Scriptural Marriage, Traditional Customs and Civil Laws – 2

By Sunday Ayandare

This is the second part of the series on Marriage, Traditional customs and Civil laws. In the first part (we encourage the reader to read the first part before continuing with this), we discussed what scriptural marriage is. We also highlighted the fact that marriage is a covenant with all its components.

T

he terms of agreement of marriage are stated by God Himself Who designed it: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). That it was God who made this proclamation is evidenced by our Lord Jesus in Matt. 19:4-5. According to the Designer of marriage, the two parties involved are the man and his wife.

Leave - The agreement between the two is: to leave father and mother. L. A. Stauffer states this so beautifully: "Leaving one's original family is a decisive action... Jesus used an intensive form of the word "leave." The word (kataleipo) means "to forsake completely," or "to abandon." Abandonment of father and mother in no way annuls the responsibility to honor one's parents, but does underscore the need to renounce totally the rule and place of subjection once occupied in that family. A definite and final break is to be made between the new family and the two families from which the couple came. Fathers and mothers must not be permitted to interfere, regulate, dominate or control the marriages of their children."³ This is rule number one.

Cleave - A male and female must cleave to
one another. The idea here is "to glue or weld together" and this emphasizes the marriage vow or promise. This implies acceptance of the oneness in marriage and a commitment to that union. This is rule number two in the marriage covenant.

 

Unite in One Flesh
- The final action of marriage, "they shall be one flesh." L. A. Stauffer notes: "the uniting of the two bodies as 'one flesh' is a fitting expression of the intimacy, boundless sharing, and total merging that marriage demands of a male and a female." This is the point where marriage covenant is ratified. That is the seal of ratification.

Another point that calls for emphasis here is the fact that it is God Himself, the Author of marriage, that does the joining of a male and a female together. When parents or the officers of the State, or preachers or Chairmen of marriage ceremonies (or marriage receptions) proclaim that newly wedded couples are joined together, it should be understood that that joining at that level is merely ceremonial. The true, real, and authentic joining together is done by God when all of the commitments of marriage are fulfilled. "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder (Matt. 19:6).

This is marriage according to the will of God. Every traditional custom of man or civil law is subordinate to this divine law.

Applying the Principles

When a man who has the God-given right to marry hooks a woman who equally has the right to marry, God joins them together in holy wedlock. It does not matter whether one is a believer and the other is an infidel (1 Cor. 7:12-16). The marriage is right and Scriptural. The practice of some local churches withdrawing fellowship from their members for contracting marriages with non-believers is, by its very nature, anti-scriptural. The absurdity of the practice should be very obvious even to the obtuse. Sin demands repentance (Acts 17:30). Repentance on the other hand calls for cessation of sin (Matt. 3:8; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Acts 14:15). Now, if it is outright sinful for a Christian to marry a non-Christian, doesn't the repentance of that "sin" call for the sending away of the non-believing spouse? Then, in that case, one would be doing the very thing the Lord has condemned - causing the wife (or the husband) who is a non-believer to commit adultery. "But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife saving for the cause of fornication causeth her to commit adultery..." (Matt. 5:32). Could language be plainer?

But then a caveat! This is not said to encourage Christians to marry non-believers. It is a blatant demonstration of bad attitude and poor judgment for a child of God to even contemplate marrying a child of the devil - for that is what a non-believer is (1 Jn. 3:8). It is when a person is converted that he is translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son (Col. 1:12-13).

Moreover, it has been said over and over again that a marriage will be more harmonious and peaceful if the man and the woman making up the home are equals. That is, if they are suited to each other socially, culturally and more importantly, spiritually. In this way, they share the goals of life, aspirations, joys and sorrows together; and work together to build an atmosphere in which they rear their children and fight the storms of life together. To the extent that they are not united, the home is threatened. The Lord says, "... if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand" (Mk.3:25).

If in the process of marriage idolatry, drunkenness and other sins are committed, it is these sins that should be rebuked and repented of (1 Cor. 10:14; 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21). Idolatry or drunkenness does not, and would not, invalidate the marriage. The marriage itself is holy and sacrosanct if the persons involved are eligible to marry.

Some traditional customs would not recognize a marriage even after that marriage has produced "a football team" of children. A scenario is this: A man decided to marry. He approached his proposed in-laws for the hands of their daughter in marriage. He was presented with a list of requirements including dowry and or, bride-price. He pleaded with his in-laws (to-be) to release his proposed wife to him with a promise to come back later to settle those requirements. The in-laws acquiesced and blessed the young man together with the young lady and thus another family was established. After nine months, children started to arrive and with this development came additional responsibilities. This was a man who did not "have much of this world's goods," including education and exposure; about the only possession he thought he had was his wife; who doubled as his "only" consolation and the only form of recreation he knew was mating and mating! (Sex is a God-given right and it's beautiful within the framework of lawful marriage - 1 Cor. 7:2-5). As it should be expected in a man with this mind set, this translated to more and more children until he "hath his quiver full of them!" Coping with the problems of life and living became the major preoccupation of our man so much so that he became totally oblivious of the promise he made to his in-laws at the point of his marriage. Then, the eldest of the children his own marriage had produced was ready to introduce a man who had proposed marriage to her. It was at this stage that our man remembered that his wife and his children were not yet his own on the ground that he had not paid the dowry or bride-price on his wife!!!

If the woman that has produced these children is not this man's wife, then, certain questions are crying for answers and the most fundamental of these is: is this man married to this woman? If they were not married, then, what have they been doing all along by living together and producing children? If they were not married, then, they have been living in fornication and all the children produced by the union were born in fornication and out wedlock (Col. 3:5-7). What if one or both of them had died in that condition? That one or both of them would have gone to hell fire for having lived and died in fornication! (Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:9-1.1). On the other hand, if in the sight of God they were married, having fulfilled all the commitments of marriage according to the will of God, then, by what reasoning would they be considered as not being husband and wife? That would be nothing but according to a traditional custom of man! The word of Christ is ringing and ringing loudly: "Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandments of God, ye hold the tradition of men... Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition... Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered, and many such like things do
ye" (Mark 7:6-13).

