A great many recognized scholars in the world consider that the Bible is the greatest book ever written.  But for reasons beyond our comprehension the world in general doesn’t recognize it so.  This is not the only paradox.  There are innumerable ones similar to that.  The literary world treat it as a classic like Shakespeare, Milton and the like, and the religious world, as one of the religious books.  The greatest historian of the 20th century, Arnold Toynbee, a British born scholar, considers this book as a major source of primary reference for research in world history.  That is the status of this book in the secular world.

This book has to its credit certain interesting statistical records such as, the greatest number of copies printed every year, the greatest number of books sold in the publishing world, the greatest number of translations of this book in different languages, the cost of this book being lowest in the publishing market and so on.  Though educationalists know these facts, they regard it not stylish in these days to speak anything good of the Bible.  This is another paradox about the Bible.

With such world records attached to this book, this book has many supernatural characteristics in the contents of the book.  This is the only book which has recorded fulfilled-prophecies well documented. Moreover among the publications in the world this one is the foremost in its contribution to world civilization and culture. The aboriginal Celts in England became a civilized English speaking country only after missionaries went and preached the Gospel in that country. The cannibals in African countries became so civilized that they are now members of the United Nations and one of them became the Director General of the world body. It seems he said in one of his speeches something to the following effect: “My great-grand father was a cannibal; but you can be sure I won’t be harmful to any of you” to the utter enjoyment of every one who heard him.  Yes, he was right.  Not to speak of the European and African countries, in the Asian countries also this book has made a remarkable dent in their civilization.

Nagaland, nicknamed as the land of head hunters (They were warriors and wished to excel each other in accumulating the skulls of human beings they killed) became a leading Christian state because of the preaching of the Gospel of Christ.  While I was in Calcutta I had occasion to meet many of them.  They were highly cultured.  Another example is the country of Indonesia where also there were cannibals, but became a civilized nation subsequently after great Christian missionary movements swept the land.  Even the movement of “Ahimsa” owes its source to the Bible because Mahatma Gandhi was so impressed with the words of Jesus, ‘If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.’

Many evil practices that were in vogue in India such as sati, where widows were burnt in the funeral pyres of their husbands, child marriage, forbidding the re-marriage of widows, and the like were put to an end by Indian leaders with Christian influence.  Establishment of universities and medical hospitals, and leprosy asylums were first established in India by Christian missionaries.  Such is the invisible power of the Gospel contained in this book.  In short, it has turned the world up-side-down.  Here too the paradox is that no one pays any tribute to the influence of this book.  All these paradoxes can be termed as external.

There are many internal paradoxes also in this book.  By internal I mean those which are found in the contents of this book. I will make reference to some of them in this write up.

There is an old maxim about God in the theory of general Theology found in the ancient Latin language that said God is mysterium, tremendum and fascinan meaning God is mysterious, all powerful and fascinating. By fascinating we have ourselves understood that He is so loving and merciful in nature. That is wonderful to note since as believers we have practically experienced all these qualities in Him.  What is fascinating to me is the fact that such a grand, Almighty, and all powerful God is so patient with unreasonable and ungrateful mankind.

It can be clearly understood even without any religious bias that God has a special message for humanity in this book, the Bible, which is not only fascinating but tremendous for many reasons.  From what we know of mankind, we are not surprised that they are callous about this crucial message for which reason, God’s terrible wrath, is coming down upon them as prophesied in this book, to punish the proud, disobedient and ungrateful, but only after redeeming the remnant of people who are faithful to Him consistently. That is joyful news to the godly and a death knell to the ungodly. We know this from the Bible, which also tells us that the latter will not bother about it, and this is as alarming as it is pathetic.

As for the Elect

A mystery about this book is that in the literary world it shines as a book of literature.  It is still an indispensable classic in the academic study of English literature in any part of the world. To all the dead churches it continues to be a symbol of their dead religion.  To the historian it is a primary source of reference in the study and research of world history.

Only to the Elect is this book the very voice of God like to the sheep recognizing the voice of their shepherd.  That further enhances the mystery of this mysterious book.  Further more all those who understand the contents of this book and believe it shall have everlasting life.  In the words of Lord Jesus, the main Topic of this book, who said, “whoever believes in Him (Jesus Christ) should not perish but have everlasting life”, Jn 3: 16.  And also, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but passed from death into life”, Jn 5: 24.

There is another amazing revelation in the following verse which is worth knowing and understanding. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live”, Jn 5: 25.  Those who are born of water and the Spirit are already spiritually resurrected.  But they have to inevitably, go through the valley of the shadow of death.  But they don’t need to fear any evil because the moment they breathe their last in this earth they will hear the voice of Jesus and go up to the “general assembly and the church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God …. And to the spirits of righteous men made perfect”, Heb 12: 23.

Such is the power this book speaks of. Yet sadly, the people of this world have proved their illiteracy in the spiritual knowledge of this book.  Even in many so-called churches, which are as good as dead organizations containing nominal Christians, their preachers are illiterate as far as true understanding of the Bible is concerned.  In the words of the Lord, “Every plant which My heavenly father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into the ditch”, Mt 15: 13, 14.

The fact is that the same book, the Bible, is a book of literature to some but a book of life-giving power to some others. This divergent characteristic of this book can be considered as one of the internal paradoxes of this book.  This may remind us of another paradox where we have same aroma causing opposite effects: “to the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life”, 2 Cor 2: 16.

Unless a person genuinely believes that this book is the word of God without any errors whatsoever, it will not be of any use to him to inherit the kingdom of heaven.  It is not an exaggeration to consider the Bible as the very mouth piece of God.

When the Lord Jesus Christ was in this world as the Incarnation, He announced Himself as sent by God the Father in order to establish the new dispensation, the final event in creation history before the Millennial rule of Lord Jesus.  Besides, He (Lord Jesus) also bought to the notice of the Jews that He was the One prophesied by Moses in Deut 18: 17, the One of which Moses was a type, who would come into the world sometime in the future.

After Lord Jesus ascended to heaven He established His church and also this book, the Bible through the ministry of His apostles.  This book is now in our midst.  Unless we in the new dispensation ‘believe in Jesus Christ’ through their word, that is the words of the apostles (recorded in the Bible) none can be in the church built on the foundation of Lord Jesus Christ. This book is going to be “the aroma of Christ, to one of death leading to death and the same book to some others the aroma of life leading to life” depending upon how this book is going to be understood by him.  This book is going to show him the Way, the Truth and the Life.

There are many more paradoxes; just to mention one or two more, “In Him was life, an the life was light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and darkness did comprehend it”, Jn 1: 4, 5.

Another one is as follows: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “ I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe”, 1 Cor 18 – 21.

All these paradoxes, and others that I have not mentioned here, are neither amusing to read nor matters of curiosity, but a sheer tragedy because, the Almighty God loved mankind so much that He did not hesitate to send His Son as an atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and salvation of all who will come to Him in faith and repentance.  But knowingly or unknowingly, deliberately or stupidly, a majority of mankind are going to be destroyed so cheaply but inevitably because they rejected the call of God.  There is still a flicker of hope for some who would care to listen to the gospel call, understand it, obey, and be saved.

1. The principal subject of the Bible
It will not be an exaggeration if we consider that the principal theme or the subject of the entire Bible is the announcement of the Kingdom of God. It is for the purpose of revealing this fact that He, the Son of God was born into this world as the Incarnation. We would have absolutely no chance of knowing anything whatsoever of God or of anything about the spiritual life we are privileged to experience, and much less, about the Kingdom of God, but for the revelation of these facts by Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord Jesus Christ thus has become the Saviour of mankind, as the sacrificial Lamb for their transgressions, and as the mediator or the High priest between the sinners and God. He executed all these functions in great precision.
For these reasons “God has highly exalted Him above every name that at the name of Him every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”, Phil 2: 9 – 11.
Finally He has occupied the most privileged place of being seated at the right hand of God. From there He will come down to this earth to judge the entire humanity and according to that judgement, the entire population of the world, past, present, and future, will be divided as those going to be in heaven and those who lost that glorious chance.

