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Tag: Femi Aribisala

  • The love of life is evil – By Femi Aribisala

    The love of life is evil – By Femi Aribisala

    “Man’s love of life is the root of all evil and the basis of every sin”.

    Is it good to go to school; get a good job; build your own house and have lots of money?  Not according to Jesus. These things are highly valued by men. But Jesus teaches that: “What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” (Luke 16:15).

    Therefore, it is not surprising that Jesus had none of these accomplishments as a man. He did not go to school. He was a lowly carpenter. He did not build His own house. He was not a rich man.

    In Jesus’ doctrine, the cares of this life are the preoccupations of Satan and men. This makes them offensive to God. Jesus told Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23).

    This means the things of men are the things of Satan. Jesus asked the chief priests of the Jews: “The baptism of John- where was it from? From heaven or from men?” (Matthew 21:25). If it is from heaven, then it cannot be from men.

    God is good

    Jesus says: “No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Matthew 19:17). This means only the things about the kingdom of God can be good. Everything about this world is evil. Those things that preoccupy us; going to school, getting good jobs, building houses, and making money, all pertain to this world and, as such, are evil and not of God.

    God’s kingdom is not of this world. (John 18:36). Indeed, everything earthly is a human alternative to the will of God in heaven. Continued devotion to the things of this world militates against our desire to be with the Father in heaven and is therefore evil.

    Jesus says to His disciples: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13).

    This indicates He sees men as evil. To be good, men, who Jesus also categorises as “the sons of this world,” have to become “the sons of light;” another word for sons of God. Sons of men must receive from Jesus the power to become sons of God. (John 1:12-13).

    This requires all our affinities to men and to this world to be relinquished in favour of God and the kingdom of heaven. These include allegiances to the fatherland, to family and relatives, and race, sex, and creed.

    Jesus is categorical: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26). He says furthermore: “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33).

    Relative and absolute evil

    Men are consumed by the love of life, leading us to regard anything that threatens our life as evil. This makes us define evil erroneously in relative terms. If the enemy kills us, he is evil; but if we kill him, we are good.

    However, God sees evil in absolute terms.

    Jesus regards as evil anything that undermines God’s will. This makes man’s life the greatest evil of all. The love of life, expressed in our determination to enhance, promote, and safeguard our temporal condition, commands our allegiance even above the first and greatest commandment to love God with all our heart.

    Therefore, Jesus regards man’s love of life as the root of all evil and the basis of every sin. Indeed, we steal, cheat, fight, kill and commit adultery to save our lives. We only overcome sin by hating our lives.   

    Re-definition of evil

    Jesus reveals that the love of life makes men enemies of God. He tells us that God has made the hatred of life in this world the primary prerequisite for the attainment of eternal life. Jesus says: “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).

    Thereby, Jesus redefines evil. Since men esteem their lives more than anything else, Jesus defines everything that diminishes our life in this world as good. He requires us to take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions and in distresses. For when we are weak, then we are strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10).

    Poverty becomes a blessing. Jesus says: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20). He also categorises adversities as a blessing: “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” (Luke 6:21).

    He says: “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” (Luke 6:22).

    Correspondingly, Jesus tells us not to bother to resist evil anymore: “I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:39). He insists we must love our enemies: “I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44).

    Moreover, Jesus says we should not fear death: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.” (Luke 12:4). Death becomes something good because it leads to our reunification with the Father in heaven: “If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father.’” (John 14:28). But life is evil because it keeps us away from God.

    Evil misnomer

    The problem with the love of life is that men are unaware that it is sinful. If we love life, we will automatically love sin. The love of life militates against the love of God. It blinds men to the truth about good and evil.

    Indeed, we define our righteousness by the extent to which we love and promote life; the very thing God hates. To understand good and evil from God’s perspective, we must first break free from the bondage of the love of life.

    The love of life prompts us to eat from the God-forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Everything we make and do has evil and good in it simultaneously. Every good medicine for healing sicknesses has bad side effects. The plane that carries us from Cape to Cairo sometimes falls from the sky and crashes.

    We make so-called “evil things” like the atom bomb and the machine gun; and “good things” like the airplane and the aspirin. But both our “good” and “bad” products are evil in God’s sight because they are of the world and not of God.

    Accordingly, John counsels: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:15-16).

  • The counterfeit life – By Femi Aribisala

    The counterfeit life – By Femi Aribisala

    “The devil is the giver of the life we live in the flesh”.

    In 2015, Joel Osteen, Pastor of Lakewood Church, USA, wrote a motivational book that became an international best-seller entitled: “Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential.”

    He sold millions of copies and, thereby, confused millions of people. He presented a false gospel of positive thinking. Think bigger and your life will be better. This is a classic deception that makes people enemies of the cross.

    Your best life is not your life. Your best life is the life of Jesus. Jesus Himself is our life. (Colossians 3:4). God does not make our lives better and better. God despises our life. What He requires of us is that we relinquish our life. He does not make our life better; He throws our life in the dustbin.

    This is because the life we live is counterfeit. The best counterfeit is still counterfeit. It can never be a substitute for the original.

    Zoe life

    Jesus says: “(God) the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” (John 5:26).

    This shows the original life is in God and in Christ. It is not in man. God is a spirit; He is not flesh and blood. Therefore, the true life cannot be the life of the flesh. It must be the spiritual life.

    God lives forever; He cannot die. The life of the flesh dies.  The life of man is no different from the life of animals. Indeed, it is animal life.

    Solomon says: ‘Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.’ For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.” (Ecclesiastes 3:18-20).

    The new life that God has given us is not in us. If it were in us, then it could be lost. It would die when we die. No! The life God has given us is in Christ: “This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11).

    Jesus says: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 19:10).

    That means whatever life we had before He came was counterfeit. If we already had the true life before Jesus came, it would not be necessary for Him to come to give us what we already have. No! He came to give us the life we did not have: the true life.

    But we cannot have the true life and the counterfeit life simultaneously. We have to relinquish the counterfeit in favour of the original. So, Jesus warns us: “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25).

