SHOULD PASTORS WORK OUTSIDE CHURCH?

It would be okay for the Pastor not to work and concentrate on the ministerial obligations of the calling. However, this is dependent on a few factors that must come into picture if we are to get the whole issue right. 

Among the factors are the following:

1. The changing times
2. The calling
3. The magnitude of the ministry.
4. The Financial state of the ministry.

The changing times

This is in a sense that times have pretty changed and the demands of life have followed suit. In a carnal sense, it is not convincing and right for a person not to work and be at the mercy of others. Because of this very reason and the hardships faced in living, many theories have had to come into play.

Believers no longer give as willingly as they used to. Everybody wants to work and be independent of others. But the question is; is this what God wants?

However, in the Bible times, it was very okay for the priest to be totally committed to the work of God, after all, it is pretty indeed work, isn't it?(Numbers 18), (Deuteronomy 18:1).

The Apostle Paul advised ministers to work like he was doing so they could earn a living and avoid burdening the flock. He could, though, have said so out of the prevailing conditions, not that it is what it should be or what God wanted. If we seek to quote scripture, let it be within context.  Yet to be exemplary, Paul was a tent maker so he could supplement his income (Acts 18:3).

If we  ask a few questions, we will find the truth behind the truth; who are the people Paul was writing to? Why did he write to them like that? If we can answer those questions, we will be able to understand better. 

However, since it is acceptable for a pastor to work and also be able to continue with their pastoral work as effectively as they should, let it be. I am a pastor but I am also working. I still do have mixed feelings but right now I am doing what is affordable to me and the ministry.

One of the biggest dilemmas we are in, though; is that many of the present day believers do not believe that serving the Lord is any work. They tend to view full time ministers in church as half or under employed fellows. But suppose we all only come on Sundays for service and there is no one to man the church, how would the church premises look like? Such a scenario usually emanates from the tendency not to take God’s work as seriously as we do ours (Malachi 3:13-15).

Yet it is also true that there are many masqueraders in ministry today. Every lazy and failing person in life thinks ministry is the easy option. This is spoiling the whole idea. Yet it can never fail God's work. And this should never be one of the reasons that we should be discouraged. The fact is pretty that ministry is never for failures. For ministry is so demanding if at all it is to grow and benefit society.

The calling

Some people have been called to be ministers while they work. Others have been called to be entirely ministers and that is where they are to earn a living as well.

Some pastors can indeed work and execute pastoral duties as well. But this is dependent on two key issues as:

• How much pastoral work is available for that pastor. 

• It also depends on the agreement between a particular pastor and the flock. Say believers may; depending on how they want the ministry to progress ask the pastor to leave work and concentrate on the pastoral work. 

However there are some pastors whose nature of calling will never allow them to work, they will always try but will keep failing. I have witnessed this. Their nature of calling (as dictated by God) will dictate they can only earn a living from their pastoral work and nothing else.

But it is also true that some pastors have simply decided to impose themselves on the flock in terms of caring for them and their families. This may not be right. It is upon this that they try to cook ways of how they can extort money from the unsuspecting innocent believers. It is upon this that; now, that believers are ware that this is, most of them have lost the drive to carry on supporting ministry.

Nevertheless, that a pastor has been called to be entirely that, rather he is not to earn from else where other than from his calling (pastoral work), doesn't imply that the flock will automatically take on the duty to take care. Yet this is not to say the flock shouldn't care. But it is incumbent that we must understand that a person's calling is his. So then, a person must bear the weight of his calling. Rather a person's calling shouldn't translate into a noose for the flock if to say. That is; it must not be forceful that the flock should take care.

My point rather is that if God has called a person into ministry, then He (God) will provide for that person's needs. Whether He (God) does so through the flock or elsewhere, it is still the Lord who does the provision. That He (God) may seem not to have "provided" as yet could be part of that person's calling. Do you know about the approval process? For if the flock will factor in (and they have to), it must be that they have spotted the need to. And if to do it, it must be done with will rather than with anything else.

The magnitude of the ministry

This can be viewed in two ways;

• How big is the ministry to warrant a full time pastor? 

• How big is the ministry to support the pastor(s) financially? 

Such questions if answered well will be a good guide to come up with concrete solutions and resolutions.

On the other hand, though, all we do must always be centered on God and the Holy Scriptures. We have done so much which is logically and arguably okay, but is it acceptable to God? The church must open their ears again to the Holy Spirit for proper guidance instead of unleashing our intellectual ideologies on matters that can’t be intellectually understood.

The Financial status of the ministry.

The financial state of the ministry should be imperative to consider. For when a person has been appointed to be pastor of a certain flock, it must be that he seeks to understand the kind people his flock are. The pastor must be in position that he understands what financial state of his flock is. How much tithe and offertory is collected? Upon having these these issues considered and questions answered, one can judge which way to take. For this should part of what Church programs should be built.

In conclusion and in my own opinion, this question has no absolute answer. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will guide whoever finds themselves in a similar dilemma.

My question is; are you truly a pastor? Have you been called to be so? If you are, God will surely create a way for you.

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THE WEAPON OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Righteousness can be viewed in a number of ways:

• It can be defined as the mind of God. 

• It is also fulfilling the will of God. God’s will is the plan of God for us. God has good plans for His people. Plans which only are aimed at doing us good (Jeremiah 29:11).

• It is being right with God

• Righteousness is also believing the word of God. 

But the overall indisputable fact and absolute truth is that Righteousness is exclusively of God. For no other person is righteous unless it is granted to them by God.

Yet again, righteousness can be viewed as the Spirit of God in us. And we can only be justified by way of the Spirit of God in and on us (Romans 8:14-16), (Ephesians 4:30).

We can only and only have the Spirit of God in us by submission to Jesus Christ. Thus for scripture to say; he who is without the Spirit of Christ is not for Christ (Romans 8:9).

When Jesus came, He introduced Himself to us. He wanted rather to be identifiable from all the rest (John 10:8). He wanted us to know who He is and what He came to do. And He said: 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19).

In this scripture, Jesus was teachings us that all that He was going to perform was powered by the Spirit of the Lord upon Him. For the Spirit of the Lord is the power in us to perform the things of God.

It is also this Spirit of God which gives us strength to bear fruit. Thus the fruit we bear is called the fruit of the Spirit. For it only comes by the Spirit of God in us. The fruit of the Spirit which we bear by way of the Spirit of God in us is the weapon of righteousness. 

But the opposite is true. If one has not the Spirit of God in them, there is then another spirit. And that spirit can't be anything else other than the spirit of Satan. Each spirit is identifiable by the fruit that comes forth. Out of spiritual ignorance, the disciples John and James asked Jesus to call fire from heaven upon the Samaritans for not seeming to welcome them in that part (Luke 9:52-54).

But Jesus rebuked them and He told them they knew not the kind of spirit that was operating in them (Luke 9:55-56). What spirit could this be?

So then, more often than not, the devil operates in our lives and we are terribly oblivious of this (Luke 23:34). What can this result into?

