According to Worldometer [1], the world’s religious population consists of 31% Christians, 23% Muslims, 16% unaffiliated, 15% Hindus, 7% Buddhists, 6% Folk religions, 1% other religions, and 0.2% Judaism. Apart from the unaffiliated, who comprise atheists and other non-believers in God, the question that arises is, who do all these religions worship? The general sentiment of the world is that we all worship the same God. But is this true?

In John 4, Jesus has an interesting conversation with a woman described as a Samaritan woman, which I believe addresses the question of worship. Several issues were raised in the conversation, but of utmost interest in this article is the object of worship: Who do we worship?

In John 4:20-26, the focal point unmistakably revolves around worship, emphasised by the deliberate repetition of the term. Notably, verse 23 contains three instances of it, while verses 20, 22, and 24 each feature two occurrences, with one more mention in verse 21. Thus, clarifying the concept is essential. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Worship is defined as:

1. To honor or show reverence for a divine being or supernatural power,
2. To regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion
3. To perform or take part in worship or an act of worship.

From the definition, we observe that worship has an object—it is directed towards something or someone. The question is, to whom? Again, the general idea is that all ways lead to God. But Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan shatters this assumption. Worship, Jesus is clear, must be offered to the Father, the only true God. He is the object of our worship (John 4:21-24). The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) communicates this explicitly:

There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him; and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments; hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty. Religious worship is to be given to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and to Him alone: not to angels, saints or any other creature; and since the fall, not without a mediator; nor in the meditation of any other but of Christ alone (WCF 21.1-2)

The myriad religions across the globe serve as a testament to humanity’s innate religious instinct. It seems we cannot exist in a religious void; there is a natural inclination within us to seek out and revere something greater than ourselves.

God’s Self-Revelation

Everyone thinks of God, even though we might not be prepared to admit it. If you haven’t asked these questions already at one point in your life, soon they will be gnawing at you: “is this all there is to life?” “Can there be more to life?” “What is life all about? Why am I on Earth? “What next after this life?

Everyone asks these questions and experiences a void. Only God himself can fill this void. “Our heart is restless until it finds its rest in God”, said Augustine of Hippo. But rather than turning to God, we turn to the wrong places. The joy, however, is that God has not hidden himself from his creation: He has revealed himself to all humankind. He can be known. He can be worshipped. He can be loved.

Christian theology speaks of two ways by which God has revealed himself to humankind, namely, via General Revelation and Special Revelation. General revelation, as the name suggests, is general. It is common knowledge everyone has access to. God has revealed himself in the natural world to everyone; therefore, the apostle Paul writes,

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20)

Idols Of the Heart

But despite God’s self-revelation, man’s rejection of him continues, leaving us with a wanting soul. We are meant to find our satisfaction only in God. That was the fundamental need of the Samaritan woman in John 4. She was seeking satisfaction in life but in the wrong places: in men and temples. In broken relationships and manmade buildings (John 4:18, 20). She had made idols in her heart. That may ring a bell for us. The list of idols we create in our lives is endless. We are idolaters at heart. We may not bow to graven images explicitly, but are idolaters in our hearts, replacing worshipping God with the pursuit of things. In his Institutes of Christian Religion, John Calvin rightly noted, “the human heart is a perpetual factory of idols.” What this means is that we are constantly producing idols to worship instead of worshipping the true God.

As noted earlier, we innately seek out someone or something to worship. Rather than worshipping the true God, we run to idols. There is an intriguing event in Acts 17, where Paul gets to Athens and, by observation, finds so many idols lined up. As if the plethora of idols were not enough, they had another one with the inscription “To The Unknown God.” The Greeks, as Paul argues in verse 22, were religious. They had a deity for everything: fertility, love, harvest, etc.; it was a Pantheon of gods. Because of their religious nature, they didn’t want to upset any other god they didn’t know. Hence the inscription: “To the unknown god”. And Paul, with evangelistic zeal, seized this opportunity to shift their attention from an unknown god to the one true God:

“What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:23c-27)

God Seeks the Lost

Perhaps, like the Athenians, you may be involved in one form of false religion or another. You may have believed in things which are not true. But the good news is that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10) and now calls all those who have been saved to worship: “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23). We can only worship a God we know. God has made Himself known. While I mentioned God’s revelation in nature (General Revelation) earlier, it doesn’t fully reveal God to sinners personally. Thus, Christian theology emphasizes God’s Special Revelation in Scripture and, ultimately, in Jesus Christ:

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4-7)

Inherent in our fallen nature is a reluctance to truly seek God. Scripture articulates this plainly: “There is no one who seeks for God” (Romans 3:10-17). Yet, in stark contrast to our waywardness, God initiates the search for sinners. The core of the Gospel message is that God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to save sinners (John 3:16). The narrative of the Bible is one of a Holy God on a rescue mission – A rescue mission to rescue sinners. God gave his Son—Jesus—to pay for the sins of his people. This brings about reconciliation between God and Man. While nobody bothers seeking God to worship him, God seeks out worshippers. God is seeking to reconcile humanity unto himself.

Worship is fundamentally about reconciliation and communion with God, a reality exclusively found in the person of Jesus Christ. He has made the Father known. There’s no need to ascend mountains; instead, come to Him in faith and discover true rest in Him. Worship Him in spirit and in truth!

Note

1. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

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I am sure some new believers grapple with the brokenness of this world and perhaps, in their quiet moments, wonder why there is so much pain and suffering in the world when the Bible speaks so much of a powerful and omnipotent God. Can’t he stop all the carnage and make everything right? I’m sure there are well-meaning people with such a genuine question. However, in my experience, this question doesn’t often come from a place of faith or seeking understanding. Instead, it often comes from those who have scores to settle with the idea of God and are looking for evidence to reinforce their viewpoint. It is because of this that I find Proverbs 19:3 so apt.

“When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.”

At the core of our depravity as human beings is the tendency to blame someone else for all our problems. I don’t need to prove the validity of this statement because each of us is walking proof of this. We blame our friends, parents, teachers, siblings, or neighbours for many mishaps in our lives. When something goes wrong in our lives, the first thought that runs through our mind is, “whose fault was it?” It is the same logic behind the question, “if there is God, why is there so much evil and injustice in the world?”

The Legitimacy of the Question

From the face of it, it sounds like a legitimate question. At least there is an acknowledgement that there is evil in the world, and someone should be doing something or should have done something about it. In this case, that someone is presumed to be the God of Christianity; otherwise, he is not God or powerful enough. As legitimate as that question may sound to some people, I do not believe it is right. The right question should be, why is there so much evil and injustice in a world that looks so beautiful? That is the real question that needs to be answered because the existence of evil in the world is not proof against the existence of God; instead, it only proves his existence.

This is because even for those who seek to deny the existence of God, there is this deep acknowledgement that this is not how the world is supposed to be. But even so, a more fundamental question is, why would a non-believer feel so strongly about good and evil anyway? After all, if everything is random and there is no divine Creator, why do they care? It’s all a matter of the survival of the fittest; “eat or be eaten” is the name of the game. But that is not how even the average atheist views life. Despite their godless worldview, they somehow acknowledge that there is good and evil; the standard by which they arrive at those categories is still a mystery to me.

Why is There Evil in the World?

But for the Christian, the present state of the world is not at all a mystery. Scripture is very clear on where we came from as humans, why we are where we are, and the solution available to those genuinely looking for answers. When one considers the current state of the world, it is tough to conceive that there was a time in history when God saw everything that he had made and exclaimed, “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). But, yes, there was such a time when man flourished because he lived under God’s rightful rule and authority. That is why the right question is not, “if there is God, why is there so much evil and injustice in the world?” But instead, “how did such a once very good world become so evil?”