But then a word of advice (if not of caution): As a child of God, you may buy your food or cloth or car on credit. You may buy concrete blocks for the building of your house on credit. But do not marry your wife on credit! Try as much as possible to fulfil all the legitimate obligations demanded by the culture under which you live in order to win approval and recognition for your marriage. "Whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God. Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be
saved"(l Cor. 10:31-33). That way, you will have clarity of conscience as you "drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well ... Let thy fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all

times; and be thou ravished always with her love" (Pro. 5:15-19).

In this connection, there is a word or two for our Christian-parents too: if you have to come up with a list of requirements and charge bride-price at all, let the list be as short and the dowry be as reasonable as would be affordable for your proposed son-in-law. In this way, you will be putting a small nail on the head of the general prevalence of promiscuity among our youths. Let us always remember that there is nothing we have that we have not received (1 Cor. 4:7). In any case, "children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psa. 127:3; Josh. 24:3). We as parents are merely stewards of God in this regard (Gen. 48:9); and faithfulness is required of stewards (1 Cor. 4:2).

Civil law (or marriage registry) may join together people that are not eligible for marriage in the sight of God. To that extent, that arrangement is adulterous (Matt. 5:32; 19:9). Moreover, a judge in a court of law may proclaim "divorce" because, as judges are wont to say, "the marriage is irretrievably broken." The Word of God says, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matt. 19:6). No man, no judge, no father, no mother, no father-in-law or mother-in-law has the right to put asunder a man and a woman that God Almighty has joined together!

What about parental consent in marriage? It goes without saying that a young man and a young woman who are marrying themselves are products of two homes; or better still, a son and a daughter of some parents. Moreover, in any culture, taking and giving in marriage of one's son or daughter are some of the joys and honour anybody can enjoy in this life (cf. Matt. 22:1-14; 24:38). Ordinarily, why would any young man or woman ever contemplate robbing his(her) parents of this joy and honour? We should all remember that the young man or woman of today is the father or mother of tomorrow! Surely, no one would be happy to be at the receiving end of this type of outlandish behaviour. The golden rule states: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would thaft men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets" (Matt. 7:12). Besides, one of the eternal decrees of God is:"... whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:7-8).

But this writer is aware of a situation where a young man got married without even notifying his father, talk less of seeking his consent. When questioned, his answer was that his father did him much evil by his "refusal" to finance his university education, even though he (the father) had the means. Surely, this young man, like the rest of us, should realize that in spite of what our parents did or didn't do, they are the vehicles through which we came into this world (1 Tim. 5:4). We may become whatever in life, they begat us. Certainly, we came before we become! The Bible speaks of "a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother" (Pro. 30:11; cf. 2 Tim. 3:1-5). Moreover, our young men in this particular instance needs a tutorial on vengeance; that it truly belongs to God and not to us (Rom. 12:19).

Having said all this, what about the marriage that was contracted without the consent of this man's father? The marriage is right and sacrosanct if each of the two parties has the divine right to marry! In this writer's home, for instance, it is a settled matter. That "baddy" and "Mummy" will not give their consent to any marriage arrangement involving any of their children AND a non-believer. God forbid that any of these children should get involved with a non-believer as wife or husband. But just in case, will the withholding of the consent of "Daddy" and" Mummy" invalidate any marriage? No! If the young man and the young lady have the right to marry and each of them agree to leave their father and mother, cleave unto themselves and unite their bodies as one, God will join them together. The marriage will be right in the sight of God even though "Daddy" and "Mummy" don't consent to it!

But again, ordinarily, why would anyone not respect the will or wishes of his parents? Why would anyone - and a Christian for that matter - minimize the need for seeking and having the consent of his parents in this all-important matter? In any case, it is our considered view that if parents have been what they ought to be, living by righteous and godly principles, they will build homes where the will of God will be respected and obeyed. In homes where the will of God is taught and respected, homes where the children are brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, marriage without the consent of parents would be a taboo! (Pro. 22:6; Eph. 6:1-3).

God, give us Christian homes!

Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,

Homes where the Master's will is sought,

Homes crowned with beauty Thy love hath wrought;

God, give us Christian homes! Amen and Amen.

P.O. Box 31019, Ibadan, Nigeria.

www.sayandare.blogspot.com

There is One Spirit

By Sunday Ayandare

It is sad to say that there is much superstition and ignorance about the subject of the Holy Spirit. This stems from the tendency on the part of many people to associate some kind of mysticism with the Spirit. The rendering of the King James Version (KJV) referring to the "Holy Ghost" is partly responsible for this. Who understand a "Ghost" and what are the workings of a "Ghost" is problematic for people to understand.

Moreover, many people rely on their personal feelings or the testimony of other people in their ideas about the Holy Spirit and His workings and thereby remain ignorant as to what the Bible actually teaches about Him. Several years ago, this writer met a religious leader in a discussion about the Holy Spirit. At a point, he yelled on top of his voice: "I don't care what the Bible says. I know the Holy Spirit is in me and is operating on my heart because I can feel Him:" But the Bible says long ago: "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool, but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered" (Proverbs 28:26).

Another reason for the general lack of understanding about the Holy Spirit is the rendering "Spirit." The KJV contains not less than 264 references to the "Spirit." Many make the mistake that whenever "spirit" or "Spirit" is used, reference is to the Holy Spirit. However, it is the context that will show whether the Spirit that is under consideration refers to the human spirit or the Holy Spirit.

While there are several aspects that we could beam our searchlight upon in our study of the Holy Spirit, for the sake of space, we shall limit ourselves to just four areas. We are going to focus on the Bible as our only source of information and then identify the names by which the Holy Spirit is called in the Old and the New Testaments. Moreover, we are going to discuss the Godhood or Deity of the Holy Spirit and His personality together with His work in the conversion of sinners.

The Bible Is Our Only Reliable Source of Information

On the subject of the Holy Spirit as in all other subjects pertaining to our salvation, let it be settled in our minds that the Bible is our authoritative and reliable source of information. Proverbs 30:5-6 says:  "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.  Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Even, after we have studied everything the Bible teaches on the subject of the Holy Spirit, we must still acknowledge our limitations. In Deuteronomy 29:29, we learn: "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." In other words, we must expect some things about the Holy Spirit to remain a mystery. This should not be surprising because the same thing is true with reference to God and Jesus Christ. We cannot claim we fully know and fully understand everything about Them. We must walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) and faith comes by hearing God's word (Romans 10:17).