In this, if we mention the word weapon, it directly implies there is a battle or something to fight against. And in this, we can reliably conclude that this is fighting in the spirit. In any battle, it is pretty true that there are two terribly opposing sides.

So, if we are in battle with an enemy, it is imperative that we understand who that enemy is. It is also very important to understand the nature of the other fighting party. Upon this, we can define the nature of the battle or rather what the battle is about.

And having understood who the enemy is will be helpful to define the kind of weapon to use. That we do agree that the enemy is spiritual, it translates into spiritual warfare. And if it is spiritual warfare, it calls for a spiritual weapon.

The enemy is invisible and thereby using an invisible weapon. In response, ours also has to be a spiritual weapon. Thus ours is called the weapon of righteousness or rather bearing the fruit of the Spirit for that matter.

NB No one would want battles and conflicts. But battle can be pretty interesting if you are winning and your enemy can't tell what your weapon is. Or that even when he knows what your weapon is, it must be that it is pretty difficult for him to acquire and use the same. That means you will hit him over and over again until when he is no more.

Our is not a war to be fought with pangas, machetes or guns. All these will not have an effect on the enemy. For they can destroy the body, but they can't touch the spirit. So then, to be effective in this warfare, we have to identify who and where the enemy is. And if we can do that, then we know what to do.

Now we are well aware that there is an enemy who is terribly targeting and seeking to fail us in this journey and subsequently destroy us. So then, that we can identify who the enemy is, upon this, we must identify what kind of weapon he is using. And if we can identify what the enemy's weapon is, then we know what kind of weapon we should use in response so we defeat him.

Examples of the weapon of unrighteousness

Uncleanliness, Lasciviousness, Idolatry, Witchcraft, Hatred, Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, Sedition, Heresies' Envy, Murders, Drunkenness, Revelings

That we are attacked, and knowing the weapon we are being attacked with, we must fight back in a way. Now, we already said that bearing the fruit of the Spirit or rather the weapon of righteousness is the weapon of the Christians.

With this particular weapon, we fight  not how we feel, but how we are directed in the Spirit. The following are examples of the weapon of righteousness or rather the fruit of the Spirit.

Prayer, Worship, Testimony, Fasting, Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance.

The case and example of a soldier

We are soldiers of the Heavenly Kingdom. Agree? How are we soldiers, though? We are soldiers because we have given our lives to the commander who is Jesus Christ, and are therefore Born Again.

We are in the army of God because we have taken the side of God. By being on God's side, we are defying the enemy, and if this is so, we must expect the evil opposing forces to fight back. And the enemy is not simply fighting back, but he is doing so with the intention to destroy.

The army of God is fighting the dark forces, the forces of evil, strong holds, and principalities.  Thus for scripture to refer to us the axe of God:

“You are My battle-ax and weapons of war:
For with you I will break the nation in pieces;
With you I will destroy kingdoms;
21 With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider;
With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider;
22 With you also I will break in pieces man and woman;
With you I will break in pieces old and young;
With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden;
23 With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen;
And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers.
(Jeremiah 51:20-23)

Who is a soldier?

A soldier is one who fights as part of an organized land-based armed force. A soldier can be an enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or junior-commissioned officer, or an officer.

There are some key words in this definition, but let us pick on the word "organized". To be organized means doing things a certain way. Organization is helpful in preparation and coordination. If these two are lacking, the whole project will fail.

The commander who is but Jesus is coordinating the warfare and commanding it in the spirit. So, if we do not fight as how our commander has directed us, the result is getting lost and outright defeat. For instructions are given but to overcome the enemy and win the warfare.

Once a person enlists as a soldier of any armed forces, that person ceases to be his own. For soldiers have no life of their own. Everything that they do or seek to do must be permitted and directed by the commandant. The reason is that a soldier is always spot on.

Features of a soldier

• Puts on camouflage

• Carries a gun or any other arms

That a solider is made easily identifiable, it pretty makes him and easy target. Thus the dire need for him (the soldier) to unceasingly listen to and take instructions from the commandant for personal safety and to win the warfare.

So then, as soldiers in the army of God, we must learn that instructions are very imperative. Sometimes these instructions can appear very difficult and shaming, but we must take them seriously because this is the sure way to win.

For war is not about just appearing to win, but winning it in real terms. And to win it, you must have tactics. Our commandant gives us these tactics in form of instructions. Thus for Paul to write to Timothy that: once a soldier, your life and its cares is placed in the hands of the commandant (2Timothy 2:4).

He (Paul) adds on that  if to be counted a winner, you must strive lawfully. Thus we (the soldiers) of God must follow the instructions of the commandant if we want to win this warfare (2Timothy 2:5).

God wants us to fight in the way which reconciles us with Him. Once we are reconciled with God, then we can fight from a position of strength.

Having become stronger, we can then face the enemy, rather with confidence. And then we can defeat him. To have the enemy defeated means having Christ seated and dwelling in our hearts. It is then that we begin to bear fruit.

And when we have borne fruit, then we can impact on our families, communities, friends, and everybody else. If this happens, then we can be proud that we have pretty much won the warfare.

So then, to say that we ought to fight with the weapon of righteousness is never to mean that you remain idle. No never. Rather you fight the righteous way and using tactics different from those of the enemy. The assurance of victory is but by fighting a certain way and in strict observance of specified principles of which are.

• Not vengeful. 

• It is aimed to save and preserve.

• It is spiritual

• It is not intended for a show.

Where is the enemy?

The enemy is not left or right. He is not up or down. Rather the enemy is not anywhere else. He is in you much as he is in another person. The enemy is in you and me. This enemy is the evil spirit. This evil spirit is operating in each one of us. We are only bent on denying and wishing it away.

Well, how can it be that the enemy is in me?! But how also can it be that the enemy is in the other person?! It is upon this that Jesus told James and John they didn't know what kind of spirit was operating in them (Luke 9:55-56). For if they hadn't been welcomed in Samaria, how were they to manage the situation? So then, it could only be a perception that the other one is bad and not me! For righteousness is never reactionary.

If you will defeat your enemy, you ought to locate them. One of the vital things about righteousness is that it can't be provoked. And if we find ourselves in a position that we are provoked, that pretty testifies that the enemy is in me much as he is in you.

For it is this kind of scenario which provides the fertile ground for me and you to fall prey. But for one of the two or three who are possessed who gets to know the possessor, and thereby fight back by bearing the fruit of the Spirit, will be assured of sweet victory.

Upon this, much as we may perceive the enemy in another person and not in us or me for that matter, it is pretty incumbent that we realize how each one is faced with internal personal battles.

This is a clear indicator that it is only a perception that the enemy is in another person. For if it were not so, why does each one of us have those internal personal battles? On this then, the devil operates in each one of us. The devil uses other persons to attack us, much as he uses each individual to break us.

It is a battle with former self (Romans 6:6). It is not a fight that I may need to hit myself hard. Like we said, the enemy is spiritual and literally invisible. We can only fight this battle by submission to Jesus by whose only power and grace can we overcome.

