HEAVENLY THINGS - 1 | The Discourse

Glory be to God. Honor be unto Jesus, we are here again for another edition of the Monthly Teaching Series after many months of absence. 

Now, our theme “Heavenly things” was a phrase made by our Lord Jesus Christ in his discourse with the Jewish teacher, Nicodemus. He mentioned this during his little explanation concerning the “born from above” experience that everyone who will be part of the kingdom of God must have. Everyone knows the story; Nicodemus was a secret disciple, he came to Jesus at night and hence their discussion:

John 3:1-12

[1] There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

[2] The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

[3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

[4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

[5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 

[6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

[7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 

[8] The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 

[9] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

[10] Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 

[11] Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 

[12] If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of HEAVENLY THINGS?

It is obvious that the heavenly things that Jesus Christ was referring to, are deep things of God which is not captured by the Jewish customs and law neither is it taught in any religious circle. Jesus Christ was not really surprised that a whole doctor of the Jewish law, Nicodemus, could not comprehend the “born from above” experience, he knows that spiritual things can be only be understood by spiritual people. The “born from above” experience is not however the same as the ‘heavenly things’ that Jesus was referring to but a pointer to it. The ‘born again’ experience is the simplest mechanism of the deep things of God that the carnal mind would find difficult to understand.

Jesus made it clear in his statement that these “heavenly things” will be difficult for just anyone to understand if they are still having problems with the ‘born from above’ experience. Even up till today, there are many people out there including some Christians, who still have a little problem understanding the ‘born from above’ experience. 

And since this is so, how can we ever know or perceive that there are still greater things in the depth of God? How can we then understand God in his fullness? How can we then comprehend the full essence of our existence in his Kingdom? Seeing that he surely has a goal; a kingdom of sons and daughters who will understand and live a life according to his will. God’s intention is that, his people whom he created in his image should understand the reason for their existence and the essence of their faith.  There is no gainsaying that every believer is saved for a purpose; But for what purpose? The born from above or born again experience is the portal that launches the believer into the deep things of God. 

If you are not born from above, you cannot understand the things from above. 

In the ‘above’ is God, the eternal creator. His glory is everlasting and all of his creations are his idea and glory. There is nothing in existence that is outside his foreordained counsel for humanity.

So, if we have problems understanding the ONLY experience that can bring anyone into God’s eternal agenda and his eternal Kingdom, then we surely do have a challenge in getting acquainted with the Heavenly things, the deep things of God. That was the problem Nicodemus and others had. They couldn’t comprehend the concept of the spiritual birth, hence void of understanding the secret and deep things of God. 

Although the bible made it clear that these heavenly things are difficult for the natural man - the carnal mind, but it also made it clear that they are very simple and understandable to the spiritual man. This is because they are spiritual mysteries, and only the spiritual can comprehend. Interestingly, everyone that is born again is filled with this Holy Spirit of God, so they are made ready to understand these deep things of God. Amen?

Now, before we delve into the heavenly things of God that Nicodemus and the likes of today are void of understanding, we need to check properly what the born again experience is, to be sure that we are on the same page. This is because it is the gateway into God’s depth of knowledge.

What does it mean to be born from above?

To be continued…  

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Monthly Teaching Series | September 2020

SPIRITUAL STEADFASTNESS - 3

DANGERS OF NOT BEING STEADFAST - APOSTASY

God used the inspired writer of this epistle to the Hebrew to reveal the Person, position and perfection of Jesus Christ. Christ has already been revealed as the powerful Son of God, declared to be God's full Revelation to mankind, as the appointed heir of all things, the Creator of the World, the Brightness of God's glory, the express Image of God's person who is much better than the prophets. From our text, Christians are called to maturity and perfection before exposing them to deeper revelation. Truth is precious. 

We must be willing to leave the baby stage of Christian experiences if we desire deeper things from God. We must grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord. The Scripture makes it clear that there is danger and possibility of Christians backsliding, degenerating into apostasy and loosing their souls. The Hebrew Christians had suffered persecution and some of them were in danger of turning back from Christ. They needed encouragement to endure to the end.

1. PRESSING ON TO GLORIOUS PERFECTION

The Hebrew Christians had earlier been rebuked for being perpetual babes and their slow progress towards maturity. The writer desired that they would grow up to maturity. We are not to remain in the elementary stages of being saved but to move on to perfection and usefulness in God's service. Now, he challenged them: "let us go unto perfection". Just as parents want their children to grow, God also wants us to grow in knowledge, holiness, faith, character, endurance and usefulness.

The phrase "let us go into perfection" means to cease to remain in the state of babes and never rest until you are mature and capable of being a teacher and exercising all senses of righteousness. God called Abraham to perfection. He has made provision for every believer's perfection in Christ through His word.