Genesis 3:1-15 explains in detail how we got to where we are today. Yes, God did create a very good world; however, when man used his freewill to reject God’s rightful rule and authority, the world was plunged into its present chaos and predicament. From Ukraine to Gaza, Somalia to Myanmar, Libya to Haiti, and Nigeria to Venezuela, what we see in our world today is because God has withdrawn his presence. In simple terms, evil could be described as the absence of good. That is precisely where the world is today. When God withdraws his presence or hides his face, the result is evil. We see this teaching in countless places in the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 31:17; Ps. 30:7; Isaiah 59:1-2; 64:7)

This is why Proverbs 19:3 is instructive: “When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.” In our folly, we have abandoned God’s design for marriage and wonder why divorce and domestic abuse are increasing. We have thrown God’s blueprint for parenting out of the window and replaced it with our own clever ways of rearing children, and yet wonder why depression among teenagers is on the rise. We have replaced God’s idea of community with a self-centred individualistic approach to life and yet wonder why loneliness and suicide are so rampant. We fill our minds with violence and sexual images through our inordinate consumption of mindless entertainment and wonder why war and sexual abuse are ravaging our world.

But we should make no mistake: the fact that God has hidden his face does not in any way suggest he is no longer in control over what happens in the world. He will forever remain the sovereign Creator and Ruler of the world.  Instead, hiding his face is a sign of judgment, the full outpouring of which would be at the end of the age against the world and its system that continues to reject his authority. The chaos and upheavals we see in our present world are only a faint echo of the full judgment that is yet to come (2 Peter 3:9-13).

God Indeed Has a Solution

Behind the question, “if there is God, why is there so much evil?” is the posture that sees God as a divine maid with a mop in hand who goes about cleaning up the mess that we create as humans. On the one hand, we have rejected his design and blueprint for life, yet, on the other hand, we have the guts to ask why he is not cleaning up after us. And we get mad and vindictive if he doesn’t clean up after us. We have removed all the guardrails but still looking to be kept safe. This is precisely what the wise man was talking about: “When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.”

But the good news is that God is a good God. In his mercy and kindness, he has not left us to our own evil devices. He is making a new world, one that is far better than this one. In Revelations 21:1-4 we read,

“then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

This present broken world is not all that there is. A new one is coming where the question will no longer be asked, “if there is God, why is there so much evil?” Because God will not withdraw his presence; in fact, he will be in the midst of the city, and anyone who makes it into that world will gladly and joyfully submit to his rightful rule and authority. “God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

You, too, can be part of this new world. You can find out how in this article.

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One of the cherished hymns in Christian worship is “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty.” This hymn is a melodious tribute to God’s majesty and encapsulates one of Christianity’s core doctrines.

Holy, holy, holy!

Lord God Almighty

Early in the morning

Our song shall rise to Thee

Holy, holy, holy!

Merciful and mighty

God in three persons

Blessed Trinity!

Whenever we sing this hymn, we affirm several truths about God: His holiness, His omnipotence, His mercy, and, crucially, the doctrine of the Trinity:

God in three persons

Blessed Trinity! 

This article aims to unpack the doctrine of the Trinity, a foundational yet often misunderstood aspect of Christian theology. Here’s the approach we’ll take. I will begin by defining the doctrine of the Trinity. Next, we will explore three key aspects: the Oneness of God, the Distinction in Oneness, and the Equality of Distinction in Oneness.

Through God’s self-revelation, He has clearly presented Himself as a Triune God—“Three in One” or “Tri-Unity.” This divine self-revelation compels us to embrace and believe in the doctrine. Let’s start with the definition of the Trinity, as articulated in the Westminster Shorter Catechism:

There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

Oneness of God

In the definition above, we read, “…and these three are one God.” This line underscores the foundational Christian belief that there is only one God, not three. This concept is pivotal when considering the events of John 5:18-30, where the healing of an invalid by Jesus stirs controversy among the Jews. They challenge the authority of Jesus, especially aggravated by His claim of equality with God by calling God His Father. This assertion—where Jesus says, “The Father and I are working, and that is why I am working,” particularly when He declares Himself Lord over the Sabbath (Mark 2:28)—left no doubt in the minds of the Jews about His divine claims.

Given this strict monotheism that we get from passages like Deuteronomy 6:4-6, the concept of the Trinity may initially appear confounding, leading some to assert that Christians worship three gods or adhere to a purely human-invented doctrine. However, at the very core of Christian faith is the belief in one Divine Essence shared by three co-equal and co-eternal Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the Godhead (Colossians 2:9), encompassing attributes such as omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, attributes that only belong to God. This understanding is not a departure into tritheism but establishes the Biblical insight into the true nature of God’s infinite unity. Thus, we affirm that Christians are indeed absolute monotheists, even as we embrace and love the mystery of our Triune God.

Distinction In Oneness

This One God has revealed himself as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In John Chapter 5, a clear distinction is drawn between “The Father and The Son,” illustrating that while they are one God, they are distinct persons. This distinction is central to understanding the Trinity as each divine Person plays a unique role in accomplishing Redemption.

The relationship between the Father and the Son is profound, as shown when the Father loves the Son and reveals His works to Him (John 5:20). This dynamic underscores that all promises made by God in the Old Testament, pointing to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, were fulfilled in Him. Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life, fulfilling God’s commandments—something none of us could achieve. He came to make substitutionary atonement for our sins, thus redeeming a people for God and reconciling sinners to Him. This is a vital implication of the Trinity: God fulfilled His promise to send a Saviour and Messiah to save His people from their sins (Genesis 3:15).

The Trinity in Creation

The narrative of creation clearly yet subtly hints at the reality of the Trinity. The term “Elohim” used in Genesis 1 is plural, suggesting a multiplicity of persons within the Godhead. During creation, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters,” and God said, “Let there be light,” introducing the Word and the Spirit alongside God (Genesis 1:1-3). John echoes this in his gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Thus, we see God, the Word, and the Spirit actively involved in creation.

Genesis 1:26 states, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” The use of “us” and “our” raises the question: Who was God speaking to? Wayne Grudem argues that this cannot be a plural of majesty or a conversation with angels, as humans were not made in the image of angels, nor do angels share in God’s creative acts. The most convincing explanation is the presence of a plurality of persons in the Godhead.

The Trinity in the New Testament

In the New Testament, the Trinity is fully revealed. God is clearly presented as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The salvation of sinners is a Trinitarian work—by the Father, through the Son, and with the sanctification of the Spirit.

The Father purposed our redemption, the Son died to save us, and the Holy Spirit applies Christ’s work to our hearts for our salvation. When we embrace faith in Christ and are baptised, it is in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, affirming our belief in the Triune God. Whenever we share in the benediction, we affirm this same truth: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). Furthermore, Peter explains what happens in salvation in Trinitarian language. He says we are saved “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood” (1 Peter 1:2).

Equality In the Godhead

All three persons of the Godhead are equally God. The Father is no more God than the Son or the Holy Spirit. The Westminster Shorter Catechism affirms that the members of the Trinity are same in “substance, equal in power and glory”. We see this in John 5:18: “the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.”

Jesus wasn’t speaking of his inability to act. At issue here is his cooperation and unity with the Father in the work of redemption. In the Baptism text quoted earlier, note that we are to” [baptise] them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Notice that the verse avers that it is ‘in the name of’ (singular) that we are to baptise; it doesn’t say ‘in the names of’ (plural). This tells us that, though distinct, the three persons of the Godhead are equal and united. The Father is God, The Son is God, and The Holy Spirit is God. And the three are One.