We are continually confronted with uncontrolled appetite for sex, riches hunger, power, ego, and faced with diseases and demonic attacks etc. These are not directed at us per Se, but they are directed to kill our Faith in God. The devil is already condemned and his only reward is hell. It is a battle to avoid ending there with him.

We are now well aware that there are two terribly opposing forces within us. There is the force which seeks to save and preserve (the Spirit of God). And there is also another force which is seeking to kill and destroy both the spiritual man and the physical man (Satan).

Satan has an agenda, and that is to kill and destroy. And so then, it is not mistaken that scripture tells us that the devil came but to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came that we may have life and have it in abundance (John 10:10-11).

For everything which manifests in the flesh, has a spirit behind it. Having realized this, the apostle Paul wrote that we are not battling with physical bodies, but with invisible spirits and principalities (Ephesians 6:10-18).

It is rather the devil's scheme that we become aggressive to each other which can only lead to self mass destruction.

Scripture tells us we are battling with evil thoughts, human reasoning, pride and the like. These can never be dealt with using the weapons of this world. Thus for scripture to say:

"We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 6 And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient" (2Corinthians 10:4-6)

And this translates that if we battle in the body, we can only fulfill Satan's agenda of having us destroy each other. But if we fight in the spirit by prayer, fasting and bearing fruit, it gives us an opportunity to identify, aim at, and target the enemy.

Once we have identified the enemy, then we can fight him accordingly (Ephesians 6:16). This way, it is a good fight. We must fight to win, and to save and preserve each other.

That there is the weapon of righteous, it translates that there is also the weapon of unrighteousness. And if we are instructed to fight with the weapon of righteousness, it means we have to desist from using the weapon of unrighteousness. 

Upon this, we could reliably conclude that the weapon of unrighteousness is but of Satan. And the weapon of righteousness is but of God. And to understand well what the weapon of righteousness is, it means we have to understand what the righteous God would do or has done when there are such situations. 

How God has managed that, is how we ought to go about it. For God always is, and has always been our perfect example (Matthew 16:24, 20:25-28), (John 13:13-16). That we look to God so we know how to manage our lives to the glory of Him (God).

The question should be: how would God have done this? Or rather how would God have responded to this or that? If we keep seeking God's counsel, then we are counted righteous and have fought the righteous way. For the weapon of righteousness does not seek to promote our bodily ego.

Who fights?.

Features of righteousness

• Righteousness is approved only by God. Rather God only approves if we have fought the righteous way (2Corinthians 10:18).

• Righteousness is not occasional. Rather, it is not when it is convenient for us that we should be righteous. Righteousness must remain so even in the most challenging of situations. Thus goes the saying: "what doesn't challenge you can never change you"

• The weapon of righteousness is not a visible one.

• This weapon is in the heart. Rather this is a weapon that is rooted in the heart.

• Righteousness is not a matter of body emotions.

• Righteousness can only be understood and ingrained by a person in the spirit.

This way, this weapon (the righteous weapon) can be effective.

Emotions operate within our bodies. But they are engineered by evil pride and the ego of the flesh of which is Satan. Satan uses the following weapons to engineer emotions in us:

• To vent anger

• To be heard

• To be understood

• To feel cared about

The example of David

David was righteous over Saul because much as Saul had sought for the life of David, David did not act the same way Saul did. David knew it was nothing else but that Saul wanted him dead. But when David had the opportunity to finish Saul, and being persuaded by his colleagues to do just that, David never allowed his emotions to overtake him, he spared Saul’s life.

In fact, David continued to refer to Saul as his master (1 Samuel 24), (1 Samuel 26). David had decided to leave everything to God. From David’s experience we learn that some of the things that present themselves to us as if they are opportunities, may not necessarily be so, they could simply be a way for God to test how we manage the mind in such situations.

The example of Jesus

Jesus taught us about the Kingdom of God. He came so that He can take us back to this Kingdom. And that Jesus died and rose again from the dead, He has established this Kingdom (God's Kingdom). The Kingdom of God is now in us. Upon this, much as we may appear literally to be here, yet we are of the Kingdom of Heaven (John 17:11-16). For when we submit to Jesus Christ, we are made members of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus told His tormentors that His Kingdom is not of this world. If it were so, Jesus' followers would have fought back (John 18:36-38). But this Kingdom is not on earth. For it is a spiritual Kingdom. So then, it was a spiritual warfare.

So, it is not that Jesus wasn't fighting back, but He was doing so in a different way and using different tactics. And that Jesus is our perfect example is that we ought to learn from Him. For we fight how He fights. In this, it is that this Kingdom (God's Kingdom), dictates that we react His way and not our way.

The trial of Jesus

Upon His trial, there was no case ever that Jesus was guilty of. Rather Jesus was pretty innocent. That in itself implies that Jesus had every right to fight back, but He didn't. The Pharisees and all the rest ganged up on Him (Mark 15:1-4). He allowed the Pharisees, doctors of the law, and the Roman authorities to exit their evil ego on Him (Matthew 26:67-68, 27:27-31, 27:41-44), (Mark 14:65, 15:31-32), (Luke 22:63-65, 23:11, 23:35-36).

Jesus knew that it was through this way that He would excel in His mission.  For He acted in accordance with the demands of the mission and He pretty much succeeded.

The purpose we fight is to win, not to lose. Jesus was only showing us the way how to win this battle which is but a spiritual one. For they mocked Him, spat on Him, mocked Him and exited all sorts of their evil anger on Him, but He did not react literally.

"The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorian) and called out the entire regiment. 17 They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. 18 Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 19 And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. 20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified" (Mark 15:16-20).

In doing all this, they appeared to be winning, yet it was only a way that they were being defeated. Jesus rather used His suffering to defeat the enemy (Mark 10:32-34), (Luke 17:25, 18:31-32).

And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. 2And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto them, Thou sayest it. 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. 4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. 5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marveled. (Mark 1:1-5)

Jesus' tactics amaze not only us, for Pilate was equally amazed. He had expected Jesus to defend Himself and fight back in equal measures (Mark 15:5). But He (Jesus) did not respond as was expected.

Jesus was not being idle when He forgave His tormentors on the cross (Luke 23:34). He was rather pretty fighting in the spirit. But they didn't understand what exactly He meant by this. When He (Jesus) defeated them, it is then that they understood what He was doing.

That Jesus looked weak and defeated when He forgave them was the very reason that He defeated them. Jesus is now King of kings. It is surely painful to fight the righteous way, but it is the sure way to victory. Thus for scripture to say; we are strong when we are weak. For the body appears defeated, but the spirit is gaining strength (2Corinthians 12:9-11).

Cutting of the the servant's ear

When Jesus was being arrested, one of His disciples cut off the servant's ear. It would have literally been expected that it was right for this disciple to defend his Master this way. For they had physically been attacked. But Jesus rebuked him. He told him that had He (Jesus) wanted to fight this way, He would have done so, but this wasn't to be the case (Matthew 26:51-54).

For the sword can only be answered with the sword. Jesus wanted to stop this. Upon this, Jesus placed back the ear on the servant from whom it had been chopped (Luke 22:50-51).

