THE EVIDENCE of eternal life, the deferred if ultimate prize of the Blood that Jesus shed on the Cross is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith. In other words, the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).
It is hollow for a Christian to say that they have eternal life, yet they do not demonstrate righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. As is written, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” Isaiah 32:17 KJV
If a professor looks like a Christian, walks like a Christian, talks like a Christian, thinks like a Christian, and eats like a Christian, then they are probably a Christian.
Brethren, let us live and walk by the Spirit, for as the scripture reminds us:
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. | For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our house which is from heaven: | If so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. | For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. | Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 5: 1-5 KJV
Disclaimer: An earlier version of this Blog appeared in the “Know the Truth and Be Set Free Series”
Christians rarely, if ever, impute selfish motives to Abba, and certainly that is not the intention here. However, I intuitively understand that having One Beloved Son is unbearable for a loving Father.
Now, we know from scripture “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 KJV
For all the preaching I have listened to and heard since I was brought forth from my mother’s womb, a greater weight is placed on the verbs ‘love’ and ‘gave’ followed by the subject – ‘His only begotten Son’ and predicate i.e., the sinful ‘world’ (or peoples) that needed saving substituted for complete ruin more or less in that order. The emphasis might vary depending on the leading of the Holy Ghost. But generally, it tends to fit in this mould.
John 3:16 is considered the “heart of the Gospel of Salvation” or simply the Gospel in a nutshell. It perfectly balances God’s initiating love and sacrifice with the necessary human response of faith. It offers hope, defines grace, and reveals the heart of God for humanity. And so, it is a useful starting point of the God-man reconcilement after the Fall[out]. Essentially, it summarizes the entire Biblical narrative in one verse.
The question or enlightenment sought here is what does John 3:16 tell us about the character and heart of God the Father?
I have researched and learnt that three things are revealed:
· God is fundamentally loving and personal,
· God is generous and self-sacrificial (“he gave”), and
· God’s desire is salvation, not condemnation (as reinforced in the following verse, John 3:17)
For the remainder of this article, I will dwell on the first point. It is not in contention that God is loving. In fact, we know according to 1 John 4:12bi, “God is love” (KJV). At the same time Adonai is selfless and personal. We know this because ‘He gave His only begotten Son.’
From here most preachers of the Word naturally move on to the preposition ‘whosoever believeth in Him should not perish’. However, and this is a crucial point, whereas most preachers understandably emphasise not perishing linking it to the salvation, i.e., the subject, the aspect of faith or belief in the Son of God tends to take a backseat. Here, we argue that believing in Jesus was so personal to God the Father as it was the harbinger and guarantee
of present and future obedience grounded on faith that He would offer His Son as a perfect sacrifice. “That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15 KJV), just as His Son had.
As already noted, God is fundamentally loving. He loves His Son. But not unlike His friend Abraham, “the father of multitude”. As is written,
“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So, Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him;”Genesis 12: 1-4a KJV.
Jesus Christ’s ministry and mission follow a similar pattern, beginning with the calling (who shall go on our behalf); obedience (here I am, send me LORD), and promise (I will bless or give). The parallel between Abraham, “the father of faith” and Jesus “the better Abraham” include the assurance that God would bless those who bless, the promise that through Abraham’s offspring – the entire world would be blessed – which is widely believed to refer to Jesus Christ, and the promise of a great nation, which is correctly interpreted as the nation of Israel (read the Church).
Based on the foregoing, it can be concluded that God’s love for His Son is concordant with His love for the world and for humanity. As His only begotten Son, God’s heart for many sons materialised through giving His only Son to redeem many sons and for Jesus, His only begotten Son to bring everything into completion. Thus,
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: | Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: | In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: | Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: | For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:| And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. | And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. | For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; | And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.| And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled | in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:”Colossians 1:12-22 KJV.
Amen.
Full Disclosure: Some of the motivation for writing this article was a conversation on learning the character of God I earlier had with Elder Eddie Smith. I am solely responsible for the views and accuracy of the material presented here.
