CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE In the beginning

We examine How God created the earth.

We investigate his original intent for Adam.

We begin to demystify the typologies in the book of Genesis

CHAPTER TWO Adam’s Sin

What does sin mean?

The explanation of Adam‟s Transgression.

The real meaning of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Who was the tree of life in the garden?

CHAPTER THREE Death Reigned

What does death mean?

Who created death? God?

Who is the source of all death and misery on the earth today?

CHAPTER FOUR who is Satan?

The identity and origin of Satan

How he fell and where.

His game plan and the doctrine he deceived eve with.

CHAPTER 5 How Satan operates

A closer look at how Satan takes advantage of people

his modus operandi revealed in scriptures

CHAPTER 6 the Abrahamic Covenant

What God promised Abraham.

What is the blessing of Abraham?

CHAPTER 7 Forgiveness of sins

What forgiveness means

Is confession of sins required to receive forgiveness?

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 CHAPTER 8 Why the law

Did God always want to relate via codes and rules?

The purpose of the law.

CHAPTER 9 Types and shadows

The typologies in the old testament

Christ in the law and the prophets

CHAPTER 10 We see Jesus

Who is Jesus?

The Nature of God

CHAPTER 11 In whom we have

What we have in Christ

Our rights and privileges

CHAPTER 12 Righteousness

What is Righteousness?

Can a man earn it?

Is Righteousness free? A gift or a reward?

Is the man in Christ righteous? Is he holy?

CHAPTER 13 Eternal Salvation

Can a believer lose his salvation?

Can you sin grace away?

Is once saved forever saved?

CHAPTER 14 Eternal Salvation - An apologia of the

gospel

Scriptures muted to be against eternal salvation explained.

CHAPTER 15 Now that you know walk in your true

nature

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CHAPTER 1

IN THE BEGINNING

M
him?
any have wondered about God‟s motive for creating
the world. Why create man and put him in misery?
Why not create man without all the negatives around

They ask such questions because they lack some foundational

knowledge about who God is and what he is like.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Now God created at the beginning but was before the beginning.
He is a being that lives in a timeless realm. He created time as
we know it. The moment God created matter, time came to be.
It is important to first understand that if God is eternal he
doesn‟t react. For him to react is to say he isn‟t eternal.
Only beings that were created and live in time react.
God doesn‟t react. He purposed in himself that there should be
a beginning of creation and he began that beginning. He had a
plan in mind, a purpose that is eternal in scope. God knows all
things, sees all things, is everywhere and can do all things .In
creation he saw all that will happen before it did and made
provision available in himself before it ever occurred.
Before we get ahead of ourselves lets understand a few things.

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How did God create the world?

John 1:1-4

In the beginning was the word, the word was with God,
the word was God

The same was in the beginning with God. All things

were made by him and without him was not anything
made that was made

In him was life and the life was the light of men

He created the world by “the word”.

The expression or phrase “word” is the Greek word “logos”.
It means the logic of a thing or the explanation of a thing .The
summation of the thoughts behind a thing. This means that if we
understand the logos of a person then we can understand the
person .If we understand the explanation of a thing we
understand the thing being explained.
For example, if I gave you an arithmetic progression of 4, 9, 14,
19…… And I tell you to figure out the rest of the progression you
easily will do that once you understand the logic behind it.
So we will arrive easily at 24,29,34,39 because the logic of the
progression is 5.
Therefore, the whole world was created by “the word of God”.
This entity is God himself.

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He created all we see and don‟t see. This word of God is a
person and not just a force.
We are told that “The word” became flesh.

John 1:14

And the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us

(And we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten
of the father) full of grace and truth.

So the word of God which explains him created the whole world
including Man.
When we understand this person called the word, we will easily
understand who God is.
It becomes very easy to understand the purpose and design of
creation.
We can easily know what is of God and what isn‟t.
Everything we need to decipher and grasp about the nature of
God, the purpose of creation, the purpose of man, and the
source of evil is tied to understanding one thing - the concept
“The word” of God.
The word of God or the logos is the complete and total
explanation of who God is and what he is like. Any other
understanding outside the logos of God is error!
There are several scriptures which open our eyes to see Gods
intent and purpose before there was anything called time.
Let us look at a few.

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 2 Timothy 1:9-10

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling,

not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began, But is now made manifest by
the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath
abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel

This shows us that Gods plan before Genesis 1, before the world
began was to save and call man not according to his works but
according to his own purpose and grace in one person-Jesus
Christ.
This means that God already had a plan for all men to be found
holy and without blame in Christ.
This was always the plan. Let‟s examine more examples.

Titus 1:1-3

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

according to the faith of God's elect, and the
acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In
hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie,
promised before the world began; But hath in due times
manifested his word through preaching, which is
committed unto me according to the commandment of
God our Saviour;

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He shows us that giving or offering eternal life to mankind from
the very inception was what God always wanted to do. In fact
Paul says to Titus that he promised it before time began .It was
what he always wanted to do .All he had always planned.
The same thing is reiterated in Ephesians 1:4-5

According as he hath chosen us in him before the

foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: Having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

So he chose man in Christ before the world began that he should

be holy and without blame before him.
This is how God wanted it - that the man in Christ would be
blameless, spotless and accepted.
You may then ask.
“Was the first Adam not in Christ? Was he not a spiritual and
heavenly being?”
Well he was not. We will answer that question in detail in the
2nd chapter.
It is however important that you understand that the tree of life
was offered to Adam in the garden and he chose not to eat of it.
God created him a free moral agent. He was shown God‟s
eternal plan of dominion in life by Christ as represented by that
tree in the parable of Genesis 2 but he rejected it and chose
death instead.

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The choice was depend on Christ and have life or depend on
your works and have death.
He didn‟t really understand experientially what death was.
However, like many men today he wanted fulfillment for
depending and advancing by his own efforts. Hence, he
truncated Gods eternal plan for himself and generations after
him.
More on that later.
I want us to see other scriptures that show us Gods mind and
thought for man before time began.

1 Peter 1:18-20

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with

corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain
conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot: Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but
was manifest in these last times for you.

See that again? Christ was already preordained before the

foundation of the world.
This means the offering of Christ was not a reaction to Adam‟s
transgression.
God saw what Adam would choose, so he already made Christ
the redemptive offering before there was even a beginning!

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Isn‟t that amazing? God in his foreknowledge already
predestined all men in Christ to be holy, irreproachable and
justified in his sight.
This is who God is!

Romans 8:29

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to

be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren.

So God‟s plan has always been to have many conformed to the

image of his son Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the divine man. God always wanted all mankind to share
in his divinity. Man had to make a choice though. The first man
made his choice. He chose to attempt divinity outside of Christ.
He chose to attempt divinity by his own works.
It was sin because it fell short of God‟s plan.
Divinity is only found in the person of Christ.
Outside of Christ there is no God!

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CHAPTER 2

ADAM’S SIN

A Lot has been said about the fall of Adam. While growing
up I read a children‟s book that said that Adam fell
because he ate an apple from the forbidden tree. It also
said he was away farming and his wife deceived him into eating
it!
So let‟s get some understanding.
Who was Adam or what does Adam mean?

Genesis 1:26-28

And God said; Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing
that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his
own image, in the image of God created he him; male
and female created he them. And God blessed them,
and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

The above passage shows that God created Man and empowered
him to dominate the earth.

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Man was created in his image and likeness and was to dominate
by being fruitful, multiplying and filling the earth.
Adam which simply means „earthy‟ in Hebrew was a progenitor -
the first in the production line of men. He was the prototype, a
pattern. God created just one man who had both male and
female characteristics.
Every other man born into this earth was going to bear the
image of this prototype.
Now there are two accounts of the creation of man .The first is
in Genesis 1 and the other in Genesis 2.
In Genesis 1:27 it says „so God created man in his own
image……‟
The word created is the Hebrew „bara‟.
It means to make something out of previously nonexistent
material.
It refers primarily to the creation of the spirit of man. Man is a
spirit that has a soul and lives in a body.
This is important to note.
Many controversies have arisen as to the composition of man.
Many have said Man belongs to the animal class who dies and
ceases to exist.
Others have said the soul and the spirit are the same thing. Both
schools of thought are wrong. We have several scriptures that
clearly show the composition of man without any ambiguity.
Let‟s look at a few before we get back to what we were saying.
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 Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper

than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents
of the heart.

Notice the scripture says „soul‟ and „spirit‟ which refers to the
inner man then „joints „and „marrow‟ which refers to the
physical body. The scripture shows that the word of God is able
to discern all the three parts of the composition of man.
We have yet another scripture that supports this.

1Thessalonians 5:23

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I

pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ

Man is a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body. Genesis 1

shows us the creation of the spirit of man. However, it is in
Genesis 2 that we are introduced to the formation of the body
and consciousness of his soul.

Genesis 2:7

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and
man became a living soul.

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The word „formed‟ is different from „create‟. It is from the
Hebrew „yatsar‟. It means to mold into shape, making something
out of an existing material. The body of man was made from the
dust of the earth and is designed to be the house or dwelling
place of the spirit and the soul. To function on the earth a man
must have a body to house his spirit and his soul.
The separation of a man‟s inner man from his body is what is
called death.
Seeing that the spirit of man was created not formed from the
earth it stands to reason that man was created to exist for ever.
The spirit of man never stops existing whether in the body or
outside the body. God created man to rule and reign on this
physical earth. He was made a spirit of dominion and was to
exercise dominion from his spirit.
It was the only way to reign.
Now Even though Adam was created perfect he didn‟t have
eternal life.
Adam was not created in heaven. He was of the earth. He was a
natural man.

1 Corinthians 15:44-49

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.

There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a
living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that

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 which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is
the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they
also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are
they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the
image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly.

The first Adam was made a living soul but the last Adam (Jesus
Christ) was made a quickening spirit or a life giving spirit.
Now remember we have before established that Adam means
„progenitor‟. He was made a living soul; a living soul that didn‟t
have eternal life. He was of the earth and was natural.
However, Jesus Christ is a quickening spirit. He is the second
progenitor - the source code of a new breed of life giving men.
He is not a living soul created to exist but a life giving spirit who
was manifested to give life.
Now I have explained all these concepts to get to this.
What then was Adam‟s sin?
Remember, we said in the first chapter that all things were
made by and for Christ.
Now let‟s look at what really happened in Genesis.
To understand the book of Genesis you must realize exactly
what kind of book it is. It was written by Moses and it is part
revelation and part history. For example, the narration of
creation was most likely a revelation to Moses.

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It must have been revealed to him in a vision.
It is important to understand that in visions a message is being
passed to the subject via the use of metaphors.
Images or persons are used to represent the message and not a
literal representation of the facts. For example, in the book of
revelations apostle john said he saw the Lord Jesus as a lamb.
That didn‟t mean that Jesus was a literal lamb but a metaphoric
one.
It is the same in Genesis.
We have certain metaphors used to illustrate or pass across a
message. For instance, we have God resting on the seventh day.
The first day of man was the day of rest. This shows clearly that
God planned for man to rest in all he has done and not on what
he can do by himself. We see man being created on the sixth
day.
The number six is used in Hebrew to refer to the number of
man. We see Eden which means pleasure and man being planted
there .This shows us that God created man to enjoy his creation.
He created man for his pleasure!
Now we have in the said garden two trees: the tree of life in the
midst of the garden and that of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every
tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the
tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree
of knowledge of good and evil.
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Now what is the tree of life? Was it an actual tree?
God tells Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil but never said so about the tree of life. This means he
wanted him to eat of the tree of life. In his instruction to Adam
he commands him to eat freely of all trees except one, the tree
of death. He never told him not to eat of life.
We must examine what the tree of life actually means. What it
means to „eat‟ of it and what the tree of knowledge of good and
evil means too.
Let us begin with the tree of life first.

John 1:1-4

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by him; and
without him was not anything made that was made. In
him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the
light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it not.

Remember, we have said that what is translated as „the word‟ is

the Greek „logos‟.
Logos means the summation of thought, the logic, and the
explanation.
So the word of God is the explanation of God.
The above scripture says all things were made by him.

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By whom? The word of God. It goes on to say in him was life or
life came from him.
All creation happened by him.
Nothing exists without him.
This person called the word is the creator of all we see and
don‟t see.

Colossians 1:15-17

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of

every creature: For by him were all things created, that
are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him,
and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all
things consist.

He is the light that shined in the darkness of Genesis 1:2 and the
darkness couldn‟t withstand. He is the life and light of men. He
is the life by which men can truly live and can truly see.
So who is this person given the title „The word‟?

John 1:14-18

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, this was he
of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred

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 before me: for he was before me. And of his fullness
have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law
was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he
hath declared him.

Jesus Christ!
The life is Christ!
The light is Christ!
Anything outside of Christ is death .Anything outside of Christ is
darkness!
So the tree of life in the midst of the garden is Christ.
Now what did God mean by „eat‟?
Did he mean to eat as in normal eating?
First we have to clarify that what a man eats or drink can never
defile or corrupt him according to the scriptures.
See here.

Matthew 15:10

And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear,

and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth
defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the
mouth, this defileth a man.

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Jesus is showing that anything that goes in a man‟s mouth
doesn‟t defile him.
Man is a spirit. For him to be defiled he has to be defiled from
his heart!

Matthew 15:16-20

And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

Do not ye yet understand that whatsoever entereth in
at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into
the draught? But those things which proceed out of the
mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the
man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
and blasphemies: These are the things which defile a
man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a
man.

