Illumina

Illumina

Table of Contents

I N T H E B E G I N N I N G ............................................................ 3

A D A M ’ S S I N .............................................................................. 9

D E A T H R E I G N E D ................................................................ 24

T H E A B R A H A M I C C O V E N A N T ................................. 30

W H Y T H E L A W ? ................................................................... 40

T Y P E S A N D S H A D O W S ................................................... 50

W E S E E J E S U S ....................................................................... 60

I N W H O M W E H A V E ......................................................... 68

R I G H T E O U S N E S S ................................................................ 74

E T E R N A L S A L V A T I O N ................................................... 83

N O W T H A T Y O U K N O W , W A L K I N Y O U R

T R U E N A T U R E .................................................................... 108

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IN THE BEGINNING

ANY HAVE WONDERED ABOUT GOD‟S

motive for creating the world.

Why create man and put him in misery? Why not

create man without all the negatives around him? They ask such

questions because they lack some foundational knowledge

about who God is and what He is like.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Now God created at the beginning but was before the

beginning. He is a being that lives in a timeless realm. He

created time as we know it. The moment God created matter

time came to be. It is important to first understand that for God

to be eternal He doesn‟t react. For Him to react is to say He

isn‟t eternal. Only beings who were created and live in time

react in time.

God doesn‟t react. He purposed in himself that there should be a

beginning of creation and he began that beginning. He had a

plan in mind, a purpose that is eternal in scope. Now it is

important to note that God knows all things, sees all things, is

everywhere and can do all things. In creation, He saw all that

will happen and made provision available. Before we get ahead

of ourselves lets understand a few things. How did God create

the world?

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Olaleye Oluwafemi

John 1:1-4

In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, the

word was God. The same was in the beginning with God

All things were made by him and without him was not anything

made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light

of men.

He created the world by „the word‟. The expression or phrase

„word‟ is the Greek word „logos‟. It means the logic of a thing

or the explanation of a thing. The summation of the thoughts

behind a thing. This means that if we understand the logos of a

person then we can understand the person. If we understand the

explanation of a thing we understand the thing being explained.

For example, if I gave you an arithmetic progression of 4, 9, 14,

19……. And I tell you to figure the rest of the progression you

easily will do that once you understand the logic behind the

progression.

So we will arrive easily at 24, 29, 34, 39 because the logic of

the progression is 5.

Therefore, the whole world was created by „the word of God‟.

This entity is God himself. He created all we see and don‟t see.

This word of God is a person and not just a force. We are told

that the word became flesh.

John 1:14

And the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us (And we

beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the father)

full of grace and truth.

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So the Word of God which explains him created the whole

world including Man. When we understand this person called

the word, we understand who God is. When we understand the

person called the word we understand the purpose of creation

and God‟s intent for creation. When we understand the person

called the word we understand what in creation is of God and

what isn‟t.

Everything we need to understand and grasp about the nature of

God, the purpose of creation, the purpose of man, and the

source of evil is tied to understanding one thing. The person of

the word of God.

The word of God or the logos is the complete and total

explanation of who God is and what He is like. Any other

understanding outside the logos of God is error!

There are several scriptures which open our eyes to see God‟s

intent and purpose before there was anything called time.

Let us look at a few.

2 Timothy 1:9-10

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not

according to our works, but according to his own purpose and

grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world

began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior

Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life

and immortality to light through the gospel

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This shows us that God‟s plan before Genesis 1, before the

world began was to save and call man not according to his

works but according to his own purpose and grace in one person

- Jesus Christ.

This means that God already had a plan for all men to be found

holy and without blame in Christ. This was always the plan.

Let‟s examine more examples.

Titus 1:1-3

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of

the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which

God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; But hath

in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is

committed unto me according to the commandment of God our

Savior;

He shows us that giving or offering eternal life to mankind from

the very inception was what God always wanted to do. In fact

Paul says to Titus that He promised it before time began. It was

what He always wanted to do. All he had always planned. The

same thing is reiterated in Ephesians 1:4-5

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.

So He chose man in Christ before the world began that he

should be holy and without blame before him. This is how God

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wanted it. That the man in Christ would be blameless just

because he is in Christ.

You may then ask.

Was the first Adam not in Christ? Was he not a spiritual and

heavenly being? Well he was not. We will answer that question

in detail in the 2nd

chapter.

It is however important that you understand that the tree of life

was offered to Adam in the garden and he chose not to eat of it.

God created him a free moral agent. He was shown God‟s

eternal plan of dominion in life by Christ as represented by that

tree in the parable of Genesis 2 but he rejected it and chose

death instead.

The choice was depend on Christ and have life or depend on

your works and have death. He didn‟t really understand

experientially what death was. However, like many men today

he wanted fulfillment for depending and advancing by his own

efforts. Hence, he truncated God‟s eternal plan for himself and

generations after him. More on that later.

I want us to see other scriptures that show us God‟s mind and

thought for man before time began.

1 Peter 1:18-20

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with

corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain

conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with

the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and

without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the

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foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for

you.

See that again?

Christ was already preordained before the foundation of the

world. This means the offering of Christ was not a reaction to

Adams transgression. God saw what Adam would choose, so he

already made Christ the redemptive offering before there was

even a beginning! Isn‟t that amazing?

God in his foreknowledge already predestined all men in Christ

to be holy, unreproachable and unaccusable in his sight. This is

who God is!

Romans 8:29

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.

So God‟s plan has always to have many conformed to the image

of his son Jesus Christ. Jesus is the divine man.

God always wanted all mankind to share in his divinity. Man

had to make a choice though. The first man made his choice. He

chose to attempt divinity outside of Christ. He chose to attempt

divinity by his own works. His efforts. It was sin because it fell

short of God‟s plan. Divinity is only found in the person of

Christ. Outside of Christ there is no God!

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ADAM’S SIN

Lot has been said about the fall of Adam. I remember

while growing up I read a children‟s book that said

that Adam fell because he ate an apple from the

forbidden tree. It also said he was away farming and

his wife deceived him into eating it! So let‟s get some

understanding. Who was Adam or what does Adam mean?

Genesis 1:26-28

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.

The above passage shows that God created Man and

empowered him to dominate the earth. Man was created in his

image and likeness and was to dominate by mass producing by

being fruitful, multiplying and filling the earth. Adam which

simply means „earthy‟ in Hebrew was a progenitor.

The first in the production line of men. He was the prototype, a

pattern. God created just one man who had both male and

female characteristics. Every other man born into this earth was

going to bear the image of this prototype.

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Olaleye Oluwafemi

Now there are two accounts of the creation of man. There is one

in Genesis 1 and another in Genesis 2.

In Genesis 1:27 it says „so God created man in his own

image……‟

The word created is the Hebrew „bara‟. It means to make

something out of previously nonexistent material. It refers

primarily to creation of the spirit of man. Man is a spirit that has

a soul and lives in a body.

This is important to note that many controversies have arisen as

to the composition of man. Many have said Man belongs to the

animal class who dies and ceases to exist. Others have said the

soul and the spirit are the same thing. Both schools of thought

are wrong. We have several scriptures that clearly shows us the

composition of man without any ambiguity.

Let‟s look at a few before we get back to what we were saying.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than

any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of

soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner

of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Notice the scripture says „soul‟ and „spirit‟ which refers to the

inner man. Then „joints „and „marrow‟ which refers to the

physical body.

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The scripture shows that the word of God is able to discern all

the three parts of the composition of man. We have yet another

scripture that supports this.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God

your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless

unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

Same concept. Man is a spirit that has a soul and lives in a

body. Genesis 1 shows us the creation of the spirit of man.

However, it is in Genesis 2 that we are introduced to the

formation of the body and consciousness of his soul.

Genesis 2:7

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and

breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a

living soul.

The word „formed‟ is different from create. It is from the

Hebrew „yatsar‟. It means to mould into shape. It speaks of

making something out of existing material. The body of man

was made from the dust of the earth. The body of is also the

house or dwelling place of the spirit and the soul.

To function on the earth a man must have a body to house his

spirit and his soul. The separation of a man‟s inner man from

his body is what is called death. Seeing that the spirit of man

was created not formed from the earth it stands to reason that

man was created to exist for ever. The spirit of man never stops

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existing whether in the body or outside of the body. So man is a

spirit who has a soul and lives in a body.

God created man to rule and reign on this physical earth. He

was made a spirit of dominion and was to exercise dominion

from his spirit.

It was the only way to reign.

Now even though Adam was created perfect he didn‟t have

eternal life. Adam was not created in heaven. He was of the

earth. He was a natural man.

1 Corinthians 15:44-49

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is

a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is

written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last

Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is

natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is

of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the

heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have

borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of

the heavenly.

The first Adam was made a living soul but the last Adam (Jesus

Christ) was made a quickening spirit or a life giving spirit. Now

remember we have before established that Adam means

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„progenitor‟. He was made a living soul. A living soul that

didn‟t have the capacity to give eternal life. He was of the earth

and was natural.

However Jesus Christ is a quickening spirit. He is the second

progenitor. The source code of a new breed of life giving men.

He is not a living soul created to exist but a life giving spirit

who was manifested to give life.

Now I have explained all these concepts to get to this. What

then was Adam‟s sin? Remember, we said in the first chapter

that all things were made by and for Christ?

Now let‟s look at what really happened in Genesis.

To understand the book of Genesis you must realize exactly

what kind of book it is. It was written by Moses and it is part

revelation and part history. For example, the narration of

creation was most likely a revelation to Moses.

It must have been revealed to him in a vision. It is important to

understand that in visions a message is being passed to the

subject via the use of metaphors. Images or persons are used to

represent the message and not a literal representation of the

facts. For example, in the book of revelations apostle John said

he saw the Lord Jesus as a lamb. That didn‟t mean that Jesus

was a literal lamb but a metaphoric one.

It‟s the same in Genesis. We have certain metaphors used to

illustrate or pass across a message. For instance, we have God

resting on the seventh day. The first day of man being the day

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of rest. This shows clearly That God planned for man to rest in

all he has done.

This shows that man was to rest in what God has done and not

on what he can do by himself. We see man being created on the

sixth day. The number six is used in Hebrew to refer to the

number of man. We see Eden which means pleasure and man

being planted there.

This shows us that God created man to enjoy his creation. He

created man for his pleasure!

