Really!!! Can God Be Angry?

With All These Evil In The World … What is His Stance

 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20

 Romans 1:18-20 contains tree important concepts, which together explain why the wrath of God against men and women is justified. The first is wrath itself. It is being revealed from heaven against the ungodly: The second is suppression of the truth about God by human beings: The third is God’s prior revelation of Himself to those very people who suppress the truth about Him.

 This three really need to be seen in reverse order – revelation, suppression, and then wrath. They teach God has given a revelation of Himself in nature sufficient to lead any right thinking man or woman to seek Him out and worship Him, but that, instead of doing this, people suppress this revelation. They deny it so that they do not have to follow where it leads them. It is because of this willful and immoral suppression of the truth about God by human beings that the wrath of God comes upon them.

 Men and women now like to hide behind the politically correct Phrase “I am aware there is someone out there”; you might even like some theologians ‘Know’ and be so learned about God but not experience him (just like a doctor could have expert knowledge about a disease but have never experienced the disease).

 Wrath, is part of the HOLINESS of God (which also includes His majesty, Will and righteousness), because it is the natural and proper stance of the holy God against all that opposes Him. It means that God takes the business of being God so seriously that he will permit no other to usurp His place

There are two main words for wrath in the bible (new testament). One is ‘thymos’ from the root that means “to rush fiercely” “to be in a heat of violence” or “to breathe violently.” We can capture this idea by the phrase “a panting rage”. The other word is ‘orge’ which means “to grow ripe for something.” It portrays wrath as something that builds up over a long period of time, like water collecting behind a great dam. Do a quick exercise now by having a look at our world today and decide which of these two words is appropriate.

It is easy for a person to try and excuse themselves of the wrath that is being unveiled by claiming not to have an experience or personal knowledge of God; but this passage implies that the politically correct Phrase “I am aware there is someone out there” IS NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE A MAN OR WOMAN FROM THE WRATH BEING UNVEILED; BUT MORE THAN ENOUGH TO CONDEMN HIM OR HER.

Seek to be set free from God’s wrath today:

Admit you spiritual need.
We all are sinners: Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. Romans 3:23

What is the result of sin?
The wages of sin is death Romans 6:23. 

Since we can never measure up to God’s standards by our own strength; God has reached out to mankind
“God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17 

What must a person do to accept this gift?
Simply receive it! “come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28.  “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” Revelation 3:20 “For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God” John 1:12.

If you haven't already received Christ as your Savior, don't put it off another day! Take time right now to invite Him into your life. Confess your sins. Receive His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. You might pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Saviour. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth. I look forward to living forever in Heaven with You. Amen.

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - First Begotten Son is God Part 2

First Begotten Son is God - Part 2

 

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1-7)

 

 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. John1:1.

 

 In the next few posts we will be looking at who our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is; is he just a guru? Just a prophet? Great teacher? etc.

 

 The name Jesus has caused more debate, confrontation and disagreement that any other name in the history of mankind. In a world that seldom wants that name of Jesus mentioned, even now in some “Christian” circles, it is very important that we touch on the reason for such hostility to a Name. Is the hostility and “political incorrectness” because of perceived blasphemy on His behalf or is it that the Name just jolts some raw nerves in people when it is mentioned:

 

 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. (Phil. 2:9-11)

Why has the name "Jesus Christ" caused more debate, confrontation and disagreement than any other name in history? Some now even argue that He did not mention anything about Himself being God in the Bible; and those who think He did just “disapprove” of this claim outrightly.

 

 When God appeared to Moses in the land of Midian, for his assignment regarding the freedom of the children of Israel from Pharaoh in Egypt, as described in Exodus 3:2,3

 

 “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt”. (See Deuteronomy 4:24; 9:3; Hebrews 12:29).

O Lord, even when we go through the fire, just like the bush in Midian; may we come out intact and may the only thing consumed be the works of the enemy in our lives – Amen

 

 “And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God”. (Exodus 3:6)

God calmed Moses down at this point and gave him instructions on what He (God) wanted after which Moses reluctantly agreed:

 

 “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations”. (Exodus 3:13-15)

 

I won’t dwell too much on this story in this post, but what I want to draw out from it is the identity of that “Angel of the LORD” in verse 2 of the chapter. This same divine manifestation of the “Angel of the LORD” who appeared to different people in the old testament (Genesis 16:7-12; 21:17-18; 22:11-18; Exodus 3:2; Judges 2:1-4; 5:23; 6:11-24; 13:3-22; 2 Samuel 24:16; Zechariah 1:12; 3:1; 12:8) and these instances were described as situations where the people involved had “seen the Lord”.

 

Can it be said that Jesus is this “Angel of the LORD”? As bible records show that the manifestation of angels ceased after Jesus’ assumption of human form or nature.

 

We can also see from His claim of “being before Abraham” (who is meant to be his human ancestral forefather) and the Jews where of course very quick to challenge this (this funny confrontaion of the Jews reminds me of "The Speakers Corner" in Hyde Park Central London) -

 

“Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am”. (John 8:57-58).

 

What the Jews did not realise was their neglect of the prophesies they had been given about the credentials of the Messiah to come, for example, that given by Micah:

 

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2)  We will have a detailed look at this in our next post.

 

This claim as well as those He made to John after His resurrection,

 

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty". (Rev. 1:8. See also Rev. 1:17; 21:6; 22:13).

 

 When He appeared to John in the book of Revelation:

“John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne”. (Rev. 1:4)

 

 Apostle Paul also adds:

 

 “That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen”. (1Tm. 6:14-16).

 

 Compare this verse to:

"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Tim. 1:17).

 

 These claims here point to Jesus’ immutability like other eternal attributes of God as we discussed in earlier posts He alone is God; And He is God alone. Parts 1&2 are claims that form the backbone of the Christian believe; where these attributes cannot be substantiated then it will be impossible to answer the questions being ask today like the Jews asked Jesus when He was alive:

Is Jesus Christ a man, or is he God?

If Jesus is God, how could he die?

