DOES MATTHEW 18:18-20 TEACH THAT BELIEVERS HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DECREE AND DECLARE THINGS?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
Sister X, thanks for the question. I appreciate your concerns on emotive Christian debates touching on contentious issues. However, my view is that biblical debates can be mutually beneficial if they are conducted in a structured manner and the parties are respectful in their arguments.
No one has a monopoly of ideas and there is no end to learning. Scripture teaches that iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17).
Now to respond to your question...
Yes, I have come across the slogan about decreeing and declaring things into existence. I am however hesitant to admit that believers have such authority. The slogan is possibly reinforced by the Word of Faith doctrines on confessing and possessing things.
The word "decree" in its ordinary usage refers to a royal proclamation or executive order that must be strictly complied with by those to whom it is directed. It is an official order that carries with it the force of law.
A person making a decree must therefore have the requisite authority or power to proclaim it.
The word "decree" appears 18 times in the Book of Esther and 15 times in Daniel.
Ancient kings issued decrees to their subjects in the exercise of their unfettered royal authority.
In the New Testament Scripture, the word "decree" appears only 4 times in the NKJV. To my knowledge, none of these Scripture passages relate to the exercise of spiritual authority by believers or the Church.
Now turning to Matthew 18:18-20, the Bible says "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
BIBLICAL ANALYSIS
Does this passage teach that believers have the authority to make decrees on any matter and things just happen spontaneously?
A charismatic teacher would perhaps answer this question in the affirmative. Is this affirmation consistent with biblical truth?
First things first...
Let us start by examining the context of the two statements in this short passage. Context is always key when it comes to biblical interpretation.
Jesus was addressing the issue of Christian conflict resolution/church discipline in the context of the sinning brother (Matthew 18:15-20).
The statement in Matthew 18:18 therefore relates to the authority of the church in administering moral discipline within the Christian community. A believer who stubbornly refuses to submit to church discipline may be excommunicated from the congregation of believers until such a time that they demonstrate remorse and are biblically restored (cf. 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 2 Cor. 2:3-11).
Paul exercised this authority when he excommunicated two heretics from the Ephesian Christian community (1 Timothy 1:19-20; 2 Timothy 2:16-19).
We learn from the teaching of Jesus in our passage of context above that God will uphold the disciplinary decision of the church if it is made in a godly judicious manner and within the authority of the word of God.
This authority should however be subject to the broader teachings found elsewhere in the Bible which speak into the context.
The second statement in Matthew 18:19 is made in a broader context. It is the foundation of corporate faith in the Christian community. It is however subject to the body of truths taught in the Bible which apply to this context.
Finally, Matthew 18:20 gives an assurance of God's abiding presence. Jesus, by His Spirit, is present among believers who come together in fellowship and in prayer. This does not however suggest that Christ's presence does not abide in an individual believer.
CONCLUSION
My considered view is that Matthew 18:18-20 does not appear to support the popular charismatic slogan on decreeing matters into existence.
God is sovereign in our lives and this truth governs our relationship with Him even in the context of prayer. He alone has exclusive authority to grant or decline any petition that we present to Him in prayer. Our petitions must satisfy His divine purposes. (James 4:1-6,13-17).
Nothing in Scripture teaches or implies that God has donated His sovereign power and authority to any mortal. Yes, He does work through us and in us. However, He alone can decree and declare things into existence. No man can take the place of God in the exercise of His sovereign power.
The Word of Faith slogan therefore fails the test of Scripture in so far as Matthew 18:18-20 obtains.
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Should We Celebrate Christmas?
IS IT BIBLICAL TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
This question always crops up during the Christmas season as atheists, scholars and Christian skeptics write long articles in leading newsletters while questioning the legitimacy of these age-old Christian traditions.
BIBLICAL AUTHORITY
While I agree with the view that there is no express command in the New Testament Scriptures that compels Christian communities to celebrate Christmas, I disagree with the notion that the celebration of this event is unbiblical or ungodly.
Nothing can be further from the truth!
Let me qualify my statement below.
It is instructive that the Bible does not have specific commands for every instruction or prohibition, and neither does it describe every issue known to man today by specific words or terms.
For example, Evangelical and Pentecostal church traditions forbid their faithful from consuming alcoholic beverages, tobacco, cigarettes and addictive narcotic drugs of various descriptions and yet there is no express prohibition for such items in the New Testament Scripture!
So if [God forbid!] that one faithful came to church one Sunday morning with a bottle of Vodka or puffing a Fidel Castro cigar and sat in the pews while arguing that alcohol or cigarette smoking is nowhere mentioned or expressly prohibited in the Bible, how would the minister handle that kind of situation?
The argument that there was no specific mention of the celebration of Christmas by the New Testament Church [assuming that this claim is biblically valid] is no reason for discarding these noble church traditions at the snap of the finger!
Here is why...
Most of the Christian traditions that we observe today were developed by the Church over centuries of Christian practice.
Some of the church traditions we observe today do not even appear in the New Testament Scriptures yet Christian communities consider them godly!
How do we justify them?
The New Testament Church practices captured in the Bible are silent on any other celebrations besides the Lord's Table and Baptism.
It is however instructive that the church never had everything right at ago! She methodically developed doctrines and practices over the centuries, even as she discarded others along the way. Are you aware that Roman Catholic church instituted the doctrine of penance in the medieval period and it was not until the 15th century Reformation that this practice was questioned? Penance involved the payment of money to the church in lieu of sins of departed relatives so that their punishment at purgatory was lessened!
The church has come through periods of self definition. We did not always get everything right...
Picture this...
We can observe from Acts 6 that some church offices were possibly inaugurated by default or under some emergency of sorts! They were later carefully reconstituted with clear guidelines for the church (1 Timothy 2:8-15, 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-7).
Notice further that the qualifications for those appointed to serve tables were possibly overstated so that Stephen, an evangelist by calling, was mistakenly assigned to serve tables.
Stephen was shortly thereafter martyred while doing what he knew best: preaching the word of God. He delivered a powerful sermon under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, yet this ministry was the preserve of the apostles!
Now back to our Christmas issue...
As pointed out earlier, one does not require a specific biblical command in order to discern that a particular thing or practice is permissible or prohibited in the Bible.
We need to appreciate the holistic nature of the biblical Scriptures when read in their passage contexts and in truth.
To my knowledge no such word as "Christian wedding" or "church wedding" exist anywhere in the Bible, but few Christians would doubt that church weddings are legitimate biblical practices for the Christian community if we accept that Genesis 2:22-25 and other relevant Old Testament Scriptures speak into this practice.
My guess is that if we went by the "letter of the law" approach, such practices would definitely be open to debate.
The Pharisees had a penchant for reading the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of the law and Jesus often rebuked them for their hollow religious legalism (see Matthew 23:23 on the teaching on the tithe].
There is no manifest error with Acts 12:4 regarding the use of the word Easter in the KJV as alleged.
Leading Bible translations such as NAB and the NKJV 2007 editions render the same word as "Passover" which carries the same meaning as Easter.
My view is that it is inappropriate to conclude that there was a translation error in the above scripture without any exegetical evidence.
The mention of Easter or Passover in this verse is significant in showing that Passover took a new meaning when Christ, the Passover Lamb, was offered at Calvary.
It is therefore regrettable that some Bible teachers choose to rubbish these holy commemorations by falsely declaring them unbiblical or unchristian!