Believers are expected to have knowledge of repentance from dead works; faith towards God, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. These fundamental doctrines are still part of the whole counsels of God that would make us grow up to perfection. Many believers remain in the baby stage for many years. They preach and believe salvation but neglect consecration, sanctification, sacrificial love, separation from the world and all its entanglements. Our will must be yielded and surrendered to God such that we are willing to do only what God permits by His word and Spirit if we are to grow. Our lives must be surrendered to God for necessary correction.

2. DESCRIPTION AND DAMNATION OF APOSTATES

Verses 4-8 of our text presents an important truth that many believers fail to understand. Some bible teachers misinterpret it so as to convince themselves and others to keep their false hope of  of sinning, backsliding, rebellion and mere church-going. These scriptures speak clearly of the impossibility of the restoration and salvation of apostates. The danger of apostasy, that is falling away from and rejecting the faith, is frightening.

Apostates are backsliders who fall away from the faith and become rebellious and blasphemous against God and Christ. The apostates were once enlightened; tasted of the heavenly gift; made partakers of the Holy Ghost; tasted the good word of God and the power of the world to come. The Scripture says after they had known the Lord, they later backslide to the point of denying Christ. Although it is rare, apostates do not take a single leap into apostasy but many steps that eventually lead to that state.

First, backsliding and repeated backsliding. 

Second, deliberate rejection of God's word and mercy.

Third, love for deceit and false doctrine. 

Fourth, denial of Christ and His atoning sacrifice.  

Fifth, preaching of error and doctrine of demons.

In their apostasy, they close the door of eternal life against themselves and seal their doom. Rejection, cursing and burning are words used to describe the doom and damnation of apostates. Backsliders and apostates are warned and reminded that. Those who fall away from the faith will finally go away into everlasting punishment if they fail to repent.

3. DECISION TO FOLLOW CHRIST TO THE END

There is no doubt that the people being addressed in this epistle were Christians. They were addressed as "beloved" so they would not be drowned in the fear of backsliding and falling away. Now the inspired writer shows that he believed that they were saved and that they would inherit the blessings that accompany salvation. He spoke about labor of love, assurance of hope and faith. 

These three qualities make us know that they were saved. Believers need both warning and encouragement. Warning alone may close our eyes to the reality of God's grace and power to keep us till the end. It may drive us to relying on our own insufficient strength. On the other hand, encouragement alone may lead us to taking God and His promises for granted, to the point that we think we are doing God a favor by remaining in the faith. The faithful leader must maintain a balance between warning and encouragement. There is no question about the faithfulness of God.

The question is how much faith do we have in God?

SPIRITUAL STEADFASTNESS - 2

To achieve spiritual steadfastness, the first and most important principle is the principle of endurance. Let us look at the framework.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

What does this passage ask us to do? Two things – and the first is the most important because it is what powers the second!

First – Simplify

We must lay aside every weight and sin.

Sin must be dealt with, that is, eliminated – clear and easily acceptable. We cannot play around with sin, it must be gone. Note however that this can be achieved by the sole help of the Holy Spirit in us, and not by our self efforts. We know that He will take away our imperfections as we place our faith in him.

Also – every weight that keeps us from moving strongly ahead must be dealt with. Distractions must go. Anything that produces a conflict with following Jesus and leading a kingdom life must be abandoned.

Our lives are to have no encumbrances or complications.

We must evaluate every weight by Jesus’ standard not ours. Think about Mary and Martha. When Jesus and his disciples visited. Martha was busy preparing the table and the food – important by our standards. Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus – important by Jesus’ standards!

When it comes to steadfastness, there are no priorities. We are to have just one priority – run with endurance the race that is set before us. If we have multiple priorities we have not laid aside every weight. Our entire life must be devoted to running the race.

Second – Endure

We must run the race, never stop, never let up. Endurance is easier when you simplify.

Following Jesus all the way means, doing kingdom work he’s called you to. It means embracing Jesus as our example.

He is the founder of our faith. Every day, we must look to his life, his example, his teaching, his death and resurrection and his ongoing ministry through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is the perfecter of our faith. There was no shortcoming in him and we need to look to no one else. He is the complete picture of what a life of faith is.

He endured shame – death on the cross. It was a criminal’s death, without dignity, public and painful.

Jesus endured these trials with joy because he was focused on the reason for the cross and the glory after the cross.

How do we simplify and endure?

There are five things that you must do in order to simplify and endure. Understand these five things are not one and done – they are part of a continual lifestyle of the kingdom. You must know that the kingdom of God is not cheap. In other words, you must continually engage in these five things.

