[Paulpraze]

My Response to Femionas.
I would like to begin by pointing out something very important that you mentioned about the refusal to forgive as a pitfall of the subtlety of legalism.
Indeed, this is one area where a lot of believers unsuspectingly fall into legalism.
Basically, one’s refusal to forgive another person of a suffered wrong implies, that the other person in question is undeserving of forgiveness. The danger in taking such a stand is that, it presupposes, that we have been able to somehow, live our lives in such a way, that we have been able to at least, deserve the forgiveness of God in the places were we may have come short.
The subtlety here is that, refusing to forgive others has put us in the position of judge, and we can therefore determine who deserves forgiveness or not, based on the gravity of the offense, or the effect of such an offense on us.
This is why some believes would rather see a sinner or a witch for example die, than have them be forgiven. Those who pray for their enemies to die also fall into this trap. It is difficult for them to see that the same grace that has appeared unto them and saved them is also available to even their worst enemies.
Ultimately, there seems to be the belief, that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is not sufficient for the salvation of certain kinds of sinners.
Lastly, on the issue of avoiding certain portions of scripture, it is my persuasion, that a proper understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, will give us such an understanding of all of scripture, that we come to the realization, that Christ was always the plan of God, and that even the law was never intended to be a means of salvation, but to point us to Christ. Romans 3:20-24, Galatians 3:24-25.

[Paulpraze]

THE SUBLETY OF LEGALISM

According to the English dictionary, legalism can he defined as;
1. strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.
2. the practice of following the law very closely, especially by paying more attention to rules and details than to the intentions behind them:
3. (Theology) the doctrine that salvation is gained through good works.
From all of the above definitions, it can be seen that, the idea or concept of legalism is the belief that a person, through his or her own good works, can somehow merit salvation. It suggests that man has the capacity to earn God’s forgiveness, grace and favor. However, nothing can be farther from the truth.
Legalism clearly underestimates God’s standards, overestimates man’s capacity and therefore assumes that man, in himself can meet God’s standard of righteousness and therefore earn his salvation.
The word subtle can be defined according to the English dictionary as making use of clever and indirect methods to achieve something. not loud, bright, noticeable, or obvious in any way:
The idea here therefore is, that legalism can usually be difficult to detect, especially in our own selves.
In Galatians 2:21, the Apostle Paul makes it clear, that legalism is the enemy of God’s grace. The notion that one can earn righteousness or salvation from God frustrates God’s grace.
It is therefore important for the believer who will experience God’s grace in his or her life, to understand this subtlety of legalism and how to avoid this pitfall.
HOW CAN A BELIEVER FALL INTO LEGALISM?
1. Failure to know and be conscious of the truth that how we receive Christ is how we go on walking in Him. Galatians 2:6.
In chapter 3 of Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia, he describes this failure as being bewitched. These believers had clearly began in the spirit by the hearing of faith, but somehow, felt the need to do more than walk by faith, to continue their walk with the Lord. The Apostle describes this as foolishness.
2. In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells a profound parable that shows us how a believer can fall into legalism without even realizing it. In this story, we find that the quarrel of the first set of employees with Jesus was based on the assumption or notion that they deserved more pay because they had done more work than the other sets of employees. Interestingly, these guys were paid what was agreed but were upset with the employer for being gracious to the others who were now getting as much as these first set of workers were getting.
Sometimes, there are people amongst us that may experience certain works of God in their lives, that may provoke such notions in our heart. We somehow belief, that these people should not yet be having such experiences of God’s favor in their lives.
What we may not realize however, is that such a though is rooted in legalism because the idea is that such people have not done enough to earn such favors and miracles from God.
HOW CAN A BELIEVER AVOID THIS PITTFALL?
1. Paul’s letter to the Galatian church is very instructive in dealing with legalism. What he does is simple, yet powerful to this effect. The Apostle simply reminded this church of how they begin their walk with God. This was basically the whole point of the this letter. It was a reminder of the gospel.
The instruction for us here was beautifully captured by C H Spurgeon when he said that “The most important daily habit we can possess is to remind ourselves of the gospel”. A clear understanding of the gospel, and a constant reminding ourselves of the same is key to avoiding the pitfall of legalism and its subtlety.
2. From the story in Matthew 20:1-16, we also need to avoid the assumption that what we deserve is based on what we do, rather than in what Christ has done i.e. the graciousness of God. If it will be by grace, then it must be by faith, and not our own merit. If it will be grace, then it can not be by our own work.