    Baptism of death

    Herein is the dilemma. Christianity is for many Christians a death sentence that cannot be endured. We try, we pretend, we endure but finally we give up. Without realising it, we are determined to save our lives.

    But to save if from whom? We are not determined to save our lives from the devil. On the contrary, the devil is the giver of the life we live in the flesh. The devil is the giver of the life we want and aspire to, although we do not know that, and if we did, would never admit it.

    No!  We are determined to save our lives from Jesus Christ, the thief in the night.

    This is because we love the world and the things in the world. However: “All that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16).

    So, Jesus warns: “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find 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?” (Matthew 16:25-26).

    The thief after our lives is also Jesus Christ and not just the devil. Jesus Christ is in the business of saving men from themselves. He is in the business of saving a man from his own life.

    Problematic life

    This is because the life we live in this world is a life of vanity. It is a vain life. It is meaningless. Listen to the lamentation of Job: “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1).

    What was the problem of Job? He was born of a woman but not born of the Spirit. He was born of a woman and not born of God. Job was born of a woman, but not born again. And so, his life was full of trouble. Job had great possessions. But he did not have the peace that passes all understanding.

    It is incredible all the things that can kill a man who is born of a woman. Ordinary mosquitoes can kill him.  Armed robbers can kill him. He can be killed in car accidents and in plane crashes. He can fall sick and die. And so, the spirit of fear forever torments the man that is born of woman. He is anxious about everything.

    But what about those who are born of the Spirit? They are impregnable. You see, the man who is born of the Spirit is already dead. But Jesus brought him back to life. Therefore, the life he now lives is the resurrected life. This makes him dead to money, so he cannot be bribed. He is dead, so he can resist temptation.

    It is impossible to kill a dead man. A true Christian cannot be killed in a car accident. Armed robbers cannot kill him. He is immune to sickness and disease. Therefore though he walks through the valley of the shadow of death, he fears no evil.

    But does this apply to you, child of God? If you are already dead why do you still hunger and thirst for the world?

    Jesus says to the Samaritan woman by the well of Jacob: “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14).

    Is this true? The word of God is truth. But is it true in your life? Why is it then that you are still thirsty? Why is it that you are saved but you still want to be successful, you still want to be rich; you still hunger for the goods of this world?

    James says we are: “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4).

  • The counterfeit life – By Femi Aribisala

    The counterfeit life – By Femi Aribisala

    Imagine a situation where you won big in the lottery. Tens of billions of dollars. The rich and the hoi polloi came to celebrate with you. But when the money was paid, it turned out to be fake. You were paid with counterfeit money. How would you feel?

    Or you got a big job in a high-flying company. You were convinced you were finally set for life. But when you were paid at the end of the month, you were paid with counterfeit money. How would you react?

    Nobody likes counterfeit money. It might look like the original, but it is fake. If you try to use it to buy something, it is readily rejected. Nobody likes counterfeits. Everyone prefers the originals. We only ended up with the counterfeit because we did not know it was counterfeit.

    Counterfeits are getting better and better. But no matter how like the original a counterfeit can be, it is still a counterfeit. The original is the real McCoy.

    The life of millionaires and billionaires

    Counterfactual wisdom

    Trust the Bible to confound our intellect. Trust God to dazzle us with the counterfactual. God reveals that men prefer the counterfeit life to the real life.

    God gave men a choice between the original and the counterfeit. Guess what happened? We preferred the counterfeit. What was our problem? We did not know the original. We thought the counterfeit was the original.

    The devil said to Eve: “‘Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5).

    Stealing the counterfeit

    The robber entered the bank in the dead of night. But all he stole was counterfeit money.

    Eve wanted eternal life. But she already had it. The devil fooled her into trading the original for the counterfeit. She decided to steal the counterfeit, not knowing she already had the original.

    Moses said to Israel: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

    Moses said to choose between the life that leads to life and the life that leads to death. But make sure you choose the one that leads to life so that both you and your descendants may live. However, the Israelites chose death. They thought death was life.

    Choosing counterfeits

    So, why are we sold on the counterfeit life? Why do we prefer the counterfeit life to the original life? The counterfeit is a shiny object. It is glamorous. It is vainglorious. It appeals to the sinful flesh. It is advertised everywhere at the instance of the prince of the power of the air.

    It is the life of the rich and the powerful. It is showcased by the millionaires and the billionaires. It is the pride of the pop stars, the rock stars, and the movie stars. It is extolled by presidents, senators, and politicians. It is the boast of the mega-pastors in the mega-churches.

    It entails living in big mansions. Driving fast and expensive sports cars. Owning airplanes and jet-setting all over the world. Wearing expensive designer clothes. Sporting luxurious jewelries and watches. Going to parties and spraying money. Hosting extravagant events for the timbre and the caliber. Having many wives and mistresses.

    The chief exponent of this ostentatious lifestyle in the scriptures is Solomon, and his verdict is that it amounts to nothing:

    “I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labour in which I had toiled; and indeed, all was vanity and grasping for the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 2:4-8/11).

    Spirit and truth

    Those who live the true life do not worship God on the mountains of Kilimanjaro. They do not build cathedrals with supermarkets and helipads. They do not drive around in a cortege of cars and cruise about in private jets in the name of evangelism. They do not worship God on street corners. Neither do they worship God outwardly to the praise of men. They worship God in their heart of hearts.

    Paul describes them in the following manner. He says: “We are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3).

    These true worshippers do not require praise or spiritual titles from men. They do not ask men to call them Daddy, Pastor, Your Eminence. They seek the approval of God and not the approval of men. They seek the face of God and not His hands. They do not worship God with men’s hands by paying tithes and by giving fat cat offerings. The Lord knows we are His.

    Jesus says: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8-9).

    True life

    Those who live the true life do not rejoice in their ships like the Chaldeans. They do not rejoice in their wealth, their houses, their limousines, their pedigrees, or their social status. They do not rejoice in their marriages, children, abilities, or even their achievements and successes. They only rejoice in what Jesus has done.

    They rejoice in His finished work on the cross. They rejoice in the ransom He paid for us. They rejoice that, because of Jesus, they are now sons of the living God. They rejoice that they have been gifted with eternal life. They rejoice that their names are written in heaven.