Repent

Repentance simply means a change of mindset. This means you completely give up everything that keeps us from living a life of spiritual steadfastness. It starts with distractions – complete and total repentance means you will no longer put kingdom activities secondary. You must repent of attitudes and the busyness and distractions that weigh you down.

Inventory

Take some time, pray, and discover everything you are doing that is unnecessary and hurting your spiritual progress.  Ask this question: What am I doing that is not in line with my faith in Christ? More questions you can ask at this point: Why am I doing this? Why do I watch this? Why does this seem important?

Eliminate

If you aren’t willing to eliminate, you haven’t really repented. Yeou must get rid of activities that detract, attitudes that hurt, obligations that encumber and possessions that demand. Remember all these things can and will hurt your steadfastness.

This is hard but you can do it – especially as you make it part of a lifestyle that includes all five steps.

Fortify

Do the things that strengthen you spiritually. Start with these three:

1. Pray: Every prayer you make strengthens your relationship with God. Worship as you pray. Ask for insight and be sure to pray for others.
2. Spend time in the word: Really read your Bible. Study it and hide its words in your heart – memorize scripture.
3. Fellowship: Spend quality time with other followers of Jesus. There is great mutual encouragement and accountability with you do this.

Reproduce

Simply help others through this process. By bringing someone along, we stay committed to the process ourselves.

If you want steadfastness you must endure! By continually working these five things your steadfastness will grow and your spiritual health will vastly improve.

In the final part, we shall discuss the final principle aside endurance.

Amen. 

SPIRITUAL STEADFASTNESS - 1

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." 1 Cor.15:58

Steadfastness is an essential principle in the kingdom of God. There can be no success nor prosperity in your spiritual life when this principle is wanting. The Psalmist said, "My heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." This is true steadfastness, when your heart is fixed on the things pertaining to the kingdom. It is cleaving to God, let the storms rage as they may. It is resting and abiding in Jesus though the trials of life may be the severest possible. It is a firm, fixed, settled decision to abide in doctrines of the Bible. It is to rest confidingly upon the teaching and promises of the Holy Scriptures. Just as a man lies confidently down to rest upon his bed, so a believer, in his steadfastness, rests confidingly, rests without fear, upon the never-changing Word of God.

Now, we must understand that through Jesus Christ, we are made partakers of the divine nature. We received the imprint of divine character in our spirit. Among the different principles in the character of God is found steadfastness. When God delivered Daniel from the lions, Darius the king said, "I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast forever." Dan.6:26. If God is steadfast and we have his DNA as a believer, then we ought to manifest this attribute as true sons and daughters.

Just as the believer's fortitude is noble, manly, and pleasing to God, so a lack of steadfastness is ignoble, unmanly, and highly displeasing to God.

Some (it may be many) are led by their feelings. We, as the children of God, are to be led by the Spirit of God; but not all fully understand what is meant by "being led by the Spirit." I would rather be led by a sense of duty than by my feelings. You must understand that in order to be led by the Spirit we need always to have a strong inward impression or almost audible voice speaking to us. The Spirit of God has illuminated the Word and enlightened our mind as believers to know what is our Kingdom duty; hence when you go forward and discharge your duties faithfully, you are truly being led by the Spirit. You know it to be your duty to help the poor, to support the weak, to comfort the sorrowful, to witness for Jesus, to study the Scriptures, to pray, and diligently to follow every good work for kingdom advancement. You may sometimes feel a strong impression to pray, but you do not need to have this feeling always in order to be duty -bound to pray. It is your duty to pray, to give of your means, etc., oftentimes just as much when you do not feel impressed to do so as when you have strong inward impressions. You do not need to wait for such impressions before you act, for a knowledge of your duty makes you responsible.

A man can have no true steadfastness who is influenced by his emotions or impressions. The man who is steadfast, unmovable in the Word, goes forward to a discharge of his known duties, no matter what his feelings may be. Whatever may be his impressions to do a certain thing, if it is not consistent with the Word and the Spirit and his knowledge of right, he persistently refuses to obey.

How the true principle of steadfastness abides in the will of God and the doctrines of Christ is demonstrated in the teachings of Barnabas to the church at Antioch. There was some contention in the church over circumcision, and heavy persecutions from without, and many were being moved from the true faith. Barnabas exhorted that with purpose of heart they cleave to the Lord. Steadfastness is a firm, fixed purpose of the heart to cleave unto God, to attend strictly and promptly to every Kingdom duty. It is a decided, unchangeable, unshaken purpose of the heart to obey implicitly the teachings of the Christ, regardless of the feelings.

