking the Lord to not carry out His judgment. When the child did die, David got up from praying and fasting and ate something.

When asked about this behavior, David uttered the words recorded in 2 Samuel 12:23, “Now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” David’s words reflect a clear understanding that the child could not come back to earth, but David would be with his child one day in heaven. This indicates not only David’s assurance of his own future in heaven (Psalm 23:6), but also the assurance that his child would share that future. From this account, we can conclude that infants who die are destined for heaven.

The second key to dealing with this issue is an understanding of the character and attributes of God. A God of justice must punish sin, for the Bible teaches us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Neither an unborn child nor an aborted baby has had the opportunity to willfully sin; however, every child conceived bears the sin nature inherited from Adam (Psalm 51:5) and is therefore subject to judgment. At the same time, God reveals Himself as a God of goodness and mercy (Psalm 136:26). He is “gracious in all His works” (Psalm 145:17). It could very well be that God, in His grace, applies the sacrifice of Christ to the unborn victims of abortion. We know Christ’s blood is sufficient for such a thing. After all, Jesus died “for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

The Bible does not specifically say whether or not an unborn child who dies goes to heaven. Without a clear passage, we can only speculate. However, we know of God’s love, goodness, and compassion. We know of David’s confidence that he would be with his child again. And we know that Jesus invited the children to come to Him (Luke 18:16). Based on these sureties, we believe it is appropriate to conclude that the souls of children are immediately in the presence of God when their lives are cut short by abortion.

christemmbassey: Beautiful presentation @Yooguyz. No reason whatsoever for abortion. But what does grace got to do with abortion?

We are in a dispensation of grace, a dispensation where Jesus said the only law we would have is Love. This leads us to grey areas in doctrine because rules and regulations on how to live as christians were not explicitly stated in the new testament times. One of those grey areas is abortion.

Good morning all,
Please expect my submission shortly.
Apologies for the slight delay.

SalC: I find this submission quite disturbing because it raises a lot of question which was part of the initial question I asked, but in other not to derail this thread I will allow the presenters carry on with the purpose of this thread. Maybe when they are done, I will bring this up again or create another thread for this.
Thanks. Hope you are ok?

I am ok, and would be glad u open a thread on it and invite me

You didn't ask yooguyz to answer this sha

how does aborting an unborn child equates murder? i asked him to give the biblical definition of murder

Good morning brethren,
I am truly honoured to be a worthy vessel in the hands of the Lord Almighty and for making my hands the pen of a ready writer. Appreciation once again to those who chose to hear me and the brains behind the platform to share and publish the word of God. I will like to add that lots have been discussed by many of us on this forum regarding the law and grace so I will be as simple as possible taking a different direction from prior discusses. I may not quote too many scriptures but can provide if any grey area is noted and raised in any questions we may have.



(GRACE 1): THE DEMANDS OF THE LAW AND THE SUPPLY OF THE GRACE OF GOD

Foreward: Has anyone ever ruminated on how heaven was before the fall of Satan (i.e. when he rebelled)? Satan was with God always and was fully part of the grace of God yet he fell? Even though the bible does not tell us much about the time before the creation of man, it can be perceived that after God created his heavenly son, he did not give them any law and all heaven basked in his omnipotence.

Let us fast forward to the creation of man and the command of God regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After the instruction by God, man disobeyed. Pertinent to remember is what Eve told the devil when he asked her to recant what God told her…she must have heard God’s instruction from her husband and gave second-hand information yet if we compare what God told Adam and what Eve told Satan, we will notice a difference. God spoke His word to Adam which he informed his wife and Eve stated it as a law to the devil (do not even touch..if Eve was a lawgiver that is what she would have added)…Compare the below noting the highlights.

God Speaking:
Genesis 2:17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die

Eve Speaking:
Genesis 3:3
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
What I just presented above is for our rumination and deep meditation and whatever questions I asked are rhetoric.


CHAPTER 1
The Demands of the Law

After the fall of man, we see God deal with people individually usually due to the good heart they displayed like Enoch, Noah and Abraham. God is righteous and created man to live and fellowship with him. God is Love and because this is His nature, all He wanted from man was also to be this same nature with him so they can walk together for as scripture says can two walk together except they agree and what fellowship has light with darkness. Just take a look at how he related with Abraham especially and the bible even records it that Abraham was the FRIEND of God. They both walked and talked together and had deep trust for each other so much that God swore by Himself and gave a promise and an oath…two immutable things… in which it was impossible for God to lie that in blessing he would bless Abraham. Such was the relationship they both had.

Abraham must have been so close to God that the mind and desires of God must have been etched in the heart of Abraham so much that God could say that He trusted Abraham would teach his household to keep God’s way and attend to his laws, statutes and judgements inscribed in Abraham’s heart as a result of the walk with God. While Abraham was obeying and heeding to every command or instruction God gave him, he was either knowingly or unknowingly observing whatever law God may have given at that time for he seemed to understand the principles and the basis for what God often wanted to do. His total faith in God is today the reason why many of us are privileged to be in the Faith due to the promise he received.

Therefore, why did the law have to come in? The law was demanding of man what he wasn’t giving it. Why was there need for a systematic body of rules to govern behavior enforced in place of the wonderful loving relationship of hearing directly the word of God and in quiet and reverential obedience doing that which should come naturally?
Let us keep in mind that God gave commands and instructions right from creation and penalties were attached to disobeying them. However a formal structure was put in place by Moses to which a default usually led to a merciless punishment either by man/special atonement or often swiftly by God.