If Jesus died on the cross, then how can he be alive today?

Is Jesus Christ's character consistent with his high claims?

How do we know that Christ really rose from the dead?

How do we know that Jesus was the Messiah?

What messianic prophecies did Christ fulfill?

Could Christ have sinned?

How can one God be three persons?

 

 Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians observed:

“Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable”. 1Cor. 15:11-19

 

 Like I said in our last post, being brought up as a Muslim, which as oxymoronic as it may sound, is an advantage because it gave me the opportunity to “question what I say I believe” (as a Christian); so many confessing Christians have taken this for granted and in the process might have given up the opportunity of experiencing that special touch of the Lord, His special presence that accompanies the moment of realisation of what Apostle Paul described above in 1Cor. 15:11-19. This is not say that we only seek to know him intellectually (as some do) but it also makes us have an experiential knowledge of Him (as a large number of Christians today tend to only concentrate on); we should try to balance these two aspects of our fellowship with Him..

John W. Peterson in the hymn Heaven Came Down, wrote:

 

 Heaven came down and glory filled my soul

When at the cross my Saviour made me whole

My sins were washed away

And my night was turned to day

When heaven came down and glory filled my soul

 

 O, what a wonderful, wonderful day

Day I will never forget

When I was wandering in darkness away

Jesus my Saviour I met

O, what a tender compassionate Friend

He met the need of my heart

Shadows dispelling with joy I am telling

He made all the darkness depart

 

 O, what a wonderful, wonderful day, Yeah, today

And O, what a glorious, glorious day

The day You came, came to save me

O, what a wonderful, wonderful day

The day You came and You saved me

I still remember that day at the Golf course in Hanwell, London when after so much searching (I had been to Church and tried other religions) I cheekily asked the question “You this Jesus, If you are real; and really rose up from the dead, show me” there and then on that bench “Heaven came down and glory filled my soul” that moment was like what the Jesus described in Matthew 13:44:

 

 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field”.

It was that moment and the fellowship I had with the Lord in the weeks after (as I played over and over again, the Don Moen tape I was given by sister until the sound from the tape faded) that convinced me that “this Jesus stuff is worth pursuing” and that grace of readiness to give up all if need be to follow Him was and is still being supplied. I am not here trying to say that this a doctrine and should cast iron, be the experience of all Christians, but in today’s Christianity of “name it and claim it” as if God is some fruit machine where you put in a coin and then it vomits a “Jackpot of coins”; it is possible to go through the motions, speak the “christianeeze” language and never get to know the One whom it is all about.

 

 Now, these claims about who Christ really is has been a bone of contention even when He was here on earth and definitely more than 2000 years after. These claims, He Himself made during His time on earth and at such instances the Jews were very much ready to lynch Him. Some of such occasions are highlighted in these verses:

 

 “I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto `whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him” (John 10:30-38).

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:13-17).

“But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death” (Mark 14:61-64).

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him” (John 14:6-7).

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:14 -17).

"John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me" (John 1:15, 30).

 

 How is it even possible that Jesus Christ, who was born some six months AFTER John could yet be BEFORE John? These highlighted phrases point out some answers to claims by Christianity about Jesus. To understand some of these questions that accompany these biblical claims we will consider who Jesus is with regards to:

 

His Nature

His Pre-Existence

How He fit into the eternal purpose of the Master Planner

 

In our Next post we will have a closer look at His Nature meanwhile:

 

Heavenly Father we pray that You will multiply your glorious riches in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ unto us and fill us with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; so that we be able to step back and meditate on this words of Apostle Paul:

                                                                                                                                                              

“Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable”. 1Cor. 15:11-19

 

You might say – "how do I; and Why do I have to know and experience this Jesus you are going on about" Here is why, when and how you can get to know Him.

Admit your spiritual need.

We all are sinners: nobody likes that title “SINNER”, but the bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

What is the result of sin?

In Romans 6:23 we read “The wages of sin is death…” in other words, every sin is another step towards death. One thing that we need to remember is that God never sends anyone to hell; one can send himself there by rejecting the truth.

Since we can never measure up to God’s standards by our own strength; God has reached out to mankind.

John 3:16-17. In Romans 5:8 we read, “God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. It is Jesus, after all, who is the source of life and light.

What must a person do to accept this gift?

Simply receive it! Matthew 11:28 states – “come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance into your life to give you peace, change you for the best. John 1:12 says: “For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God”.

If you haven't already received Christ as your Saviour, don't put it off another day! Take time right now to invite Him into your life. Confess your sins. Receive His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. You might pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth. I look forward to living forever in Heaven with You. Amen.

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - First Begotten Son is God Part 1

FIRST BEGOTTEN SON IS GOD - Part 1
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1-7)

So far in this series of examining the book of Romans (early part of chapter 1), we have been looking at the eternal purpose of God - “The glory of God” (Romans 3:23); and “The glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). We have also looked at His plan for us and how we have (through Adam) “temporarily deviated” from the path of this plan. In our last post we looked at the consequences of Adam’s original sin (in Watchman Nee’s The Normal Christian Life).

So, up to this point in our analogy of this eternal purpose, we have looked at PLAN A as described in Ephesians 1:3-6 (Please bare in mind that it was always Plan A from the beginning and so it will be for eternity); and the bridge to PLAN B, We will now, in this post start taking a look at the "only Begotten Son" the "Tree of Life" through whom we have divine life. What a wonderful foresight the Master Planner has, to perceive that Adam's choice could only count for disobedience and had a contingency:

click on image for larger size

PLAN B - The Gospel of Christ - "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself". (Ephesians 1:7-9)

"Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:3-4)

Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws that govern our relationship with God. Man consists of 3 components: BODY (seat of our world-consciousness, and represents the functions of our senses - sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, pain, balance, thirst, and hunger etc: SOUL (seat of our self-consciousness and represents the functions of our will, intellect and emotions: Lastly SPIRIT (seat of our God-consciousness and represents the functions of our conscience, intuition and communion).