It is instructive that the 2nd to 4th century church era is collectively understood as the early church period which ended after the 4th century when the Roman Catholic Church subverted the word of God by creating a religious dynasty that advanced teachings and practices that contradicted the authority of Scripture.
The Roman Catholic Church ruled the Christian sphere for nearly 1,000 years, teaching heresy and persecuting the true followers of church who were the true believers until late 1500s when resistance to its cultic and apostate reign arose from reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther.
By late 1500s to mid 1600s, the Reformation began to take shape until the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church were totally rejected by the Protestant Reformation.
WHY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IS BIBLICAL
Now back to our Christmas issue...
I find no evidence in the Bible to suggest that the celebration of Christmas is sinful or that it violates any passage of Scripture.
I regret to state that the conclusion carried in the article which opposes the Christmas and Easter traditions is based on arguments advanced by New Age teachers and has no biblical merit at all.
The argument that Christmas or Easter are reserved for the gathering of friends and that these two occasions "have lost their original religious significance" is decidedly false.
The people of this world may have their idea about Christmas or Easter but this in no way implies that the church should discard these important celebrations!
If anything, we should retrace our lost convictions on these and other important Christian traditions that have been discarded.
While Christmas relates to the celebration of Christ's incarnate birth, the Easter celebration reminds us of the suffering that Christ endured for our redemption and His triumph over death through His resurrection and ascension to heaven.
To blot out the two celebrations from our Christian calendars, under the pretext that they are not commanded by Scripture is, in my considered view, sacrilegious and a great dishonor to our Risen Lord!
Now as regards when Jesus was born, I agree with the author that Jesus may not have been born on 25th December. However, dates aside, the commemoration of His birth is significant to the true followers of Christ.
Those who insist on dates other than the traditional December 25th are at liberty to celebrate on any other date(s) that they consider to resonate with their convictions.
Let me conclude by saying that Christmas and Easter celebrations are close to the hearts of those who love the Lord.
Those who chose not to celebrate these seasons are at liberty to do so. However, any attempt to discredit these important Christian calendar dates by appealing to church history is hollow and futile!
My concluding view is that both celebrations are biblically legitimate and nothing concerning their celebration or commemoration by the Christian community violates the Scriptures.
If anything, God is glorified by a Christian congregation that chooses to honor Christ by recalling His incarnate coming which is at the heart of the finished works of the cross.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Picture this...
We can observe from Acts 6 that some church offices were possibly inaugurated by default or under some emergency of sorts! They were later carefully reconstituted with clear guidelines for the church (1 Timothy 2:8-15, 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-7).
Notice further that the qualifications for those appointed to serve tables were possibly overstated so that Stephen, an evangelist by calling, was mistakenly assigned to serve tables.
Stephen was shortly thereafter martyred while doing what he knew best: preaching the word of God. He delivered a powerful sermon under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, yet this ministry was the preserve of the apostles!
Now back to our Christmas issue...
As pointed out earlier, one does not require a specific biblical command in order to discern that a particular thing or practice is permissible or prohibited in the Bible.
We need to appreciate the holistic nature of the biblical Scriptures when read in their passage contexts and in truth.
To my knowledge no such word as "Christian wedding" or "church wedding" exist anywhere in the Bible, but few Christians would doubt that church weddings are legitimate biblical practices for the Christian community if we accept that Genesis 2:22-25 and other relevant Old Testament Scriptures speak into this practice.
My guess is that if we went by the "letter of the law" approach, such practices would definitely be open to debate.
The Pharisees had a penchant for reading the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of the law and Jesus often rebuked them for their hollow religious legalism (see Matthew 23:23 on the teaching on the tithe].
There is no manifest error with Acts 12:4 regarding the use of the word Easter in the KJV as alleged.
Leading Bible translations such as NAB and the NKJV 2007 editions render the same word as "Passover" which carries the same meaning as Easter.
My view is that it is inappropriate to conclude that there was a translation error in the above scripture without any exegetical evidence.
The mention of Easter or Passover in this verse is significant in showing that Passover took a new meaning when Christ, the Passover Lamb, was offered at Calvary.
It is therefore regrettable that some Bible teachers choose to rubbish these holy commemorations by falsely declaring them unbiblical or unchristian!
It is instructive that the 2nd to 4th century church era is collectively understood as the early church period which ended after the 4th century when the Roman Catholic Church subverted the word of God by creating a religious dynasty that advanced teachings and practices that contradicted the authority of Scripture.
The Roman Catholic Church ruled the Christian sphere for nearly 1,000 years, teaching heresy and persecuting the true followers of church who were the true believers until late 1500s when resistance to its cultic and apostate reign arose from reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther.
By late 1500s to mid 1600s, the Reformation began to take shape until the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church were totally rejected by the Protestant Reformation.
WHY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IS BIBLICAL
Now back to our Christmas issue...
I find no evidence in the Bible to suggest that the celebration of Christmas is sinful or that it violates any passage of Scripture.
I regret to state that the conclusion carried in the article which opposes the Christmas and Easter traditions is based on arguments advanced by New Age teachers and has no biblical merit at all.
The argument that Christmas or Easter are reserved for the gathering of friends and that these two occasions "have lost their original religious significance" is decidedly false.
The people of this world may have their idea about Christmas or Easter but this in no way implies that the church should discard these important celebrations!
If anything, we should retrace our lost convictions on these and other important Christian traditions that have been discarded.
While Christmas relates to the celebration of Christ's incarnate birth, the Easter celebration reminds us of the suffering that Christ endured for our redemption and His triumph over death through His resurrection and ascension to heaven.
To blot out the two celebrations from our Christian calendars, under the pretext that they are not commanded by Scripture is, in my considered view, sacrilegious and a great dishonor to our Risen Lord!
Now as regards when Jesus was born, I agree with the author that Jesus may not have been born on 25th December. However, dates aside, the commemoration of His birth is significant to the true followers of Christ.
Those who insist on dates other than the traditional December 25th are at liberty to celebrate on any other date(s) that they consider to resonate with their convictions.
Let me conclude by saying that Christmas and Easter celebrations are close to the hearts of those who love the Lord.
Those who chose not to celebrate these seasons are at liberty to do so. However, any attempt to discredit these important Christian calendar dates by appealing to church history is hollow and futile!
My concluding view is that both celebrations are biblically legitimate and nothing concerning their celebration or commemoration by the Christian community violates the Scriptures.
If anything, God is glorified by a Christian congregation that chooses to honor Christ by recalling His incarnate coming which is at the heart of the finished works of the cross.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Does God Permit Christian Suffering?
BQ NO. 45 - DOES GOD PERMIT CHRISTIAN SUFFERING? A STUDY OF MORAL LESSONS FROM THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF JOB.
By Ezekiel Kimosop
BACKGROUND TO THE BOOK OF JOB
Bible scholars are largely divided concerning the dating and authorship of the Book of Job. Those who place the dating of the book within the Iron Age date it after 1200 BC. Some scholars have identified the book with the period of the reign of King Solomon when wisdom literature was highly valued. Solomon is believed to have written the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Songs of Solomon as well as some of the Psalms. It is however difficult to precisely date the book of Job for the following reasons:
i) The location of the land of Uz has been hard to establish. Some suppose that it may have been an ancient location in Edom which was next to Israel.
ii) Job's lineage is not mentioned in the book or in any other section of Scripture.
ii) The fact that Job offered burnt sacrifices for his children (Job 1:5) has led some scholars to believe that Job may have lived during the time of the patriarchs and not during the period of the kings.