Galatians 3:19; 21; 23-24 tells us that the law came because of transgressions till the promised seed would come. The law was a school master that brought us to Christ when we acknowledge we cannot please God of ourselves only by His supernatural strength when we believe. And this law was not against the promise of God…At all.

The above scriptures capture the essence for why the law was given and written. The law was added due to sin & unrighteousness, a demand so stringent, it had been stripped of the grace that could have gone with it had it been it had been a communication between God and his people directly and the faithlessness that characterized not wanting to hear God directly, governed by unhealthy fear. No wonder something as basic as loving God and your neighbor as yourself had to be broken down to an endless list of rules and regulations as common with dealing with children and written in stone. Because people were prone to go after strange God’s, up to their mode of dressing and their relations had to be micro-managed so that they did not act like the heathens did. All these laws were the breakdown of the main law of the Spirit God had wanted to write in the hearts of man for He said
‘I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’ (Heb. 8:10; Jer. 31:33)

The genesis of this was when the people refused to hear God’s voice at Sinai; they instead requested for a mediator because of fear:

Exodus 20:19 And they said to Moses, You speak to us and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die

God who had just delivered them from Egypt with His mighty hand of power became someone they refused to listen to but preferred to listen to ‘limited’ man rather than God. Such was their transgressions, fear and unbelief. (Exodus 20).

Jeremiah 7:22-23 Read v24.
22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
JESUS returned as that Voice/Word/Truth/Light/Life.

The laws written down by Moses and all words of the prophets are surmmarised as two by Jesus Christ in Spirit - Love. All the rules were just to direct the behavior God expected from man and show people the need for the promise He gave to Abraham for none could keep all those rules. In a bid to even keep these laws, man lost sight of the plot and rather either found ways to bypass the main reason (Spirit/intent/principle) God gave such laws or defeat the entire purpose of it. A cute example is the picture inset.

It's a practical example of the verse below:
GALATIANS 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by Law; you have fallen from grace.

This young baby is justified by the letter of the law…she did not ‘touch’ it (with hands). But in all sincerity is she truly justified having lost the spirit? Jesus is the end of the law FOR righteousness, for He brought in an even higher pedestal of the Spirit which is even harder to keep except through Him.

2 Corinthians 3:15-16
15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away

Because man’s spirit had died to God at the fall, the Spirit of the laws given, i.e. the reason and purpose of it for our good could not be understood except by a limited few as a result of their constant walk with God. The veil covering the main purpose of God’s mind is removed in Christ Jesus through faith. The flesh profits nothing.

Romans 8:2-4
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit

Those two laws as shown above reflects the disparity of a life led by the Spirit and the one led by the flesh. We are subject to God’s laws but if we can live our lives in oneness with His Spirit through Christ Jesus, we will live at a higher plane and altitude rather than in the flesh and live at the altitude of turbulence and weather vagaries of this world.

Paul said the law is Spiritual but he was carnal. He said that the law was made for those ‘under the law’ which the bible clearly tells us are those who walk in the flesh and not in the Spirit. Gal. 5:18-22 identifies the Work & the Walk.

CHAPTER 2
The Supply of the Grace

Grace, I will opine, as favour shown to the unworthy and the divine ability to do things God’s way; this could be divine ability for salvation and divine ability to do what we would not normally be able to do and it comes as a result of being connected to Jesus Christ, His Son. Jesus, while on earth was the fulness of the Spirit, of truth and grace. He was the confirmation of what God said when the Israelites rejected God’s words to them on Sinai. While He wanted to deal with them in words, they wanted it in laws.

Acts 3:22-23
22 Thus Moses said to the forefathers, The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet from among your brethren as [He raised up] me; Him you shall listen to and understand by hearing and heed in all things whatever He tells you.
23 And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to and understand by hearing and heed that Prophet shall be utterly [exterminated from among the people.

The first mention of ‘grace’ in the bible was where Noah found grace is the sight of God. Later, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Belief was the vehicle that carried ability to receive grace.

Such grace was often as a result of a good standing with God and usually to a selected few who received it. The kingdom of Israel received grace from God but the difference was that they did not have the spirit that would match that grace so as to have the ability to please God.
All through the books of the bible we see God’s grace at work. Many people have the erroneous notion that the OT is all law and the NT is all grace. Some liberals even maintain that the God of the OT is harsh and vindictive but the God of the NT is tender and forgiving. Some people think that OT believers were saved by keeping the law and NT believers are saved by grace through faith!

Of course these misapprehensions are not totally made up; there is much more of a gracious framework to the NT than to the OT. But God never changes; only His dealings change as conditions and times change. In both Testaments people are saved by grace through faith.
No one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of God's laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying them; his laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners. His laws show us that we need a special ability to be able to do what he really wants us to do.

But now God has shown us a different way to heaven -- not by "being good enough" and trying to keep his laws, but by a new way (by believing and heeding to His Son: JESUS CHRIST). Now God says he will accept and acquit us - declare us "not guilty" - if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like.
Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal; yet now God declares us "not guilty" of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins.

For God sent Christ Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to end all God's anger against us. He used Christ's blood and our faith as the means of saving us from his wrath. That is grace!
The bible says the law was given by Moses BUT Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Grace and truth brought life and righteousness which the law was unable to do.
Jesus is the fullness of Grace, when he walked on earth and after he left He sent the comforter and the Spirit of grace to guide us in all truth. Grace was poured out beyond measure for all to receive just by belief in Him. No more did man have to perish due to the flesh but because of God’s infinite love He was able to draw all men to himself.