Ephesians 4:4-6 affirms:

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Thus, the Trinity is not an abstract doctrine.

Practical Implications

The doctrine of the Trinity has implications for our lives as believers. It is a model for unity among believers. Jesus prayed:

“That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21).

The unity reflected in the Trinity must be seen amongst us. Believers don’t meet to have just fellowship. We meet to reflect God’s tri-unity and to show the world the testimony of our God. Paul echoes this in his teachings, reminding us that though we are many, we are one body in Christ. Our gatherings are an opportunity to reflect the love of God by loving one another. The same love expressed in the Trinity is the same love the Father extends to us, and through us, to one another: “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

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In this article, I would like to revisit the origins of this false doctrine and show that it is an old heretical claim wearing a different cloak. One that was dealt with and rejected by historic Christianity.

Tracing the history of this false doctrine

Essek William Kenyon is considered the ‘high priest’ of this movement. Most proponents of the ‘we are gods’ theology hold him as the one who ‘unlocked the revelation’ that we can live above sickness as a class of superhuman beings. Kenyon studied Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, an anti-Bible mesmerist who taught that one could cure illness by the right kind of thinking. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, was a patient of Quimby. Kenneth E. Hagin copiously plagiarised E. W. Kenyon and popularised many of the things Kenyon had written before him.

Contemporary students of Hagin, such as Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Frederick K. Price, Joel Osteen, Morris Cerrulo and many others, have continued to spread these false teachings. In our sub-region, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is one of the most vocal proponents of this teaching. Many young preachers who have bought into this false teaching look to him as their mentor. But there are many others like Oyakhilome. I do not intend to list every teacher who peddles this false doctrine here. You can identify them for yourself by carefully examining the gospel content of the messages they preach, using the lens of holy Scripture.

A lofty view of man at the expense of God

The glaring problem with the ‘we are gods’ theology is its low view of God and the lofty self-aggrandisement of humanity at God’s expense. Listen to depictions of this from some of the adherents:

“The believer is as much an incarnation of God as Jesus Christ… the church hasn’t realized yet that they are Christ. That’s who they are. They are Christ.” (Kenneth E. Hagin).

“Man… was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God’s presence without any consciousness of inferiority… He made us the same class of being that He is Himself.” (ibid).

“If cattle has another cattle, they call it cattle-kind. What’s God supposed to call [us]?” (Joyce Meyer).

“God came from heaven, became a man, made man into little gods, went back to heaven as a man.” (Benny Hinn).

“I am a little god. I have His name. I am one with Him. I’m in covenant relationship. I am a little god. Critics be gone!” (Paul Franklin Crouch).

“You are gods because you came from God, and you are gods.” (Creflo Dollar).

“When I read in the Bible where He says, “I AM,” I just smile and say, yes, I Am too.” (Kenneth Copeland).

“You don’t have a god in you. You are one.” (ibid).

“You have the same creative faith and ability on the inside of you that God used when He created the heavens and the earth.” (ibid).

“Until we comprehend that we are little gods and we begin to act like little gods, we cannot manifest the Kingdom of God.” (Earl Paulk).

“The whole purpose of God was to reproduce Himself. … you’re not looking at Morris Cerullo, you’re looking at God, you’re looking at Jesus.” (Morris Cerullo).

“And therefore you are gods; you have been purchased by the blood of Jesus.” (Rory Alec).

“God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness. The word likeness in the original Hebrew means an exact duplication in kind. Adam was an exact duplication of God’s kind!” (Charles Capps).

“I live above the elements of this world. I live above sickness, disease, and death. I’m immune to anything that ravages the lives of men; I belong to God’s class of divine beings. I am a partaker of the divine nature; my body is sustained by a force that the ordinary man cannot perceive. My kidneys, lungs, heart, all tissues and every organ in my body function properly.” (Chris Oyakhilome).

None of these claims are true, of course. You are not a god, not even close. Neither are you above sickness, disease, or death. Not on this side of eternity. Everything on earth grows old, dies and decays. God Himself caused it to be so after the fall (Rom. 8:18-23).

An old heresy repurposed in a new cloak

The ‘we are gods’ theology smacks of the ancient heresy called the Monophysite heresy. The term Monophysite has its roots in Greek, monophysis, meaning ‘one nature or substance’. Eutyches propagated this position in the fifth century. He argued that Jesus had one nature, comprising a mixture of divine and human attributes. In other words, Jesus’ nature could be viewed as a humanised divine nature or as a deified human nature. This was rejected by a council of the church at Chalcedon in 451. The council was at pains to prove that any mixture of the two natures of Christ that would result in a deification of his human nature or a humanisation of his divine nature was a distortion of the Biblical teaching. “Jesus is truly man and truly God”, the council of Chalcedon affirmed, yet his two natures were not mixed or confused.

Jesus was truly God and truly man; one person, two natures. We see this clearly articulated in Scripture. As a man, he got tired, hungry, slept, was bruised, sweated, didn’t know all things and died. As God, He knew all things, could perceive the thoughts of others before they spoke them, could raise the dead, walk on water, give sight to the blind, create new life by bringing from the dead and restoring a severed ear, etc. To be sure, Jesus’ divine nature could communicate information to his human nature, but it did not communicate attributes. Otherwise, Jesus as a man wouldn’t have needed to rest, eat or sleep (God does none of these). The Chalcedonian council stated, “Each nature retains its own attributes.” In other words, the divine nature retains divinity in every respect, while the human nature, similarly, retains its humanity in every respect.

If not even Christ, then why us?

If even our Lord’s human nature was not subsumed by his divine nature and become deified, where do the proponents of the ‘we are gods’ theology derive their so-called super-human nature? They lay claim to something that even the incarnate Christ did not possess. This is something to choke on.

To be fair, the ‘New Creature’ doctrine followers seek to be like Christ in every sense. If we are like our Lord, then we can do what he did and live like He did. They quote 1 John 4:17, which says, “As he is, so are we in this world.” At first glance, this seems like a very pious and noble thing for every Christian to do – to aspire to be like our Lord. However, careful consideration will reveal the grave errors in this line of thinking.

As we have established above, Christ had two distinct natures. We don’t. He was both God and man at one and the same time. We are not. We are human, and nowhere does the Bible teach that when we become born again, we somehow cease to be human and become divine or super-human.

Idolatry camouflaged as hyper-spiritual talk

This claim to deity by the proponents of the ‘we are gods’ theology is idolatry, plain and simple. God has always been a jealous God. He jealously guards his glory. Countless times in the Bible He declares, “I do not share my glory”, “I alone am God”, “There is none beside Me” and “Have no other gods but me” (See Isa. 42:8; Isa. 48:11; Ex. 20:2-3 & Deut. 5:7; Ex 34:14; Isa. 46:9; Isa. 45:21; Deut. 32:39; Deut 4:39; 1Kings 8:60; 1Sam. 2:2; 2 Sam. 7:22; and 1Chron. 17:20).

‘We are gods’ proponents know these Scriptures, yet in their case, they are willing to grant this one exception – there is no other God besides the God they serve but them. Does God contradict Himself? Would he break His own Word to make gods out of those He has saved? I do not think so. The claim to deity is quite plainly inconsistent with the entire Biblical teaching.

As He is, so are we in the world

Let us examine the verse misconstrued by Word of Faith preachers to mean we are gods. As with all scriptural interpretation, context determines meaning. Let’s look at the full verse and situate it in its proper context:

“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is is so also are we in this world.”