Marauding bands of raiders (Job 1:17) were common during Abraham's day (cf. Gen 14).
iv) Unlike during the age of the kings, there seems to have been no organized religious worship in Job's time. Job, like Abraham, worshipped God alone.
v) The length of Job's life could strongly suggest that he may have lived within the post-Noah generation and probably before Abraham.
WHO WROTE THE BOOK OF JOB?
The identity of the author of Job has also been difficult to determine. According to the NKJV 2007 introduction to Job, several authors have been speculated including King Solomon and two of the Book's characters namely Job and Elihu. Some have mentioned Moses but given the reference to iron tools and weapons (Job 19:24, 20:24, 40:18) and iron ore mining (Job 28:1-2), Moses' authorship of this Book has been seriously discounted. However, if Job pre-existed Abraham and Moses, then this theory could find some merit. There is also a close resemblance between the writings attributed to Solomon and sections of the Book of Job [cf. Job 7:17,18 and Ps.8:4 and Job 28:8 with Prov. 3:7, 9:10].
The Book of Job is largely a poetic/wisdom literature genre which can be loosely classified with the Books of Psalms and the Proverbs.
WHO WAS JOB?
Job the man is no doubt the central character of the book. Job is first introduced in the Book as a wealthy and devout man who caught the attention and approval of God (Job 1:1-5). He is described as blameless, upright and Godfearing (Job 1:1). This does not however suggest that Job was sinless! He was simply morally upright. His family and his wealth is listed in Job 1:2-3).
JOB'S GRUESOME TEST
Job 1:6-12 reports on Satan's attack on Job's character. Satan claims that Job was merely faithful to God because of the material benefits he had received from God and the favors that God had bestowed upon him. God permitted Satan to test the spiritual integrity of Job but not to harm his life (Job 1:12).
We learn from the revelation of New Testament Scripture that nothing ever happens to God's people without God's permissive will and that our Christian suffering ultimately serves God's purposes (Romans 8:28).
Job suffered horrendous destruction in various dimensions as Satan wreaked havoc through sustained attacks on his life and his family. He lost all his children and his entire wealth and was struck with leprosy, leading him to stay in isolation for the period of infection (Job 1:13-2:13).
Surprisingly, Job's reaction to his tragedy was with measured and godly deportment. He kept his cool in the midst of unbearable pain and affliction. This proved that Job was a spiritually mature person whose devotion to God was unquestioningly firm. The writer records that Job did not sin with his lips (Job 2:10). This is a biblical confirmation that Job acted righteously even in his worst moments of life. He refused to curse God or blame God for the afflictions.
This proved that God's previous assessment of Job's moral integrity was consistent and accurate. God alone can carry an accurate assessment of our spiritual standing. He alone holds the divine barometer by which he tests the hearts of men (Jeremiah 17:9).
Job rightly recognized and accepted that his suffering was within God's permissive will. This agrees with Paul's statement in 1Cor.10:13. However, Job acted humanly. In the intensity of his pain, he regretted that he was ever born, a claim that indirectly touched on God's sovereignty. He openly expressed his pain and frustration.
Would we have acted any differently?
This perfectly showed his weak human side. Unlike Jesus who perfectly overcame temptation, Job was not perfect or sinless even as he was adjudged upright and blameless by God. This is true of us who are in Christ too. Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Only the righteousness of Christ can effectively shield us from God's condemnation (Romans 8:1-2).
THE PAIN INFLICTED BY JOB'S FRIENDS
Two of Job's three friends who visited him did not make matters any better for him. One of his friends called Eliphaz openly attributed Job's sufferings to some sin that Job may have committed. God later disproves this claim (Job 42:7). Eliphaz could not identify the specific sin but his claim was based on his limited understanding of sin and divine punishment. He could not comprehend that God can bring trials upon the righteous. He ought to have known better! His theology about God was limited by his narrow human understanding.
Eliphaz's claim is recorded in Job 4-5. One question is noteworthy in his long dialogue with Job: "can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? (Job 4:17). Eliphaz goes on to argue that if angels of God can err, [which is true about Satan], how much more can an earthly mortal be found with sin and error?
These words reveal one of the most powerful scriptural truths that is affirmed in the New Testament Scriptures that teaches that no human being can be perfect in God's eyes apart from Christ. All have been declared sinful in Adam [1 John 1:8-10, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Romans 3:23].
The dialogue or discourse between Job and his friends runs through to Job 37 and reveals their amazing depth of theological revelation and wisdom. This leaves no doubt that this Book was inspired by the Holy Spirit!
THE WISDOM OF YOUTHFUL ELIHU
Elihu, who was the youngest of Job's three friends, spoke awesome truths about God and God later vindicated him by requiting him of any blame. He condemned the self righteousness of men and proclaimed God's goodness, impartiality and majesty (Job 34-37). This was an amazing piece of wisdom coming from a young man!
Spiritual wisdom can defy human age and experience. It is the gift of God. Paul told Timothy never to allow anyone to despise him on account his youthfulness but to firmly teach and rebuke all alike without partiality. A minister may be a young man, perhaps unmarried. However, their youthfulness cannot affect the discharge of their spiritual mandate that God has bestowed upon them.
GOD REBUKES AND HUMBLES JOB
When God finally speaks for the first time to Job in Job 38-39, He appears to affirm Eĺihu's thoughts. He reveals His omnipotence and sovereignty tin His conversation with Job. Job is finally confounded and admits that his wisdom was nothing compared with God's. He kept silent in God's presence.
When God speaks no mortal can dare answer Him back.
Job exclaims in awesome fear: "Behold I am vile; what would I answer you? I lay my hand over my mouth." (Job 40:4). None of us has any legitimate standing or the right of reply in God's presence! We ought to be still for He is God (Ex. 14:14).
God goes on to demonstrate His divine omnipotence over all creation.
In Job 42, Job repents of his foolishness and is apparently forgiven (Job 42:1-6).
GOD REBUKES JOB'S TWO FRIENDS
Job's two friends are sharply rebuked by God for their foolishness and are ordered to take oxen as burnt offerings and go to Job who will pray for them lest God's wrath falls upon them! Notice that for the second time God fondly refers to Job as "my servant". None of Job's friends enjoyed that privilege!
Those who faithfully serve God and fear Him have a special relationship with Him. Moses enjoyed this status in the presence of God. When Moses was rebuked by his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron for marrying an Ethiopian woman and Miriam arrogantly question his leadership mandate, God swiftly came to his defense and Miriam was sharply rebuked and slapped with leprosy!
Job was commanded to pray for his two friends Eliphaz and Bildad. By this act, God affirmed the priesthood of Job. The Bible proclaims that the church is a royal priesthood in Christ. Do we often pray for those who offend us?
Surprisingly Elihu, the youngest of the three men was spared the wrath of God, suggesting that his theological prudence was approved of God! Divine wisdom defies human wisdom. Age is not necessarily an indicator of spiritual wisdom. Divine wisdom is spiritually discerned by consistent and prayerful search of Scripture and by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
Do you have time for the study of the word of God? How is your view of God? Is it biblically sound or severely wanting in some sense?
We should neither blame God for our pain nor misrepresent His divine truths in the Scriptures at the altar of convenience! God takes great exception to those who distort the truth of God's word for selfish purposes. If they do not repent, they will be severely punished.
THE RESTORATION OF JOB
The restoration of Job is recorded in Job 42:10-16. God restored Job's material loss on a twofold basis. Notice that his children born to him after his tragedy were not doubled in number. Some Bible scholars suggest that Job's children were not lost eternally but that their souls were preserved in the presence of God (cf. 2 Samuel 12:23).