Numbers 21:5-6,8-9
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

The scripture above is another example of grace in the wilderness which Jesus indicated that this bronze serpent was a foreshadowing of Him. The serpent, a symbol of judgment due to sin, was lifted up from the earth and put on a tree, which was a symbol of a curse. The serpent lifted up and cursed symbolized Jesus, who takes away sin from everyone who would look to Him in faith.
If you look at it from another angle, what brought death initially, brought life when it was looked on with belief.

It is by grace we are saved and it is the gift. Grace which encapsulated God’s love has what we need to come to God and stay with God.

Hebrews 4:15-16
15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.
16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
Verse 15 shows us that it is God’s infinite love that made Him send His son to share in the weakness we had as flesh, and show us the grace that raises us above sin. Grace shows us that we have the right to God’s mercy when we fail and we have the ability to rise and have the help to live in the same mind with Him.

Titus 2:11-14 further shows us that Jesus, God’s grace, appeared to all men bringing the much needed salvation and teaches us to live above ungodliness and lawlessness. This can only be received in Christ Jesus. In Him we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Grace is no more a license to sin than electricity is a license to electrocute yourself. Grace, like electricity is meant to bring life not death and there is no life in sin.

Alwaystrue: Good morning brethren,
I am truly honoured to be a worthy vessel in the hands of the Lord Almighty and for making my hands the pen of a ready writer. Appreciation once again to those who chose to hear me and the brains behind the platform to share and publish the word of God. I will like to add that lots have been discussed by many of us on this forum regarding the law and grace so I will be as simple as possible taking a different direction from prior discusses. I may not quote too many scriptures but can provide if any grey area is noted and raised in any questions we may have.



(GRACE 1): THE DEMANDS OF THE LAW AND THE SUPPLY OF THE GRACE OF GOD

Foreward: Has anyone ever ruminated on how heaven was before the fall of Satan (i.e. when he rebelled)? Satan was with God always and was fully part of the grace of God yet he fell? Even though the bible does not tell us much about the time before the creation of man, it can be perceived that after God created his heavenly son, he did not give them any law and all heaven basked in his omnipotence.

Let us fast forward to the creation of man and the command of God regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After the instruction by God, man disobeyed. Pertinent to remember is what Eve told the devil when he asked her to recant what God told her…she must have heard God’s instruction from her husband and gave second-hand information yet if we compare what God told Adam and what Eve told Satan, we will notice a difference. God spoke His word to Adam which he informed his wife and Eve stated it as a law to the devil (do not even touch..if Eve was a lawgiver that is what she would have added)…Compare the below noting the highlights.

God Speaking:
Genesis 2:17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die

Eve Speaking:
Genesis 3:3
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
What I just presented above is for our rumination and deep meditation and whatever questions I asked are rhetoric.


CHAPTER 1
The Demands of the Law

After the fall of man, we see God deal with people individually usually due to the good heart they displayed like Enoch, Noah and Abraham. God is righteous and created man to live and fellowship with him. God is Love and because this is His nature, all He wanted from man was also to be this same nature with him so they can walk together for as scripture says can two walk together except they agree and what fellowship has light with darkness. Just take a look at how he related with Abraham especially and the bible even records it that Abraham was the FRIEND of God. They both walked and talked together and had deep trust for each other so much that God swore by Himself and gave a promise and an oath…two immutable things… in which it was impossible for God to lie that in blessing he would bless Abraham. Such was the relationship they both had.

Abraham must have been so close to God that the mind and desires of God must have been etched in the heart of Abraham so much that God could say that He trusted Abraham would teach his household to keep God’s way and attend to his laws, statutes and judgements inscribed in Abraham’s heart as a result of the walk with God. While Abraham was obeying and heeding to every command or instruction God gave him, he was either knowingly or unknowingly observing whatever law God may have given at that time for he seemed to understand the principles and the basis for what God often wanted to do. His total faith in God is today the reason why many of us are privileged to be in the Faith due to the promise he received.

Therefore, why did the law have to come in? The law was demanding of man what he wasn’t giving it. Why was there need for a systematic body of rules to govern behavior enforced in place of the wonderful loving relationship of hearing directly the word of God and in quiet and reverential obedience doing that which should come naturally?
Let us keep in mind that God gave commands and instructions right from creation and penalties were attached to disobeying them. However a formal structure was put in place by Moses to which a default usually led to a merciless punishment either by man/special atonement or often swiftly by God.

Galatians 3:19; 21; 23-24 tells us that the law came because of transgressions till the promised seed would come. The law was a school master that brought us to Christ when we acknowledge we cannot please God of ourselves only by His supernatural strength when we believe. And this law was not against the promise of God…At all.

The above scriptures capture the essence for why the law was given and written. The law was added due to sin & unrighteousness, a demand so stringent, it had been stripped of the grace that could have gone with it had it been it had been a communication between God and his people directly and the faithlessness that characterized not wanting to hear God directly, governed by unhealthy fear. No wonder something as basic as loving God and your neighbor as yourself had to be broken down to an endless list of rules and regulations as common with dealing with children and written in stone. Because people were prone to go after strange God’s, up to their mode of dressing and their relations had to be micro-managed so that they did not act like the heathens did. All these laws were the breakdown of the main law of the Spirit God had wanted to write in the hearts of man for He said
‘I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’ (Heb. 8:10; Jer. 31:33)

The genesis of this was when the people refused to hear God’s voice at Sinai; they instead requested for a mediator because of fear:

Exodus 20:19 And they said to Moses, You speak to us and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die

God who had just delivered them from Egypt with His mighty hand of power became someone they refused to listen to but preferred to listen to ‘limited’ man rather than God. Such was their transgressions, fear and unbelief. (Exodus 20).

