CHILD-LIKE ATTITUDES FOR KINGDOM PEOPLE

“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:1-4). There is a sense in which we must have certain attributes of children to be qualified to inherit the kingdom of GOD. The Lord isn’t commanding us to be babyish Christians. We are not exhorted to adopt children's temperament and disposition. As a matter of fact, there are traits unique to children that God won’t approve in adults both in Christian and lifestyle patterns. For example, children are impatient, rash, and naturally disobedient - always willing to have their way in all things. These are characteristics that are not admirable in true Christianity.

In the same vein, there is a sense in which we have to be like children in order to be qualified to receive salvation and eternal life. We must be as humble as a child, simply believe the gospel, and be equally flexible to receive the bible doctrines and practice them. The reason why many people remained unsaved is that they lack a child-like attitude to the gospel. They harden their hearts and question the logicality and validity of the gospel. They do not open their hearts, as children do, to receive the Lord. And unlike children, they lack simple faith. Are you saved? If not, why not. Jesus said, “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

The sinner however will not be able to start the process of salvation unless he has the humility of the child. Nor can he accept the gospel unless he believes easily like a child. He cannot keep his salvation by living on in holiness unless he’s child malice, sensitivity, kindness, and flexibility. ” That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:6-7). Being born-again means changing from living in sin to living in holiness. The sinner must (i) acknowledge his sins (ii) confess them (iii) repent from them (iv) forsake them (v) believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as “ propitiation for her sin ” and (vi) abide in this faith with constant holiness of character. This process is a genuine conversion that results in behavioral transformation.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The believer receives the grace to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11b). The new believer needs to pray for more grace to overcome temptations and live holily, study the word of God, and pray daily. He also needs to employ grace in practicing positive child-like attributes, shunning pride, loving all, believing easily, hating racism and stubbornness, keeping no ill feelings, being fervent in the spirit, and serving the Lord. Moreover, the believer’s victory over Satan is sure if he can resist the devil through (i) God’s word (ii) Fervent prayers mixed with faith (iii)Self-discipline and self-control (iv) Employing and deploying the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:12-18), Abiding in Christ and remaining steadfast in the faith (James 1:12).

LEAVEN OF HYPOCRISY

“In the meantime, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples, first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 121). The Pharisees were a religious group in Israel given to legalism. Theirs was an outward show of religion which constituted of mechanical observance of Mosaic laws, traditions, of elders as well as ethical and ceremonial commandments of the law. They lacked true piety and they covered up with religious devotions such as praying on street corners, giving of alms, tithing, and fasting. In short, they majored in minors, neglecting weightier matters of the law – judgement, mercy, and faith. For this reason, Jesus warned people about the influence of false teachers and described their conduct as hypocritical.

The Sadducees on the other hand were less strict in their religious observances. They contrasted sharply with the Pharisees in their beliefs. The Sadducees did not believe in the existence of angels, spirits, or the resurrection of the human body after death. Many of them were priests of Jesus’ day. With very exceptions, the Pharisees and Sadducees were antagonistic to Christ and His message. These two groups wielded a great influence on the religious life of the Jews. This was the reason Jesus taught the people, especially His disciples to avoid their pernicious ways. While pointing to Himself as the true Shepherd, He warned His listeners not to follow religious hypocrites who were wolves in sheep’s clothing.

When Jesus was teaching His disciples what constitutes acceptable devotion to God, He cautioned them time and again not to comport themselves as the hypocrites do. “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward” (Matthew 6:2). Perhaps our Lord Jesus Christ had the Pharisees and Sadducees in mind while speaking. Jesus denounced the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. The evils of hypocrisy are legion. A hypocrite is blind to his spiritual destitution. He treads the path of eternal destruction even though he may appear pious outwardly. His life of deception may lead other sincere seekers astray. If he is a member of a local church the individual constantly brings reproach to Christ. He is a great stumbling block in the way of others. Any wonder Jesus addressed the Pharisees thus: “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13).

Expressions of hypocrisy can be identified as corruption spreads easily among a group. Therefore, Jesus instructed His disciples by figuratively referring to the action of leaven (or the modern usage, of yeast) on the dough. A little leaven when added to the dough will soon spread throughout the food material and cause it to rise. In the scriptures, leaven always stands for something bad or sinful. The only exception is when Jesus used it in the parable of the kingdom (Matthew 13:33) to depict the spread of God’s kingdom. Like leaven, hypocrisy in the little band of disciples could destroy the teachings of Christ they have received and eventually pollute the church in infancy. The disciples were slow at understanding the figure used by Christ, so He told them plainly what he meant: “ How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:11-12).