You will find that, if you attend to every Kingdom duty, you will often have to go contrary to your feelings. How often the enemy of your soul will, if he can, cast indifferent feelings over you concerning prayer. That is the time to show your fortitude and steadfastness. It is weakness and laziness to neglect prayer simply because we do not feel inclined to pray. To yield to indifferent feelings is to encourage them, and they will grow stronger and stronger, so that we shall feel less and less inclined to pray. The more we pray, the more prayerful we feel; likewise, the less we pray, the less prayerful we feel. When we have yielded to indifferent feelings for sometime and have sadly neglected prayer, we have a hard struggle to get through to the glorious light and victory and sweetness. But you must get out where the blessings fall; you must get where you have sweet tastes of love and the satisfying blessings of the presence of God. You must be courageous, manly, and decided. The way to enjoy serving God and doing our full Kingdom duty is always to do our duty and especially at those times when doing it seems to be the least enjoyable.

Next, we shall consider the framework or structure for STEADFASTNESS. What you and I need to know and follow to achieve this spiritual attribute.

Amen.

Musings on the BOOK OF LIFE - 3

There's some debate around names being removed from the book of life.
Is it possible for someone whose name is written down to have it erased or removed? Some say yes based on Revelation 3:5 – “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life.”

A known scholar sometime ago, talking about this verse, refers to one particular custom in ancient Athens according to which the names of condemned criminals were erased from civic registers before their execution. The Greek word translated “to erase” (exaleiphein), “was the technical term for such degradation”. As insightful as this may be, it is more likely that we should look for a biblical background to this imagery.

On the one hand, Jesus may be saying that it is possible for a sinning, unrepentant Christian (such as were many at Sardis) to fail to overcome or conquer and thereby to forfeit their place in the book of life. Their names, already inscribed in the book, will be erased, signifying the loss of their salvation.

Some persons suggest having one's name "blotted out" is not about salvation. Others suggest that to have one’s name blotted out refers to something other than salvation. In Revelation 3:1 Jesus referred to the people at Sardis as having a “name” for being alive, i.e., they had a reputation for spiritual vitality. This is not referring a name as in "Philip". The idea, then, is that such people are saved, but will forfeit any hope of an honorable position in the coming kingdom of God. They are saved, but will experience shame at the last day. It is not the loss of life, per se, but the loss of a certain quality of life that otherwise could have been theirs. Thus, what one loses by having their name erased from the book of life is eternal rewards in the kingdom.

Several factors lead me to conclude that John does not envision the possibility of a true Christian forfeiting salvation. Follow Closely...

We should begin by noting that all of the other promises to the “conqueror/overcomer” all portioms of the scriptures in the book of Revelation are coined in positive terms with no threat (implied or explicit) of losing a salvation once gained.

Fro example
Revelation 2:7
[7]He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:7,11
[7]He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
[11]He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

And so on

This isn’t to suggest that Christians can’t backslide and sin badly. The rebukes in these seven letters indicate otherwise. Nevertheless, the evidence of the reality of true saving faith is perseverance (i.e., “overcoming” as in disclosed by John the Beloved in his epistle
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

If it is asked why this promise is couched in negative terms, the answer is obvious: Jesus couldn’t say “I will write his name in the book of life” because the names of the “overcomers” (i.e., the elect) were already written in the book from eternity past as discussed in the previous part of this teaching. There is no indication in Scripture, least of all in Revelation, of additional names being inscribed in the book as a reward for faithfulness or perseverance. Rather, faithfulness and perseverance are the evidence or fruit of having had one’s name written in the book. Many prayers like "O Lord, write my name in the book of life" are futile and biblical nonsense. No one has ever prayed that prayer throughout the entire bible. It is time to come to knowledge.

Two groups of people are shown in Revelation. It is clear from Revelation 13:8 and 17:8 that there are two and only two groups of people. On the one hand are those whose names have not been written in the book of life from eternity past. They “worship” and “marvel” at the Beast. The second group consists of those whose names have been written in the book of life, which constitutes the reason why they refuse to give their allegiance to the enemy of Christ. Nowhere does it suggest a third group: people whose names had been written in the book in eternity past but, because they worshiped the Beast, failed to overcome or conquer and thus have their names blotted out. So where do we get such teaching from? Having our name in the book of life from the foundation of the world mean that God will keep you from falling and grant you to persevere in allegiance to God. Being in the book means you will not apostatize” Or again, being written in the book means that God is committed to guarding your heart so that you will “conquer” and “overcome” the Beast by not yielding to the temptation to worship his name or receive his mark.

“This fits with Revelation 3:5, ‘He who overcomes . . . I will not erase his name from the book of life.’ The triumph required in 3:5 is guaranteed in 13:8 and 17:8. This is not a contradiction any more than for Paul to say, ‘Work out your salvation . . . for God is at work in you to will and to do his good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:12-13). It is not nonsense to state the condition: " if you conquer, God will not erase your name" and to state the assurance later in the same book of Revelations: "if your name is written, you will conquer". God’s ‘written-down-ones’ really must conquer, and really will conquer. One side highlights our responsibility; the other highlights God’s sovereignty.”

