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The entire Editorial Team of the Quiver (Official bulletin of The Change of Taste Group appreciates God for this last TWO years of publishing soul inspiring articles. We also appreciate all our authors, reviewers and contributors; may God bless you for touching lives. To all our readers, God is set to do greater things.....
Shalom!!!
Vol. 17.9.30
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Let us start by saying that every
genuinely born again man/woman is built on the foundation of grace, as salvation
is not what you merit as a Christian but just by grace. Therefore, without
grace, Christianity will only be full of shame and disgrace.
What are we trying to illustrate? Titus 2:11-15
clearly states that:
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all
men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world: looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our savior Jesus
Christ: who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and
purify to Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak,
and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise you.”
And
“Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace you are saved” –Ephesians. 2 vs 5.
According
to the scriptures above, the first thing mentioned is the grace of God and
salvation. Our God is a God of all grace. Grace and God cannot be separated. John 1 vs 1 says “In the beginning was the word
and the word was with God and the word was God.” To paraphrase- in the
beginning was the Grace and the Grace was with God and the Grace was God. Vs 4, in him was life; and the life was the light
of men. Grace through Jesus Christ gave birth to genuine salvation.
Permit to say that one of the manifestations of grace was the birth of Christ
into this sinful world. That is, before the existence of Christ on earth, there
has been establishment of God’s grace in heaven. It’s the grace of God that
appeared to all men through Jesus Christ that gives salvation. In other words, salvation
through Jesus Christ was birthed through the unmerited favor of God; Grace. Hence,
no one on earth can be save by his power.
What then is Grace?
Grace
in the general context, is an attractive quality of movement that is smooth,
elegant and controlled. But according to the scripture, grace in a simple
language is defined as unmerited favor.
Ephesians 2 vs 8; For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God: 9; Not of works, lest any man
should boast.10; for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 11; wherefore remember, that ye being in time
past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is
called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now
in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of
Christ.
Sin has made man an article of trade since
when man sinned against God through Adam, since then, God sought to and has reconciled
man to Himself- that's grace. Grace not only set man free from bundage of sin but
made man free by clearing his sin-records. When Jesus said it is finished, it
means our debt are completely paid. Man became God's heritage by grace and no
longer under the devil. 1 Peter 5 vs 3. Therefore, if salvation is not what we merit,
but by grace, what other benefit comes with salvation?
Isaiah 53
vs 5 highlights
another vital benefit of grace. How that through the chastisements of He [Jesus
Christ], whom through salvation came to this world, we receive divine healing.
“…AND BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED…”
I wouldn’t know how the translation of
that particular scripture is going to be, “without His stripes”, May be death
will always have being the other of the day. Christ brought healing from the
soul disease of condemnation which man received after he fell at the Garden of
Eden. Thus, the severed connection/fellowship between man and God was healed by
Jesus Christ and thus man can approach God with confidence again just like it
was at Eden.
Another
important dynamics of the grace through Jesus Christ is the access to
fellowship with the father. Emphatically speaking, it is through the love of
the father [GOD] that grace through the son [JESUS CHRIST] was initiated to
this world which open the door of fellowship to the father through the Holy
Spirit.
Invariably
speaking, we (Christian) claim to know the truth but the devil is becoming
wiser to make the truth that we think we know appear as a deceit. It is the
grace doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ that makes us feel very
reluctant in doing those sinful acts of the devil, in which we were used to
before salvation. That is why a Christian should find it difficult to commit sin;
not because he don’t know how to sin, but because there is an unmerited favor
(grace) ignited upon his life at the point of their salvation that makes
sinning difficult. However, haven known
and understood the benefits that comes with the grace of God at redemption,
knowing that there is also an high priest passed into the heavens, an advocate,
an intercessor, should we now say that if
someone receive salvation, and he commit sin, the atonement for the blood of
Christ will automatically cleanse both the sin he had confessed and the one he
will still commit? Does a believer who sin needs to ask for repentance or not?
Is once saved forever saved?