See that?
All a man eats doesn‟t enter his spirit. It goes into his digestive
system and passes into the toilet. For a man to be polluted it
must come from his heart.
So we now have to see the metaphorical meaning of eating in
scriptures.
If Adam‟s sin wasn‟t the literal eating of the fruit then what was
it?

John 6:53-55

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 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his
blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh,
and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise
him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and
my blood is drink indeed.

Jesus is speaking to Jews and telling them that except they eat
his flesh and drink his blood they have no life in them. They
thought he was speaking literally but he wasn‟t. Notice he says
the end result of this eating was eternal life.
So we should think.
Jesus slams their carnality later on in John 6:63 where he says

‘The flesh profits nothing, the words that I speak unto

you they are spirit and they are life’.

This means the life he was referring to that they should eat
were his words.
The scripture says in John 3:15

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but

have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life

Do you see that?

Whosoever believes in him has eternal life.

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So if eating means believing. Then it stands to reason that to eat
of Jesus is to believe what he said about himself in his death,
burial and resurrection.
So it is very clear here that the metaphorical meaning of eating
or drinking is the act of believing.
Whatever you believe you have eaten of!
This therefore means that in Eden Adam was presented with two
choices before he was permitted to mass produce on the earth.
He was presented two doctrines. One was God‟s plan which was
before even time began and the other was mans plan.
Let‟s go over it again.
God is not time bound and as such he doesn‟t live in the realm
of time. He is eternal. He ends a thing before it even begins.
The plan of God was that Adam be conformed to the image of
one being and that being was Christ. God created the natural
Adam to depend on and receive life from the heavenly tree of
life which Christ represented.
God‟s eternal plan was simple, that all natural men receive
eternal life by resting in Christ.
Christ is the image of God not Adam. Adam was made to be
conformed to the image of Christ.
That conformation was to occur by Adam „eating „of Christ by
faith which he chose not to do.

Romans 8:28-30

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 And we know that all things work together for good to
them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of
his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he
also called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

That scripture speaks of who God foreknew and predestinated.

The word foreknowledge is the Greek „proginosko‟ which means
to see beforehand. It speaks to what God saw before time even
began. Whereas the word „predestination‟ is the Greek
„proorizo‟ which means what God has determined or done
before time.
So based on Gods foreknowledge that mankind cannot please
him in his natural state without Christ he already predetermined
that all should be conformed to the image of Christ!
This was the plan.
Eternal life wasn‟t an afterthought presentation to Man after
the fall; it was promised to man even before time began.

Titus 1:2-3

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie,

promised before the world began; But hath in due times
manifested his word through preaching, which is

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 committed unto me according to the commandment of
God our Saviour.

This is why what Adam did is called sin.

Romans 5:12

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world,

and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned.

The word sin is the Greek „harmatia‟ it means „to miss the
mark‟.
This suggests that there was a target or plan set before Adam to
execute and he missed it.
He truncated Gods plan for the earth by choosing to go his own
way.
He sinned and fell short of the glory of God. Who is the glory of
God?
Christ is the glory of God.

Hebrews 1:2-3

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom

he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he
made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory,
and the express image of his person, and upholding all
things by the word of his power, when he had by himself

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 purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high;

He is the brightness or effulgence of God‟s glory. He is the exact

representation of God!
To see Jesus is to see God!
To miss Jesus is to miss God.
Let‟s examine what God said to Adam and the words Satan used
to deceive Eve.

Genesis 2:17

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou

shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die.

This basically means if you eat of sense knowledge and earthly

wisdom and not Christ you will die.
Death thus would mean separation and not cessation of life.
He says „surely die‟ which means „truly dead or die twice‟.
This shows that there are two kinds of death majorly: spiritual
death and physical death.
Spiritual death meaning separation from God, while physical
death means separation of the spirit from the body. Adam was
warned „don‟t eat of this tree, don‟t believe that you can
achieve divine status on your merit „. Now let‟s examine again
the deception by the devil to Eve.

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 Genesis 3:1-4

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the
field which the Lord God had made.

And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, ye

shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the
woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of
the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which
is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not
eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not

surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil.

Eve didn‟t have an accurate knowledge about what God said.

She said “God said not to eat of it and not to touch it‟
Not accurate. God just said don‟t eat of it - which really means
not to put faith in it. Don‟t believe on it! God wanted man to
touch the tree. On this earth Man needed that knowledge in
some measure to discern things properly: to discern right and
wrong but not to put his faith in it.
Now Satan dangles a false promise before Eve. He says to her
“eat of this tree because it is the way to be divine”. He was
inadvertently saying that they could get divine life without the
tree of life. He was saying that they could be divine without
following Christ which the tree represented.

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She believed it.
Adam believed it too.
He was there with Eve when Satan said all these things to her.
Notice that it was „words‟ that made Adam‟s mind up.
He ate of words.
Out of his heart came unbelief in what God had said and he
missed the mark.
He missed Christ.
God presented Adam with the opportunity to reign in life by
eating of Christ but he refused it. He instead chose a life
without him being deceived that he could be divine without
him.
That was his sin!
That was the fall.
That man was presented the light and yet he chose to live
without it!

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CHAPTER 3

DEATH REIGNED

I
t is important for us to know what death is and that it is not
a creation of God.
What is death? Is it the cessation of life?

No.
We must not forget that we have previously established that
man is a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body. God created
man to live forever. So what then is death?

Genesis 2:17

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou

shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die.

What did God mean by that?

Death means separation.
When a man dies physically his inner man comprising of his spirit
and soul are separated from his body. This is what is called
physical death.
The scriptures allude to a life after death. The apostle Paul
explains physical death this way.

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 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that,

whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from
the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight :) We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the
body, and to be present with the Lord.

So he is saying that separation from this body will lead to being

with the Lord.
The only thing preventing a man from being physically with
Jesus is that he is alive in his body.
The moment the body ceases to function the spirit man is
separated from it and if that spirit is regenerated then it goes to
be with the Lord until resurrection.
Peter also explains death the same way here.

2 Peter 1:13-14

Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to

stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing
that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as
our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will
endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have
these things always in remembrance.

He is saying the same thing.

The putting off of “this tabernacle” refers to his body. He is
saying I will soon be separated from my physical body.

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The second type of death spoken of in scriptures is spiritual
death.
It is the separation of man from God. When God said to Adam in
Eden that “you shall surely die‟ what he was telling him was
simple. You will die twice. The phrase „surely dies „implies a
plurality of deaths.
He is essentially saying to him „you shall die twice‟ - firstly
spiritually and then physically.

Romans 5:12-14

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world,

and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the
world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even
over them that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was
to come.

After Adam‟s sin death reigned!

What kind of death? Spiritual and physical.
It formed the basis of man‟s relationship with God and vice
versa.
Death reigned!
The word „reigned‟ is the Greek „basileuo‟ it means to „exercise
dominion‟ or „to rule as a king‟

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This means that Death reigned as a king from Adam to Moses.
God couldn‟t communicate normally with man. Man had become
spiritually dead. He was ruled by his senses which only saw
through the eyes of sin and death.
It was not possible for man to understand God because he was
so far away from him.
He was a sinner by nature and by culture.
He was darkness because he didn‟t have the light of God in him.
He was dead in his sins because he didn‟t have the life of God in
him.
God couldn‟t speak plainly to this man because he didn‟t have
the capacity to understand God.
In his state of spiritual death he couldn‟t see God neither could
he ever understand him.
God didn‟t move away from man in Eden.
Man moved away from God.
Now that we have established what death is. We have certain
questions we have to answer.
Did God create death or darkness?
Does he kill?
Does he maim?
These are very important questions we must not brush off. They
are very important in forming our perception of God .How we

30
see God matters a great deal to God. Since the world began he
has been trying to reveal himself to mankind. He even sent
Jesus the ultimate revelation of his character and nature
because he wants to be known.
Now remember in Romans 5:12 we saw that „sin entered into
the world and death by sin’
That word “entered” is the Greek „eisserchomai‟ which means
to „come in by the side or to enter by permission‟. The
scriptures shows that it was man that brought sin and sin
brought death!
Death is the result of sin.
Death in itself is not a creation. It is simply the absence of life.
Just as darkness is not a creation but the absence of light.
Adam by rejecting life in the garden sinned and permitted the
entrance of death into the world.
If a man rejects life what he will have is death. This is simply
because life is absent.
The scriptures even let us know that death is an enemy of God!
Can you believe that? Death is God‟s enemy!

1 Corinthians 15:26-27

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he

hath put all things under his feet

This destruction will lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy

spoken of about the resurrection of the dead.

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 1 Corinthians 15:53-57

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this

mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,

and this mortal shall have put on immortality, and then
shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy
sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the

law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ

During the end of this age via the resurrection from the dead
death‟s power over every believer‟s body will be completely
destroyed. This is God‟s plan. He wants death totally destroyed
because it was never his plan to begin with.
So remember death came because Adam sinned.
“The sting of death is sin” the bible says.
Death didn‟t come by God. God didn‟t create or author death.
He is life.
Death only can survive outside of God. Anything that dies is not
in God.
There is something very interesting we should also note.
It is that the authority of death was wielded by the devil.

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 Hebrews 2:14-15

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh

and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the
same; that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver
them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage.

So the devil was the one who held the authority of death both
spiritual and physical.
Death is not in the kingdom of Christ or of life. Death is not in
the light but in the dark.
The devil is the prince of darkness.

Ephesians 6:12

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against

principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places

He is the ruler of the darkness of this world.

He reigns through death and sin.
These are the two cardinal instruments he has put his trust in.
Death and sin! He wielded these instruments to oppress man in
his sinful state. As long as man is a sinner he is under the rule of
the devil that will oppress him with his tools.

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This is why the only solution to saving and rescuing man from
Satan‟s clutches was to remove the tools he trusted in. God in
his wisdom sent Jesus as a man to pay the penalty for sin and
taste death for every single man.
By paying the eternal price for sin and by suffering by death for
every man, Jesus once and for all paralyzed the devil!
He has no tools to use.
He has no weapons!
He has been defeated.
We will look at the details of this as we go on.
For now I want you to say with me!
Devil!
You have been defeated!
Glory to God!

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CHAPTER 4

WHO IS SATAN

W hen we read the story in Genesis 3 we can‟t help but

notice the influence of the “serpent” in the
decisions man made that day. There are many
opinions about who Satan is and what he can do.
Even in theological circles there are many positions. So we have
to answer a lot of questions.
For example, who is Satan? When was he created? When did he
fall? What was his role before the fall? Was he a choir director in
heaven? Did he try to overthrow God and take his place?
These are important questions as they will affect our
understanding of who he is and why he does what he does.
Let us begin with his identity.
He was an angel in the classification of cherubim.

Ezekiel 28:14

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have

set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God;
thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the
stones of fire.

There are majorly two classifications of angels in scriptures.

There are cherubims and seraphims. I will not go into details as

35
to this classification as that would deter from our subject
matter. But suffice to say that Satan was a cherub, an angel.
So we must now examine who angels are and what they do. We
must know how they operate to be able to explain Satan‟s
actions. Many have said that angels were created to worship
God and by worship they mean singing and dancing while we do
have examples of angels singing praises to God in scriptures we
don‟t have it stated that it is the purpose of their existence.
So why were angels created? What purpose do they serve?

Hebrews 1:13-14

But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my

right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister
for them who shall be heirs of salvation.

Now the word angel is taken from the Greek word “aggelos” and
it means a “messenger, an envoy, someone who is sent”. So
they are servants or messengers that are sent by God. Who are
they sent to minister to? The heirs of salvation! That‟s man!
Angels where not created because God needed them to do
anything for him primarily. They were created to serve man and
God‟s plan for man. This is why in the plan of God man is above
angels.
So the service an angel renders to God is in connection with his
service to man. This is very important to understand .It will let
us see that the place of an angel‟s primary assignment isn‟t
heaven but here on the earth because this is where men dwell.
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Now we know that Satan before the fall was an angel whose
primary function was in relation to man. If he was an angel it
means that his assignment related to the man God created.
Before we continue delving into the identity and origins of
Satan, I want us to look at how angels operate so we can
understand a few things.

Psalm 103:20

Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength, that

do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his
word.

The word excel here is the Hebrew “gibbor” which means might.
It speaks to an increase or manifestation of mighty power. This
strength and might is connected to that angel carrying out God‟s
command and hearing the voice of his word. An angel is
completely powerless without a command or an instruction from
God.
They are messengers; if no message is given they have no
strength to run with. The strength of an angel is in the word of
God, the command God gives. This is important to know! Angels
can only function in the arena of God‟s word, without it they
can‟t function!
Let‟s look at examples in scriptures.
With Daniel

Daniel 9:21-23

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 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man
Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning,
being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time
of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and
talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth
to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of
thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I
am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved:
therefore understand the matter, and consider the
vision

So as Daniel prayed the commandment came forth from God, an

angel came to Daniel on the wings of that command .He
couldn‟t come otherwise.
Another example is Zechariah.

Luke 1:13-16

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy
prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a
son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt
have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his
birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and
shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be
filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's
womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn
to the Lord their God.