Jeremiah 7:22-23 Read v24.
22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
JESUS returned as that Voice/Word/Truth/Light/Life.

The laws written down by Moses and all words of the prophets are surmmarised as two by Jesus Christ in Spirit - Love. All the rules were just to direct the behavior God expected from man and show people the need for the promise He gave to Abraham for none could keep all those rules. In a bid to even keep these laws, man lost sight of the plot and rather either found ways to bypass the main reason (Spirit/intent/principle) God gave such laws or defeat the entire purpose of it. A cute example is the picture below.

Ojibijibijibijibji

*standing ovation
#Tuale

Hope you ain't done yet? Meeeeeeeeehn, see rhema na, loved that part of Adam's instructions to eve, it's where religion started from-man doing things their way and ignoring exactly what God said on how we should do them.

Ma, I doobale joor! Wonderful write up, precise points and well execution of the topic you did there

CHAPTER 3
The Demands of the Law & The Supply of Grace


As it is God's law, so also is the supply of God's grace. Grace is the full and abundant supply that completely fulfils the demands of God's law just as Christ fulfilled the law not in words only but actions. Indeed, only grace can express God's law. Any other power or ability comes totally short of expressing God's law. One finds sufficiency in, but only in, God's grace.

Grace supplies that ability, power, strength that can prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. God's will as a principle of responsibility for every man, woman, and child is God's law. God's supply as a principle of enabling strength for every man, woman, and child is God's grace. God's law thus finding expression in an individual's life through the impartation and working of God's grace is demonstrated in and manifested in righteousness!

Righteousness is the performance of God's will in the power of God's grace. The Law fulfilled in Grace and demonstrated in Righteousness is in fact the nature of spiritual life! All else is spiritual death!

Righteousness cannot be demonstrated without grace & it’s in grace we fulfill the law. Any spiritual power or strength that God gives, He gives to be exercised according to His will--Those powers not thus subject to and controlled by His will are not powers of God's grace but rather workings of the rebellious will of the flesh. God's grace is abundant but it enables us to do His Will and Only His Will and Nothing but His Will. True grace functions only in accordance with God's perfect law which is spiritual manifesting in the physical. Every bestowal of God's grace fulfills in the receiver the demands of God's law. The flesh of course rejecting God's grace falls short of God's law but the new man fulfills the righteousness of the law in which he delights.

That is why the bible says:
Romans 8:4
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit .

Anytime man tries to be righteous by the letter devoid of the Spirit, he is being self-righteous but there is a righteousness of the law of the Spirit which is the intent and purpose and reason why such laws even came into being and this was what Jesus expressly showed when he walked the earth in human form. His wasn’t some legalistic, ‘tick-the-box’ submission to God. Jesus is THE WORD OF GOD and as such all he did or said was the very real and original purpose of God. Acts 1:1.

Grace comes with great responsibility on a higher plane and pedestal than the law...but Jesus is there to help. Grace goes the extra mile than the law (of the letter) for it is at a plane that makes the believer blameless. Grace handled the believer from the source, the heart. Matthew 5.


Finally, the demand of the law and supply of grace can be weighed on a scale in 3 key forms:

Legalism/Self Righteousness: This is the concept of spiritual life that excludes God's grace. It is common today, as it has always been. (Romans 9:30-32). When trust in placed in the flesh rather than the ability of imparted grace to fulfil God’s word, it is self-righteousness. This type of righteous works is the flesh attempt at meeting a standard--Whether recognizing God's law or any other code as that standard, it is a trust not in grace through faith but in the flesh. ANYTHING CAN BECOME LEGALISTIC.
Even in this grace convention, there are rules that apply as stated from the beginning. While people can understand the spirit of it and gracefully fulfil it, it can become legalistic. All is based on the heart. The convention could as well go on without any laws since we are ‘under grace’ but as long as people are prone to walk in the flesh….the law is ever present to point out their wrong. With reference to humanity, what the Father demands of us, the Son condescends to fulfill and supply in us and for us. So also the Holy Spirit is associated with righteousness. The fulfillment of law through grace is a demonstration of holiness.

Lawlessness: Equally damaging, however, is that doctrine that excludes law. Law is control and grace is power. Those who teach the doctrine of grace without law are teaching divine power without divine control. Power without control is dangerous in any realm whether physical, political, or ecclesiastical, governmental, intellectual, and certainly spiritual. This is the doctrine of lawlessness. Satan, its originator, will bring it to full manifestation in the man of sin, the lawless one.

God’s righteousness/Spirit-Led: This is someone who has handed his all to Christ and works based on the WORD of GOD whether captured in the Law of the Letter or not. God wanted the Israelites to walk according to His WORD not passed as a Law. This person walks according to the law of the Spirit many examples as quoted in the earthly ministry of Christ. Gal. 5:22 shows the fruit.

The two men on the way to Emmaus had knowledge of the law & prophets but took Jesus Christ to explain and interpret to them about Himself. He had to open the eyes of their understanding even though they had the knowledge. The Law is Spiritual & it takes the Spirit to remove the veil.