The Pharisees were scrupulous about ritual cleansing of hands, cups, pots, and other vessels while the “…. Inward part is full of ravening and wickedness” (Luke 11:39). This is the picture of the pretender, a phoney who has the form of religion but denies the power thereof. The fellow may bear the name of Christ and may have learnt to comport himself (outwardly) the way genuine Christians do. Meanwhile, the heart is full of sin and wickedness. When all an individual knows about Christianity is singing, dancing, fasting, and regular church attendance while sound Christian doctrines are relegated to the background, he is already following the doctrine of Pharisees and Sadducees.

The Pharisees were described as “whited sepulchres” which appear beautiful outwardly but inside, they are full of all uncleanness. This reveals the religious hypocrite who may be a professing Christian. Are there not people in the church, who have effectually mastered the language of true believers even though they are yet to be transformed by God’s grace? Such people are tares amid wheat. Paul the Apostle referred to them as false brethren. A lot of sinning church members dress and put up the appearance of a genuine Christian, even though they are unconverted. The woes Jesus pronounced on the religious hypocrites of His time will also fall on the impenitent churchgoer without salvation in Christ. The only way out to escape from God’s judgement is genuine repentance from hypocrisy and resolution to follow Christ all the way

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LOVING YOUR ENEMIES

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48). In the Old Testament, the children of Israel were commanded to love one another, shun vengeance, or avoid grudge against a fellow Israelite. This was the time when they were separated from other nations. They formed a community called peculiar people, a holy nation. They were to love their neighbors who were predominantly Israelites. They were not to behave like people of other nations they came out from or the ones in the land they were going to possess. Neither were they to eat, dress, marry or do shady business like them.

The Pharisees and Sadducees in their interpretation of this principle have distorted its true meaning. They teach that the word ‘neighbor’ refers to Hebrews only. So, the Pharisees taught the Jews to love themselves and to regard all other people as sinners and enemies who should be hated. No wonder, when the Hebrews came back from the market, they had to perform ceremonial rites of washing before they could be adjudged clean.

As believers, one way of making our calling and election sure and standing approved before the throne of God is by loving our enemies. Our love should not be a discriminating one. God is love. He loves all men. When we were sinners and unlovable, God loved us, “…God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” . To love those who are our fellow Christians should be as natural as finding such love even among sinners also. As Christians, we are to prove to the whole world that we are children of God. We are to care for all and show great concern for the good of all.

Our Lord mentioned a few of the characteristics of the enemies that we are to love: “them that curse you”, “them which despitefully use you and persecute you”, “the evil”, “the unjust”, publicans”. We can justly call all of them sinners of all categories all over the world. In our families, neighborhoods, marketplaces, businesses, and all over the world, there are sinners who at present are not part of the commonwealth of Israel (believers). Missionaries demonstrate love by leaving the conveniences in their countries for foreign countries. Driven by passion, some have suffered untold hardship, persecution, and death in the hands of the people they try to win for Christ.

In like manner, we are to prove to the whole world that we are children of God by loving all the people. We may not be able to go to mission fields, but every believer has a part to play in loving our enemies. We are to bless them, pray for and share the good news with them so that their souls can be saved.

No one can practice this principle without true sanctification. After the salvation experience, there is a need for everyone to pray to the Lord to be sanctified. This experience of entire sanctification will make the believer not be sensitive to self and his opinions, preferences, and tastes. He will be dead to the world as the world is dead to him.

WARNING AGAINST BACKSLIDING

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he falls. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). Paul the Apostle, through the inspiration of God, pointed out the possibility of a believer becoming cast away after initial evidence of salvation and a lifetime of service to God. He compared the Christian life to a race and emphasized the fact that a participant could be disqualified from receiving the prize if he/she does not run according to the rules. Therefore, there’s a need to maintain self-discipline and avoid those things that can cause a person to be rejected by God. “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible, therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (2 Corinthians 9:25-27).

In his epistle to the Corinthians church, Apostle Paul continues this train of thought, apparently to warn some people in the church who felt eternally secured in their salvation even though they lived in sin. He warned believers against the danger of backsliding and thereby debunked the damnable heresy of the doctrine of eternal security. He emphasized that the great privileges that the Israelites enjoyed in their relationship with God were typical or illustrative of what believers in the New Testament enjoy. However, it is sad to note that despite those privileges the Israelites enjoyed, many among them who went into sin were destroyed, And the account of their failure was written to warn subsequent believers of all ages against the danger of falling back to sin.