Now, in our last post Called to God’s Kingdom - Part 2 ALL HAVE SINNED, Watchman Nee in his book The Normal Christian Life touched on Adam's Choice The Reason For The Cross, where he said:

Adam chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and thereby took up independent ground. In doing so he became (as man is now in his own eyes) a fully developed' man. He could command a knowledge; he could decide for himself; he could go on or stop. From then on he was "wise" (Genesis 3:6). But the consequence for him was death rather than life, because the choice he had made involved complicity with Satan and brought him therefore under the judgment of God. That is why access to the tree of life had thereafter to be forbidden to him.

Complicity with Satan!! Someone would say!

Yes, complicity of soul and spirit, complicity that made his soul and it’s inherent power susceptible to manipulation by Satan; a complicity that set the soul at loggerheads with his spirit: In other words, a complicity that sets the functions of his will, intellect and emotions against the functions of his conscience, intuition and communion with God.

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”. (John 4:24)

The reason for this complicity Jessie Penn-Lewis articulates in chapter 7of  SOUL AND SPIRIT where she wrote:

Why can it be said that the world-conflict is becoming a question of "forces of psuche" (or soul) versus the "forces of pneuma" (or spirit). To get light on the causes underlying this, we must again go back to the Eden tragedy and see what the Fall of Adam meant, and the serpent's objective, which is nearing its climax at the present hour. For we have not clearly understood how deep and tragic were the results of the Fall, nor what Adam carried with him into his fallen condition, nor realized that the God-given powers which Adam possessed in his sinless state lay open afterwards to the tempter.

The gilded bait held out to Eve in the temptation was "Ye shall be as God" (Genesis 3: 5). This was God's very purpose for the sinless pair before they fell. It seems that the word " likeness " in Genesis 1:26 signifies to "become like", indicating that the wonderful potentialities breathed into Adam constituting the image of God, were meant to be developed in a process which would " end in man being like his Creator in dominion and rule over all things. How tragic, then, that God Who alone could rightly develop and guide the use of these powers, should be shut outside the wonderful being He had created, and more terrible still that the very potentialities inherent in Him should now lie open to the hand of His enemy.

Adam here (obviously not considering that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom Psalms 111:10) chose to align himself with God’s enemy by the decision he made to develop the functions of his will, intellect and emotions “APART FROM GOD” at the expense of developing the functions of his conscience, intuition and communion with God. Let us quickly look at what the dictionary tells us about these words compared with what the word of God says:

BODY

The physical structure and material substance of an animal or plant, living or dead: The trunk or main mass of a thing: the body of a tree: Anatomy, the physical structure of a human being or animal, not including the head, limbs, and tail; trunk; torso.

Flesh:
The body, esp. as distinguished from the spirit or soul: The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak: The physical or animal nature of humankind as distinguished from its moral or spiritual nature: the needs of the flesh: Humankind.
Compare with: Matt. 26:41; Luke 3:6; John 6:63; Acts 2:26; Rom. 6:19; Rom. 7:5; Rom. 7:18; Rom. 7:25; Rom. 8:1-5; 5-13; 8.23; Rom. 13:14; 1Cor. 1:29; 1Cor. 5:5; I Cor. 15.22, 23, 42-44, 51-56; 2Cor. 1:12; 2Cor. 3:3; 2Cor. 4:11; 2Cor. 7:1; 2Cor. 10:3; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3.20-21; Col:2:13; 1 Thess. 4.14-18; 1Pet. 4:2; John 2:16.

SOUL

The principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.

Will:
The faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action; the power of control the mind has over its own actions: The freedom of the will: Power of choosing one's own actions: The act or process of using or asserting one's choice: Wish or desire: Purpose or determination, often hearty or stubborn determination; wilfulness: Volition.
Compare with: Ps.27:12; Psa. 41:2; Ezek.16:27; Deut. 21:14; Psa. 35:25; Num. 30:2; I Chron. 22:19; Jer. 44:14; Job 6:7; Job 7:15.

Intellect:
The power or faculty of the mind by which one knows or understands, as distinguished from that by which one feels and that by which one wills; The understanding: The faculty of thinking and acquiring knowledge: Capacity for thinking and acquiring knowledge, esp. of a high or complex order: Mental capacity: A particular mind or intelligence, esp. of a high order: A person possessing a great capacity for thought and knowledge: Minds collectively, as of a number of persons or the persons themselves.
Compare with: Ezek. 24:25; Prov. 19:2; Psa. 13:2; Psa. 139:14; Lam. 3:20; Prov. 2:10; Prov. 3:21-22; Prov. 24:14.

Emotion: 
An affective state of consciousness in which joy, sorrow, fear, hate, or the like, is experienced, as distinguished from cognitive and volitional states of consciousness: Any of the feelings of joy, sorrow, fear, hate, love, etc: Any strong agitation of the feelings actuated by experiencing love, hate, fear, etc., and usually accompanied by certain physiological changes, as increased heartbeat or respiration, and often overt manifestation, as crying or shaking: An instance of this: Something that causes such a reaction: the powerful emotion of a great symphony.
Compare with:
Affection- Song 1:7; Luke 1:46; Job 33:20; 2 Sam. 5:8; Zech. 11:8; Deut. 6:5; Job 10:1; Psa. 107:18.
Desire - Deut. 14:26; 1 Sam. 20:4; Psa. 84:2; Psa. 42:1; Is. 26:9.
Feeling & Sensing- Luke 2:35; I Sam. 30:6; 2 Kings 4:27; Judges 10:16; Job 19:2; Is. 61:10; Psa. 86:4; Psa. 107:5; Psa. 116:7; Psa. 119:20; Prov. 16:24; Is. 55:2; Jonah 2:7; Matt, 26:38; John 12:27; 2 Peter 2:8.

SPIRIT

The principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans, animating the body or mediating between body and soul; Excellent disposition or attitude in terms of vigour, courage, firmness of intent, etc.; mettle: That's the spirit; The incorporeal part of humans: present in spirit though absent in body.