“By this”. By what? Clearly, this is a continuation of the previous verse, where John talks of believers abiding in God and God abiding in them. As a result of God’s love for those who have placed saving trust in Jesus, they can be confident (assured) that they will be spared condemnation in the coming judgement (cf. Rom. 8:1). In that same vein of God’s love, John goes on to say that as He is, so are we in the world, meaning, as Jesus was and is loving, so are we His followers in this world. We are to walk in love the same way Christ did, and if we did, we would not attract God’s displeasure (or judgment). Hence, the next verse says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear”. If we walk in love as Jesus’ followers, we are not afraid of His condemnation. “For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us.” (John 4:18-19) Any suggestion of being deified because God abides in us is an alien concept foisted on this verse. John does not convey any such meaning.

Partakers of the divine nature

“By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (1 Peter 1:4) 

Here is another verse that proponents of ‘we are gods’ appeal to. Again, a careful examination of the verse reveals that any suggestion of deity being granted to the believer is a meaning we read into the verse that the author simply did not supply.

‘Partakers of the divine nature.’ Bold as these words are, they simply state what the rest of the New Testament teaches, i.e., Christians abide in God, and God abides in them. As Jesus illustrates in John 15, He dwells in us, and we in Him, as the branches in the vine and members of His body. His life flows in us. This is what is taught by the doctrine of regeneration, whereby the ‘life of God’ is implanted in the believer, resulting in a change in his disposition. Whereas he formerly hated God, now he loves Him and desires to obey His commands. His commandments are no longer burdensome to the regenerated believer because of this new disposition they receive at New Birth (1 John 5:3).

‘Partakers of the divine nature’ simply means we now have a new heart, a heart of flesh that God Himself creates (Jer. 31:31-34 & Ezek. 36: 21-27); one that has God’s laws written on it, and is no longer ruled by the “passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind” nor follows “the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” (Eph. 2:1-2). This is what Paul meant in 2 Cor. 5:17 when he said that those in Christ are new creatures.

‘We are gods’ false teachers pit Scripture against Scripture, forgetting that the Scriptural revelation is one whole message, and the meaning derived from one part of Scripture can never contradict what is taught in the rest of Scripture.

Grossly inconsistent with the NT

Perhaps the most audacious claim of this heretical teaching is that believers in the New Testament did not exhibit attributes of deity nor lay claim to deity because they had not yet grasped the reality of who they were as ‘super beings’. Some go as far as to say that the apostles were wrong, and the early church did not ‘catch’ this revelation till now! Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is on record to have said that when the people in Lystra (Acts 14:15) wanted to make sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas, and they refused, rejecting any homage with the claims, ‘We too are only human, like you’, they were wrong.

This is how they explain away the fact that believers in the New Testament could fall ill (2 Tim 4:20), even to the point of death (Phil. 2:2), or suffer chronic symptoms (1 Tim. 5:23). These were close associates of Paul – the same Paul who raised the dead and from whom aprons and handkerchiefs that had touched his skin could heal the sick (Acts 19:12). Paul himself said that it was because of a bodily ailment that he first preached to the Galatians (Gal. 4:13). If even an apostle like Paul could fall ill, and his close associates weren’t spared bodily ailments, isn’t that enough proof that having Christ in you does not offer immunity to sickness? ‘We are gods’ teachers will have us believe that Paul hadn’t yet ‘caught the revelation’ that he could live above sickness. We have no words to say in response to this level of pride.

Why should we care?

Why should we be concerned about the flagrant distortion of Scripture? First, if we promise what God has not, we set people up for disappointment. When the unrealistic expectations of this cancerous theology are not met, believers become disillusioned, and their trust in God and the integrity of His teachings are undermined.

Next, this kind of teaching hinders spiritual growth. Faithful Scriptural teaching, rooted in an exalted view of God, his glory and His holiness, is pivotal for spiritual growth and maturity. Misinterpretations misguide believers, hampering their spiritual growth and leading them to adopt unscriptural beliefs and practices.

Finally, such false teachings compromise outreach. The efficacy of the Christian mission in the world is grounded in the authenticity and accuracy with which Scripture is presented. Distortions detract from the church’s credibility, obscuring the gospel’s true essence and beauty for others.

The post You Are Not Super-Human (Response to the ‘We Are Gods’ Theology: Part III) appeared first on TGN.

Roark’s list is as deep as it is broad. The bulk of the books are theological, but he also includes others like biographies and fictional reads. What fascinates me the most is the sheer number of books he can cover in a year. I have always wondered how he does it. How does he get time to read all those books? Challenged by Roark, at the beginning of this year, I set myself a challenge to dedicate every free time I get to reading to see how many books I can get through by the end of the year. Here is what I found out: in three months, I have read ten books – more than I read last year! These are the books I’ve read so far. (As you may have guessed, the title of this article was suggested by one of the books I read).

I must admit, I surprised myself. Doing this has been a real eye-opener for me. Besides the many rich insights I have gleaned from the books I have read (I have enjoyed reading every one of them), I have proven to myself that I have time – valuable time that I can utilise to educate myself and develop my mind mentally and spiritually.

When I shared my experience with a good friend, he remarked, “I need a reading anointing.” So, how did I do it? Have I acquired a special “reading anointing” that remained elusive to me before now? In the rest of the article, I will share a few practical ideas that have made an enormous difference in my life, along with a couple of reasons why I believe anyone else keen to improve their reading prowess can easily achieve and surpass my record.

Redeeming time

As a Scientist, my work already involves an awful lot of reading. However, I tend to carry on reading about Science at the slightest opportunity I get (there are too many good papers to read and so little time!). Knowing when to switch off ‘work mode’ has been a challenge. I also volunteer for a few roles at our local assembly, which means I’m engaged in service for up to three evenings a week. Add these to the long days at work, and by the time we’ve dispatched our kids off to bed, I am ready to crash.

My wife and I have, in times past, used our ‘quiet times’ when the kids are in bed to read a book together. Progress with reading together has been slow, as we need to maintain the same pace (one cannot read ahead of the other), but it has been very enriching. When we don’t feel like reading, we just chat each other to sleep, catching up on happenings during the day and planning or praying for the future. At other times, we settle down to a movie. Agreeing which movie to watch, however, usually takes about 10-15 minutes, if not longer. We will endlessly flick through Disney+ or Amazon Prime, looking for a decent, interesting film. But then the moment we start watching one, someone will begin swearing or ‘talking dirty’ or strip naked, and we’ll shut it off, disappointed. Then we will resume the search, and usually before we can pick a new movie, we both feel sleepy, abandon the idea altogether and call it a night.

This year, I have given up movies altogether – save for the odd family movie time (as part of our Sunday evening group activity – see below). What time might have been spent on movies has been repurposed for reading. Additionally, my reading times have been:

•  The 10-15 minutes between getting ready and leaving the house for the morning school run.
•  When I’m by myself during lunch break, in between munches.
•  During the commute. On the train, especially on the tube, where the internet is too patchy to do any meaningful work and seats are sometimes scarce.
•  After Lord’s Day service on Sundays. As a family tradition, we dedicate Sundays to family time – spent in worship, reading, and listening to God’s Word and being hospitable. Evenings are spent in a group activity agreed upon with the kids. Sunday afternoons have been gratifying reading times when we don’t have guests over.

As you can tell, my default mode now is to always have a book handy, and to not leave home without one!