The call for fire

When Jesus, together with James and John headed to Samaria, they were not well received. Rather they must have been mocked and pelted. For John and James being that mortal, they asked Jesus to punish the Samaritans by calling fire from heaven like Elijah did (Luke 9:52-55). But Jesus rebuked them. He told them they knew not what kind of spirit was operating in them (Luke 9:56). What spirit could it be?

The Spirit will direct us not emotionally. Jesus defied emotions because of His love for us. Rather His love for us dictated His actions.

Jesus loves us when He should be hating us, He blesses us when He should be cursing us. We ought to learn from Jesus.

What do we learn from Jesus?

We learn from Jesus that salvation is fulfilled in us when we obey and look to Him (Jesus) for spiritual strength, regeneration and progress. For Jesus is our Commander. We must take instructions from Him and duly obey.

 Advantages of the weapon of righteousness:

• There is assured victory

• The victory is eternal

• It is constructive to the spirit

• It reunites us with God

• It preserves us

The apostle Paul in one of his epistles said this about love. He said that

Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; 6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoice in the truth; 7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(1Corinthians 13:4-8)

And this is pretty true a revelation that Paul had about love. But there can't be love to speak of in this particular sense if it is not for righteousness. Rather love is a product of righteousness. And if we can reliably conclude that love is not provoked, so it is that righteousness too can't be provoked. So then, because love is a product of righteousness, upon this, we can reliably conclude that whatever love is, so righteousness is.

Why am I saying all this? Righteousness kept Jesus from being provoked. For Jesus didn't simply keep His emotions under check (like most of us simply do), He was pretty righteous. Being righteous is not simply a matter to wish. Righteousness is not a matter to be nurtured. It is a matter of the heart and the mind.

Righteousness is a matter not to be wished. It is not about self. Upon this, Jesus taught that unless our righteousness surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, we will by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).

All this therefore should teach us that we must never act from a point of anger, but from a point of benevolence. Recall that we fight to save and preserve. For if the enemy uses violence as a weapon, then we must not use the same. We must rather find an effective alternative weapon.

For many of us (Christians) have been found defeated in battle because we rather play it very predictably. We more often than not fight out of provocation. Jesus overcame because He fought rather differently. Jesus denied His enemies the opportunity ever to predict Him. They only realized when He had finished the mission. For if they had known, they would have played it rather differently (1Corinthians 2:8).

In this same vein, our Lord Jesus Christ taught the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). And many Bible scholars do agree that this is actually the gist of Jesus' mission. In this sermon, Jesus was basically teaching regeneration and transformation.

That on many occasions He used the reference; "...but I tell you now..." He wanted us to know that He was not only giving us direction and instruction, but in Him was all that He taught. For in addition to teaching these things, Jesus had authority over them. Rather He was teaching us what He is.

Jesus wanted to touch our hearts. For meaningful transformation comes inside out and not from outside in. So then, in teaching us these things, Jesus wanted us to regain our authority over what we are. All this can only be by righteousness (Isaiah 54:14-16).  

Yet all this looks quite literally impossible. Thus we say it is by the Spirit of Christ in us that we can bear this fruit. It is not a wish to fight this way. It is not of our own to be this kind of people, but our resolve and will is paramount. It is our humility which breaks any stubbornness, our love breaks any hate, our resolve, will and persistence will break any resistance.

We are fighting an enemy who only manifests rather occasionally in the human body. But his driving force is derived from the evil spiritual powers.

So, there is the possessor and the possessed. Thus the devil seeks to empower the human body by igniting the evil pride so that it is in the human body that he (the devil) does fulfill his agenda.

But Jesus also came so that He empowers the spirit man. And if the spirit man is empowered, he can then overcome the evil desires of the corrupted human body. In this, our weapon should be aimed at the possessor (Satan) and not the possessed (human body).

 Paul's good fight

What did Paul mean when he said: "...I have fought a good fight..."? What is this good fight? For it pretty implies that to be defined as a "good fight", rather it is unique in a way. It must be defined in some way (2Timothy 4:7).

And after Paul had said he had fought a good fight, he rather gives two key components and these are:

• Finishing the race

• Keeping the faith. 

Finishing the race and keeping the faith can be another topic altogether, but Paul seems to tell us the fight must end somewhere and it must have been fought in some definable way.

The "some definable way" of the fight is what we are discussing here. It is rather the righteous way, or the weapon of righteousness for that matter. It is the way that God in His Son Jesus Christ has directed and instructed us to fight.

If we win this warfare, it is a way we gain confidence. But if we lose the warfare, it is a way we lose the same. Paul has confidence that he had fought well because he was pretty confident that he had fought just as was instructed and required.

The following is the outcome of Paul's fight:

• Paul submitted to Jesus and witnessed for Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

• Paul lost nothing in the fight. A good fight saves, brings life, mends, reunites, and it is driven by love. He hadn’t substituted anything else for his love of God. This gave him confidence

It is painful to fight the righteous way.

Fighting the righteous way inflicts damage to the ego of the flesh. Yet out of this damage caused to the flesh, the spirit gains strength. Everyone in the flesh wants to prove a point somewhere somehow. And because of this, a righteous fight can gravely be painful to the egoistic physical man.

Disadvantages of fighting the unrighteous way

• Destruction

• Enmity

• Perpetuated hate

• Strife

That we have submitted to the authority of Christ, we do not look to victory to satisfy our own personal ego, but we fight to save and preserve. It is intended to bring many to the obedience of the will of God.

We get victory for us and for those we seem to be fighting against by having them submit to the will of God. For the loser can only be Satan. Everybody ought to know God’s loving kindness for all of us.

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WILL GOD'S GRACE ABOUND EVEN ON JUDGMENT DAY?

John 1:16-17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:6-8

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 Timothy 1:15-16

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

Philippians 2:12
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

On the fateful day of judgment, God through His Son Jesus Christ will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be directed to the right, and the goats will be directed to the left (Matthew 25:31-46).

The sheep are the faithfuls of the Lord. And the goats are the disobedient. At this moment, there will be no more grace left for any one single soul. For everyone will be saved either by his obedience to Christ, or he will be condemned by his disobedience to Christ.

What is grace?

This is the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

It is the Spirit of God operating in humans so as to add on our strength in a supernatural way so that we are able to live our lives to the glory of God.

When is God's grace guaranteed to us?

God's grace is guaranteed while we live on earth. And the same grace is purposed to a goal. The goal is that we accept Christ. And that when we submit to Christ, we are transformed to the likeness of God. It is only by the righteousness of Jesus Christ that we are accepted of God the Father (2 Corinthians 5:21). For Salvation is only guaranteed in Christ Jesus. It is intended that God's grace which comes by Christ empowers us so that we can overcome our physical limitations and live a life to the glory and honor of the almighty God.

There is every opportunity to change the course of events while we live. God through Jesus Christ has given us His grace so that we can be transformed from our sinful nature to people who belong to God by way of submission to Jesus Christ.  God has given us the opportunity to live a life worthy of heavenly standards. Rather God has given us His grace so that we can correct the wrongs of the past.