We see the same thing .In response to prayer a commandment

went from God and an angel was dispatched .If there is no
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message angels can‟t operate. If the word of God has not gone
forth angels cannot function.
Now since Satan was an angel and was obviously a very
important one we must now look closely as to how he fell and
why he did .We also must debunk certain beliefs about him that
are not consistent with the scriptures . Now there are two
prophetic books that speak about Satan in detail and we will
examine them.
The first is in the book of Isaiah 14:12-18

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the

morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which
didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit

also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of
the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought
down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and
consider thee, saying, is this man that made the earth to
tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world
as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that
opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of
the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, everyone in his
own house.

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Now if we read this scripture we will see that the prophet was
very clear who he was referring to.
The prophecy was about the king of Babylon for in verse 4 he
says
That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of
Babylon, and say,
how hath the oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased!
So in prophecy Isaiah had seen the end of the reign of Babylon in
God‟s prophetic plan. The reign of that mighty kingdom was
ended and this chapter is devoted to that .Now there is a
principle of double application in scriptures. This means that
one scripture may refer to two personalities. However, it is hard
to make the case for that here but for the sake of widely held
beliefs I will make an argument using that persuasion as a
foundation.
The first thing I want us to note is that Lucifer is not Satan‟s
name!
The word “Lucifer” doesn‟t even appear anywhere in the
original Old Testament scripture. Lucifer is the Latin word for
day star or morning star. The word in Hebrew used for “morning
star” is “helel”.
It refers to the star that shines brightest in the sky just before
dawn. It is used as a metaphor to refer to a person of influence,
affluence and authority. Lucifer is not a name but a description.
So we don‟t know the name Satan was given before the fall.

40
I must also mention that the expression “morning star or day
star “was also used for Jesus in scriptures.
We will find it in 2 Peter 1:19-21

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto

ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth
in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star
arise in your hearts: Knowing this first that no prophecy
of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of

man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost.

The word “day star” in the Greek is “phosphorus” but in Latin it

is “Lucifer”. It means the same thing as we have already
explained. Peter is speaking to people to meditate on the things
written in the prophetic books until light breaks in their hearts
like the morning star regarding Christ.
So the use of the word day star is metaphorical as regarding
Christ and also the king of Babylon.
However, if we maintain that there is a double application in
Isaiah 14 then we must carefully bring that out. Let us examine
for a moment what the person being spoken about said in their
heart.
 I will exalt myself above the heavens.
 I will exalt myself above the stars of God

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  I will seat in the mount of congregation in the sides of the
north.
 I will be like the most high (note that he didn‟t say “I will
be the most high”)
I have heard many say and teach that Satan wanted to
overthrow God!
How can someone plan to overthrow God!
Satan wasn‟t an idiot.
God is eternal. He isn‟t a created being .He doesn‟t live in the
realm of time. When there was no water or light. When there
was no snow, or mountains .when there wasn‟t anything
material or immaterial, there was God. He lives in a dimension
above everyone else. No angel can enter the dimension God
exists in. He doesn‟t seat on a throne in heaven, heaven is his
throne.
God is not in heaven, heaven is in God.
How can you capture and dethrone a God that you can‟t even
hold or see? A God who is everywhere and in everything? A God
who knows what you are thinking before you think it? How?
Satan wasn‟t stupid. What he wanted was already given to man!
God created Adam as a king and ruler over all his creation.
Adam wasn‟t a serving spirit but a spirit of dominion. Angels
where made to serve Adam, for Adam was an heir of salvation.
The plan of GOD WAS FOR ALL he created to be subject to his
man.

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 Psalm 8:4-6

What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

And the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,
and hast crowned him with glory and honor.
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of
thy hands;
thou hast put all things under his feet

Here David speaks about Gods purpose for man and speaks of
him being made a shade lower than angels. The actual word
translated angels here is “elohim”. The word is used to refer to
angels and also to God .The context determines which is which.
Here it refers to angels for we have the explanation in Hebrews.

Hebrews 2:5-9

For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the

world to come, whereof we speak.

But one in a certain place testified, saying, what is man,

that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that
thou visitest him? Thou made him a little lower than the
angels; thou crowned him with glory and honor, and
didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put
all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put
all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not
put under him.

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 But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we
see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels
for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and
honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death
for every man.

So the reason Adam was made a shade lower than angels in

physique was because Christ was to come and die for man‟s sins.
Christ is the second Adam and the reason he was made a little
lower than the angels was for the suffering of death. However,
we are now told that all things are under the second Adam -
Christ including angels!
Satan didn‟t accept God‟s plan.
He rebelled against it. He wanted the position God gave to man.
He wanted to be “like the most high”.
He wanted to rule over man rather than men rule over him.
Satan before the fall was the anointed cherub assigned to Adam
in the Garden of Eden. He was there.

Ezekiel 28:13-14

Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every

precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and
the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the
sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the
workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was
prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have

44
 set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God;
thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the
stones of fire.

He was in Eden before the fall as the angel sent to minister for
Adam.
If you observe the conversation between Eve and “the serpent “
in Genesis 3 you will notice that it wasn‟t a discussion between
strangers but between two people that apparently knew each
other .
Let‟s examine it.

Genesis 3:1-5

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the
field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto
the woman, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every
tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the
serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the
garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst
of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said
unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God doth
know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall
be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and
evil.

This is not a conversation between adversaries. It is a

conversation between two people that trust and are familiar

45
with each other. Eve had no reason to question the motives of
Satan because she trusted him. Satan wasn‟t in the garden by
error he was there because he was posted there by God.
He was posted there before he fell to minister to the most
important being God created, man.
He deceived them into rebelling against God‟s plan. He knew if
he got them out of fellowship with God and into sin and death
then he would be able to actualize his lust for power and he
succeeded.
Satan couldn‟t permit sin to enter the earth. He wasn‟t the king
of the earth. Adam was. For sin to find expression on the earth
then earth‟s king must allow it enter. The moment this
happened Adam couldn‟t be king anymore. He lost the
authority. Satan was now king of a new type of earth; one that
was in the realm of sin and death.
As king of this new sin ruled domain he now had authority higher
than any angel. He now had authority over earth‟s king and
could challenge and truncate Gods plan for him.
The coup wasn‟t against God but against man!

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CHAPTER 5

HOW SATAN OPERATES.

I Have said that we really do not know the name of this being
we have come to know as Satan. While the scripture gives us
the names of two arch angels (Michael and Gabriel) we are
not told the actual name of Satan. The name “Satan” is more of
a description of what he does than his actual name.
The name Satan is a Hebrew word and it means “an adversary or
opponent “.
This means that Satan primarily is in opposition to man and
God‟s plans for him.
Let‟s examine some scriptures to see him explained.

1 Chronicles 21:1-2

And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David

to number Israel. And David said to Joab and to the
rulers of the people, go, number Israel from Beersheba
even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I
may know it.

So in opposition to Israel Satan moved David to conduct a census

for the people of Israel without carrying out the necessary steps
as stated in the Law of Moses.
We have other examples. For example, in the case of job he
stood in opposition to him.

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 Job 1:6-11

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to

present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came
also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Whence comest thou?

Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, from going to

and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in
it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered
my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth,
a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God,
and escheweth evil?

Then Satan answered the Lord, and said doth Job fear
God for nought? Hast not thou made a hedge about
him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on
every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands,
and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth
thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will
curse thee to thy face.

True to the name Satan, he stands as an opponent to man and

Gods plan for him.
There are other names used to describe him and I will love for
us to examine each and every one of the words used.
Here they are.

 Accuser

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  Devil

 Deceiver

 Adversary
Let us start with “accuser”
 Satan –The accuser.

Revelation 12:10

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now is come

salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God,
and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our
brethren is cast down, which accused them before our
God day and night.

The word “accuser” is the Greek “kategoreos” it really means in

modern terms a “prosecuting lawyer”.
Someone who brings a charge against another on the basis of
legality. For a prosecuting lawyer to bring an accusation against
someone he must base his accusation on the law under which
the accused is subject.
Now note that the devil accuses “the brethren”. This is what he
does. He always seeks to indict man before GOD and before
other men to bring about condemnation and death.
The accuser doesn‟t rest until a guilty verdict is passed and a
sentence of death is carried out.
So as long as the Law of Moses was in force and man was still in
sin and ruled by death, the accuser would have a filled day.
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To deal with the accuser which in this case is Satan, we have to
remove from his reach the Law of Moses which was the basis of
his accusation.
We have to remove from his reach the law of sin and death.
Once we repeal the Law of Moses and then take men out of sin
and death then Satan becomes impotent!
This is what Christ did for us. We delve more into this in coming
chapters.
 The devil
This is another name used for the devil. It is a description of his
modus operandi. The word “devil” is from the Greek “diabolos”
it means a slanderer, a false accuser. There is a difference
between an accusation and slander.
An accusation may be true and accurate but slander is false. So
the devil is the chief peddler of false accusations to bring
people into bondage. This means that he specializes in making
people believe the wrong things about themselves, about God
and his word and about people too!
Satan‟s greatest need and craving is to be believed!
Let us examine scriptural examples of where the word “devil “is
used.

Matthew 4:1

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to

be tempted of the devil.

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So Jesus was tempted by the devil who is a false accuser.
He will twist the facts of scriptures and make it say what he
wants it to say rather than what it actually says.

Matthew 4:8

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high

mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glory of them;

Same thing here.

The devil peddles false hood and uses lies to deceive and put
people in bondage.
From understanding the meaning of the name “the devil” we
can now see clearly that only the truth of God‟s word can put
him in his place this is why we see Jesus responding only with
what is written.
Let‟s read the entire chapter now to gain a proper
understanding.

Matthew 4:1-11

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to

be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty
days and forty nights, he was afterward a hungred. And
when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the
Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

But he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not

live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth
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 out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up
into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the
temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God,
cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his
angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they
shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot
against a stone.

Jesus said unto him, it is written again, Thou shalt not

tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up
into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all
the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And
saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou
wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto
him, get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou
serve.

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came

and ministered unto him.

He responded every single time with the truth of God‟s word.

To defeat the false accuser (the devil) speak the word!
I must add that there is only one devil usually referred to as –
The devil.
There are however, many devils.

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The devil doesn‟t work alone; he has many devils that work with
him and for him. So there are many fallen angels who also work
in the same way.

Matthew 8:16

When the even was come, they brought unto him many
that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the
spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick.

Matthew 8:28

And when he was come to the other side into the

country of the Gergesenes, there met him two
possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs,
exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way

Mark 5:12-14

And all the devils besought him, saying; Send us into the
swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith
Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went
out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran
violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were
about two thousand ;) and were choked in the sea.

In every of the above scriptures the word “devils” is actually

translated better as “demons”.
A demon is a disembodied spirit that needs a body to function.
The devil rules over demons and uses them to oppress a lot of

53
people. Most cases of sickness, disease, depression can be
traced to the activities of these beings.
They all function in the same way. They peddle false accusation
.It is how they operate.
 The Deceiver
This is another word used to describe Satan. He is a deceiver.
He deceived eve in the garden.

1 Timothy 2:14

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being

deceived was in the transgression

The word “deceive” is the Greek “apatao” which means to

“cheat, to beguile”.
Satan is a cheat!
He doesn‟t play fair.
He uses deception to cheat men out of God‟s plan for them.

Revelation 12:9

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels
were cast out with him

The word “deceive” here is the Greek “planao” it means to

“cause to stray “.

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He deliberately gets people to stray from the right path.
He always leads many in direct opposition to God! This is what
he does.
So we have seen that he is Satan, an accuser, a devil and a
deceiver.
He stands in accusation against the saints of God; he attempts
to deceive and causes to stray.
He does this using words and the power of suggestion.
This is who Satan is.
He is an opponent.
He stands against God‟s plan and purpose for man.

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CHAPTER 6

THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

G od gave Adam custody of the earth. He was earth‟s king.

He was to rule and reign on the earth as a vice-regent of
God. This meant he was to represent God‟s plans and
will on the physical terrain. This assignment was not forever as
there was a time period attached to it.
This time period for which the lease to Adam will expire is
unknown to us. However, as long as that lease hasn‟t expired
the earth belonged to man.

Psalm 115:16

The heaven, even the heavens, is the Lord's: but the

earth hath he given to the children of men.

Spirits do not have a right to function on earth. To function on

earth you need a body from the earth.
Any being without a physical body has no right to intervene or
meddle in the affairs of men.
This is why Adam could determine by himself what direction he
wanted to go in and God couldn‟t change it. Adam had free will.
The moment God gave him the earth he had the grace to decide
what to do with it: to lead it into eternal life or into death.
The only way for a spirit being to gain access into men‟s affairs
is through a man. A man has to grant permission. Remember, sin
and death came through a man. A man had to permit it.
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Now God is spirit.
God is not flesh. He is not a physical being though he created all
we see and don‟t see.
After Adam made his choice he left the place where God could
reach him. Adam moved away from God. He died spiritually. He
was separated from God‟s realm of life .However, God still
loved him!
He wanted to help him even though he rebelled against his plan
as we have earlier seen.
So after Adam he kept looking for a man he could partner with
to bring about the fulfillment of his eternal plan and purpose.
That plan was simple. It was the conforming of every man and
woman to the image of Christ. It was righteousness by faith
alone in Christ alone. It was all of mankind to be hid in the
accepted son of God-Christ Jesus!
This had always been the plan.
God found a partner and his name was Abraham!
Who was Abraham?
Let‟s dig into his history a little bit.

Genesis 12:1-5

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
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 bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth
thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed.

So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him;

and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five
years old when he departed out of Haran.

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's
son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and
the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went
forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of
Canaan they came.