Now we have in the said garden two trees. The tree of life in the

midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and

evil.

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree

that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life

also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of

good and evil.

Now what is the tree of life? Was it an actual tree? God tells

Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

but never said so about the tree of life. This means he wanted

him to eat of the tree of life.

We must examine what the tree of life actually means. What it

means to „eat‟ of it and what the tree of knowledge of good and

evil means too.

Let us begin with the tree of life first.

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John 1:1-4

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with

God. All things were made by him; and without him was not

anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was

the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the

darkness comprehended it not.

Remember, we have said that what is translated as „the word‟ is

the Greek „logos‟. Logos means the summation of thought, the

logic, and the explanation.

So the word of God is the explanation of God.

The above scripture says all things were made by him.

By who? The word of God. It goes on to say in him was life or

life came from him.

All creation happened by him. Nothing exists without him.

This person called the word is the creator of all we see and

don‟t see.

Colossians 1:15-17

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.

He is the light that shined in the darkness of Genesis 1:2 and the

darkness couldn‟t withstand.

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He is the life and light of men. He is the life by which men can

truly live and can truly see. So who is this person given the title

„The word‟?

John 1:14-18

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 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. And of his fullness have all we received,

and grace for grace.

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by

Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only

begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath

declared him.

Jesus Christ! The life is Christ! The light is Christ!

Anything outside of Christ is death. Anything outside of Christ

is darkness! So the tree of life in the midst of the garden is

Christ.

Now what did God mean by „eat‟?

Did he mean to eat as in normal eating? Or was something else

being implied here.

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First, we have to clarify that what a man eats or drink can never

defile or corrupt him according to the scriptures.

See here.

Matthew 15:10

And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and

understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man;

but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

Jesus is showing that anything that goes in a man‟s mouth

doesn‟t defile him. Man is a spirit. For him to be defiled he has

to be defiled from his heart!

Matthew 15:16-20

And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not

ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth

goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those

things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the

heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil

thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,

and blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but

to eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man.

See that? All a man eats doesn‟t enter his spirit. It goes into his

digestive system and passes into the toilet. For a man to be

polluted it must come from his heart. So we now have to see the

metaphorical meaning of eating in scriptures. If Adams sin

wasn‟t the literal eating of the fruit then what was it?

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John 6:53-55

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except

ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have

no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,

hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my

flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

Jesus is speaking to Jews and telling them that except they eat

his flesh and drink his blood they have no life in them. They

thought he was speaking literally but he wasn‟t. Notice he says

the end result of this eating was eternal life?

So we should think.

Jesus slams their carnality later on in John 6:63 where he says

„the flesh profits nothing, the words that I speak unto you they

are spirit and they are life‟. This means the life he was referring

to that they should eat of were his words.

The scripture says in John 3:15

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have

eternal life. 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.

Do you see that?

Whosoever believes in him has eternal life. So if eating means

believing. Then it stands to reason that to eat of Jesus is to

believe what he said about himself in his death, burial and

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resurrection. So it is very clear here that the metaphorical

meaning of eating or drinking is believing.

What you believe you have eaten of! This therefore means that

in Eden Adam was presented with two choices before he was

permitted to mass produce on the earth. He was presented two

doctrines. One was God‟s plan which was before even time

began and the other was man‟s plan.

Let‟s go over it again.

God is not time bound and as such he doesn‟t live in the realm

of time. He is eternal. He ends a thing before it even begins.

The plan of God was that Adam be conformed to the image of

one being and that being was Christ. God created the natural

Adam to depend on and receive life from the heavenly tree of

life which Christ represented. God‟s eternal plan was simple,

that all natural men receive eternal life by resting in Christ.

Christ is the image of God not Adam. Adam was made to be

conformed to the image of Christ. That conformation was to

occur by Adam „eating „of the Christ by faith which he chose

not to do.

Let‟s establish all these in scriptures.

Romans 8:28-30

And we know that all things work together for good to them that

love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

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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.

That scripture speaks of who God foreknew and predestinated.

The word foreknowledge is the Greek „proginosko‟ it means to

see beforehand. It speaks to what God saw before time even

began. Whereas the word „predestination‟ is the Greek

„proorizo‟ which means what God has determined or done

before time.

So based on God‟s foreknowledge that mankind cannot please

him in his natural state without Christ he already predetermined

that all should be conformed to the image of Christ!

This was the plan.

Eternal life wasn‟t an afterthought presentation to Man after the

fall. It was promised to man even before time began.

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised

before the world began; But hath in due times manifested his

word through preaching, which is committed unto me according

to the commandment of God our Savior Titus 1:2-3

This is why what Adam did is called sin.

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Romans 5:12

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.

The word sin is the Greek „harmatia‟ it means „to miss the

mark‟.

This suggest that there was a target or plan set before Adam to

execute and he missed it. He truncated God‟s plan for the earth

by choosing to go his own way. He sinned and fell short of the

glory of God. Who is the glory of God? Christ is the glory of

God.

Hebrews 1:2-3

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;

He is the brightness or effulgence of God‟s glory. He is the

exact representation of God! To see Jesus is to see God! To

miss Jesus is to miss God. Let‟s examine what God said to

Adam and the words of Satan used to deceive Eve.

Genesis 2:17

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not

eat of it: for in the day that thou eateth thereof thou shalt surely

die.

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This basically means if you eat of sense knowledge and earthy

wisdom and not Christ you will die.

Death meaning separation and not cessation of life. He says

„surely die‟ which means „truly dead or die twice‟. This shows

that there are two kinds of death majorly.

Spiritual death and physical death. Spiritual death meaning

separation from God while physical death means the separation

of the spirit from the body. Adam was warned „don‟t eat of this

tree, don‟t believe on this‟. Now let‟s examine again the

deception by the devil to eve.

Genesis 3:1-4

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field

which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman,

Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of

the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in

the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it,

neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto

the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in

the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye

shall be as God’s, knowing good and evil.

First it is important to note that Eve didn‟t have accurate

knowledge about what God said. She said “God said not to eat

of it and not to touch it‟

Not accurate. God just said don‟t eat of it. Which really means

don‟t put your faith in it. Don‟t believe on it! God wanted man

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to touch the tree. On this earth Man needed that knowledge in

some measure to discern things properly. To discern right and

wrong but not to put his faith in it.

Now Satan dangles a false promise in front of Eve. He says to

her eat of this tree because it is the way to be gods. He was

inadvertently saying that they could get divine life without the

tree of life.

He was saying that they could be divine without following

Christ which the tree represented. She believed it. Adam

believed it too. He was there with Eve when Satan said all these

things to her.

Notice that it was „words‟ that made Adams mind up.

He ate of words. Out of his heart came unbelief in what God

had said and he missed the mark.

He missed Christ.

God presented Adam with the opportunity to reign in life by

eating of Christ but he refused it. He instead chose a life without

him being deceived that he could be divine without him.

That was his sin!

That was the fall.

That man was presented the light and yet he chose to live

without it!

DEATH REIGNED

t is important for us to know what death is and that it is not

a creation of God. What is death? Is it the cessation of life?

No.

We must not forget that we have previously established that

man is a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body. God created

man to live forever. So what then is death?

Genesis 2:17

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not

eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely

die.

What did God mean by that? Death basically means separation.

When a man dies physically what basically happens is that his

inner man comprising of his spirit and soul are separated from

his physical body. This is what is called physical death.

The scriptures alludes to a life after death. Let us examine a few

examples.

Let‟s hear Paul.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are

at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk

by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing

rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the

Lord.

I

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So he is saying that separation from this body will lead to being

with the Lord. The only thing preventing a man from being

physically with Jesus is that he is alive in his body.

The moment the body ceases to function the spirit man is

separated from it and if that spirit is regenerated then it goes to

be with the Lord until resurrection.

Now Peter

2 Peter 1:13-14

Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir

you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I

must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ

hath showed me. Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able

after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

He is saying the same thing. The putting off of the tabernacle

refers to his body. He is saying I will soon be separated from

my physical body.

The second type of death spoken of in scriptures is spiritual

death. It is the separation of man from God. When God said to

Adam in Eden that “you shall surely die‟ what he was telling

him was simple. You will die twice. The phrase „surely die‟

implies a plurality of deaths. He is essentially saying to him

„you shall die twice‟. Spiritually and then physically.

Romans 5:12-14

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

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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.

After Adam‟s sin death reigned! What kind of death? Spiritual

and physical death. It formed the basis of man‟s relationship to

God and God‟s relationship with man. Death reigned!

The word „reigned‟ is the Greek „basileuo‟ it means to „exercise

dominion‟ or „to rule as a king‟. This means that Death reigned

as a king from Adam to Moses. God couldn‟t communicate

normally with man. Man had become spiritually dead. He was

ruled by his senses which only saw through the eyes of sin and

death.

It was not possible for man to understand God because he was

so far away from him. He was a sinner by nature and by culture.

He was darkness because he didn‟t have the light of God in him.

He was dead in his sins because he didn‟t have the life of God

in him. God couldn‟t speak plainly to this man because he

didn‟t have the capacity to understand God. In his state of

spiritual death he couldn‟t see God neither could he ever

understand him. God didn‟t move away from man in Eden. Man

moved away from God.

Now that we have established what death is. We have certain

questions we have to answer. Did God create death or darkness?

Does he kill? Does he maim?

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These are very important questions we must not brush off. They

are very important in forming our perception of God .How we

see God matters a great deal to God. Since the world began he

has been trying to reveal himself to mankind. He even sent

Jesus the ultimate revelation of his character and nature because

He wants to be known.

Now remember in Romans 5:12 we saw that „sin entered into

the world and death by sin‟. That word “entered” is the Greek

„eisserchomai‟ which means to „come in by the side or to enter

by permission‟. The scriptures shows that it was man that

brought sin and sin brought death!

Death is the result of sin. Death in itself is not a creation. It is

simply the absence of life. Just as darkness is not a creation but

the absence of light. Adam by rejecting life in the garden, he

sinned and permitted the entrance of death into the world.

If a man rejects life what he will have is death. This is simply

because life is absent. The scriptures even lets us know that

death is an enemy of God! Can you believe that? Death is God‟s

enemy!

1 Corinthians 15:26-27

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put

all things under his feet

This destruction will lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy

spoken of in the verses following.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

1 Corinthians 15:53-57

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal

must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put

on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality,

then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is

swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave,

where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength

of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the

victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

During the end of this age via the resurrection from the dead

deaths power over every believer will be completely destroyed.