    They rejoice that they are now: “A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, (God’s) own special people, that (we) may proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10).

    They only rejoice in Christ Jesus in the knowledge that the glories of this world are all counterfeit. For all the riches of the world cannot redeem even one single soul.

  • The God who creates situations and circumstances – By Femi Aribisala

    The God who creates situations and circumstances – By Femi Aribisala

    “Only the love of God can rescue us”.

    Bolaji Ogundimu had only recently been appointed as my secretary when she put in an application for a housing loan. I had put aside a lump sum of money that could be borrowed by my staff interest-free. This was operated as a round-robin. As some pay back every month, new loans could be disbursed.

    However, Bolaji’s chances of getting a loan in the short term were slim because many others were in the queue before her.

    But then two “good Samaritans” came to see me. They insisted that Bolaji should be given a loan right away.

    What kind of favouritism is this, I wondered? “Bolaji has just applied,” I pointed out. “There are so many others who applied before her and are yet to receive. How could you, in good conscience, argue that she should leapfrog over those she met in the queue? Won’t people say she is being favoured because she happens to be my secretary?”

    Bolaji’s “lawyers” were not easily dissuaded. “The problem,” they said, “is that Bolaji’s condition is a bit desperate. We have seen where she lives and feel something needs to be done for her very urgently.”

    “How would you feel,” I asked them, “if you were one of those who applied before Bolaji? Would you be so understanding then?”

    I put my foot down. “We must do things by the book. We must be fair and be seen to be fair. Bolaji will be given a loan when it is her turn. In the meantime, there is nothing I can do.”

    Guilty as charged

    I was on a trip to New York when the Lord revisited the issue of Bolaji’s housing loan. Suddenly He asked me:

    “Femi, do you love Me?”

    “Of course, I love you,” I replied immediately.

    But then the Lord continued: “Femi, you don’t love Me.”

    I was nothing less than devastated.

    “How could you say I don’t love you?” I protested.

    “So how come you did not give My son a housing loan?” He continued.

    Then I knew I was really in trouble. When the Lord reprimands you concerning someone and then refers to that person endearingly as “My son,” you know you are really in trouble. If the Lord calls Bolaji (who happens to be a woman) “My son,” what does that make me?

    “But Bolaji is not qualified for the loan,” I insisted. “There are many other people in the queue before her.”

    “What would qualify Bolaji for the housing loan?” the Lord wanted to know.

    By this time, I was past argument. My face was simply covered in tears. The Lord pointed out that He had sent two people to me to impress on me the deplorable state of Bolaji’s housing condition. Nevertheless, I failed to respond out of adherence to my so-called principles of fairness.

    Then came another bombshell. “You have to make up your mind whether you are going to follow your principles or follow Me.”

    I cried non-stop for the next two days. It was deliberately on a weekend, and I could not reach Bolaji until Monday, as she did not have her phone. On Monday morning, I phoned her in my office to apologise to her. I asked her to forgive me for being insensitive to her housing situation.

    I told her to take the money for her rent from my office safe, which she operated. “It is not a loan,” I said. “It is a gift from me.” That way, the procedure of the housing loan scheme was not violated. Nobody could accuse me of discrimination. But the love of God had found a way to deal with Bolaji’s urgent housing problem.

    The set-up

    I thought I was in the clear until the day I was leaving New York to come back to Lagos. First, I wasted some time by haggling with the taxi driver over the fare from Canarsie to John F. Kennedy Airport. It is normally 20 dollars, but he insisted it was 25. Then the queue at the Swiss Air check-in section was slower than usual.

    When I finally got to the counter, there was a malfunction with the computer. The lady attendant sought the assistance of a supervisor, who came to fix the problem. I waited, while they discussed, analysed, and fiddled with whatever was on the screen. This went on for about twenty minutes when suddenly another gentleman came to announce that the counter was closed.

    Closed? I could not believe my ears. “How could the counter be closed?” I protested. “I have been waiting here for the last twenty minutes while your colleagues have been trying to fix a fault on this terminal.”

    I heard the man’s response correctly. I was supposed to hear him. He said to me: “According to the principles of Swiss Air, this terminal closes at six o’clock. Once it is six o’clock, no more passengers are taken on board the plane.”

    The man was not one to argue. After he dropped this bombshell, he simply walked away.

    I was in a panic. My situation had become rather desperate. I had only 100 dollars left on me. I could not afford to stay any longer in New York. I just had to get on that plane.

    And then I heard that still small voice of the Holy Spirit. “So, Femi,” He asked, “how do you intend to get on the plane? They have principles too at Swiss Air.”

    Reversal of fortunes

    I had been set up by none other than the Holy Spirit. The Lord had brought about a reversal of fortunes. With the housing loan scheme, I was the one who had the prerogative of mercy (or so I thought). With my flight back to Lagos, I was the one in need of mercy. It was time to plea-bargain.

    I told the Lord: “I thought you’ve forgiven me concerning Bolaji.” I pointed out that I had not waited until I got back to Lagos to make restitution for my heartlessness. I phoned Bolaji from New York and gave her the money.

    “Please, Lord Jesus,” I prayed. “Only Your love can get me on this plane. Please get me on this plane for Your name’s sake.”

    Just then a gentleman came and tapped me on the shoulder. He was wearing a Swiss Air uniform. “What seems to be the problem?” he asked. I gave him chapter and verse of everything, including the computer malfunction. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Come with me. But you are going to have to bring your luggage.”

    I promptly put my luggage back on the trolley and followed this good Samaritan. This instrument of God’s salvation took me to the Swiss Air boarding gate, got me a boarding pass and put my luggage on the plane.

    “Where are you from?” he asked me. I told him I was from Nigeria. He smiled and pointed out that he was from Kenya. I would not have guessed it because he was white. Then he said to me:

    “The only thing I don’t like about Nigerians is that you always beat us in football.”

    He then shook hands with me and went away.

  • The God who is not a Christian – By Femi Aribisala

    The God who is not a Christian – By Femi Aribisala

    “If Jesus had come today instead of 2,000 years ago, pastors would have killed him”.

