Blog

Introduction

“Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot” (Gen 11:27) Abraham was called to leave home or his family at the age of seventy-five years. He left Haran with his wife, Sarah, and Lot to a place that he did not know of (Gen 12: 1-5). ´The obedience of Abraham made YHWH to bless him with unlimited blessing. This essay discusses the nature of the blessing he received.

Stepping into the Unknown

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen 12:1-3)

Abraham was led by God to Canaan. Though he did not know where he was going, he trusted God who had instructed him as faithful, that He would lead him to a comfortable place. This action of Abraham, in packing his belonging, and taking along with him his wife and nephew, sounds unintelligible, but he acted in faith. He did this because he was convinced that the voice that spoke to him was that of God. If one believes that God has spoken to him/her, and is sure about it, man´s confirmation is irrelevant. S/he only needs to stand and act upon it believing that God would lead him on to the expected destination.

In the case of Abraham, the unknown destination was Canaan, but to you, it may be some business that you need to start, a relationship that you need to establish, a journey that you need to make, or some project that you need to engage in. Whatever it might be, you only need to set-off, knowing that it shall end well, but be careful that your sensuality does not override the Word of God.

Hoping against Hope

As one could read from above, Abraham was promised to be a great nation (Gen 12:1) while he was childless. “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be” (Gen 15:5). When Abraham heard the word God, he believed and it was counted to him for righteousness (Gen 15:6). In commenting on this promise, Paul indicates that Abraham believed God who quickens the dead and calls those things which are not as though they were (Rom 4:17).

Though it was humanly impossible for him and his wife, Sarah, to produce a baby, they did not consider the deadness of their bodies, but they believed God and hoped against the hope that they would be able to procreate to be the father and mother of many nations as was promised. They did not doubt God, but grew strong in faith (Rom 4: 18-20) and were completely persuaded that faithful is he who has promised (Rom 2:21, Heb 11:11) and that He shall surely perform it (Rom 4:21). This gave them the strength to endure as they waited patiently on God until the fulfillment of the promise (Heb 11:11) in twenty-five years later.

All people, including believers, are confronted with diverse kind of challenges but the only thing that gives relief to believers is the assurance that God shall surely show up to deliver them in due season. It is recorded that after Abraham had patiently endured, he obtained the promise (Heb 6:15). The promised shall be received if one does not faint but waits on God.

Justified by Faith

This faith of Abraham, as described above, was imputed to him for righteousness (Rom 4:22).
This justification by faith is that which is called ´the blessing of Abraham´, as it is written “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Gen 15:6, Gal 3:6). It was this blessing that Isaac blessed Jacob with when he prayed for him saying “And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham” (Gen 28:3-4).

The most important of all those blessings that God promised Abraham is the ´promised seed` that points to Jesus Christ (Gal 3:16). It is, therefore, by believing in Christ alone that believers receive the ´blessing of Abraham´, so that the promise of the spirit (not speaking in tongues but new life in Christ) shall be received through faith (Gal 3:14). Thus, all those who believe in God, and His Son Jesus Christ, shall receive the imputed righteousness of God that comes by faith (Rom 4:24).

Conclusion

Abraham was called and promised by God but it took almost twenty-five years for the promise to become visible. Abraham, with his wife, trusted God that He is faithful to accomplish that which He has promised (the seed). This gave them the strength to endure the pain and contradictions until God showed Himself strong in their lives. Abraham´s faith in God was imputed to him for righteousness. That is, he was justified by faith alone without working to meet the requirements of the Mosaic law. His justification by faith alone is referred to as the ´blessing of Abraham´ which is realized in the birth of Jesus Christ. All those who have faith in Christ are justified with Abraham, therefore, they have received the ´blessings of Abraham´, as it is written, that, in his seed, the Christ, shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Gen 18:18, Gen 22:18, Gen 26:4).

Prayer: May the Lord, the Almighty God, grant all of us the enduring spirit to wait patiently on Him and help us to put all our trust in Him so that we shall cease from our own works, and be justified with Abraham through faith. In Jesus’ name. AMEN!

Introduction

There are many forces that could potentially strip people of their inheritance or investments. Such forces include armed robbery, natural disasters, personal mistakes, and incapacitation among others. People would, therefore, fight as hard as they can to protect what they have amassed because they see their investments as something on which their lives depend. In this Newsletter, Jude´s encouragement to believers to contend for their faith is discussed.

Jude´s Conception of Contending

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jud 1:3).

According to Jude, Christian faith is a precious thing in life. He encourages believers to consider their faith as the most important thing they could ever receive. All believers have a common salvation, so we are all saved by the same Christ and the same Lord. This salvation is the work of grace so it is the free gift of God (Rom 5:15-18). No one works for it or earns it. This idea of salvation being free does not mean it is costless. The cost of our salvation is more than precious stones, and that is the life of Jesus Christ. According to Peter, those who have received salvation have obtained same precious faith with them through the righteousness of God and the Savior Jesus Christ (2Pe 1:1). He further writes that the salvation of believers is obtained through the incorruptible and everlasting word of God (1Pe 1:23).

Believers must hold on to their salvation in high esteem. If a man can die for his life savings and investments, Jude urges his audience on, to strive to use earnest efforts to defend and preserve that which they have graciously received. Nothing in the world matches the souls of believers as Jesus puts it: ” For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mat 16:26, Mar 8:36). Jude, therefore, is on point to encourage believers to forcefully reject anything that is likely to destroy their salvation.

Avoiding Distractions

In contending for one´s faith, the believer must have the readiness to resist any sin and negative influence that may rob him/her of their valued salvation. The Apostles of Jesus Christ, including
Jude, warn against false teachers of the word. Jude warns that “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jud 1:4).

Yielding to the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh (1Joh 2:16), and false teachings, has the ability to drift a believer off their precious salvation. In supporting his point, Jude adds that the Israelites, after their deliverance from the grips of Egypt, lusted after Egypt and God destroyed a good number of them in the wilderness for their unbelief. Similarly, the angels who fell by sleeping with the daughters of men have been kept in total darkness as they await eternal damnation (2Pe 2:4, Jud 1:5-6). Paul also warns believers to work their salvation out with fear and trembling (Php 2:12). This clearly indicates that not all those who have responded to the call of God would make it to the end. Those who have been saved are still being saved to the utmost, so they need to continuously and eagerly contend against anything that would hinder them from entering the kingdom of God. They need to cut themselves from any evil associations (1Co 5:9-11, 2Co 6:14).

Jesus could have given up while on earth if He failed to contend against all contradictions. He resisted sin until death (Heb 12: 3). Believers do not have to entertain sin and rejoice in it because it would definitely rob them of their eternal salvation

Conclusion

Christians are being encouraged to earnestly contend for their precious faith. They need to resist sin and any argument that contradicts the word of God. They do not have to entertain false teachers but must strive to reject every influence of the devil, self or man that would make them give up on their faith.

Prayer: May the father of Light help you to see the value of your salvation and have the strength to contend for it in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN.