In the previous article, we considered some oppositions to infants who die in their infancy going to heaven, proposed the contrary view, and set out to resolve the bottlenecks from the Biblical standpoint. We begin part II of this series by considering Adam’s sin and its effect on his posterity.

Adam’s sin

The relevant passage is Genesis 3:1-19.

We see from the passage some immediate consequences of the sin of our first parents:

1. The curse on the serpent (3:14)
2. The curse of painful childbirth (3:16). This has been so since then.
3. The curse on the ground (3:17-18). This is the reason the earth reverts to a wilderness condition whenever it is left unattended.
4. All of creation was affected. Creation has never been the same after the fall, nor will it be when sin is removed. Romans 8 teaches that the whole of creation groans in expectation of the time when it will be redeemed (vv20-22).

Adam’s posterity and the universality of sin 

All people invariably agree that there is something universally lacking in man. Not all are prepared to call it sin, but by our own actions and inactions, we prove the Bible’s assertion that we are what we are because of the problem of sin.

Recently in Ghana where I come from, there was a scandal in the football federation involving some officials who were accused of bribery and corruption. For a while, this was the main subject of discussion on various social media platforms. In one group that I belong, nearly everybody was of the mind that what the officials did was wrong and contrary to the code of ethics of their job. However, almost all of us admitted we were equally guilty of similar offenses; howbeit of varying degrees of gravity. It was a unanimous consensus that none of us could cast the first stone, as we weren’t without fault. What this inadvertently means is that we each admitted our sinfulness and lack of perfection. Some were more outspoken and admitted quite frankly they would not act any differently if they were presented with a reward (a bribe) that was tempting enough.

Opponents of the concepts of sin have tried fruitlessly to explain it away. One popular explanation appeals to the scientific theory of evolution. They argue that having come out of the backwoods just a few millennia ago, all we need is time to slough off the remains of our bestial past.

Another school of thought holds that what man needs is enlightenment. If we attained to a higher level of ‘awareness’, through the reading of books or by other pursuits of knowledge, we would achieve the level of goodness that will make our world a better place. These all sound wonderful in their respective rights; however, history is there to prove that time and enlightenment are not enough to deal with the problem of sin.

Verses like Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:23 and many others teach that all (the whole world) have sinned. We see from the Scriptures that all humans are affected, and our whole being is affected. James says in many things we offend all (James. 3:2). John corroborates all this when he says that if we say we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8-9). The Bible teaches that our sinful state is as a consequence of the sin of Adam. The definitive proof for this is in the fact that we all age and die. None of us can escape death, including even infants (Romans 5:14).

The nagging question, however, is how did Adam’s sin affect the whole of humanity?

The Bible puts forward two explanations. Firstly, the whole of human nature was in Adam’s loins when he sinned, and we fell with him (or in him) when he sinned in the garden of Eden; what is termed as ‘seminal identity’. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews teaches this when he asserts that Levi paid tithes in Abraham to Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:9-10). This fits perfectly with the parallel which Paul provides in the passage in Romans 5 when he teaches that by our union with Christ through faith, we are made righteous. Not by our deeds, but purely based on the merit of Christ (grace).

The second explanation is one we are familiar with; the fact that as our federal head, when Adam sinned, all his posterity suffered the consequences. We see examples of this in our governments. If a parliamentarian who represents an area passes a law–whether good or bad, we all suffer the consequences. This is why the Bible doesn’t teach that our sinful state is on account of the sins of all our ancestors, but only that of Adam.

Thus, the phrase “we all sinned in Adam” (Romans 5:12). The term “original sin” therefore means sin originates from the original root of the human race. We are all born in this condition. As David put it, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51: 5).

With regards to infants

We have already established that infants, as well as adults, are born with the pollution and guilt of sin as a result of original sin.

My children are born Ghanaians based on the relationship they have with me as their father. They don’t get to choose to be Ghanaian at birth—they simply are born Ghanaians. Because they were in me, they are born as black Africans by default, and there’s nothing they can do to change their skin complexion at birth. As Ghanaians, certain privileges are due them because of their nationality; for example, they are entitled to a Ghanaian passport, and they qualify to vie for the highest office of the land or for any political position they desire.