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man

This parable pretty much teaches us that we can only correct our wrongs while we live on earth (Luke 16:19-23). And we can only do so by submission to Jesus Christ.

For when he died, the rich man pleaded that he could be allowed back on earth so that he could change the course of things. He was then plainly told by father Abraham that it is impossible to return to earth once you have died (Luke 16:27-31). It is appointed that we live once and thereafter death. And once we die, we wait on judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

What are these wrongs of the past?

The wrong of the past is that we sinned against God. For the sin of Adam was imputed on us because we are his offspring. Yet God hates sin. God is all holy and all righteous. The devil wants us to dwell in sin so we are condemned with him to eternal death.

The devil deceived Adam and Eve into disobedience to God. That we are all the offspring of Adam, we are by the same account counted sinners (Genesis 3).

It is upon this that God reasoned to make a grand plan to save man from the consequential sin. In this plan, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that through Jesus Christ, sin is eternally nailed on the cross (John 10:11), (Romans 5:6-10), (1Corinthians 15:2-4), (2Corinthians 5:15), (1Peter 3:18).

That our sin was nailed on the cross through Jesus Christ, God requires us only to give and submit our lives to Jesus Christ who also is the God man. In Jesus is the grace that we can overcome the devil's weapons. That when we are broken down and losing in strength, then we should call on the name of Jesus. And when we call on the name of Jesus, He sends us the grace so we can overcome any physical limitations and weaknesses.

Why was it Jesus to save man?

Only Jesus could save man. Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 3:16-17, 17:5), (Mark 1:10-11), (Luke 22:70). And Jesus is God (Matthew 2:2, 14:33), (John 5:18, 10:30-33, 20:28), (Revelations 1:17-18).

Only Jesus could offer an acceptable and justifiable sacrifice so to remit the world of sin. There was no man left who was worthy to offer an acceptable and justifiable sacrifice. For all men are sinners (Romans 3:23).

But God through His abundance found a way in Jesus to save man from the consequential sin. So, Jesus died on the cross for no other reason but this very one. And that that is what it is, whoever misses this offer, is already condemned.

Even while a person is still living, if he is yet to submit to Christ Jesus, that person is condemned and walking dead. Yet one (person) who is dead, albeit they have suffered mortality, if they submitted themselves to the authority of Jesus Christ, they will live on (John 3:18). For it is the body which is dead, but the spirit lives on in Christ.

So then, if even the non-believing living are already condemned if they have not submitted to Christ Jesus, what is it of them who have already died minus giving and submitting their lives to Jesus Christ? For once death strikes, there is no more opportunity left. The opportunity to escape condemnation and the consequential death is then lost eternally.

There are founded assurances of life to those who die in Christ Jesus (John 11:25), (John 14:1-3), (John 3:36). Besides Jesus, there is only eternal death. For there is no more left upon death (John 3:19). Whatever prayer is prayed for the dead is simply for ceremonial purposes but can't change any one's spiritual destiny. The gospel is purposeful only to the living.

God has empowered us (humans) so that we can judge between what is good and what is bad. God therefore presents us options and it is up to anyone and everyone to choose thereof (John 3:19-21), (Mark 4:9), (Matthew 11:15).

Nevertheless, God through His Son Jesus Christ has directed us as how to lead our lives so we survive the impending everlasting danger of painful spiritual death. Whoever is yet to accept and submit to Christ is already judged. But because they still live on earth, God has provided a way through His Son Christ Jesus (John 3:18). For judgment has been passed on us by God. But this has been reversed by the perfect sacrifice of Christ Jesus, so that in Christ, we can live on.

For if there should have been another chance to be saved after death, then there shouldn't have been the reason for Christ to manifest on earth. Christ manifested on earth so to empower us to overcome evil. This earth only profits us if we come to Christ.

On the Day of Judgment, we will all stand before the judgment seat regardless of anybody's earthly status. For presidents, kings, nobles, the rich and the poor, the short and the tall, the white and the black or whoever and whatever, will face the Almighty with just the same joy or awe (Revelation 6:15-17).

On account of all the above, it is not that God has given us away to the devil to devour us. It is not that God has not cared and has done nothing. It is not that God hates one and loves the other. For the fact that numbers are heading ever to hell is no sign that He cares less. If God had cared less, He wouldn't have given His beloved and only begotten Son away to us for a true and acceptable sacrifice for the remission of sin.

Christ came and is available to all who embrace Him regardless of race, color, tribe, nation, status, stature or whatever (Revelation 3:20). For the gospel you have heard, the gospel you have read in literature is a true symbol of Christ knocking on the door of your heart. 

It is now in your own jurisdiction to take it, or to leave it. For it is with the heart that one believes unto righteousness, and it is with the mouth that confession is made unto Salvation (Romans 10:8-10). For Salvation is a matter of the heart and confirmation is made by confession.

The fact that you have willingly accepted or denied the gospel, so it is that you will willingly head to hell or heaven. Either way, you will glorify the ALMIGHTY. Amen.

Do not be hoodwinked by the religious practices that be. None of such will save your soul on the fateful day of the Lord (Zephaniah 1:14), (Jeremiah 46:10), (Isaiah 2:12), (Isaiah 13:9). There are many speculations of what it is in the spiritual world, yet in Christ Jesus, we have all the founded assurances of life. SALVATION IS WHILE WE LIVE.

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WHAT GRACE DOES IN THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN

There is a lot that is said about grace, but what is Grace? How could Grace be understood? Or how is grace of vitality? In what ways could we understand what Grace is?

Grace is divine assistance that is extended to us. It is not based on merit. It only comes by submission to God through His Son Jesus Christ. It is purposed for sanctification, regeneration and strength to overcome whatever human weaknesses there may be.

It is the Spirit of God operating in humans so as to add on our strength in a supernatural way so that we are able to live our lives to the glory of God.

Just like Righteousness, Grace is exclusively of God. Nobody else apart from God, in either spirit or flesh can afford what it takes to possess it. For it is priceless to be gracious. Grace is God's way and it is the person of God.

The role of Grace

Part of the question has been answered in the definition. Grace plays an indispensable role to help us overcome our human weaknesses. These weaknesses rather make it quite hard for many of us to realize God's purpose in our lives. For example, the Bible says we are saved by grace, meaning it would have been impossible to realize salvation had it not been for the grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Two differing views of grace:

• Foregone purification and justification by God.

• A tool to overcome sinful nature.

Foregone purification and justification by God.

This is an emerging and fast growing doctrine. The advocates of this doctrine believe that all that is needed of someone is to accept Jesus Christ and all is done. It is said that since we are saved by His grace, so is it that it is not of us to sustain it. That Jesus has already paid the penalty and it is no longer counted on us for sin. On this account therefore, it is said that: it doesn't matter how one lives their lives, for if you confess Jesus to be Lord of your life, you are already predestined for justification by God.

However, much as there is truth in this belief, it is not entirely true that once you have accepted Jesus, it doesn't matter how you conduct yourself. For there must be proof and evidence of yearning for transformation.