Job's family came to comfort him for the adversity that God had, by His permissive will, brought upon him and to celebrate his divine restoration. This teaches us that no matter how much disadvantage we suffer in this world, God will ultimately restore us in Christ.
Job lived a further 140 years, long enough to see four generations of his children.
MORAL LESSONS FEOM THE STORY OF JOB
The book of Job is rich in moral and spiritual lessons. We shall identify just a few for the purpose of this article.
1) THE TESTING OF THE RIGHTEOUS
We learn from the story of Job that no believer can escape the trials that God reserves for His saints. This should lead us to view Christian trials and afflictions in a positive sense. There was no specific sin that triggered the trial of Job. God alone permitted for his divine purposes (cf. James 1:2-4). It is therefore unbiblical to attribute to Satan every trial we undergo. Christians will and do often suffer in ways that God alone permits. We should therefore be patient in suffering even as we pray for divine relief.
2) NO BELIEVER IS PERFECT.
The fact that we may not recollect any specific sin does not in itself imply that we are sinless or perfect in God's sight. No one is ever without sin except Christ! We are justified by God's grace in Christ (cf. 1John 1:7-10).
The Bible teaches that Christ was tempted in every possible way yet was without sin.
The Bible further teaches that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ (Hebrews 4:15; 2Cor. 5:21). The Bible declares that our righteousnesses [apart from Christ's] are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We cannot please God by our own efforts. The theology of works taught by the Roman Catholic Church is misleading and unbiblical. No one is justified by good deeds but only by the grace of God in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
3) THE FOLLY OF HUMAN WISDOM
Eliphaz and Bildad applied their human wisdom in their attempt to describe the nature and the working of God. They miserably failed. This is perfectly what this evil world tries to do in seeking to portray a false picture of who God is. Any portrayal of God outside the picture revealed in the Bible is false and corrupted.
For instance, scientists and philosophers have attempted to explain the nature and origin of the universe through scientific existential theories but they failed to offer convincing findings. The Bible teaches in 1 Cor. 1:19 that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. The revelation of God can only be discerned through the word of God and not through scientific research or human philosophy.
The Bible contains the full and final revelation of God to man through Jesus Christ.
Those who reject or ridicule the divine works of Jesus Christ are lost in depravity and, like Eliphaz and Bildad, can only be restored to God though the High Priesthood of Christ. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse sin. Job was therefore a foreshadow of Christ.
4) SATAN IS THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN (Rev.12:10).
We should always glorify God because our eternal security is anchored in Christ. Satan was defeated at Calvary. His word of deceit does not count anymore. Only Christ's blood speaks better things than Abel's does (Hebrews 12:24). The Bible asks in Romans 8:33, "who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." There is absolutely nothing to fear if we are in Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. We are forever hooked to Christ.
5) THE RESTORATION OF JOB
The restoration of Job reminds us of our final restoration in which Christ will usher us into eternal glory when He shall be revealed (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The Bible proclaims in Romans 8:17 that "If children [of God], then we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him [Christ], that we may be glorified together."
Nothing is more assuring than to know that even as we suffer in this passing evil world, we shall ultimately reign with Christ forever! (Rev. 20:6).
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the book of Job mirrors the sufferings of Christ and His saints and the reward that awaits us in heaven. This world will neither understand us fully nor adequately explain the secret of the joy that we have in Christ which we graciously possess by His Spirit. God alone fully knows us in every conceivable dimension.
Satan cannot circumvent our destiny in Christ. His fate is sealed and his destiny is in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). Let us therefore rejoice that our hope is secure and our future sealed in Christ because, as Scripture teaches, "we are dead to this world and our life is hid with Christ in God" (Col.3:3).
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
GOD REBUKES AND HUMBLES JOB
When God finally speaks for the first time to Job in Job 38-39, He appears to affirm Eĺihu's thoughts. He reveals His omnipotence and sovereignty tin His conversation with Job. Job is finally confounded and admits that his wisdom was nothing compared with God's. He kept silent in God's presence.
When God speaks no mortal can dare answer Him back.
Job exclaims in awesome fear: "Behold I am vile; what would I answer you? I lay my hand over my mouth." (Job 40:4). None of us has any legitimate standing or the right of reply in God's presence! We ought to be still for He is God (Ex. 14:14).
God goes on to demonstrate His divine omnipotence over all creation.
In Job 42, Job repents of his foolishness and is apparently forgiven (Job 42:1-6).
GOD REBUKES JOB'S TWO FRIENDS
Job's two friends are sharply rebuked by God for their foolishness and are ordered to take oxen as burnt offerings and go to Job who will pray for them lest God's wrath falls upon them! Notice that for the second time God fondly refers to Job as "my servant". None of Job's friends enjoyed that privilege!
Those who faithfully serve God and fear Him have a special relationship with Him. Moses enjoyed this status in the presence of God. When Moses was rebuked by his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron for marrying an Ethiopian woman and Miriam arrogantly question his leadership mandate, God swiftly came to his defense and Miriam was sharply rebuked and slapped with leprosy!
Job was commanded to pray for his two friends Eliphaz and Bildad. By this act, God affirmed the priesthood of Job. The Bible proclaims that the church is a royal priesthood in Christ. Do we often pray for those who offend us?
Surprisingly Elihu, the youngest of the three men was spared the wrath of God, suggesting that his theological prudence was approved of God! Divine wisdom defies human wisdom. Age is not necessarily an indicator of spiritual wisdom. Divine wisdom is spiritually discerned by consistent and prayerful search of Scripture and by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
Do you have time for the study of the word of God? How is your view of God? Is it biblically sound or severely wanting in some sense?
We should neither blame God for our pain nor misrepresent His divine truths in the Scriptures at the altar of convenience! God takes great exception to those who distort the truth of God's word for selfish purposes. If they do not repent, they will be severely punished.
THE RESTORATION OF JOB
The restoration of Job is recorded in Job 42:10-16. God restored Job's material loss on a twofold basis. Notice that his children born to him after his tragedy were not doubled in number. Some Bible scholars suggest that Job's children were not lost eternally but that their souls were preserved in the presence of God (cf. 2 Samuel 12:23).
Job's family came to comfort him for the adversity that God had, by His permissive will, brought upon him and to celebrate his divine restoration. This teaches us that no matter how much disadvantage we suffer in this world, God will ultimately restore us in Christ.
Job lived a further 140 years, long enough to see four generations of his children.
MORAL LESSONS FEOM THE STORY OF JOB
The book of Job is rich in moral and spiritual lessons. We shall identify just a few for the purpose of this article.
1) THE TESTING OF THE RIGHTEOUS
We learn from the story of Job that no believer can escape the trials that God reserves for His saints. This should lead us to view Christian trials and afflictions in a positive sense. There was no specific sin that triggered the trial of Job. God alone permitted for his divine purposes (cf. James 1:2-4). It is therefore unbiblical to attribute to Satan every trial we undergo. Christians will and do often suffer in ways that God alone permits. We should therefore be patient in suffering even as we pray for divine relief.
2) NO BELIEVER IS PERFECT.
The fact that we may not recollect any specific sin does not in itself imply that we are sinless or perfect in God's sight. No one is ever without sin except Christ! We are justified by God's grace in Christ (cf. 1John 1:7-10).
The Bible teaches that Christ was tempted in every possible way yet was without sin.