2. Jesus Christ is the King of that Kingdom as appointed by God the Father
It is this Lord Jesus Christ who has left the Bible, which is the word of God, in this world for future generations until His return to this world for Judgement. His very name according to Rev 19: 13 is “the word of God”. That is why immediately after He executed the salvation process, it is stated that Lord Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Col 3: 1). Also, “So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God”, Mk 16: 19.

The phrase “the right hand” signifies the place of power, authority, and honour. Hence it is written, “(Christ) sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high”, Heb 1: 3. Also it is worth noting that it is also written, “But to which of the angels has He ever said, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool?’ ” Heb 1: 13. Apostle Peter also expresses this same fact as, “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him” (1 Pet 3: 22). It is significant that martyr Stephen had a glorious vision of Lord Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God Acts 7: 55.

3. As prophesied by many prophets especially Moses
Jesus Christ, the embodiment of the kingdom of God, come into this world according to many prophesies contained in the Old Testament and as announced at the end of the Old Covenant days by John the Baptist also; and yet the people could not recognize the God Incarnation physically present in their midst! “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it”, Jn 1: 4.

It was early Israel’s request that God here had fulfilled. The people of Israel complained to Moses, “Surely the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives. Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? And you go near and hear all that the Lord our God may say, and tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear and do it”, Deut 5: 24 – 27.
The Lord God did appreciate their fear which He considered quite reasonable and said to Moses, “I have heard the voice of words of the people which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken”, Deut 5: 28.

4. The literal fulfillment of the prophecy of Moses
Exactly as He promised Moses, and as Moses announced to the people of Israel, Christ, God Incarnate came into this world. In the words of Moses: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die’ ”, 18: 15.
When the Lord was here, and as He stated, “if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you”, Mt 12: 28. It precisely meant that the king of that magnificent Kingdom was in their midst displaying His sovereign power. He showed it by demonstrating, to the people around, His ability to bind Satan and his demons.

The only purpose of our living in this earth is to seek and search for ways and means to be in that blessed kingdom. That is why the Lord commanded “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”, Mt 6: 33; Lk 12: 31.

5. The Son of God came into this world as Jesus Christ to announce this news and to enlist people for His Kingdom
Though man cannot come to God on his own, he is nevertheless endowed with a precious free-will either to respond to the call of God or to respond to the continuous almost non-stop call of Satan, as this earth is under his domination and tremendous influence. God’s call at the time man hears it, is not loud; rather it is specific, logical, and convincing to common sense, holy, loving, but quite inconvenient to one’s carnal mind. The sinful man finds Satan’s voice easy and congenial to follow. Moreover it is appealing and acceptable to the majority of people, whereas the latter is found to demand man’s discipline and so is not appealing to his natural and sinful mind.

On God’s part, He is not looking for saintly people because He knows that there is no such person in this world; He is not looking for great people or learned people or popular people but only ordinary people like us, but those who have a poor and contrite spirit in them and who takes His word seriously (Is 66: 2); only such people truly respond to God’s passionate invitation to inherit His Kingdom. Even in their case it is by His sheer grace that these few are chosen and not because of any of their merits, for no one can be saved by merit.
It must be carefully noted that this humility, and contrite spirit in man is by no means considered a virtue by God. Man with such qualities is raw material in the hand of God to shape him to be in heaven.
The following verses also are relevant in this context.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, Mt 5: 3.
“Assuredly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it”, Lk 18: 17.

God saves those who yearn for His salvation and who are prepared to pay the price. It is not difficult to know the price that man must pay for this pearl, which is in fact priceless. If it could be expressed in one sentence: The Kingdom of heaven is compared to one pearl of great price which when the pearl merchant found, he went and sold all that he had and bought it, (Mt 13: 46). Though many come across such a pearl, only few understand its value.

But the expression that “the Kingdom is at hand” in Mt 10: 7; 3:2; 4: 17; Mk 1:15; Lk 21: 32 has a different connotation. They refer to the fact that the judgement connected with the Kingdom of God is fast approaching. It is only on account of the impending judgement and as a helpful warning that John the Baptist while preaching “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, Mt 3: 2 also adds, “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”, Mt 3: 10.

To all the genuinely willing souls God grants the gift of the Holy Spirit to assist them is their endeavour. There is also a deadline for this processing of the yearning soul, which is the day of rapture or one’s passing from this earth, whichever is earlier.

After the establishment of the Kingdom of God, the present heavens and earth are going to be destroyed by fire. Preaching the Kingdom of God is carefully inbuilt into this process. Every church has the dual responsibility of (1) preaching of the Gospel directly by the word of God and through the example of the life and conduct of the individual members and (2) training of the existing members to be worthy citizens of this Kingdom of God.

6. The Tools used for choosing the people
The important tools that Lord Jesus is using for the recruitment of members for this Kingdom are:
(i) Bible containing the entire teaching of Lord Jesus,
(ii) Church with God’s anointing and
(iii) Holy Spirit to help the anointed church to interpret scripture

The nature of the Kingdom of God is something exceedingly remarkable. This we understand from the following verse, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption”, 1 Cor 15: 50. It will not be easy to comprehend this spiritual phenomena with our physical body even though we are not entirely physical after our spiritual regeneration. We are developing in stages from a purely physical state to a spiritual state. The Kingdom of God is beyond the physical realm even though the development commences during our time on earth. Lord Jesus gave a hint of this at the very beginning of His ministry when He said that God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. For the Father is seeking such to worship Him (Jn 4: 24, 23).

7. The nature of this glorious Kingdom
The following verse also gives us a hint of the spiritual state of His Kingdom: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God”, Jn 3: 5. A man in Christ becomes a new creation (2 Cor 5: 17). This only means that the process is born in the believer, which will attain its fullness only after the termination of his earthly life. For us to live in this earth is Christ which means that a drastic change has taken place in the nature of this earthly life in the case of a believer. We are now neither fully earthly nor fully spiritual. All true believers are living in the power of the Holy Spirit so that at the termination of the earthly life the spiritual life takes over fully and completely. It is enough to know this much for the present. The meaning of this verse is that he is liberated through the power of the Holy Spirit from the shackles of this earthly frame (limitation) into a glorious liberty, the nature of which cannot be visualized through this earthly mind. This is going to be something very wonderful beyond human imagination. Glory be to God.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek”, Rom 1: 16.

Let us go through this verse and consider carefully the meaning and implications of the step called “believing” in the life of a believer, and how the under-noted expressions in the same verse garnish it.

• the power of God
• not ashamed of
• the Gospel of Christ
• every one
• the Jew and the Greek.

The power of God
What does an average man understand by this expression “the power of God”? He does not even know what ‘God’ means and so there is no chance of his knowing anything about matters pertaining to God. Even to understand the meaning of the word “power” a man does not have sufficient knowledge.

There was a time when man worshipped the sun, moon, stars, lightning, rivers, mountain, mud, stone, animals, and birds. Things have not changed much since those days. Man is still ignorant, and his ignorance of the fact that he is ignorant leads to more transgression. This ignorance coupled with his sky-high pride are his greatest handicaps in understanding God.

Only after a person becomes spiritual does he begin to understand how ignorant he is and how great God is. A secular scientist may understand what power is only from his observation of nature. But he does not realise that everything visible and invisible is all the creation of Almighty God and that there is no power whatsoever without Him.

So the wise King David declared, “Thine O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, ….” 1 Chr 29: 11. The Gospel of Christ, according to apostle Paul, is the power of God; it is our experience too, praise be unto God.

Not ashamed of
There are many so called Christians in the world who are inwardly quite ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. It is possible that many could be ‘Christians’ not by deliberate choice but by a spate of unexpected circumstances or even ignorantly. Search your heart and see if you are truly proud of being a Christian. Are you more proud of this fact than you are about your status or about the achievements of members of your family, or about your wealth? You do not need to tell me the answer, and the Holy Spirit knows it already. If you are more proud of anything else above the fact that you are a Christian, you are no better than a nominal Christian.

On the other hand, if you are truly proud of the Gospel of Christ, others will see you as a person with a poor and contrite spirit, who denies himself and bears his cross daily. They will see you thus following the Lord Jesus, not sorrowfully but enthusiastically. If this describes your case, you are indeed a much wanted person in the kingdom of God and an outstanding example in the church to many members. You will then be a person eagerly looking for occasions to be a witness unto Lord Jesus about His Gospel, the power of God.