So he was a worldly man. However, God called him and made

promises to him. If we study we find that God wanted to build a
Nation of men with him.
Another beautiful thing to see is that God promised him “The
blessing”; all men where to be blessed if they blessed him and
cursed if they cursed him. In Abraham all men were blessed. It
was a call to him. God preached the gospel to him and he
responded. He believed God‟s promises.
Unlike Adam, Abraham believed God.
So he left his father‟s house and travelled on a journey to a
place he didn‟t know. He trusted and depended on God‟s
leading and not his senses. This is a pointer to the new
generation God wanted to raise: a race of men who depend on
him and not on their senses or earthly knowledge.

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We later see that God entered into a covenant with Abraham
based on certain promises.
Let‟s review the covenant after which we will take a closer look
at what a covenant is.

Genesis 17:2-8

And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and

will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his
face: and God talked with him, saying, as for me,
behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a
father of many nations.

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but

thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many
nations have I made thee. And I will make thee
exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and
kings shall come out of thee.

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee

and thy seed after thee in their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy
seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy
seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all
the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I
will be their God.

A covenant is an agreement between two parties: a major party

and a smaller party or two smaller or bigger parties. It has
things promised to be done to ratify the agreement. In the olden

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days when a covenant is to be struck there were certain things
that had to be available.
There had to be what was agreed upon either verbally or in
writing.
There had to be clearly stated responsibilities for both parties.
There had to be a sign or token of the covenant. Something
physical that shows the covenant actually took place. Witnesses
who could testify to the validity of the agreement needed to
also be present. Covenants were designed to be mutually
beneficial to both parties. It was a means to an end.
For example, in the Abrahamic covenant God wanted a family, a
nation of men to whom he could give the blessing of eternal life
which he promised to men before the world began.

Titus 1:2

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie,

promised before the world began;

And Abraham was a spiritually dead man who needed eternal

life.
The agreement was between God and Abraham .The token of
the agreement was the circumcision of the flesh of all male in
Abraham‟s house hold as a sign that they were in covenant with
God.
Every covenant required a guarantor: someone to bear the brunt
if it failed. The duration of this covenant was eternal. For God
proposed “an everlasting covenant “to him. So for it to be

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everlasting, the guarantor also had to be everlasting. No man
could have guaranteed an everlasting covenant except the one
who lives forever.

Hebrews 6:13-18

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he

could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying,
Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will
multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured,
he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the
greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end
of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to
shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his
counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two
immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to
lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled
for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.

The Lord himself guaranteed the covenant by himself.

So he guaranteed the agreement so that it should not fail. And
glory to God the agreement didn‟t fail! It couldn‟t and cannot
fail. It is important to understand that the Abrahamic covenant
is not to be confused with the old covenant or the law.
The Abrahamic covenant is actually the new covenant. It is the
covenant that came with the promise of salvation by faith in
Christ Jesus as against justification by self effort.
Paul speaks of this in his letter to the church in Galatia.

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 Galatians 3:15-17

Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; though it be

but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man
disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and
his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to
seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy seed, which
is Christ.

And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed

before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred
and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should
make the promise of none effect.

So we see that the “seed” referred to in Genesis was not even

Isaac after the flesh. He was just a typology. The seed referred
to Christ. So the covenant of Abraham is actually the agreement
between God the father and Christ who was the seed of
Abraham that was to come.
This is actually the new and eternal agreement God always had
in mind. The new covenant didn‟t come after the law it
preceded it by 430 years! It was already confirmed and
established in Christ.
The only thing remaining for the Abrahamic or new covenant to
be in force was “the blood of the covenant”. You see the blood
of rams and bulls were not the actual blood required to activate
the agreement. It needed the blood of the testator. Note that
when a man writes a will it is not in effect until that man dies.

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The will though written doesn‟t benefit its recipients if the
writer or proposer of that will is alive.

Hebrews 9:15-17

And for this cause he is the mediator of the New

Testament that by means of death, for the redemption
of the transgressions that were under the first
testament, they which are called might receive the
promise of eternal inheritance.

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity

be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force
after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all
while the testator liveth.

So even though God confirmed the covenant to Abraham he

couldn‟t enjoy it fully until two things happened.

 The seed who is Christ to whom the promises were made

came to the earth.

 The Christ shed his blood to activate the agreement.

This is why when Jesus observed the Passover with his disciples
said “this is the blood of the new covenant shed for many”. He
was essentially saying “I have come to ratify and fulfill with my
blood the promise made to Abraham”.
The covenant is eternal, the mediator eternal. The promises
also are eternal.
Nothing is temporary in the agreement.

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Now we have to examine properly what the blessing of Abraham
is. When we sing the song “Abraham‟s blessings are mine, I am
blessed in the morning and in the evening Abraham‟s blessings
are mine”. What do we actually mean?

Romans 4:1-3

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as

pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham
were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but
not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham
believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness.

This means Abraham received righteousness by faith

independent of works.
Paul quoting David in the 32nd psalm continues to say.

Romans 4:6-10

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the

man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without
works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the
man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision
only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that
faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How
was it then reckoned? When he was in circumcision, or

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 in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in
uncircumcision.

So the blessing is that God doesn‟t hold a man‟s sin against him!
He treats him as righteous by faith irrespective of what he has
done or didn‟t do.
David calls this man blessed!
The blessing of Abraham or the blessedness of Abraham was to
be declared righteous by faith. That God dealt with him as a
righteous man only because he believed. This means that every
man who has believed in Jesus has the blessing of Abraham. He
is righteous by faith.
Righteousness has been given to him as a gift.

Romans 5:17

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much

more they which receive abundance of grace and of the
gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ.

God‟s eternal plan that men should have dominion on earth

through Christ that man should reign in life through Christ is
fulfilled in the new covenant.
God through his covenant with Abraham was able to intervene in
man‟s affair. By that covenant he was also able to become a
man, mediate and ratify the new covenant by the shedding of
his blood.

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If you are in Christ you are righteous by faith.
What a great blessing you have received!
God calls you righteous .He calls you holy! He calls you
irreproachable in his sight. This is the greatest of all blessings!
Hallelujah!

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CHAPTER 7

FORGIVENESS OF SINS

W e have seen that the blessing of Abraham is

righteousness by faith in Christ Jesus. God is not
holding the sins of the believer against him anymore.
God sees him in Christ.
In this chapter we will dig a little deeper into the subject of
forgiveness of sins.
We will answer questions like what is forgiveness. How is it
obtained? Is there a limit to it? So let‟s take it step by step.
There are three major Greek words used to speak of forgiveness
of sins.
They are:

 Aphiemi.

 Charizomai.

 Aphesis.
Let‟s take them one by one to have a fuller understanding of
what they mean.
The first word is ‘aphiemi” it means to “send forth, to send
away, to remit, to wipe away”.
It is used to refer to cancellation of debts in the gospel of
Matthew 6:12
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors
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Same word is used in Matthew 18:27-29

Then the Lord of that servant was moved with

compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
But the same servant went out, and found one of his
fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and
he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat,
saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow servant
fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have
patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

So in these scriptures the word forgive speaks of cancelling

debts owed. This means once the debts are cancelled the debtor
owes nothing to his creditor.
The word is also used in connection to sin.

Matthew 9:2

And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the

palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said
unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins
be forgiven thee

Romans 4:7

Saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord will not impute sin.

So our sins though many are forgiven. They have been cancelled,
sent away never to be ever recalled.

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See another example.

1 John 2:12

I write unto you, little children, because your sins are

forgiven you for his name's sake

Forgiveness is once and for all in Christ. It is not to be sought or

asked for .It is already our possession the moment we are in
Christ.
So when “aphiemi” is used it connotes a sending forth or
cancellation of the debt owed or the blotting out of our sin debt
to God.
God in his mercy by the sacrifice of Jesus completely and
eternally wipes off our record of wrong doing never to remind
about them again.
The next word we are to examine is the word “charizomai” it
means to bestow a favor unconditionally.
It is translated forgive or forgave in respect to what God has
done as regarding our sins in Christ.
He forgave us unconditionally.

Ephesians 4:32

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving

one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven
you

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Notice that we are to forgive others just as God has already
forgiven us! Forgiveness of sins is a past tense reality in Christ
.It is not in the future neither is it a hope. Forgiveness is done
already.
See more examples.

Colossians 3:13

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if

any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ
forgave you, so also do ye

See that again?

We are forgiven already and unconditionally in Christ. Our
forgiveness now in Christ is not predicated on anything other
than being in Christ.
Let see more examples

Colossians 2:13

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision

of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him,
having forgiven you all trespasses

Every single time, forgiveness is stated as already done! He has

forgiven us completely and unconditionally in Christ.
So we can see that forgiveness of sins refers to the cancellation
of our sin debt and the total unconditional wiping off the sins
we have committed.

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The sins forgiven aren‟t only past sins but present and future
because our forgiveness is always tied to what Christ has done.
We will look at this when we examine the third and final word
we are examining which is “aphesis”.
This word means a dismissal, release, remission.
Aphesis is translated “deliverance “in Luke 4:18

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath

anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath
sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
DELIVERANCE (aphesis-forgiveness) to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised.

So Jesus came to preach “forgiveness” to captives. This means

that the captives here are captives of sin.
For when we look at other places where aphesis is used we see
clearly that it is used in connection to redemption from sin.

Ephesians 1:7

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the

forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

The word “redemption” is from the Greek “apolutrosis” which

means a release effected by the payment of a ransom. The
ransom paid was the blood of Jesus.
The payment meant that all he paid for have freedom from the
hold and penalty of sin.
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 Colossians 1:14

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even

the forgiveness of sins:

Same thing here also.

Acts 13:38

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren that

through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness
of sins:

So the message of the gospel is one of forgiveness of sins.

The word aphesis is also translated “remission” a complete and
total erasing of sin.

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized

every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost

In all these scriptures we have seen that in Christ we have

forgiveness and it is given free of charge, free of conditions.
In the Old Testament you forgave others so that God will forgive
you.
Jesus operated under the old covenant so as to fulfill it and
bring an end to it.

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 Galatians 4:4-5

But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent
forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
to redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons.

This is why when Jesus taught he did so as one under the law.
He came to show men God‟s intent for the law and reveal its
utter powerlessness to save.
We must remember he said that there were things he wanted to
teach that he could not yet.

John 16:12-13

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot

bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not
speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that
shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come

So in the epistles we have the words Jesus always wanted to say

but couldn‟t because of the dispensation he was under.
He could only teach them by his spirit now that he has done
what he was sent to do in his death, burial and resurrection.
For example, Jesus said to forgive so the father would forgive
us.

Matthew 6:15
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 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses

Here we see forgiveness of sins is conditional on our own

forgiveness of those who wrong us.
But we have seen in Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 2:13 and
Colossians 3:13 that in Christ we are to forgive because we have
been forgiven freely by him.
What about confession of sins to get forgiveness?
When we study the entire New Testament as regarding sin we
cannot find a single place where forgiveness of sins is predicated
on confession for saints.
The only controversial place for many is

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
Now the word used for forgive here is “aphiemi” which means to
send away, to cancel.
In all the places we have examined we saw that it was done
once and for all .It is not something repeated again and again.
God has already forgiven all sins at the reception of the life that
is in Christ.
To understand this verse of scripture we must examine the
entire chapter of 1John 1.

1 John 1:1-10

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 That which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we
have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the
Word of life;

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and
bear witness and shew unto you that eternal life, which
was with the Father, and was manifested unto us ;) That
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,
that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our
fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ.

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may
be full. This then is the message which we have heard of
him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him
is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship
with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the
truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and

the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we
make him a liar, and his word is not in us

John begins by stating that he was an eye witness to the

incarnation of Jesus. He testifies that he saw him and held him

75
in his arms. He says that his message is from Jesus directly for
he heard him speak.
John starts his letter this way because of a group of heretics
that had entered the church .They were the Gnostics otherwise
called “nicolaitaines” .They denied the incarnation of Jesus and
the validity of the original sin. According to them man wasn‟t
born in sin and Jesus didn‟t come in the flesh.
So John is writing to these ones to bring them into fellowship
with God and the church by teaching them about the incarnation
and the total depravity of man apart from Christ.
This is why in writing to them he speaks of confessing and
receiving forgiveness.
Though this group moved with church folks, they weren‟t saved.
If we look at how John speaks to the saints you see a clear
difference when it comes to forgiveness of sins.

1John 2:1-2

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye

sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also
for the sins of the whole world.

So for the believer when he sins John points him to the advocacy
of Jesus as the basis for his forgiveness and not his confession.
Same thing in 1John 2:12

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I write unto you, little children, because your sins are
forgiven you for his name's sake
Can you see that?
Your sins are forgiven!
So in Christ the saint has total and complete unconditional
forgiveness of sin!

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CHAPTER 8

WHY THE LAW?

G od never intended to deal with man via a code of

conduct. We must therefore investigate what the law is
and why it was given.
Paul while speaking to the Galatian church says the law was a
school master to bring us to Christ.
Now let‟s not get ahead of ourselves we have to understand the
law from two allegories portrayed to us in the book of Genesis.
In the garden there were two trees.
We explained what the tree of life was in the 2nd chapter. We
now will take a closer look at the second tree, the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
What did this tree mean?

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every
tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the
tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree
of knowledge of good and evil.

So there were two trees.