However, if they want a Ghanaian passport, they will need to apply for it, and if any of them wishes to be president someday, they will need to contest for it and be voted in. So, despite their status at birth, they need to act in a certain way or other to accrue certain benefits or not.

This analogy, though limited, attempts to convey the truth of the scriptures with regards to the application of the sin of Adam. Although we are all born sinners, the Bible doesn’t call us to repent for the sins of Adam as it were. Having received through Adam the knowledge of good and evil, we at least once in our lifetime or mostly choose evil instead of right when faced with good and evil choices. The evil choices we make instead of the good ones is what the Bible calls us to repent from.

We are each held accountable for our own sins (Eccl. 12:14). In the Old Testament, we are taught that the son shall not die for the sins of the father, nor the father for the sins of the son (Ezekiel 18:20). Acting upon the good and evil we know is what affirms our guilt of sin, just as my children will have to work upon their citizenship to apply for a passport or stand for presidential election.

qTo be continued…

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As a sequel, this is the third and final in a three part series; Psalm 25: Praying A Psalm. Previously, we looked at Prayer For Guidance  and Prayer For Protection. Today’s title is Prayer For Forgiveness of Sin.

Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD”(v.6) “For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.” (v11). “Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.” (v18).

As you ponder over life, what do you consider your greatest need? If God did ask you to make one request, what would that be? According to the bible our greatest need is not food or clothes, neither is it shelter. Our greatest need is deliverance from our greatest predicament, which is the wrath of God. The bible tells us in Romans 3:23; “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God“. We have all rebelled against a holy God, we have each gone astray and told God to get out of our lives. We have lied, we have cheated, we have stolen, we have murdered with our hearts. We have committed adultery in our hearts, we have coveted our neighbour’s property. Every sin, you name it we have committed it. And you know what that means? The answer is found further on in the same book of Romans 6:23, reads “For the wages of sin is death….” David understood this well. He knew the predicament of every human soul. In Psalm 130:3, he writes; “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”

Our sin is so great that we need a great Saviour. No amount of good deeds can atone for our sins. Unless the LORD shows mercy we are lost and lost forever. Augustus Toplady captured this so well in the hymn, Rock of Ages, in the 2nd and 3rd stanzas he writes:

All the labours of my hands
Could not meet Thy law’s demands
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow
All for sin could not atone,
Thou must save, and Thou alone
Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling
Naked come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace
To Thy fountain, Lord I fly,
Wash me Saviour or I die.

Christ is the only perfect sacrifice for our sin. He left all His glories and splendour and came into our world to identify with us. He lived the perfect life that we could not live, and died the death we deserved. He was crucified on a heinous cross but on the third day he was raised from the dead, which was a seal of the Father’s approval. The verdict was that anyone who will repent from sin and put their faith in Christ, will be credited with the perfect life of Christ. “…the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…” This is the only hope to find forgiveness with a holy God. We see across the entire bible that, our hope of forgiveness is not found in some good deed we have done. David understood this as he repeatedly appeals not to his own goodness or righteousness, but to the goodness and mercy of God.

This should be a great encouragement to all of us. God knows exactly where you are, right now at this moment, he sees all the dirt and mess you’re in right now. Today may be the day of your salvation, do not harden your heart because this offer is not open ended. In the book of Acts 17:31, Peter said “…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.”

On that day it will be too late. On that day Jesus will not be a Saviour, he will be a judge. I plead with you not to wait till that day but turn from your sin today and trust in Jesus for the salvation of your soul.

Sin is destructive. It goes against everything God wanted for us, joy, peace, love and fellowship. So when we conceal it, it saps away our joy and peace. In verse 16-18, David recounts his afflictions and troubles and pleads for forgiveness. He prays “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.  The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.”  There is no joy in concealing  sin. We must be constantly confessing and forsaking our sins. When we harbor sin, our fellowship with God is broken and the joy of the Lord is taken away. (Psalm 32:3-4).

These are the three requests David makes of God. What weaves them together is the desperation expressed in all of them. In this Psalm we see a great God and a great sinner. Our need is so great that only a great God could meet it. Our enemies are many and relentless; our need for guidance is more acute than ever before in a world of competing voices and our need for forgiveness is so essential that without it we are doom to perish forever. As you examine your prayers over the last few months, what do they say about you? Do they reveal a person who is passionate about pleasing the Lord and advancing his Kingdom purposes or it just about you and your self-serving wants?