    A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by armed robbers, stripped of his belongings, and left lying half-dead on the road. Divine providence ensured that first a priest, and then a Levite, passed by. But instead of helping the dying man; both quickly moved to the other side of the road and went away.

    Finally, a Samaritan came along. Unlike the priest and the Levite, he had compassion on the hapless man, bound up his wounds, took him to the hospital, and paid for his medical expenses.

    Good Samaritan

    Jesus’ story of this Good Samaritan is deliberate. It is incredible how, as Christians, we fail to recognise its full implications. The first mistake we make is in the identity of the Good Samaritan. When we situate the story in the contemporary setting, (as we should with all scripture), we assume that the Good Samaritan must be a Christian.

    However, Jesus deliberately excludes that possibility by providing two characters representative of believers in any age. Today, the priest is easily identifiable as a pastor, while the Levite is a Christian worker.

    Who then is the Good Samaritan? Let me repeat this for emphasis: The Good Samaritan cannot be a Christian. The Christian is already adequately represented by the priest and the Levite. The Good Samaritan can only be Jesus Himself.

    Jesus’ story eloquently sets forth the goodness and kindness of Christ our Saviour towards sinful, miserable, and defenceless humanity. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ comes to give life and to give it abundantly. (John 10:10).

    But if Jesus is the Good Samaritan, then Jesus is not a Jew; for Samaritans were not accepted as Jews. As Paul points out:

    “He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” (Romans 2:28-29).

    If Jesus is the Good Samaritan, then Jesus is a Samaritan. If Jesus is not a Jew but a Samaritan, then Jesus cannot be a Christian, for it is the Jew that represents the Christian of today in the Scriptures.

    Jesus’ killers

    By the time some Jews observed Jesus, they concluded that He was not a Jew. In the first place, He refused to be regarded as a disciple of Moses but claimed instead to have come to fulfil the law. (Matthew 5:17). He did not obey the letter of Jewish laws but claimed to comply with its spirit.

    He insisted pharisaic religious tradition was old wine that could not be put into the new bottles He provided for the new wine of the New Testament. (Matthew 9:17). He prefaced a lot of His sermons with the statement: “You have heard that it was said to those of old… but I say.” (Matthew 5:27-28).

    Therefore, some Jews insisted Jesus was not Jewish. Their position was that He was a closet Samaritan:

    “Then the Jews answered and said to him, “Do we not say rightly that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honour My Father, and you dishonour Me.” (John 8:48-49).

    Note that Jesus did not contest the charge that He was a Samaritan. But He took great exception to the allegation that He had a demon.

    But if Jesus identified with the Samaritans and not with the Jews, then it becomes clear he would not identify with most of the Christians of today. Let me be so bold as to say that if Jesus were in the flesh today, He would not be a Christian.

    If Jesus had come today instead of 2,000 years ago, pastors and bishops would also have killed him. Like He did to their forefathers, Jesus would also have exposed the ungodliness of today’s Christian establishments to public ridicule.

    Religious irrelevancies

    So, if Jesus would not have been a Christian, what would He have been? He would have simply been Jesus without any specific religious affiliation. Today, Jesus has been replaced by theology, but the real Jesus was not religious. Jesus established no religious institution when He was on earth.

    Indeed, if Jesus were to show up physically on earth today, most Christians would not recognise Him the same way the Jews did not. If He came as a woman, we would not recognise Him. If He smoked cigarettes, we would not recognise Him. If He drank whisky, we would not recognise Him. If He wore earrings and a nose ring, we would not recognise Him. If He spoke Pidgin English, we would not recognise Him. Since He did not wear trousers, we would be contemptuous of Him. We would disqualify Him by religious irrelevancies instead of identifying Him by His fruits. (Matthew 7:20).

    When Jesus asked the lawyer to identify the neighbour of the man who fell among thieves, the man wisely did not say it was the Samaritan. If he had said that, he would have been wrong. Instead, he correctly defined him by his fruit. He said: “He who showed mercy on him.”

    He who showed mercy on him could be anybody, Christian or non-Christian, so long as he believed in Jesus and produced the fruits of Jesus’ righteousness.

    Merciless Christians

    What then does the story of the Good Samaritan mean if, indeed, the priest and the Levite represent today’s Christians? It means that, prophetically, it is the Christians of today who have no mercy. We despise unbelievers, certain they are going to hell. We speak disparagingly of them. We condemn sinners on the grounds they are ungodly.

    We stone them because they are caught in adultery. We fail to appreciate that they are hapless travellers on the road of life who have been attacked by spiritual armed robbers and left for dead. We conveniently forget that we used to be in the same predicament until we were rescued by the grace of God.

    Therefore, “God is not a Christian,” declared Reverend Desmond Tutu. “We are supposed to proclaim the God of love, but we have been guilty as Christians of sowing hatred and suspicion; we commend the one whom we call the Prince of Peace, and yet as Christians, we have fought more wars than we care to remember. We have claimed to be a fellowship of compassion and caring and sharing, but as Christians, we often sanctify socio-political systems that belie this, where the rich grow ever richer and the poor grow ever poorer.”

    One thing is certain. Both the offending priest and the Levite must have had “compelling” reasons for not attending to the man dying on the roadside. They probably could not stop because they were in a hurry to attend a Bible study. The priest decided that the best thing to do was to pray for the man when he got to church. The Levite was hurrying to get to a meeting of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and could not afford to be late.

    Jesus’ parable “kills” the self-righteous believer who thinks he is justified by calling himself a Christian and by going regularly to church. He alerts us to the danger of assuming we are heaven-bound because of our observance of certain religious rites. True Christianity is not legalistic. The love of our neighbour is the emblem of our being Christ’s disciples.

    “Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they are the children of God.” (1 John 4:7).

     

    (Culled from my new book: “KIngdom Dynamics: The God Christians Reject.”)

  • True love is a decision – By Femi Aribisala

    True love is a decision – By Femi Aribisala

    “The love that God requires of us is a commandment”.

    Jesus gave us the eleventh commandment.  He says: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35).