Who Or What Is the Holy Spirit?

To the modernists, "the Holy Spirit is but a symbol or figure of speech for good influence" (Divine Science, the Development of Eternal Life, Truth and Love, Science and Health, p. 588). To the Jehovah's Witnesses, "the Holy Spirit is the invisible power of God, operating upon and or matter as God may will (Deliverance, p. 192). In other words, to the modernists and Jehovah's Witnesses, the Holy Spirit is NOT a person but an inanimate influence or power or force. Hence, the neuter gender "it" is used in their writings to refer to the Holy Spirit. However, the Pentecostals and Trinitarians believe that the Holy Spirit is a Being or Person revealed in three different forms as the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Contrary to these false theories, the Bible clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person, having the characteristics of personality. He speaks (1 Timothy 4:1; Acts 8:29). He teaches and witnesses (John 14:26; 15:26). Moreover, He has the capability of guiding (John 16:12-14). He has the ability to know and search the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10) and can also forbid (Acts 16:6-7). He has affection (Romans 15:30). He can be lied to (Acts 5:3) and be resisted (Acts 7:51). He can be grieved and vexed (Ephesians 4:30; Isaiah 63:10). All of these are characteristics of a being, an individual with personality and do not belong to mere influence and force.

Besides, the evidence from the Scriptures seems to be overwhelming that the Holy Spirit is not just a form of the Father and Jesus Christ but a distinctive Personality. For instance, at the baptism of Jesus Christ, He (Jesus) was standing before John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ and God spoke from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:16). Here, we see three distinctive Personalities. Again in John 14:16, Jesus Christ says, "And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, … even the Spirit of truth." Jesus Christ is the One to pray, the object of that prayer is God and the prayer if for the Holy Spirit to comfort the disciples. Three Persons! The declaration is made by Jesus Christ: "My Father is greater than I" (John. 14:28). Definitely, one cannot be his own father and son at the same time. Some may argue, "All things are possible with God." No, sir! Things ridiculous and absurd like this are not possible with God!     

He Is A Divine Person

The Bible does not merely teach that the Holy Spirit is a Person. It goes ahead to show clearly that He is a Divine Person. Another word for divinity is Godhead and this is found in three passages of the New Testament (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20 and Colossians 2:9). The term "Godhead" denotes the sum total of the attributes and characteristics common to deity. Just as manhood denotes the sum total of human characteristics, Godhood or Godhead refers to the three Persons possessing the attributes of divinity. The Three Persons are God, the Father; Jesus Christ, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Three are joined together in the command to baptize (Matthew 28:19). Moreover, the Three are together in the administration of spiritual gifts. "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all" (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). Besides, the Three are mentioned together in the benediction. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." (2 Corinthians 13:14). Just as the Father is called God (1 Corinthians 8:5-6) and Jesus Christ is also called God (John 1:1, 14; Hebrews 1:8), just so is the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4). In other words, there is one God or Godhead or Divine family (Deuteronomy 6:4), and this consists of Three Persons and each of whom is called God. This derives from the fact that the Three possess the attributes of Deity.

Eternity is one of the attributes of Deity. Of the Father, it is said, "Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting." (Psalms 93:2). The same thing is said of Jesus Christ, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8). What about the Holy Spirit? He also is called the "eternal Spirit" (Hebrews 9:14). Another attribute of divinity is omniscience or the ability to know all things. Of the Father, it is said that "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13). On the part of Jesus Christ, we read, "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man" (John 2:24-25). This trait of omniscience which is true of the Father and Jesus Christ, is equally true of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-11).

Omnipotence or the ability to do all things is another attribute of Deity and this is ascribed to God (Revelation 19:6; Luke 1:37) as well as to Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18). The same attribute is also ascribed to the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14; Acts 1:8). Another characteristic of Deity is omnipresence, that is, ability to be everywhere at the same time. Jeremiah 23:24 reads: "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth?" Just as the omnipresence of God is established here in this passage, so it is of Jesus Christ, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). The same attribute is ascribed to the Holy Spirit. "Where can I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" (Psalms 139:7).

Creative power is another attribute of Deity and this is ascribed to the Three Persons. Of the Father, the Scriptures affirm that "He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding" (Jeremiah 51:15). Of Jesus Christ we read, "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" (Colossians 1:16). At creation, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). Little wonder God said later, "Let Us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Genesis 1:26).

The Work of the Holy Spirit In The Conversion of Sinners

By conversion, we mean the total change of a sinner from his sins to God. God is the first Cause or the Author of conversion (Psalms 51:13). Jesus Christ is the mediatorial and interceding cause of conversion (Hebrews 7:25; 1 Timothy 2:5). The word of God is the prescribing cause or instrument of conversion. "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: "(Psalms 19:7). What is the work of Holy Spirit here? It is He who revealed the word through the apostles and prophets (John 14:16; Ephesians 2:20; 3:1-5). And the blood of Christ is the procuring cause of conversion (Hebrews 11:4; 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19). The point of emphasis here is that the Holy Spirit is the "revealer" of the word which is the instrument of conversion. That is why everything that is said of the Holy Spirit in conversion is also said of the word in conversion. Note these points:

1.      Jesus Christ says when the Holy Spirit comes; He will convince the world of sin (John 16:8). And Apollos convinced the Jews ... by the Scriptures (the word) that Jesus was Christ (Acts 18:28).

2.      Sanctification is ascribed to the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16); but we are sanctified by the word (John 17:17).

3.      We are washed by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:11) while we are cleansed with the washing of water by the word (Ephesians 5:26).

4.      We are born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5), while we are born of the word of God (1 Peter 1:23).

Conclusion

What greater work can we expect the Holy Spirit to do? God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit worked together in the physical or material creation (Genesis 1:1-2, 26). The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit work together in the spiritual creation (Ephesians 2:10; Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14). The word of God, the instrument of conversion was first in the mind of God, then in the mouth of Jesus to the apostles and then by the Holy Spirit given through the apostles to us (Deuteronomy 18:18; John 17:8; 14:26; Ephesians 3:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). In short, the Holy Spirit is God's medium through which He has revealed His word to us.