Paul was a wealthy man, a Roman citizen and a Rabbi by his education and status. But after He discovered the Gospel of Christ he considered all his wealth, education, and status as rubbish, worthless and good for nothing. By the same token, whenever he came across another human being he did not care for his status either. It mattered little whether he was a sweeper, a labourer, or a district collector; what mattered to him was whether he was a deliberate Christian, whether in fact the call of God to him through the gospel had been followed by the convicting work of God in his heart and willing obedience.

We read in the following verse, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen…. that no flesh should glory in His presence”, 1 Cor 1: 26 – 29.

If we pose as a somebody important in the world, let us beware lest God reduce us to a nobody in His kingdom. To many, to be a Christian is stylish, something that gives one dignity and respectability in the eyes of the world. This is not the Christianity that Bible speaks of. No true saint ever enjoyed such a status in this world. They were often treated like beggars, as aliens, peculiar, and strange, but they were proud of such treatment for the sake of the Christ and His gospel. If there is one thing I can be proud of, it is the chance of my being in His kingdom. I too consider everything else as rubbish, my qualifications, status, family background, and anything for that matter.

The gospel of Christ
The text states that it is the power of God to salvation. A man who does not know who God is, cannot possibly understand even an iota of what the Gospel is, not to speak of availing its power. Do you understand what it is. If you do, praise the Lord and preach the Gospel to others more through your life than your sermons. If you do not know, praise the Lord again for the humility He has given you to own the fact, which is not very palatable or stylish in these days, and learn it, “For what are men better than sheep or goats” as Tennyson wrote, “that nourish a blind life within the brain?” We are better because we have the potential of getting immortal life through the Gospel of Christ, if only we approach it with faith and humility.

For every person who understands the Gospel and accepts the condition stipulated therein, God promises to grant him immortal life; and every such person who is in God’s list for immortal life possess an I.D. That I.D. is the gift of the Holy Spirit. All those who have this I.D. are a new creation in Jesus Christ. Such a man is humble and growing into one who is poor, broken, and contrite in spirit. He is deeply interested in the reading and meditation of the word of God along with the messages heard in the church. He gives very careful attention to what he hears in the church whether it is joyful and encouraging or not, and is anxiously eager to implement the instructions in his life.

Such a person would have come to this state by a process that is very much like the following:

• He heard the Gospel of Christ and believed. By the power inherent in it he was saved by grace on account of the atoning sacrifice of Lord Jesus.
• Summing up all that he did by way of obedient action:
  • He entered into a covenant with God the Father under the mediation of Lord Jesus by which God promised to grant him eternal life and a place in His kingdom and on his part he made a total commitment to God to abide by the word of Christ till the end.
  • He developed a deep commitment to church discipline and took all that he heard in the church very seriously.
  • So impressed was he by the warnings he heard that he shared it with as many as he could.
  • He began to understand that what he needed was to grow more and more in humility, with a broken and contrite heart, listening with childlike faith and eagerness and being obedient to what he hears in the church, supplementing it by what he reads privately from the word of God
  • Thus he continues in the path of sanctification.

Everyone
The afore-stated experience is free for everyone who believes. This blessing is granted by the power of the Holy Spirit to all those who go through the process explained above. God does not show partiality. However, everyone does not evince the same interest. Some may even wish to achieve it cheaply like bargaining for the pearl of great price at a 50% discount or some such perversion. Salvation is by grace and free but not obtainable cheaply by any stretch of imagination.

The Jew and the Greek
This is a phrase we come across frequently in the scriptures (1 Cor 1: 24; Rom 10: 12; Gal 3: 25; Col 3: 11). They are used in two senses: (1) equivalent to stating every one in the world and (2) God has not abandoned the Jewish nation raised from Abraham. Though the Jews were dispersed, having been cursed by God because of their disobedience, there is always a remnant of Jews beloved of God, by whom the epistles and the gospels were written and the first church of the Bible planted; after, all is said and done they are the original olive tree, into which we the wild branches of the Gentiles were grafted in. Let us never lose sight of the fact that the Lord Jesus Himself was born a Jew, according to prophetic fulfillment. There is also a prophecy that the two shall ultimately become one to the glory of God Almighty.

The glorious step called “believing”
This is, as indicated in the title, the unique and the most vital spiritual step. At the same time, it is the most misunderstood term in Christendom. I would not be exaggerating if I said that Satan has perhaps invested a great deal of his efforts in causing people to misunderstand this particular step as it happens to be most crucial one in salvation.

This step of Believing is as explained in the 3rd part of this series. I cannot say for certain how many went through that write up in all sincerity with the vigilance needed to understand a term grossly corrupted by the evil forces. Our lives should reflect the fact that we have indeed understood the crucial message.

The part Satan plays at this stage includes (1) causing a pseudo faith in otherwise innocent believers (2) giving them pseudo signs and a false sense of satisfaction about their salvation.

Those without the genuine saving faith can also remember a lot of verses and pray cogently and confidently. Yes, nominal Christians, because of their upbringing and training can often be very eloquent in praying and quoting scripture. It is difficult for unspiritual persons to diagnose this tragic situation. This is one of the reasons for the series of special retreats that I am conducting.

Conclusions
The five expressions mentioned in our text, Romans 1:16, are embellishments for the step “Believing”. They are closely interrelated and make the glorious step of “believing” shining bright and beautiful, and we praise the Lord for this beautiful verse which highlights so many facts.

The word faith is like an icon on a computer desktop. The icon by itself serves no purpose unless it directs the user to a document. Quite a number of believers stop with admiring the size and shape of the icon as it were, by being content with a superficial knowledge of ‘faith’. I urge every one of you to get better acquainted with the concept behind the icon rather than the glorious looking icon.

In order to have a sound knowledge of the concept of faith, let me divide it into two parts:-

1. Faith in the inerrancy of scripture (a belief in the truthfulness, inerrancy and the urgent message behind the word of God James 2: 17, 24)
2. Faith in the atoning work of Christ (the acceptance by the believer of God’s salvation offered by grace through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. It is to be availed with deep gratitude to Him, and also believing that other than Christ Jesus there is no salvation in any other Acts 4: 12)

We shall try to understand these two parts of faith in some depth. At this stage it will be useful to introduce the concept what I call the twin side principle, with respect to each of the two parts of faith viz.: (i) The theological aspect and (ii) the work aspect.

(i) Faith in the inerrancy of scripture: (theological aspect)
This means reiterating what I stated earlier, belief in the inerrancy and divinity of the Bible, the word of God. It also includes believing that the Bible is God’s message to the entire humanity. To understand the place of the theological aspect of faith in our lives, it can also be compared to the preparation of a tasty pudding. The eating of the pudding lies in the work aspect. A pudding that is prepared that is not eaten does not serve its intended purpose and is meaningless. The theology aspect and the work aspect are like two sides of the same coin (twin-side principle), the implication of which is that the one without the other nullifies the very purpose of it automatically.

(ii) Faith in the inerrancy of scripture: (work aspect)
The work aspect of faith mentioned here is not to be confused with the work referred in Rom 4: 2. There, it is used synonymously with word ‘law’ which is very repulsive in the spiritual life. In the present context this word is used synonymously with the word used in James 2: 17 and in 24. This is somewhat like the word “fruits” mentioned by John the Baptist in Mt 3: 8.

Faith without works means faith without the fruits. This is one of the serious drawbacks in many members who have only a form of godliness but not its power. Such types of people can never hope to be in the group of “few only are chosen.” They may know a lot in the Bible and appear to be experienced Christians. The person who is conversant with the historical faith should be known by fruits worthy of his belief. This twin-side principle is worth keeping in mind when we examine ourselves to see if there are fruits as a result of our understanding of faith. Members should be very careful about the fact that God looks at the heart and not their outward appearance or conduct. Beware of creating an impression without the fruit especially before the Holy Spirit; remember Ananias and Saphira in this connection.

In other words, if a person takes the contents of the Bible as God speaking to the people, for instance, in the manner He spoke to Moses and to the people, which is one of the aspects of historical faith, our fruit as a result of this faith should prove it. For example, after you read a passage like, “So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them”, Num 20: 6, you must truly believe that the same God interacts with true believers when they approach God even in these days when they read the Bible or pray to God; only, the glory was visible then, but invisible now since we have been commanded to worship God at the ‘spirit and truth’ level. The question is whether we have such a realization, honestly speaking.