Two options placed before man: the tree of life which was
Christ and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

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To understand what this tree means we need to examine the
conversation between the serpent and eve. Therein lays the
answer.

Genesis 3:2-5

And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of

the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of
the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath
said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest
ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall
not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil.

Now Eve relayed an inaccurate account of the instruction given

by the Lord. She says „we are not to eat of it and not to touch
it‟.
God said nothing about not touching it!
This shows that Eve didn‟t get firsthand information of what the
instruction was.
Eve didn‟t disobey she was deceived. Deception occurs when
people have incomplete information or revelation.

1 Timothy 2:13

For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was
not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the
transgression.

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Now listen for the doctrine of Satan. He said to her that „God
knows that the day you eat of this tree you will be like God‟
This was error.
God‟s plan was that men receive eternal life by believing on
Christ. The only way to life was through the tree of life-Christ.
What the devil was proposing was a way of receiving life and
divine status through self effort.
He proposed the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the one
thing God said not to eat as the route to divinity!
Basically, he was saying don‟t rest in what God has done as
regards your divinity.
Work to get it.
Strive to achieve what God has already made available freely.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil simply represents
the works mentality. Man trying and striving to reach God on his
own terms and not on Gods terms.
This is the concept behind all the dead religions of the world.
They ignore the already provided tree of life and choose to try
to earn what has already been freely given.
Adam chose a life of works independent of Christ instead of a
life of rest in Christ‟s finished works.
This as we have before established was his transgression or sin.
The book of Genesis is an interesting book. It has a lot of stories
which are actually typologies.

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The one we are about to look at was clearly elucidated by the
apostle Paul in the book of Galatians.
Now let‟s look at the story to understand it.

Genesis 16:1-5

Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she

had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath
restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my
maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her.

And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai

Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after
Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and
gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

Now Sarai was the one who insisted that her husband take Hagar
to wife.
The mother of the covenant requested that the father of the
covenant permit a slave to have conjugal rights.
This was not God‟s plan but since she requested it she was
listened to.
The next thing we see is that Hagar conceives and begins to
despise Sarai.
So the wife is despised by the slave she allowed in to have rights
she was never meant to have in the first place.

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 Genesis 16:4-6

And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and

when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was
despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My
wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy
bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was
despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and
thee.

Sarah was harsh to Hagar who then ran away.

While in the desert an angel appeared to her and gave her
instructions.
Please note it was an angel that appeared to her and not God.
This also is a vital piece of information.

Genesis 16:9

And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy
mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

Now in the process of time she gave birth to Ishmael which was
the name the angel gave her to call the boy.
The boy lived in Abraham‟s house for the next 13years.
During this time God didn‟t speak to Abraham.
Not even once!
We will soon see why.

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Then Sarah gets pregnant and gives birth to Isaac and two things
happen.
The first is that Ishmael began to mock Isaac.
The second is that Sarah wants both Hagar and Ishmael out of
the house.

Genesis 21:9-12

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she
had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said
unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son:
for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my
son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in
Abraham's sight because of his son.
And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in
thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy
bondwoman all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken
unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

What we see above is so beautiful especially when you see the

real message being passed. Let‟s now proceed to see Paul‟s
exegesis about this event.

Galatians 4:21-31

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not

hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two
sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a
freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was

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 born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by
promise.

Which things are allegories: for these are the two

covenants; the one from the Mount Sinai, which
gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is
Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem
which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But
Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of
us all.

For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not;

break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the
desolate hath many more children than she who hath a
husband.

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of

promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh
persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it
is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out
the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the
bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the
freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of
the bondwoman, but of the free.

So Paul shows us that Hagar and her son Ishmael represented the
law which came by the flesh.
Whereas Sarah and Isaac represented grace BY FAITH which
came by the promise.

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Now the law was in the house for 13years because Abraham
acted in the flesh. This tells us the law is neither of the promise
nor of the spirit. It is carnal and the result of carnality.
As long as Isaac (grace) wasn‟t born the law (Ishmael) was in
charge of the house.
The moment Isaac was born; Ishmael‟s time in the house was
over.
The law wasn‟t the promise. It came at the instance of Sarah
and the impatience of Abraham.
This is important to know.
In the end the bondwoman and her son who represents the flesh
and the law were thrown out.
This is simply because in the household of faith only grace
through faith in the promise is permitted! Everything else has to
go.
Now who gave the law? Was it God?
This is an important question?
Many times in the Old Testament we have statements which
imply that God said it but when we examine the New Testament
we see a better explanation.
Let‟s see some examples.

Exodus 3:1-6

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the
priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of

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 the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to
Horeb.

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame

of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and,
behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not
consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and
see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God
called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said,
Moses, Moses. And he said, here am I. And he said,
Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet,
for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And
Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Notice we see that the scriptures say “and the angel of the Lord
appeared to him”
What we see here is an angelic manifestation.
But the writer goes on to say or report the encounter as God
speaking in the first person.
However, we will soon see that God spoke but through the
mouths of angels. God didn‟t relate directly to Moses or any
other prophet because they were all spiritually dead.
Reading this same account in the book of acts we immediately
notice a few things.

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 Acts 7:30-32

And when forty years were expired, there appeared to

him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the
Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he
wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it,
the voice of the Lord came unto him, Saying, I am the
God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

So it was an angel that spoke to him.

It was a conversation between God and Moses with an angelic
intermediary.
God who didn‟t live in time had to use angelic beings to speak to
his man.
In fact, we will see that all of the dictation of the laws was via
the arrangement of angels.
Angels acted as intermediaries in the giving of the law.

Acts 7:53

Who have received the law by the disposition of angels,

and have not kept it.

The word „disposition‟ is from the Greek word „diatage‟ which

means “arrangement” or “instrumentality”.
This means angels arranged the delivery of the Law of Moses.

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God spoke and the angels delivered the way they could to
Moses. Two things therefore we can clearly see - the capacity of
angels to correctly deliver what they heard and Moses‟ capacity
to understand it.
I will like to answer the question, why the law? Why was it
given? We have seen from the two allegories I used at the
beginning that it was given because man requested it by choice
and allowed it by permission.
If Adam had chosen the tree of life there would be no law.
If he hadn‟t sinned there would be no law.
Another reason spoken of in the epistles for the giving of the law
was to bring man to the end of himself.
It was to reveal to men who they really were i.e. sinners who
needed a savior.

Galatians 3:19

Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because

of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the
promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the
hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator
of one, but God is one.

It was added because of sin!

It revealed sin without having the power to empower to live
righteously.
It revealed sin without having the power to justify.

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 Galatians 3:23-25

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut
up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us
unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after
that faith is come, we are no longer under a
schoolmaster.

We see here again that the law was to be in place like Ishmael
until Christ came.
When Christ comes who is the seed to which the promises were
made then the time of the law is up.
The law showed man who he really is and what he needs so he
will not be caught up in self righteousness and pride. The law
brings man to the point where he realizes he cannot keep it and
needs a savior.
When the savior comes man is supposed to accept what he has
done for him and depend on the savior for his justification. The
law cannot justify any one. It was never designed to justify. It
was designed only to point out sin.
Glory to God! We are justified only by the faith of Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER 9

TYPES AND SHADOWS

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W e have established in preceding chapters that man
missed God‟s plan and because of this died spiritually.
He didn‟t have the light, life and love of God in him because all
that is available only in Christ. God is a spirit and to fellowship
with him and understand him you have to be alive to him.
Due to the reality of man‟s sin, God had to communicate with
him but not the way he had always intended. How do you
communicate spiritual realities to a spiritually dead man?
Paul puts this succinctly when writing to the Corinthian church.

1 Corinthians 2:14

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the

Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither
can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned.

It takes the spirit of God to know God .God is not a physical

body, neither is he a soul. God is a spirit and to understand him
man must be in the same realm and dimension God is.
Now Adam and all his descendants were natural men. This
means that Adam wasn‟t indwelt by the spirit of God. This is
very clear. For Paul says to Corinth in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47

And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a

living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that

which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

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 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is
the Lord from heaven

Adam was the first progenitor .The first model and he was a
natural man. He couldn‟t give eternal life. He was a man
without eternal life and so without the spirit of God.
Now God had to find a way to reveal himself to this man
especially when he moved away from God in rebellion.
How do you reveal yourself and your plans to a man that cannot
understand you?
How do you reveal yourself to a man who doesn‟t have the
capacity to receive the eternal plan?
God had only message .God wanted man to have only one
revelation .For it was only this revelation that mattered .The
message was a simple one: Salvation and eternal life through
Jesus Christ.
This is the total revelation of scripture.
The man Jesus!
God had to reveal this message to a generation of men who
didn‟t have the capacity to understand this plainly.
So he used typologies, metaphors to hide his message so that in
the fullness of time when the spirit comes to indwell men they
would see beyond the metaphors and typologies.
First let us establish that the scriptures have only one message.
We can then work our way from there.

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 2 Timothy 3:15-17

And that from a child thou hast known the holy

scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is

profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may
be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works

So we see that the entire scriptures have only one goal -To make
one wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Jesus alludes to the fact that the entire scriptures point to him
and what he came to achieve in his death, burial and
resurrection.

Luke 24:25-27

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to

believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not
Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into
his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets,
he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things
concerning himself

You see that again? He expounded to them the things concerning

himself.
He reiterates this again in verses 44-46

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 And he said unto them, These are the words which I
spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things
must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of
Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms,
concerning me. Then opened he their understanding,
that they might understand the scriptures, And said
unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved
Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

So the law, the prophets, the psalms had one message: the
sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.
Now we have to read these scriptures in order to discover Christ
in them.
We have to study the 3 great feasts of the Jews and see Christ in
them.
We have to study the tabernacle of Moses and see Christ in it.
We have to study the tithe, first fruits, and meat offerings,
drink offerings and see Christ in all of them.
They are all the types and shadows that reveal Christ. The
message of God‟s plan was always in the shadows. Now that we
have the spirit we can see plainly what the natural man couldn‟t
see.
 THE THREE GREAT FEASTS OF ISRAEL
God instructed Moses to institute 3 great feasts in Israel that
was compulsory for all to partake in.
Anyone who didn‟t partake of these feasts was to be cut off.

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The feasts were:

 The Passover.
 The feast of Pentecost or Firstfruits.
 The feast of harvest or ingathering.
For the purpose of this book I will deal with the first and biggest
of the feasts
The Passover
Just before the children of Israel were to leave Egypt they were
instructed to keep this feast.
From the name “passover” or “pascha” in Hebrew we get the
idea that something passes over them that was meant for them.
That something was death the penalty for sin as explained by
Paul in Romans 5:12

For by one man sin entered into the world and death by
sin and so death passed upon all men.

Now let‟s see the instructions concerning the Passover.

Exodus 12:1-21

And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of
Egypt, saying, this month shall be unto you the
beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the
year to you.

Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In

the tenth day of this month they shall take to them
every man a lamb, according to the house of their
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fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be
too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next
unto his house take it according to the number of the
souls; every man according to his eating shall make
your count for the lamb.

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first

year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the
goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of
the same month: and the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And
they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side
posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein
they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that
night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with
bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor
sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head
with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye
shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that
which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn
with fire.

And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your
shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye
shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's Passover.

For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and
will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both
man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will
execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be
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to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and
when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the
plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I
smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you
for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord
throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by
an ordinance forever. Seven days shall ye eat
unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away
leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth
leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day,
that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

And in the first day there shall be a holy convocation,

and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation
to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save
that which every man must eat, that only may be done
of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened
bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your
armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye
observe this day in your generations by an ordinance
forever.

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month

at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one
and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days
shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for
whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul
shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether
he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat

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 nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat
unleavened bread.

The Passover involved the picking of a lamb or a goat which was

male as an offering. The lamb was taken on the 10th day of the
month to live with the family who will offer it as an offering. It
was then sacrificed on the 14th day of that month. The blood
was applied on the door post of the house and then the body of
the lamb was roasted within and without with fire. This roasted
meat was then eaten in a hurry as though the partakers where in
a hurry to go out. The meat was never to be eaten raw or
without being roasted.
All these details have a lot of revelation as regards the cardinal
message of scriptures.
Another thing that was done was that the Israelites were to take
out all “leaven‟ out of the house and eat unleavened bread with
bitter herbs. We see typologies here again.
Now let‟s explain these details one by one.
First Christ is the Passover lamb and unleavened bread.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Purge out therefore the old leaven that ye may be a

new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our
Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the
feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of
malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread
of sincerity and truth.

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So what God was showing was that the Passover lamb that would
ensure death wouldn‟t destroy mankind is Christ.
Now we see that the lamb had to be roasted with fire
completely.
Fire is a picture of judgment.
The Lord God placed the judgment and punishment for all the
sins of mankind on the body of Jesus.
The entire roasting of the Passover lamb is a picture and
typology of the judgment of God coming on every inch of
Christ‟s body.

1 Peter 2:24

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the
tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed

Isaiah the prophet says the same thing with more

details.

Isaiah 53:4-7

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our

sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our
transgressions;
he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of
our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.