P. O. Box 12003 , Ibadan .

www.ayandare.blogspot.com

THE WORKS OF THE FLESH

THE WORKS OF THE FLESH
By Sunday Ayandare

We live in perilous times. Morals have degenerated to an abysmally low level. One could be tempted to say that the situation has reached its nadir. Reminiscent of the days of old, men are today calling evil good and good evil (Isa. 5:20). But sadder still, as far as the pattern of life for some is concerned, the distinguishing marks between the children of God and those "fathered" by the devil have been reduced to zero. But Paul says those who practice the works of the flesh "shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:19-21). This is another way of saying they will be lost and will be lost eternally.

What Is The Flesh? -- In the Scriptures, the flesh (sarx) is used in various senses. It is taken for living men and even animals in general (Gen. 6:13; 7:15,16). It may also be used to refer to a relation or one of the same kindred (Gen. 37:27). In 1 Cor. 15:50, "the flesh and the blood" that cannot inherit the kingdom of God has reference to the quality of corruption to which our bodies are subject in this life. When Paul speaks of living in the flesh or abiding in the flesh in Phil. 1:22,24, it is obvious from the context that he has in mind the estate of this present life. Moreover, that Ishmael was "born after the flesh" is an allusion to the fact that he was born according to the course of nature. However in Rom. 7:18; 8:1,4-7, the flesh means not just the physical body, but that capability of wrong which may include both body and mind. We should take cognisance of the fact that the works of the flesh in Gal. 5:19-21 include both sins in which the human body is active (e.g. fornication and drunkenness) and also those
that involve attitude of heart (e.g. hatred, emulation, envy).

Contrary to the thinking of some, man does not inherit deep-dyed perversity from Adam. When he was created, God's pronouncement on him was "good" (Gen. 1:31). Nevertheless, he became a sinner essentially because of transgression of God's
Will (1 Jno. 3:4). He was not forced to transgress God's Will, but he fell because he was "drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it bringeth forth death" (Jas. 1:14,15).

By nature, man is neither carnal nor spiritual. But he chooses to be either. He has the capacity of choosing which way he wants to go. This leads to the inescapable conclusion that the flesh which "lusteth against the Spirit" (Gal. 5:17) and of which "they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8) represents the perverse desires that hijack our hearts from God. These perverse desires are "your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate ambition; evil concupiscence and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5).

These desires must be mortified. Viewed from this perspective, the flesh must be crucified with the affections and lusts thereof (Gal.5:24). Is crucifying the flesh an easy task? No. Indeed, it is a painful exercise. In order for us to subordinate our own will to that of God, there must be a kind of suffering and self-denial. There is a cross to bear daily (Lk. 9:23). The body must be kept uder and brought into subjection (1 Cor. 9:27). Every thought must be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). We must endure hardships (2 Tim. 2:3). As a matter of fact, we cannot cease from sin unless we are willing to suffer in the flesh (1 Pet. 4:1). But the pain will be assuaged by the enjoyment of
eternity with God.

Why Do Some Choose To Walk After The Flesh? -- Many are carried away be the glamorisation of carnality that is so prevalent around us so much that be the time they realize it, they are already captured by the adversary. Remember, "each man is tempted whenhe is drawn away by his own lust and enticed.
Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin, and the sin, when it is full-grown, bringeth forth death" (Jas. 1:14,15).

We are not to admire sin in any form. Rather, we are to hate it (Jude 23). "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil" (Psa. 97:10). The Yorubas ahve a saying that you do not have to smell something you are not prepared to eat. To avoid drunkenness, for example the word of inspiration says, "look not thou upon the wine when it is red, whenit giveth his color in the cup, whe it moveth itself aright, at the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like ay adder..." (Prov. 23:31-35).

Old habits die hard, people say. Perhaps because of this, some have not found it easy to discard entirely the practices of the flesh. Like the proverbial dog, they turn to their own vomit again (2 Pet. 2:22). But when a person decides to become a
Christian, he becomes "a new creature; the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). We should say together with Paul, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who
loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

On the other hand, as a result of forgetfulness, some others have lapsed into fleshly lusts. Peter tells us of the possibility of forgetting that we have been purged from our old sins, resulting in barrenness or unfruitfulness in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:8,9). Moreover, we are commanded to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18). But it should be very obvious to everyone that when growth is not evident or it is stunted by inadequate spiritual nourishment, the result will be a life saturated
with the practices of the flesh.

How To Crucify The Flesh: -- Let us now shift our focus and reflect on how to crucify the flesh. Surely, the flesh could be crucified. Paul says those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (Gal.5:24). How? First, if we fear the Lord and fear Him sufficiently enough we are going to
overcome the flesh. The word of inspiration says: "...by the fear if the Lord, men depart from evil" (Prov. 16:6). When questioned by Abimelech, king of Gerar, as to why he did not disclose that Sarah was his wife, Abraham replied that "because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place and they will slay me for my wife's sake" (Gen. 20:11). Moreover, what prevented Joseph from committing adultery with his master's wife? The fear of God. Period. Listen to Joseph: "how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against my God" (Gen. 39:7-9). Oh yes! "the fear of the Lord is to hate evil..." (Prov. 8:13).

As a corollary to this, if it is our heart's desire to overcome the flesh, we should not naively associate it (the flesh) with glamour. Rather, we should abhor and detest it. Remember, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Joseph did not have to look on that woman whether she was glamorous. He had a strong determination, rooted in the fear of God, not to give in and he did not. The Word of God says, "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil" (Psa. 97:10).

Still drawing from the example of Joseph on the ways of overcoming the flesh, we read that when the woman got hold of Joseph and asked him to "lie with me," Joseph "left his garment in her hand and fled and go out of the house" (Gen. 39:11-13). The Bible says: "flee fornication" (1 Cor. 6:18). Joseph did just that! The apostle Paul warned about youthful lusts and suggested a way of overcoming it: flee (2 Tim. 2:22). Indeed, we are to abstain from every appearance of evil (1 Thes.5:22). The trouble with many is that instead of paying attention to these admonitions and fleeing from the works of the flesh, they prefer to see how close they can get to sin. And in doing that, they are caught in the web of the flesh.

Do you want to overcome and crucify the flesh? One good way of doing that, according to the Scriptures, is to flee, to abstain.

Fourth, develop optimistic attitude. Know assuredly tht you
can conquer the flesh. Paul says, "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh..." (Gal. 5:24). It is the promise of God that He "will also make a way of escape" out of every temptation for His children (1 Cor. 10:13). Remember, "God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love and of a sound mind" (1 Tim. 1:7).

Fifth and perhaps most importantly, be prayerful. We should
realise that of our own selves we do nothing (Jno. 15:5). Peter learned this the hard way. He denied his Lord three times (Matt.26:75). But this was the very Peter who had boasted a while ago that "though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny Thee" Matt. 26:33,35). Could it be that Peter was basking in the "arm of flesh?" Was he relying on his own power to stick to his Lord? Perhaps. In contrast, Paul says he can do all things. How? "Through Christ that strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). The Lord Jesus shortly before He ascended up to heaven left a promise behind that "lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt.28:10). "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37). So, let us be thankful to God who causes us to triumph in Christ (2 Cor.
2:14).

In conclusion, consider the fact that life is short and death is sure. Many tings are uncertain in this world, but by inspiration, we know judgment is certain. Sooner or later, we shall appear before the great tribunal and give account of ourselves to the righteous Judge. Surely, heaven will be worth whatever price
we many have to pay.

GRACE AND OBEDIENCE

GRACE AND OBEDIENCE.
By Sunday Ayandare

The word of inspiration declares: "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9). From this passage, some of our friends have concluded, albeit erroneously, that our salvation is predicated on nothing else but grace. Therefore, as far as they are concerned, we do not have to be baptized to be saved.
First of all, what is the "works" under consideration in this passage? A careful reading of Eph. 2:8,9 shows that we are not saved by meritorious works. Nobody merits salvation. Our salvation is of God, "who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our WORKS but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9). Moreover, we are not justified by the works of the law of Moses (Gal. 2:16; Acts 13:38,39). But we are saved by the grace of God WHEN WE OBEY HIS COMMANDS. This is the thrust of the argument of James:
"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God. Ye see then how THAT BY WORKS A MAN IS JUSTIFIED AND NOT BE FAITH ONLY" (Jas. 2: 21-24).
To be accepted of God, we must WORK righteousness (Acts 10:35). Noah was saved by grace (Gen. 6:8). How? When he obeyed God (Gen. 6:22). Certainly, the grace of God does not preclude obedience. Obedience to the commands of God, on the other hand, does not rule out God's grace. Bro. Bill Hall puts this succinctly in his excellent article:
"Two men err regarding grace. The first man preaches grace, but fails to recognize that God's grace is linked to human responsibility. The second man preaches respon- sibility, but seldom speaks of God's grace. The first man believes that salvation is solely by God's grace. He contends that any required action on man's part in obedience to commands would nullify grace and would constitute meritorious salvation. 'It is absurd to believe that God's grace could be linked to anything like baptism', is the way one person stated it.
"The second man speaks well of the requirements of the gospel. He often preaches the necessity of baptism, faithful attendance, liberal giving, good morals, doing one's part in the activities of the local church, etc. He speaks of Jesus as our perfect example and of His full submission to the Father in His death, but rarely of Him as the propitiation for our sins. Seldom does he bring his listeners to feel their constant need for God's mercy and forgiveness and their absolute hopelessness apart from the cleansing blood of Christ. The first man would promise salvation without necessary diligence in learning and doing God's will. The second man would place so much emphasis on learning and doing God's will that he would focus the eyes of his listeners more on themselves than upon the Lord. The first man needs to learn the truth of Titus 2:11,12; "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness adn worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world." The second man needs to learn and appreciate the exhortation of Phil. 3:1: "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord."
"We would remind the first man of the nature of God's grace as it is revealed throughout the ages. We would begin with God's grace as it was extended to Noah at the time of the flood. "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8). Noah, however, was given instructions to be obeyed. And Noah recognized the necessity of obedience: "Thus did Noah: according to all that God commanded him, so did he" (Gen. 6:22). Had Noah failed in his responsibilities, he would never have been saved from the flood by the grace of God. We would remind this man of God's grace as it was extended to Joshua in the capture of Jericho. "See, I have given into thine hand Jericho" (Jos. 6:2). But God had instructions for Joshua; march, blow the trumpets, shout. When Joshua and the Israelites fulfilled their responsibilities the "wall fell flat, so that the people went up into the city" (Jos. 6:20). We would remind this man of the man born blind in John 9 whose eyes the Lord opened (vss. 14,17,21,26,30) when he did what the Lord commanded. Our first man should be able to see that: (1) God's grace does not rule out instructions (law); (2) God's grace does not rule out obedience and (3) God's grace does not rule out strict obedience.
"We would remind the second man that good works without God's grace can never save. We would begin with the message of Ephesians. Paul in Ephesians did indeed give instructions - practical instructions, instructions that must be obeyed, concerning morals, duties of wives, husbands, children, parents, servants, masters - but not until he firmly established God's grace as the basis of salvation (chs. 1-3) and as the motivation for obedience to God's instructions (observe the word "therefore" in 4:1). We would remind this man of the danger of being like the Pharisees who "trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others" (Lk. 18:9-14). We would remind him that when one sins he has "nothing to pay" and therefore must approach God as one who is poor in spirit, mournigh, meek and hungering and thirsting after righteousness (Lk. 7:41,42; Matt. 5:3-6).
"We would not dare to say which of these teachers is the more dangerous, for they both err regarding grace. We find ourselves naturally recoiling at the teaching of the first man and greatly fearing the consequences of his teaching, but we never want to be guilty of the error of the second. We cannot preach grace without preaching responsibility, but we must not be guilty of preaching responsibility without preaching grace."

By Sunday Ayandare
(Words of Life, Vol. 8, No. 2, Apr-June 2000).

PREACH THE WORD

PREACH THE WORD.

"I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ...Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." (2 Tim. 4:1,2).