This is God‟s plan. He wants death totally destroyed because it

was never his plan to begin with. So remember death came

because Adam sinned.

“The sting of death is sin” the bible says.

Death didn‟t come by God. God didn‟t create or author death.

He is life. Death only can survive outside of God. Anything that

dies is not in God. There is something very interesting we

should also note.

It is that the authority of death was wielded by the devil.

Hebrews 2:14-15

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and

blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that

through death he might destroy him that had the power of

death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of

death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

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So the devil was the one who held the authority of death both

spiritual and physical. Death is not in the kingdom of Christ or

of life. Death is not in the light but in the dark. The devil is the

prince of darkness.

Ephesians 6:12

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against

principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness

of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

He is the ruler of the darkness of this world. He reigns through

death and sin. These are the two cardinal instruments he has put

his trust in.

Death and sin!

He wielded these instruments to oppress man in his sinful state.

As long as man is a sinner he is under the rule of the devil that

will oppress him with his tools. Sin and death. This is why the

only solution to saving and rescuing man from Satan‟s clutches

was to remove the tools he trusted in. God in his wisdom sent

Jesus as a man to pay the penalty for sin and taste death for

every single man.

By paying the eternal price for sin and by suffering by death for

every man, Jesus once and for all paralyzed the devil! He has no

tools to use. He has no weapons! He has been defeated. We will

look at the details of this as we go on. For now I want you to

say with me! Devil! You have been defeated! Glory to God!

Olaleye Oluwafemi

THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

od gave Adam custody of the earth. He was earth‟s

king. He was to rule and reign on the earth as a vice-

regent of God. This means he was to represent God‟s

plans and will on the physical terrain. This assignment

was not forever as there was a time period attached to it.

This time period for which the lease to Adam will expire is

unknown to us. However, as long as that lease hasn‟t expired

the earth belongs to man.

Psalm 115:16

The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath

he given to the children of men.

Spirits do not have a right to function on earth. To function on

earth you need a body from the earth. Any being without a

physical body has no right to intervene or meddle in the affairs

of men.

This is why Adam could determine by himself what direction he

wanted to go in and God couldn‟t change it. Adam had free

will. The moment God gave him the earth he had the grace to

decide what to do with it. To lead it into eternal life or into

death.

The only way for a spirit being to gain access into men‟s affairs

is through a man. A man has to grant permission. Remember,

sin and death came through a man. A man had to permit it.

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Now God is spirit. God is not flesh. He is not a physical being

though he created all we see and don‟t see.

After Adam made his choice he left the place where God can

reach him. Adam moved away from God. He died spiritually.

He was separated from God‟s realm of life. However, God still

loved Man!

He wanted to help him even though he rebelled against his plan

as we have earlier seen.

So since Adam he kept looking for man he could partner with to

bring about the fulfillment of his eternal plan and purpose .That

plan was simple. It was the conforming of every man and

woman to the image of Christ. It was righteousness by faith

alone in Christ alone. It was all of mankind to be hid in the

accepted son of God-Christ Jesus! This had always been the

plan.

God found a partner and his name was Abraham! Who was

Abraham?

Let‟s dig into his history a little bit.

Genesis 12:1-5

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country,

and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land

that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation,

and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt

be a blessing:

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth

thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So

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Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot

went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when

he departed out of Haran.

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and

all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that

they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the

land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

So he was a worldly man. An idolater if we read Genesis 11 we

see this. However, God called him and made promises to him. If

we study it we find that God wanted to build a Nation of men

with him.

Another beautiful thing to see is that God promised him “the

blessing”.

All men where to be blessed if they blessed him and cursed if

they cursed him. In Abraham all men were blessed. It was a call

to him. God preached the gospel to him and he responded .He

believed God‟s promises. Unlike Adam, Abraham believed

God.

So he left his father‟s house and travelled on a journey to a

place he didn‟t know. He trusted and depended on God‟s

leading and not his senses. This is a pointer to the new

generation God wanted to raise. A race of men who depend on

him and not on their senses or earthly knowledge.

We later see that God entered into a covenant with Abraham

based on certain promises. Let us review the covenant after

which we will take a closer look at what a covenant is.

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Genesis 17:2-8

And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will

multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God

talked with him, saying, as for me, behold, my covenant is with

thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall

thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be

Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations

of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my

covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their

generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee,

and to thy seed after thee.

And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land

wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an

everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

A covenant is an agreement between two parties‟. A major party

and a smaller party or two smaller or bigger parties. It has

things promised to be done to ratify the agreement. In the olden

days when a covenant is to be struck there were certain things

that had to be available.

There had to be what was agreed upon either verbally or in

writing.

There had to be clearly stated the responsibilities of both

parties.

There are to be a sign or token of the covenant. Something

physical that shows the covenant actually took place. There had

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to also be witnesses who can testify to the validity of the

agreement. Covenants where designed to be mutually beneficial

to both parties. It was a means to an end.

For example, in the Abrahamic covenant God wanted a family,

a nation of men to whom he could give the blessing of eternal

life which he promised to men before the world began.

Titus 1:2

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised

before the world began;

And Abraham was a spiritually dead man who needed the said

eternal life. The agreement was between God and Abraham.

The token of the agreement was the circumcision of the flesh of

all male in Abraham‟s house hold as a sign that they were in

covenant with God.

Every covenant required a guarantor. Someone to bear the brunt

if it failed.

The duration of this covenant was eternal. For God proposed

“an everlasting covenant “to him. So for it to be everlasting, the

guarantor also had to be everlasting. No man could have

guaranteed an everlasting covenant except the one who lives

forever.

Hebrews 6:13-18

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could

swear by no greater, he swore by himself, Saying, Surely

blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

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For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for

confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of

promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an

oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible

for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have

fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.

The Lord himself guaranteed the covenant by himself. So he

guaranteed the agreement so that it should not fail. And glory to

God the agreement didn‟t fail! It couldn‟t and cannot fail.

It is important to understand that the Abrahamic covenant is not

to be confused with the old covenant or the law.

The Abrahamic covenant is actually the new covenant. It is the

covenant that came with the promise of salvation by faith in

Christ Jesus as against justification by self-effort. Paul speaks of

this in his letter to the church at Galatians.

Galatians 3:15-17

Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; though it be but a

man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or

addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the

promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of

one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the

covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law,

which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul,

that it should make the promise of none effect.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

So we see that the “seed” referred to in Genesis was not even

Isaac after the flesh. He was just a typology. The seed referred

to Christ. So the covenant of Abraham is actually the agreement

between God the father and Christ who was the seed of

Abraham that was to come. This is actually the new and eternal

agreement God always had in mind. The new covenant didn‟t

come after the law it preceded it by 430 years! It was already

confirmed and established in Christ.

The only thing remaining for the Abrahamic or new covenant to

be in force was “the blood of the covenant”. You see the blood

of rams and bulls where not the actual blood required to ratify

the agreement. It needed the blood of the testator. Note that

when a man writes a will it is not in effect until that man dies.

The will though written doesn‟t benefit its recipients if the

writer or proposer of that will is alive.

Hebrews 9:15-17

And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament that

by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that

were under the first testament, they which are called might

receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the

death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are

dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator

liveth.

So even though God confirmed the covenant to Abraham he

couldn‟t enjoy it fully until two things happened. The seed,

which is Christ, to whom the promise was made came to the

earth. The seed who was also the mediator and testator shed his

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blood. This is why when Jesus observed the Passover with his

disciples said “this is the blood of the new covenant shed for

many”. He was essentially saying “I have come to ratify and

fulfill with my blood the promise made to Abraham”.

The covenant is eternal. The mediator eternal. The promises

also are eternal.

Nothing is temporary in the agreement. Now we have to

examine properly what the blessing of Abraham is. When we

sing the song “Abraham‟s blessings are mine, I am blessed in

the morning and in the evening Abraham‟s blessings are mine”.

What do we actually mean?

Romans 4:1-3

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining

to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by

works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what

saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted

unto him for righteousness.

This means Abraham received righteousness by faith

independent of works. Paul in Romans 4:6-10 quoting David in

the 32nd

psalm continues to say.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto

whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying,

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins

are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not

impute sin.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or

upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was

reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then

reckoned? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision?

Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

So the blessing is that God doesn‟t hold a man‟s sin against

him!

He treats him as righteous by faith irrespective of what he has

done or didn‟t do. David calls this man blessed! The blessing of

Abraham or the blessedness of Abraham was to be declared

righteous by faith.

That God dealt with him as a righteous man only because he

believed. This means that every man who has believed on Jesus

has the blessing of Abraham. He is righteous by faith.

Righteousness has been given to him as a gift.

Romans 5:17

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more

they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of

righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

God‟s eternal plan that men should have dominion on earth

through Christ that man should reign in life through Christ is

fulfilled in the new covenant. God through his covenant with

Abraham was able to intervene in man‟s affair. By that

covenant he was also able to become a man, mediate and ratify

the new covenant by the shedding of his blood.

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If you are in Christ you are righteous by faith. What a great

blessing you have received! God calls you righteous. He calls

you holy! He calls you irreproachable in his sight. This is the

greatest of all blessings! Hallelujah!

Olaleye Oluwafemi

WHY THE L AW?

od never intended to deal with man via the Law of

Moses. It is very important to understand what the law

is and why it was given. Paul while speaking to the

Galatian church says the law was a school master to

bring us unto Christ. Now let‟s not get ahead of ourselves we

have to understand the law from two allegories portrayed to us

in the book of Genesis.

In the garden there were two trees. We explained what the tree

of life was in the 2nd

chapter. We now will take a closer look at

the second tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

What did this tree mean?

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree

that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life

also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of

good and evil.

So there were two trees. Two options placed before man.

The tree of life which was Christ and the tree of the knowledge

of good and evil. To understand what this tree means we need to

examine the conversation between the serpent and eve. Therein

lies the answer.

Genesis 3:2-5

And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of

the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in

the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it,

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neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto

the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in

the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye

shall be as God’s, knowing good and evil.

Now Eve relayed an inaccurate account of the instruction given

by the Lord. She says „we are not to eat of it and not to touch

it‟.