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 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
everyone to his own way;
and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened

not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he
openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and
from judgment

The next instruction was that they were to eat the roasted
Passover lamb. What does it mean to eat?
I mentioned in earlier chapters that to “eat” is a metaphor for
believing. In the shadow or typology we are painted a picture of
the Jews eating a roasted lamb that has carried away their sins.
The message therein is that to partake of Christ you have to
believe on him with your heart.
What are you to believe? You are to believe that the judgment
for the sins of the whole world was laid on the body of Jesus.
You are to believe he died for your sins and his blood has
provided eternal remission of sins!
To believe this is to eat of the Passover lamb entirely roasted.
Why were they told not to eat of the meat raw? Man is not to
partake of any revelation of Christ that doesn‟t present him as
the Lamb of God who bore the punishment of our sins.
Any teaching of Christ as a prophet, moral leader or good man
that denies his death, burial and resurrection is to present the

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Passover lamb without fire. There is no life in that revelation.
There is no remission in a revelation of a Jesus that did not die!
Bless God! He died!
The detail in the instruction to Israel is amazing.
The lamb was to live with the family that presented it from the
10th day to the 14th day.
The lamb was to be killed on its 5th day in the house.
The triumphant entry of Jesus is estimated to be about the same
time the Passover lamb was taken into the homes of the family
and also taken to the temple.
Jesus hung on the cross from the 3rd hour (the time of the
morning sacrifice) to the 9th hour (the time of the evening
sacrifice). This shows us how perfect his sacrifice was.
The message in the Passover offering was Christ Jesus.
They were to offer that sacrifice till the real Lamb of God
showed up. And guess what? He showed up 2000years ago and by
one offering he perfected the men and women that have
believed on him eternally.

CHAPTER 10

WE SEE JESUS

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W e have seen that Jesus is the explanation of all
scriptures .He is the accurate context of all biblical
prophecies, promises, patterns, ceremonies . Any
revelation of scriptures outside of Christ is error.
Jesus is the logos of God become flesh. He is the absolute
complete revelation of who God is.
Outside of Jesus there is no God. The invisible God became
visible in Jesus Christ. For a man to know God he has to know
him in Jesus for he is the explicit explanation of God.

Hebrews 1:2-4

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom

he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he
made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory,
and the express image of his person, and upholding all
things by the word of his power, when he had by himself
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the
angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more
excellent name than they.

He is the express image of the father‟s person!

The word image is the Greek “character” .It means likeness or
expression. The word “person” is from the Greek “hupostasis”
which means substance. This means that Jesus is the exact
expression of the father. He is the exact image of his substance
.He is the same as God. He is one with God.
He is called the image of the invisible God.
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 Colossians 1:15-19

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of

every creature: For by him were all things created, that
are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him,
and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all
things consist. And he is the head of the body, the
church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness
dwell

Can you see that?

When you see Jesus you have seen God.
He created all we see and cannot see. He created matter, space
and time. He was not created for He pre-existed time. He is the
head of all angelic forces for he created the angelic forces. All
things, created in all of heavens and earth, are held together by
him. Apart from Jesus all falls apart.
It is important for us to know exactly who Jesus is. It has to be
clear. Jesus is God! He is more than a prophet, more than a
good man. He is more than a good example to follow. God
became a man and his name is Jesus .we must understand this.
The moment we take the true identity of Jesus away we make
him common. He is not just a mere man who came to the earth.
He was God on the earth!

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Now all we see in scriptures where written about him. The
entire canon of books reveals him and what he had already
planned to do before time began. The scriptures are
Christocentric. They reveal Christ and his redemptive plan for
mankind.

Luke 24:25-27

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to

believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not
Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into
his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets,
he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things
concerning himself.

He began to reveal himself in the scriptures. He began at Moses

[which refers to the first five books of the bible or at this time
torah], then the prophetic books and all the scriptures revealing
himself to them. This means when reading the word of God we
are to come to the same conclusion-Jesus and his work of
redemption.
We see this reiterated in the same chapter.

Luke 24:43-48

And he took it, and did eat before them. And he said
unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you,
while I was yet with you, that all things must be
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in
the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then

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 opened he their understanding, that they might
understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is
written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to
rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in his name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are
witnesses of these things.

So all things written in scriptures where written concerning him!

They were written concerning his suffering for the sins of
mankind and the remission of sins his sacrifice will bring. This is
the one and only understanding of the scriptures. It is important
to know that Jesus reveals himself to his disciples from the Old
Testament writings. This means that the revelation of Jesus is
hidden in the shadows of the law, in the prophecies of the
prophets, in the songs of the psalms and in all the other writing
styles of scripture.
Christ! Christ! Christ!
He is the message of the scriptures!
He is in the Old Testament writings concealed but he is revealed
in the New Testament.
As we have our inner man flooded with light we see him beyond
the shadows. We see in the fullness of light.
It is possible to read the bible and not see Christ. It is possible
to read it and not see beyond the shadows. Many are still stuck
in the ceremonies of the law and have not seen the prophecies
of the prophets fulfilled in Christ.

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So we find people still observing the Passover, feasts of
Pentecost, new moon etc These feast where to illustrate Christ
till he comes . Christ has now come we no longer need the
shadow because the true light already shines and is shinning!

John 1:8-9

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of

that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world

So we have to examine the practices of the Old Testament

through the light of Christ.
This was why Paul prayed the most amazing of all prayers in the
book of Ephesians 1:17-20

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of

glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know
what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of
the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the
exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who
believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from
the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the
heavenly places.

He prayed for them to have the spirit of wisdom and revelation

in the knowledge of him.

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The spirit of wisdom is the spirit of insight into what lies behind.
It is insight into what isn‟t previously seen or known. It is what
the Greeks called “Sophia”. He then prays for revelation. This
word is beautiful. It is the Greek “apokalupsis” which means to
take the lid off. It means to make what was previously hidden
and obscure clearly visible and manifest.
Where did he want God to give this clarity? - In the inner man.
The eyes of understanding refer to the cognitive part of the
inner man. He is praying for enlightenment in the inner man.
Another translation reads “that the eyes of your spirit may be
flooded with light!”

Flooded with light!

Do you know what happens when a place is flooded with light?
The shadows completely disappear!
There is clarity.
Why does Paul pray like this? He does so because the most
important need of the believer after salvation is revelation
knowledge. The man in Christ has to truly and progressively
understand what God did for him in Christ. He has to see beyond
the shadows and step into the light.
The believer doesn‟t need more power, He has Christ.

He doesn’t need more joy, he has Christ.

He doesn‟t have to keep the Passover, Christ is his Passover.

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He doesn‟t have to keep the feast of first fruits; Christ is the
first fruit of redemption. He doesn‟t need to be blessed; he is
blessed with all blessings in Christ. He however needs to have
revelation knowledge to know all these things!
This is why Paul prays.
It takes the spirit of God to unveil the word of Christ to a man.
The scriptures are spirit breathed and as such they can only be
understood by the agency of the Holy Spirit. Now the epistles of
Paul are the explanations of the spirit concerning the plan,
purposes of God penned down in the Old Testament scriptures.
To understand the Old Testament we have to understand
Pauline writings.
The fulfillment of the Pauline prayers is found in his epistles.
For in Paul‟s writings Christ is fully explained beyond examples,
typologies and metaphors.

Colossians 2:16-17

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or

in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the
Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come;
but the body is of Christ.

So now that we are in Christ we need not dwell in the shadows.

The substance is here. We don‟t keep the Sabbath days because
he is our Sabbath. We don‟t need to feed on unleavened bread
because he is our unleavened bread. We ate of him when we
believed on him.

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We don‟t need to drink the wine of the Passover because his
blood which the wine or cup typified has been shed!

Luke 22:24-25

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and
gave unto them, saying, this is my body which is given
for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the
cup after supper, saying, and this cup is the New
Testament in my blood, which is shed for you

So if we believe in him we have partaken of both his body and

his blood.
We are members of his body by faith in him. We are washed by
his blood by faith in him. We have the real thing. We have the
real person. We therefore can now stop grasping at straws. We
can now stop chasing shadows.
Praise God Christ the light is here!

CHAPTER 11

IN WHOM WE HAVE!

W
e have to understand who we are in Christ and what
we have in him. In the previous chapter we have seen
that there is knowledge beyond the shadows. We will
explore a bit of this knowledge as regards our identity in Christ
here.
Let‟s start by exploring the concept of baptism.

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What is baptism? It is a word taken from the Greek “baptidzo”
which means to immerse or submerge in something.
So to baptize a person or an object with a substance is to
immerse it into that substance.
Now remember we spoke of types and shadows.
We have seen that the shadows actually point to Christ and that
we are to always look beyond the typologies.
John the Baptist was the first major personality in scripture to
introduce baptism as a concept. It was a revelation given to
him. Let‟s hear him.

Matthew 3:11

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he

that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I
am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost, and with fire

See what he said his ministry was – A baptism in water unto

repentance.
This means the water baptism of John was to foreshadow
another baptism. For he later says “he, that comes after me,
will baptize not with water but with the Holy Ghost”.
So John baptizes with water.
Jesus baptizes with the Holy Ghost.
John‟s immersion into water was to metaphorically point to
what Jesus would eventually do in the new birth. Water baptism

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was a carnal and sensual ceremony to illustrate to the carnal
man what Jesus was going to do after his redemptive sacrifice.
This is why john desired the baptism Jesus was to bring when
the latter came to be water baptized by him.

Matthew 3:14

But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized

of thee, and comest thou to me?

Though John the Baptist was the greatest of all the prophets of
the Old Testament he wasn‟t born again. He was called the
greatest because while other prophets prophesied about Christ‟s
coming, John actually pointed him out.
So what does the baptism in the Holy Ghost by Jesus actually
do?
Remember, we defined baptism as an immersion into or a
submerging into.
This means that a baptism into the Holy Ghost is an immersion
into the Holy Ghost. However, there is more.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 says

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all
the members of that one body, being many, are one
body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to

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 drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member,
but many.

So the immersion into the Holy Ghost is an immersion into the

body of Christ. This is the real baptism.
What the baptism of the Holy Ghost does is that it makes us one
with Christ .The spirit of God subsequent upon us receiving
Christ plants and immerses us into Christ himself. We are him.
He is us.

1 Corinthians 6:17

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit

The man in Christ is joined to him by baptism .The word join is

really interesting .It is the Greek “kollao”. It means to glue
together, to cement, to fasten together! This is an unbreakable
union. We are fastened together. We are one spirit with the
Lord! Oh glory to God!

This is the baptism Jesus brought: a union with him. It was

made possible because of his death, burial and resurrection.
This therefore means that to be baptized in the Holy Ghost is to
be born again.
To be baptized in the Holy Ghost is to be born of the Holy
Ghost.

Titus 3:4-7

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 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour
toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing
of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by
his grace, we should be made heirs according to the
hope of eternal life.

So we were saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing

of the Holy Ghost. Let‟s break this verse down so as to
understand it. Now as we very well know that the New
Testament scriptures where written in the Greek language.
To fully understand the intent of the grammatical rendering of
the writers of the New Testament we must apply the laws of
Greek grammar.
In English when we see the conjunction “and” we know that two
separate objects or persons are being linked together .This is
not always so in the Greek language. I will illustrate this point
using this verse of scripture and one other verse.
Now there is law of Greek grammar which is called “the
Grandville sharpes rule”.
It states that if two nouns are joined together by the Greek
conjunction “kai” with the definite article “tou” being before
one of the words then the two words refers to the same thing.
This is why the word “kai” in the Greek is translated in English
as “and”,” even” and “that is”.

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So in the case of Titus 3:5 the washing of regeneration is the
renewing of the Holy Ghost.
That word washing can also be translated as baptism.
The word regeneration which is “paligennesia” is translated as
new birth.
The word renewing is the Greek “anakainosis” .It means a
complete change for the better.
Essentially what Paul is telling Titus is that by the baptism or
washing of the Holy Ghost men become born again.
This he reiterates in 1 Corinthians 6:11

And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye

are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God

The spirit of God is the agent of the new birth. The immersion
into the Holy Ghost washes us and regenerates us. The Christ is
the one who has the spirit. Our immersion into Christ is an
immersion into the spirit.
The other example to buttress this is found in John 3:5-6

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a

man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Just as in the example above “born of water and of the spirit”

falls into the same category.

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This means Christ is using the birthing of water as seen in the
natural birth to illustrate the birthing spiritually. This is why he
goes on to saying “that which is born of the flesh is flesh and
that which is born of the spirit is spirit”.
The baptism into Christ is an immersion into all that is in Christ.
The new birth is in Christ; therefore all who have been baptized
into Christ have the new birth.
Eternal life is in Christ therefore all in Christ have eternal life. It
is important that we know who we are and what we now have by
our unbreakable union with him.
So let us examine in the next chapters in detail what we have in
Christ.
The more we know, the more we show!

CHAPTER 12

RIGHTEOUSNESS

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A
t this point you must have understood that the
righteousness of God cannot be attained by man‟s
effort. It is not in the natural man to meet up to God‟s
standard.
What is righteousness? It is the ability to stand before God
without a sense of guilt, inferiority or fear of a sentence of
death. It is that free gift of God that makes a man unaccusable
and unreprovable in God‟s holy sight.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made

unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that
glorieth, let him glory in the Lord

This gift is given by grace and not by the law. It is righteousness

apart from the Law of Moses.
A new kind of righteousness.

Romans 3:21

But now the righteousness of God without the law is

manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by
faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe: for there is no difference

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Abraham the father of faith was declared righteous before God
not because he was perfect morally. In fact if we examine his
conduct we will find that he fell short time and time again.
He lied to protect himself. In Egypt he lied that Sarai wasn‟t his
wife.