There is no truth in the doctrine of unconditional security of believers. Those who are secured in Christ are those who continue in the word of God in true righteousness to the end. Believers can avoid backsliding by laying aside the things that bring temptations and taking necessary steps to victory through vigilance (1 Peter 5:8), prayer (Matthew 26:41), conviction (2 Timothy 3:14), trust ( 2 Timothy 1:2), Obedience (Psalm 119:60), resistance (James 4:7), and absolute surrender to God (Romans 6:13). As heaven-bound pilgrims, we must depend on the Lord for His sustaining grace and power. Our salvation, boldness at the throne of grace, conviction, and uncompromising stand on the truth is by grace. Without grace, we are as ordinary as other people.

We are most likely to fall when we are most confident of our own strength. Distrust in our strength makes us be vigilant and put our trust and dependence on God. This gave us the best security against all sins. God is able and indeed has promised to keep us from falling but we must look to ourselves (2 John 8). God is faithful to keep us from a tempting world full of snares. Though we are to be watchful and vigilant, he will proportion our burden to our strength. Hence, we should not be terrified or amazed when temptation comes. “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them, that believe to the saving of the soul”. May this be our portion as we continue in our pilgrim journey on earth till we see Jesus face to face in heaven.

RIGHTEOUSNESS NOT RELIGION

The question of Job that needed to be answered for people to understand is “How then can a man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?” (Job 25:4). The book of James 1:27 has this to tell us, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world”. The answer is, that you are loved, forgiven, and accepted beyond any doubt because of what Jesus Christ has already done. The finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary makes righteousness a possibility. As a result, it is needless to play religion.

What is religion? This is man’s effort at reaching his Maker through personal means – regular attendance in worship places, praying many times a day, fasting, paying tithes, giving alms, having dreams that come true, being very active in church activities, financing church projects or single-handedly building worship places. Others include meditations and leadership positions in large and popular congregations. Pilgrimage to the holy place, dressing in particular ways, etc. (Isaiah 58:1-6; Matthew 23:5-7). Not that these activities in themselves are bad but engaging in them without the transformation brought about by faith in Christ’s atoning work only amounts to empty religion.

There is a vast difference between religion and righteousness: Religion, at its bests is based on externalities – what man does or does not do (Luke 18:10-12). Righteousness on the other hand is by faith (Romans 1:17). Religion makes an individual self-conceited. It is characterized by eye service, hypocrisy, earthly mindedness, vainglory, carnal comparison, and so on. Righteousness, however, promotes only the praise of God (Jude 1:16). Religion seeks to do good in order to entreat God’s favor; righteousness seeks to please God, not because of what is going to get from Him. Religion is largely based on traditions of men; righteousness operates mainly on the grace of God (Mark 7:8; Romans 3:24). Religion can only reform. It controls and modifies the outward man. Righteousness is a product of an inward transformation (Luke 11:39). Religion holds the religious bond; it’s a righteousness that liberates (Mark 7:1-15). Religion is an effort by man to be perfect, but righteousness is God’s nature imputed in man (Romans 4:6). Religion is temporal; righteousness is eternal (Psalm 119:142).

Very clearly then, what really counts is righteousness, not religion. It will therefore be an effort in futility to carry on in religion without the righteousness that comes from God. To have this righteousness, you must acknowledge that you cannot do it on your own. Then, through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, ask the Saviour to come into your heart and make you a new creature.

It is after this has been done that you too can be a partaker of ‘righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe’ (Romans 3:22).

THE HIGH COST OF SALVATION

p>The Bible describes the agony of Christ and His supreme sacrifice at Calvary as the price of our salvation, our passport into God’s presence, the propitiation for our sins, the peacemaker for our reconciliation, the power of the Christian life and the provider of our blessings. The suffering was dreadful, the sacrifice was overwhelming – so much that on the night of His betrayal He told three of His disciples, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38); and to the Father, He prayed, “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt…and being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:44).

Betrayed into the hands of his enemies by one of His disciples, denied by His foremost disciple and deserted by other disciples Jesus Christ was subjected to unjust and extremely painful trial s before the high priest, the Jewish council, Pilate and Herod; He endured cruel mockery, insults, scourging, and had a crown of thorns spitefully pressed upon His head. At Calvary his place of crucifixion, He was finally nailed to the cross to suffer unbearable pain until He bled to death.

Jesus Christ the son of God and our redeemer bore all the torture and anguish and, above all, the pain of separation from the Father at the time He bore the guilt of the human race. No wonder then that immediately He gave up the Ghost, the veil of the temple tore from top to bottom, the earth quaked, the rocks split, and graves opened (Matthew 27:51-52).