God said nothing about not touching it! This shows that eve

didn‟t get a firsthand information of what the instruction was.

Eve didn‟t disobey, she was deceived. Deception occurs when

people have incomplete information or revelation.

1 Timothy 2:13

For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not

deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the

transgression.

Now listen for the doctrine of Satan. He said to her that „God

knows that the day you eat of this tree you will be like God‟

This was error. God‟s plan was that man received eternal life by

believing on Christ. The only way to life was through the tree of

life-Christ. What the devil was proposing was a way of

receiving life and divine status through self-effort. He proposed

the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the one thing God said

not to eat as the route to divinity!

Basically, he was saying don‟t rest in what God has done as

regards your divinity. Work to get it.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

Strive to achieve what God has already made available freely.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil simply represents

the works mentality. Man trying and striving to reach God on

his own terms and not on God‟s terms.

This is the concept behind all the dead religions of the world.

They ignore already provided tree of life and chose to try to

earn what has already been freely given. Adam chose a life of

works independent of Christ instead of a life of rest in Christ‟s

finished works. This as we have before established was his

transgression or sin. Another allegory we can understand the

law from is that of Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael and Isaac.

The book of Genesis is an interesting book. It has a lot of stories

which are actually typologies. The one we are about to look at

was clearly elucidated by the apostle Paul in the book of

Galatians.

Now let‟s look at the story to understand it.

Genesis 16:1-5

Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had a

handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai

said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from

bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may

obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of

Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the

Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of

Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

Now Sarai was the one who insisted that her husband take

Hagar to wife. The mother of the covenant requested that the

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father of the covenant permit that a slave have conjugal rights.

This was not God‟s plan but since she requested it she was

listened to. Please note this. It is important. The next thing we

see is that Hagar conceives and begins to despise Sarah. So the

wife is despised by the slave she allowed in to have rights she

was never meant to have in the first place.

Genesis 16:4-6

And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she

saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her

eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I

have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she

had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge

between me and thee.

Sarah was harsh to Hagar and Hagar ran away.

While in the desert an angel appeared to her and gave her

instructions.

Please note it was an angel that appeared to her and not God.

This also is a vital piece of information.

Genesis 16:9

And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress,

and submit thyself under her hands.

Now in the process of time she gave birth to Ishmael which was

the name the angel gave her to call the boy.

The boy lived in Abraham‟s house for the next 13years.

During this time God didn‟t speak to Abraham.

Not even once!

We will soon see why.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

Then Sarah gets pregnant and gives birth to Isaac and two

things happen. The first is that Ishmael began to mock Isaac.

The second is that Sarah wants both Hagar and Ishmael out of

the house.

Genesis 21:9-12

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had

born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto

Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of

this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of

his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in

thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in

all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for

in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

What we see above is so beautiful especially when you see the

real message being passed. Let‟s now proceed to see Paul‟s

exegesis about this event.

Galatians 4:21-31

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the

law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a

bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the

bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman

was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the

two covenants; the one from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth

to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is Mount Sinai in

Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in

bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is

free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice,

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thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that

travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than

she which hath a husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are

the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the

flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is

now.

Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman

and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir

with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not

children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

So Paul shows us that Hagar and her son Ishmael represented

the law which came by the flesh. Whereas Sarah and Isaac

represented grace BY FAITH which came by the promise.

Now the law was in the house for 13years because Abraham

acted in the flesh. This tells us the law is neither of the promise

nor of the spirit. It is carnal and the result of carnality. As long

as Isaac {grace} wasn‟t born the law {Ishmael} was in charge

of the house. The moment Isaac was born, Ishmael‟s time in the

house was over.

The law wasn‟t the promise. It came at the instance of Sarah

and the impatience of Abraham. This is important to know.

In the end the bondwoman and her son which represents the

flesh and the law was thrown out. This is simply because in the

house of faith only grace through faith in the promise is

permitted! Everything else has to go. Now who gave the law?

Was it God? This is an important question?

Olaleye Oluwafemi

Many times in the Old Testament we have statements which

implies that God said it but when we examine the New

Testament we see a better explanation. Let‟s see some

examples.

Exodus 3:1-6

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest

of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and

came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 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. 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.

Notice we see that the scriptures say “and the angel of the Lord

appeared to him” What we see here is an angelic manifestation.

But the writer goes on to say or report the encounter as God

speaking in the first person. However, we will soon see that

God spoke but through the mouths of angels. God didn‟t relate

directly to Moses or any other prophet because they were all

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spiritually dead. Now let‟s see this same account in the book of

Acts.

Acts 7:30-32

And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in

the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of

fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight:

and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came

unto him, Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of

Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

So it was an angel that spoke to him. It was a conversation

between God and Moses with an angelic intermediary. God who

didn‟t live in time had to use angelic beings to speak to his man.

In fact, we will see that all of the dictation of the laws was via

the arrangement of angels. Angels acted as intermediaries in the

giving of the law.

Acts 7:53

Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and

have not kept it.

The word „disposition‟ is from the Greek word „diatage‟ which

means „arrangement „or „instrumentality‟. This means angels

arranged the delivery of the Law of Moses. God spoke and the

angels delivered the way they could to Moses. Two things

therefore we can clearly see. The capacity of angels to correctly

deliver what they heard. And Moses capacity to understand it.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

I will like to answer the question, why the law? Why was it

given? We have seen from the two allegories I used at the

beginning that it was given because man requested it by choice

and allowed it by permission.

If Adam had chosen the tree of life there would be no law.

If he hadn‟t sinned there would be no law. Another reason

spoken of in the epistles for the giving of the law was to bring

man to the end of himself. It was to reveal to men who they

really were. Sinners who needed a savior.

Galatians 3:19

Wherefore then served the law? It was added because of

transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise

was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a

mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is

one.

It was added because of sin! It revealed sin without having the

power to empower to live righteously. It revealed sin without

having the power to justify.

Galatians 3:23-25

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto

the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the

law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might

be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no

longer under a schoolmaster. We see here again that the law

was to be in place (like Ishmael) until Christ came. When Christ

comes who is the seed to which the promises were made then

the time of the law is up.

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The law showed man who he really is and what he needs so he

will not be caught up in self-righteousness and pride. The law

brings man to the point where he realizes he cannot keep it and

needs a savior.

When the savior comes man is supposed to accept what he has

done for him and depend on the savior for his justification. The

law cannot justify any one. It was never designed to justify. It

was designed only to point out sin. Glory to God! We are

justified only by the faith of Jesus Christ.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

TYPES AND SHADOWS

e have established in preceding chapters than man

missed God‟s plan and as such died spiritually. He

didn‟t have the light, life and love of God in him

because all that is available only in Christ. God is a

spirit and to fellowship with him and understand him you have

to be alive to him.

Due to the reality of man‟s sin, God had to communicate with

him but not the way he had always intended .How do you

communicate spiritual realities to a spiritually dead man? Paul

puts this succinctly when writing to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 2:14

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of

God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know

them, because they are spiritually discerned.

It takes the spirit of God to know God .God is not a physical

body, neither is he a soul. God is a spirit and to understand him

man must be born of the same substance God is. Now Adam

and all his descendants were natural men. This means that

Adam wasn‟t indwelt by the spirit of God. This is very clear.

For Paul says to Corinth in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47

And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul;

the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is

natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is

of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven

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Adam was the first progenitor. The first model and he was a

natural menthe couldn‟t give eternal life. He was a natural man.

A man without eternal life and so without the spirit of God.

Now God had to find a way to reveal himself to this man

especially when he moved away from God in rebellion. How do

you reveal yourself and your plans to a man that cannot

understand you? How do you reveal yourself to a man who

doesn‟t have the capacity to receive the eternal plan?

God had one message. God wanted man to have only one

revelation. For it was only this revelation that mattered. The

message was a simple one. Salvation and eternal life through

one man only –Jesus Christ.

This is the total revelation of scripture. The man Jesus!

God had to reveal this message to a generation of men who

didn‟t have the capacity to understand this plainly. So he used

typologies, metaphors to hide his message so that in the fullness

of time when the spirit comes to indwell men they would see

beyond the metaphors and typologies.

First let us establish that the scriptures has only one message.

We can then work our way from there.

2 Timothy 3:15-17

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures,

which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith

which is in Christ Jesus.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for

doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in

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righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly

furnished unto all good works

So we see that the entire scriptures have only one goal to make

one wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Jesus alludes to the fact that the entire scriptures point to him

and what he came to achieve in his death, burial and

resurrection.

Luke 24:25-27

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all

that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have

suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning

at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all

the scriptures the things concerning himself

You see that again? He expounded to them the things

concerning himself.

He reiterates this again in vs 44-46

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto

you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled,

which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets,

and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their

understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And

said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to

suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

So the law, the prophets, the psalms had one message. The

sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Now we

have to read these scriptures in order to discover Christ in them.

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We have to study the 3 great feasts of the Jews and see Christ in

them. We have to study the tabernacle of Moses and see Christ

in it. We have to study the tithe, first fruits, and meat offerings,

drink offerings and see Christ in all of them.

They are all the types and shadows that reveal Christ. The

message of God‟s plan was always in the shadows. Now that we

have the spirit we can see plainly what the natural man couldn‟t

see.

The 3 great feasts of Israel. God instructed Moses to institute 3

great feasts in Israel that was compulsory for all to partake in.

Anyone who didn‟t partake of these feasts was to be cut off.

The feasts were:

The Passover.

The feast of Pentecost or first fruits.

The feast of harvest or ingathering.

For the purpose of this book I will deal with the first and

biggest of the feasts. The Passover.

Just before the children of Israel were to leave Egypt they were

instructed to keep this feast. From the name “Passover” or

“pascha” in Hebrew we get the idea that something passes over

them that was meant for them. That something was death the

penalty for sin as explained by Paul in Romans 5:12

For by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and

so death passed upon all men.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

Now let‟s see what the instructions concerning the Passover

was.

Exodus 12:1-21

And the Lord Spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,

saying, this month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it

shall be the first month of the year to you.

Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth

day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb,

according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his

neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number

of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your

count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male

of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the

goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the

same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of

Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the

blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door

post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat

the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread;

and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor

sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his

legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing

of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it

until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on

your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in

haste: it is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land

of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of

Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the God’s of Egypt I

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will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to

you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see

the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon

you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day

shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to

the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast

by an ordinance forever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened

bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your

houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day

until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And

in the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and in the

seventh day there shall be a holy convocation to you; no

manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every

man must eat, that only may be done of you. And ye shall

observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day

have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore

shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance

forever.

