THEME: Spiritual Growth: Understanding The Whats and Hows of Growing Up unto God’s Life in our Souls
LESSON: Five
TOPIC: The Gospel Of Christ: Examining Precepts and Lines
TEXT: Galatians 2:20; Romans 1:16-17; 1st Peter 1:10-11; Romans 10:17; Isaiah 28:9-10
MEMORY TRACK:
In our last study, we learned that the coming of Jesus set the correct direction for man’s growth back to God. Directional growth is not accidental. It is intentional, Christ-centered, Spirit-led, and Word-rooted. We saw that the purpose of directional growth is restoration from grass to glory, from weakness to sonship, and from subjection to dominion. Growth in Christ follows divine progression: from Milk to Meat and to Strong Meat (Isaiah 28:9; Hebrews 5:12–15; Colossians 2:2). A healthy milk child is recognized by healthy spiritual habits. Just as the seven deacons in Acts 6 were easily identified as men full of the Spirit and wisdom, spiritual health is visible.
FAITH DEFINED
Faith has been an ancient landmark from Genesis (Hebrews 11:3). Faith is the legal tender of relating with God (Hebrews 11:6, Romans 14:23); it is God’s currency of life expression. It is the litmus test to prove that one is alive or living (Romans 1:17, Hebrews 10:38). In Genesis chapter 1:27-28 God created man’s spirit and soul, and God blessed man and said unto him, “Be fruitful and multiply, have dominion.” The dominion life or the reigning life, is the life of righteousness (Romans 5:17), and righteousness is made known through faith (Romans 1:17). So, God blessed the man He created with a faith life/righteousness. This blessing is the similitude of the faith of Christ.
The New Testament teaching of faith did not just suddenly emerge; it is a similitude of what God called blessing in Genesis 1:27-28. When God made man in Genesis 1, He put blessings upon them (blessing/life/faith) in their souls (Ephesians 1:3). That blessing is what the New Testament calls the faith message, Romans 4:1-12, Mark 12:24-27, and Psalm 133:3. God blesses a man through the faith gene and by so doing makes such a man live.
THE MEAT OF THE WORD (GOSPEL OF CHRIST/WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS/FAITH OF THE SON)
(Isaiah 28:1-8, Hebrews 5:12-14, Galatians 2:20)
The Faith of the Son, which is the life of the Son, is given for to inherit the Son (Acts 26:18, Ephesians 1:14, Ephesians 5:5). The reason for all the gospels from milk to strong meat in the New Testament is given to put the persons of The God-head in our souls, God’s people (Matthew 28:18, Ephesians 1:13-14, Ephesians 2:20-22). That in itself is an audacious ambition by the God-head! Hallelujah!
But for this to come to reality, principles are laid out for the project of man inheriting God’s life to become a reality (Romans 10:13-17). This project is made possible by a systematic dispensing of the gospel (Isaiah 28:9) by laying precepts upon precepts and line upon line. Notice Isaiah said Precepts must be upon Precepts. Precepts are revelational knowledge of Christ that is imparted into the soul through preaching and teaching for the enlightening of Saints and God’s children (Ephesians 1:16-18). It is the systematic arrangement of the life structures that are in God.
WHAT ARE PRECEPTS?
Precepts are the knowledge of God expounded upon and revealed through scriptures by the Holy Ghost through the Spirit of Wisdom and understanding/revelation (1 Corinthians 2:13).
Note: Precepts are not just any and/or every illuminating light from Scripture. (which lights may not be evil or bad) God gives various kinds of illuminations through the scriptures by The Holy Spirit that are not exactly the knowledge of Himself (say lights on healing, financial prosperity, Church growth, breaking curses, keys from scriptures to breaking delays in marriage, breaking barrenness, etc.). Those illuminations are not evil, but they are not just what the Bible refers to as KNOWLEDGE/KNOWLEDGE OF HIM (Isaiah 28:9). The knowledge of Him is what the Prophets in the Old Testament and Apostles that wrote scriptures in the New Testament referred to as PRECEPTS! While the word “precepts” is not expressly used in the New Testament, “KNOWLEDGE” is continually used (Ephesians 1:17; Colossians 1:9-10).
Many Christians are ever learning and yet not being able to come to the knowledge of the truth/precepts (2 Timothy 3:7).
While there is nothing wrong with any other illuminations or emphasis, The Lord sends or has sent us through His men/ministers who have brought to us, His Church, various provisions of truths over the years. But according to His will, His timing, and His sovereignty (because we are nothing in ourselves and are not better to be seeing and hearing the things that we are hearing), the Mercies of God that has found us in this generation and have raised for us Rev. Kayode and Rev. Mrs. Helen Oyegoke to see more. These other emphases/truths are not the original reasons or minds behind the writings of scriptures, be it in the Old Testament or New Testament. The reason for the scriptures/Bible is to, first of all, know God through His knowledge, which is called PRECEPTS.