    Jesus is not prescribing here what we commonly call love.  Instead, He is insisting on the peculiar God kind of love.  As with all things that are of God, this love is impossible with man.  It is only possible with God.  This is because this love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God.  Paul says: “The fruit of the Spirit is love.” (Galatians 5:22).  Therefore, this love cannot be found in natural, carnal man.

    Agape love

    However, what is impossible with man becomes possible when God gives us His Holy Spirit.  A man can only have what he has received.  Those who do not know Christ and have not received the Holy Spirit cannot exhibit the love of God, the only true love.  This love cannot exist where the Holy Spirit is absent.

    But if we have truly received the Holy Spirit, then we have received godly love and therefore, have love to give.  This is the revelation of scripture: “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5).

    It is imperative for us to know the difference between this love of God and the love of man.  The love of man is based on our feelings.  We meet a man or a woman and “fall in love” with him or her.  But since this love is based on our feelings, it is temporal because our feelings can change and often do.

    However, the love of God is not based on our feelings.  The love that God requires of us is a commandment.  Jesus says: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.’  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:39).

    Children of obedience

    We do not obey God’s commandments because we feel like it.  We obey because we are children of obedience.  Therefore, the love that God commends to us is not dependent on our feelings but on our obedience.  For this reason, God requires us to love everybody, even those we do not like, and even those who are hateful.

    Accordingly, Jesus says: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies.” (Matthew 5:43-44).  You can see here that Jesus completely ignores our feelings.  A man would not normally love his enemies.  But God is different:

    “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8).

    Therefore, if we are to be the children of God, we must love the way God loves: “for he makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45).

    For this reason, God said to Hosea: “Love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery.” (Hosea 3:1).  Natural man cannot and would not obey such a commandment.  It can only be obeyed by a man who has been transformed by the Spirit of God.  This shows true love does not come from finding a perfect person, but from seeing an imperfect person perfectly.

    Because godly love is required in obedience to God, and because it is not based on our feelings, it is everlasting love.  That is a fundamental character of the love of God.  God says: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3).  Since we cannot stop obeying God, we must not stop expressing the love of God.

    Decision to love

    The love that God commends to us then, is a decision.  We decide to love.  We choose to love.  We love out of obedience to God.  But even more fundamentally, we love because we are born of God and are now: “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:4).

    Thus, John says: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8).  Since God is love, whoever is born of God is born by love.  Whoever is born of God has received the love of God.

    Template of love

    Jesus says: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16).  This provides us with another template of the love of God.  God so loved; He gave.  This means if we have the love of God, we will give.  We give because we have received.  If we do not give, then we do not love.  But if we have received the love of God, then we love to give and give to love.  Jesus says: “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8).

    Do not be mistaken in presuming money is the be-all and end-all of giving.  Not at all.  As children of God, we give words of affirmation in appreciation, praise, commendation, encouragement, and edification.  We also give acts of service, such as running errands, offering a lending hand, and helping and assisting others.

    We also give our time by giving others our undivided attention, talking to them, listening to them, sharing with them, and doing something with and for them.  We give gifts, such as handwritten letters, poems, scriptures, or flowers.

    We touch others with our hearts and prayers.  We touch them by holding their hands, hugging, snuggling, or even kissing them.  Paul says: “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” (2 Corinthians 13:12).

    We do not give because we want to be repaid.  Jesus says: “Do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return.” (Luke 6:35).  Nevertheless, there is a spiritual principle about giving.  Givers never lack.  Givers only give what they receive.  But when they give, God ensures they are replenished bountifully.

    Accordingly, Jesus says: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38).

    Therefore, we give from a place or knowledge of abundance.  We give because we know we are a gift to others.  We give because we know we have something to give.  We give because we want to make someone’s life better.  We give because we have realized the joy of giving.

    We give because we know that God, our Father, is well-pleased when we give. The Bible says: “Do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16).

  • The God of all providence – By Femi Aribisala

    The God of all providence – By Femi Aribisala

    “God controls how we feel. He determines our dispositions”.

    God schedules each day of our lives before we even begin to breathe. Every day is pre-recorded in His book. (Psalm 139:16). Each man is created for a specific purpose in the counsel of God, to play a specific role in life.

     The righteous are:

    “A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, (God’s) own special people, that (they) may proclaim the praises of Him who called (them) out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9).

    But the wicked are made for the day of doom. (Proverbs 16:4).

    “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.” (Psalm 58:3).

    God is sovereign

    God does not give man the latitude to do what he wants. It is God who determines all human actions:

    “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9).  

    When Israel went astray, God was behind it. Isaiah asks God why He made that happen, when He could have prevented it:

    “O LORD, why have You made us stray from Your ways, and hardened our heart from Your fear?” (Isaiah 63:17).

    When the Israelites sin, it is because God’s judgment affects their will:

    “You make us turn back from the enemy, and those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.” (Psalm 44:10).

    God withheld Abimelech from committing adultery with Sarah, Abraham’s wife.” (Genesis 20:6). But He did not prevent David from committing adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. In fact, it was God who moved David to sin by numbering Israel. (2 Samuel 24:1).

    We only do what God permits or allows. The Bible shows conclusively that:

    “God frustrates the devices of the crafty so that their hands cannot carry out their plans.” (Job 5:12). 

    Hearts and minds

    God fully controls the hearts of men. Solomon says:

    “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; he turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1).

    When the Israelites were in Egypt, God turned the Egyptians against them:

    “He turned their heart to hate His people, to deal craftily with His servants.” (Psalm 105:25).

    But when He sent them into captivity, He made their captors treat them with compassion:

    “He also made them to be pitied by all those who carried them away captive.” (Psalm 106:46).

    While in captivity, He made a promise to Israel that now also applies to all humanity:

    “I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.” (Jeremiah 24:7).

    Human disposition

    God controls how we feel. He determines our dispositions. He caused the Egyptians to give their articles of silver and gold to the Israelites on their departure from Egypt:

    “The LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 11:3).

    If we are sad, God is the cause. If we are happy, God is behind it:

    “A distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.” (1 Samuel 16:14).