(i) Faith in the atoning work of Christ: (theological aspect)
By this phrase it is meant the acceptance of God’s merciful salvation extended to the believers by grace through the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Lord Jesus Christ, intellectually, deliberately, willingly and gratefully; in other words, in spirit and truth.

• Only by such a faith, a believer is justified, (Rom 5: 1).
• It is by this faith that believers are saved, Eph 2: 8.
• Also, by this faith alone does a believer become a partaker of the blessings of the new covenant, 1 Cor 11: 25.
• It is a faith which works through love, Gal 5: 6.

It is not an idle, inactive grace, but that which shows itself by producing in us love toward God and simultaneously love for our neighbour as well.

Dr. John Mac Arthur defines the characteristics of faith as follows: “Saving faith is not simply a one-time event, but an on going condition”. Also it “is supernatural gracious gift of God that He produces in the heart and is the only means by which a person can appropriate true righteousness”. (p. 1692 in the Mac Arthur study Bible)

(ii) Faith in the atoning work of Christ: (work aspect)
The work aspect of saving faith should prove its genuineness by, by one’s fruit being in tune with his understanding of the theological side. In other words, the one who lives by genuine saving faith begins to realize the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit in him, which in turn induces in him a love and eagerness for the word of God, and self sacrificing love for others.

This may appear to be vague or too obscure to understand. But it is not so in reality if one would take a little extra pains to grasp the meaning; such efforts will be extremely rewarding

The fruit cannot be quantified in physical terms because it is a spiritual phenomenon. It can be only spiritually discerned. Who can define or decipher to unspiritual people the meaning of spiritual words, phrases or verses like “For me to live is Jesus”, “Being born of water and the Spirit”, “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh”, and the like!

The fruit of the spiritual man can be appraised only by the Holy Spirit and by an anointed believer to some extent. When we baptize a person, we look for a person with such a faith.

Before we begin the lesson:
Some may think that they are hearing the same old message repeatedly. Thinking in this way indicates that the message does not penetrate into your mind. It could be a warning that ‘sin lies at the door’. For the past 2000 years God is preaching the same old message. Though it is the same old message of God spoken to millions of people for two millennia, it penetrates into the mind of only a few. People would rather hear new messages, interesting stories, strange presentations, attractive T.V. style preachers and so on.

There are many attractive fancy churches in nooks and corners of every city: handclapping churches, drum-beating churches, Amen-shouting churches, slaying-of-the-Spirit churches, prosperity-gospel churches, not to speak of hundreds of varieties of traditional churches. There are churches where one can hear long sermons and churches where one can hear a neat twenty-minute message. Apart from these churches there are also, all night prayer meetings, fasting and prayer groups, miracles meetings and so on so forth.

Let us choose our church carefully because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has foretold “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ”, Mt 7: 22, 23.

This church is meant exclusively for a limited number of people who earnestly wish to be ready to meet the Lord in the air, or be added to the chosen few to be in heaven. You must not expect to hear fancy sermons here. Some, even without knowing that this is the case, are godly only outwardly. They only know in theory about the inner man, soul, spirit, and the like. They even think they are practising the Christian life. But in fact they are functioning only in the outer man. To see this is something that discourages me at times. But this is not an earthly institution for me run away from unfortunate situations.

That is why I have taken the responsibility of beginning a new kind of spiritual lesson that I call micro teaching. In this, I teach the fundamentals descriptively, systematically and step by step. This may be boring to some because they think they have heard of it a few times earlier. I don’t mind such remarks. I am addressing this talk to all those who wish sincerely and intensely to be in the kingdom of heaven. I am one with such people. Let us all join together and make a sincere effort to be in the kingdom of heaven. This is not a time for drama acting. Everyone must learn systematically, earnestly, and enthusiastically and also with great humility and love for one another.

One of the serious drawbacks I noticed of late is that Satan has successfully made some of the believers here to bypass using the notes they have taken; they take the notes perhaps to answer the questions that I ask you, forgetting that what we hear are messages that are given us by the Holy Spirit to bring about change and growth in our lives. They hear the message carefully, and take notes, and then do not ever read the notes again. Individual Bible reading has a place in every Christian’s life; so must going through the notes that you take of the messages that God gives to us in the church.

The Grace of God
Grace is the extraordinary favour of God imparted to anyone for His own will and pleasure. It is the greatest single blessing of God next only to salvation that any one could aspire for. Paradoxically, although God’s grace is the easiest to receive, yet it is the most difficult to get. It is easy because Lord Jesus is ever ready to impart it to all those who genuinely ask for it, but difficult because the recipient, more often than not, lacks the honesty in his approach and does not have that certain attitude of mind expected by the Lord. It will never be difficult for any genuine believer to receive His grace. Whether he needs the grace of God to have the right attitude, or the right attitude to receive His grace is worth pondering over. Though it may sound paradoxical, on closer consideration we find that it is not so.

As in some spiritual steps it is likely that there is a seeming ambiguity about it. But the loving Lord has always an answer or word of clarification in any such situation, to all those who approach Him genuinely. The Lord’s word of assurance sounds clearly and unambiguously when approached with the help of the Holy Spirit, “…. It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given”, Mt 13: 11.

To begin with, the Lord always allows the benefit of doubt to a believer/truth seeker, and straightaway imparts His grace with the clear instruction through the word of God as to the kind of mental attitude he should have. It is the duty of the believer to find out what these conditions are.

The much needed grace, according to apostle Peter, is readily available from God but we learn that He grants it only to the humble. We also learn at the same time that He is opposed to the proud, (1 Pet 5; 5, James 4: 6). This kind of humility, however, is only to begin with. God expects the believer to improve on it more and more.

The goal should be to develop this humility at the level of one’s spirit, in his heart, as different from superficially in the outer man. But we cannot achieve such a level without the help of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit does not help a superficial, proud, and hypocritical man. This true humility is called ‘poverty of spirit.’ That is the goal Lord Jesus has set up for His disciples because that is the nature everyone in heaven is going to have. That is why the word of God confirms “…. for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, Mt 5: 3.

Therefore it should be the aim of every disciple of Lord Jesus to sincerely aspire for it and endeavour to reach that goal with the help of the Holy Spirit. We have already learnt that we must cease to worship or pray to God through the outer man like the dead churches and other worldly religious communities do. As Lord Jesus announced, God has stopped dealing with all those who do not seek to communicate with Him through their spirit. Just as He desires His worshippers to worship Him in spirit and truth, correspondingly, humility is to be developed at the level of the spirit.

The poverty in spirit means humility at rock-bottom level. It may also mean realizing one’s utter bankruptcy in spiritual matters apart from God; in other words, arriving at the realization of the hopelessness of their spiritual condition but at the same time hoping and depending entirely upon the grace of God for their survival. Only to such people does Lord Jesus offer the heavenly abode. It is good to remember how we were saved by the grace of God, “By grace you have been saved”, Eph 2: 5; 8: 2, Tim 1: 9 etc. That is why the message of salvation is known as ‘the Gospel of grace’ Acts 20: 24. Apostle Paul was proud to announce that he had received the stewardship of the grace of God, Eph 3: 2 (as one who teaches others the Gospel of grace).

In order to avail this magnificent gift of God’s grace or the grace of Lord Jesus Christ, we ought to attain the poverty of spirit, a deep down humility at the level of one’s own spirit. In order to reach that state, it is necessary that we develop two other spiritual qualities: They are

• A broken and contrite heart, which means a heart ready to be moulded at any time according to the word of God as and when confronted by it, besides developing a child-like heart.
• Having a hunger and thirst after the righteousness. Depending upon the intensity of one’s hunger, God is willing to fill his heart with this precious righteousness. That means all the heavenly qualities put together including the poverty of spirit.

We use the word ‘spiritual’ to distinguish those things that are not earthly but pertain to divine matters. For us, these terms are special terms used exclusively in connection with God. To be spiritual minded is not an ability that can be acquired by human beings on their own. Rather the ability is only imparted by God through the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him (simply because they are beyond the capacity of the earthly mind); nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual (having the help of the Holy Spirit) judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one”, 1 Cor 2: 14, 15.