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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 (1 Peter 2:24KJV).

Many have twisted this text to preach a health and wealth gospel. But that is a great error. We are no where in this text promised physical healing. It is only a wrong reading that leads to that interpretation. Our greatest predicament as human beings is not poverty or sickness. Therefore the offering of health and wealth as the solution to all our problems is false and no gospel at all.

Our greatest predicament as humans is sin, hence our greatest need is the forgiveness of sin.

Death: The Wages Of Sin

Romans 3:23 condemns all human beings under sin separated from the glory of God. To be separated from the glory of God is man’s greatest problem and no amount of money or good health can make up for that void.  Sin is a sickness that plagues all humankind. And the wages of this sin is death the Bible says (Rom 6:23). We are not only sick of sin. We are dead in sin! “We are dead in sin” That is terrible. Looking at our ourselves we can identify the havoc sin causes in our lives and the lives of people we know. Sin is not only of earthly consequences. It has eternal consequences. Sin separates from God.

The prophet Isaiah wrote this of God’s people – a description that is characteristic of all fallen man:

Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil (Isaiah 1:4-6 ESV)

This is the state of our sickness and our sin; which the prophet graphically likens to sores and bruises that have covered the whole body from head to toe. This is the sickness of sin Christ died to heal us of that we might live to righteousness! How tragic that 1Peter 2:24 which deals with the grave situation of the life estranged from God by sin; and the glorious promise of redemption through the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus will be cheapened to one of material significance!

Healed Of Our Sins And Restored Unto Rigtheousness

“by whose stripes ye were healed“. Peter quotes Isaiah 53:5 to tell us how we were healed. How? by Christ’s stripe. Healed of what? Sin. And how are we healed of this? Christ bore our sins in his body. That is good news. God has made a way to reconcile us unto Himself by putting our sins on Christ: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree”. This is what theologians call double imputation. Our Sin is imputed to Christ and His righteousness imputed to us. Oh, what good news. Our sins are all forgiven when we trust in Christ.

The result of this imputation is that we “should live unto righteousness“.

Righteousness  simply is right standing with God as if we have never sinned. In Christ we who previously were sick and dead in sin are healed and made alive and  reconciled to God: “And you hath he quickened [made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1KJV). “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”(2Corinthians 5:21KJV).

Have you experienced this exchange; your sin for Christ’s forgiveness? If not seek His forgiveness. On the other hand, if you have, you can break forth into doxology and sing:

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet your tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!

Praise him for his grace and favor to his people in distress.
Praise him, still the same as ever, slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glorious in his faithfulness!

Fatherlike he tends and spares us; well our feeble frame he knows.
In his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely yet his mercy flows!

Angels, help us to adore him;
you behold him face to face.
Sun and moon, bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace!

~ Henry F. Lyte, 1834

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1 Corinthians 15:19-22

Today, Christians worldwide are gathered to celebrate our hope in Christ — Easter Sunday. It is the day our hope in Christ was secured. The grave could not hold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, he defeated death and therein is our hope.

In Luke 24, there is a story about two disciples on their way to Emmaus when Jesus joined them. They were lamenting over their dashed hope of the deliverance of Israel. They longed for deliverance from Roman rule through Christ. However, Christ their deliverer a few days ago was brutally murdered on a cross–the most humiliating way to die. With His death, went their hopes. But as the narrative progresses, we see a hope that is higher than deliverance from Roman oppression. They encountered the Resurrected Christ. He is alive! The grave couldn’t hold Him.

The believer’s hope is tied to the resurrection of Christ. It is a hope that is beyond the grave. Hope that makes us endure suffering because  we know the glory that awaits us. The hope that made Paul count all his achievements as garbage.

What is this hope?

Paul gives us a hint in 1 Corinthians 15:19-22: “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

In this passage Paul was responding to those who deny the resurrection of the dead. He started by saying if there is no resurrection of the dead, then among all people we are the most to be pitied as Christians.  He points to Christ’s resurrection as the basis for his certainty. Christ is the firstfruit, and once you have the firstfruit it signifies that the rest of the harvest is going to come in.