    David acknowledges this to God. He says:

    “You have put gladness in my heart.” (Psalm 4:7).

    When it serves His purposes, God makes us like some people, and He makes us dislike others:

    “God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech.” (Judges 9:23).

    God even controls our speech. He assures Moses, a stammerer:

    “I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” (Exodus 4:12).

    We only pray to God because God enables it. Accordingly, the psalmist asks for God’s enablement:

    “Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.” (Psalm 80:18).

    Knowledge and understanding

    It is God who gives knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6). Elihu says:

    “There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” (Job 32:8).

    If God wants us to know something, He will make us know it. Thus, Luke says of Lydia:

    “The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” (Acts 16:14).

    But if God does not want us to know something, He will ensure that we will not know it. This was the predicament of biblical Israel:

    “God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.” (Romans 11:7).

    Once God determines to destroy a people, He hardens their hearts against His counsel. This was also the case with the evil sons of Samuel:

    “They did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them.” (1 Samuel 2:25).

    If a man’s ways please the Lord:

    “He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7).

    But if we offend God, He ensures that our enemies prevail against us. The psalmist says to God:

    “You make us turn back from the enemy, and those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.” (Psalm 44:10).

    Gift of salvation

    Salvation is entirely at God’s discretion. God causes people to come to Him. (Psalm 65:4). Jesus says:

    “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” (John 6:44).

    “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call on My name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’” (Isaiah 65:1).

    Even repentance is God’s gift. (Acts 11:18). If God does not want us to repent, we cannot and will not.

    Paul also echoes this:

    “It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” (Romans 9:16).

    As a result, the elect are God’s workmanship:

    “Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10).

    Fatalistic responses

    Because it is well understood that the counsel of God is immutable, many in scripture do not bother to contest His judgments. When Samuel gave Eli the dire verdict of God that his house would be judged severely for the sins of his sons, Samuel simply resigned to his fate. He said:

    “It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him.” (1 Samuel 3:18).

    Job also accepted implicitly the providence of God. With the loss of his children, his wealth, and his health, He said:

    “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21).

    Since God is the Judge behind everything, Jeremiah asks:

    “Why should a living man complain?” (Lamentation 3:39).

    David also reaches the same conclusion. He says to God:

    “I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it.” (Psalm 39:9).

    Therefore, Peter counsels us:

    “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” (1 Peter 5:6).

    Only the Lord God Almighty can make this kind of promise:

    “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14).

  • Unrighteous money – By Femi Aribisala

    Unrighteous money – By Femi Aribisala

    Most Christians do not bother with the words of Jesus.  If they did, they would not be Christians. Churches carefully avoid Jesus’ words.  They are not words on which a large congregational empire can be built.  When the people heard the words of Jesus, they left in droves. When Peter understood the message of Jesus, he prevailed on Jesus to change it.  Jesus’ words provide the small gate and narrow road that leads to life that only a few will find. (Matthew 7:14).

    Money is not a currency of the kingdom of God. 

    Deceitful money

    So let us look at one of those weighty words of Jesus that Christians prefer to ignore.  Jesus refers to money tautologically as “unrighteous mammon.” (Luke 16:9).  This means money is fundamentally ungodly.  There is no “righteous mammon.”  According to Jesus, riches are deceitful. (Matthew 13:22).  They promise what they cannot deliver.  They promise prosperity but impoverish the soul. (Matthew 16:26).  They promise peace but bring anxiety. (Ecclesiastes 5:12).

    Money is man-made: it is not of God.  Indeed, it is an idol, the very antithesis of God.  Money rules over men, ensuring that it competes with God for human allegiance.  Therefore, our faith in Christ compels a choice.  Jesus insists: “No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24).

    Jesus never has any commendation for the rich or for earthly riches.  Instead, He warns: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21).

    Jesus’ position is that man’s heart is of limited capacity.  If our heart is set on worldly riches, we cannot at the same time have God; “the Desire of All Nations” (Haggai 2:7), as our heart’s treasure.

    Money is not a currency of the kingdom of God.  The currency of the kingdom is righteousness.  Jesus insists money does not even belong to the believer, who is redeemed without money. (Isaiah 52:3).  If it belongs to us, we will take it with us when we die.  We don’t because it belongs to someone else.

    Therefore, Jesus asks: “If you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” (Luke 16:11-12).

    False riches

    Money constitutes false riches.  The riches of this world belong to the wicked.  The psalmist declares: “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.” (Psalm 73:12).  The wicked prefer the temporal to the eternal.  Therefore, God is content to make this vainglorious world their inheritance.  Thus, David talks of “men of the world who have their portion in this life.” (Psalm 17:14).

    What then belongs to the believer?  “The LORD is (our) portion.” (Lamentations 3:24).  When a man sought Jesus’ help to secure his inheritance, He replied: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15).

    But how could the man have been guilty of covetousness when all he wanted was his portion of his inheritance?  The man failed to understand that Jesus’ doctrine makes us heirs of God and not of men.  He was guilty of insisting on what belongs to another man, while neglecting what is rightfully his portion in God.

    God is interested in who we are and not what we have.  He says: “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14).  He does not say “I am what I have.”  This life is not about ownership; it is about stewardship.  Worldly possessions are the believer’s stewardship.  We are managers of our finances, without the burden of ownership.

    In the Day of Judgment, God will require us to account for how we spent all the money that came into our hands.  Did we use it to secure our temporal “future” here on earth, or to safeguard our eternal future in heaven?  Jesus says sardonically: “Make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.” (Luke 16:9).

    It is not surprising then that God’s judgment is often proclaimed on those who handle money. (Zephaniah 1:11).  Rich men who are not prepared to give away their wealth to the poor cannot enter the kingdom of heaven and become heirs of God.  Instead of amassing earthly riches, Jesus counsels that we should endeavour to be rich towards God. (Luke 12:16-21).

    Blessing of God

    Men bless with money.  But Jesus says: “Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27).  Therefore, money cannot be a blessing of God.  God blesses with His Holy Spirit. (Luke 11:13).

    What money buys is not of God, and that which is of God cannot be bought with money. (Acts 8:20).  The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22).  But money adds sorrow for the simple reason that it fails.