Jesus Christ paid the high price of salvation with His precious blood shed on the cross of Calvary. Nothing but His blood could atone for the grievous sins of mankind. Nothing else could have reconciled man to God. The prophet Isaiah declared the suffering Messiah to be absolute without fault. “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him… (and to) make his soul an offering for sin…” (Isaiah 53:10). Not until Jesus Christ knew He had endured the full measure of God’s judgment against our sins did He cry, “It is finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).

Sin separates people from the holy God and it will do so forever unless it is forgiven and washed away. And there is nothing we can do or any amount we can pay or any sacrifice we can offer that could ever atone for our guilt. But the joyful message of the gospel is that God, through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, has procured our salvation from sin, sanctification, and removal of Adamic nature, healing from sickness, victory over Satan and his demons as well as the assurance of answer to prayers.

Outside of Christ’s sacrifice, there’s no other sacrifice for sin. Every sinner that comes to God, repenting of his sins and exercising faith in Christ’s atonement will be saved (1 John1:8-9). As Spurgeon once said, “if you were to wash your soul in the Atlantic Ocean, you might incarnadine (taint) every wave that washes all its shores, and yet the crimson spots of your transgression would remain. But plunge into the “fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins,” and in an instant, you are whiter than snow. Every peck, spot, and stain of sin is gone, and gone forever.”

Sinner friend, what are you waiting for? The price of your salvation has been paid by the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid dearly so that you can be justified freely. Now pray and confess your sins, repent and ask Jesus to wash you clean with His atoning blood. Believe in Him today and you will be saved from the power and penalty of sin.

And if you are already saved, then take some time to solemnly recall what it cost your Lord to redeem you from the darkness of sin and the world. Ponder on the humiliation and suffering He went through just to make you what you are today; then let this deeper understanding stir you to a life of greater consecration and commitment to Him. The price of your salvation is very great. Do not despise it!

SELF DENIAL IN DESCIPLESHIP

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26) – KJV.

One of the conditions of discipleship mentioned by the Lord Jesus Christ is self denial. It is the first thing we must do before taking up the cross and following the Lord. Though self denial at times may seem difficult, it is a great source of blessings. Every Christian should resolve from the very beginning to whole-heartedly deny himself in accordance with the terms of his calling.

To deny self is the very opposite of pleasing self. We deny ourselves to please the Lord. We give up self glory and recognition that Christ may entirely be enthroned in us. We give up the right to live by our own rules to the will of God, His glory, and the salvation of man overrides self interest and pleasure. Self involves crucifying self, the old man and its interest. Like John, we decrease, so that Jesus can increase.

We are to deny ourselves to meet the needs of our brethren. Joyfully we give up our rights and comforts even where these will place them at a better advantage over us. We should constantly remind ourselves of the command: “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves… For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me: (Romans 15:1,3).

Self denial covers every aspect of our life. It was so with our Lord Jesus Christ and so it must be for anyone that longs to follow him perfectly. Self denial is not in relation to what is sinful and unlawful. No, those have been dealt with at the point of conversion. Self denial is in relationship to what is legitimate and lawful. It must be exercised in our eating, drinking, and dressing. Our desires and appetites must be brought under subjection.

We do not give the flesh all it craves for but the limit that is required so that the inward man may be properly nourished. We regulate our sleep, the way we spend our time and resources and our pattern of living so as not to lose sight of the purpose of our calling. The will of God becomes the first choice in everything we do. And any desire that conflicts with God’s will is immediately crucified. How wonderful it will be when every member of the church lives this glorious life of Christ daily in this present world. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

THE SUPERIORITY OF GRACE TO THE LAW

"Therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin…For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (Rom. 3:20, John 1:17). The book of the law was delivered to Moses by God and was defined for the Israelites how and when God would bless their nation based on their ability to keep the Law (Exodus 19:5) and obtain the righteousness of God which no one was able to attain. Whereas grace is the Hebrew word chanan or the Greek word Charis, meaning “the state of kindness and favor toward someone, often with a focus on a benefit given to the object.” (Strong’s Greek 5485). Grace is the plan of God from eternity past, and the truth is the doctrine that expresses it in time and this grace excludes man’s merit, ability, and talent.

The law is synonymous with Moses; grace is synonymous with our Lord Jesus Christ. Our relation to Christ is by faith in His atoning blood in the new covenant. Every unsaved man is under the law in that he’s seeking to establish a righteousness of his own rather than to accept God’s righteousness through Christ. To attempt to earn righteousness by keeping the Old Testament law or any other set of standards is to reject the principles of grace and salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though the Mosaic law was good, the main problem was that it was weak through the flesh. It told men what God require from them but could not empower them to obey it. But through the gospel of grace, the human nature of sin can be crushed, and the heart sanctified to obey God. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12).