Viewing Life in Numbers is Quite Revelatory

In an online blog article, Daily Infographic, drawing from various sources, offered a meticulous breakdown of how the average person—assuming a lifespan of 79 years—allocates their time on Earth. According to the available data, we spend 33 years of our lives in bed, segmented into 26 years of actual sleep and an astonishing seven years spent trying to fall asleep. We spend four years and six months eating, 235 days waiting in queues, six months at stop lights and a year and a half looking for lost items! When it comes to time spent at work, the average individual dedicates 13 years and two months to their profession, including one year and two months of overtime.

Astonishingly, we spend 11 years and four months looking at screens, divided between 8 years and four months of television viewing and three years navigating social media. This is only about two years less than the time we spend at work and more than 12 times the time spent in primary and secondary school. After a long day, most people ‘escape reality’ through social media or streaming movies online. This analysis suggests that the time spent on television and social media alone is substantial enough to educate ourselves several times over or even take up a second job! For most people, this might probably represent the single most significant opportunity to redeem time for reading.

A Deeper Issue

Proving that it is possible to carve out time for reading is helpful, but there is an even deeper motivation for developing a reading habit as a Christian. If you’re a Christian reading this, how do you deal with the nudity, profanity and foul language in most of the screen content out there?

It was R. Kent Hughes who pointed out in his book, ‘Disciplines of a Godly Man’, that “if we are to have Christian minds, there are things we must put out—and this extends beyond TV to what we read, listen to and laugh at.” As David avows in Psalm 101:2-3:

I will ponder the way that is blameless. … I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.

Sadly, the Christian community consumes the same content as the world does, and as research shows, at an even faster rate. In a survey by the Barna Group in 2014, practising Christians in America watched 30 minutes more TV per day than those who identified as atheists. If we are to have the mind of Christ, we must intentionally feed on Christ-exalting, God-glorifying, and gospel-centred resources. Reading Christian literature is a great help in this regard.

What If I Don’t Like Reading?

Thankfully, a lot of books now have audio formats available. Blogs like Desiring God offer audio formats for articles. Thus, one can still feast on rich Christian content by listening if reading proves challenging. The added advantage to audio formats is that one can listen and learn while completing house chores, walking the dog, going for a run, or driving to work. The opportunities to enrich the mind and soul are endless!

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, it’s clear that the potential for integrating reading into our daily routines exists for all of us. It requires a deliberate pause to recognise those ‘redeemable moments’ that, all too often, slip unnoticed in our busy lives. Embracing reading with intentionality—making it a point always to have a book within arm’s reach—and fostering a disciplined approach to our use of time can transform fleeting minutes into windows of opportunity for growth and learning.

In the end, the commitment to finding time for reading is not just about the act itself but about what it represents—an intentional choice to prioritise our development, and, importantly, our spiritual growth. The rewards of this choice, as I have discovered, are indeed inestimable.

The post Surprised by Reading appeared first on TGN.

14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world … 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. (Galatians 6:14, 17)

Paul’s great aim in this epistle to the Galatians is the defence of the gospel. The core of this gospel, which he expounds throughout the book, is the fact that we are justified (meaning, ‘made right’ with God, or counted ‘as if we have never sinned’) through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross alone, apart from works (anything we ever did or will ever do).

The recipients of his letter—the Galatian church—had been led to Christ through Paul’s preaching (we see this in Gal. 4:13) and the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. As Paul recounts, they had begun their Christian journey well, having put their faith in Christ (see Gal. 3:2) and been filled with the Holy Spirit (see Gal. 4:6). They consequently walked in step with the Spirit, outworking what He worked in them at their conversion, even in the face of persecution (Gal. 3:28-29).

But then, a faction of the Jewish Christians, who regarded the Levitical laws of the Old Testament as binding on all Christians, came to the Galatian church, preaching what Paul calls ‘another gospel, which is no gospel at all’, and were leading some members of the congregation astray.

In Apostolic Astonishment, Paul retorted:

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Gal. 1:6-9)

What was the content of this ‘other gospel’? Essentially, these Jewish false preachers were telling the Galatian Christians that faith in Christ alone was not enough to save them; they needed to keep the Jewish laws, specifically those regarding circumcision, or else their Christianity wouldn’t be complete. To which Paul responded:

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

(Gal. 5:2-3)

Isn’t Paul being a bit too harsh? Is one small compromise such a big deal? Indeed, it is! Any attempt to add to the finished work of Christ on the cross is a slap in the face of Jesus, as it suggests he wasted his time going to the cross – we are well capable of achieving our own salvation without his help.

Paul encouraged the Galatian Christians not to allow themselves to be enslaved again under a set of rules (5:1). Faith in Christ means we are free from the ‘curse of the law’ (3:13). Practically, this means we live by faith in Christ for every aspect of our Christian lives. We no longer rely on our own strengths or abilities. We derive our strength and worth from the finished work of Christ on the cross.

In the cross:

1) We have total forgiveness for our sins (2:16). We owed a moral debt we could not pay. Christ paid the debt, and thus, our slate has been wiped clean and our sins ‘blotted out’ (Isa. 43:25, 44:22; Mic. 7:18-19; Heb. 8:12, cf. Jer. 31:34)

2) We have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven (Gal. 3:29). As an initial deposit and foretaste of what is awaiting us in heaven, God has given us His Spirit as a guarantee (Eph. 1:14)

3) We have become heirs with Christ – meaning we share His life and righteousness and have become members of God’s family. We are His royal sons and daughters (Gal. 4:7)

4) We are filled with God’s Spirit and can call God ‘Abba, Father!’ (Gal. 4:6). We are no longer slaves to sin but have become God’s children. We don’t have to prove ourselves to our Father; this is the critical distinction between a ‘son’ and a slave. Father loves us just because He loves us, in spite of us.

As Paul comes to the end of his letter, where we pick up our opening passage, he recaps everything he has been telling the Galatian Christians. He encourages them to put no confidence in the flesh but fully and only trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross. His summary statement, found in Chapter 6:11-17, can be summed up in this way:

“Boast in the cross!” “That is all that matters!”

Paul makes a similar conclusion to his letter to the Philippians. In the final chapter, he writes,

“Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—”

Paul uses the same root word (kauxáomai) translated as ‘boast’ in our opening passage. Thus, to boast in the cross is the same as to glory in it. This is contrasted with putting confidence in the flesh, which here represents ‘works’ or our own efforts, strength, abilities or merit.

Practical implications

What does it mean to boast or glory in the cross? Strong’s Greek Concordance defines kauxáomai as “living with ‘head up high,’ i.e., boasting from a particular vantage point by having the right base of operation to deal successfully with a matter”. Strong provides the word’s etymology, as likely derived from the root, auχēn (“neck”), i.e., what holds the neck up high or upright. Thus, to boast or glory in this context refers to living with God-given confidence.

In light of Paul’s teaching in Galatians, I suggest the following practical applications of boasting in the cross.

1) Daily living at the foot of the cross

To boast in the cross means recognising that so far as my efforts didn’t save me, neither can they add or take from my salvation. It is very easy to mentally assent that we’re saved by grace through faith alone yet live as though our salvation depends on our works. Living by faith means daily living at the foot of the cross, drawing from the power of Christ already at work within us (see Ephesians 3:20) to live the Christian life.