My prayer is that we will continually delight in the law of God after the inward man, which will renew of hearts, renounce our flesh and avail ourselves of God’s grace.
May we receive and hold the gospel preached unto us with faith so it will profit us eternally. Heb. 4:2.




Instead of Using “I am Human” as an excuse to walk in the flesh, try using “I am Saved” as a reason to walk in the Spirit. That is why grace is ever abundant.


CONCLUDED

Alwaystrue: CHAPTER 2
The Supply of the Grace

Grace, I will opine, as favour shown to the unworthy and the divine ability to do things God’s way; this could be divine ability for salvation and divine ability to do what we would not normally be able to do and it comes as a result of being connected to Jesus Christ, His Son. Jesus, while on earth was the fulness of the Spirit, of truth and grace. He was the confirmation of what God said when the Israelites rejected God’s words to them on Sinai. While He wanted to deal with them in words, they wanted it in laws.

Acts 3:22-23
22 Thus Moses said to the forefathers, The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet from among your brethren as [He raised up] me; Him you shall listen to and understand by hearing and heed in all things whatever He tells you.
23 And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to and understand by hearing and heed that Prophet shall be utterly [exterminated from among the people.

The first mention of ‘grace’ in the bible was where Noah found grace is the sight of God. Later, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Belief was the vehicle that carried ability to receive grace.

Such grace was often as a result of a good standing with God and usually to a selected few who received it. The kingdom of Israel received grace from God but the difference was that they did not have the spirit that would match that grace so as to have the ability to please God.
All through the books of the bible we see God’s grace at work. Many people have the erroneous notion that the OT is all law and the NT is all grace. Some liberals even maintain that the God of the OT is harsh and vindictive but the God of the NT is tender and forgiving. Some people think that OT believers were saved by keeping the law and NT believers are saved by grace through faith!

Of course these misapprehensions are not totally made up; there is much more of a gracious framework to the NT than to the OT. But God never changes; only His dealings change as conditions and times change. In both Testaments people are saved by grace through faith.
No one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of God's laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying them; his laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners. His laws show us that we need a special ability to be able to do what he really wants us to do.

But now God has shown us a different way to heaven -- not by "being good enough" and trying to keep his laws, but by a new way (by believing and heeding to His Son: JESUS CHRIST). Now God says he will accept and acquit us - declare us "not guilty" - if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like.
Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal; yet now God declares us "not guilty" of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins.

For God sent Christ Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to end all God's anger against us. He used Christ's blood and our faith as the means of saving us from his wrath. That is grace!
The bible says the law was given by Moses BUT Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Grace and truth brought life and righteousness which the law was unable to do.
Jesus is the fullness of Grace, when he walked on earth and after he left He sent the comforter and the Spirit of grace to guide us in all truth. Grace was poured out beyond measure for all to receive just by belief in Him. No more did man have to perish due to the flesh but because of God’s infinite love He was able to draw all men to himself.

Numbers 21:5-6,8-9
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

The scripture above is another example of grace in the wilderness which Jesus indicated that this bronze serpent was a foreshadowing of Him. The serpent, a symbol of judgment due to sin, was lifted up from the earth and put on a tree, which was a symbol of a curse. The serpent lifted up and cursed symbolized Jesus, who takes away sin from everyone who would look to Him in faith.
If you look at it from another angle, what brought death initially, brought life when it was looked on with belief.

It is by grace we are saved and it is the gift. Grace which encapsulated God’s love has what we need to come to God and stay with God.

Hebrews 4:15-16
15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.
16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
Verse 15 shows us that it is God’s infinite love that made Him send His son to share in the weakness we had as flesh, and show us the grace that raises us above sin. Grace shows us that we have the right to God’s mercy when we fail and we have the ability to rise and have the help to live in the same mind with Him.

Titus 2:11-14 further shows us that Jesus, God’s grace, appeared to all men bringing the much needed salvation and teaches us to live above ungodliness and lawlessness. This can only be received in Christ Jesus. In Him we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Grace is no more a license to sin than electricity is a license to electrocute yourself. Grace, like electricity is meant to bring life not death and there is no life in sin.

*standing ovation

This got me thinking, what if those who really knew the word are let to teach it, not those favored by a select few, who then make erroneous teachings and still in the glare of scriptures refuse admitting?

If NL could have seasoned teachers as Alwaystrue, ola etc (folks might say I'm biased cos she's a tither, ignoring the fact that I and bidam and alexleo have had disagreement here)... if only we could.

Thank you ma, best presentation ever in the history of Grace convention, I hope the glory of the latter house shall surpass the former ie folks after her should do a proper study and please avoid plagiarism.

But ma, the gist too long o!

I just saw part 3!

@Gombs,
Thank God for his word and our ever present help and revelation. My last check before i started posting, i was on 3997 words. I think the scriptures i posted ate into my allowance.
By the way, you commented before i was done. Usually the presenter paste 'The End' or similar. It is against the rules of the convention i think. U may remove and paste after to make it good.
Thanks.

Apologies if my post was long. I had to really cut it down though as i said the scripture quotes took up some space.

Thank you Alwaystrue for your presentation and for keeping within the limits of our "laws".

*edited*

Alwaystrue: @Gombs,
Thank God for his word and our ever present help and revelation. My last check before i started posting, i was on 3997 words. I think the scriptures i posted ate into my allowance.
By the way, you commented before i was done. Usually the presenter paste 'The End' or similar. It is against the rules of the convention i think. U may remove and paste after to make it good.
Thanks.

Apologies if my post was long. I had to really cut it down though as i said the scripture quotes took up some space.