His word is a promise of security to overcomers, not a threat of insecurity to those who lapse. Therefore, this declaration of Jesus is a promise to the elect that nothing will ever, by any means, prevent them from possessing the eternal inheritance to which they have been ordained. In other words, we must take note of what Jesus does not say. He does not say that anyone will be erased from the book of life. Rather, he says the overcomers will not be erased. His word is a promise of security to overcomers, not a threat of insecurity to those who lapse. And wait a minute, who are the overcomers?

1 John 5:4-5
[4]For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
[5]Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Hallelujah!!! Overcoming though is our responsibility, but yet a function of our faith in Christ Jesus!! Glory!

So again, Jesus nowhere says he will erase names previously inscribed in the book of life. What joy! What comfort! What incentive to love him and praise him and serve him. Jesus will never blot my name out of the book of life!

Now quickly, as I round up, compared with having your name written in Christ, everything else to you is nothing... In what do you take deepest delight? What is it that brings the greatest and most intense joy and happiness to your heart? I’m sure that many of us would point to our families, perhaps our children. Others might say that their greatest source of joy is their good health and good friends and a robust bank account. Of course, if Christians give much thought to the question they would eventually say something like, “My greatest source of joy is in knowing Jesus and being assured that I will spend an eternity in intimate fellowship with him.” Others might point to the truth of our adoption as God’s children, or our being justified or declared righteous in God’s sight through faith in Jesus, and the list of answers could go on almost without end. The disciples had misplaced joy too, there was an event in the lives of the first-century followers of Jesus that brought this question very much into play. It’s found in Luke 10. There Jesus sent out 72 disciples, not apostles, but average believers like you and me. He told them to heal the sick and proclaim the presence of God’s kingdom. When they returned to Jesus to give him a report of what happened, we read this:

“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’ And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you’” (Luke 10:17-19).

I can understand why the disciples of Jesus were so excited and filled with joy. To exercise the authority of Jesus himself in subduing demonic spirits is a wonderful thing. But then Jesus said this:

“Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

Jesus isn’t saying it is wrong to rejoice that we have authority over demons. This is a standard way of speaking in biblical times. His point is that compared with having your name written down in heaven exercising authority over demons is next to nothing.

Glory be unto Jesus, if you're a believer, your name is written in the book of life eternally. You and Christ had been fused to be one forever. Rejoice in this truth forevermore!

Amen.

The End.

Musings on the BOOK OF LIFE - 2

Alright, since we have discussed the identity and function of the "book of life", let us now move on to attend to certains doctrine flying here and there concerning it.

1. There was an Old Testament "book of life."

In the OT the “book of life” (or its equivalents) was a register of the citizens of the theocratic community of Israel. To have one’s name written in the book of life implied the privilege of participation in the temporal blessings of the theocracy, while to be erased or blotted out of this book meant exclusion from those blessings. In other words, this book had reference to the rights of citizenship for the Jewish people. This was recorded in Ex. 32:32.

Also, we have it recorded again...

“So Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin – but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.’ But the Lord said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book’” (Exod. 32:31-33)

2. Not all of God's "books" are the Lamb's book of life.

The concept of a “book” was also used to portray God’s all-inclusive decree; i.e., the very days of one’s life are ordained and written in God’s “book” before one of them occurs:

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps. 139:16). But this does not appear to be the same as the Lamb’s book of life. There is also the notion of “books” of judgment in which are recorded men’s deeds. They serve as that by which or from which one shall be judged as recorded in Rev. 20:12. But again, however, this is not the same thing as believers having their names inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world.

3. The Lamb's book of life lists those who have been (and are to be) saved.

On most occasions where the Lamb’s book of life is mentioned it refers to the register of those who have been chosen for salvation from eternity past. It is not temporal or earthly blessings that are in view, but participation in the eternal kingdom of God as recipients of eternal life. For example:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Heb. 12:22-23).

“But nothing unclean will ever enter it [the New Jerusalem on the New Earth], nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27).

4. Only the elect are written in this book.

It would appear from several texts that not all are written in this book, but only the elect. In Revelation, the terminology of “earth dwellers” or “those that dwell on the earth” is a standard designation for non-believers. These are the ones who “worship” the Beast (Rev. 13:8a). They are the ones “whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (Rev. 13:8b). Thus it would appear that to be one whose name has been written down before the foundation of the world is simply another way of saying that he/she is elect (see Eph. 1:4).

5. Paul makes an important reference to this book in Philippians.

The Apostle Paul spoke of his co-workers as those “whose names are in the book of life”. See it here...“I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche, to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life” (Phil. 4:2-3).