The Bible further teaches that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ (Hebrews 4:15; 2Cor. 5:21). The Bible declares that our righteousnesses [apart from Christ's] are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We cannot please God by our own efforts. The theology of works taught by the Roman Catholic Church is misleading and unbiblical. No one is justified by good deeds but only by the grace of God in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
3) THE FOLLY OF HUMAN WISDOM
Eliphaz and Bildad applied their human wisdom in their attempt to describe the nature and the working of God. They miserably failed. This is perfectly what this evil world tries to do in seeking to portray a false picture of who God is. Any portrayal of God outside the picture revealed in the Bible is false and corrupted.
For instance, scientists and philosophers have attempted to explain the nature and origin of the universe through scientific existential theories but they failed to offer convincing findings. The Bible teaches in 1 Cor. 1:19 that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. The revelation of God can only be discerned through the word of God and not through scientific research or human philosophy.
The Bible contains the full and final revelation of God to man through Jesus Christ.
Those who reject or ridicule the divine works of Jesus Christ are lost in depravity and, like Eliphaz and Bildad, can only be restored to God though the High Priesthood of Christ. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse sin. Job was therefore a foreshadow of Christ.
4) SATAN IS THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN (Rev.12:10).
We should always glorify God because our eternal security is anchored in Christ. Satan was defeated at Calvary. His word of deceit does not count anymore. Only Christ's blood speaks better things than Abel's does (Hebrews 12:24). The Bible asks in Romans 8:33, "who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." There is absolutely nothing to fear if we are in Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. We are forever hooked to Christ.
5) THE RESTORATION OF JOB
The restoration of Job reminds us of our final restoration in which Christ will usher us into eternal glory when He shall be revealed (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The Bible proclaims in Romans 8:17 that "If children [of God], then we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him [Christ], that we may be glorified together."
Nothing is more assuring than to know that even as we suffer in this passing evil world, we shall ultimately reign with Christ forever! (Rev. 20:6).
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the book of Job mirrors the sufferings of Christ and His saints and the reward that awaits us in heaven. This world will neither understand us fully nor adequately explain the secret of the joy that we have in Christ which we graciously possess by His Spirit. God alone fully knows us in every conceivable dimension.
Satan cannot circumvent our destiny in Christ. His fate is sealed and his destiny is in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). Let us therefore rejoice that our hope is secure and our future sealed in Christ because, as Scripture teaches, "we are dead to this world and our life is hid with Christ in God" (Col.3:3).
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
The Fruit and the Lie
EXPOSING THE HERESY OF WILLIAM MARION BRANHAM ON THE SIN OF ADAM
By Ezekiel Kimosop
William Marion Branham was an American false teacher who founded the Branhamist sect. He drifted from biblical truth into high heresy and apostasy.
Braham taught that the fruit eaten by Eve was not a literal one but was merely symbolic of an illicit sexual union between the woman and the serpent that gave rise to Cain.
He further claims that Abel was the product of the union between Adam and Eve.
Contrary to Branhamist theology, the Bible nowhere teaches that the fruit was symbolic of any act or sexual intercourse. It was a literal fruit from a literal tree in a literal garden that was in a physical location before the flood of Noah.
If Branham's theory was true, why did God command the couple to multiply and subdue the earth in Genesis 1:26-28? How would the command to multiply be fulfilled without sexual intercourse?
Secondly, Branham's theory implies that Adam was not the father of all the human race. Such a conclusion violates several passages of Scripture and mocks the finished works of the cross!
The account touching on the creation and fall of Adam is accepted as a literal truth in biblical Christianity.
There is nothing in the entire body of biblical Scriptures that suggests or implies that allegories or metaphors were intended in this section of Scripture.
God created all things in six literal days. He created man, both male and female; He rested (ceased) from His creation works on the seventh day.
This does not suggest that God was so tired or too exhausted to continue. The seventh day was simply God's appointed time for completion.
Cain and Abel were both Adam's seed and both had the sinful blood of Adam flowing in their veins!
The judgment in Genesis 3 was a literal judicial order from God whose consequences continue to live with us today. The Bible teaches that man apart from Christ continues to be separated from God because of Adam's transgression.
Those who dismiss the creation account or take a symbolic interpretation of the same are heretics.
Without the foundation of the truth revealed in Genesis 1-3, the works of the cross would be meaningless and our hope of redemption would be a mirrage!
Branham's theory on the fall of man remains nothing but heresy. It cannot and will not stand the scrutiny of biblical truth.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
By Ezekiel Kimosop
William Marion Branham was an American false teacher who founded the Branhamist sect. He drifted from biblical truth into high heresy and apostasy.
Braham taught that the fruit eaten by Eve was not a literal one but was merely symbolic of an illicit sexual union between the woman and the serpent that gave rise to Cain.
He further claims that Abel was the product of the union between Adam and Eve.
Contrary to Branhamist theology, the Bible nowhere teaches that the fruit was symbolic of any act or sexual intercourse. It was a literal fruit from a literal tree in a literal garden that was in a physical location before the flood of Noah.
If Branham's theory was true, why did God command the couple to multiply and subdue the earth in Genesis 1:26-28? How would the command to multiply be fulfilled without sexual intercourse?
Secondly, Branham's theory implies that Adam was not the father of all the human race. Such a conclusion violates several passages of Scripture and mocks the finished works of the cross!
The account touching on the creation and fall of Adam is accepted as a literal truth in biblical Christianity.
There is nothing in the entire body of biblical Scriptures that suggests or implies that allegories or metaphors were intended in this section of Scripture.
God created all things in six literal days. He created man, both male and female; He rested (ceased) from His creation works on the seventh day.
This does not suggest that God was so tired or too exhausted to continue. The seventh day was simply God's appointed time for completion.
Cain and Abel were both Adam's seed and both had the sinful blood of Adam flowing in their veins!
The judgment in Genesis 3 was a literal judicial order from God whose consequences continue to live with us today. The Bible teaches that man apart from Christ continues to be separated from God because of Adam's transgression.
Those who dismiss the creation account or take a symbolic interpretation of the same are heretics.
Without the foundation of the truth revealed in Genesis 1-3, the works of the cross would be meaningless and our hope of redemption would be a mirrage!
Branham's theory on the fall of man remains nothing but heresy. It cannot and will not stand the scrutiny of biblical truth.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Where Was Jesus Between His Death and Resurrection?
BQ NO 98 - WHERE WAS JESUS BETWEEN HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
The Bible does not reveal conclusive details about where Jesus Christ was within the period between His physical death and burial (Friday) and His resurrection on the third day (Sunday). It is instructive that Jesus rose on the third day and not after three days! This article attempts to examine this question on the basis of what the writer can distill from the teaching of Scripture.
DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
Jesus suffered physical death on the cross as part of His sacrificial atonement that was required by God to satisfy His divine purposes and to pay the penalty for our sins (Philippians 2:1-10). Christ could not have lost His soul on the cross because if He did so, that would imply that He temporarily lost His divinity at Calvary between the crucifixion Friday and the resurrection Sunday!
At no time in God's divine calendar did Christ cease to exist as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. This is because Christ eternally coexists with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit as God and this triune relationship is inextricably intertwined. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End (Rev 1:8). He is the same yesterday today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). His divinity is eternal.
I agree with Jack Wellman that Jesus went to to the place of the dead to proclaim His victory over the bound spirits because they were being held in that place of darkness awaiting the final judgment recorded in Rev 20:7-15. To argue that Jesus had gone to lead these spirits to saving knowledge of Christ would violate Hebrews 9:27, at least in so far as Old Testament theology is concerned.