NB God's grace is progressive and not retrogressive.

Does God justify a person on the basis of simply confessing His name rather than living for and to Him? If it is, why would then Jesus teach that; "Not everybody who says Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven"? (Matthew 7:21).

Scripture continues to clarify that: the devil admits that Jesus Christ is Lord, yet that will never justify him (James 2:19). To claim therefore to confess Christ should be followed with submission to His Lordship. The content and the sense in submission to Christ must be manifest in a person's life.

Thus the life touching testimonies of deliverance by the grace that is housed in submission to Christ. For Jesus is not a minister of sin, but the Dispenser of righteousness (Galatians 2:17-21). And righteousness is the proof that we are in Christ and Christ in us.

For we are in Christ by way of His Spirit in us. Where is the Spirit of God supposed to be? Scripture pretty states that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:15-20), (1Peter 2:5). Whoever doesn't have the Spirit of Christ is not for Christ (Romans 8:9). Mark you, we should never grieve the Holy Spirit, for we are identified for God by the presence of the same upon us (Ephesians 4:29-32).

Some of the characteristics of the Holy Spirit

• The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus (Luke 3:22).

• The Holy Spirit testifies of Believers (John 14:16)

•  The Holy Spirit testifies of God's Word (2 Peter 1:21), (Luke 1:70; Acts 1:16), (Hebrews 1:1-3).

• The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin (John 16:8)

Scripture further affirms that we are children of God if we are led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14). And if so it is that we are led by the Spirit, how does He (the Holy Spirit) lead us? Does He lead us to sin? Does the Spirit encourage you to sin?

The Holy Spirit is given to us so He can convict us of sin. Sin is of the evil spirit. That those who are led by the Spirit are the children of God, whose children are those who are led by the evil spirit? So, the Holy Spirit can not associate with a wilful sinner.

On that account therefore, grace is foregone purification and justification in as much as it aids us to overcome sin and live a life evident and proof of the love for God.

God loves to separate us from the potentially consequential sin (John 8:34), (Romans 6:23). It is by the grace of God that this is achievable. Grace is but to give us the strength and freedom of the Spirit.

For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2Corinthians 3:17). What is this liberty? This liberty is freedom from sin. Then this same liberty enlarges the peace of righteousness in our hearts.

A tool to overcome sinful nature.

This doctrine states that: much as Christ paid the penalty (which is indeed true), there must be some effort to be applied (Matthew 11:30). For Jesus paid the penalty in the true sense that if we confess Christ and submit to His Lordship, we are readily guaranteed forgiveness. Have you readily forgiven everybody who has wronged you? Yet God does! No matter (in the carnal sense) what magnitude of the sin it is!

The apostle Paul is pretty known for the gospel of Grace. He pretty much admonishes that he only was because of the grace of God. He does testify that the grace of God created a way for Him who was (prior to that) a renowned sinner. By God's grace he became the saint that we all believe he is. Well, who is a saint? Is it one who dwells in sin, or the one yearning to overcome sin? This is what Paul testifies of what grace did in his life:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1Corinthians 15:10). 

That the grace which God bestowed upon Paul was never in vain. Rather it was not wasted. For if you invest in a company which doesn't make profit, what is the reason that you should continue investing in it? Well, what happens to the resources if you carry on investing in a non-profiting company?

There is predestined grace which is availed to each one of us through Jesus Christ. What remains of us is to use that grace sparingly so it can sustain us to the finishing mark. 

Grace increases with the willingness of the sinner to be transformed to live to the will of God. GRACE IS NEVER A GUARANTEE TO SIN. IT IS RATHER A GUARANTEE TO BE FORGIVEN.

Sin will never guarantee God's grace. It rather reduces the grace (Romans 6:1-3). There should be proof and evidence of an effort with the aid of God's grace to overcome sin (1 Corinthians 9:27), (Matthew 16:15), (Luke 17:33), (Mark 8:35), (Luke 9:24). God loves a repentant sinner, not the sin.

When Paul said that God's grace was abound the more he (Paul) sinned (1Timothy 1:12-15), what did he mean by this statement? God's grace will always abound for a non-believing sinner. For Paul said this in respect of what he was before he met Christ, and what he had become when he met Christ. This same grace may not abound equally for a person who claims submission to Jesus Christ. Take it that grace is a resource.

Rather what does submission mean? If we all do agree that Jesus was never a servant of sin, how then can it be that when we submit to Him, that it is then that we should carry on dwelling in sin? So then, God's grace does indeed abound so that we become the product that God wants us to.

Rather the abundance of God's grace must be matched with transformation. Just like any other resource, God's grace is not to be wasted. For you can't be a person who has met with Christ but then carry on dwelling in sin. We come to Christ so we are purified and made ready to meet the Father.

Why God's grace is vital and what it does in the life of a Christian

To this, Paul adds that he never did anything by his own power. For it was all by the grace of God that he was as strong (Philippians 4:13). Rather God knows that we can't love to do His will by our own strength. But when the grace of God abounds for us, then we become stronger so we overcome our weak human points, to the glory of the Father. Rather grace makes us overcome our physical weaknesses and limitations. For grace is Christ in us.

Scripture tells us to bear fruit worthy of repentance. Rather that if God's grace has not been wasted in us, then the fruit of the Spirit will exhibit in our lives (Matthew 3:8), (Mark 3:8). That is the proof that this priceless and much precious  resource of grace has not been wasted. That God's grace has indeed abounded in our lives.

God's grace is thus that vital that without it, none of us who are in this much weakening and forceful flesh would have ever made it. Rather none would have ever been saved (Matthew 24:22), (Mark 13:20).

For we would have all been destined to eternal condemnation. It is the grace of God that makes it that we are strong in the things of God. For it is only God's  sovereign power which makes it possible that we are saved (Romans 9:1-24).

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THE MYSTERY OF THE CROSS

1Corinthians 1:18
"For the word/message of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God". 

• What is the cross? 

• What is the message in the cross? Rather what is in the cross? Or, what is the message hidden in the cross? In what language is the cross communicating to us? 

• Why the cross and not something else?

How these questions are answered may drive us in a given way and in a certain direction. Yet how well can they be answered? Or how satisfactorily to everyone could they be met? That the answering could differ from one person to another, it pretty much suggests that the message in the cross is a mystery. For well as a secret is but to a few selected people, a mystery on the other hand is but to a person. And a mystery is but by revelation.

What is the cross?

By definition the cross is an upright post with a transverse bar, as used in antiquity for crucifixion.

But in scriptural and spiritual terms, there is a message in the cross that can't be fully and equally or squarely understood by everyone. The message is rather to a person. Everyone does get the message pretty differently. Thus some people argue that it never was. While other people strongly believe it ever was and is.  All these are but for given reasons.

It is upon this that the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians that only when you are saved will you fully understand what the cross is and what it is for (1Corinthians 1:18). Additionally, it pretty much seems to suggest that it is only if a person has given up on their human way of understanding that he can ingrain the message of the cross. Thus scripture says;

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the discernment of the discerning will I bring to nought". (1Corinthians 1:19).