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye

shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of

the month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in

your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even

that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel,

whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat

nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat

unleavened bread.

The Passover involved the picking of a lamb or a goat which

was male as an offering. The lamb was taken on the 10th

day of

the month to live with the family who will offer it as an

offering. It was then sacrificed on the 14th

day of that month.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

The blood was applied in exodus on the door post of the house

and then the body of the lamb was roasted within and without

with fire. This roasted meat was then eaten in a hurry as though

the partakers where in a hurry to go out. The meat was never to

be eaten raw or without being roasted.

All these details have a lot of revelation as regards the cardinal

message of scriptures.

Another thing that was done was that the Israelites were to take

out all “leaven‟ out of the house and eat unleavened bread with

bitter herbs. We see typologies here again.

Now let‟s explain these details one by one.

First Christ is the Passover lamb and unleavened bread.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Purge out therefore the old leaven that ye may be a new lump,

as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is

sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old

leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but

with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

So what God was showing was that the Passover lamb that

would ensure death wouldn‟t destroy mankind is Christ.

Now we see that the lamb had to be roasted with fire

completely.

Fire is a picture of judgement.

The Lord God placed the judgement and punishment for all the

sins of mankind on the body of Jesus.

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The entire roasting of the Passover lamb is a picture and

typology of the judgement of God coming on every inch of

Christ‟s body.

1 Peter 2:24

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that

we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose

stripes ye were healed

Isaiah the prophet says the same thing with more detail.

Isaiah 53:4-7

Surely he hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrows: yet

we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But

he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our

iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and

with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone

astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord

hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and

he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a

lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is

dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison

and from judgment

The next instruction was that they were to eat the roasted

Passover lamb. What does it mean to eat? I mentioned in earlier

chapters that to “eat” is a metaphor for believing. In the shadow

or typology we are painted a picture of the Jews eating a roasted

lamb who has carried away their sins.

The message therein is that to partake of Christ you have to

believe on him with your heart. What are you to believe? You

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are to believe that the judgement for the sins of the whole world

was laid on the body of Jesus. You are to believe he died for

your sins and his blood has provided eternal remission of sins!

To believe this is to eat of the Passover lamb entirely roasted.

Why were they told not to eat of the meat raw? Man is not to

partake of any revelation of Christ that doesn‟t present him as

the Lamb of God who bore the punishment of our sins. Any

teaching of Christ as a prophet, moral leader or good man that

denies his death, burial and resurrection is to present the

Passover lamb without fire. There is no life in that revelation.

There is no remission in a revelation of a Jesus that did not die!

Bless God! He died!

The detail in the instruction to Israel is amazing. The lamb was

to live with the family that presented it from the 10th

day to the

14th

day. The lamb was to be killed on its 5th

day in the house.

The triumphant entry of Jesus is estimated to be about the same

time the Passover lamb was taken into the homes of the family

and also taken to the temple.

Jesus hung on the cross from the 3rd

hour (the time of the

morning sacrifice) to the 9th

hour (the time of the evening

sacrifice). This shows us how perfect his sacrifice was.

The message in the Passover offering was Christ Jesus.

They were to offer that sacrifice till the real Lamb of God

showed up. And guess what? He showed up 2000 years ago and

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by one offering he perfected the men and women that have

believed on him eternally.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

WE SEE JESUS

e have seen that Jesus is the explanation of all

scriptures.

He is the accurate context of all biblical prophecies,

promises, patterns, ceremonies.

Any revelation of scriptures outside of Christ is error. Jesus is

the logos of God become flesh. He is the absolute complete

revelation of who God is. Outside of Jesus there is no God. The

invisible God became visible in Jesus Christ.

For a man to know God he has to know him in Jesus for he is

the explicit explanation of God.

Hebrews 1:2-4

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.

He is the express image of the father‟s person!

The word image is the Greek “character”. It means likeness or

expression. The word “person” is from the Greek “hupostasis”

which means substance.

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This means that Jesus is the exact expression of the father. He is

the exact image of his substance.

He is the same as God. He is one with God? He is called the

image of the invisible God.

Colossians 1:15-19

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. And he is the head of the

body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the

dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell

Can you see that? When you see Jesus you have seen God.

He created all we see and cannot see. He created matter, space

and time. He was not created for his pre-existed time. He is the

head of all angelic forces for he created the angelic forces.

All things created in all of heaven and earth are held together by

him. Apart from Jesus all falls apart.

It is important for us to know exactly who Jesus is. It has to be

clear. Jesus is God! He is more than a prophet, more than a

good man. He is more than a good example to follow.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

God became a man and his name is Jesus. We must understand

this. The moment we take the true identity of Jesus away we

make him common. He is not just a mere man who came to the

earth. He was God on the earth! Now all we see in scriptures

where written about him. The entire canon of books reveal him

and what he had already planned to do before time began. The

scriptures are Christocentric. They reveal Christ and his

redemptive plan for mankind.

Luke 24:25-27

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all

that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have

suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning

at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all

the scriptures the things concerning himself.

He began to reveal himself in the scriptures. He began at Moses

[which refers to the first five books of the bible or at this time

torah], then the prophetic books and all the scriptures revealing

himself to them.

This means when reading the word of God we are to come to

the same conclusion-Jesus and his work of redemption.

We see this reiterated in the same chapter.

Luke 24:43-48

And he took it, and did eat before them. And he said unto them,

These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet

with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in

the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms,

concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they

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might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is

written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from

the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of

sins should be preached in his name among all nations,

beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.

So all things written in scriptures where written concerning

him! They were written concerning his suffering for the sins of

mankind and the remission of sins his sacrifice will bring. This

is the one and only understanding of the scriptures. It is

important to know that Jesus reveals himself to his disciples

from the Old Testament writings.

This means that the revelation of Jesus is hidden in the shadows

of the law, in the prophecies of the prophets, in the songs of the

psalms and in all the other writing styles of scripture.

Christ! Christ! Christ!

He is the message of the scriptures! He is in the Old Testament

writings concealed but he is revealed in the New Testament. As

we have our inner man flooded with light we see him beyond

the shadows.

We see in the fullness of light.

It is possible to read the bible and not see Christ. It is possible

to read it and not see beyond the shadows. Many are still stuck

in the ceremonies of the law and have not seen the prophecies

of the prophets fulfilled in Christ. So we find people still

observing the Passover, feasts of Pentecost, new moon etc.

These feast where to illustrate Christ till he comes.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

Christ has now come we no longer need the shadow because the

true light already shines and is shining!

John 1:8-9

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that

Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that

cometh into the world.

So we have to examine the practices of the Old Testament

through the light of Christ. This was why Paul prayed the most

amazing of all prayers for the church at Ephesus.

Ephesians 1:17-20

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may

give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the

knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being

enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,

and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward

who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead,

and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.

He prayed for them to have the spirit of wisdom and revelation

in the knowledge of him.

The spirit of wisdom is the spirit of insight into what lies

behind. It is insight into what isn‟t previously seen or known. It

is what the Greeks called “Sophia”. He then prays for

revelation. This word is beautiful. It is the Greek “apokalupsis”

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which means to take the lid of. It means to make what was

previously hidden and obscure clearly visible and manifest.

Where did he want God to give this clarity? In the inner man.

The eyes of understanding refer to the cognitive part of the

inner man. He is praying for an enlightenment in the inner man.

What enlightenment is a flooding with light!

Another translation reads “that the eyes of your spirit may be

flooded with light!” Flooded with light! Do you know what

happens when a place is flooded with light? The shadows

completely disappear! There is clarity.

Why does Paul pray like this? He does so because the most

important need of the believer after salvation is revelation

knowledge. The man in Christ has to truly and progressively

understand what God did for him in Christ.

He has to see beyond the shadows and step into the light. The

believer doesn‟t need more power, He has Christ. He doesn‟t

need more joy, he has Christ. He doesn‟t have to keep the

Passover, Christ is his Passover. He doesn‟t have to keep the

feast of first fruits, he is the first fruit of redemption. He doesn‟t

need to be blessed, he is blessed with all blessings in Christ. He

however needs to have revelation knowledge to know all these

things!

This is why Paul prays. It takes the spirit of God to unveil the

word of Christ to a man. The scriptures are spirit breathed and

as such they can only be understood by the agency of the Holy

Spirit.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

Now the epistles of Paul are the explanations of the spirit

concerning the plan, purposes of God penned down in the Old

Testament scriptures. To understand the Old Testament we have

to understand Paul. The fulfillment of the Pauline prayers is

found in his epistles. For in Paul‟s writings Christ is fully

explained beyond examples, typologies and metaphors.

Colossians 2:16-17

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in

respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath

days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of

Christ.

So now that we are in Christ we need not dwell in the shadows.

The substance is here.

We don‟t keep the Sabbath days because he is our Sabbath. We

don‟t need to feed on unleavened bread because he is our

unleavened bread. We ate of him when we believed on him. We

don‟t need to drink the wine of the Passover because his blood

which the wine or cup typified has been shed!

Luke 22:24-25

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave

unto them, saying, this is my body which is given for you: this

do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper,

saying, and this cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is

shed for you

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So if we believe in him we have partaken of both his body and

his blood. We are members of his body by faith in him. We are

washed by his blood by faith in him. We have the real thing. We

have the real person. We therefore can now stop grasping at

straws. We can now stop chasing shadows.

Praise God Christ the light is here!

Olaleye Oluwafemi

IN WHOM WE HAVE

T is important for saints to understand who we are in Christ

and what we have in him. In the previous chapter we have

seen that there is a knowledge beyond the shadows.

We will explore a bit of this knowledge as regards our identity

in Christ here. Let us start by exploring the concept of baptism.

What is baptism? It is a word taken from the Greek “baptidzo”

which means to immerse or submerge. So to baptize a person or

an object with a substance is to immerse it into that substance.

Now remember we spoke of types and shadows. We have seen

that the shadows actually point to Christ and that we are to

always look beyond the typologies. John the Baptist was the

first major personality in scripture to introduce baptism as a

concept.it was a revelation given to him.

Let‟s hear him.