Although the Church (with capital “C”) is a unit (i.e., it is universal), it’s localness has profound significance suggestive of the genius of The Master Builder, Who, as is written, says “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church [with lower case “c”]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 KJV
This congregational aspect of the church allows for accountability. A keen reading of the rich history of the church shows that gifts were given to and for the edification of the local church.
James, Jesus’s own brother and leader of the council of Jerusalem writes, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14 KJV
Acknowledgement: An earlier version of this piece appeared in Know the Truth and Be Set Free Series
“Created in the image of God” is arguably the most sophisticated concept anyone can encounter in the Bible.
What does it mean ‘to be created in the image of’ The Almighty God; Bread of Life; Divine; I Am; The Alpha and Omega; Rose of Sharon; Truth; Word; Very God; Yahweh; Master; Highest Priest; Eternal; Elohim; Creator; Chief Cornerstone; ad finitum?
First, it could mean man’s intrinsic nature and character reflect Godliness. Hence, the idea of a “fallen man” makes a clear distiction between the original, God’s-creation; and the corrupt, evil and fallen man, Satan’s imitation.
Clearly, fallen man does not represent the image of God the Father Son and Holy Spirit. Alluding to this, in answering a bewildered Nicodemus Jesus responds; thus, “Verily, verily I say unto thee, unless a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3 KJV
It is obvious from the above that the Fall included man loosing power of sight, which can only be restored through a radical renewal and tranformative process involving Justufication, Sanctification, and Redemption (JSR) for him to be able to see his perfect image again.
Relatedly, is the notion of taking your cross and following Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. With the righteous declaration that “I Am the way and the truth and the life,” (John 14:6) read together with “No one comes to the Father except through me,” the path to man’s restoration in the image of God is predetermined.
The implication is, worldly notions such as ‘seeking the truth’ or the ‘purpose of life’ are hollow lies of our “adversary the devil, [who like] as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8 KJV). Therefore, “be sober, be vigilant” (ibid.).
Secondly, it can mean that man is supposed to have chemistry with God. Hence the Levitical command, “… ye shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44).
Acknowledgement: First published by the author in the Truth and Be Set Free Indeed Series.
The world offers finance, status and fame as pathways to independence and “freedom”. By grace, God offers eternal life and true freedom through faith in Jesus Christ alone expressed through His Body – the Church. These are the stuck choices we all face, the inner tension as it were. The cardinal rule of God’s Righteous Law says: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24 KJV
Acknowledgements: This piece was first published in the “Know the Truth and Be Set Free Series.”
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”Galatians 2:20 NIV
Over the course of the last several Sundays, the above verse found in Apostle Paul’s epistle to the church in Galatia has been referenced from the pulpit during Sunday sermons at my local church – Northside Community Church in Harare.
Coincidentally, it is the scripture verse that the Lord put in my heart during my water baptism. We were required to cite a scripture as soon as we came out of the water. And I remember reciting verse two of the twentieth chapter of Galatians.
Today, the Holy Spirit again quickened the same verse in my conscience as I laid inside the chamber of an MRI scanner. While it is no doubt one of my favorite verses, I now have better intuition of what it means.
As a believer, disciple and born-again follower and Ambassador of Christ and the Kingdom of God, I have no identity of my own. In other words, I was buried with him by baptism into death and now walk in newness of life having been raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father.
Some would say that is only positionally true. No, it is the truth. It is reality. And what is even more remarkable is that even the Registrar of Death and Birth in the country where I was born (Kenya) has not clue that the Kenneth Odero who was born into sin in Murang’a died, was buried and rose again. The evidence? There is no official record of death against my name, except in Heaven.
It is not only that I died, but as is written in Colossians my life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is my life, appears, then I also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:3-4 NIVparaphrased)
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” (Romans 6:8 NIV). Therefore, I can never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14 NIV)
Brethren, let us examine yourselves to see whether we are in the faith; test yourselves. Is Christ Jesus is in you?
The WORD challenges us (Romans 6:13) not to offer any part of ourselves to sin as an instrument of wickedness but rather offer ourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of ourselves to Him as an instrument of righteousness. Amen