Kk...I tot u were done...I'm so sorry I broke em rules. Twill not repeat itself

We say big thanks to our teachers so far. Antispambot abi wetin them dey call am just released me.

Good job

@ Alwaystrue, Anony1, trustman, Yooguyz. GOD BLESS YOU

ABOUT A UNITED CHRISTIAN VOICE

"[Endeavour] to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism. – Ephesians 4:3-5"


The whole of Ephesians chapter four is given to the unity of the Church, to both how we are related to one another and how we are to relate to one another. I recommend that everyone meditate on it exclusively for a while until it sinks in. I was tempted to copy the whole chapter here and I think that it would have been worth it to do so but perhaps there will be a greater impact if I take pieces of it and mix together with pieces from elsewhere that will be vastly useful to us as well.

To start with, I think that it is important to point out to us that the issue of schism and unity is not new to the Church. It is not a development of this century or the last one. It has been around right from the days that Jesus walked the earth. In Luke 9:49-50, we see John reporting to our Lord that they had found a man casting out demons in His Name and they had forbidden him to do so since he did not go with them in following after Jesus. The same story is found in Mark 9:38-40. Even when Jesus walked the earth in the flesh, we see that there were issues of propriety around him. People were laying claim to exclusive ownership of Him. The reason might make some sense at all kinds of levels like the fact that the man they forbade simply was not part of their group. Later on in Jesus’s story, the twelve had another issue that split them ten against two. What was it this time? The mother of James and John had asked a special favor of our Lord to honor her sons exceptionally. Do you see the point here? Reasons for division are not all that difficult to find.

In Acts, we will also see several instances of divisions. The first major one comes when Peter converts Cornelius and his household. The issue here was that they were Gentiles and Peter as a Jew should not have visited their home. Peter had to call upon the vision he had received in which God specifically made it clear to him that there was no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles anymore and upon the fact that the Holy Spirit fell on them without his even laying hands on them to defend himself. Much of the trouble of disunity back in those early days had a lot to do with who was a Jew and who was a Gentile. Salvation was not only OF the Jews but apparently they also thought that it was only FOR the Jews.

Please don’t think that this was a grey area in their times. Jesus had said rather unequivocally several times that he had come for more than the Jews. He said in John 10:16 that He had other sheep that were not of the Jewish fold that He MUST also bring in. And He did not mince words when He said that it was the whole world that God loved enough to send His Only Begotten to come and save. Even after the Resurrection, Jesus said very clearly to the disciples in Acts 1 that they were going to receive power to be witnesses to Him in Jerusalem, in Judea, in SAMARIA and to the “uttermost parts of the earth”. Obviously, He had more than the Jews on His to-capture list. So why were the first brothers refusing ministry to the Gentiles? Why were they sitting in councils to decide just how badly members of the Body had failed by going to the Gentiles so that they could see what they could do to correct them?

Again, the point is that this fight for oneness is not new. As the Lord said, the gates (that is, the councils) of hell will certainly marshal its forces against the Church He is building. The Church is a massive threat to the delusions of the enemy. Just for perspective, it is necessary to understand what the Church means to our arch-enemy the devil.


The Church

What is the Church? If you, Christian, were asked what the Church means, what would you say? The Bride of Christ? The Body of Christ? Both are true indeed but what do they mean to you? Have you wondered why the Holy Spirit chose those specific comparisons for the Church? Why does He say “Bride” and “Body”? He is Wisdom, so there must be a really good reason why He chooses those metaphors. To answer that, we need to answer what Christ is. What, not just who. Literally, the term means “the anointed (another word for “chosen”, “selected”) one”. Chosen or selected or anointed by whom and for what? Well, the Bible says in Psalm 2 that the anointer is God Himself and the purpose is for government. Christ is God’s King, the person whom God has chosen to be the ruler of all of His Dominions. If that doesn’t impress you, you need to get into politics here in this world and see just how far people can go to gain the illusion of control over a few thousand acres of land and a few thousand people. Or better still, simply look at some of the popular issues of power like who rules the home, the smallest unit of human society. Power over people, resources and destinies means a very great deal to us humans, so to be chosen to be king over every domain that God has ownership and control of is not a small matter. The Christ is that person whom God has chosen to administrate His whole creation. Such a person or being is subject to no power and no authority but God Himself. A good illustration of Him is what Joseph was in Egypt. Joseph was absolute ruler over Egypt with only one authority over him: the Pharoah. Such a system does not exist in true reality on earth. Someone with that kind of authority cannot be persuaded by anybody to do anything except what God Himself is pleased with and here is the funny thing: God is so satisfied with them that whatever they choose to do already has the approval of God.
They do not need to hold endless counsels with God to decide anything because they are already in perfect synchronicity with Him. The Christ sits in God’s seat over all of Creation. The Christ is God to Creation.

I wonder if this is getting to you just as it is getting to me just now. We are saying that the man or angel or animal or plant or rock that God chooses as His King is the greatest, most powerful being in existence besides God. Ok, what does that have to do with anything? Just look up Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. Note this very important part: “"thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will *be like the most High.*"” Guess who said all of that. Sure it’s the King of Babylon. But you do understand symbolic speech, right? The King of Babylon (remember Nebuchadnezzar’s proud claims that reduced him to a beast of the field for seven years?) was a symbol of the Adversary, Satan, the old Serpent, the Devil, the Evil One, the Wicked One, the Deceiver, the Tempter etc. We’ll just call him Satan here. Both passages Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 were about him. And you see that the position that he aspired to is remarkably similar to the one that we have just described in the last paragraph. Yes, Satan wanted to be the Christ…just without the anointing.