    Money failed in Egypt and in Canaan. (Genesis 47:15).  Check the current exchange-rate: money has failed in Nigeria.  Sooner than later, money grows wings and flies away like an eagle towards heaven. (Proverbs 23:5).

    Can we give money to God?  Jesus says no.  Unrighteous money belongs to Caesar; his image and inscription is on it.  “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21).

    What exactly belongs to God?  God’s image is on man, so man belongs to God.  We should give and dedicate ourselves to the Lord; while money should be given and dedicated to “Caesar.”

    Solomon says money answers everything. (Ecclesiastes 10:19).  That may be true technically; but money is not the answer to most things.  Solomon himself discovered that all that money gave him was vanity upon vanity.  He says: “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

    Wisdom of God

    This is what I have learnt at the feet of the Lord.  Money is not valuable; we are always giving it away in one transaction or the other.  The most valuable things in this world are free.  The most important jobs in Christ are the ones for which we receive no wages whatsoever.  The poor are far more generous than the rich. (Mark 12:41-44).

    Martins Hile urgently needed to get somewhere, so he asked the Lord for money for transportation.  But the Lord said to him: “Stop asking me for money.”  The Lord told Martins to go and stand by the side of the road.

    As soon as he did so, a car pulled up in front of him.  “Martins, where are you going?” asked the driver, who happened to be someone well-known to him.  He then took Martins exactly where he was going.

    The Lord said to Martins: “You don’t need any money.  All you need is Me!”

  • Necessary evil – By Femi Aribisala

    Necessary evil – By Femi Aribisala

    “God will make sure we have just the right amount evil that we need in our lives”.

    If, according to God’s kingdom dynamics, the ways of God are antithetical to the ways of man, then God must consider evil to be good for man.

    Evil did not just happen, God created it. He says:

    “That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:6-7).

    Evil is not of essence. Evil is created: evil is a creature. The good God is the creator of evil. Therefore, evil is subject to good. Evil is subject to God’s divine purposes. Solomon says:

    “The LORD has made all for Himself, yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.” (Proverbs 16:4).

    Evil day

    Jesus says evil is necessary in the life of a man: “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34).

    This means the man who is not confronted with evil is at a disadvantage and cannot develop into a perfect man. God will not shortchange us in the amount of evil we will have to face but will make sure that we have just the right amount that we need.

    Jesus’ principle about the necessity of evil is also linked to others that point to God’s safeguards in our lives. Paul says:

    “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

    This means God, and not sin, is the determinant of providence. When Jesus’ disciples saw a man who had been blind from birth, they asked Jesus:

    “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (John 9:2-3).

    In effect, we cannot draw any definitive conclusions about the righteousness of a man from anything that happens to him in this life. Bad things will happen to good people and good things will happen to bad people and vice-versa.

    Jesus’ theology undermines the classical basis we have for thanksgiving. We usually give thanks because something good happens to us or because we escape something bad. But in this, we are mistaken. God does not favour us by saving us from calamity. Neither does He punish us by allowing us to suffer.

    Both the disciples of Jesus and “the Jews” believed that the man was born blind because of some sin, either that of the man or his parents. But no! Jesus’ answer indicates that regardless of the circumstances that occur at birth or in any other situation, God does not interfere either to bless or curse.

    There was some physiological reason why the man was born blind. But God does not discriminate, not even because of gross immorality, either to correct a condition or to cause it apart from the normal operation of the divine laws of nature.

    But Jesus, who intended to heal the man by a miracle (in this special case He did interfere), gave a reason for it: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (John 9:3).

    God is responsible

    Inevitably, God is responsible for all the evil in the world. If God does not require evil, it would not exist. If He does not require evil, He would not create it. Thus, Amos asks rhetorically:

    “Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all? If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it?” (Amos 3:4-6).

    Indeed, God is behind everything. David says to God: “I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it. Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.” (Psalm 39:9-10).

    Purpose of evil

    Moses says to Israel: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

    It is God Himself, and not an enemy, that has set good and evil before us. He does this, not for our injury, but for our benefit.

    Without evil, we would have no appreciation for good things. Without evil, there would be no salvation. Without sickness, there would be no healing.

    Immediately after His baptism, the Holy Spirit handed over Jesus to Satan. Jesus had to overcome him by trusting in God and in His word. Thus, evil is meant to be overcome. It is like running a steeplechase or hurdles race. Evil constitute the obstacles in our way that must be surmounted.

    An overcomer must have things to overcome. Evil is the mountain or hill before us. Jesus says: “He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:7).

    But evil cannot be overcome with evil. Evil must be overcome with good. (Romans 12:21). Thereby, evil provides a testing ground for righteousness. Evil is designed to provoke righteousness.

    Purifying agent

    Jesus says: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8).

    God uses the afflictions of the devil to purify our heart. This is what happened with Job. After undergoing the ordeal that God orchestrated, Job’s eyes were opened and, for the first time, he saw clearly “the invisible attributes of God.” (Romans 1:20). He said to God: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5-6).

    Because evil is beneficial in measured doses, Jesus does not restrain Satan from prevailing against Peter. Instead, He tells him that the lessons learnt from the experience will enable him to strengthen his colleagues:

    “The Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32).

    Jesus then told all his disciples that the devil’s testing is divinely designed to identify those who will be given the crown of life:

    “The devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10).

    Testing tool

    God also uses the devil’s testing as a tool of righteousness. This was Paul’s experience who was also handed over to the devil. He says: “One of Satan’s angels was sent to make me suffer terribly, so that I would not feel too proud.” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

    In similar fashion, Paul also hands over sinners to the devil for their good. He writes to the Corinthians about an adulterous man: “You must then hand that man over to Satan. His body will be destroyed, but his spirit will be saved when the Lord Jesus returns.” (1 Corinthians 5:5).

    He also writes to Timothy: “Two of them are Hymenaeus and Alexander. I have given these men over to the power of Satan, so they will learn not to oppose God.” (1 Timothy 1:20).