Hebrews 9:27 teaches that it has been appointed for man to die once and thereafter judgment. There is no second opportunity for those who reject the warning of God. There was none for the men of Sodom and Gomorrah or for the men of Noah's day who drowned in the flood. Once the window of God's grace is closed, there will never be any mercy for those who reject the atoning grace in Christ's shed blood.
Must all people in all ages die in order to go to heaven? Not really. We learn from the New Testament Scriptures that believers who will be alive at the coming of Christ will not die but will be transformed through in the twinkling of an eye. They shall put on glorified bodies and will meet Christ in the air (1Corinthians 15; 1Thessalonians 4:13-18). This is what Bible scholars refer to as present truth. This truth theologically revises and expands the teaching of Hebrews 9:27.
SO WHERE WAS JESUS BETWEEN HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION?
There are a number of theological views regarding Jesus' diary of activities between His death and resurrection. Some scholars have attempted to explain the whereabouts of Jesus between His crucifixion on the Passover Friday and His resurrection on Sunday. Some say that Jesus temporarily went to heaven upon His death and that He was reunited with His body in the tomb on the third day at which time His body was transformed into a glorious body and He resurrected. My view is that this theory is theologically defective. Here is why...
Even if there was a remote possibility that this may have happened, we have no Scripture evidence to back the claim. It remains a great piece of mystical speculation! Secondly, the notion that there was a secret ascension to heaven by Jesus between the crucifixion Friday and the resurrection Sunday is theologically flawed. It appears to contradict some passages of Scripture.
How could Jesus have proceed to heaven during this period yet He was not through with the works of the cross? The resurrection concludes Jesus' divine works of the cross. My view is that the resurrection was the greatest event that crowned the victory of Jesus over death and over the kingdom of darkness. This is the event by which Jesus made a mockery of Satan! It is the foundation of our victory in Christ. 1 Peter 1:3 refers to the resurrection as the source of living hope for the church. It is therefore inconceivable, in my view, that Jesus could have secretly ascended to heaven upon His death on the crucifixion Friday and returned to earth on Sunday morning for the resurrection yet Scripture nowhere teaches or implies it.
Philippians 2:1-10 indicates that Jesus was exalted by God the Father after His obedient death on the cross. His exaltation should naturally have occurred after His resurrection. We learn further that when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on the morning of the resurrection Sunday, He said to her: "Do not cling to me for I am not yet ascended to my Father" (John 20:17). This statement rules out the theory of a secret ascension to heaven between His death and His resurrection.
We may never know for sure where Jesus was for the most time during this period, perhaps until we appear before His divine presence! Acts 1:3 says that Jesus was later seen of the disciples and many others for a space of 40 days until His ascension recorded in Acts 1:9-11. This confirms that a forty days period separated Christ's resurrection and His ascension to heaven.
Pentecost (day of fifty) was celebrated 50 days from the Day of the Passover Feast which coincided with the day of the crucifixion of Christ as the Lamb of God. This further affirms that the Day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2 occurred ten days after the ascension of Christ.
Luke 23:43 reveals that Jesus went to paradise upon His death. He promised the repentant thief on the cross that he would be with Him in Paradise. This is the place in Hebrew thought where the righteous dead are preserved by God until the final resurrection and judgment.
We learn from the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 that the wicked are taken to Hades where they suffer partial punishment as they await their final consignment to the lake of fire in hell. It appears that the place where the spirits of the fallen angels were kept was probably a special abode in Hades.
We learn from the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man that when Lazarus died he was escorted by the angels to the bosom of Abraham in Paradise, showing that He was declared righteous for his obedient living during his earthly life. On the contrary, when the rich man died, he was buried and his soul was taken to Hades where the flame and the heat was too intense for him and where God's mercy was beyond reach.
Hebrew theology teaches that the righteous and the wicked were eternally separated by these two abodes and that there is no opportunity for reversing one's eternal destiny after death.
It is however not clear if Jesus stayed in Paradise all the time. It appears that He had the liberty to cross over to the place of the dead where He proclaimed His victory over the spirits held there. It may be safe to assume that Jesus was not limited by any barriers by reason of His divinity but we cannot conclusively tell where else He could have gone besides paradise and the place of the dead.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
So where was Jesus between His death and His resurrection? We can attest from our analysis that Jesus went to Paradise upon His physical death. 1 Peter 3:18-20, read together with 2 Peter 2:4-5, reveals that Jesus went to the place of the dead and made a proclamation of victory to the spirits bound there. These the spirits were perhaps those of rebellious angels who participated in Satan's rebellion in heaven and who continued to deceive the men of Noah's day (cf. Isaiah 14:12-21).
These angels were possibly kept in a dark holding facility or dungeon as they awaited their final judgment. Bible scholars believe that there was no opportunity for redemption for them (Jude 1:6). I agree with Jack Wellman on the view that Jesus did not require to preach to the spirits of the Old Testament dead because God justified Old Testament people on the basis of their faith based on His revelation that was available to them.
Abraham was justified because of his obedient faith and so were all the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 including Abel, Seth, Enoch, Moses, Joshua, Sarah, and Rahab the harlot. There was therefore no reason that the men of Noah's day should have been singled out for the gospel proclamation by Christ in Hades yet there were other people from biblical history who had rebelled against God and were destroyed.
These wicked men included the men of Sodom and Gomorrah and the men of Korah who were destroyed when they defied Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 16; Jude 1:11) and many other disobedient generations of people who departed from the ways of God and were given to evil and depravity despite knowing the truth (1 Corinthians 10).
Some scholars say that the mention of the spirits of the days of Noah was not in reference to the fallen angels who married the daughters of men (Genesis 6:1-4; 2 Peter 2:4). There is evidence in Jude 1:6 that the spirits referred to in 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 2 Peter 2:4-5 were those of fallen angels. Jesus could not have proclaimed a redemption message to the fallen angels since angels do not partake in the redemption of Christ (cf. Hebrews 2:16, 1 Peter 1:10-16).
Still others say that Jesus was preaching through Noah in Noah's day and that those who rejected Noah's message had actually rejected Christ and were sent to Hades on that account. The passage of 1 Peter 3:18-22 appears to carry some symbolism of the salvation that we have in Christ. It speaks of the salvation of Noah's family through water as being symbolic of our baptism in Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).
Let me conclude by saying that we ought to interpret Scripture with great care so that we do not misrepresent its fundamental truths. There is a theological rule in the interpretation of Scripture that says that we should not allow Scripture to speak out of silence. This implies that we should not impute anything into Scripture that is not expressly taught or implied in any text or passage of Scripture.
Conversely, we should not suppress the voice of Scripture when it plainly speaks into our specific situations of life. In doing that we shall be muffling the voice of God when He speaks and would heap condemnation upon ourselves!
The Bible should remain the spiritual yardstick by which all matters touching on our faith and practice shall find resolution.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Christ is the Answer
HOW TO ACCESS GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
In our previous study of Romans 2:17-24, we learned that human sinfulness is universal and that God's righteous judgement fell on all mankind since Adam.
We also learned that no ritual can add to what Christ has accomplished at Calvary and that the Jewish demand for ritual circumcision on the Gentiles was misplaced.
Paul's argument on the futility of circumcision stretches through to Romans 2:25-29.
In Romans 3:1-8, Paul defends God's righteous judgement against both the Jew and the Gentile.