Such a mental attitude as referred to in the quotation cited above cannot be attained unless God grants it. To begin with, the person must have been born of water and the Spirit. The other two qualifications are (a) being a healthy member of an anointed church (b) being one who walks seriously in the path of sanctification observing all the discipline found therein. Thereafter, knowledge improves as his experience in the path of sanctification progresses.

The antithesis of spirituality is mere intellectual capacity, prestige consciousness, and a lack of the poverty of spirit referred to in Mt 5:3. God is indeed only too willing to grant it to all those who are genuinely eager to receive it with a real hunger and thirst, because it is a part of the righteousness referred to in Mt 5:6.

The purpose of this study, about the three perilous forces, is not to engage in something intellectual but spiritual, and for every spiritual favour, we need the power of the Holy Spirit. Every progress in our spiritual life is by His grace only. But it is also equally important to understanding that we should never take such favours from God for granted. We need at this time His special favour for our further growth, and so we must implore God humbly for such a favour. May God grant us to grow spiritually, with more spiritual knowledge and clarity. May He also enable us to correct ourselves whenever necessary. We need this growth not only for our own healthy progress, but also in order to be effective witnesses in a spiritually sinking world.

The next preparation is to equip ourselves to deal effectively against the following three perilous forces faced especially whenever we are involved in any serious, spiritual endeavour.

• The environment around us
• One’s own carnal mind
• Satan and his agents

The environment around us
Spiritual people face many obstacles from the environment around them, whether it is an electricity failure, an unexpected visitor, a transport problem, an unusual problem to do with the servant maid, or some other emergency. It is by the grace of God that a believer never finds these problems totally overwhelming.

If the environmental hazards are solved, let us not think that it is automatic but rather let us acknowledge that the problem was solved by divine intervention even if we had failed to pray. God understands our anxiety and our deep desire for whatever spiritual endeavour we are engaged in. As an example, I can speak of one member who could not get leave to attend this church retreat, but found himself able to attend, by God’s providence working through mysterious circumstances. In my own case, a school function across the road from us with the blaring loudspeakers came to an abrupt end just before the noise could affect our retreat.

Strangely such problems are experienced by living churches, whereas the activities organized by dead churches often seem to go on with ease. The lesson we learn from these things at this point is, that in spite of adverse circumstances, believers must be able to circumvent them, if not change them when we plead for God’s help.

So far we dealt with the environment as a distraction. We should not forget that it could be an attraction as well a distraction. That is why the warning, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him”, 1 Jn 2: 15. That could be a serious peril though its sting may not be so apparent to many. If God’s love is not in a person he cannot be a Christian.

Every non-Christian is knowingly or unknowingly in rebellion against the God of the Bible because he is enslaved by the satanically-controlled world system. The love of the Father cannot be in such people. This is not a reference to the physical, material world as such, but the invisible spiritual system of evil dominated by Satan and all that it offers in opposition to God, His word, and His people. “Adulterers and Adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God”, James 4: 4.

One’s own carnal mind
Even after our spiritual re-generation, our carnal mind is not closed for good, but it is being crucified. It is a day-to-day task of a believer who takes up his cross daily.

This situation is like an object in unstable equilibrium. That is the struggle pictured in Rom 7: 23. That is also why we are reminded: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit”, Rom 8: 9. Having stated this reminder, a conditional clause is added as, “…. if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you”. Between vs. 8 and 11 this conditional “if” is repeated four times reminding us about the unequal-equilibrium state in every spiritual person.

In 1 Cor 3: 1, there is a disappointment expressed, because of believers giving in and stumbling because of the unstable equilibrium (And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.); so also in Heb 5: 12. Let us always bear in mind that “a carnal mind is enmity against God, (the reason being that) it is not subject to the law of God….”, Rom 8: 7. We are strictly commanded to “walk in the Spirit”, Gal 5: 16. It is a condition to escape falling into the traps set by the flesh to sin against God and so the command “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh”, vs. 16.

In order to control our carnal mind which is not yet dead we ought to strictly fulfill the condition highlighted above. It is going to be uncomfortable to many, though not for all, reminiscent of the key words “many” and “few”.

Spiritual life is functioning in a war front. In this warfare the carnal mind plays the worst havoc compared with the first and the third ones. It won’t be an exaggeration if it is stated that a large percentage of people in hell would concede that this hazard had been the main cause for their dreadful fate. If that be so, we could very well imagine how important it should be to deal with it and to plan systematically for an effective answer to this peril.

Satan and his agents
Satan and his agents harbour bitter hatred towards spiritual persons. It is not clearly explained in the word of God as to how exactly they harm spiritual people. But we have the following warning:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Eph 6: 10-11)

All we know from these two verses is that the devil is a formidable foe to deal with. Comparing scripture with scripture we learn that the devil has two categories of agencies, one comprising the inner circle with his own deputies, the False Prophet and the Antichrist, and the other comprising ‘principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age and the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places’ (Eph 6: 12) as his agents. The latter include demonic spirits also.

Like flies and mosquitoes, these evil forces work on human beings to cause spiritual disease. They are in charge of most of the churches and Theological institutes, serving under the guidance of Satan their boss.

Because of Christ’s victory over these forces by His atoning sacrifice and resurrection from the dead (Eph 1: 18 – 21; Col 1: 13), Christ can shield His true believers against these forces. Those who do not believe are firmly under the control of these evil agents. Even in the case of unbelievers, God keeps these evil forces from totally destroying them (Eph 2: 2). But He may give them up sooner or later. We need the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in order to avail His protecting shield, we should be His true disciples.

Prayer for God’s help
Towards managing all these three perils, praying is very important. Prayer cannot be used like an Aladdin’s lamp. For effective prayer, the person’s consistent relationship with God is important. That is one of the reasons why I endeavour to din into the ears of every member the need to improve our relationship with God during normal times as different from trying times.

Secondly, prayer is meant for the disciples of the Lord. Ironically, in Christendom, the word ‘prayer’ is so casually used, especially in dead churches. When we were nominal Christians in dead churches we also engaged in such meaningless activities. In our context today, we are talking of prayer in the sense it is used in the Bible. Thirdly, with prayer, it is the bounden duty of the praying person to do everything humanly possible for the person for whom he prays.

Along with prayer we shall do well to ensure the following three things:
(1) that we are spiritual persons, (2) that the matter for which we pray is spiritual in nature and not as the miracle workers we hear so much in these days do and (3) that we examine ourselves and makes sure that we abide in Him, and His words abide in us. If that be so, … ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (Jn 15: 7).

“And He was saying to them all, If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?”, Luke 9:23-25 (NASB).

Taking up one’s cross daily indicates the believer’s responsibility to make spiritual discipline a daily routine. Satan and the carnality in us cunningly make us overlook this aspect and instead imparts to our minds the ‘Discipline yes but daily no’ rule. We have to devise ways and means of bringing it into our daily routine in spite of the counter suggestion of evil forces. Here, the God-given mind can come to our rescue in devising the ways and means of accomplishing this aim.

When God gives us the command, it is our duty to fulfill it. It is very wrong to assume that we can fulfill His command only to the extent ‘possible’. According to this logic, no one can be in hell.

There is nothing reclusive or remote about taking up one’s cross. It does not refer to a hermitic existence. Instead, it requires that we be very much ‘in the world but not of the world’. It requires that we be ‘not conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of ones mind.’ The question may arise as to how exactly this is accomplished. The clue here is in the word ‘daily’. Unless one makes it a routine habit, it will not be possible to fulfill His commandments.

Last night in our Bible study, we learnt about involving God even during our meals time instead of having a dichotomous existence – with one leg in the world and another in spiritual matters. Instead we must try to live a single phase existence uniformly although we are in a dual-plane existence by nature which is unavoidable. That is the reason Paul considers us aliens in this world. Though we are earthly, we have become a new creation in Jesus Christ. Such an existence is not very easy as long as we live on this earth. At times this can be painful, difficult, and even humiliating, but our objective is to live as spiritual beings, all the time looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame.

Lord Jesus is going to share His glory with the believers. For instance, we are going to be resurrected like Him; we are going to be in the presence of God the Father, as He is always with Him. In the words of the Bible, “And if children (of God), then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together” (Romans 8:17).