    Accordingly, Habakkuk, who had complained about God’s inclination to allow evil to flourish unrestrained, finally realizes that God uses the devil and his evil works for good, disciplinary, and corrective purposes. He exclaims at last: “O LORD, you have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, you have marked them for correction.” (Habakkuk 1:12).

    Even if God kills us, we will not die. He will raise us from the dead. Even when God brings calamity it is for righteous reasons. As Daniel observes:

    “The LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.” (Daniel 9:14).

    “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.“ )1 John 1:5)

    In God, there is no duality of right and wrong, or good and evil. Everything that God is, and everything that God does, is good and right. It is only in man that we have interplay of the negative and the positive.

    Because God is good, evil can never destroy the good. Evil can only destroy evil. Because God is good, evil can never triumph over good. Therefore, God gives us this reassurance:

    “Behold, I have created the smith that blows the coals in the fire, and that brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:16-17).

    Since all things proceed from God. All things operate through Him. And all things will be reconciled in Him. Then, even evil will end up as good because God is goodness.

    “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!” (Romans 11:36).

  • God’s preference for the last above the first (2) – By Femi Aribisala

    God’s preference for the last above the first (2) – By Femi Aribisala

    God rejects everything that is first in this world. He is even opposed to every firstborn child.

    When God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt, He killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians, including the firstborn of their livestock. But He saved the firstborn of the Israelites.

    Thereafter, He commanded that all the firstborn males of Israel should be sacrificed to Him. (Exodus 22:29). To avoid death, he later said they had to be redeemed with money. (Numbers 18:15-16).

    “Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers.

    Jacob and Esau

    With the children of Isaac, God preferred the younger Jacob to Esau, the firstborn, even before they were born.

    When Rebecca, Isaac’s wife, was pregnant with the twins, the babies struggled within her. God then told her: “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23).

    God later elaborates on this strange preference for the younger over the older: “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? ‘Yet Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness.’” (Malachi 1:2-3).

    In a moment of weakness, Esau then sold his birthright to Jacob. Therefore, Malachi describes the Edomites, the descendants of Esau as: “The people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever.” (Malachi 1:4).

    Judah and Reuben

    With Jacob’s children, God preferred the younger Judah to Reuben, the firstborn. In a classical synchronicity between divine providence and seemingly independent human action, Reuben offended his father, Jacob, by sleeping with his concubine. Thereby, he forfeited his firstborn status.

    On his deathbed, Jacob denounced Reuben: “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, the child of my vigorous youth. You are first in rank and first in power. But you are as unruly as a flood, and you will be first no longer. For you went to bed with my wife; you defiled my marriage couch.” (Genesis 49:3-4).

    Judah then became first. He was not even next in line but the fourth child. However, Simeon and Levi, the second and third, also offended Jacob because they avenged Shechem’s rape of their sister Dinah by killing his entire family.

    God ratified Judah’s new premier status. When the Israelites asked God which tribe should lead their fight against the Benjamites, God replied: “Judah shall go first.” (Judges 20:18).

    Judah new pre-eminence is evident in its being the tribe that produced Jesus. Judah means praise, appropriately the divinely prescribed starting point of godly worship: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.” (Psalm 100:4).

    Ephraim and Manasseh

    God preferred Ephraim, the younger son of Joseph, to Manasseh, the firstborn. When Jacob was blessing Joseph’s children, he placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head. Joseph objected, saying it should be on Manasseh: “No, my father, this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.”

    But Jacob refused and said: “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.’ He blessed them that day and said, ‘In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ So, he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.” (Genesis 48: 18-20).

    Similarly, Aaron was the firstborn son of Amram, but God chose his younger brother, Moses, to deliver Israel from Egypt. (Exodus 7:7). Eliab was the firstborn son of Jesse, but God chose David, the eighth child, to be the ruler of Israel after Saul. (1 Samuel 16:6-7).

    Furthermore, Amnon was the firstborn son of David. But by divine providence, Absalom, his half-brother, killed him because he raped his sister Dinah. Absalom himself was killed while trying to usurp his father’s throne. Thereafter, God chose the younger Solomon as king instead of his older brother, Adonijah.

    Prodigal son

    In Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, the father celebrated the unfaithful younger son, who left home and squandered his inheritance on riotous living, when he finally returned home; to the annoyance of the older brother who stayed faithfully behind.

    Although the father tried to comfort the older brother by pointing out that he could have thrown a party for his friends anytime he wanted, it was clear even that option would still have been inferior to the party the father threw for the younger prodigal son. If he took that initiative, he would not have had the audacity to kill the fatted calf, which is reserved for special occasions. But the fatted calf was killed for the younger prodigal son.

    Accordingly, Jesus affirms the principle of God’s rejection of the firstborn, saying: “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Matthew 19:30). Paul also points out that: “God chooses people according to His own purposes; He calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.” (Romans 9:11-12).

    God gives us what we do not deserve and not what we think we deserve. The younger prodigal son who wasted his inheritance did not deserve the father’s grace and forgiveness. Therefore, he received it. The older faithful son who thought he deserved it did not receive it. That is kingdom dynamics.

    Firstborn Jesus

    This divine providence whereby the firstborn is rejected assumes even greater resonance when we recognise that Jesus Himself is the firstborn son of Mary and Joseph. Spiritually, He is described as: “The firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15). “The firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29).

    Therefore, what is most remarkable about the parable of the Prodigal Son is that the story is told by Jesus, our older brother in the family of God. Jesus is the firstborn; we are His younger brothers. He is the older brother who did not get what He deserved, while we are his younger brothers who get what we do not deserve.

    Jesus is the proverbial older brother, and believers are collectively the Prodigal Son. Jesus is the Son that was always with the Father, the Son that never transgressed the Father’s laws in any way. He is the brother that watches as the Father and His angels rejoice over every repentant sinner.

    But unlike the brother of the prodigal son, Jesus rejoices when we return to the Father. In fact, we are the joy that was set before Him whereby He: “endured the cross, despising the shame.” (Hebrews 12:2).

    “(Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5).

    Thanks to Jesus, despite squandering our inheritance through our sins, we are nevertheless: “Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:17). “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

    CONTINUED