Nothing that a man does, not even ritual circumcision or the futile attempt at complying with the Jewish law could earn him a righteous standing before God.
Romans 3:9-20 concludes Paul's argument with a declaration that all have sinned and obedience to the law could offer no cure. Romans 3:10-18 is a portrayal of man's helplessness outside Christ.
Today, we continue with our survey study through passages of Scripture in the Book of Romans. We shall examine Romans 3:21-26.
THE PASSAGE
The title of the passage of Romans 3:21-26 below has been borrowed from the NKJV.
God’s Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
BIBLICAL ANALYSIS
Under this passage, the Bible demonstrates that the righteousness of God in Christ. This righteousness has historical foundation in the prophets who foretold the coming of Christ (3:21). It was distinct from the righteousness that is founded on obedience to Moses.
This righteousness is exclusively obtained through faith in Christ to all and on all who believe (3:22). This kind of faith demanded no works. One was merely required to believe in Christ Jesus.
This revelation perhaps didn't make sense to the traditional Jew who was was familiar with the articles of the old covenant. However, this was God's exclusive way of assigning righteousness under the new covenant.
Romans 3:23 is a refrain from Paul's previous arguments. It proclaims that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Notice here that the Greek verb for "fall short" is in the present indicative middle or passive third person plural. This attests to the fact that it is a standing assessment of man's sinfulness in all ages since Adam and into the future without Christ.
The law miserably failed in offering a divine remedy for this shortfall.
McLaren's Exposition observes the futility of the law as thus: "The more clearly we know our duty, the more poignant will be our consciousness of failure."
Which is the glory of God contemplated in 3:23?
Bengel's Exposition considers the glory of God as the glory of the divine righteousness which man, through sin, falls short.
This is God's moral glory and it's requirements for man. Ellicott's Commentary renders it as "the glory which comes from the favour and approval of God."
The Jews could not attain God's divine standards even with the strictest adherence to Moses and neither could the Gentiles. It was simply impossible to sufficiently comply with the law which itself was a constant reminder of our human fallenness and the need for a Savior.
The law was therefore meant to bear witness to a future perfect revelation of God's righteousness in Christ.
It was a shadow of the good things to come (Hebrews 10:1).
The universality of the fall of Adam required a universal solution in Christ.
Romans 3:24 offers the ultimate solution to man's sinfulness. It declares that man must be "justified freely by His [God's] grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
There can perhaps be no clearer portrayal. We must therefore place our faith in Jesus Christ "whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed" (3:25).
In Christ Jesus, our search for a divine solution for sin comes to an end. Jesus is God's answer to our hopelessness. He perfectly meets God's holy standards and appeases His wrath in Adam.
Once we come to Christ, our past is completely atoned by His sinless blood and we are fully justified in the presence of God.
This atonement is an act of God's grace and mercy. It reveals His immeasurable love towards the sinner and His redemption plan for those who respond to His saving grace in Christ (3:25).
APPLICATION
No matter what religion man devices or designs, he will find no solution outside Christ. God's offer of redemption in Christ is final. Those who reject Christ have no future, no hope of redemption.
Any religion or sect that is not founded on Christ's finished works of the cross is worthless. This is true of any religion that operates under the prescriptions of men.
Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega; the first and the last (Rev. 1:8). He is Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29; cf.1:36).
Is Christ the anchor on which your faith stands today? If so, you are secure in God.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Monday, December 9, 2019
Did God Say That?
BEWARE OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL MERCHANTS
By Ezekiel Kimosop
We are now in the season when all manner of "prophetic" proclamations concerning the New Year, 2020 are made by some charismatic preachers.
While it is important to trust God and pray for His blessings in the New Year, we should do so in the knowledge of the truths revealed in the word of God.
Some prosperity teachers are known to cash in on innocent followers by demanding the planting of "new year seed" in exchange for "prophetic blessings" from God.
I once heard a popular American Word of Faith televangelist claim that a gift of dollars equivalent to a particular magical number coined by the preacher would guarantee the giver prosperity.
The studio line was soon jammed up with calls from people who were pledging their gifts.
Did God so speak through this preacher? Of course not!
The man is part of a group of billionaire prosperity teachers who live large. His financial empire, complete with a private jet and several mansions, is estimated at hundreds of millions in US Dollars.
Do not be deceived by these merchants of Mammon.
Here is why...
One such false prophet is mentioned in Jeremiah 28:1-17. Hananiah is described as a prophet from Gibeon (Jer. 28:1). This confirms that he once spoke the mind of God. He may not have been a billionaire but he shares one attribute with modern false teachers: they misrepresent the mind of God at the altar of convenience.
Hananiah the prophet departed from God and wilfully and knowingly spoke a lie in the name of God and contradicted the message of God by Jeremiah and other prophets who spoke in the past!
Jeremiah 28:2-4 says "“Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD'S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon’” (NKJV).
Hananiah chose to speak the very words that were music to the ears of the people of Judah who were under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians.
Unfortunately, Hananiah was not sent by God in this case. He was being populist rather than true to his calling as a prophet!
His fate was sealed...
A few months later, God struck him dead in accordance with His word by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 28:15-17 says, "Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the LORD.’”
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month" (NKJV).
Here is the truth...
No preacher, "prophet" or "apostle" has authority to determine what the future holds for believers. This is a matter that exclusively lies in the mind and heart of God to whom we should unreservedly submit our future.
Again, prosperity cannot be exclusively measured by financial or material increase and neither does God bless His people in the same manner in any given season.
Even in years or seasons of adversity, God's faithfulness does not change. It does not depend on the prevailing circumstances. The Bible declares in Lamentations 3:22 that His compassions fail not.
Malachi 3:6 says, "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob."
God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent (Numbers 23:19). He is the Father of lights and in Him there is no variableness neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).
Whether we prosper financially or not, God is eternally faithful to His covenant people. He will never forsake us.
Scripture affirms this truth in several passages of the Bible and we certainly don't need a declaration from a self-appointed "prophet", soothsayer or diviner who presents to us a different gospel.
As we look forward to 2020, let's keep our focus on Christ for He alone is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
He alone holds our future.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
By Ezekiel Kimosop
We are now in the season when all manner of "prophetic" proclamations concerning the New Year, 2020 are made by some charismatic preachers.
While it is important to trust God and pray for His blessings in the New Year, we should do so in the knowledge of the truths revealed in the word of God.
Some prosperity teachers are known to cash in on innocent followers by demanding the planting of "new year seed" in exchange for "prophetic blessings" from God.
I once heard a popular American Word of Faith televangelist claim that a gift of dollars equivalent to a particular magical number coined by the preacher would guarantee the giver prosperity.
The studio line was soon jammed up with calls from people who were pledging their gifts.
Did God so speak through this preacher? Of course not!
The man is part of a group of billionaire prosperity teachers who live large. His financial empire, complete with a private jet and several mansions, is estimated at hundreds of millions in US Dollars.
Do not be deceived by these merchants of Mammon.
Here is why...
One such false prophet is mentioned in Jeremiah 28:1-17. Hananiah is described as a prophet from Gibeon (Jer. 28:1). This confirms that he once spoke the mind of God. He may not have been a billionaire but he shares one attribute with modern false teachers: they misrepresent the mind of God at the altar of convenience.
Hananiah the prophet departed from God and wilfully and knowingly spoke a lie in the name of God and contradicted the message of God by Jeremiah and other prophets who spoke in the past!