The questions below offer a quick test as to whether we’re walking the talk so far as living by faith is concerned.

a) Do you feel the need to ‘prove yourself’ to God so He doesn’t regret saving you?

b) Do you pat yourself at the back for being a ‘good person’, e.g., ’a good giver/tither’, ‘good husband’, ‘good father’, ‘good child’, or whatever else you hold yourself to be good at? Or you reckon that you are what you are solely by the grace of God?

c) Do you find yourself thinking God’ owes’ you certain blessings because of your obedience or service to Him in one way or another?

d) What is the first thought that comes to mind when you consider people whose lives are contrary to the gospel – for example, that drunk or addict in your neighbourhood? Do you find yourself thinking, ‘I thank God I’m not like that’?

2) Treasuring Jesus more than anything in the world

Is Christ your greatest treasure? To Paul, having Christ was everything. Even if living a gospel-centric life meant he would be persecuted, he didn’t mind. He was content to ‘bear on his body the marks of Jesus’. Boasting in the cross means being able to say with Asaph, “Whom have I in heaven but you, and there is nothing on earth I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25), and with the hymnist, ‘Sɛ me wɔ Yesu a, me wɔ ade nyinara, sɛ Yesu bɔ me a, ade nyinara abɔ me” [If I have Jesus, I have everything, if I lose Jesus, I have lost everything]. Is Christ enough for you? Would you be content if God never did anything else for you after the cross?

In the same breath that Paul said he boasts in the cross, he added, “by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”. In other words, nothing in the world was worth comparing to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ via the cross.

3) A life of devotion to Christ

Jesus said that those who have been forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47). Glorying in the cross means that we henceforth live every moment of our lives with the cross in view. To Paul, that meant being branded for Christ! He declares, “From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17).

Isaac Watts, in his classic hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”, writes:

When I survey the wond’rous Cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but Loss,
And pour contempt on all my Pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God:
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

In the final stanza, he avows:

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Watts is right. A true appreciation of the cross will culminate in only one response: a life sold to, enamoured, and entranced by the One who loved us and gave Himself for us that we might be forgiven.

The post Boasting in the Cross appeared first on TGN.

We’re in the Company of the Apostles

If what I have said so far describes you in anyway, you should not feel strange, you are not alone. It was the story of Jesus’ Apostles too. In chapter 20 of his gospel, John documents the resurrection account and how Jesus revealed himself in different settings to his followers after his crucifixion. The sorrow and sadness had now been turned into joy and excitement. The tomb is empty! Jesus is alive again, praise God! But the question was, now that Jesus is alive, what next?

In chapter 21:1-3, we read, “after this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.””

Like most people, after celebrating the resurrection, Peter and his co-apostles went back to their life as usual, back to fishing. A lot of things had become clear, they now understood that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, and this had been proven by his death and resurrection. It was now time to get on with life. However, John records that, “they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.”

Jesus then appears and performs a miracle that enables them to have a bumper catch. He also set-up a fire and they barbecued some of the fish and enjoy a delicious breakfast (John 21:4-13). John adds a little footnote in verse 14 which says, “this was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.” Jesus had walked with his disciples for three years before his death; and within that time, he told them of the reason for his coming and gave them tasks to accomplish. It is therefore interesting that the disciples seemed to have moved on with their lives after Easter. Had they forgotten so soon about all the ambitious plans they and Jesus had together?

Love for Jesus Must Reflect in Everyday Acts of Service to Him

It is for this reason that Jesus’ short interaction with Peter in John 21:15-17 is instructive for all Christians, especially after Easter. This passage is primarily about the restoration of Peter and its implications for his future ministry as the lead apostle. But it is also a reminder that our relationship with Jesus must not end with Easter. He calls us to renew our love for him. An all-consuming love that will cause us to sacrifice our very lives as Peter ultimately did, knowing that the reward will be far more than worth it. In that passage we read:

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

Three times in this passage, Jesus asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Some commentators have opined that Jesus asks the question three times to correspond to the number of times Peter denied him. Regardless of the connection, a repetition is always meant to signify emphasis. Peter, on the other hand felt offended that Jesus would ask him three times if he truly loved him.

I guess you can’t blame Jesus, can you? After all, this is Peter we are talking about. Just before his betrayal and crucifixion, he vowed, “though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away…even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” Yet his 3-time denial of Jesus prior to his crucifixion is forever a part of the gospel account.

In this encounter with Peter in John 21, Jesus teaches us that a love for him must reflect in daily acts of service for him. Three times he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” And three times, he tells him, “Feed my sheep.” Peter had just celebrated the first Easter and he was ready to move on with his life, but Jesus draws his attention to what it means to say you love him.

The reason why Jesus came was to gather together all his wandering sheep into his kingdom (John 10:1-18). His death and resurrection had accomplished this goal; his charge to Peter as the lead Apostle was to take care of the sheep whom he had purchased with his precious blood. This was Peter’s charge. But the call to serve Jesus and his cause has not only gone out to Peter. All of us who have tasted of the goodness of God through the death and resurrection of Christ are called to lay down our lives for him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

My prayer is that you would not be so quick to move on with your life after Easter, but the gratitude and affection you feel for the sacrifice and atonement of Christ will reflect itself in daily acts of devotion and sacrifice to him. That we will be committed to sharing the good news with those of his sheep that are still outside the fold, to call them to repentance and obedience. That we will be committed to his bride, the church, for which he died.

The post What Next After Easter? appeared first on TGN.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of men more than death. The Bible refers to it as the last enemy, and rightly so. Throughout the history of human existence, men have tried to find ways to prevent death yet with all the technological and medical advancements, the cure for death continues to elude the wisdom of men. The reason why death conjures such an emotional and opposing response is that it is not natural. Even though it is the only constant among men, it is the most unnatural phenomenon. There is only one place in the Gospels where Jesus is recorded to have wept, and it was at the tomb of one of his closest friends. As Jesus stood at the tomb of Lazarus, he was overcome with emotions as he witnessed the heinousness of death (John 11:28-35). He knew it was not meant to be this way.

Why is Death Unnatural?

Death is not natural because man was meant to live forever. We are first introduced to the idea of humans back in Genesis 1:26-27, where God the Father, in a heavenly council consisting of the three persons of the Trinity (Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit) verbalized the idea. Contrary to the claims of evolutionary science, Scripture is very clear that man was created by someone. Humans did not just evolve; they were created by God for a specific purpose.

Man is too purposeful to have just evolved by mere chance. In Genesis we read, “Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Later on in Genesis 2:5-7, Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit provides more details of how the creation of man took place. He writes, “5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up – for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground, 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.’

It is verse 7 that establishes that man was never meant to die. Even though we are told earlier in chapter 1 that man was created in the image and likeness of God, it is here that we come to appreciate what that statement means. After forming the man from the dust, God breathed into his nostrils, then man became a living creature. That breath from God, is not just a wind or air, no, it was ‘zoe’, life itself. The eternal God who had existed from eternity past, who has no end, breathed into man and he become a living creature. If our source is God, then we were never meant to die because whatever has its source in God cannot die (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Why then do we die if our Source is the Eternal God?

Just as life as a concept originated with God, death as a concept was first introduced to us by God. We are first introduced to the idea of death in Genesis 2:13-14, as a consequence of disobeying God. As he gave man the terms of reference for his existence, he also spelt out the consequences of disobedience. We read in verse 16 “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, v.17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’

This would not just be a physical death, but most tragically, a spiritual death. Death is primarily a life that is disconnected from its source. When a flower is cut from its tree and arranged into a bouquet, it looks nice for a few days, but because it is severed from the root that supplies it life, it is only a matter of time before it physically dies off. Therefore, when God told Adam that he “shall surely die” if he disobeyed, it was spiritual death of being disconnected from the source that he had in mind. The physical death was only a matter of sequence.