The word “daily” indicates the believer’s responsibility to make the spiritual discipline a daily routine. We can find many vital reasons for doing so:

• a) We have to tread a narrow path which only very few find
• b) The path we tread in is narrow, and besides that, many will not be able to make it
• c) Few only are chosen
• d) One has to work out one’s salvation with fear and trembling
• e) It is a travel from an alien and hostile territory; the sooner we cross it the better it is for us, since, to linger on here is fraught with many dangers.
• f) We are surrounded by three deadly enemies: Satan, our carnality, and the snare-filled alluring environment around us. A little stumbling can have far reaching adverse consequences
• g) We are in the end times and so we can expect innumerable hazards and catastrophes
• h) Many spurious teachings are afloat to mislead people.
• i) The warnings given to the seven churches are equally applicable to us.
• j) The responsibility we have of carrying with us the tasks as a result of the Adamic curse
• k) The time at our disposal for various tasks is dwindling day by day. Though the end draws near slowly and imperceptibly, like the warming of this earth, it is nevertheless real and with dangerous consequences.
• l) “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force”, Mt 11: 12.

To beware of in our peculiar nature:

• a) A lack of remembrance in spiritual things. Peter talks about the need to “stir us up by way of reminder . . . That you should remember the words spoken before hand by the holy prophets, Lord Jesus Christ and by the apostle” (2 Pet 1: 13; 3: 1,2)
• b) Hearing the word of God and saying “Lord, Lord” but not doing much.

Taking up one’s cross daily should mean a self-renouncing faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here the cross symbolizes a controlling gadget to develop within himself with respect to controlling his carnality, ego, and environmental spiritual hazards around him. We should constantly bear in mind that we are living in alien territory. In our pilgrimage, we see around us so many distracting factors that are not congenial to the spiritual pilgrimage. That is the essence of John Bunyan’s classic “The Pilgrim’s Progress.”

When the Lord points out, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it”, it may appear to be a paradox for earthly people. As a matter of fact, anything spiritual cannot be understood by all. Only those who have the indwelling Holy Spirit in them can understand. The language, the methodology and the very goal of the spiritual life can be an enigma to many people, although to us they are very meaningful.

Those who understand at least something in the spiritual realm and try to grow, must praise the Lord that He has granted, by His great mercy, this much progress and God-awareness, with the help of His Holy Spirit. We must pray for the Lord to eliminate the non-spiritual things from our spiritual pilgrimage. Even if we are faithful in a little, we will be blessed by the Lord.

We have heard of the story that is told to children about how a monkey, in order to escape from the crocodile in the river, said that he had forgetfully left his heart underneath the tree in the opposite bank. In the spiritual life, we at times behave like this. We have to ask ourselves if we are like this, behaving hypocritically towards God in fulfilling His commandments whole heartedly, not leaving some aspect underneath a tree, as it were.

Spiritual life can be like like swimming across a river to the opposite bank. Swimming is not like crossing over in a luxury boat. When I sleep in the night, it is not like swimming. I am completely relaxed as otherwise I cannot be peaceful. Working out one’s salvation, from what I understand, is not like traveling in a luxury boat, neither is it like a relaxed nap in a comfortable bed.

In the spiritual life, one of the problems we encounter is the constant suggestions made to us either by Satanic forces or by our own carnal mind, contrary to the spirit of the word of God. Satan can even comes to us, using the word of God to offer wrong suggestions. God has given us a mind to consider everything intelligently and conduct our ways accordingly. Beware of the mind which can turn carnal unless it is under proper control.

In one of the churches wherein I was earlier, for every useful step I devised to progress in spiritual life they contradicted me stating, “It is not written in the word of God.” They tried to prevent me from explaining difficult terms like faith, repentance and the like, stating that there is no need to explain these things, and then going on to say “enough if you state what is written in the Bible.” It took many years to understand that it was a church ruled by carnal people. (There might have been better branches of the same church else where: I don’t know.) Everything done in the church was, according to them, according to the word of God. Looking back, they understood the scripture without the help of the Holy Spirit.

The other extreme, as in some churches, is in ignoring expository teaching entirely and replacing it with intellectual lectures. It is generally pleasing to hear such preaching. Imagine learning to swim in a difficult waters by taking high sounding instructions from intellectuals! What is necessary is that the message be entirely based on the word of God and it be understood with the help of Holy Spirit, and absorbed through the God-given mind. The God-given mind could be both dangerous and a blessing depending upon the person’s spiritual state.

When those originally invited by the king refused to come to the wedding feast, the king’s servants went into the streets and invited all the people they could find to come to the wedding feast. Many of this second group of invitees came, but even in that group, we are told about one man who did not come appropriately. Jesus concludes this parable by saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt 22:14). We know that we have been invited to the kingdom of heaven. But are we among the few who are chosen?

We see the earliest group of godless people in the book of Genesis, at the time of Noah.

• 6:3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
• 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
• 7:4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”

Yes, the flood did come and except for eight souls no one survived. This was not because of God’s discrimination against some or reluctance to include all but rather, it was because a segment of people from the bulk of mankind had become totally hardened on account of the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3: 13). As is the story of Ananias & Sapphira who fell down dead, the story of Noah and the flood is a powerfully illustrated warning for all of us. Jesus Himself referred to Noah’s times. He said, “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah?”, Mt 24: 37. The Lord added, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”, Mt 24: 44.

We are fortunate to be among a group of people who have not only been extended the invitation to be in heaven but who also know a great deal about the kingdom of heaven. The crucial question is: Are we among the few who are chosen? Satan will do everything in his power to prevent us from being in the band of the chosen ones. Only by being vigilant and careful, can we escape Satan’s snares.

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were created without sin. But they were drawn into a snare carefully laid by Satan. Eve was careless and allowed herself to be deceived by Satan. It proved to be her fatal blunder. Her sin of disobedience was so grievous and costly that nothing less than the blood of the Son of God was needed to wipe it away. Satan is still using such snares as his trump card for making innumerable people offend God. We who are saved from sin by the precious blood of Lord Jesus stand sinless before God, and in a sense we are like our first parents before their fall. Satan is even more dangerous today than he was then, having gained much experience in leading people into many a fatal blunder. Believers who are not very careful will become victims. That is why we have Peter’s warning, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”, 1 Pet 5: 8.

Being careless with how we handle the word is a sure way to walk into Satan’s snares.

When I was younger and in a dead traditional church, I heard preaching to this effect: “Never give heed to anyone if they warn you with regard to your salvation. You must believe that you are saved. Martin Luther discovered the fact that the righteous shall live by faith. Anyone who sows doubt is of the devil and is a false prophet in sheep’s clothing. Beware of such people.”

This kind of careless, one-sided way of applying biblical truths by people can sometimes be a snare. Here are some examples of scriptures that can give a false sense of security to people who need to be warned instead:

• My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. John 10:27-29.
• No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Cor 10:13
• “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph 1:13,14.

People who do not show the necessary signs of spiritual health are told: “By faith we must believe that we are the true sheep of His flock and it is impossible for us to get lost. You must resist all pessimism and believe you are saved. Be happy and confident and sing “I am H-A-P-P-Y / I am H-A-P-P-Y.” Such people are assured that they are elect persons, and as elect people can never be lost. They are informed that they have the Holy Spirit who is a guarantee of their inheritance and that to doubt this is to doubt the very power of Lord Jesus, and so is Satanic.”

The fact that the elect cannot be lost, or that no one can take God’s sheep out of His hands is true and Biblical. Yet it must be preached with such clarity so as to give no false assurances to people who ought instead to spend more effort in introspection and setting matters aright with God.

The above quotations are no doubt based on the word of God and serve to comfort and encourage children of God. The same scriptures that are sweeter than honey to the faithful become venom when Satan causes them to be used and applied wrongly. We know that the devil also can quote the Bible for his own purposes. The Lord Jesus could recognize Satan working because of His divine powers. Neither should true believers walking carefully in the path of sanctification find recognizing and escaping Satan’s snares beyond their ability.

As a teacher guiding this church I have to warn you about possible snares when quoting the word of God partially or out of context.

Just as the scriptures just quoted can mislead careless Christians to let their guard down and become ensnared, some other scriptures, like the ones mentioned below, may make the Christian feel that it is beyond his strength to cope with commands that seem so impossible to manage. This too can be a snare. God will never give a command that is beyond one’s strength to carry out.

