– Pastor Bimbo Animashaun
A sound believer will be able to reconcile the prospects of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross (which is the basis for the release of God’s Grace) with clear-cut New Testament instructions.
You can confess all the benefits of Grace till “Thy Kingdom Come” but if you violate specific instructions in the New Testament, it will be an exercise in futility.
No, it is not “works”; it is adherence through faith to New Testament injunctions.
Your obedience to divine instructions as spelt out in the New Testament is the proof of your faith in what Christ has has done for us, and as such you walk in the tangible manifestations of Redemption privileges, not just spluttering out rhetorics.
You can confess long life and wellness till eternity (which of course are part of our Redemption privileges) but if you don’t HONOUR your parents or the elderly ones, you’re only speaking into the air.
EPHESIANS 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right.
Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
That’s the Apostle who brought forth the revelation of Grace to the Church talking.
No other person better expounded the finished works of Christ like Paul, yet he said to HONOUR your parents so that it may be well with you and so that you may live long on the earth.
It will be foolhardy for anyone to say that Paul was advocating “the Gospel of works”.
Ultimately all things that pertain to life and godliness are brought forth by Grace but New Testament instructions are the vital keys that the believer operates by faith to experience them tangibly.
For instance, I have seen those who confess financial and material prosperity over and over again but they live in the woods financially because they simply don’t follow the New Testament instruction on Giving.
You see, GIVING is not what makes you prosperous; it is what Christ did on the Cross – 2 Cor.8:9, Rev. 5:12 but GIVING is the New Testament key operated by faith to experience the tangibility of financial and material prosperity.
You can’t be a stingy believer and claim to have the revelation of God’s Grace.
A GRACE-CONSCIOUS BELIEVER IS AN EVER-EXCITED GIVER because he knows that there’s nothing we have that we have not received – 1Cor.4:7.
Your GIVING is the corresponding action following your faith profession in the finished works of Christ, and when you give, you experience all sufficiency in all things.
2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-7
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so LET HIM GIVE; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.
Having given based on faith rooted in the revelation of God’s Word, it now says:
2 CORINTHIANS 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound unto every good work.
The thought in verse 8 is that God honours your faith-based act of giving and makes His Grace abound more and more towards you so that you can GIVE MORE – you can help other people who are in dire need.
A lot of people quote verse 8 copiously without obeying the instruction in verse 7 and they wonder whether Grace is real or it is a scam.
But dear friend, I’m glad to announce to you that GRACE IS NOT A SCAM; it is an ETERNAL REALITY.
The lacuna has been that New Testament instructions have been neglected while calling obedience to them “works”.
But no; it isn’t; FAITH-BASED OBEDIENCE TO NEW TESTAMENT INSTRUCTIONS IS THE PASSWORD TO ENJOY ALL THAT THE FATHER HAS PROVIDED FOR US IN CHRIST.
So, when we teach on HONOUR, we’re not hero worshipping anyone; it is God’s Word.
When we teach on GIVING, we’re not scamming God’s precious people or cajoling them or playing pranks on them, it is God’s Word.
It is not every Pastor that tells God’s people to give that is robbing them.
That’s a big lie from the pit of hell irrespective of whosoever propounds that idea.
GIVING IS SCRIPTURAL. Its abuse by some will not cancel the “SCRIPTURALNESS” of it.
When we teach OBEDIENCE BY FAITH to New Testament instructions, we’re not saying that we are saved by works. No No No. It’s far from it!
Reconciling the finished works of Christ with clear-cut New Testament instructions and injunctions is at the heart of BALANCED BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY.
I hope this made little sense Sirs and Mas?
Peace!!!
Aphorism CITY 