For heavenly wisdom is not the human wisdom. God's ways are not to be perceived in the human sense. For God's ways are pretty different. The wisdom of God is that we are saved and that we obey Him. Yet it isn't so of many of us.

So then, to the unsaved, it is foolish to talk of any salvation in the brutalizing cross. It is upon this that the Jews denied and rejected Jesus. For He (Jesus) appeared too ordinary (according to their human assessment) to do or to be anything (Son of God and Savior) (Matthew 13:55), (Mark 6:3), (John 6:42, 10:22-42).

Yet none of the "wise" of this world has a solution to the immense human flaws. For what can the "wise" do? And for that, scripture says:

20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe. 22 Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumbling block, and unto Gentiles foolishness; 24 but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1Corinthians 1:20-25).

But despite that we all perceive or ingrain it quite differently, the content and the intent of the inventor remains unchanged. The intent is but to deal with sin. Rather to seal off sin and its consequential effects.

To date, many people; (Christians inclusive) hardly get the message of the cross. Many of us (Christians) hardly get it what God intended in the cross. And for that, we tend to take it lightly. For the human brain which is but extensively limited can't figure this out. Yet the cross is indispensable for the remission of sin. Jesus tried to avoid it (Matthew 26:39), (Luke 22:42). It is not simply a necklace or an earring piece.

Brief history of the cross

The use of the cross was first attested among the Persians. It was later employed by the Greeks. Much later, it was adapted by the Romans as punishment for slaves, and non-citizens and occasionally for Roman citizens who were guilty of treason.

The use of the cross was intended for painful, gruesome and shameful public death. While applying it, they would use all means best suited for that goal. It was intended as much for slow painful death.

The slow painful death symbolizes just how sin kills slowly but painfully. But through His crucifixion on the cross, Jesus has dealt with the consequential sin and provided a way that through Him, we are given another chance to be free from the power of sin (Romans 6:23).

Scripture and the cross

Going by scripture, the cross was applied on people who had committed sin worthy of death such as murder or blasphemy. Thus to have been put to death by hanging on the cross was a direct signal of God's curse against one for having committed a grave sin (Deuteronomy 21:22-23), (Galatians 3:13).

The message thus is that; that Jesus died on the cross for this particular purpose, He did so for an offense worth death or, one that could only be met with death. And a grave sin is now forgivable through Jesus' act on the cross.

NB The cross was used to imply that something is crossed or counseled out. Rather that something is no more. 
When a teacher is marking students' or pupil's books, he uses the mark of a cross if the answer is wrong. This is to mean it does not apply. That Jesus died on the cross for the remission of sin, it means sin is counseled out and it is no more applicable.

So it is that had it not been for Jesus' death on the cross for the same, we had been counted walking dead. Everyone who is yet to surrender to Jesus Christ, is walking dead. The only remaining step is the execution.

Jesus admitted to be executed on the cross in our place. Our curse rather was placed on Jesus who also passed it on to the cross. So we are made the righteousness of God by way of Jesus' death on the cross (2Corinthians 5:20-23). Rather the righteousness of Jesus has to be imputed on us so we are accepted of God the Father.

Why the cross?
 

• Why Jesus was killed on the cross

• Why did they not use another method? 

The answers will guide us to understand why it was particularly the cross. The cross has very scriptural and historical significance. For other forms of execution can simply be assessed in terms of human expression of anger, say by beheading as was done to some people in scripture (Matthew 14:10), (2Samuel 4:5-7), (Acts 12:2). Yet the other forms of execution were never to deal with sin. 

Additionally, all these other methods of execution have no such scriptural and historical connection like the cross is. The cross is well grounded in scripture and history  to have been the one.

For hanging by the rope is not traceable in scripture. As that, well as there are other ways of execution, they (the other ways) have no scriptural and historical recommendation to certify the act of one having to die because of sin. So, Jesus died on the cross because that is the way sinners were effectively dealt with. In this, both in scripture and historically, the cross applies pretty well.

The case of Jephthah and his daughter

Jephthah vowed to sacrifice anything that he would first meet with back home if he had won the war (Judges 10:6-12:7). But this can't be appropriate to explain or justify the penalty for the remission of sin. It would simply be to miss the point.  For Jephthah's daughter was given as a burnt offering. 

Additionally, Jephthah's was a personal vow, it wasn't payment for sin. It is not a way recommended in scripture for payment for sin. For both in scripture and historically, sin is dealt with by crucifixion. Jephthah was simply fulfilling his vows. Of this as well, the cross stands out.

 The process of the cross

The cross stands out much more so that in addition to its historical and scriptural significance, it carries immense spiritual significance and implication. For literally, it was the Roman soldiers who nailed Jesus on the cross. But these were simply objects to effect the project. For they did not do so because they were the soldiers, or because they were to, but that it was a process for the remission of sin.  For the Roman soldiers could be exonerated (if they submit to Jesus).

So then, if not the Roman soldiers, who nailed Jesus on the cross?

What nailed Jesus on the cross was pretty much sin. And if it is the sin which nailed Jesus on the cross, where is the sin now? The sin is no more because when Jesus was nailed on the cross, He left the sin nailed on the cross. 

Rather that Jesus carried the sin of the world, the power of the sin is nailed on the cross and it is no more. We are now only counted sinners if we do not submit to Jesus. For we are only justified by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. If not this, you are only walking dead.

Jesus paid for the entire penalty by way of crucifixion on the cross. So then, a person's actions can never save him. A person is only saved by submission to Jesus.

Now Jesus is free of any sin. Jesus is never a sinner. But He stood in our place and carried our sin. He paid for our sin by death (Romans 6:23). Yet off the cross, Jesus is now free of any sin.

If Jesus is free of any sin, not His (if at all) and not ours, we can only be justified by Him (for Jesus is the powerful one). The cross is indispensable for the remission of sin. For it is at the cross that sin was judged and eternally condemned (Romans 8:1-4).

Jesus minus the cross makes it impossible for sin to be forgiven. The process of the cross was a vital requirement, yet it was more vital who died on it.

The act on the cross fulfills Jesus' mission. This is how sin is gets powerless and made possible to be forgiven. For when we approach the cross, we do so already condemned, but Jesus made it possible that rather to be condemned, the cross produces forgiveness and we are made free of sin.  The cross nullifies the power of sin. For if not the cross, how else?

What more lessons do we draw from Jesus' death on the cross? The following lessons could be drawn from the cross. At the cross;

• God's love is revealed

• God's mercy is revealed

• Point of exchange

• At the cross, salvation is made real

God's love is revealed

Jesus has transformed the cross to be used as a symbol of God's love for mankind. For the cross was but by law. And God 's law was but out of love. Thus for Jesus to say; all the law is but in two; Love the Lord your God with all thine heart, soul, strength, and mind. The second one is like unto the first; love thine neighbor as you love thine self (Matthew 22:37), (Luke 10:27).