This appears to be the grounds on which he makes his appeal that they all learn to get along in love and unity, especially the two women in Philippi who were in some sort of conflict (Euodia and Syntyche). Those who are the objects of divine election, who, in spite of their well-deserved damnation nevertheless have been sovereignly and graciously chosen by God to inherit eternal life, should respond to such an immeasurable blessing by doing everything they can to get along and to work in harmony for the sake of the gospel.

6. All the names written in the book of life were inscribed in eternity past.

We see this in Revelation 13:8 and 17:8. There are two ways of translating Revelation 13:8, both of which are grammatically possible:

(1) “whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (ESV); or,

(2) “whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain from the foundation of the world.”


The parallel statement in Revelation 17:8 clearly indicates that (1) is correct. There we read:

“The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the best, because it was and is not and is to come” (Rev. 17:8).

Also, whereas it can certainly be said that the Lamb of God was “foreknown before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20) and that he was “delivered up [to die] by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23), what can it possibly mean theologically to say that the Lamb of God was “slain from the foundation of the world”? The point of the text is that the people who worship the beast do so because their names have not been written in the book of life.’ That is why they are deceived by the Beast.

7. You don't believe in Jesus in order to have your name written, but because your name has been written. People often ask: “What must one do to have his/her name written down in the Lamb’s book of life? Can someone whose name is not now written in the book do something, such as believe in Jesus, so that his/her name will be written in the book?” The answer to the first question is, nothing. The answer to the second question is, No. Names are inscribed in the book of life before the foundation of the world. This is by God’s sovereign and altogether gracious choice. You don’t believe in Jesus in order that your name will be written in the book. You believe in Jesus because your name has already been written down in the book. To those who do not presently believe in Jesus, we say: “Repent and believe!” If they do, it is because their names were written in the book of life before the foundation of the world.

In other words, one does not have his/her name inscribed at some point in human history or as a result of anything he/she may do or believe. Belief in Jesus is the fruit of having one’s name inscribed in the book of life, not its cause.

8. God has not chosen to reveal to us the names written in the Lamb's book of life.

It is none of our business. We are not free to speculate about it. What he has revealed is the responsibility of each individual to repent and believe the gospel. If a person does not believe the gospel, he has no one to blame but himself. If he does believe the gospel, he has no one to praise but God.

None of us deserves to have his/her name written down in God’s book. We all deserve eternal damnation. The only explanation for why a hell-deserving sinner has his/her name written down in the Lamb’s book of life before the foundation of the world is because God is gracious and merciful and wishes to provide his Son with a Bride that will enjoy his glorious presence and love for eternity. Had God chosen not to inscribe anyone’s name in his book, he would have done no one an injustice.

Amen.

Musings on the BOOK OF LIFE - 1

What is the book of life?

There is one popular verse of the bible about the book of life which has been used several times from ages in scary sermons, especially the ones that has to do with eschatology. You know it right?

Revelation 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

This has been leveraged upon by many unskilled teachers, teaching and preaching the damnation that is dependent on human works of righteousness which is not biblically logical. In other to understand what this verse mean, we must of course first come to full understanding of its subject  – the book of life. If those who will be eternally damned are those whose names are not found in it, then this “book of life” must be the target of every man since it determines their destiny.

Now, I know that it is commonly taught and that the book of life here is literally spoken of, that is “a book  or a scroll”. However, it is biblically unsound to reason that way. To think that the destiny of mankind is locked in some kind of notebook somewhere is absurd. A student of biblical hermeneutics will disagree apparently with this literal interpretation concerning the book of life. The book of life cannot be a form of our common notebooks or textbooks. It cannot be a paper work can it be written upon by ink. It is very funny to assume that the book of life is some sort of scroll too. That it is called “book” does not mean, it is actually a “book” in that sense.

In terms of biblical language, "the book of life" as used here and invariably other verses of the bible is in figurative sense. It is a symbol of an essential dimension of Christ that hosts the identification of certain persons. Like a bank whose entirety is full of life.

Although the Greek word rendered as "book" is “biblos” which is defined in Strong’s concordance as “properly the inner bark of the papyrus plant that is (by implication) a sheet or scroll of writing.” And in all cases (12 times)  where it was used throughout the entire new testament, it was either referring to a sacred writing by the Old Testament Prophets or the Book of Life itself. It is the same root word for “bible”.  Interestingly, on the other hand, the word "life" is “zoe” which is always attributed to the “life of God” or “eternal life” either literally or figuratively. It is the word used in
 Matthew 7:13-14
[13]Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: [14]Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto LIFE  and few there be that find it.”

It is also the same word used in Luke 18:18
[18]And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal LIFE?

And many other passages of the scriptures.

