April 22, 2017 6:24 AM CEST
I remember a conversation I had many years ago. It was with a young man who had been born again for a few years and he spoke about his experience in his walk with God.
Before he got saved he had this sinful habit which after he got saved never left his life. He struggled with it countless amount of times but never won the war. There were times he would get some temporal relief where for a few days or so it will seem like he had the victory but alas the habit will re assert itself.
What was this young man's dilemma? He said he had come to understand that through the sacrifice of Christ, he had received forgiveness for sins committed. He understood he had peace with God through the redemption of Christ. He knew God wasn't imputing his sins against him but his question was this, did this salvation thing not go beyond this experience of knowing that God is no longer imputing sins? Was he going to lead a quality of life that was beneath what he read in the Scriptures of how a saint should live? He had read in the book of Ephesians where Paul penned these words
"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;"- Eph 5:3.
Was Paul just teasing or could this be a real experience that it shouldn't be once named. Paul further said from verse 4-7
"Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Be not ye therefore partakers with them".
He could list things that Paul and other apostles said should be the practice and lifestyle of the believer. He knew he was forgiven but he wanted more. He wanted the expression of that life in him.
The funny thing was that he had now started getting promoted in his church with opportunities to minister. He was the "example" of a faithful church member serving earnestly even though he had this struggle in his life. The thing that began to affect him was this, his own habit wasn't what you will term a "secret sin". It was something that others started seeing.
The unbelievers he was trying to witness to started mocking him with names like "oga born-again". This started affecting his ability to be an effective witness for Christ.
He one day realized what he needed wasn't more effort but light. He prayed earnestly that God will open up his eyes to see something beyond what he knew. He then told me how he a few weeks later stumbled on some material that showed him more about Christ's redemption.
These were what the writer termed as Identification truths. That Christ not only died that he may be justified in God's sight and for his sins to be forgiven but that on the cross in His body Jesus took away the sin nature that entered into humanity as a race through the disobedience of Adam. He understood that that life he desired in Christ could only be lived by the Spirit of God within him and not by will power. No matter the vows and resolutions he made, he would always fall short. He realized that there was more to grace than the rest he found in justification.
He realized that there was something Paul termed the law of the Spirit of life in Christ.
By that law, the quality of life that Jesus possessed given unto him when he got born-again, will be made manifest in his mortal flesh and that not by his own effort but through the grace of God. He came to see that grace was real and tangible through it he now obtained help in every time of need so that like Christ, even though he was tempted yet he found obedience as his expression.
The process i.e the struggle he had gone through for years made him easily touched by the failings he saw now in the lives of others, their short-comings. He lost the ability to be critical and judgmental, he knew it was the blood that covered him while he struggled. He could understand their sincerity in Christ even though they repeatedly fell short. It didn't mean they did not love God and surely it didn't mean God did not love them. They just hadn't been taught by the Spirit in that area.
Gradually as he exercised faith in those truths he began to see the formation of the life of Christ in his character and lifestyle.
This post was edited by Pastor Dunamis Okunowo at April 23, 2017 5:37 AM CEST
I remember a conversation I had many years ago. It was with a young man who had been born again for a few years and he spoke about his experience in his walk with God.