That is why when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were driven away from the Garden (Genesis 3:1-19), they did not immediately experience physical death, but once they were disconnected from the source of life, it was only a matter of time before death as we know it physically became a part of the human experience. The first death is recorded in Genesis 4, when Cain killed his brother Abel, which was the first evidence of a life disconnected from its source.

However, unlike the flower bouquet which dies off and is gone forever, the soul of man lives on forever because he was created by the breath of God. Man was supposed to have an eternal life – a life lived in constant union with God. What we now have after the fall of Adam and Eve is a perpetual life, a life that goes on forever but lived outside of union with God. Such a life is a miserable life! At the time of physical death, it is only the dust part (Genesis 2:7) which disappears but the real person of the soul lives on.Despite attempts by science and technology to make our present world a better place and also to extend our physical lives, our greatest problem which is a severed relationship with the source of life continues and does even after death. What we need as humans is more than just a few more years or even decades in the world in its present form – infested with wickedness and evil of every kind. Our true need is a restoration of our union with God, to have our eternal life back.

Jesus, the Hope for Dead People

It is for this reason that our opening text is such a comfort to all of us dead people. As a matter of fact, that is how the Bible describes all of us in Ephesians 2:1-2, we are dead people! But there is hope even for dead people. In John 11:25-26, as Lazarus’ two sisters, Martha and Mary were overcome with grief and sadness that Jesus wasn’t there to prevent their brother from dying, Jesus once and all held out the solution to our greatest need as humans. He told them, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

The sisters of Lazarus were at this point only thinking about the physical death of their brother, but Jesus in his response to them helps us to understand that true life is more than the physical one we have now, it is beyond the grave. “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” Is it possible for someone to live even though he dies? And is it really true that “everyone who lives and believes in me [Jesus] shall never die?”

How do we reconcile these statements with the many faithful and God-fearing people we know who have died? What Jesus is teaching his followers in these verses is that true life is more than staying physically alive, it is rather a life fully restored in union with God and does not matter whether we are physically in this world or the next. What we call eternal life. On that faithful day, Lazarus was physically brought back to life, but we also know that he physically died again. But, once a person believes in Jesus, the power of death is forever broken. So, we can say together with Apostle Paul, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).

How Does One Obtain this Hope?

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Three times in this short text, Jesus uses the word “believe.” However, he was not just calling them to believe in something or an idea, rather he was calling for a belief in him as a person. No leading figure of any religion has ever claimed this or called their followers to put belief in them as individuals. All of them spoke of themselves as showing others the way to life, but here Jesus says of himself, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Belief in him is the key to overcoming death. Elsewhere in the book of John, he referred to himself as “the way, and the truth, and the life.”

What is it about Jesus that makes him unique and gives him the audacity to make these astonishingly outlandish claims about himself? And how does he cure those who believe in him from death anyway? It is because Jesus is God himself. As we saw back in Genesis 1:26-27, the decision to create man was made in a divine council consisting of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is what Christians refer to as Trinity. The God of the Christian is one God consisting of tree persons. They worked together to create the world, and they worked together in bringing about the redemption of man after the fall. The Father planned our salvation, the Son accomplished it, and the Holy Spirit applies it to the individual.

In his role as the Accomplisher of salvation, the eternal Son of God took on the nature of man, what theologians refer to us the incarnation. The writer of Hebrews in chapter 2:17, says, “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” The only way Jesus could qualify as an acceptable substitute for the sins of men was if he is like them.

But unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus was tempted in every way, yet did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). He is the only man who obeyed the Father perfectly and this qualified him to receive all the promises of God. Even though he is the sinless one, he chose to take on himself the punishment that all humanity had incurred through our willful disobedience of God. This punishment was what he bore when he was crucified on that Good Friday some two thousand years ago. What an irony, the only one who obeyed perfectly is also the one who suffered the most gruesome death.

But praise God, Jesus did not remain dead. On the third day, he was raised from the dead and God has declared his substitutionary atonement – his payment for the sin of mankind acceptable. And has declared that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). This is what it means to believe in Jesus. A turning from self-reliance to complete reliance on the finished work of Christ for your right-standing before God. This is how one moves from death to life. This is the only hope for dead people like us.

The reason why politicians and diplomats are crisscrossing the globe and scientists are doubling efforts in search of cue to some of the deadliest diseases is because we all acknowledge that something is quite not right with our world today. But the brokenness we see today is only but a faint echo of what is in store for this world and anyone who who doer not believe in Jesus. Luke, in Acts 17:30-31 writes, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Even if humans were allowed to live a million years on this earth, no amount of scientific and technological advancement will help us overcome death. Our only hope is in Christ and that is why Easter is such a joyous occasion for Christians. Because on this day two thousand years ago, our sins not in part but the whole was nailed to the cross. God the Son came down that we may be raised heavenward. Christ is Risen Indeed!

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Palm Sunday

As the Week commenced, Jesus made a triumphant entrance into Jerusalem amid the resounding cries of “Hosanna!” His arrival atop a humble donkey symbolized the fulfilment of Messianic prophecy, igniting hope and anticipation among the people. This initial moment marked a promising beginning, with Jesus poised to accomplish the ultimate act of salvation for His people. The atmosphere was electric as the City recognized Him as the long-awaited King, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. Yet, as the Week unfolded, the atmosphere within the City would undergo a dramatic shift, foreshadowing the tumultuous events to come.

• Scriptural References: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19.

Monday to Wednesday

As the initial excitement of His triumphal entry subsides, Jesus sets about preparing the stage for His ultimate glorification. On Monday, Jesus initiates His mission by cleansing the Temple, which had deviated from its sacred purpose of being a House of Prayer, as mentioned in Isaiah 56:7, to become a den of robbers. The once vibrant fanfare begins to dim, overshadowed by the sobering reality of Jesus’ confrontations with the religious authorities, gradually intensifying the atmosphere. On Tuesday, Jesus cursed a barren fig tree, hinting at the impending narrative of judgment and consequences on God’s people, who in the Old Testament are often symbolically depicted as figs or a fig tree (Hosea 9:10; Jeremiah 24). Throughout this period, Jesus imparts profound teachings through parables, underscoring the imperative of repentance, faith, and obedience for attaining salvation. Amidst these developments, a lingering question arises: can the situation deteriorate any further?

• Scriptural References: Matthew 21:12-25:46; Mark 11:12-13:37; Luke 19:45-21:38.

Thursday

This day marks the pinnacle of solemnity in the Holy Week. While much of Jesus’ ministry has unfolded in public settings, on this day, He turns His focus to His disciples in a deeply profound manner, culminating in the intimate gathering known as the Last Supper. During this sacred meal, the disciples remain unaware of the spiritual forces at play, even as Jesus, aware of the betrayal to come, quotes from Psalm 41:9; signalling the meticulous unfolding of God’s sovereign plan. It is during this meal that Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper, a profound symbol of the impending sacrificial death He was to endure as the Paschal Lamb. It was also at this time that Jesus humbly washed the feet of His disciples, demonstrating the selfless love and servanthood that epitomized His ministry. As the evening progresses, the weight of the impending sacrifice is palpable, culminating in Jesus’ agonizing prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here, the Son of God submits fully to the will of His Father, laying the foundation for the redemption of the elect. The scent of blood is as thick as ever as Jesus prepares to fulfil His mission.

• Scriptural References: Matthew 26:17-56; Mark 14:12-52; Luke 22:7-53; John 13:1-18:1.