Genesis 12:12

Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians

shall see thee, that they shall say, this is his wife: and
they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray
thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for
thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

The king of Egypt took Sarah as his wife because of this lie.

Genesis 12:15-16

The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended

her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into
Pharaoh's house. And he entreated Abram well for her
sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and
menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and
camels.

Yet God didn‟t punish Abraham for his sin but we see that
plagues visited pharaoh‟s house instead!
Why? Well, God couldn‟t see sin in Abraham.
He was righteous!

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 Genesis 12:17-19

And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great
plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. And Pharaoh
called Abram, and said, what is this that thou hast done
unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy
wife? Why saidst thou, She is my sister? So I might have
taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife,
take her, and go thy way.

Many don‟t realize that this is what the blessing of Abraham

really is. That a man will stand before God free of his sins!
So how did Abraham become righteous?
He believed God.

Genesis 15:1-7

After these things the word of the Lord came unto

Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy
shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram
said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go
childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of
Damascus?

And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed:

and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him,

saying, this shall not be thine heir; but he that shall
come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

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 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. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to
him for righteousness.

And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee

out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to
inherit it.

Notice that God preached to Abraham his promise to give him a

seed. He also promised to give the land of promise to him and
that seed as an inheritance.
Abraham believed this promise.
God called him righteous simply because he believed.
This kind of righteousness is only received by believing what God
has said about the promised seed.
Who is the promised seed that God kept talking about?
The seed was Christ.

Galatians 3:16

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.

He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one,
and to thy seed, which is Christ.

So what was the promise God made to Abraham again?

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We must be clear on what it was so as to have an understanding
of it.
Let us revisit the first time God spoke to Abraham.

Genesis 12:1-3

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.

So we see God promising him a great Nation, a great name, that

he will not only be blessed but be a blessing.
He also says through or in Abraham and by inference his seed all
the Nations of the earth will be blessed.
Before we go any further you have to understand that the bible
is a Christ centered book and is a document of progressive
revelation.
We have seen before that the entire scriptures speak of the
unveiling of the redemptive plan of God in Christ.
This plan is spoken of in Genesis in seed form.
It is in types and shadows in the Law of Moses.

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It is prophesied in the books of the prophets but fully explained
in the epistles.
So let us see how the epistles explain God‟s message to
Abraham.

Galatians 3:8-9

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the

heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto
Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed. So
then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful
Abraham.

So it is clear from here that the blessing being spoken about was
justification by faith.
Faith in whom? Faith in what?

Galatians 3:13-14

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,

being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is
every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of
Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus
Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith.

Justification through faith in Christ is the blessing of Abraham.

Any man or woman who identifies with Christ by faith has
justification. He has righteousness.

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David in the psalms talks about this blessing. He desired it
because he didn‟t have it at the time.

Psalm 32:1-2

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin

is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not
iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no guile

Paul explains this psalm in detail in Romans 4:6-8

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the

man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without
works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the
man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

The blessed man is the one to whom God imputes righteousness

without works!
This man‟s iniquities are forgiven, his sins covered and when he
sins God doesn‟t hold him responsible for it!
This is what the blessing is!
God is not imputing sins to men. The word „impute‟ is the Greek
“logizomai” it means to account or document to ones name. It‟s
like when you go to a bank and deposit money. They record or
impute the amount deposited to your name.

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The word impute is an accounting and legal word. If a man is
accused before a law court of a crime, the charge against him is
recorded against his name.
What Paul is explaining to us is that the sins of the blessed man
are not recorded by God against his name!
Why? Because Jesus paid the price for sins we couldn‟t pay!
He became our sin offering and sin itself!

2 Corinthians 5:21

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

So Jesus who was sinless took our place of sin so we might never
ever be held responsible in Gods sight for our sins.
He redeemed us from sins penalty.

Ephesians 1:7

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the

forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace

The word redemption is the Greek „apolutrosis‟ it means a

release effected by the making of a payment.
So Christ paid the ransom or the release from sins hold with his
pure, divine blood.
By that payment, the demands of Gods holy justice was
satisfied. Man is redeemed from the penalty of sin i.e. the
penalty which was spiritual death, a separation from God.
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Same thing said here.

Colossians 1:14

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even

the forgiveness of sins:

This is why there is no condemnation to the man in Christ.

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which

are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit

The word “condemnation” is the Greek “katakrima” it means a

„sentence of death, a death sentence subsequent upon a guilty
verdict”
It is a legal term.
This means the man who is in Christ Jesus cannot be found guilty
neither can he be sentenced to death in Gods sight.
This is righteousness!
We don‟t work for it! We believe for it!

Romans 4:5

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that

justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness

This is the gospel of Christ. It is a message of reconciliation.

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 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to

himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry
of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the
word of reconciliation.

God is not imputing the sins of the world against them. This is
the message.
That God has reconciled the whole world to himself in Christ .If
any man believes in Christ he receives the free gift of eternal
redemption, justification, salvation and life from God.
Now though Abraham believed in Christ he didn‟t receive the
promise.
Not just Abraham but all the Old Testament saints.

Hebrews 11:38-40

(Of whom the world was not worthy :) they wandered in

deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the
earth.
And these all, having obtained a good report through
faith, received not the promise: God having provided
some better thing for us, that they without us should
not be made perfect

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The promise of the seed which was Christ who would pay the
penalty for sins was in their future.
They were shown what he would do. They believed it. However,
they died without seeing it.
But the sacrifice of Christ is in our past; hence we have received
what they hoped for. We have received what they didn‟t see.
We are what they weren‟t.
We have what they didn‟t.
We are the righteousness of God. We have the Holy Ghost
within.
Amen.

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CHAPTER 13

ETERNAL SALVATION

G od in his grace and mercy designed a plan in eternity to

ensure men could receive eternal life. As we have said
before eternal life is not an afterthought. It was always
God‟s plan for mankind.
He purposed in himself to give this life to all who believed
including Adam.

Titus 1:1-2

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

according to the faith of God's elect, and the
acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In
hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie,
promised before the world began;

So he promised this life before the world began not after it did.
We now see in genesis which is a book of typologies God showing
us the options he placed before the first man in the Garden of
Eden.
The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil.
We have seen before in this book that the tree of life
represented Christ (Chapter 2) and the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, a life of justification by works and self effort.

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Now let us examine the nature of this salvation, this life God has
given us in Christ.
We will answer questions regarding controversial issues like can
we sin away our salvation? Can we lose salvation? But first let us
examine scriptures exhaustively about salvation and the life that
is in Christ.

John 3:14-18

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already, because he hath
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God.

Notice what Jesus himself said. He that believes should not

perish but have eternal life.
Let‟s examine some words here to gain an understanding. The
word „perish” is the Greek “appolumi” it means to destroy by
death. Jesus says that he that believes should „not perish‟. That
word „not‟ is a negation in Greek it means „shall not, never

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under any circumstance‟. So the believer in Christ shall not
under any circumstance perish. He believes!
Now the words „everlasting life or eternal life‟ are very well
used by Christ and the apostles.
The words or prefixes used for life in these verses [eternal and
everlasting] are the same Greek word „aionos‟. It means
„without beginning and without end, timeless‟. It is a
description for the life Christ gives. Now the word “life” is the
Greek “zoe” it speaks of vitality, a full and complete life .It is
used to speak of the life a man has when he is in union with
God. Life means union. Death means separation.
So the man who has eternal life is one with God forever. It is a
union that will never end in Christ. Jesus is life. He is that
eternal life that came down from heaven.

John 6:33-37

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from

heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they
unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus
said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to
me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me
shall never thirst. But I said unto you, that ye also have
seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out.

He is the bread that gives life to the world and if any man eats
of him he will never cast him out!

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He reiterates again that he is the bread of life. He is life!
The life!

John 6:46-48

Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is
of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am
that bread of life

Also John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Whosoever eats of Jesus shall live forever and never see death.

John 6:51

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if

any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever: and the
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the
life of the world

This eternal life! Once received we keep it forever! The man

who believes in Jesus has eternal life!

1 John 5:13

These things have I written unto you that believe on the

name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have

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 eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the
Son of God

He wants us to know that we have eternal life. If a man has

Jesus, he has eternal life. Jesus is eternal life.
Now when a man receives this life he is kept by God, he doesn‟t
keep himself.

John 10:28

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never
perish; neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than
all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's
hand.

No man can pluck the believer out of God‟s hand .No man!
The father‟s authority is greater than all. No man can pluck the
man in Christ out of his hand.
This is the assurance of salvation. We are assured that after
receiving Christ we will never see death. Our salvation is his
work not ours we just received his finished work.
He is able to save us to the uttermost.

Hebrews 7:25

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the

uttermosts that come unto God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them.

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His intercessory work is our eternal advocacy before God.
As long as he lives, we will never ever see death .He is alive
forever, we are saved forever.
It is important that we understand that salvation wasn‟t our idea
.It was his idea .In fact we didn‟t even have sense enough to
request it because we really didn‟t know what we needed .
But God who is rich in mercy showed us his love in that while we
were yet enemies he died for us.

Romans 5:8-10

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while

we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then,
being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from
wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much
more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life

He gave Christ to die even when we were enemies! This shows

that his sacrifice wasn‟t predicated on our goodness but on his
grace and mercy.
God purposed in himself to deal with men not on the basis of
what they have done but on the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus.
This offering of Christ for sin is enough! It is complete and
perfect!
We don‟t need to add anything to this work. It was enough for
our entire salvation. We must add nothing to it. We must preach
nothing but it.
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 Hebrews 10:10-14

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering

of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering
oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take
away sins: But this man, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made
his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for
ever them that are sanctified

So one sacrifice which was the offering of the spirit, soul and
body of Jesus for our sins was enough for our redemption.
In fact the sacrifice of Jesus was an overpayment for our sins!
So we may ask are you saying that having received salvation we
can now live sinfully.
This is a very carnal and sensual question!
First the man in Christ cannot live in sin!

Romans 6:1-3

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that

grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are
dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that
so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptized into his death?

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The word sin here is the Greek “harmatia” it means to miss the
mark. It is very important for us to understand something‟s as it
relates to the use of Greek words and their parts of speech. If
we don‟t understand this we will interpret scriptures wrongly.
First the word „harmatia‟ doesn‟t describe an action but a
nature.
The word “harmatia” as used here is a noun feminine word. This
means it doesn‟t describe something being done but the
personality of who is doing it. We know that a noun is a name of
an animal, person, place or thing. It doesn‟t describe what the
person or object does but gives it an identity this is what a noun
is.
So what Paul is saying here is that can a man who is in Christ
continue in the nature of sin that grace may abound? God
forbid!
The grace of God moved the man in Christ from sin to God!
There is no sin in God. There is no God in sin!
The believer cannot live in sin. There is no living in sin only
death!
So we are not just forgiven, we have been made new creations!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:

old things are passed away; behold all things are
become new

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The new creation is not a renovation of the old man .He is a
completely new man that has never existed before. He has
received a new spirit, nature and life. This life he has received
as given him a new lifestyle. He now is alive in Christ.
Christ is his life.

Ezekiel 36:24-27

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather
you out of all countries, and will bring you into your
own land.
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall
be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols,
will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a
new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the
stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart
of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause
you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my
judgments, and do them

A new heart, a new spirit, a removal of the heart of stone and

replacement with a heart of flesh.
This man has Christ as his life.

Colossians 3:1-4

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which

are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of
God. Set your affection on things above, not on things
on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with

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 Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear,
then shall ye also appear with him in glory

He is a new man created after the image of God which is Christ.

Ephesians 4:22-24

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the

old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And
that ye put on the new man, which after God is created
in righteousness and true holiness

He is not the man he used to be.

The old man of sin is dead. That man died when Jesus died. The
man who is a sinner and craves sin died the moment Jesus died
on the cross.
He doesn‟t exist anymore in the Christian.

Romans 6:6-7

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him,

that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth
we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from
sin

So we don‟t have a dual nature in Christ. We only have one

nature. The divine nature!
We must constantly put before the believer what the scriptures
say about his new life. He has to know.

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The more he knows about his new life, the more he will show it.
The knowledge of God is not an academic one but a spiritual one
.As we unveil the realities of the new creation to the believer
there is a total change in his thinking .He can now see clearly
who he is in Christ and walk accordingly. When a believer
doesn‟t walk like one he needs to be properly trained and
raised.
He needs to know that he has a new nature which comes with a
new set of characteristic traits.
Paul, speaking in Galatians, makes us aware of these new traits.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law. And they that
are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections
and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the
Spirit.

The believer is love, joy, peace, longsuffering etc.

He doesn‟t just have love; he is love because love gave birth to
him. He was filled with hate when he wasn‟t in Christ but now in
Christ hate is gone! He has joy now! He has peace now! He is
longsuffering now!
Jesus didn‟t just save us from our sins he also gave us a new
life!

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We now live in the spirit and so walk there in. we have left the
kingdom of sin alone. We have been translated from that
kingdom of darkness into one of light!
Glory to God!

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CHAPTER 14

ETERNAL SALVATION –AN APOLOGIA OF

THE GOSPEL

T here are many who are opposed to the teaching of

eternal salvation and they have several scriptures which
they struggle with .I must say that the subject of
salvation is quite wide and requires a lot of intense ,patient
study to be clearly understood. Peter in commenting about the
writings of Paul said the following:

2 Peter 3:15-16

And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is

salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also
according to the wisdom given unto him hath written
unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of
these things; in which are some things hard to be
understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable
wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their
own destruction.