This is a solemn charge from the peerless apostle, Paul, to his son in the faith, Timothy. The solemnity derives from the fact that it is made "before God and the Lord Jesus Christ." If Timothy was to commit the things he had heard from Paul "to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2); and since this solemn charge is part of those things committed unto Timothy, then, it follows that all preachers today, indeed, servants of God in every age and in every place are under this charge.

PREACHING THE GOSPEL IS A SACRED TRUST.

Contrary to the notion of many today, preaching the gospel is a sacred trust. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul declared, "And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant..." (2 Cor. 3:4-6). It is a job in which God, in His infinite greatness, condescends to make man His fellow-labourer: "For we are labourers together with God..." (1 Cor. 3:9).

"The Lord...is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Pet. 3:9). And now, "the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16,17). But this gospel must be preached by man, not by angels or by any other creature. Cornelius, a man, had to send for Peter, a man, "who will tell you words, by which you and all your household will be saved" (Acts 11:14). Saul of Tarsus was told on the road to Damascus: "Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do" (Acts 22:10). Who was to tell Saul these things? An angelic being? No! Just "a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias" (Acts 9:10). Little wonder Paul said, "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Cor.4:7). Paul was simply saying, as one writer has aptly pointed out that "God entrusted the gospel to men, to be preached by men, that men might know the power is not in the messenger but in the message."

SOME PREACH OTHER THINGS.

But instead of preaching the word, it is distressing to see that some, and their number is not infinitesimally small, are busily engaged in preaching themselves. The posibility, nay, the reality of some preaching themselves is evidenced in 2 Cor. 4:5. Paul says, "For we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord..." What do you think of some of our brethren who in the name of preaching the gospel are engaged in throwing their weight around, displaying intellectual prowess and telling funny stories? Yes, that kind of preaching, no, jabbering will succeed in tickling the fancy and vanity of the preacher-jabberer and his listener(s), but will sure be an abysmal failure as far as saving precious souls is concerned.

What about the practice of using the pulpit to sanction what one is, or is not, doing? There are copious cases of people who, when enmeshed in unscriptural divorce/remarriage, would resort to advancing theories to justify their adulterous state. Those who have turned themselves to slaves of alcohol are often seen adducing reasons (?) for the rightness of "small-small drinking." How great would it be for us to remember is such cases that we are under a solemn charge to preach the word and not ourselves.

Following from this as a corollary is the fact that some are preaching other men. These sort of people have made heroes out of men. There is nothing wrong in this per se. Or is it not a biblical principle that we should give honour to whom it is due? (Rom. 13:7). Some people have been instrumental in shaping us to our present level of spiritual development. It is good to thank God for them and to express our appreciation to them too. But when we hero-worship and develop a penchant for whatever these mentors have to say, and consider ourselves as being under obligation to defend these things and these men, then, we are already thinking "of men above that which is written" (1 Cor. 4:6). A particular doctrine is not sound simply because "brother Big Name" propounds it. Remember, Paul warns, "If any man preach any other gospel unto you...let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:8,9).

Moreover, there are still some who equate stealing the hearts of men with preaching Christ a la Absalom (Read 2 Sam. 15:1-6). When some preachers move to a new place, they are obsessed, not with "preaching Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:1,2), but as it were, with undoing the work of a former preacher. They erroneously have the notion that they are in competition with their fellow-preacher who must be run down before they could be accepted. And so, in their diabolical schemes they resort to gerrymandering; and circumlocution becomes the hallmark of their preaching. Peter has long ago spoken of false teachers who "speak great swelling words of vanity" with the sole aim of enticing gullible souls (2 Pet. 2:18).

So, in the face of temptations here and there to preach other things but Christ, remember brother-preacher, you have a solemn charge: "PREACH THE WORD..."

By Sunday Ayandare
(Words of Life, Vol. 8, No. 4, Oct - Dec. 2000)

The Church In Eternal Purpose of God

By Sunday Ayandare

It is tragically sad to see how much the modern-day religious teachers underrate the importance of the church. To many of them, the church has nothing to do with the salvation of the souls of men. “Just believe Christ,” they say, “the church has nothing to do with salvation.” Incidentally, if by saying so they have in mind the churches that are designed, established and presided over by fallible men, then, they are one hundred per cent correct. Churches of men, which are nothing more than plants “which my heavenly Father hath not planted,” according to Christ, “shall be rooted up” (Matthew 15:13).

However, if by saying the church has nothing to do with the salvation of the soul, reference is made to the church purchased and built by Christ, then, that statement betrays a woeful ignorance of what the Bible teaches about the blood-bought institution of our Lord (Acts 20:28).

To some others, especially those who espouse the premillennial theory, the church is nothing more than an after-thought on the part of God and His Christ. According to the proponents of this idea, Jesus Christ came principally to establish an earthly kingdom. But when He came, He was rejected by the majority of the Jews. As a result of this rejection on the part of the Jews, the premillennialists opine, He established the church as a kind of stop-gap arrangement against the time He would come back again. That when He comes back the second time, He would actualize His plan - set up an earthly kingdom and rule for a thousand years. Simply put, this is not the teaching of the Scriptures.

We shall attempt in this article to show that the New Testament church has been in the eternal purpose of God. Moreover, it is our resolve to elucidate how this plan was unfolded. It is the burden of the other writers in this series to show how the prophets of old predicted the coming of the church in the form of a kingdom and how these prophecies were fulfilled, leading to the establishment of the church on the day of Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Church Has Been In the Eternal Purpose of God

In the third chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians, Paul was talking about his knowledge in the mystery of Christ (verse 4). This mystery “in other ages was not made known to the sons of men” (verse 5). The mystery has to do with the Gentiles becoming fellow-heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ through the Gospel (verse 6). Let us keep in mind that the mystery is not that God would receive the Gentiles. That the Gentiles would be saved has been revealed as a fact by many Prophets of old. It was revealed by Isaiah in 49:6; 60:1-3. It was also predicted by Malachi in Malachi 1:11. Hosea also revealed that the Gentiles would be called to salvation (Hosea 2:23; cf Romans 9:25-26).

However, the mystery has to do with the Divine purpose of bringing the Jews and Gentiles together in one body. This body is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). That is, the Jews and the Gentiles would be brought together in one church to share on equal terms the salvation that is in Christ. Both Jews and Gentiles would be Christians on equal footing regardless of ethnic, social, racial or national differences.