Ok. Again, what does that have to do with anything? Well, the Christ is the Head of the Church. A head is such an amazing, such a wonderful thing. Scientists are still stumped trying to decipher our brains and how it can do so much. But a head is severely restricted without a body to use to accomplish its plans, purposes, schemes and desires. See Luke 12:50. If you’re an entrepreneur or a woman, you well understand this feeling of futility and frustration that Jesus expressed here. That is what happens to a head without a body. And that was what Jesus was talking about when He said that the Son of Man had no place to lay His head. He did not have a Church until He rose from the dead and poured out His Spirit upon His disciples. That was when He came into His place of rest. Do you understand what this means? It means that the Church is Jesus’s agency for fulfilling His duty and office as God to Creation. But do you realize what "that" means? It means that the Church is together with Jesus God to Creation as well. I just chuckled a little writing that. I promise you it is wonderful and scary. But we’re only interested in the “wonderful” part for now.

The point being made right now is that Satan is very interested in the Church for no better reason than that it is the Body of Christ, God’s Anointed King of Creation. I think “anointed” removes this whole thing from a normal realm for us so I’m going to be sticking with “chosen” and “selected”. Satan hates the Church because HE was rejected for that position whereas SHE was chosen for it (because Christ Jesus was). I like to think that we understand that HEAD + BODY = WHOLE ENTITY. Jesus is God’s chosen King TOGETHER WITH US puny, sinful humans. Do you get that? It’s a little too wonderful for me. But I like it a lot. In case, like me, you’re wondering if I’m not taking this way too far and bordering on insane heresy, by all means open your Bible and look at the letter to the Ephesians which we started with. This time…oh, please just read the whole letter. I am finding it tough to point some stuff out and leave others, the whole thing is explosive. But I’ll try. For direct references to the outrageous things that I’ve said so far regarding the Church and Christ, see chapter one verse twenty to chapter two verse six. When you read, try to mentally ignore the chapters and verses: while they’re good for reference, they tend to sometimes impede the flow of thought in the writing such that one thought often appears to be two or more separate but related thoughts.

We are described as sharing experiences and positions with Christ. If we share with Him in the Cross and resurrection and in glorification, what do you suppose that makes us? And I have not mentioned what Peter said about being PARTAKERS (that is, PART-takers) in the divine nature. Believe me, if you are human or have been human for a little while, you know that we wouldn’t be your choice to rule God’s creation. So I understand if you think it too much to say that we will be sitting as God over Creation with Jesus. Take it on faith though. It is what the Scriptures say.

All of this being the case, it stands to reason that Satan would have enormous interest in hurting the Church, does it not? And if it is One Body with many parts, what would be a more effective way to hurt it than to pit it against itself, if possible, right? Thus, we come to…

[cont'd]


The Unity Of The Church

I think that there are two questions to consider here.

1. Is the Church truly in disunity? Why or why not?

2. How do we keep the Unity of the Spirit?

Taking the first, is it possible to break the unity of the Spirit? To splinter the Church into various clusters of true believers who have lost their vital connection to one another? What do the Scriptures say? Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians documented the first known schisms in the Church. In chapter 3 of that letter, he says that they are picking authorities they prefer and excluding one another based on whose doctrine they prefer. He says that there are envying, strife and divisions among them. That does seem to suggest disunity in their midst. But then he did call the unity of the Church “the unity of the Spirit”. He called them carnal in this same chapter and in Romans 8 pointed out that carnality opposes spirituality, so it would seem that rather than actually nullifying the unity of the Spirit, they simply were not keeping or expressing it, which of course is very bad, the worst that believers can fall into. Simply failing to see, appreciate and operate in the unity of the Spirit severely limits the expression of Christ through His Body so it is a very terrible situation to be in but it does not appear that it is possible to actually destroy the unity of the Body even with schisms of the sort in this chapter.

In Acts 20, Paul had the Ephesian elders come to see him at Miletus. Among the things that he said to these bishops was this: ‘"of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them"’. That does seem to suggest splitting in the Church. It is like the case of the Corinthians only worse as it is both a deliberate act on the part of the ministers and it involves perverse doctrines. But does this truly break the unity of the Spirit? 1 John 2:19 says that if people go out from among us it is because they never belonged with us because if they did belong they would have continued with us. Compare that with Matthew 13:24-30. There are many who look, talk and act like believers who are not Christians at all. The proof that they don’t belong is what they choose to do when tests like the one of men speaking perverse things come. Do they prefer perversity to Christ? Then they were never believers at all, just people who enjoyed tagging along when it suited them. Can true believers be deceived? Yes indeed. However, they are quick to repent when they have fallen, they do not abide in perversity. In fact, Paul said in Philippians 3:15 that if anyone is otherwise minded concerning the ways of God, otherwise minded, that is, than what he had set forth prior to saying that, God would reveal their error to them. So it is possible for even mature believers (of whom he was speaking there) to be “otherwise minded” than the Word of Truth would have them be. So again, this does not prove that the unity of the Spirit can be nullified by anything.

When we talk of disunity today, it is usually a question of agreement between teachings and systems of belief and a question of authorities to trust and adhere to. Both are very like the two instances that I have pointed out. As we have also seen, the Scriptures do not regard these things as breaking the unity of the Church. They rather consider them as impeding the expression of this unity which is itself a terrible thing still, as I have pointed out. Let us go on to the second thing.