• “But, I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified”, 1 Cor 9: 27.
• “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it”, Mt 7: 13.
• “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me”, Lk 9: 23.
• “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it’ ”, Mt 13: 45, 46.
• “Then Jesus said to His disciple, Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”, Mt 19: 23.
• “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect”, Mt 5: 48.
• “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”, 1 Pet 5: 8.

Conclusions:
We must learn to look at this matter in a perfectly balanced manner as “led by the Spirit of God” (Rom 8: 14) and bearing the following principles in mind:

• Living a disciplined life day by day under the light of the word of God.
• Practicing righteousness consistently by regulating our spiritual life according to what we understand from Bible meditation, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
• Developing the habit of daily introspection, prayer, and meditation upon the word of God
• Never tiring to be warned from the word of God and not hesitating to change whenever the word of God demands it.

(Note: Please read my article “Nature of the path of Sanctification” which lists a set of spiritual principles for the guidance of sincere believers.

I was delighted to go through the under noted comments of Dr. Matthew Henry about the implication of “… but few are chosen”, Mt 22: 14.
“Of the many that are called to the Wedding Feast, if you set aside all those as unchosen that make light of it, and avowedly prefer other things before it; if then you set aside all that make a profession of religion, but the temper of whose spirits and the tenor of whose conduct are a constant contradiction to it; if you set aside all the profane, and all the hypocritical, you will find that they are few, very few that are chosen… that is, to salvation, by sanctification of the Spirit. This is the straight gate and narrow way which few find it”.

Those who bend God’s rules to suit their convenience will not be in this group but only those who bend themselves to be in tune with God’s rules.

Satan constantly attempts to prevent believers from reaching the heavenly kingdom offered by Lord Jesus Christ. The magnitude of his venomous mischief in this matter is unimaginable. That is why the word of God has warned believers time again about this danger. The enemy’s various attributes described in scripture such as “murderer” (Jn 8: 44), “liar” (Jn 8: 44), “enemy” (Mt 13: 25, 39), “devourer” and “adversary of the believer” (1 Pet 5: 8), an “accuser” (Rev 12: 1o), and many more are sufficient evidence to understand how venomous he is.

The attribute I am most afraid of is with regard to the first of his qualities that I have listed, namely ‘murderer’. Satan has no power to kill a believer. But he is notoriously cunning and a skilled deceiver, causing many to miss the path of sanctification. That is why we are warned: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring (hungry) lion, seeking someone to devour”, (1 Pet 5: 8). Though the believer is ultimately responsible for the transgression leading to death, the devil could have been indirectly responsible for it. More often than not the devil could act through a person or work through one’s own carnality.

Path of sanctification— the only way to heaven:

The glory of heaven is beyond human comprehension because of our finite mind. Only by faith one can grasp it. It is to such a magnificent place that God has planned to take all the redeemed believers after their life comes to an end on this earth. Satan is very jealous and agitated about this glorious future of mankind, a later creation of God. That is the reason why Satan, the devil, the serpent of old, “has come down … having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time”, Rev 12: 12. His objective is to cause the downfall of as many potential believers as possible and cause God great agony, the One who loved them so much that He did not hesitate to give His only begotten Son to die on a cruel cross as an atoning sacrifice for their salvation. It is simply incredible that human beings are so gullible and are attracted to satan, their deadliest enemy, and deluded by his outwardly attractive gestures, in spite of God’s love and His offer to take them into His magnificent kingdom.

Path of sanctification— why:
The path of sanctification is the only right-royal way to fulfill the conditions of God to proceed in our journey and inherit His kingdom. By grace, God has offered this provision to be in His heaven. It is not, as Satan has caused some to imagine, that God has complicated the process so that only some can make it to heaven. As a truth seeker and a committed pilgrim to His kingdom, I do not see any grain of truth in such an assumption.

The Lord Jesus is the only way to heaven, Jn 14: 6. By path of sanctification, we refer to the path laid down by Him in the scriptures by which believers must walk. We need to progress in that path with the help of the word of God as understood with the aid of the Holy Spirit, remaining in a genuine church or in close association with such a church. If we are honest and humble, the Holy Spirit will surely help us to progress successfully in that path since by our own strength we cannot walk in that path.

The fact is that all men sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Paraphrasing it, the fall is so devastating that mankind has lost a glorious chance of attaining immortal life and inheriting God’s kingdom, the place of ultimate joy and tranquility. God had planned to offer this chance to mankind after the fall of Lucifer whom He had loved very much. God created human beings and intended to elevate them to a position on a par with Lucifer if not higher. Today, there is left for us only one way to reach what God has kept for us. This way is through the path of sanctification. It was the way of the churches in the first century and godly churches through ages past. It is the path that EBA has also taken. We can understand the pros and cons of it only in our eternal life. For now, it is enough if we believe it.

God kept the first parents in quarantine at the Garden of Eden, in order to give them a chance to be in heaven with Him. It is there that they disobeyed God’s command, trusting in the word of Satan. So they and all humanity became guilty of sin and fell short of the glory of God. God intended to give humanity a second and final chance to restore them to a position even higher than their original position. It could be done only gradually and step by step and not all at once. This is God’s plan according to His revelation through the Bible, the word of God.

In order to consummate His plan He had set up two preliminary steps. One offering His Son as an atoning sacrifice for the restoration of mankind from their degradation. This He did two thousand years ago and announced this fact to the whole world inviting them to avail this blessing of redemption. This is the good news which is known by various phrases such as the ‘Gospel of salvation’, ‘the Gospel of Christ’, ‘the Gospel in the Bible’, and simply the ‘Gospel of Lord Jesus Christ’.

All mankind ought to have rushed to the Lord Jesus to avail of this rare chance of having their original glorious state restored. Contrary to God’s expectation, very few responded to God’s call but the majority chose to ignore His loving offer. It is an extremely strange predicament for human beings because God does not offer them a neutral position. They have the choice of either accepting God’s offer by grace and be saved or be damned. Those who reject this offer have to be thrown into the lake of fire along with Satan. Perhaps this lake of fire is the molten result after of the dissolution of the entire cosmos by fire. Those who are thrown thus into hell will suffer eternally; they cannot die, since they had been created in the image of God. Satan knows this, and his only consolation lies in drawing as many human beings as possible to experience this torture along with him forever. This is exactly where we left at the beginning of this article and digressed a bit inevitably. Let us now pick up the thread from where we left off.

The next step for those who respond to God’s call for salvation consists in progressing steadily in a discipline set up by Lord Jesus till one’s life in this earth is finished. Such a discipline announced in the Bible is known as the path of sanctification, and is set up by the Lord Jesus. It is one steady non-stop march.

Path of sanctification— five-fold in nature:

This sanctified path is inseparably five-fold in nature:

1. Lord Jesus Christ, the only way.
2. Walking the narrow path
3. Taking it by violence
4. Taking the way of the cross
5. Being poor in spirit.

These five-fold nature of the sanctified path is God-ordained and only He knows why He has to enforce such a discipline. It is here that satan subtly attempts to enter the scene to change God’s commanded pattern in various ways, qualitatively, quantitatively and in innumerable ways unobtrusively. Observing God’s rules in such haphazard manner is as bad as disobedience. Let me explain these facts under each item.

(1) Lord Jesus Christ, the only Way   John 14:6
One can never hope to inherit the kingdom of heaven any way other than through Lord Jesus. This is the lifeline or the essence of the five-fold nature of the path of sanctification. He, as the Word of God, is the author of the Bible, and also the head of the church. He has ordained this path of sanctification exclusively for all those who have taken refuge in Him. This is a crucial area for Satan to meddle with. People may try to deviate from this path on their own or in connivance with the Satanic influence as they have the free will to behave any way they like. Lord Jesus will never admit such people into His unique kingdom. Nominal Christians are one of the categories of people belonging to this group. Many churches, even among evangelical churches have already deviated from the limits of the path of sanctification. Their official statements of faith may be spotless doctrinally but they are merely cosmetic; the average person does not know what those statements mean, and the leaders do not care to look into such details. It is a tragedy beyond description.