First, lets clarify that the slogan
‘once saved is forever saved (OSFS)’ holds true if we stop at saying that a
believer needs not give his life to Christ repeatedly- as some believers often do
when they backslide. We only have one life to give, why give it repeatedly?
What then is the faith of a backslider-repentance; he is expected to genuinely
repent of his sin, forsake them and find his way back to the presence of God (Galatians
6:1-5,Hebrews 4:14-16, James 5: 16, Revelations 3:1-3). Therefore,
when the concept of OSFS goes to the level of saying a believer who sins
require no need for repentance, it becomes an error.
Spirituality is not an excuse for mediocrity,
and Christianity is not an excuse for stupidity. Just as there is a Grace that
loves and forgives also the Grace loves and chastises. Christianity is not one
of the religion that present to you the pleasure of the world or the sweetness
of it thereof, rather teaches grace, love discipline, correction and repentance.
Every Christian rides on the wings of the Grace of God and also enjoys the
benefit thereof. If therefore Grace is what we enjoy in Christianity today,
what are the ‘don’ts’ in Grace?
Romans 8 vs 1 says:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
It is one thing for you to be in
Christ Jesus, it is another thing for you to walk in the Spirit. That is, you
can be in Christ Jesus and not walk in the Spirit, but you can’t walk in the
Spirit without first be in Christ Jesus. HOW? Because it is one level of grace
that qualities you to be in Christ, while walking in the Spirit requires beyond
that. So, you can’t just conclude that because you’ve given your life to Christ
that you can’t still be condemned if you don’t continue in the spirit, NO! Living
by the Spirit is the only guarantee for freedom from condemnation and
spirituality doesn’t condole any form of iniquity or sin. [See The Quiver vol.
17.7.29: No Condemnation to those who
remained in Christ //By: Yusuf Gbenga Ayodele. http://dquiver4changeoftaste.blogspot.com.ng/2017/07/no-condemnation-to-those-who-remained.html
for more details]
Secondly,
we can see in John
15 vs 5, how that Jesus Christ lovely encourage anyone that falls
from Him [the Vine;
I am the vine, you are the branches: He that ABIDES in me and me
in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me, you can do nothing.
With all sincerity and simplicity,
this denote that it is very possible for someone in Christ to fall off
(backslide through sin), but the beauty of Christianity cannot be glorified in
the fall of the person, rather if he still abides in Him (Christ). Christianity
therefore is not a reason for mediocrity but for sincere and continuous walk
with God and avenue for repentance if erred.
Also,
in Revelation
12 vs 20, we saw how God warned a woman; Jezebel, who called herself
a prophetess, teaching and seducing God servants to commit fornication. But
beyond all that, in verse 21, God still gave her time to repent,
WHY? In other not to be a cast away? Yes, because “God don’t have pleasure in the
death of a wicked than for him to turn his ways and live”; Ezekiel. 18:23. Here
in is the Father glorified.
Paul,
an Apostle of Christ wrote to the church of God in Corinth (1 Corinthians) some vital
instruction to stay and desist from their wrong deeds (fornication and sexual
immoralities). Despite the fact that these people are people of God, Apostle
Paul still went ahead, warning them to stay away from every form of iniquity in
other not to end up in destruction. So, as a believer, if you are still toying
with sin all in the name of “Grace”, you are only planning to end up the rest
of your life in eternal damnation.
Moreover,
what logical sense does this bring that when a born again Christian sin or go
against the plan and will of God, does his relationship with God continues the
same way? NO! Just that this generation is full of people who only want to
listen to what will please them; which you can’t find in Christ (2 Timothy 3-4).
Finally,
if you believe in ‘once saved is forever saved doctrine’, why will Jesus liken
his coming back to that of a thief in the night? The death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ will be worthless if you claim that there is no need for
repentance of any form of sin at any time. Beloved, be vigilant, be sober
because your adversary, the devil is looking for whom to devour. My prayer is
that may the Grace of God keep and preserve you to the end till His coming in
Jesus name. AMEN.
Shalom
Ogunsuyi Opeyemi B.
Emiola Amos
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The Quiver is the Official Bulletin of The Change of Taste Group (a non-denominational mission intercessory and support group ©2017