Keeping The Unity Of The Spirit

We started with Ephesians 4:3. We have come back there. The charge was to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. What do these words mean? How do we keep the unity of the Spirit? With all the noise that is being made today about unifying the Church, what exactly does Paul expect when he says to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace? What does the Holy Spirit expect when He inspires Paul to make such a charge? What are we supposed to do exactly?

Should we form conferences to see to demolishing denominational barriers? Should we attempt to agree on what rituals to maintain in worship and what to remove? Should we debate which authority to adopt universally and which to reject universally?

I think that the answer lies in what the unity of the Spirit is. I think that the two main words in that phrase are the key. One is unity, the other is Spirit. The unity is spiritual. If it is, conferences, debates and universal adoptions won’t do the job. Keeping a spiritual unity will necessarily be a spiritual exercise. The question is what the exercise is. And we already have clues as to what the answer is.

To start with, the Church is One Body having One Spirit, holding One Faith in One Lord and One God and demonstrating its allegiance to this One Lord and One God by One Baptism. One Faith and thus One Doctrine. What is the Doctrine of Christ by which every doctrine must be judged for acceptability? This One Doctrine is how we can preserve doctrinal unity in the Church. John says that it is this: that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. That should seem pretty ordinary to you, as it did to me. Unless you ask who Jesus Christ is and why it is a big deal that he is come in the flesh. If you have asked that – and I hope that you have – open to Philippians 2:5-11. In that place, you’ll see exactly why that statement is a big deal. Understand this, the Christ was such a mighty concept that he was not expected to be human back in the early days before Jesus came. He was supposed to be God’s Judge Who came in power and great authority to right the wrongs that had been done to the Jews. He was too mighty to be human. But what does Paul say in that part of his letter to the Philippians? He was very human when he came…but he was for all that the very Christ of God.

The big deal in that is that the Christ was supposed to have the authority and power of God Himself and be subject or inferior to nothing. Jesus apparently contradicted that. He did not throw His weight around and demand that He be served. He went about doing good and washing His disciples’ feet. He submitted Himself to the power of His enemies and died the shameful death of a criminal and did not answer insult with insult. He did everything that was not expected of Him and worst of all, He DIED! The Christ died! But that was where the greatest confirmation of His Christhood lay. The God that chose Him raised Him from the dead. This whole thing is encapsulated in Philippians 2:5-11 and in Philippians 3:2-14. All doctrines must be judged by their adherence to this principal doctrine that God’s Christ submitted Himself to God’s Will no matter where it took Him. He did not seek His Own Comfort or His Own Gain. God’s Pleasure governed Him in everything. And all this even though He was equal to God and had the power to go contrary to Him. This is the Doctrine of Christ and the Foundation of The Christian Faith, the Doctrine to which every doctrine must adhere or be rejected.

We will not know until the Judgment all those who are truly of Christ although we may see some fully display their colors before that Day. For this reason, keeping the unity of the Spirit means that we must maintain fellowship with those who act in keeping with this principal doctrine and refuse fellowship with those who claim Christ but contradict it. Where people who walk in heresy turn back and start to adhere to this doctrine, we must accept them again and succor them. When people turn to heresy and we call them back, after a second admonition, we must release them to the Lord and His power to deliver. Beyond that, we will only destroy many who rightly belong in the Body.


Toward A United Christian Voice?

How shall we gain a united Christian voice? Anywhere, for that matter? How shall Christians attain visible unity? Is it even possible with the cacophony out there? What can we do to get to expressing the unity of the Spirit?

Here’s what the Lord said: ‘"by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another"’. That is all the answer that I am happy to give. There is something that identifies Christians, a kind of badge. It is Love, the setting of someone else’s well-being as such a priority that you could inconvenience yourself in order to ensure its maintenance if need be. That was the example that the Lord set for us. This is the visible feature that unifies us.

The unity of the Spirit is not merely about standing on stage and talking the same things. Let us be clear about this: until the Lord returns, there will be a cacophony. There will be men attempt to mislead others or who even allow themselves to be misled so that they can mislead others because there is gain in it for them. There will be people who want the Throne without the Cross. There will be lies told in the Name of Jesus. As long as these things exist, there will never be an apparent united Christian voice. But there will always be a distinct Christian quality, something that every Christian will be known by and which will prove to all who look that so and so are of one family.

Doctrines are vastly important. It is of massive importance that Christians believe and teach the right things and these right things cannot contradict each other. However, it must not be forgotten that we are all different people having different experiences although it is all under the same God. There are doctrines that some of us have left behind and find not just unnecessary but likely harmful or at least limiting to carry on with in our experience that others will be taking up. It is not Christian to attack them for being less experienced than we are. The unity we are to keep is in the bond of peace.

This is the part where I will call to our minds once again what Paul said to the mature brethren in his letter to the Philippians. He said that if in any thing they thought differently than he had just taught them that God would reveal it to them. Yes, for the younger ones, the mature ones have a responsibility to guide. But for those who are feeding on strong meat, we are not to war with each other merely because we think different from each other. Rather, we are to admonish, to encourage, to exhort and then to place each person in the hands of the Lord for restoration where there is need. For the younger ones that we lead, we are to be patient and prayerful. We will not keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace by warring over doctrines and authorities.


Peace be with all God’s children.

^^
Gracias

What's the difference between unity in voice and unity in faith as in Eph 4:13.

Thank you