Now, in verse 10 and 11, he says, “to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and power in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Emphasis mine, SA). The “principalities and powers in the heavenly places” is an allusion to the rulers and authorities in the spiritual realm, the unseen beings who behold God's great wisdom. Peter informs us by inspiration that the angels of God, for ages, had desired to see the great purposes of God (1 Peter 1:10-12). These great purposes they see through the church. Or as the American Standard Version (ASV) puts it, the principalities and powers behold God's wisdom “through the church.”

The implication of this is that just as a magnificent building shows the wisdom of an architect; and a fine piece of literature evidences the author's wisdom, just so the manifold wisdom of God is seen by observing His plan in action in the church. The word “manifold” suggests many-sided, many-faceted. Colly Caldwell puts this beautifully: “the church is so grand that it surpasses the brilliance, intelligence and sagacity of anything calculated in the mind of man and thus evidences God's great wisdom” (Colly Caldwell, Truth Commentaries, Ephesians, Guardian of Truth Foundation, p. 121). This means that as one takes a look at the church of the New Testament from any perspective, he wouldn't fail to be impressed with the variegated wisdom of God. For instance, the simplicity of the terms of pardon which makes entrance into the kingdom accessible to everyone regardless of sex, race or social stature is an exemplification of Divine wisdom. “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base things of the world, and the things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and the things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

Another perspective from which the wisdom of God could be clearly seen in the church is its simple organizational structure. The New Testament makes no provision for earthly UNIVERSAL organization for the church of our Lord. Divine wisdom makes for each local church to be self-governing under its own elders (plurality) with Christ as the Chief Shepherd (Acts 14:23; 20:17; Philippians 1:1; 1 Peter 5:4).

This Divine wisdom precludes arrogant, ambitious and power-hungry men from wielding undue influence on the church at the Local Government or State or Regional or National levels. Apart from making it impossible for power-mongers to hijack the church of our Lord, local church autonomy also prevents wholesale apostasy of the church. Each local church rises or falls before Christ, the owner of the church (Revelation 2-3). He is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:20-23). Jesus Christ is “the only Potentate, the King of kings and the Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). He has all authority (Matthew 28:18). He executes judgment (John 5:27; 12:48-50). He is the only Lawgiver (James 4:11-12). Viewed from this perspective, the church of the Lord is a monarchy with Christ as the Monarch, possessing all legislative, executive and judicial powers.

The main point here is that Christ is the centre and circumference of God's plan of redemption through the ages, on the one hand. On the other hand, the church which constitutes the body of Christ is the body of the saved. Christ is the Saviour of this body (Ephesians 5:23). Now, how did these plans unfold?

Christ Is the Seed of the Woman

The Divine plan of redemption began to unfold immediately after the fall of mankind. Cursing the serpent which was used by Satan, the arch-enemy of God and man, God said, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

When God pronounced this curse, he was not talking about snake family. Rather, He was speaking of the enmity that should exist between Satan, the old serpent (Revelation 12:9) on the one hand; and man, the offspring of God (Acts 17:29), on the other. This calls for one to be born of a woman apart from the natural 'begettal' by the man. This was fulfilled in Christ. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those that were under the law …” (Galatians 4:4-5; Matthew 1:16). Christ was the seed of the woman who “was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). In destroying the works of the devil, He accomplished the bruising the head of the serpent. However, in accomplishing this, the seed of the woman would have His own heel “bruised.” That is, Christ would be put to death physically. But His victory over Satan was complete when He was raised from the dead and glorified at God's own right hand (Acts 2:22-36; Hebrews 12:1-2). So, Christ is the seed of the woman born of Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:16), who gave a crushing defeat to Satan; although He also had to submit to death.

Christ Is the Seed of Abraham

God called Abraham and said among other things that, “in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3). But, if we may ask, how or in what way would all the families of the earth be blessed in Abraham? God said a few years later after Abraham had proved his faithfulness to God, that “in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18). Who was this seed of Abraham? Was He going to be the same Person as the Seed of the woman? Indeed, Christ was that seed of Abraham through whom the whole earth is going to be blessed! “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your seed,' who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). Yes, the seed of the woman and the seed of Abraham are co-terminus both refer to one and the same Person that is, Jesus Christ through whom God would work out His redemptive plan.

Jesus Christ Is Also the Seed of David

As God's redemptive plan continues to unfold, we see the promise of God to Abraham renewed to his son, Isaac and from Isaac to Jacob, the father of the Patriarchs (Genesis 21:12; 28:14). Jacob, when he was about to die, he called his sons and pronounced blessings upon them. When it was the turn of his fourth son, Judah, he pronounced this prophetic benediction: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler staff from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall be the obedience of the peoples be”(Genesis 49:10). This prophecy was fulfilled when about 650 years later the throne of David was established and the kingdom reached its apogee in the days of Solomon. To David, God sent Nathan the Prophet to announce to him that “… I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever … and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:11-17).

It is interesting that portions of this passage are quoted in the New Testament and applied to Jesus Christ. On the day of Pentecost, for instance, Peter quoted this and said, “Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne …” (Acts 2:30-36). The Hebrews writer also quotes from this same 2 Samuel 7:11-17 and says it refers to Christ (Hebrews 1:5).

The throne of David is the throne of Christ in the ultimate. God's kingdom on earth constitutes all those who have submitted themselves to God's appointed King, Jesus. The church is the body of those who are members of Christ through the new birth (John 3:5). The kingdom of God on earth and the church of Jesus Christ are one and the same when viewed in the aggregate. In prophecy, the kingdom of God on earth would be established in the days of the fourth (Roman) empire (Daniel 2:41-44).Christ was born when Caesar Augustus (of the Roman Empire) was blooming (Luke 2:1-7) The kingdom and the church share a common origin in date and place (Isaiah 2:2-3; Acts 2:1-47). They are identical in territory (Daniel 2:44; Mark 16:15). They share the same ownership. Christ spoke of “my kingdom” in John 18:36 and equally spoke of “my church” in Matthew 16:18. The kingdom and the church share common rulership (1 Timothy 6:15; Ephesians 5:23). They have the same law (Isaiah 2:3; Acts 2:38). The citizenship of the kingdom is the membership of the church (Colossians 1:13; 1:2). The citizens of the kingdom and members of the church look forward to identical glory and exaltation (Isaiah 2:2-3; Ephesians 3:21). The church and the kingdom expect the same reward for faithfulness (Matthew 25:31-34; 1 Corinthians 15:58).