Conscience:
The inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action: to follow the dictates of conscience: The complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual: An inhibiting sense of what is prudent: I'd eat another piece of pie but my conscience would bother me: Knowledge shows what is right or wrong, but it is the conscience that approves of what is right and disapproves of what is contrary to it.
Compare with: Deut. 2:30; Psa. 34:18; Psa. 51:10; John 13:21; Acts 17:16; Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 5:3; 2 Cor. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:7

Intuition:
Direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process; immediate apprehension: A fact, truth, etc., perceived in this way: A keen and quick insight: The quality or ability of having such direct perception or quick insight: An immediate cognition of an object not inferred or determined by a previous cognition of the same object; any object or truth so discerned; pure, untaught, noninferential knowledge: The ability of the native speaker to make linguistic judgments, as of the grammaticality, ambiguity, equivalence, or nonequivalence of sentences, deriving from the speaker's native-language competence.
Compare with: Matt. 26:41; Mark 2:8; Mark 8:12; John 11:33; Acts 18:5; Acts 18:25; Acts 20:22; 1 Cor. 2:11; I Cor. 16:18; 2 Cor. 7:13

Communion:
Interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication: communion with nature: The act of sharing, or holding in common; participation: Worship
Compare with: Luke 1:47; John 4:23; Rom. 1:9; Rom. 7:6; Rom. 8:15; Rom. 8:16; I Cor. 6:17; 1 Cor. 14:15; I Cor. 14:16; Rev. 21:10.

click on image for larger size

These three elements of man each have their own distinct level of supremacy; The spirit is highest in supremacy and the body is lowest, in other words, our SPIRIT, God-consciousness (as represented by the functions of our conscience, intuition and communion) should at all times, have supremacy over our BODY, world-consciousness (as represented by the functions of our senses - sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, pain, balance, thirst, and hunger etc): and the balance between these two is facilitated by our SOUL, self-consciousness (as represented by the functions of our will, intellect and emotions)

Now at any point in time, the spirit being most supreme should also have control over the soul which acts more or less as the middleman between it (spirit) and body; it is the communicator of authority from the Holy Spirit from man’s spirit to His body.

So if at any point in time the soul is compromised, as in complicity that made Adams soul and it’s inherent power susceptible to manipulation by Satan; then the result is the abnormality of the soul being totally subjected to and being at ease with the dictates of the flesh (body).

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. (Galatians 5:16-25)

“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”. (Galatians 6:8).

After the fall, Adam only had the capacity to sow to the flesh, the functions of his will, intellect and emotions became totally subjected to and at the “beck and call” of his flesh - world-consciousness (as represented by the functions of his senses - sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, pain, balance, thirst, and hunger etc) and this definitely meant he then has to “of the flesh reap corruption”; because he failed to heed the waning given to him by God in Genesis 2:17:

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”

The death spoken of here by God is not physical death, but death of the spirit; it refers to a spirit separated from God; a spirit in darkness that needs the light of God to be regenerated, to come alive again – less than an empty battery that needs to be recharged to be of any use but one that needs to be born afresh. It refers to a spirit that needs fresh Life from above breathed into it. King David gave us a clue in Psalms 36:9 about the source of this fresh Light and Life:

“For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light”.

John also points us in the same direction:

“That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”. (John 1:9-12)

Yes!! Because, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”. (John 3:6) “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God” (born not of the intensions of the first Adam with ulterior motives characterised by the irregularity of the functions of his will, intellect and emotions; totally subjected to and at the “beck and call” of his flesh) but -

“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”. (John 1:13-14).

That’s right! “Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” Jesus, The Only Begotten Son of God came in the form of man to right the wrongs of Adam’s choice. Now this is the crux; there is always that lingering thought in the inner recess of the mind that questions this idea of Jesus being The Son of God.

Being brought up as a Muslim, this was one of the hurdles I had to cross; a great number of professing “Christians” have also passively bypassed their own personal opinions on the matter. Charles Spurgeon in GOD'S WORD NOT TO BE REFUSED touched on this:

But there are some who do hear, and have a very intelligent idea of what they hear, but who actually refuse to believe it. For divers reasons best known to themselves they reject the testimony of the incarnate God. They hear that God the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and he hath borne testimony that whosoever believeth in him is not condemned. They know but they will not believe in him. They will give you first one excuse, and then another, but all the excuses put together will never mitigate the fact that they do not believe the testimony of God concerning his Son, Jesus Christ, and so they "refuse him that speaketh." How many, how many here are by their unbelief refusing the Christ that speaks out of heaven?

Some are even offended at the gospel, as in Christ's day. When he came to a tender point in his preaching they went back and walked no more with him. Such there are to be found in our assemblies. The gospel galls them; there is some point that touches their prejudices, something that touches their favourite sin, and they are vexed and irritable. They ought to be angry--angry with their sin--but they are angry with Christ instead. They ought to denounce themselves, and patiently seek mercy, but this is not palatable to them; they would rather denounce the preacher, or denounce the preacher's Master.

In our next post, we will continue our deliberation on this subject of Jesus being the only begotten Son of God.

Meanwhile:

Heavenly Father, in the light of Your countenance is life; and You favour is like the cloud of the latter rain (Prov. 16:15); we pray that You will let this rain of Your unadulterated Word and The Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; of grace and mercy through Him and Salvation by Him countinue to fall bountifully and mightily upon our world: And daily bring Holy spirit inspired conviction and repentance upon our heart - Amen

You might say – "how do I; and Why do I have to know and experience this Father and His only begotten Son you are going on about" Here is why, when and how you can get to know Him.


Admit your spiritual need.

We all are sinners: nobody likes that title “SINNER”, but the bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

What is the result of sin?

In Romans 6:23 we read “The wages of sin is death…” in other words, every sin is another step towards death. One thing that we need to remember is that God never sends anyone to hell; one can send himself there by rejecting the truth.

Since we can never measure up to God’s standards by our own strength; God has reached out to mankind.

John 3:16-17. In Romans 5:8 we read, “God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. It is Jesus, after all, who is the source of life and light.