Now, if this book is “of” life, and this life is "of" God, then this book must belong to God.  Therefore, it is more than a material book written upon with pen or ink. It is not a scroll. No material book/scroll can contain the life of God. And if names are written in it, then there is no material book that can contain the entire names of generations of mankind. Now, let’s do a little parallel interpretation of the scriptures…

In the new testament, Jesus Christ had depicted his very essence in many ways…in almost all of these ways, he used material things to represent his functionality and dimension in many areas. In some places, he used living things while in some , he used non living things.

For example, Jesus Christ is the “door”
John 10:9
[9]I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

In another place, Jesus Christ said he  is the light
John 8:12
[12]Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

In the first instance, he used a material thing, “door”, to depict his function as the entrance into God’s kingdom. This was what he expatiated in the book of John by saying “no one comes to the Father by by me”. But in the second instance, he used a matter/particle, “light”.
If we continue to count on and on, there are many of these symbolic depiction of Jesus Christ. But John bore witness of him as the “Life”…and he himself said it in John 14:6 that “I am the Life”!
Therefore, it is important to note that, this same theme was used to communicate the “book of life”…. If he is the life, then the book must be related to him.

He said again in John 6:48
[48]I am that bread of life.
Very simple,
If Jesus is the light of life
If he is the salt of the world
If he is the door
If he is the living water
If he is the way, the truth and the LIFE, then Jesus Christ is also the book of life !

No strings attached! Parallel translation based on sound biblical interpretation. The book of life is simply Jesus Christ. It is his symbol, not a literal book somewhere in heaven.

Amen

To be continued!

© Philip Oklu

The LOVE STORY - 3 (final)

RECIPROCATING THE LOVE OF GOD
March 2020

The Love of God demands that those who are recipient and have benefited from it should respond accordingly.
God’s love is not for show. Christ’s death, which is the Grace of God’s love, was for the sole purposed of adoptions of sons and reconciliation. All humanity has in one way or the other become partakers of the divine love of God. The love of God is for the whole world not for some set of people. Those who think God loves only the saints are void of proper biblical understanding. As a matter of fact God loves both the saints and the sinners. God’s love has no specific measurement for your moral ways. We have discussed that in the previous chapters, that God’s love is unconditional and independent of any man’s merit or qualification. So, we all need to come to this reality, God loves all of us equally. Have you forgotten how Jesus puts it? He said “For God so love the world” he never said, “For God so love the righteous in the world”

It is very unskilled to interpret the Old Testament judgments of God in the same line as the New Testament. Yes! This is because it has been noticed that some unskilled teachers of the word claim that although God is love, he seldom kills or punishes mercilessly. This is not a way of interpreting the scriptures. Covenants are an important principle in a good bible interpretation. Under the Old covenant, one should understand that The Love of God was still 100% active and potent but that Grace had not yet come. Jesus Christ came with Grace, so when Christ died, Love and grace became powerful into overriding every other dimension of God. I do not in anyone mean that God is not a righteous Judge as some have claimed. God is a righteous judge. But the judgment of the whole world was taken care of by Jesus Christ and in turn released Grace unto men. So God’s dimension of Judgment has been put on hold till the final day. God does not judge anyone now, except that those who have received eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus have been judged together with Him on the cross. It is done deal! It is a past tense thing! God loves the world, he is not judging anyone yet, and those who will face God’s judgment are those who reject Grace and Love.

So now that we are lucky recipients and beneficiaries, how do we respond to God’s love?

1. Love God: Loving God seem to be the most impossible task for many believers. This is because the methodology involved is not specifically stated in the bible.

Everyone knows, that when you claim to love someone, you care for such, relate with such in kindness, you become acquainted with such person that they become part of you. Even inanimate things, when loved, has the tendency to still away a great portion of one’s heart. However, loving God is the simplest thing everyone can do. Since God is not seen or visible to us, he gave us another alternative in loving him. To love God, you must love people around you. Simply put, loving God is loving man. Therefore if anyone wishes to respond to God’s love, he or she should respond by loving those who are in God’s Image and likeness. The idea is that, God cannot be loved because your love cannot satisfy him. Also that, you cannot see him, and this barrier would affect your love strength.

Therefore, since Jesus Christ (man-God) bought God’s love and Grace for humanity, therefore, when you love man, you love God.  This is as simple as abc.

2. Love your Neighbours: Neighbours are a fraction of the people that you ought to show love too according to the point one above. Nevertheless, neighbours are closer than any human being to us all. Our neighbours are almost like our families. The love of neighbours is demanded because it is the best way one can demonstrate one’s love. If you claim you love God, you ought to first show that by loving your neighbours.  Amen.