For the non-Christians, the only power they possess is the power of their sinful nature and they are thus helpless and hopeless, lacking the required strength to keep the law. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4). We recall that Moses begged God to see “see his glory” (Exodus 33:18). God made it clear that Moses could not see the face of God (Exodus 33:20,23). This greater glory, which we (born again Christian) enjoy is the glory we see “In the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

“For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious… But we all, with open faces beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:11,18). The Spirit of God is the One who lifts the veil and enables us to behold the glory of God in the face of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the instrument by which the greater glory of Christ, and thus of the new covenant, is beheld. The Old Testament spoke of the New Covenant (Jeremiah (31:31-34) and of the ministry which the Holy Spirit would play in turning the hearts of stone into the hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19). It is the Spirit of God in us who mediates the presence of Christ to us, and Christ in us is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). This glory we experience in the measure now and in a greater measure than Moses. It is also the glory we shall experience to the full in eternity. Therefore, we are being transformed from (present) glory to (ultimate) glory. This hope of glory gives us great boldness in our proclamation of the gospel.

Finally, God's grace is truly amazing and glorious. Not only does it provide for our salvation, it enables us to live an abundant life in Jesus Christ. It is faith in Christ that is sufficient to save sinners from their sins.

WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?

Exodus 32:25-28; “And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men”. There are two sides to a coin, as well as two sides to many things in life, such as good or bad, saints and sinners, righteous or unrighteous, heaven or hell. Likewise, there’s the side of the kingdom of God and kingdom of Satan.

Those in God’s kingdom are saved by grace with manifestation of the fruit of spirit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22). But those on the side of Satan are filled with the work of the flesh and bad characters – rebellions, cheating, disobedience, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, and revelling (Galatians 5:19-21).

We need to understand that those on the side of Satan will go and live in hell with him forever. You don’t need to worry if you are on the Lord’s side, heaven is guaranteed if you remain and continue in the Lord. Now, let me ask you the same question Moses asked the children of Israel. “Whose side are you today? Are you on the side of God? Have you repented of your sins, Is your sins washed in the blood of the Lamb? Remember that God is not willing that all should perish but every one to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9-10). For you to be on the side of God’s righteousness, you must be born again by turning away from sins through genuine repentance (Acts 17:30; John 3:3,7), accept and confess Jesus Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9-10).

“Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band… (Likewise, Jesus said) If ye love me, keep my commandments” (1 Chronicles 12:18; Matthew 12:30).

THE TRUE LOVE OF GOD

"Charity (love) never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away" (1 Corinthians 13:8). The love of God for humanity is unconditional. He loved us even when we were unlovable. God always loves us regardless of one’s condition. It is love that made God to give His only begotten Son for the salvation of the world. Through this love, Christ "endure the cross, despising the shame. And in 1 John 4:8 the Bible says God is love. The attribute of God is love; this is the true love of God that overflows from a pure heart. “God loves us. God loves us so much He sent His Son in the world to die on the cross to provide an atonement for sin.” God does not love us because we’re so lovable. we are not, we are despicable, vile sinners, who, if we are not saved by the grace of God, will be thrown on the trash heap of eternal damnation in hell.

There is that love of God that Scripture clearly shows us is general, unconditional, universal, unlimited, indiscriminate, and that it extends to all people in all times. It is what Titus 3:4 refers to as God’s love for mankind. This love is God’s way of showing Himself to man through man. Love is more action than words. In other words, Love is seen in actions, words, and even in facial expressions. If we claim to love God whom we don’t see, we can equally love men whom we see. To live is to love, to love is to live.

Love makes life worth living. Loving people genuinely is a selfless act. Love is the first and the greatest commandment. As true followers of Christ, true love of God builds homes and sustains marriages and other relationships. Love does not delight in fault-finding, resentful, and criticisms because "love cover the multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). Lack of this true love of God in the heart leads to tragedies like jealousy, animosity, hatred, divorce, murder, suicide, war, and so on. Love is not lust, which leads to sensual, unclean behaviors, and practices that bring God's judgment (Ephesians 5:2-7).

It is very important to know that you can not have the true love of God without genuine salvation from sin. Our hearts must be regenerated and be made pure because the heart of man is the engine of the soul that generates all thought, desire, emotion, and action. When we become born again, our heart is filled with the love of God. This love is the first fruit of the Spirit that anchors the other virtues we possess at salvation. In Galatians 5: 22-23 (KJV), "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law". Love is pure, incorruptible, and harmless in thought, disposition, intention, feeling, action, attitude, disposition, and response. "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: " (1 Peter 2:21). Therefore, let us follow the steps of Christ and love like him.