Matt 3:11

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that

cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy

to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire

See what he said his ministry was – a baptism in water unto

repentance. This means the water baptism of John was to

foreshadow another baptism. For he later says “he that comes

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after me will baptize not with water but with the holy ghost”. So

John baptizes with water. Jesus baptizes with the Holy Ghost.

John‟s immersion into water was to metaphorically point to

what Jesus would eventually do in the new birth. Water baptism

was a carnal and sensual ceremony to illustrate to the carnal

man what Jesus was going to do after his redemptive sacrifice.

This is why John desired the baptism Jesus was to bring when

the latter came to be water baptized by him.

Matthew 3:14

But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of

thee, and comest thou to me?

Though John the Baptist was the greatest of all the prophets of

the Old Testament he wasn‟t born again. He was called the

greatest because while other prophets prophesied about Christ‟s

coming. John actually pointed him out. So what does the

baptism in the Holy Ghost by Jesus actually do?

Remember, we defined baptism as an immersion into or a

submerging into. This means that a baptism into the Holy Ghost

is an immersion into the Holy Ghost. However, there is more.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 says

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the

members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is

Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,

whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free;

and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is

not one member, but many.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

So the immersion into the Holy Ghost is an immersion into the

body of Christ. This is the real baptism. What the baptism of the

Holy Ghost does is that it makes us one with Christ. The spirit

of God subsequent upon us receiving Christ plants and

immerses us into Christ himself.

We are him. He is us.

1 Corinthians 6:17

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit

The man in Christ is joined to him by baptism .The word join is

really interesting. It is the Greek “kollao”. It means to glue

together, to cement, to fasten together! This is an unbreakable

union. We are fastened together. We are one spirit with the

Lord! Oh glory to God!

This is the baptism Jesus brought. A union with him. It was

made possible because of his death, burial and resurrection.

This therefore means that to be baptized in the Holy Ghost is to

be born again. To be baptized in the Holy Ghost is to be born of

the Holy Ghost.

Titus 3:4-7

But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward

man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have

done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of

regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

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Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our

Savior; That being justified by his grace, we should be made

heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

So we were saved by the „washing of regeneration” and

renewing of the Holy Ghost. Let‟s break this verse down so as

to understand it.

Now as we very well know that the New Testament scriptures

where written in the Greek language and so to fully understand

the intent of the grammatical rendering we must apply the laws

of Greek grammar.

In English when we see the conjunction “and” we know that

two separate objects or persons are being linked together .This

is not always so in the Greek language.

I will illustrate this point using this verse of scripture and one

other verse. Now there is law of Greek grammar which is called

“the Grandville sharps rule”. It states that if two nouns are

joined together by the Greek conjunction “kai” with the definite

article “tou” being before one of the words then the two words

refer to the same thing. This is why the word “kai” in the Greek

is translated as “and”, “even” and “that is”.

So in the case of Titus 3:5 the washing of regeneration is the

renewing of the Holy Ghost. That word washing can also be

translated as baptism. The word regeneration which is

paligennesia is translated as new birth. The word renewing is

the Greek anakainosis. It means a complete change for the

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better. Essentially what Paul is telling Titus is that by the

baptism or washing of the Holy Ghost men become born again.

This he reiterates in 1 Corinthians 6:11

And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are

sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,

and by the Spirit of our God

The spirit of God is the agent of the new birth. The immersion

into the Holy Ghost washes us and regenerates us. The Christ is

the one who has the spirit. Our immersion into Christ is an

immersion into the spirit. The other example to buttress this is

found in John 3:5-6

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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and

that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Just as in the example above “born of water and of the spirit”

falls into the same category. This means Christ is using the

birthing of water as seen in the natural birth to illustrate the

birthing spiritually. This is why he goes on to say “that which is

born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is

spirit”.

The baptism into Christ is an immersion into all that is in

Christ. The new birth is in Christ; therefore all who have been

baptized into Christ have the new birth.

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Eternal life is in Christ therefore all in Christ have eternal life. It

is important that we know who we are and what we now have

by our unbreakable union with him. So let us examine in the

next chapters in detail what we have in Christ. The more we

know, the more we show!

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RIGHTEOUSNESS

t is very important that we understand the subject of

righteousness. At this point you must have understood that

the righteousness of God cannot be attained by man‟s

effort. It is not in the natural man to meet up to God‟s

standard.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us

wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory

in the Lord

What is righteousness? It is the ability to stand before God

without a sense of guilt, inferiority or fear of a sentence of

death. It is that free gift of God that makes a man unaccusable

and unreproveable in God‟s holy sight. This gift is given by

grace and not by the law. It is a righteousness apart from the

Law of Moses. A new type of righteousness.

Romans 3:21

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,

being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the

righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all

and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference

Abraham the father of faith was declared righteous before God

not because he was perfect morally. In fact if we examine his

conduct we will find that he fell short time and time again.

I

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He lied to protect himself. In Egypt he lied that Sarai wasn‟t his

wife.

Genesis 12:12

Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see

thee, that they shall say, this is his wife: and they will kill me,

but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister:

that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live

because of thee.

The king of Egypt took Sarah as his wife because of this lie.

Genesis 12:15-16

The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her

before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's

house. And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had

sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and

maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

Yet God didn‟t punish Abraham for his sin but we see that

plagues visited pharaoh‟s house instead! Why? Well, God

couldn‟t see sin in Abraham. He was righteous!

Genesis 12:17-19

And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great

plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called

Abram, and said, what is this that thou hast done unto me? Why

didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why saidst thou,

She is my sister? So I might have taken her to me to wife: now

therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

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Many don‟t realize that this is what the blessing of Abraham

really is. That a man will stand before God free of his sins! So

how did Abraham become righteous? He believed God.

Genesis 15:1-7

After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a

vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy

exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt

thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house

is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me

thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine

heir.

And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, this

shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine

own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth

abroad, and said, look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if

thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, so shall thy

seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him

for righteousness. And he said unto him, I am the Lord that

brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to

inherit it.

Notice that God preached to Abraham his promise to give him a

seed. He also promised to give the land of promise to him and

that seed as an inheritance. Abraham believed this promise. God

called him righteous simply because he believed. This kind of

righteousness is only received by believing what God has said

about the promised seed. Who is the promised seed that God

kept talking about? The seed was Christ.

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Galatians 3:16

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He

saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy

seed, which is Christ.

So what was the promise God made to Abraham again? We

must be clear on what it was so as to have an understanding of

it.

Let us revisit the first time God spoke to Abraham.

Genesis 12:1-3

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country,

and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land

that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation,

and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt

be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse

him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth

be blessed.

So we see God promising him a great Nation. A great name.

That he will not only be blessed but be a blessing. He also says

through or in Abraham and by inference his seed all the Nations

of the earth will be blessed.

Before we go any further you have to understand that the bible

is a Christ centered book and is a document of progressive

revelation. We have seen before that the entire scriptures speak

of the unveiling of the redemptive plan of God in Christ. This

plan is spoken of in Genesis in seed form. It is in types and

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shadows in the Law of Moses. It is prophesied in the books of

the prophets. But fully explained in the epistles.

So let us see how the epistles explain God‟s message to

Abraham.

Galatians 3:8-9

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen

through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham,

saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which

be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

So it is clear from here that the blessing being spoken about was

justification by faith. Faith in whom? Faith in what?

Galatians 3:13-14

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made

a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hanged

on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the

Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the

promise of the Spirit through faith.

Justification through faith in Christ is the blessing of Abraham.

Any man or woman who identifies with Christ by faith has

justification. He has righteousness. David in the psalms talks

about this blessing. He desired it because he didn‟t have it at the

time.

Psalm 32:1-2

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is

covered.

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Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no guile

Paul explains this psalm in detail in Romans 4:6-8

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto

whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying,

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins

are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not

impute sin.

The blessed man is the one to whom God imputes righteousness

without works! This man‟s iniquities are forgiven, his sins

covered and when he sins God doesn‟t hold him responsible for

it! This is what the blessing is!

God is not imputing sins to men. The word “impute “is the

Greek “logizomai” it means to account or document to one‟s

name. It‟s like when you go to a bank and deposit money .They

record or impute the amount deposited to your name. The word

impute is an accounting and legal word. If a man is accused

before a law court of a crime, the charge against him is recorded

against his name. What Paul is explaining to us is that the sins

of the blessed man are not recorded by God against his name!

Why? Because Jesus paid the price for sins we couldn‟t pay! He

became our sin offering and sin itself!

2 Corinthians 5:21

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we

might be made the righteousness of God in him.

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So Jesus who was sinless took our place of sin so we might

never ever be held responsible in God‟s sight for our sins.

He redeemed us from sins penalty.

Ephesians 1:7

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness

of sins, according to the riches of his grace

The word redemption is the Greek „apolutrosis‟ it means a

release effected by the making of a payment. So Christ paid the

ransom or the release from sins hold with his pure, divine

blood. By that payment, the demands of God‟s holy justice was

satisfied. Man is redeemed from the penalty of sin. The penalty

which was spiritual death, a separation from God.

Same thing said here.

Colossians 1:14

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the

forgiveness of sins:

This is why there is no condemnation to the man in Christ.

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in

Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit

The word “condemnation” is the Greek “katakrima” it means a

“sentence of death, a death sentence subsequent upon a guilty

verdict” It is a legal term.

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This means the man who is in Christ Jesus cannot be found

guilty neither can he be sentenced to death in God‟s sight. This

is righteousness! We don‟t work for it! We believed for it!

Romans 4:5

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth

the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness

This is the gospel of Christ. It is a message of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by

Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto

himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath

committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

God is not imputing the sins of the world against them. This is

the message.

That God has reconciled the whole world to himself in Christ .if

any man believes in Christ he receives the free gift of eternal

redemption, justification, salvation and life from God. Now

though Abraham believed in Christ he didn‟t receive the

promise. Not just Abraham but all the Old Testament saints.

Hebrew 11:38-40

(Of whom the world was not worthy :) they wandered in deserts,

and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith,

received not the promise: God having provided some better

thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect

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The promise of the seed which was Christ who would pay the

penalty for sins was in their future. They were shown what he

would do. They believed it. However, they died without seeing

it. But the sacrifice of Christ is in our past, hence we have

received what they hoped for.