So he admits that the Pauline revelations are hard to understand

at times because of their depth.
He also says that certain who are unstable and unlearned twist
them to say what it doesn‟t say.
This is why we must be very patient and careful when
expounding the truths concerning the gift of salvation.

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So in this chapter we will examine the scriptures that seem
nutty to many believers.
The ones many quote to imply that salvation is not eternal but
temporary and that how a man lives on this earth determines
whether or not he goes to heaven .we will look at all the major
scriptures .
Let‟s begin with Mark 13:13

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake:

but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved.

This same statement is made in Matthew 10:22, 24:13, 22.

So what is being spoken about here?
We must apply the law of contextual reading of the scriptures to
get a proper grasp of what Jesus is saying here.
To read in context you must read the pretext, the post text and
bring it into the context of the verse being examined.
So we must read Mark 13:9-20

But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you

up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be
beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings
for my sake, for a testimony against them.

And the gospel must first be published among all

nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you
up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak,

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neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be
given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that
speak, but the Holy Ghost.

Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and

the father the son; and children shall rise up against
their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake:
but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved.

But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation,

spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it
ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let
them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let
him that is on the housetop not go down into the house,
neither enter therein, to take anything out of his house:
And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to
take up his garment.

But woe to them that are with child, and to them that
give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be
not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction,
such as was not from the beginning of the creation
which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And
except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh
should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath
chosen, he hath shortened the days.

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Jesus is talking to Jews here who will believe on his name. We
must understand the period what he describes is going to
happen. He mentions something very important in verse 14
“when ye shall see the abomination of desolation” this refers to
the prophecy of Daniel regarding the reign of the antichrist.
This prophecy is in Daniel 9:27

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one

week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make it
desolate, even until the consummation, and that
determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The antichrist after the rapture will erect an image of himself

for the Jews to worship in the rebuilt temple of Solomon. This
he will do to exalt himself as God. That image is called the
abomination of desolation, the desecration of the Jewish
temple.
The antichrist will greatly persecute the Jewish nation and
especially those Jews who would believe in Jesus post rapture.
We must not forget that the era of the antichrist would only
happen after the church has been taken away at the beginning
of Daniel‟s 70th prophetic week.
Daniel 9:24-27

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and

upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to
make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for

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 iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and
to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the
most holy.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going

forth of the commandment to restore and to build
Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven
weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall
be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be
cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince
that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;
and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the
end of the war desolations are determined

So when Jesus tells them the sign they will see, which is the
abomination of desolation, he tells them to run!
To run from the cities to the mountains, fleeing the persecution
of the antichrist.
The man who is able to endure the persecution and stay away
from the grasp of the enemy will be saved.
The context of enduring to the end in this scripture has nothing
to do with the gift of salvation but with an escape from the
antichrist and his followers during the seven years after the
rapture of the church.
The next scripture we will examine is 1 Corinthians 9:27

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 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:
lest that by any means, when I have preached to others,
I myself should be a castaway.

Many have interpreted being “a castaway” to losing salvation.

But again we must apply the law of contextual reading of
scriptures.
It will enable us discover what Paul is actually saying.
So let‟s read 1 Corinthians 9:19-27

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made

myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And
unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the
Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law,
that I might gain them that are under the law; To them
that are without law, as without law, (being not
without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I
might gain them that are without law.

To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the

weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by
all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake,
that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but
one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And
every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in
all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown;

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 but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as
uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:
lest that by any means, when I have preached to others,
I myself should be a castaway.

What is Paul talking about here?

He is referring to ministry - getting the gospel out to folks of
different persuasions: those with the Law of Moses and those
without it.
He preached the gospel to them making a lot of sacrifices so
they accept his message. He then likens his ministerial efforts to
two Olympic sports. They are athletics and boxing. To run in an
athletic race there are rules to follow. It is not enough to cross
the finish line first.
It is important to run in your own lane! If a man comes first and
runs in another fellow‟s lane he will be disqualified from the
race though he crossed the line first!
Same thing with boxing. To win the match you must box
according to the rules or face disqualification.
This is what Paul speaks of here.
The word “cast away “is the Greek “adokimos” .It means
“disqualified‟. Paul is saying that he has to bring is body under
to preach the gospel the right way. So that he doesn‟t get
disqualified from a reward that Christ will give on the Day of
Judgment for believers.

2 Corinthians 5:10
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 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be
good or bad

The word judgment here is the Greek “bema” it means a seat of

reward. This is where Christ will reward us for the things we did
for the gospel. Some will qualify for these rewards and others
will not.
This is what Paul is talking about here!
I might also add that the doctrine we preach is the basis of this
reward that will come from the Lord.
For that day of reward is a day where the works of every one
will be tested by the fire of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid,

which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this
foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay,
stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for
the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort
it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built
thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work
shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall
be saved; yet so as by fire.

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Gold, silver, precious stones refers to the message of Christ‟s
divinity, redemption and holiness. This is all that should be laid
on the foundation of Christ .No more!
Wood, hay, stubble refers to messages that point to man‟s effort
to be justified before God.
While gold, silver and precious stones like diamond cannot be
burnt by fire the others will be consumed by it.
So any man whose work for the Lord is made up of messages of
self-effort or Christ-plus-something has built with wood, hay and
stubble.
He will get no reward.
The next scripture we will examine is Matthew 7:21-23

Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will
of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy
name done many wonderful works? And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me,
ye that work iniquity.

Many have used this scripture to imply that some folks who not
only have believed in Jesus but also done great ministerial
exploits will be sent to hell because of their sins.
Now it is important again to first of all read the scriptures in
context.

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Let us quickly do this to understand what the Lord is saying
here.

Matthew 7:15-18

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's

clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye
shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes
of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree
bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth
forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit;
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit

Jesus is talking about false prophets who masquerade as true!

They are not believers in Jesus but camouflage as prophets.
So though they do great acts in his name they aren‟t saved.
This is why Jesus says to them “I NEVER KNEW YOU!”
He doesn‟t say “I used to know you”.
These guys never believed. They were not believers. This much
is very clear. It is very important to know that we don‟t call a
man an authentic prophet because of accurate prophecies or
miracles but by his testimony about Christ.
This is the fruit we are to look for.
The false prophet‟s doctrine will not glorify the finished works
of Christ.
Paul and John had instructions for us regarding false prophets.

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 1 John 4:1-3

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits

whether they are of God; because many false prophets
are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit
of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof
ye have heard that it should come; and even now
already is it in the world.

So the false prophet doesn‟t emphasize what Jesus has done. He

denies and demeans the finished work of Christ.

1 Timothy 4:1-3

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter

times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in
hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot
iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain
from meats, which God hath created to be received with
thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

So we can identify who a false prophet is not by the accuracy of

his prophecies or the veracity of miracles but in the accuracy of
his doctrine.
So Jesus was talking about false prophets and not believers in
him.

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The next scripture to look at is 1 Corinthians 10:12

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed

lest he fall

Fall into what? What is Paul talking about? We examine the

previous scriptures to gain an understanding and the scriptures
after verse 12 also.

1 Corinthians 10:9-14

Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also

tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither
murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were
destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things
happened unto them for ensamples: and they are
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the
world are come.
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but
such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will
not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape,
that ye may be able to bear it

So when we read in context we see that he is talking of

temptation. He is saying that we must not be like the Old
Testament folks who repeatedly fell into temptation and sinned.
We who are in Christ must ensure we take heed to ourselves not
to fall into temptation. When we are tempted, the ability to

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walk in victory is already present within us having been given by
God himself.
He is not talking about falling away from Christ.
The person who keeps us from falling away is Christ himself
because it is his hold on us that is trustworthy.

Jude 1:24

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and
to present you faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be
glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and
ever. Amen.

He is able to keep us from falling.

He will present us faultless before himself on the last day.
He is able to do it and he will!
Now we must also look at the book of Revelations. The letter to
the seven churches of Asia.

Revelation 1:20

The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my

right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The
seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and
the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven
churches.

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Jesus was talking to john and giving him a message to the seven
pastors who led the churches in Asia.
Now let us look at the message given to the pastors that looks
like a removal or withdrawal of salvation.

Revelation 2:4-5

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because

thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from
whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first
works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou
repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of
the Nicolaitans, which I also hate

The Lord is warning this pastor and telling him to repent and do
his first works.
Clearly this is referring to his ministry: the work of preaching,
teaching and discipleship. The pastor of this church had stopped
being fervent as he should be. He wasn‟t winning souls as he
should. He wasn‟t teaching and training as he should too or as
he previously did.
Now the Lord said if he didn‟t repent his candle stick will be
removed.
Remember the candle stick here refers to the church.
He is saying to this pastor if you don‟t return to preaching and
teaching as you once did, there will not be a local assembly in
Ephesus!

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What a warning!
Ephesus is actually a region in present day Turkey. As we know
turkey is now a Muslim nation, whereas by the time of John it
was the most vibrant Christian region. If we don‟t continually
win souls and disciple them we will lose regions that were
previously Christianized to other persuasions as have happened
in the Middle East and Europe!
The next church whose message has to be explained is the
message to the Laodicean church and pastor.

Revelation 3:14-19

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans

write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true
witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know
thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would
thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out
of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and
increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and
knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me
gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that
the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint
thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous
therefore, and repent

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The Laodicean pastor was rich and comfortable. He had no
needs whatsoever but he was lukewarm. The term is used to
speak of an unstable and undependable fellow. Now the phrase
“spew you out of my mouth” simply illustrates the Lord‟s
displeasure to this pastor‟s attitude to his ministry.
The Lord was correcting him.
He wanted him to become fired up again and be fervent in the
ministry.
The letters to the churches weren‟t about the doctrine of
salvation but about ministry!
There is a difference.
This minister didn‟t know the true state of his work before God.
Now we examine the most popular of the scriptures which seem
to say the believer can sin away his salvation.

Hebrews 6:4-9

For it is impossible for those who were once

enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have
tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the
world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them
again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an
open shame.
For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft
upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by

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 whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But
that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is
nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you,
and things that accompany salvation, though we thus
speak.

Paul speaks hypothetically of a man who has been enlightened

by the gospel, has tasted the heavenly gift, made partaker of
the holy ghost, tasted the good word of God and the powers of
the world to come.
This man being described as heard it all, seen it all and done it
all.
He says if this man comes and says that Jesus is not the eternal
sacrifice for sin there is no way to get him to change his mind
again.
Now note Paul says “if”.
This is hypothetical. In my thinking I am wondering, why will a
man who knows beyond a reasonable doubt that Jesus is the
only way to eternal salvation deny him? Why? Why will this man
who has seen miracles, signs and wonders now say Jesus is not
the savior?
Now Paul speaks to the Jewish believers and says

Hebrews 6:9-11

But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you,

and things that accompany salvation, though we thus

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 speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work
and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his
name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do
minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew
the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto
the end:

So he is convinced of things concerning salvation to these

believers.
So no man or woman who believes in Jesus will go to hell!
He is in Christ.
There is no hell or death in Christ.
That much is abundantly clear in scriptures.

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CHAPTER 15

NOW THAT YOU KNOW, WALK IN YOUR

TRUE NATURE

P aul prays repeatedly for his disciples to know. He never

prayed for them to have but for them to know. If we
don‟t know what we have we cannot enjoy what we
have.

Ephesians 1:15-20

Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord

Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give
thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that

ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what
the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-

ward who believe, according to the working of his
mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he
raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right
hand in the heavenly places.

Paul prays for the believers subsequent upon receiving Christ to

know the heights and the depths of what they have received. He
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prays for them to receive revelation knowledge and that the
eyes of their understanding be enlightened.
The eye of understanding refers to the perception of the mind -
the understanding of the mind. For it is with the mind we
understand. He prays for our minds to be flooded with light, this
light will cause us to know the power we have, the authority we
have in Christ.
Revelation knowledge is not academic knowledge. While there is
need for study to receive revelation knowledge, there is need
for the ministry of the spirit unveiling Christ to us out of that
academic study of the scriptures.
This knowledge that comes via the spirit and the written word
causes transformation!
It is only via the word and the spirit that true change can ever
occur.
Revelation knowledge brightens our minds causing it to see what
we have already received as reality within our spirits.
It is important for us to realize that all we will ever need in this
life and in the one to come is already in our spirits by the Holy
Ghost.

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ:

The spirit of the man born again is born of God!

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He is an offspring of God! God is his father.

1 Peter 1:23

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of

incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever

The man in Christ is born of the word of God, the seed of God.
The spirit of the man born again is the expression and
manifestation of the DNA of God, the life of God. In the spirit,
the born again is perfection!
He is complete in Christ lacking nothing!

Colossians 2:9-10

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead

bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of
all principality and power:

So in Christ the man lacks nothing! He is complete in Christ.

But his mind needs to know what was received in the spirit.
Remember, the new birth is not a mental or physical birth. It is
a spiritual birth. The spirit of God gave birth to our spirit. He
regenerated our spirits.
We must now reintroduce our minds or souls to this new man we
have become.
This is why we must renew our minds by feeding it with
revelations of who we are as revealed in the epistles. The more

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we see with our minds the more there is a transformation of our
souls into the image of God that is in our spirits.
So meditate on all the words of this book.
Get understanding and your profiting will appear to all!
Shalom.

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