Jesus Christ, the word of God, is the author of the entire Bible. The inspired word of God or the verses in the Bible can be understood only with the help of His Holy Spirit. Only some people have the anointing to understand and teach them. That is the reason for the warning, “Let not many of you become teachers”, James 3: 1. The early churches followed this rule strictly. But in later centuries, the Roman church abused this rule, making it mandatory that only so-called clergy can handle the word, and the so-called laity should not have access to the reading of the Bible. Satan has succeeded in making inroads into Christendom and corrupted an important principle. The border line is not easy to find. The other extreme lay in recruiting young men without the calling for Theological training, and making them pastors and teachers. An Indian proverb speaks of entrusting the responsibility of guarding cooked crabs to a fox! Can a flock be entrusted to anyone and everyone?

In one home I heard a conversation that went something like this:

A: What should we do with him. He is an incorrigible undisciplined boy.
B: How about putting him in a theological college. We can use our influence for the admission.
C: But I already had a chat with him; he has an aversion for theological profession.
D: Let me talk to him; I am confident that I can convince him.

The talk between D and the boy went something like this:

D: I heard you disliked joining a Theological school. Listen to me. You can never command so much respect in any other profession. You will look very impressive in the white cassock. Besides, you will get a good house with garden, a church peon whom you can use for your domestic work. You can travel frequently with board and stay in comfortable lodges at the church’s expense. You can never hope to get any job anywhere with your present qualification with such a salary and perquisites. What more do you expect in life?
The boy: OK, in deference to your advice, I agree.
D: I am happy for you, clever chap. I wish you all the best in life.

This is not an isolated case. I also know of many cases where they get a chance to go abroad in the pretext of studying theology and then switch over to some other profession.

Today where do we find a church worth its salt? Suppose babies were bred and reared in industrial units and sold commercially, what would they be like? Today’s churches are like commercial products in various attractive shades and shapes, being pastored by unscrupulous people. Do you think such pastors or their sheep will have access to that unique great kingdom of God?

(2) Walking the narrow path
This phrase could indicate one or more of the following situations that a spiritual pilgrim may have to encounter.
As different from an ordinary once-born person, the born again person faces innumerable new problems:

• Two laws at loggerheads: Proceeding in the narrow path, the person suddenly realizes that there are two laws operating in him, one from the regenerated spirit struggling to please God and the other from his old carnal spirit. The two are at loggerheads with each other. Earlier he would not have experienced such a struggle. But a born-again person determined to progress will certainly overcome the carnal attitude.
• Peculiar antagonism: Another problem that the narrow path involves is the peculiar antagonism to be experienced by genuine Christians from all directions just because they are believers. The world in general hates believers. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world … therefore the world hates you”, (Jn 15: 19).
• Various trials that believers face: The third problem involved is that of the trials peculiar to true believers. If the believer is prepared for it, he will not consider it as anything unusual. Quoting a supporting verse, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of heaven’ ” (Acts 14: 22)
• Temptation to compromise: Yet another hurdle that I consider formidable is, the temptation to compromise with the worldly people and unbelievers at the expense of deviating from the strictness needed to walk in the narrow path. This is most dangerous. If one is not too careful he will unconsciously stray on to the broad path leading to destruction.

(3) Taking it by violence
This is almost another way of saying that the pilgrim’s progress is an uphill task and not one that is smooth sailing. This is one of the most important and extremely valuable hints for believers. This is very much unlike life in traditional churches, where the situation is static, following an order of service that is 200 years old, entirely outward and cosmetic without any sign of spirituality. But according to the word of God “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent take it by force”, (Mt 11: 12). According to Luke, “Everyone is pressing into it” (Luke 16: 16), signifying the zeal with which sinners were seeking with all their heart. We read in the book of Isaiah “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near;” (Is 55: 6).

The kingdom of heaven is not like an ordinary commodity that you can have at any time you wish, or at anytime when you are ready. The scripture warns repeatedly to call upon Him while He is near, for ‘when once the master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door saying, Lord, Lord, open for us’ and He will answer and say to you ‘I do not know you, where you are from’, (Lk 13: 25).

To me it appears to be like getting into a moving electric train which starts moving with an acceleration. A weak, sleepy, or careless person can never get into such a train. It is not like the old fashioned steam locomotive into which even a sickly old man could manage to get in. The devil tries to mislead us into complacency by suggest to us that we must take it easy for after all, come what may, once saved is forever saved. How precariously some of us escaped from a such an attitude!

(4) Taking the way of the cross
Lord Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me”, Lk 9: 23.

The cross here symbolizes the attitude of the believer who is ready to face the worst in life in his spiritual pilgrimage. The word ‘cross’ also stands for one’s readiness to face any situation in life, even death, for the sake of Lord Jesus. To quite a few Christians, Christianity is nothing much beyond the baptism stage. Up to that stage there is vim and vigour. Thereafter we find hardly a difference between them and nominal Christians.

(5) Being poor in spirit
Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his classic book on the “Sermon on the Mount” states with great conviction “This, of necessity is the one which must come at the beginning for the good reason that there is no entry into the kingdom of heaven apart from it. There is no one in the kingdom of God who is not poor in spirit. It is the fundamental characteristic of the Christian and of the citizen of the kingdom of heaven and all other characteristics are in a sense the results of this one”.

“That is perhaps the reason why it is stated in the book of Isaiah. “Heaven is my throne and the earth is My footstool. . . For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist . . . But on this one I will book: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word”, Is 66: 1, 2.

Lloyd-Jones has correctly discovered that this poverty in spirit is the fundamental characteristic in a man who aspires to be in God’s kingdom. This is therefore chosen to be the fifth of the five-fold nature of the path of sanctification. “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God ”, Mt 5: 3.  Interestingly the same phrase is used with respect to the children also. “Let the little children come to Me… for such is the kingdom of God ”, Mk 10: 14.  To be in heaven, we understand that we must be poor in spirit (very humble), and innocent like children.  In order to attain the two aforestated characters we need the power of the Holy Spirit, Who alone can import these qualities.  It is very important (1) that we must aspire for it and (2) pray to God to imparting these qualities to us.

The reason I have mentioned it as five-fold instead of merely five characteristics is that these form an inseparable and interdependent unit. They cannot be viewed separately although we have just discussed and analyzed them individually for better understanding. They are like various parts of one and the same unit, the path of sanctification and are its boundaries. We must not deviate from any of them. If one is careful to keep himself well within these boundaries, we can assume that he is progressing well and is sure to reach the goal.

God has chosen each one of us in the church for a very special purpose and then for the glorious eternal life. Are we walking in a manner worthy of our calling? Let us examine our situation with an illustration from a story.

Once a rich doctor wanted to experiment on a project of adopting a slum girl, bringing her up in a high society, and providing her with a good education and support. He selected one of the dirtiest and ugliest little girl from a slum. The girl was so filthy that he didn’t even want to allow her in his car, but had someone bring her to his house by auto.

The girl was cleaned and washed for several days with expensive detergents and soaps. He had some dermatologists treat the girl for various skin conditions she had. He gave her a good education and brought her up well with high standard of living. She grew up to be a beautiful young girl. Other high-class girls, who had been born and brought up in that society could not compare with her in beauty, manners, and education.

The tragedy of the story is that she fell in love with a pickpocket who belonged to a very low state. She would admire his mustache and the way he would board a running bus to rob people. When the doctor learnt about this, though his heart was broken, he allowed the girl to do as she wished. He had had great plans for the girl, wanting to send her abroad for higher studies and establish her in a good position in the social circle. All his plans were shattered by the girl’s ingratitude and foolish behavior.

Far worse than this was our condition when God adopted us as his sons/daughters. We were dead in our sins, but God in his mercy cleansed, revived, restored, and protected us. We are what we are today because of His grace, love, and mercies. If left to ourselves, we would have remained in the same filthy slum. What is our current stance? Are we willing to pursue what God has intended for us when he chose us or are we, like that slum girl who forgot her first condition, want to choose our own way and go after other things and not fulfill God’s eternal purposes for us.

God has called us to a great future and glory. Let us be faithful and continue to grow in spiritual life and not be distracted by any of Satan’s allurements. Let us strive to walk worthy of our calling and please Him. Our destiny is heaven. Let us not stop short of anything that would make us worthy to enter it.