3. Love your Enemies: Loving enemies is like kissing a snake to some people. But only few people have ever thought of it, that there are really no enemies anywhere. Those whom we call enemies are actually innocent human beings under the influence of some evil force or spirit. No one was created or born into this world as an enemy. Therefore, it is demanded that believers love their enemies; those who mock, abuse or despise them. This is the way we can know that we have love. This is the only type of love among these three that is cannot be found among the unbelievers. If one claims to be a believer and does not love his or a he enemy, then such person is has a poor understanding of God’s love for humanity. This is why we are considered that first in the previous chapters. The idea in loving enemies; came from the fact that; we were once God’s enemies when he showed us love. He didn’t love us when we turned to his will; he loved us while we were far away from his will.

If you ask me, how do I live a kingdom lifestyle? I will ask you to begin with these three. Reciprocating God’s love is equal to living a lifestyle of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God was founded upon God’s love, Christ’ Grace and the Spirit’s Fellowship.

Interestingly, Jesus Christ, once taught these three points and repeatedly informed his disciples to lover God – which the greatest commandment. Also he added, that the only way people can know that they are his disciples is when they live a practical life of love. From records, they did well.

What about you?

THE END.

The LOVE STORY - 2

LOVE, GRACE & FELLOWSHIP
March 2020

When Jesus Christ was speaking in John chapter 3, he said in verse 16 “For God so love the world…” the word “so” is a modification of the word “love”, describing the weight and magnitude of God’s love for humanity. Jesus Christ said God did love us so much. This love was described and then manifested in the work of Grace. Jesus Christ is the custodian of this grace, and this grace gave us an opportunity to become one with the Godhead through fellowship. This is the eternal counsel of God.

Now, Jesus Christ went further in John 3:16 to say “that He (God) gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life”… the phrase “gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him” describes the Grace of Love been made available through faith. The Love of God produced the Grace of Christ. That is, the aim of God’s love is to unleash the grace that will bring about his intention - a kingdom of God in the hearts of men. Therefore God’s love has an end point – a family bound together in love through the amazing grace of the Jesus Christ.
It is interesting to note that, the Love of God is unconditional and does not depend on anyone’s merit. No man has merited and will ever merit this love.

God loved the world because he saw a great value in it. He saw a great kingdom in it. However, the world at this time does not look like it, so he made provision of grace to establish an intimacy through constant fellowship of the spirit with the people of the world. Those who have received this grace are already in fellowship with the love of God. This made Paul said in his benediction “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.” These three are the radar of man’s essence in life. All of our becoming is rooted in the love of God, the grace of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

THE LOVE OF GOD

God is love. He is true love. How do we know? He loved us while were yet sinners. He loved us while we were yet enemies of his will. He loved us while we have gone astray. This kind of love is very uncommon in hearts of mere men. There is only “love” in the heart of God - Only love written upon the tablets of his heart.

Cory Asbury said “Oh the overwhelming, never ending, reckless love of God…” he is right! The love is a reckless one. Very reckless! God’s love is not the type we see all around today. God’s love compelled him to sacrifice his son Jesus Christ for us, while we were doomed in sin. God’s love made the death of Christ our death that his life might become our life. Love!

William McDowell said “How can I describe a God that’s indescribable, a love that’s unexplainable…?” of course William is right. You cannot explain God’s love.

1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be propitiation for us””

THE GRACE OF CHRIST

How do you enjoy God’s love? – the love of God can only be accessed and enjoyed through the Grace of Christ.
The grace of Jesus Christ is the salvation package he gave upon his finished works on the cross. He died that you might live as a Son of God. When God loved the world, the love was not in touch with humanity until Jesus Christ died to make grace available to man. This grace was the channel through which man became one with God. This is the love of God accomplished.

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE HOLYSPIRIT

How do you experience God’s love continually? – The love of God can be constantly evident in one’s life through fellowship. The spirit of a believer is joined together with the Holy Spirit for fellowship. This mutual communion is the exercise that unleashes more and more depths of God’s love. Those who are easily fed up of life and God have for a long not been in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Constant fellowship, intimacy and communion with the Holy spirit of God is the key to experiencing God’s love continually in every sphere of life. This fellowship majorly depends on word study and prayers. Always pray in the Holy Ghost.

You would notice that the “Grace” is to Jesus Christ, the “love” is to God and “fellowship” is to the Holy Spirit. The Godhead had planned it long before time began, man and God have an ancient love story that all other creatures do not know about. The fallen angels were vexed beyond measure seeing the abundance of grace that was made available for humanity at the crucifixion unlike thiers. They saw LOVE, Grace and Fellowship been given to the sons of Men.

Now, this is the definition of God’s love – that he brought us into himself through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ for eternal fellowship in the Kingdom of God. Halleluyah…

TO BE CONTINUED…