We have received what they didn‟t see. We are what they

weren‟t. We have what they didn‟t. We are the righteousness of

God. We have the Holy Ghost within. Amen.

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ETERNAL SALVATION

od in his grace and mercy designed a plan in eternity

to ensure men could receive eternal life. As we have

said before eternal life is not an afterthought. It was

always God‟s plan for mankind.

He purposed in himself to give this life to all who believed

including Adam.

Titus 1:1-2

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of

the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which

God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

So he promised this life before the world began not after it did.

We now see in genesis which is a book of typologies God

showing us the options he placed before the first man in the

Garden of Eden. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge

of Good and evil.

We have seen before in this book that the tree of life

represented Christ [chapter 2] and the tree of the knowledge of

good and evil, a life of justification by works and self-effort.

Now let us examine the nature of this salvation, this life God

has given us in Christ.

We will answer questions regarding controversial issues like

can we sin away our salvation? Can we lose salvation?

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But first let us examine scriptures exhaustively about salvation

and the life that is in Christ.

John 3:14-18

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so

must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in

him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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. For

God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but

that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth

on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is

condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name

of the only begotten Son of God.

Notice what Jesus himself said. He that believes should not

perish but have eternal life. Let‟s examine some words here to

gain an understanding. A very clear understanding.

The word „perish” is the Greek “appolumi” it means to destroy

by death. Jesus says that he that believes should „not perish‟.

That word „not‟ is a negation in Greek it means „shall not, never

under any circumstance‟. So the believer in Christ shall not

under any circumstance perish. He believes!

Now the words „everlasting life or eternal life‟ are very well

used by Christ and the apostles. The words or prefixes used for

life in these verses [eternal and everlasting] are the same Greek

word „aionos‟. It means „without beginning and without end,

timeless‟. It is a description for the life Christ gives.

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Now the word “life” is the Greek “zoe” it speaks of vitality, a

full and complete life. It is used to speak of the life a man has

when he is union with God. Life means union. Death means

separation. So the man who has eternal life is one with God

forever. It is a union that will never end in Christ. Jesus is life.

He is that eternal life that came down from heaven.

John 6:33-37

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven,

and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord,

evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the

bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he

that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, that

ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth

me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no

wise cast out.

He is the bread that gives life to the world and if any man eats

of him he will never cast him out! He reiterates again that he is

the bread of life. He is life! The life!

John 6:46-48

Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God,

he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that

believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no

man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

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Whosoever eats of Jesus shall live forever and never see death.

John 6:51

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any

man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I

will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world

This eternal life! Once received we keep it forever! The man

who believes in Jesus has eternal life!

1 John 5:13

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of

the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and

that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God

He wants us to know that we have eternal life. If a man has

Jesus, he has eternal life. Jesus is eternal life. Now when a man

receives this life he is kept by God, he doesn‟t keep himself.

John 10:28

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,

neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father,

which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to

pluck them out of my Father's hand.

No man can pluck the believer out of God‟s hand. No man! The

father‟s authority is greater than all. No man can pluck the man

in Christ out of his hand.

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This is the assurance of salvation. We are assured that after

receiving Christ we will never see death. Our salvation is his

work not ours we just received his finished work. He is able to

save us to the uttermost.

Hebrews 7:25

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that

come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make

intercession for them.

His intercessory work is our eternal advocacy before God. As

long as he lives, we will never ever see death. He is alive

forever, we are saved forever. It is important that we understand

that salvation wasn‟t our idea. It was his idea. In fact we didn‟t

even have sense enough to request it because we really didn‟t

know what we needed.

But God who is rich in mercy showed us his love in that while

we were yet enemies he died for us.

Romans 5:8-10

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were

yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now

justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through

him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God

by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall

be saved by his life

He gave Christ to die even when we were enemies! This shows

that his sacrifice wasn‟t predicated on our goodness but on his

grace and mercy.

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God purposed in himself to deal with men not on the basis of

what they have done but on the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus.

This offering of Christ for sin is enough! It is complete and

perfect! We don‟t need to add anything to this work. It was

enough for our entire salvation. We must add nothing to it. We

must preach nothing but it.

Hebrews 10:10-14

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the

body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth

daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices,

which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had

offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right

hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be

made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected

forever them that are sanctified

So one sacrifice which was the offering of the spirit, soul and

body of Jesus for our sins was enough for our redemption. In

fact the sacrifice of Jesus was an overpayment for our sins! So

we may ask are you saying that having received salvation we

can now live sinfully.

This is a very carnal and sensual question! First the man in

Christ cannot live in sin!

Romans 6:1-3

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace

may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin,

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live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as

were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

The word sin here is the Greek “harmatia” it means to miss the

mark. It is very important for us to understand something‟s as

regarding the use of Greek words and their parts of speech. If

we don‟t understand this we will interpret scriptures wrongly.

First the word harmatia doesn‟t describe an action but a nature.

The word “harmatia” as used here is a noun feminine word.

This means it doesn‟t describe an action but a nature. We know

that a noun is a name of an animal, person, place or thing. It

doesn‟t describe what the person or object does but gives it an

identity. This is what a noun is.

So what Paul is saying here is that can a man who is in Christ

continue in the nature of sin that grace may abound? God

forbid!

The grace of God moved the man in Christ from sin to God!

There is no sin in God. There is no God in sin! The believer

cannot live in sin. There is no living in sin only death! So we

are not just forgiven, we have been made new creations!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old

things are passed away; behold, all things are become new

The new creation is not a renovation of the old man .He is a

completely new man that has never existed before. He has

received a new spirit, nature and life. This life he has received

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as given him a new lifestyle. He now is alive in Christ. Christ is

his life.

Ezekiel 36:24-27

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out

of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be

clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I

cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit

will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of

your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put

my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and

ye shall keep my judgments, and do them

A new heart, a new spirit, a removal of the heart of stone and

replacement with a heart of flesh. This man has Christ as his

life.

Colossians 3:1-4

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are

above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your

affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are

dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who

is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in

glory.

He is a new man created after the image of God which is Christ.

Ephesians 4:22-24

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man,

which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be

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renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new

man, which after God is created in righteousness and true

holiness

He is not the man he used to be. The old man of sin is dead.

That man died when Jesus died. The man who is a sinner and

craves sin died the moment Jesus died on the cross. He doesn‟t

exist anymore in the Christian.

Romans 6:6-7

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the

body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not

serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin

So we don‟t have a dual nature in Christ.

We only have one nature. The divine nature! We must

constantly put before the believer what the scriptures say about

his new life. He has to know. The more he knows about his new

life, the more he will show it. The knowledge of God is not an

academic one but a spiritual one.

As we unveil the realities of the new creation to the believer

there is a total change in his thinking. He can now see clearly

who he is in Christ and walk accordingly. When a believer

doesn‟t walk like one he needs to be properly trained and raised.

He needs to know that he has a new nature which comes with a

new set of characteristic traits.

Paul speaking in Galatians lets us know this new traits.

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Galatians 5:22-23

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. If we live in the Spirit, let

us also walk in the Spirit.

The believer is love, joy, peace, longsuffering etc.

He doesn‟t just have love; he is love because love gave birth to

him. He was filled with hate when he wasn‟t in Christ but now

in Christ hate is gone! He has joy now! He has peace now! He

is longsuffering now!

Jesus didn‟t just save us from our sins he also gave us a new

life! We now live in the spirit and so walk there in. we have left

the kingdom of sin alone. We have been translated from that

kingdom of darkness into one of light!

Glory to God!

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ETERNAL SALVATION – AN

APOLOGIA OF THE GOSPEL

here are many who are opposed to the teaching of

eternal salvation and they have several scriptures which

they struggle with. I must say that the subject of

salvation is quite wide and requires a lot of intense,

patient study to be clearly understood.

Peter in commenting about the writings of Paul said the

following.

2 Peter 3:15-16

And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;

even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom

given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles,

speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard

to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable

wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own

destruction.

So he admits that the Pauline revelations are hard to understand

at times because of its depth. He also says that certain who are

unstable and unlearned twist them to say what it doesn‟t say.

This is why we must be very patient and careful when

expounding the truths concerning the gift of salvation. So in this

chapter we will examine the scriptures that seem nutty to many

believers. The ones many quote to imply that salvation is not

eternal but temporary and that how a man lives in this earth will

determine whether or not he goes to heaven.

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We will look at all the major scriptures. Let‟s begin with

Mark 13:13

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that

shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

This same statement is made in Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:13,

22.

So what is being spoken about here?

We must apply the law of contextual reading of the scriptures to

get a proper grasp of what Jesus is saying here. To read in

context you must read the pretext, the post text and bring it into

the context of the verse being examined. So we must read Mark

13:9-20

But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to

councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall

be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony

against them. And the gospel must first be published among all

nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take

no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye

premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour,

that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the

father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents,

and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated

of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the

end, the same shall be saved.

But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of

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by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that

readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the

mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into

the house, neither enter therein, to take anything out of his

house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to

take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to

them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight

be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such

as was not from the beginning of the creation which God

created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the

Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but

for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the

days.

Jesus is talking to Jews here who will believe on his name. We

must understand the period what he describes is going to

happen. He mentions something very important in verse 14

“when ye shall see the abomination of desolation” this refers to

the prophecy of Daniel regarding the reign of the antichrist.

This prophecy is in Daniel 9:27

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and

in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the

oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he

shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that

determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The antichrist after the rapture will erect an image of himself for

the Jews to worship in the rebuilt temple of Solomon. This he

will do to exalt himself as God. That image is called the

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abomination of desolation, the desecration of the Jewish temple.

The antichrist will greatly persecute the Jewish nation and

especially those Jews who would believe in Jesus post rapture.

We must not forget that the era of the antichrist would only

happen after the church has been taken away at the beginning of

Daniel‟s 70th

prophetic week.

Daniel 9:24-27

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy

holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins,

and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in

everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and

prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Know therefore and

understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to

restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince

shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street

shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And

after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not

for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall

destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be

with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are

determined

So when Jesus tells them the sign they will see, which is the

abomination of desolation, he tells them to run! To run from the

cities to the mountains, fleeing the persecution of the antichrist.

The man who is able to endure the persecution and stay away

from the grasp of the enemy will be saved.

The context of enduring to the end in this scripture has nothing

to do with the gift of salvation but with an escape from the

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antichrist and his followers during the seven years after the

rapture of the church.