This is the Christian’s hope, it is the hope that our present life is not the end of the story. The hope that our mortal bodies will be changed to the same glorious body of Christ. The hope that God is going to wipe away every tear from our eyes — there will be no more death, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore. In Revelations 22:4, we are told we will see the face of God and we will be with him forever. That has always fascinated me, because I know most of us are looking for something great, many of us are on a wild goose chase for something that will blow us away. We are always looking for that experience that will take our breath away. This is it, to see the face of God and still be alive.

But sadly, this hope is not for everybody. In 1 Corinthians 15:21 & 22 we are told that sin  entered the world through one man and with this came death as well. In Genesis the bible tells us that God created the world, and he said everything he created was beautiful. There was no death, there was no pain, there was no chaos. He then created man in his own image to have dominion and authority over everything he has created. Just as he gave authority to man to rule, he also wanted man to know that he did so under authority and so he gave a command not to eat from a particular tree. God told man that the day he ate from the tree he will die.

This was not only a physical death, it was spiritual death first and foremost. A life lived in separation from God in pain and torment forever. Man disobeyed God and sided with the devil, believing the lie over the loving and gracious care of God. Through Adam’s disobedience sin entered the world, and with sin came death. Man became an enemy of God.

There are some who vehemently protest why Adam’s sin should become their sin. But my answers to that is, really? Every personal sin we commit is actually rebellion against God. We sin because that’s who we are.

We are sinners, not because we sin. Rather, we sin because we are sinners.¹

But that is not the end of the story, John 3:16 tells us God looked at the depravity of man, and his loving heart was moved with compassion. He sent his Son into the world to reconcile the run away man to Himself. There are two things Jesus accomplished. He lived a perfect life as a man. He obeyed perfectly all the commands of God. The one we could not obey. Then he also went on to pay the penalty that was hanging over our heads as enemies of God.

So here we have two things, the perfect life of Jesus, and the payment for sin. And God has said anyone who will come, Jesus’ payment will be credited to them and His perfect record will be theirs as well. What an awesome invitation!  However, this invitation is not open ended, because God has appointed a time when everyone will give an account of all that they have done with their lives. We will all appear before the judgment seat of God, and at that time Jesus will not be a saviour, he will be a judge (John 3:36).

Christ has risen and it is the reason for our hope. To those who have come to know Him as their Saviour, He will return not to die again but to receive us to Himself and we will be with Him in all eternity. To those who don’t know Him, that day will be a day of terror and gnashing of teeth. He will come as a judge. Are you ready to meet Him?

1: R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of The Christian Faith

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Is there a thing as a child who was born old? That certainly is an outright biological anomaly and a sheer impossibility! But the Bible will have us know that, Jesus, whose birth we are celebrating, the helpless baby born in a manger in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago, existed before the foundation of the world!

In theology, the birth we are celebrating is called the incarnation— God manifested in the flesh. The second person of the Trinity- Jesus Christ, the Son of God took on human flesh to live among humankind.

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16).

The Bible describes the incarnation as a mystery. A mystery in New Testament language is not something that cannot be fathomed, rather, it is a knowledge of a revelation of God hidden from humankind, but revealed at the right time. Rightly so, the incarnation is a mystery. The prophets who prophesied about the incarnation and the angels of heaven who dwell in God’s presence could not figure out when this will be. They longed to know when this mystery will unfold (1Peter 1:10-12).

But eventually, “…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 [children]. (Galatians 4:4-5). God the Son, came down and lived among His creation. During His earthly ministry, He discipled apostles who documented His earthly ministry in the gospels and epistles (see John 1:1-14, 1John 1:1-5, 2Peter 1:16-18).

Luke in the introduction to his gospel, opens with words attesting to the life and work of Jesus.

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. (Luke 1:1-4).

Luke, like all the other writers of the New Testament, moved by the Spirit of God (2Peter 1:20-21, 2Timothy 3:16), documented the sequence of events as they had witnessed it, thereby laying all controversies to rest. It is of vital importance to us as well, during this season as we commemorate the birth of Jesus to carefully examine what we are told concerning this baby who is the reason for the season.

The Angels’ Herald
Shortly after the birth of Jesus, an angel appeared to a group of Shepherds with the unusual message (Luke 2: 9-14). The message of the angels was simply, ‘a baby is born who is Saviour, Christ and Lord! What does this message mean?