Yet God loves us not by law. God loves us because He is Father. So, the cross is for us and not for Him. And upon this, we must not love by law, for love is the way of God. That the law was but out of love does not mean we should love by law. It is rather because God loved us, He put laws to help us not get lost in sin. In this then, the law was out of love, but it is not in it that we can find God's love. For God loved us when He created us. There was no law given then.

When God created man, He was pleased with what He created (Genesis 1:31). But man disobeyed God and the sinful nature found its way in man. The calamitous separating veil is sin (2Corinthians 3:14-16). Once man is free of sin, what is it then?

Despite that man sinned, God out of His abundance of love, He did not give up on man. He (God), made a grand plan. The grand plan is that He sent His Son Jesus Christ (who also is the God man) to die on the cross for the remission of sin. For God wanted a way to stop the perpetuation of sin. Rather sin and all its consequences had to be dealt with absolutely.

Crucifixion before the Christ was intended to eliminate and destroy the sinner, but the sin remained. And this way was not appropriate. There was supposed to be a way to stop the sin but save the sinner. Yet all human are spiritual criminals. For a criminal cannot stand surety for a criminal. Upon this, it required a spiritually non-criminal person, albeit in the likeness of the sinful man.

The killing power of the cross before the coming of Christ was sin. But the God man Jesus Christ (who is the measure of God) stood surety for us. So, we are forgiven not on our own account, but on the account of the God man Jesus Christ. For it is the blood of this God man which was the perfect requirement to set man free.

In this then, when crucifying the sinner, the matter wasn't the person but the sinful nature. The method just wasn't appropriate. So, death on the cross signifies condemnation. And if this is so, we praise Jesus. For because of Him, sin is condemned and not the sinner.

In all this, it may not be mistaken to conclude it was simply an act of brutality with no desirable results. But if  Jesus Christ who is God's own Son died on it, and for the same purpose, then it is pretty true that God has always loved us. God simply hates sin. For God's nature is holiness and righteousness.God's anger is righteous.

Jesus is God’s one begotten Son (John 3:16). By offering Him to us, He (God) gave us His all. It wasn't simply wishful that Jesus hung on the cross. It is of symbolic significance that by the death of Jesus on it, the cross is a redemptive tool. Jesus wound up every act on the cross. There can't be greater love than that expressed by God through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ (John 15:13). Rather we can't find this kind of love elsewhere.

God's mercy is revealed

When the publican went to the temple to pray, he said; "...be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). He was justified on this account.

For at the cross, Jesus has provided a way and made it possible that if we repent, we are forgiven. It is that simple, albeit not simple. In this, God has revealed His mercy to us.

At the same piece one was condemned, but now it is where sin is surely forgiven. Have you forgiven those who wrong you?

If you are yet to do so, you haven't been at the cross. And if you haven't been at the cross, for neither are you free of sin because sin is only forgiven at the cross.

This is so revealing of God's mercy (1Peter 1:3), (Ephesians 2:4), (Hebrews 4:16). If the cross was known for brutality and condemnation, it should now be known for grace and love.

Point of exchange

At the cross, there is life for death, holiness and righteousness for sin, hope for hopelessness. Jesus was all holy and all righteous. Being that, He was to be the perfect sacrifice. He carried the sin of the whole world and through Him, sin was nailed on the cross (Galatians 2:20).

For mankind has been held under two terribly devastating consequential laws; the law of sin and the law of death (Romans 8:1-2). The meaning of Jesus' death on the cross counsels out these two laws and replaces them with the laws of life and love. For life is synonymous with love. Yet it is also pretty true that sin is synonymous with death (Romans 6:23). 

So, that Jesus rose from the dead, so do we rise from the death of sin when we submit Him. Thus the life of Christ dwells in us. For at the cross, we are regenerated and made anew (2Corinthians 5:17).

Salvation is made to be real at the Cross

When Jesus met with the rich man, the conversation between them concluded by Jesus saying; it is easy for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a rich person to go to heaven.

The disciples then wondered and asked who then could be saved if even such a man who had kept the law would not get to heaven (Matthew 19:24-25). Then Jesus replied to them that what is impossible with men is possible with God (Matthew 19:26). For the devil tormented Jesus so to make it appear pretty impossible to make salvation any reality.

But when Jesus died on the cross, He made what looked impossible to men to be possible by going to the cross. Thus then, salvation comes not by works. Salvation is not of a person's own making. For salvation is God's grace upon mankind (Romans 4:6-7, 5:17-18, 10:3), (Ephesians 2:8-9), (Philippians 3:9), (2Timothy 1:8-9), (Titus 3:5).

The history of the cross being associated with punishment for sin made it perfectly befitting for the redemption of mankind. By judging someone to die on the cross, it was an expression of God's anger against sin.  By doing it, it was felt that that sin had been dealt with perfectly well. For when Jesus died on the cross, God has perfectly vented His righteous anger upon sin.

The consequent slow painful death was perfectly intentional so that there was satisfaction that everything sinful and associated with it was perfectly dealt with. Yet that all such was associated with the cross, when Jesus died on it, Salvation is perfectly made possible and available to all of us. 

Both the sinner and the sin were pretty viewed in the same way. The sinner then suffered both literal and spiritual death. But Jesus has provided a way that the sinner can be separated from the sin. For through Jesus, sin was nailed on the cross.

So, when a sinner repents, the sin is passed on to the cross and the sinner is made anew and leaves the cross free of sin. For the sinner is finally separated from the sin. There should be no more worry for us.

By the cross, lives are transformed. Millions are set free. Countless of testimonies are being told everyday. Myself, I have a testimony of deliverance. The cross therefore is not simply an earring or necklace piece (as earlier pointed out), but it is where it is made possible that a sinner is made a saint. For by the crucifixion of Jesus on it (the Cross), Christ is formed in us (Galatians 4:17-19).

The power of Jesus' death on the cross

Right after Jesus gave up the ghost on the cross, tombs were opened and many of the saints rose up and were seen on the streets of Jerusalem (Matthew 27:50-52). All because of the cross. Oh, the power of the cross...!!! Thank you dear Jesus, I am real now.

Yet it is so imperative that we understand what the whole package of salvation comprises of. For there are three indispensable elements which make salvation, and each of them is crucially paramount and should be taken in that spirit. For salvation to become a reality, these three components must have been there;

• Jesus Christ

• The blood

• The cross. 

That is; Jesus Christ+the blood+the cross=Salvation. But of the three, Jesus Christ is the spine. Without Jesus, nothing else could have ever been or made any meaning.

Now we talk with confidence, and when we command demons away, they will surely go away. Thus for the writer to ask: "...how shall we escape if neglect so great a salvation...?" (Hebrews 2:3).

Altars were made in the olden Bible times. It was upon these altars that sacrifices would be made unto God. Sacrifices were done for atonement, regeneration and thanks-giving. This was done once every year at Jerusalem. With Jesus, we need this no more.

When Jesus died on the cross, He made it (the cross) the altar of the New Covenant. Now this altar of the New Covenant is in our hearts. For we do not have to travel anywhere so we can communicate with God. No never. Where or what one is, is no longer an issue. At the cross, we are set free and regenerated for God's work.

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