What must a person do to accept this gift?

Simply receive it! Matthew 11:28 states –“come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.
Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance into your life to give you peace, change you for the best. John 1:12 says: “For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God”.

If you haven't already received Christ as your Saviour, don't put it off another day! Take time right now to invite Him into your life. Confess your sins. Receive His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. You might pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth. I look forward to living forever in Heaven with You. Amen.

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - Called to God’s Kingdom - Part 2

ALL HAVE SINNED

Called to God’s Kingdom

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.1Thes. 2:12

Why Redemption?


“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23)

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come” (Rom. 5:12-14).



So far we have touched on God’s foresight and provision for Adam’s deviation from the path of glory set before him, I would like us to briefly look at the circumstances that surrounded Adam’s fall and will do this by looking at a section of Watchman Nee’s The Normal Christian Life:

 The Choice That Confronted Adam
 God planted a great number of trees in the Garden of Eden, but "in the midst of the garden"--that is, in a place of special prominence--He planted two trees, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was created innocent; he had no knowledge of good and evil. Think of a grown man, say thirty years old, who has no sense of right or wrong, no power to differentiate between the two! Would you not say such a man was undeveloped? Well, that is exactly what Adam was. And God brings him into the garden and says to him, in effect, Now the garden is full of trees, full of fruits, and of the fruit of every tree you may eat freely. But in the very midst of the garden is one tree called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil"; you must not eat of that, for in the day that you do so you will surely die. But remember, the name of the other tree close by is Life.' What, then, is the meaning of these two trees? Adam was, so to speak, created morally neutral--neither sinful nor holy, but innocent--and God put those two trees there so that he might exercise free choice. He could choose the tree of life, or he could choose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.


Now the knowledge of good and evil, though forbidden to Adam, is not wrong in itself. Without it however Adam is in a sense limited in that he cannot decide for himself on moral issues. Judgment of right and wrong resides not in him but in God, and Adam's only course when faced with any question is to refer it to Jehovah God. Thus you have a life in the garden which is totally dependent on God. These two trees, then, typify two deep principles; they represent two planes of life, the Divine and the human. The "tree of life" is God Himself, for God is life. He is the highest form of life, and He is also the source and goal of life. And the fruit: what is that? It is our Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot eat the tree but you can eat the fruit. No one is able to receive God as God, but we can receive the Lord Jesus. The fruit is the edible part, the receivable part of the tree. So--may I say it reverently?--the Lord Jesus is really God in a receivable form. God in Christ we can receive.


If Adam should take of the tree of life, he would partake of the life of God and thus become a 'son' of God, in the sense of having in him a life that derived from God. There you would have God's life in union with man: a race of men having the life of God in them and living in constant dependence upon God for that life. If on the other hand Adam should turn the other way and take the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then he would develop his own manhood along natural lines apart from God. Reaching a peak of attainment as a self-sufficient being, he would have the power in himself to form independent judgment, but he would have no life from God.


So this was the alternative that lay before him. Choosing the way of the Spirit, the way of obedience, he could become a son' of God, living in dependence upon God for his life; or, taking the natural course, he could put the finishing touch to himself, as it were, by becoming a self-dependent being, judging and acting apart from God. The history of humanity is the outcome of the choice he made.

Adam's Choice The Reason For The Cross


Adam chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and thereby took up independent ground. In doing so he became (as man is now in his own eyes) a fully developed' man. He could command a knowledge; he could decide for himself; he could go on or stop. From then on he was "wise" (Genesis 3:6). But the consequence for his was death rather than life, because the choice he had made involved complicity with Satan and brought him therefore under the judgment of God. That is why access to the tree of life had thereafter to be forbidden to him.


Two planes of life had been set before Adam: that of Divine life in dependence upon God, and that of human life with its independent' resources. Adam's choice of the latter was sin, because thereby he allied himself with Satan to thwart the eternal purpose of God. He did so by choosing to develop his manhood--to become perhaps a very fine man, even by his standards a perfect' man--apart from God. But the end was death, because he had not in him the Divine life necessary to realize God's purpose in his being, but had chosen to become instead an independent' agent of the Enemy. Thus in Adam we all become sinners, equally dominated by Satan, equally subject to the law of sin and death, and equally deserving of the wrath of God.


From this we see the Divine reason for the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We see too the Divine reason for true consecration—for reckoning ourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God in Christ Jesus, and for presenting ourselves unto Him as alive from the dead. We must all go to the Cross, because what is in us by nature is a self-life, subject to the law of sin. Adam chose a self-life rather than a Divine life; so God had to gather up all that was in Adam and do away with it. Our old man' has been crucified. God has put us all in Christ and crucified Him as the last Adam, and thus all that is of Adam has passed away.


Then Christ arose in new form; with a body still, but in the Spirit', no longer in the flesh'. "The last Adam became a life-giving spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45). The Lord Jesus now has a resurrected body, a spiritual body, a glorious body, and since He is no longer in the flesh He can now be received by all. "He that eateth me, he also shall live because of me", said Jesus (John 6:57). The Jews revolted at the thought of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, but of course they could not receive Him then because He was still literally in the flesh. Now that He is in the Spirit every one of us can receive Him, and it is by partaking of His resurrection life that we are constituted children of God. "As many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God... which were born... of God." (John 1:12, 13).


God is not out to reform our life. It is not His thought to bring it to a certain stage of refinement, for it is on a totally wrong plane. On that plane He cannot now bring man to glory. He must have a new man; one born anew, born of God. Regeneration and justification go together.

He That Hath The Son Hath The Life


There are various planes of life. Human life lies between the life of the lower animals and the life of God. We cannot bridge the gulf that divides us from the plane above or the plane below, and the distance that separates us from the life of God is vastly greater than that which separates us from the life of the lower animals.


In China one day I called on a Christian leader who was sick in bed, and whom, for the sake of this story, I shall call Mr. Wong' (though that was not his real name). He was a very learned man, a Doctor of Philosophy, and one esteemed throughout the whole of China for his high moral principles, and he had long been engaged in Christian work. But he did not believe in the need for regeneration; he only proclaimed a social gospel.