God, Lord and Master
The original word the angels used for ‘Lord’ in Luke 2:9-4 is supreme in authority, controller; by implication, God, Lord and Master. It also means He is the Messiah (Saviour). At His birth, the angels’ message announced the fact that this child was already Lord, and had supreme authority as God over all. The New Testament abounds with evidence to the fact that Jesus had indeed existed before He was born. Countless times during His life on earth He affirmed this by claiming to be one with God, to be God, and to have existed before Abraham (John 8:58; 10:30 17:5; Mark 2:10). The birth of Jesus Christ therefore was not the creation of a new person; His person and nature (as God) existed before time.

Christ the Saviour
The angels added that Jesus was the Christ! By this they implied that He was the anointed or chosen one, who was born to save the world. Seven hundred years before He was born, the prophet Micah said this about Him: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2).

The question one might ask is, from what does Christ save us? The Bible tells us that when our first parents, Adam and Eve disobeyed God (see Genesis 2&3), all of Adam’s posterity inherited the results of that disobedience. All humans, who ever lived, with the exception of Christ Jesus, were rendered sinners and in bondage to sin and Satan because of Adam’s disobedience; “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23). So that inherited sin–original sin-separates us from God as the Scripture states. We cannot help ourselves, so Jesus came as a ‘second Adam’ to redeem fallen humankind from Satan’s tyranny and reconcile us to God (1Corinthians 15:21-22).

John Henry Newman aptly described our need for a Saviour when he wrote:

O loving wisdom of our God,
When all was sin and shame,
He, the last Adam, to the fight
And to the rescue came.

For Christ to be able to save sinners, He had to be holy and sinless. Prior to His birth, the angel Gabriel bringing the announcement of His birth to Mary whom God chose to be His mother, proclaimed the child who was to be born would be holy from the time of His conception (Luke 2: 30-32; 34-35). Though He took on human form at His birth, the Bible tells us He was without sin and lived a perfect life: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin”. (Hebrews 4:15).

Christ lived a perfect life and this is why He is able to save us from our sins – because He is Lord, and He is Christ; sinless and holy! It takes only the God-man to do this. And He saves all who come to Him in faith, trusting Him to be their Lord. Understand the truth about His birth and person as you celebrate Christmas.

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Societal versus Biblical Definition

For many, a Christian is an individual born in a Christian home. For others, a Christian is one who is punctual with church attendance. A Christian to others is a morally good person who loves their neighbour as themselves. The answers you get to this question might often depend on the culture the respondent has grown up in. With these differing notions and cultural undertones about who a Christian is, one wonders if there is indeed an accurate definition for who a Christian really is. Fortunately, we are not left in a limbo to figure out who a Christian is. There is a place to turn to−the Bible. Christianity is a faith built on the Bible as the anchor of its knowledge. Christians of all centuries hold to the Bible as its fundamental document of faith. It is therefore essential we turn to the Bible to answer the question, ‘who is a Christian?’
The word Christian is derived from the word Christ. It was first used in Antioch, an ancient city in modern day Turkey, describe followers of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26). In the Bible, we are told of the origins of the world, human life and the entrance of sin. God created man in his image and gave him authority to rule over everything that he had made.

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.”(Genesis 1:26) 

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 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.” (Genesis 2:16 & 17)

When God created Adam, He gave him a command to keep. However Adam and Eve chose to believe a lie about God’s intent for them. They doubted God’s word and chose the path of independence and autonomy from God. They disobeyed by eating from the tree God had forbidden them, because the devil promised them a lie of equality with God (Genesis 3:1-6). Ever since that first rebellion, all of us who have descended from Adam have inherited a sinful nature which seeks to rebel against a loving God. Theologians call it Original Sin.

Original sin is the doctrine which holds that human nature has been morally and ethically corrupted due to the disobedience of mankind’s first parents to the revealed will of God. In the Bible, the first human transgression of God’s command is described as the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden resulting in what theology calls the Fall of mankind. The doctrine of original sin holds that every person born into the world is tainted by the Fall such that all of humanity is ethically debilitated, and people are powerless to rehabilitate themselves, unless rescued by God³.

