THEME: Understanding Salvation: Inheriting Incorruptible Nature
LESSON: Seven
TOPIC: Obedience unto a Hope that Transcends the Hope of Flesh (Old Man/The Present World)
TEXT: Romans 1:5; Hebrews 3:6; 1 Corinthians 15:19; Ephesians 1:17-18; 1 Peter 1:1-3
MEMORY TRACK:
In our last lesson, we learned by the grace of God that the gospel of Christ (not just a good message/sermon that brings help to saints from the scriptures) is the only gospel/doctrine that commits the Holy Spirit to lead a saint in the direction of them breaking free from the hold of the flesh/old man/law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2), and while this is being done, a saint is best positioned to get rid of the flesh and its deceitful works/fruits. We saw that dealing with the old man is another way of saying, A SOUL SHOULD GROW UP TO BECOMING LIKE CHRIST/PUTTING ON CHRIST (Colossians 3:10, Ephesians 4:14-15).
In continuing our study of Understanding Salvation: Inheriting Incorruptible Nature, we will now be looking at how the doctrine of Christ (Hebrews 6:1) practically relates to the salvation of the soul or formation of the new man in the soul (Galatians 4:19).
Obedience of the Faith of Christ (Romans 1:5)
The key and most important ingredient for the making of the new man in the soul of one who is hearing and exposed to the gospel of Christ IS OBEDIENCE.
This obedience is ‘obedience to the revealed LIFE OF CHRIST’ that the Holy Ghost reveals only to a saint who has been exposed to, and taught the revelation of the gospel of Christ (Ephesians 1:17-18; Romans1:5). While there are leadings of The Holy Spirit that come to every child of God in almost every area of their lives depending on their walk with God (and such leadings and dealings are faith leadings initiated by The Holy Spirit, milk faith in particular), the leadings that Romans 1:5 is speaking of is somewhat different, and specifically reserved for those who are in the economy of the gospel of Christ (John 21:18).
What is the faith of Christ? (Philippians 3:9, 1st Timothy 3:13)
The Faith of Christ ‘is the life of Christ, the revealed life of Christ.’ Put another way, the faith of Christ is the revealed lifestyle of Christ which comes at life junctions in the journey of a child of God to become a Man in Christ (Ephesians 4:13).
This life being spoken of is not THE REVELATION/MYSTERY OF CHRIST (Ephesians 1:17-18; Ephesians 3:3), which is a must and prerequisite for the Holy Spirit to now lead us by faith. This Faith is the RHEMA word (Romans 10:17; Ephesians 5:26) that a child who’s exposed to the gospel of Christ needs to bear the fruit and life of the gospel he/she heard and hears. This same principle of the rhema word is well known and used at the milk level of faith, for healing of bodies, provisions, believing God for supernatural intervention, etc. But the real context of the use of this faith according to the epistles is for the saving of our souls. Hallelujah!
It’s good to say the following about this faith:
- The standards of God in Christ are what this faith comes to reveal to one who’s in the economy of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16-17)
- This standard/righteousness of God can and doth affects every aspect and phase of our natural lives and endeavours. Christ always has His own standard (2nd Timothy 2:19)
- This faith is as revealed (witnessed in our spirits by the Holy Spirit, impressed upon our souls by the Holy Spirit, subjective guidance about our lives by the same Holy Ghost, etc.). It is not a formula or human calculation (Romans 8:14-16)
- This faith is a sin purging, nature of satan or old man deleting faith (Romans 8:13; Romans 14:23)
Obedience unto a Hope that Transcends the Hope of Flesh (Old Man or The Present World)
What makes the faith, life, or leadings of the Son of God unique from every other expression of faith (even faiths that the Holy Spirit leads Babes and Children of God) is that the anchor, THE HOPE of this faith, is nothing of this world. No other faith is as pure, refined, separated from this present world (or flesh) as the Faith of Christ (1 Peter 1:22; 1 Peter 1:7).
The reasons for this faith look stupid to a carnal Christian, because it does not seem to make sense (1st Corinthians 2:14). This Faith is not a faith to make a Christian “go to heaven” or become rich in terms of material acquisition (successful or great etc), it is just a faith to produce THE NEW MAN in the soul of a child of God, and in doing this, the old man is concurrently at the same time being destroyed (Ephesians 4:20-24; Ephesians 3:16-19). This Faith is a mystery that prayers have to be constantly said for utterance to be granted, for it to be painted, made manifest (Ephesians 6:18-20).
This faith of Christ is what we, as God’s Children, are called to come to obey in order to inherit the salvation that is in Christ. Halleluyah!