The next scripture we will examine is 1 Corinthians 9:27

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that

by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should

be a castaway.

Many have interpreted being “a castaway” to losing salvation.

But again we must apply the law of contextual reading of

scriptures.

It will enable us discover what Paul is actually saying.

So let‟s read 1 Corinthians 9:19-27

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself

servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I

became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are

under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are

under the law; To them that are without law, as without law,

(being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that

I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as

weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all

men that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the

gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Know

you not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth

the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that

striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do

it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I

therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight me, not as one that

beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into

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subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to

others, I myself should be a castaway.

What is Paul talking about here? He is referring to ministry.

Getting the gospel out to folks of different persuasions: those

with the Law of Moses and those without it. He preached the

gospel to them making a lot of sacrifices so they accept his

message. He then likens his ministerial efforts to two Olympic

sports. They are athletics and boxing.

To run in an athletic race there are rules to follow. It is not

enough to cross the finish line first. It is important to run in your

own lane! If a man comes first and runs in another fellow‟s lane

he will be disqualified from the race though he crossed the line

first!

Same thing with boxing. To win the match you must box

according to the rules or face disqualification.

This is what Paul speaks of here. The word “cast away “is the

Greek “adokimos” .It means “disqualified‟. Paul is saying that

he has to bring is body under to preach the gospel the right way.

So that he doesn‟t get disqualified from a reward that Christ will

give on the Day of Judgment for believers.

2 Corinthians 5:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that

every one may receive the things done in his body, according to

that he hath done, whether it be good or bad

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The word judgment here is the Greek “bema” it means a seat of

reward. This is where Christ will reward us for the things we

did for the gospel. Some will qualify for these rewards and

others will not.

This is what Paul is talking about here!

I might also add that the doctrine we preach is the basis of this

reward that will come from the Lord. For that day of reward is a

day where the works of every one will be tested by the fire of

the Lord.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is

Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold,

silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work

shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it

shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work

of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built

thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be

burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet

so as by fire.

Gold, silver, precious stones refers to the message of Christ

divinity, redemption and holiness. This is all that should be laid

on the foundation of Christ .No more! Wood, hay, stubble refers

to messages that point to man‟s effort to be justified before

God. While gold, silver and precious stones like diamond

cannot be burnt by fire the others will be consumed by it. So

any man whose work for the Lord is made up of messages of

self-effort or Christ plus something has built with wood, hay

and stubble. He will get no reward.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

The next scripture we will examine is Matthew 7:21-23

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into

the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father

which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,

have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast

out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And

then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me,

ye that work iniquity.

Many have used this scripture to imply that some folks who not

only have believed in Jesus but also done great ministerial

exploits will be sent to hell because of their sins. Now it is

important again to first of all read the scriptures in context. Let

us quickly do this to understand what the Lord is saying here.

Matthew 7:15-18

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's

clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know

them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of

thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but

a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring

forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit

Jesus is talking about false prophets who masquerade as true!

They are not believers in Jesus but camouflage as prophets. So

though they do great acts in his name they aren‟t saved. This is

why Jesus says to them “I NEVER KNEW YOU!” He doesn‟t

say “I used to know you”.

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These guys were never believers. This much is very clear. It is

very important to know that we don‟t call a man an authentic

prophet because of accurate prophecies or miracles but by his

testimony about Christ. This is the fruit we are to look for. The

false prophet‟s doctrine will not glorify the finished works of

Christ. Paul and John had instructions for us regarding false

prophets.

1 John 4:1-3

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they

are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the

world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that

confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And

every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the

flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof

ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in

the world.

So the false prophet doesn‟t emphasize what Jesus has done. He

denies and demeans the finished work of Christ.

1 Timothy 4:1-3

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some

shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and

doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their

conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and

commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to

be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know

the truth.

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So we can identify who a false prophet is not by the accuracy of

his prophecies or the veracity of miracles but in the accuracy of

his doctrine. So Jesus was talking about false prophets and not

believers in him. The next scripture to look at is 1 Corinthians

10:12

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall

Fall into what? What is Paul talking about? We examine the

previous scriptures to gain an understanding and the scriptures

after verse 12 also.

1 Corinthians 10:9-14

Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, nor

were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them

also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all

these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are

written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world

are come.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he

fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common

to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be

tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation

also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it

So when we read in context we see that he is talking of

temptation. He is saying that we must not be like the Old

Testament folks who repeatedly fell into temptation and sinned.

We who are in Christ must ensure we take heed to ourselves not

to fall into temptation. When we are tempted, the ability to walk

in victory is already present within us having been given by

God himself. He is not talking about falling away from Christ.

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The person who keeps us from falling away is Christ himself

because it is his hold on us that is trustworthy.

Jude 1:24

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to

present you faultless before the presence of his glory with

exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and

majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

He is able to keep us from falling. He will present us faultless

before himself on the last day. He is able to do it and he will!

Now we must also look at revelations. The letter to the seven

churches of Asia.

Revelation 1:20

The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right

hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the

angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which

thou sawest are the seven churches.

Jesus was talking to John and giving him a message to the seven

pastors who led the churches in Asia. Now let us look at the

message given to the pastors that looks like a removal or

withdrawal of salvation.

Revelation 2:4-5

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast

left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art

fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come

unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his

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place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the

deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate

The Lord is warning this pastor and telling him to repent and do

his first works. Clearly this is referring to his ministry. The

work of preaching, teaching and discipleship. The pastor of this

church had stopped being fervent as he should be. He wasn‟t

winning souls as he should. He wasn‟t teaching and training as

he should too or as he previously did.

Now the Lord said if he didn‟t repent his candle stick will be

removed. Remember the candle stick here refers to the church.

He is saying to this pastor if you don‟t return to preaching and

teaching as you once did, there will not be a local assembly in

Ephesus!

What a warning! Ephesus is actually a region in present day

turkey. As we know Turkey is now a Muslim nation, whereas

by the time of John it was the most vibrant Christian region. If

we don‟t continually win souls and disciple them we will lose

regions that were previously Christianized to other persuasions

as have happened in the Middle East and Europe!

The next church whose message has to be explained is the

message to the Laodicean church and pastor.

Revelation 3:14-19

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These

things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the

beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou

art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then

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because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, have I

will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich,

and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and

knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor,

and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in

the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou

mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not

appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest

see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous

therefore, and repent

The Laodicean pastor was rich and comfortable. He had no

needs whatsoever but he was Luke warm. The term is used to

speak of an unstable and undependable fellow. Now the phrase

“spew you out of my mouth” simply illustrates the Lord‟s

displeasure to this pastor‟s attitude to his ministry. The Lord

was correcting him. He wanted him to become fired up again

and be fervent in the ministry.

The letters to the churches weren‟t about the doctrine of

salvation but about ministry! There is a difference. This

minister didn‟t know the true state of his work before God. Now

we examine the most popular of the scriptures which seem to

say the believer can sin away his salvation.

Hebrews 6:4-9

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and

have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the

Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the

powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew

them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves

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the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it,

and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed,

receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and

briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be

burned.

But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things

that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

Paul speaks hypothetically of a man who has been enlightened

by the gospel, has tasted the heavenly gift, made partaker of the

holy ghost, tasted the good word of God and the powers of the

world to come.

This man being described has heard it all, seen it all and done it

all. He says if this man comes and says that Jesus is not the

eternal sacrifice for sin there is no way to get him to change his

mind again.

Now note Paul says “if”.

This is hypothetical. In my thinking I am wondering, why will a

man who knows beyond a reasonable doubt that Jesus is the

only way to eternal salvation deny him? Why? Why will this

man who has seen miracles, signs and wonders now say Jesus is

not the savior?

Now Paul speaks to the Jewish believers and says

Hebrews 6:9-11

But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things

that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not

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unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye

have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the

saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do

shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the

end:

So he is convinced of things concerning salvation to these

believers.

So no man or woman who believes in Jesus will go to hell!

He is in Christ. There is no hell or death in Christ. That much is

abundantly clear in scriptures.

Olaleye Oluwafemi

NOW THAT YOU KNOW , WALK

IN YOUR T R UE NATURE

aul prays repeatedly for his disciples to know. He never

prayed for them to have but for them to know. If we

don‟t know what we have we cannot enjoy what we

have.

Ephesians 1:15-20

Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus,

and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you,

making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord

Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of

wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may

know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the

glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding

greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the

working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when

he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand

in the heavenly places.

Paul prays for the believers subsequent upon receiving Christ to

know the heights and the depths of what they have received.

He prays for them to receive revelation knowledge, the eyes of

their understanding being enlightened.

The eye of understanding refers to the perception of the mind.

The understanding of the mind. For it is with the mind we

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understand. He prays for our minds to be flooded with light, this

light will cause us to know the power we have, the authority we

have in Christ.

Revelation knowledge is not academic knowledge while there is

need for study to receive revelation knowledge, there is need for

the ministry of the spirit unveiling Christ to us out of that

academic study of the scriptures.

This knowledge that comes via the spirit and the written word

causes transformation! It is only via the word and the spirit that

true change can ever occur. Revelation knowledge brightens our

minds causing it to see what we have already received as reality

within our spirits. It is important for us to realize that all we will

ever need in this life and in the one to come is already in our

spirits by the Holy Ghost.

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who

hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in

Christ:

The spirit of the man born again is born of God! He is an

offspring of God! God is his father.

1 Peter 1:23

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,

by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever

The man in Christ is born of the word of God, the seed of God.

The spirit of the man born again is the expression and

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manifestation of the DNA of God, the life of God. In the spirit,

the born again is perfection! He is complete in Christ lacking

nothing!

Colossians 2:9-10

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And

ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and

power:

So in Christ the man lacks nothing! He is complete in Christ.

But his mind needs to know what was received in the spirit.

Remember, new birth is not a mental birth or a physical birth. It

is a spiritual birth. The Spirit of God gave birth to our spirit.

Regenerated our spirits.

We must now reintroduce our minds or souls to this new man

we have become. This is why we must renew our minds by

feeding it with revelations of who we are as revealed in the

epistles. The more we see with our minds the more there is a

transformation of our souls into the image of God that is in our

spirits. So meditate on all the words of this book.

Get understanding and your profiting will appear to all!

Shalom.