Sin and Repentance

Sin is in our DNA. Whether it is the crying baby who wants his way, or the toddler throwing tantrums or the teenager banging doors because they did not get their way or the proud self-centered adult, we all like Adam and Eve, have chosen the side of sin against God. We are separated from God by our sin (Rom 3:23). But God didn’t leave humankind to their fate, despite the rebellion. God stepped in. He issued a verdict and promised to send a deliverer who would deliver his people from bondage (Gen 3:15, Jer. 23:5). That promise was fulfilled in Jesus. He was the anointed one, of whom all the prophets had spoken about. For many Jews he did not foot the bill of the person they were looking forward to. They were awaiting a political figure who would redeem them from Roman domination. However, Jesus came primarily to reconcile humankind to God. His ministry, death and resurrection confirmed Him to be the Son of the living God prophesied about in the Old Testament. If Jesus indeed is the Christ−the anointed one and Messiah−then we must understand Christianity and a Christian in the context of what he did and taught. At the beginning of his earthly ministry, He laid out clearly the purpose of his coming as recorded in the book of Mark chapter 1:14 & 15

… Jesus came into Galilee … and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

There are three important points to note in this announcement: The first one is that Jesus came to usher in a kingdom. The other two deals with how to become part of this kingdom: to repent and believe the gospel. The question is what are we to repent from? Jesus’ message was and is that we repent and make a spiritual U-turn, to turn back to God. It is important to note that Jesus did not only call for repentance, but also to believe the gospel, because it is very easy to feel sorry without the resultant fruit. Repenting and believing the gospel means we take the side of God against our sin. In Genesis 2:17, God told man that the day he would eat from the tree he shall die. Death hangs over all of us, because like Adam and Eve we have all rebelled and disobeyed God. This death is not only a physical one, but also a spiritual one, a life lived in separation from God for all eternity. This is the state of all humanity, we are en route to hell and rightly deserving God’s wrath. Therefore our need is not a need from poverty or hunger. Our need is primarily spiritual, an abject need to be saved from the wrath of God. Though we have disobeyed and rebelled against God, in His grace and loving kindness, He made a way for us to be reconciled back to him at the cost of his own Son.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)

He who has been wronged paid the ultimate price by giving up his only Son that, whoever believes in him might not die, but be saved from the wrath that is to come. What an amazing love! Jesus came into the world and lived a perfect life, unlike us he never sinned but obeyed the Father perfectly. Although he was the only one who lived a perfect life, he was crucified on the cross. This is the mystery of salvation, that the sinless prefect Son of God should also be crucified. This is the gospel my friends! Jesus lived the perfect life we were supposed to live and couldn’t. He then was crucified for the punishment we justly deserve. This is the good news.

Believe the Gospel and Live

This is the gospel Jesus was calling his hearers to repent and believe. He said the time is fulfilled and the kingdom is at hand repent and believe the gospel. The question is, have you believed this gospel? It is possible to agree with all that I have said and still not believe. For many people this proposition makes sense, but in reality they have not believe it. Apostle Paul who himself repented and believed the gospel, tells us what it means to believe the gospel. He said in Romans 10:9-10

…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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

You must first of all acknowledge that you have indeed rebelled against a holy God. The bible tells us that there is no one that does right, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You don’t need anyone to convince you you are a sinner, just look back on your day and you will have enough evidence of how depraved⁴ you are, from our thoughts to our actions. Once we see our need, we must then come to the cross believing with the heart and confessing with the mouth that Jesus is the only solution to our sin problem and we will be saved. A Christian is someone who has repented of his/her sin and believed the good news of Christ, he or she from then becomes a part of God’s kingdom. You might have been born in a Christian home or attended church all your life or perhaps been doing a lot of good stuff. One thing is clear, none of these things have saving power. Salvation is found only in repenting and believing in Christ Jesus. There is a warning for not believing in Christ;

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (John 3:18)

There are two final questions which you have to answer; “Are you a Christian?” “What makes you think that you are?”

To be continued…

Notes

1:http://www.statsghana.gov.gh/docfiles/2010phc/Census2010_Summary_report_of_final_results.pdf

2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations

3: http://www.theopedia.com/original-sin

4: http://www.theopedia.com/total-depravity

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