Good Friday

As the coils of the serpent tighten, victory appears elusive. From a human vantage point, all hope seems lost, exemplified by Peter’s impulsive attempt to intervene forcibly. Judas’ betrayal, sealed with a kiss, ushers in a sequence of five distinct trials—both religious and secular—as authorities interrogate the Son of Man. Before the pseudo-king Herod Antipas, the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy unfolds as Jesus, resembling a silent lamb led to slaughter, refrains from defence. Led to Golgotha, the hill of crucifixion, the Lamb of God endures six agonizing hours upon the cross. There, he drank the cup of God’s wrath and, though sinless, bore the weight of sin itself. The apex of redemption arrives as the Suffering Servant echoes the Psalmist’s lament, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The viper’s strike pierces his hands and feet; he is surrounded by mocking dogs and encircled by a band of villains. Those who gaze upon him, the one they have pierced, mourn bitterly, their sorrow akin to that of an only child or a firstborn. The Author of Life is laid to rest among the wicked donated by Joseph of Arimathea. How can the death of one man suffice to atone for the sins of many?

• Scriptural References: Matthew 26:57-27:66; Mark 14:53-15:47; Luke 22:54-23:56; John 18:1-19:42.

Holy Saturday

The cacophony of chaos simmers down. The exuberance of the triumphal entry and the fervour of teaching in the Temple now feel like distant memories. Silence reigns supreme within the confines of the tomb—a Sabbath unlike any before. Just as God rested after completing His work of creation, so too does Jesus rest, following the fulfilment of His salvific mission. A created stone is used to seal up the Rock of Ages. Yet amid the stillness, anticipation builds as the dawn of the greatest day in history approaches…

• Scriptural References: Matthew 27:57-66, Luke 23:50-56

Easter Sunday

Christ, the Son of God, emerges victorious over the shadowy dominion of death, neither abandoned to the abyss nor succumbing to decay. His Resurrection stands as the cornerstone of the Christian faith, a resplendent affirmation of His emphatic triumph over Sin and Death. In this divine act, God’s redemptive design is unveiled, showcasing His sovereign authority to vanquish death’s grip and extend the promise of New Life to all who would believe in the Son.

Through the Resurrection, Jesus substantiates His divine identity and affirms His role as the conduit of eternal life for believers. As He emerged from the tomb, so too are we, united with Him in His Resurrection, elevated to heavenly realms in Him. This historic event stands as the linchpin of salvation, a resounding declaration that the Battle has been decisively won.

As the apostle Paul affirms, the Resurrection is not a peripheral doctrine but the very essence of faith. Without it, our faith would be futile, and we would remain ensnared in the bondage of sin. Yet, through the Resurrection, we are infused with a Living Hope—a hope that transcends the temporal confines of this life and extends into eternity.

In the words of our Glorious Lord, Jesus Christ: “I am the Resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” This profound invitation beckons us to run to Christ and receive the transformative power of the Resurrection and anchor our hope in the eternal promise it embodies.

Do you believe this?

• Scriptural References: Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-21:25.

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[9] Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, [10]for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more,

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

As followers of Jesus, we are to love one another —a command that may seem straightforward at first glance. However, beneath its apparent simplicity lies profound significance. Indeed, in what could possibly be one of the earliest letters within the Pauline epistles, Paul, Silas, and Timothy underscore the necessity of this command.

In the coastal city of Thessalonica, a burgeoning church had recently emerged amidst the backdrop of persecution instigated by Jewish leaders (Acts 17:1-9).Written either from Athens or Corinth around AD 49-51, Paul eagerly received the report from Timothy that they have “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9)

No Need to Write

The apostle Paul asserts that there is no necessity for anyone to write to the Thessalonians regarding brotherly love. The brevity of this section aptly captures that sentiment. However, before moving on, Paul highlights two reasons why no one needs to write to them, introducing each reason with the word “for.” The word “for” functions as a conjunction that introduces explanations or reasons for the statement that precedes it.

Reason 1 – Divine Instruction

The initial rationale Paul offers is rooted in the divine instruction received by the believers in Thessalonica, indicating that they have been directly “taught by God.”

Paul and his co-laborers invested three Sabbaths in Thessalonica, dedicating themselves to spreading the gospel amidst the growing tension in the city provoked by their presence.

Despite their brief stay, they imparted a significant amount of instruction. This is particularly noteworthy given the weighty subject matter addressed from chapter 4:13 to 5:11.

However, amidst this depth of teaching, Paul emphasizes that the Thessalonians have received divine instruction in the imperative of loving one another. He doesn’t attribute this teaching to himself or his companions but humbly acknowledges its origin from God, underscoring its divine nature and authority.

Indeed, this aligns with the prophecies regarding the last days, where God promised to personally instruct His people and inscribe His laws upon their hearts. It reflects the fulfilment of God’s covenantal promise to guide and transform His people directly, a testament to His intimate involvement in shaping their character and conduct.

All your children shall be taught by the Lord,

   and great shall be the peace of your children.

Isaiah 54:13

And,

I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.

Jeremiah 31:33b

Before His crucifixion, Jesus shares a final meal with His disciples. During this solemn occasion, known as the Last Supper, our Lord Jesus humbly washes the feet of His disciples and imparts crucial teachings to them. The proximity of this event to His impending death underscores its profound significance. As Judas, the betrayer, leaves the room Jesus says the following:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:34-35

The disciples’ love for Jesus is evidenced by their love for one another. This is why Paul asserts that no one needs to write to them regarding brotherly love. Paul’s instruction is not merely human; it is rooted in the Deity of Jesus Christ and the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Thessalonians’ knowledge and wisdom in loving one another stem from God’s direct teachings.

In the same way that God spoke the universe into existence, God has directly and immediately shone in their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Reason 2 – Active Obedience

The subsequent justification lies in their active demonstration of this love, extending not only within Thessalonica but also “throughout Macedonia,” affirming their consistent practice of brotherly love.

The brotherly love demonstrated by the Thessalonian believers was authentic, as confirmed by the broader Macedonians province. Paul highlights their active faith, devoted love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Their steadfast commitment originated from their conversion to Christ, which led them to renounce idolatry, devote themselves to serving God, eagerly await Christ’s return, and find deliverance from impending judgment (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

Yet, Paul now exhorts them to intensify their pursuit even further. Previously, in addressing sexual immorality, Paul politely implored, “…we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus...” (1 Thessalonians 4:1), employing a gentle request to appeal to their openness to his guidance. However, in this passage, he employs a stronger tone. By urging them, he conveys a heightened level of persuasion and encouragement, indicating the urgency and significance of his message. Paul isn’t simply making a courteous appeal; rather, he emphatically counsels the Thessalonians to earnestly heed his apostolic instruction and promptly put it into action.

Paul’s urging springs from his desire to see their continued growth in sanctification. He does not want them to become complacent but to excel all the more in their love for one another. This is consistent with what Paul teaches elsewhere in his writings to the churches,

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18

And,

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

Sanctification involves the ongoing process of being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ through the cooperative work of the Holy Spirit and the individual believer. It requires an active engagement on the part of the Christian to “put off” sinful behaviours, “strain forward” in pursuit of righteousness, and “not quench the Spirit.”

In Conclusion

Brotherly love, as outlined by Paul to the Thessalonians, is both divine in origin and essential in practice. The Thessalonians exemplified this love, yet were urged to intensify their commitment. Likewise, we’re called to excel in this love, understanding that it’s a continual process of sanctification. Let us, therefore, press on in our pursuit of Christ-likeness, enabled by the Holy Spirit, and marked by our love for one another.

As King David captures this so plainly in Psalm 133:1,

Behold, how good and pleasant it is

   when brothers dwell in unity!

2

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