When I called on Mr. Wong his pet dog was by his bedside, and after speaking with him of the things of God and of the nature of His work in us, I pointed to the dog and inquired his name. He told me he was called Fido. Is Fido his Christian name or his surname?' I asked (using the common Chinese terms for personal name' and family name'). Oh, that is just his name', he said. Do you mean that is just his Christian name? Can I call him Fido Wong?' I continued. Certainly not!' came the emphatic reply. But he lives in your family', I protested, Why don't you call him Fido Wong?' Then, indicating his two daughters, I asked Are your daughters not called Miss Wong?' Yes!' Well then, why cannot I call your dog Master Wong?' The Doctor laughed, and I went on: Do you see what I am getting at? Your daughters were born into your family and they bear your name because you have communicated your life to them. Your dog may be an intelligent dog, a well-behaved dog, and altogether a most remarkable dog; but the question is not, Is he a good or a bad dog? It is merely, Is he a dog? He does not need to be bad to be disqualified from being a member of your family; he only needs to be a dog.


The same principle applies to you in your relationship to God. The question is not whether you are a bad man or a good man, more or less, but simply, Are you a man? If your life is on a lower plane than that of God's life, then you cannot belong to the Divine family. Throughout your life your aim in preaching has been to turn bad men into good men; but men as such, whether good or bad, can have no vital relationship with God. Our only hope as men is to receive the Son of God, and when we do so His life in us will constitute us sons of God.' The Doctor saw the truth, and that day he became a member of God's family by receiving the Son of God into his heart.


What we today possess in Christ is more than Adam lost. Adam was only a developed man. He remained on that plane, and never possessed the life of God. But we who receive the Son of God not only receive the forgiveness of sins; we receive also the Divine life which was represented in the garden by the tree of life. By the new birth we receive something Adam never had; we possess what he missed.

Watchman Nee’s The Normal Christian Life:

I our next post we shall look at the "only Begotten Son" the "Tree of Life" through whom we have divine life. What a wonderful foresight the Master Planner has, to percieve that Adam's choice could only count for disobedience. for now we pray:

Holy Spirit, help us in our realisation of, or analysis of “being in Christ Jesus," to look more to that wondrous secret work of The Father by which we were united to Christ.. Quicken our mind to see that, at the back of our turning, and believing, and accepting of Christ, there was God's almighty power doing its work--inspiring our will, taking possession of us, and carrying out its own purpose of love in planting us into Christ Jesus. Help us to enter into the divine side of the work of salvation, where we learn to praise and to worship with new exultation, and to rejoice more than ever in the divineness of that salvation we have been made partaker of. So that at each step we review, the song will come, "This is the Lord's doing"--Divine Omnipotence working.



You might say – "how do I; and Why do I have to know and experience this Father you are going on about" Here is why, when and how you can get to know Him.

Admit your spiritual need.


We all are sinners: nobody likes that title “SINNER”, but the bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

What is the result of sin?

In Romans 6:23 we read “The wages of sin is death…” in other words, every sin is another step towards death. One thing that we need to remember is that God never sends anyone to hell; one can send himself there by rejecting the truth.

Since we can never measure up to God’s standards by our own strength; God has reached out to mankind.

John 3:16-17. In Romans 5:8 we read, “God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. It is Jesus, after all, who is the source of life’s greatest high.

What must a person do to accept this gift?

Simply receive it! Matthew 11:28 states –“come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance into your life to give you peace, change you for the best. John 1:12 says: “For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God”.

If you haven't already received Christ as your Saviour, don't put it off another day! Take time right now to invite Him into your life. Confess your sins. Receive His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. You might pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth. I look forward to living forever in Heaven with You. Amen.

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - Called to God’s Kingdom - Part 1

ALL HAVE SINNED

Called to God’s Kingdom

"That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory". (1Thes. 2:12)

Why Redemption? Why PLAN B


PLAN A – The Glory of God - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. PLAN B - The Gospel of Christ - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: PLAN B2 –Back on Track - That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Eph. 1:3-12 emphasis added)

In the last section we looked at the original eternal purpose which could be summarised in the words of Watchman Nee:

“The glory of God” (Romans 3:23); and “The glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

In our analogy of this eternal purpose, we have looked at PLAN A as described in Ephesians 1:3-6; we will now, in this post take a look at the consequences of Adam’s original sin that brought about, if I may say “a temporary deviation” on this plan A as stated in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”.

Now, I had a very valid question asked about the last post with regards to the use of the phrases Plan A or Plan B. I will quickly address this question phrased as: “What Plan B!? It was always plan A from the get go!”

Yes the questioner is right. It was always Plan A from the beginning and so it will be for eternity. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified”. Rom. 8:29,30

I have used the term plan to indicate the different stage of this journey of "the children of God" having the image of the "first begotten Son"– it is not in any way aimed to imply that God changed His mind along the way or anything to that effect. Looking at the title we have given to this early part of Romans 1 - FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER, I will like to confirm as in our last post, the omniscience of this great God of ours. Now the dictionary gives us the meaning of the three key words in this phrase as



Master:

• A person with the ability or power to use, control, or dispose of something.
• Eminently skilled in.
• Carrying on one's trade independently, rather than a worker employed by another.

“He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:4-5).

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof “ (Psalms 19:1-6).

The heavens declare His Glory and the firmament exhibit His mastery. Imagine the mastery He displays daily with the workings within the firmament; the sun and the moon know the exact time for each one to appear and withdraw itself at any point on earth; they are never late nor too early or call in sick for work except on an occasions when the Lord wants to show his omnipotence .

“Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day” (Joshua 10:12-13).

When He spoke in the beginning and man came to being He meant exactly what He said –

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:26-28).

Yes! He spoke and it was done NOT that “it can” or “it could” or even “it shall be done” BUT “it was done”. All provisions made for all eventualities.

"Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast". (Psalms 33:8-9)


Foresight:

• Care or provision for the future; provident care; prudence.
• The act or power of foreseeing; prevision; prescience.
• An act of looking forward.
• Knowledge or insight gained by or as by looking forward; a view of the future.
• Surveying - a sight or reading taken on a forward point.

When God brought Adam into the Garden of Eden, and put before him the “tree of life” of which he (Adam) was permitted to eat from; and “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” of which he (Adam) was not permitted to eat from. God being omniscient would have known that Adam in his human nature had the propensity to eat of the restricted tree. It is possible to have created Adam with the full capacity to obey God’s instruction to the letter; but then there is no true obedience without the freedom to disobey.

So our God in His infinite foresight (encompassing all that the definition of the word can be), had already made a provision for Adam’s possible choice and the consequences that may follow -

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world “ (Rev. 13:8).

“Known to God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18).

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10).



Plan: 

• A scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding, making, etc: developed in advance: battle plans.
• A design or scheme of arrangement: an elaborate plan for seating guests.
• A specific project or definite purpose: plans for the future.
• To arrange a method or scheme beforehand for (any work, enterprise, or proceeding).

God’s perception of Adam’s propensity to disobey, as I said earlier, made it necessary to provide for corrections so that the ultimate plan, PLAN A, the eternal purpose is achieved -

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure (Isa. 46:9,10).

This He did through His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour -

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? (Heb. 1:1-5)

So that through Him the temporary deviation caused by Adam’s disobedience can be rectified; and the original plan of having many sons through the “only begotten Son” Who has now become the “first begotten Son” can be achieved –

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Just like Peter said of Jesus, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, have been taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed (Acts 2:23) -

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Rom. 8:29,30).

This contingency plan He had already made before He put Adam in the Garden of Eden -

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph. 1:3-4).

So the use of the phrases PLAN A or B only illustrates the provision that the Lord had made form the very beginning.

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.1Thes. 2:12

God’s Kingdom is the domain, the realm where due to His attributes as we touched on in the last post, He exerts or exercises His power so that He may manifest, express or display His glory.

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord". (Eph. 3:912).

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gave us a hint on the importance of why we need to “walk worthy” of God in other to dwell in this domain or realm; when He urged us to vehemently seek the Father to help us fight against the one thing that can render us unfit for this realm - sin.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen (Matt. 6:13).

If God has deliberately in His own infinite wisdom and mercy (1 Cor. 2:7-9), made us who He foreknew and had pre-destined and called to believe in (John 3:16) and be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ; And even from the beginning had also made provisions for any eventualities by justifying us through the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8); just so that we can be partakers of this mystery of exercising or exerting His glory (Rom. 8:29-30): Then the word OBEDIENCE shows it’s prevalence again.

Sin is the bane of this call to walk with God; just as obedience is what keeps us on track. Imagine taking a dog that will not obey you for a walk in the park or even more so a dog competition or horse race with a dog or horse who will not obey your instructions. C.H. Spurgeon said:

“You are God’s creature, and yet you have rendered to Him no obedience! You would not keep a horse or a dog that did not do you some service, or follow at your whistle”.

Sin, brought about by disobedience is the cause of deviation from the eternal purpose. This original sin by Adam caused the deviation from PLAN A as described in Ephesians 1:3-6. Adams choice to eat of the forbidden “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, when sin came in it found expression in an act of disobedience to God.

“For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous”. (Romans 5:19)

So the first man’s disobedience to God’s instructions brought about a change in the rules of the game if I may use that terminology -

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23)

In our next post we will continue our look at The travails of Adam and the solution provided by the second Adam, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Meanwhile we pray:
 

Lord Jesus, never let me shut You out - Amen.

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - He alone is God; And He is God alone. Part 2

THE ORIGINAL PLAN –The Glory of God Eph.1:3-6

He alone is God; And He is God alone. Part 2

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:28-31).

We are still looking at the Eternal Purpose as mentioned by Apostle Paul in these early verses of Romans 1 (Vs. 1-7). In this post we will conclude on why He “Fainteth not, neither is weary”; and “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength" because He alone is God; And He is God alone. We will also conclude PLAN A of the eternal purpose – The Glory of God (Eph. 1:3-6)

To remind us the eternal Purpose is:

PLAN A – The Glory of God - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. PLAN B - The Gospel of Christ - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: PLAN B2 –Back on Track - That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Eph. 1:3-12 emphasis added)

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph. 1:4)

Watchman Nee, in The Normal Christian Life said:

“To man sin leads to condemnation and hell; To God sin leads to forfeit of Glory”

God wants us to walk before Him blameless and His attributes puts Him in a position to adequately check how blameless we are and when we are found wanting, He is equally more that equipped for the task of putting us back on track. What a Master Planner He is; to have seen from the foundation, the very beginning that man (in the first Adam) could make a mess of things and jeopardise the original plan of the Eternal Purpose and made a PLAN B. The next set of attributes are:

God is Omnipotent - “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Revelation 19:6). He has the ultimate power to do whatever He wills. God’s nature limits His will and as such He cannot do anything that is contrary to His being God, such as sin or ignore sin - "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face" (Psalms 89:14). There is nothing He cannot do except that which is contrary to His nature. There is no power that can confront Him or His children that is beyond Him: With His power he conquered sin and death. That’s why King David concluded - “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work” (Psalms 62:11-12). “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

This is the reason why we can have cast iron believe in His promises and when the enemy comes with his trials, we are able like Job to focus our attention on Him and not our own power to overcome and say: “I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee” (Job 42:2):

God is Omnipresent – As with His infinity He fills the whole of creation which makes it possible for Him to be present everywhere at once - “Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:23,24).

What a relief this is – to know that The One who watches over us can be anywhere our adversaries are at any point in time – “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).

His presence everywhere means He is there even when man sins and no one is present and there is nowhere we can hide to sin that He is not present. The Psalmist observed – “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there” (Psalm 139:8).