Conclusion

Jesus Christ is the centre and circumference of God's redemptive plan. He is the Saviour of the body which is the church (Ephesians 5:23). This church is made of all who would submit to His rulership both Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 3:16). This has been in the eternal purpose of God (Ephesians 3:10-11).

Let us appreciate the church as a Divine institution and give glory to Him in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:21).

P. O. Box 31019 , Ibadan .

The Constitution Of The New Testament Church

The Constitution Of The New Testament Church

By Sunday Ayandare

Every organization needs a body of laws, rules and regulations specifying the duties and obligations of its members as well as defining their rights and privileges. One cannot think of a school without a set of rules and regulations. Ditto for a business establishment of whatever size or function. Whether small-scale; medium-scale or large-scale, it must formulate a kind of policy. Moreover, who can imagine an association or a nation without a constitution?

The church of the New Testament is definitely not an exception. The people of God either in the old dispensation or in the New Testament era have always been given a set of laws to regulate their belief and behavioural systems. It will be recalled that one of the blackest periods of Jewish history was characterized by anarchy. “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). We should observe that in this particular instance, it was not the case that there was no law per se. Rather, there was tota1 disregard for the law of Moses and this accentuated by a vacuum in the royalty which was supposed to be an embodiment and quintessence of the divine law (Deut. 17:14-20).

Let us just take a cursory look at the state of the religion of Christ today. The picture of Christianity one is confronted with is, as it were, a re-enactment of the situation described in Judges 21:25. Hundreds, if not thousands, of differing sects teaching contradicting doctrines, wearing different names, presenting various plans of salvation with diverse forms of worship. A babel of confusion, you would say? Yes, every man is now doing “that which is right in his own eyes!”

Because of this unfortunate situation, many have rejected Christ and the enthusiasm of some others has been dampened. But the words of the Master keep on ringing: “And why call ye me, Lord Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Since the church is a divine institution, we can reasonably argue that it must be governed by a divine law and therefore any religious organization which is not governed by this law is not of Christ but of men and shall be rooted up at the end (Matthew 15:13).

What The Constitution Of The Church Is Not

Let us now highlight what constitutes the law or the constitution which the early Disciples of Christ knew. First, we shall consider this from the negative viewpoint.

1. The Constitution of The Church of Christ is not the Old Testament Law. Apparently, this is the springboard which many denominations are using to justify and defend the use of instrument of music in worship, giving and paying of tithe, polygamy and so on. But in Hebrews 1:1, 2 after conceding that God has spoken to the fathers in various ways in the past, the writer asseverates that He (God) is now speaking to us through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the prophet alluded to in Deuteronomy 18:18, 19 who must be hearkened unto (cf Matthew 17:1- 5). God had earlier on predicted the enactment of “a new covenant” unlike “the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt...” (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The import of this is that God was going to enact a new covenant. Why? Then the inspired answer: “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second” (Hebrews 8:7). And the apostle Paul averred that “a new Covenant hath made the first old, now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away” (Heb. 8:7-13).

When Jesus came he declared that he had not “come to destroy the law, or the prophets” but rather to fulfill them (Matt. 5:17,18). Unfortunately, this statement has been grossly misunderstood by many today. All that they understand by this statement is Jesus saying the law would continue ad infinitum. It should be observed that he used '“destroy” as the antithesis of “fu1fill,” adding that the law would continue until it be fulfilled (Matt. 5:18). Having fulfilled it, he took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross (Luke 24:44; Col. 2:14- 17). “He taketh away the first that he may establish the second” (Heb. 10:9). Indeed, the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ and now that Christ has come, we are no longer under the law (Gal. 3:19, 23-25).

2. What the Religious Leaders say does not constitute the Law of the New Testament Church. Many esteem the words of the religious leaders to the level of the word of God. In Catholicism, for example, when the Pope speaks, that is an ex-cathedra decision. This is, the law. Period! There is no faithful Catholic that has the temerity or audacity to challenge and question that decision. The same thing applies to the other denominations. But now, preachers are under a solemn charge to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:1, 2). Following the teachings and opinions of men can only succeed to make our worship vain (Matthew 15:9).

3. What the majority decides is no law in the church of Christ. A practice is wrong regardless of the number of people practicing it. At the sham trial of Jesus, it was recorded that “they all condemned him to be guilty of death” (Mark 14:64). Shall we now say that because “they all condemned him,” therefore, Jesus stood condemned before God? Certainly not! At the instigation of the chief priests, the majority “cried out the more exceedingly, crucify him” (Mark 15:13, 14). This particular instance indicates that majority is not always right and it goes on to believe that popular expression: “Vox populi, vox Dei” (the voice of the people is the voice of God).

What Is the Constitution Or the Creed of the Church of Christ?

Basically, it is the New Testament. “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant has been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second...” (Hebrews 8:6, 7). It is a better covenant, bringing along with it better promises. It contains the gospel of Christ. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth... for therein is the righteousness' of God revealed from faith to faith...” (Romans 1:16, 17). It is the Law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21). It is by it we are going to be judged (John 12:48). Remember, Jesus Christ is God's exalted spokesman (Hebrews 1:1, 2). Therefore, 'the gospel of Christ, His law, word is our rule of faith and practice. This is encapsulated in the New Testament or covenant (Heb. 8:13). It is complete. “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).

In conclusion, unlike the old covenant which abounds in “thou shalt not,” the gospel of Christ teaches in principles. Indeed, it is not only complete; it is final; admitting of no revision or modification. It was once for all delivered unto the saints (Jude 3). We are sternly warned neither to add to, nor take away from, the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9-11; Revelation 22:18, 19).

Brethren and friends, let us heed the admonition of the apostle Peter: “If any man speaks let him speak as the oracles of God...” (1 Pet. 4:11). Therein lies the road to the unity of all believers in Christ and the salvation of our souls. P. 0. Box 12003, Ibadan.