Jeremiah 28:2-4 says "“Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD'S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon’” (NKJV).
Hananiah chose to speak the very words that were music to the ears of the people of Judah who were under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians.
Unfortunately, Hananiah was not sent by God in this case. He was being populist rather than true to his calling as a prophet!
His fate was sealed...
A few months later, God struck him dead in accordance with His word by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 28:15-17 says, "Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the LORD.’”
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month" (NKJV).
Here is the truth...
No preacher, "prophet" or "apostle" has authority to determine what the future holds for believers. This is a matter that exclusively lies in the mind and heart of God to whom we should unreservedly submit our future.
Again, prosperity cannot be exclusively measured by financial or material increase and neither does God bless His people in the same manner in any given season.
Even in years or seasons of adversity, God's faithfulness does not change. It does not depend on the prevailing circumstances. The Bible declares in Lamentations 3:22 that His compassions fail not.
Malachi 3:6 says, "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob."
God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent (Numbers 23:19). He is the Father of lights and in Him there is no variableness neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).
Whether we prosper financially or not, God is eternally faithful to His covenant people. He will never forsake us.
Scripture affirms this truth in several passages of the Bible and we certainly don't need a declaration from a self-appointed "prophet", soothsayer or diviner who presents to us a different gospel.
As we look forward to 2020, let's keep our focus on Christ for He alone is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
He alone holds our future.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
None Is Without Sin
ALL ARE EQUALLY GUILTY BEFORE GOD
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
Today we continue with our series through some passages of the Book of Romans. We shall examine the passage of Romans 2:17-24 which says:
"Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, 18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. 21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? 24 For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written" NKJV)
BIBLICAL ANALYSIS
This passage was part of Paul's address to Jewish Christians in Rome who were proud of their Jewish religious heritage.
These radical Jews considered themselves spiritually superior to Gentile Christians because of their covenant relationship with God through Abraham.
In the succeeding passage of Romans 2:25-29, the Bible discloses that this group considered circumcision as an indispensable mark of the new covenant faith. They insisted that a believer was incomplete in Christ unless he was circumcised in accordance with the Jewish custom.
It is instructive that Greek and other ancient ethnic European societies did not observe the circumcision rite. They therefore found the demand by the Jews to be burdensome and confusing in the light of what Paul and his associates was had previously taught them.
Paul confronted this religious fallacy by appealing to the Jewish believers based in Rome to reconsider the false doctrine because there was no requirement under the new covenant that Gentile believers must be circumcised in order to be saved.
The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 recognized that ritual circumcision was not a prerequisite to salvation in Christ and should therefore not be burdened upon the Gentile believers (see Acts15:23-29).
Back to our passage of Romans 2:17:24...
Paul went ahead to demonstrate that Jews were no different from Gentiles before the eyes of God. Both were sinful and therefore failed God's moral law.
The Jews were however privileged to know God through the revelation in the Old Covenant which is contained in the Old Testament Scripture. This, in Paul's view, should be a reason for their gratefulness and the basis for their Christian responsibility in leading Gentiles to know God (Romans 2:17-19).
Sadly, a section of the Jewish believers in Rome had inflamed ethnic pride and bigotry. They refused to recognize Gentile Christians simply because they were not ritually circumcised.
Let's move on to the next verse....
What does it mean to be a "a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness" (Acts 2:19)?
God counts on believers to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). By this statement, Jesus taught that His followers are God's divine agents on earth; His special community of people that have been set apart for God's service (Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9).
2 Cor. 5:18 says "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation."
By these illustrations, we learn that we are to exemplify Christian faithfulness and lead others in the way of Christ even as we follow the example of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).
Romans 2:21-23 contains a number of rhetorical questions by which Paul sought to illustrate that the Jews could not claim a higher moral ground than Gentiles when it came to obedience to God. The Jews had failed God's standards even as they demanded obedience to the law of Moses from the Gentiles.
Paul was satirical in His evaluation of their open contradictions. They demanded compliance with moral standards that they could not satisfy.
Scripture here is bare....If the Jews could not perfectly obey the moral code commanded by God, how could they demand obedience from Gentile believers?
Their demands were therefore hypocritical.
On this score, the Bible concludes our passage with the statement that the radical Jewish Christians had become a stumbling block to the gospel, saying, "For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,”...." (Romans 2:24).
APPLICATION
Racial or ethnic distinctions today separate millions of Christians the world over. American Christians are for instance divided along race and skin color with the result that we commonly hear about the Black Church and the White Church.
Religious racism is not restricted to America alone. It is a dark scar in several regions the world over. It is a slur on the global church which is the body of Christ.
These hyped racial distinctions are inconsistent with the principles and teachings of Scripture.
Ethnic or race distinctions are in themselves not ungodly. God created us as we are and placed us in specific ethnic communities and regions. We never chose where to be born or which ethnic language to speak!
However, ethnicity or racism should never be used to discriminate or prejudice or even profile Christians in a congregation or to isolate minorities from Christian leadership.
What stands us out as God's children is not a physical mark or tattoo or racial/ethnic distinctions but our covenant relationship with God through the blood of Jesus Christ.
This is what unifies us in Christ so that, as the Scripture says,
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."
There is nothing innate or attractive in us or in our ethnic cultures that makes us more acceptable to God than people from other communities or regions.
Secondly, we cannot add to what Christ has accomplished at the cross. When Jesus declared that it is finished, He had accomplished His mission on earth through His sacrificial atonement.
Those who place their hope in Christ have been redeemed by His sinless blood and have been fully restored to God.
There is no ritual that remains to be performed by men that augments God's divine works in us.
I once heard a charismatic teacher say that every believer must undergo a "deliverance" session after coming to Christ in order to deal with their past. This is a popular ritual in sections of the charismatic movement. I find no biblical foundation for this doctrine. Such religious rituals are the work of men.
I am convinced without doubt that Christ dealt with my past when I came to Him in faith. There is nothing more required of me other than to walk in obedience!
Those who place their hope in Christ have been redeemed by His sinless blood and have been fully restored to God.
There is no ritual that remains to be performed by men that augments God's divine works in us.
I once heard a charismatic teacher say that every believer must undergo a "deliverance" session after coming to Christ in order to deal with their past. This is a popular ritual in sections of the charismatic movement. I find no biblical foundation for this doctrine. Such religious rituals are the work of men.
I am convinced without doubt that Christ dealt with my past when I came to Him in faith. There is nothing more required of me other than to walk in obedience!
CONCLUSION
No believer can claim to walk in perfect obedience to God. This is biblically impossible. We all fall short of God's divine standards. Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Only the sinless blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse and restore us to God.
We are free from the condemnation of sin but we are not free from the presence and influence of sin on earth.
Only until we appear before the glorious presence of Christ in heaven shall we truly be free from the presence and influence of sin.
The Bible declares in 1 John 1:8-10,
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."
This passage was not written to sinners but to believers!
I am aware that some charismatic teachers claim that 1 John 1 was not addressed to the Church. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Let me conclude by saying that Biblical Christianity is not about compliance with the laws and regulations of religion but holding a clear conscience before God that is free from moral condemnation.
1 John 3:20-21 says:
"For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God."
Where our hearts condemn us, we should turn to Christ, whose blood makes us white as snow. His sinless blood is always available to every child of God who comes to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Religious prescriptions of men only serve to draw us away from God but the convictions of the word of God through the Holy Spirit draw us into godly repentance and solidifies our relationship with our heavenly Father.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
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