God is Omniscient – Like God’s omnipresence, His Omniscience means that because He knows all things that can be known in the past, present, future, nothing can escape His knowledge – “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:4-5): “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10).

Just as He knows everything that can be known of all creatures great and small, even the number of hair on everyone’s head – “Known to God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18). He knows our intensions and motives for all our actions. No surprise man keep trying to build a database that is as big as God’s (man’s struggle to “DO IT WITHOUT GOD”), but then – “The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men” (Psalm 33:13).

God is Love – God’s love for us is just as and backed up by His attribute of being immutable – it cannot be wholly comprehended by man except through His Son Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. A.W. Tozer in “I talk back to the devil” tells us of the connection between God’s love and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when he said:

“Brethren, it is well for us to remember that as human beings we can never know all of the Godhead. If we were capable of knowing all of the Godhead perfectly, we would be equal to the Godhead. For illustration, we know that we cannot pour an entire quart of water into a vessel which has a capacity of less than a quart. So you could never pour all of the Godhead into the experience of any being who is less than God Himself.

A similar kind of illustration was used long ago by ancient fathers in the church as they argued for the trinity of the Godhead. They pointed out that God the eternal Father is an infinite God, and He is love. The very nature of love is to give itself but the Father could not give His love fully to anyone not fully equal to Himself. Thus we have the revelation of the Son Who is equal to the Father and of the eternal Father pouring out His love into the son, who could contain it, because the Son is equal with the Father. Further, these ancient wise men reasoned, if the Father were to pour out His love into the Son, a medium of communication equal to both the Father and the Son would be required, and this was the Holy Ghost. So we have their concept of the Trinity –the ancient Father in the fullness of His love pouring Himself through the Holy Ghost who is in being equal to Him, into the Son who is in being equal to the Spirit and the Father”

God is love and that’s why the greatest power that man can possess is love – “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16). But then real love (God’s agape Love) in the world we live in today would make anyone look naive and stupid; real love as described by Apostle Paul - "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned" (in I Tim. 1:5). The goal of our command is love; that comes from a PURE HEART, GOOD CONSCIENCE AND SINCERE FAITH.

If you look at these 3 components of love:

Pure heart - Hold no evil whatsoever against anyone.

Good Conscience - knowledge shows what is right or wrong, but it is the conscience that approves of what is right and disapproves of what is contrary to it.

Sincere Faith - no matter how bad it looks in reality, I have this hope that it shall be well – “substance of things hoped for; evidence of things not seen”.

To have these 3 qualities in the world we live in today qualifies you as being excellently naive. But then it is these three qualities that equip any living being with LOVE, that is the greatest power on earth. Jesus warned us when describing the end of the ages: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:12.). It is also said that “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1John 4:18).

I have come to see the act of walking in love as one that can be compared to tightrope walking. Walk it through without falling, everyone applauds; but when the reality of learning to walk in love as in training for a tightrope walk show, you will sometimes fall off the rope at different points along the journey, and people will naturally jeer – it is a lowly point to be in, a point where one is vulnerable, a point where the ungodly sees a chance to take advantage, a point where you realise that –“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).

But as the saying goes “practice makes perfect” – Until we are able and have perfected the act of walking that tight rope (walking in God’s Agape Love) without falling off along the way; we just have to keep moving on; practicing how to walk in this wonderful attribute of our creator putting into consideration the advise of His Son Jesus Christ when He said “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” Matt. 10:16.

I Tosin, personally would rather be misunderstood to be naive than lack the power of God.

SO WHEN WE REALISE THAT:

God is Holy- This is the pure loving nature of God separate from evil.
God is Life – He is the essence of the breathe of life
God is Spirit – It is impossible to see Him with human eyes, but through the eye of the spirit
God is Infinite – He is, if I may say, interwoven into all things.
God is Immutable – God cannot change because He is the beginning and end ‘Alpha & Omega’
God is Omnipotent - He has the ultimate power to do whatever He wills.
God is Omniscient – He knows all things that can be known in the past, present, future, so nothing can escape His knowledge
God is Omnipresent – He fills the whole of creation which makes it possible for Him to be present everywhere at onc
God is Love – God’s love for us is just as His attribute of being immutable, it cannot change.

THEN WE CAN SEE WHY:

"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isa. 40:28-31).

What are you going through at this point in your life? Do you feel God cannot see your troubles? Or even if He sees them, He has decided to turn a blind eye? Or even worse still He is powerless to do anything about them? We all go through this but the solution is to always wait on Him. When we put our focus on who our God really is, the grace to trust Him is bestowed upon us; "Thou wilt keep him in Perfect Peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee" (Isaiah 26:3). Then we can be rest assured that when we wait upon Him, we can never, I repeat “never” be disappointed. Ray C. Stedman asks about Isa. 40:28-31 in “WHO IS LIKE OUR GOD?”:

How many thousands through the centuries have taken those promises literally and found that to "wait upon the Lord" does this very thing. It all hinges on that one word, wait. Wait! The hardest word to learn in the language for some, especially young people. Wait. Let God work. The Hebrew word has a note of expectation about it: expect God to work, wait in expectation that God will move. It takes time, you cannot have it overnight, but they that wait upon the Lord shall find their own strength renewed. They shall find their spirit mounting up like the eagle in its flight, their souls able to run the gamut of emotions. They shall never be weary. And they shall walk (in body) and not faint.

What a wonderful God we serve.

Now that we have briefly touched The Glory of God, and some of the attributes that qualify Him to possess and pass on this glory, we will go on to look at PLAN B - The Gospel of Christ - "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself" (Eph. 1:7-9)

If PLAN A implies that we are Called to God’s Kingdom “That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory” (1Thes. 2:12);

Why Redemption? Why PLAN B. This we will look at in our next post.

Until then Heavenly Father, for you have said in Your word: “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not” (Isa. 30:15); "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass" (Psalms 37:7); we pray that You will please multiply your glorious riches in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ unto us and fill us with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that we may be able to seek that stillness of soul that will empower us to wait on You; so that we may have the confidence to say –“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved” (Psalms 62:1-2).