[Paulpraze]

MY REPLY TO BEN

Firstly, the church is generally believed to have began on the day of Pentecost in the upper room, where the disciples of Jesus received the promise of the Spirit after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If this is true, can this angelic ministry of encouragement in Acts 1 can be classified as being to the early church?
Secondly, I believe that it is a great blessing to know as you have pointed out, that, no matter the danger we may face in our pursuit of God, He will always provide us with deliverance. It is a blessing indeed that we have angels as ministering spirits for us who are heirs of salvation.
Furthermore, it is another blessing indeed to know, that God answers us as a local Church when we pray together. Some of the response to Peter upon seeing him out prison suggests, that there were some who may have doubted. However, in spite of this, God answers their prayer and delivers Peter.
Finally, the Lord is our Shepherd indeed, and He knows how to communicate with us His children. He knows exactly how to reach us, guide us and instruct us. In the stories you reference, God uses angels to provide guidance and instructions to His people. He thought it to be the best way to reach these people in that particular time and He did so. God’s course of action are always the best possible.

[Paulpraze]

THE ROLES OF ANGELS IN THE EARLY CHURCH AS SEEN IN THE BOOK OF ACTS
The role or ministry of angels in the early church can be seen as recorded in the books on a number of occasions. These works of angels can be said to have been very vital to the establishment and advancement of the early Church.
The following are instances of the roles of angels in the early as recorded in the book of Acts.
1. Deliverance from prison. Acts 5:16-19. The Apostles here had been thrown in prison for preaching and healing in the name of Jesus, defying an earlier instruction from the high priest and his cohort, not to preach the Gospel in the name of Jesus Christ. These men had been imprisoned for choosing to follow Christ’s command rather than men’s and at whatever cost. The cost on this occasion was imprisonment. But while they were there, an angel of the Lord, came by night, and opened their prison door, just like the angel, rolling away the stone at the tomb of Jesus. The Apostles were once more free.
Another angelic ministry of deliverance from prison is recorded in Acts 12. The story involved the arrest of the Apostle Peter after the arrest and murder of James the brother of John. It would seem, that Herod’s intention was to kill Peter. We are told in verse 5 of the prayer of the church for Peter. God answered the prayer of the church on behalf of Peter by sending an angel to execute his deliverance. Acts 12:7-11.
2. Divine guidance. In the same story of Acts 5, not only did the angel free the Apostles from prison, they also received divine guidance and instruction from God through the angel. Acts 5:19-21.
Another instance of divine guidance through angels is recorded in Acts 8:26-38. On this occasion, it was deacon Phillip, who had received this guidance from the angel of the Lord, and his obedience to this leading, led to the salvation of an Ethiopian eunuch, which most likely led to spread of the Gospel to Ethiopia.
Also, another interesting even is found in Acts 10. In this story, an angel appears and gives instruction to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, which ultimately led to the visit of the Apostle Peter, who had seen a vision and had been instructed by the HolySpirit. The Gospel was preached to Cornelius and his household and they were baptised in the HolySpirit. The appearance of the angel to Cornelius, and the subsequent obedience that followed would lead to the confirmation of the vision that Peter had seen. Acts 10:1-22.
In summary, angels were used by God in the early church to minister both deliverance and guidance to His people, for the purpose of the advancement of the Church and His honour and glory.
The same is very much possible with us today. It is our heritage as heirs of salvation and joint-heirs with Christ. Hallelujah!!!

[Paulpraze]

TWO INSTANCES OF THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S GRACE IN MY LIFE
In our study on God’s grace as the source of our salvation, we saw six different meanings of grace. All of these definitions reveal different aspects of this incredible grace of God that we are blessed to enjoy in our lives.
The first manifestation I want to discuss is the manifestation of God’s grace that brought me into Christ, and this is significant for me.
For people like me, who were literally born in church and grew up in church, it can be very difficult to come to the point where one recognises his or her need for the Saviour. It really is difficult to view one’s self as a sinner in the light of one’s supposed commitment to God and the ‘church’ that one belongs to. I learnt to do what was expected of me, learnt to behave in a certain way, and received the approval and commendations of people around me that confirmed my “goodness”. So you see, the idea of being a sinner never really came through, both because the Gospel was not being preached as it should have and also because I considered myself to be a “good” person.
It is such a profound manifestation of God’s grace to me, that God was able to get me to the point of truly surrendering to Christ and understanding the condition that I was in as a sinner. To be able to appreciate salvation, having lived the kind of “good” life that I had lived before salvation, is indeed to me, a profound manifestation of God’s grace in my life. Ephesians 2:1-9, Philippians 3:3-9.
Secondly, one of the definitions of grace that we looked at, was concerning God’s willingness to use His power on our behalf, even when we do not deserve it and I have seen God, in my life and the lives of others, use His power graciously on our behalf, even when we did not deserve it, to wrought miracles for us, particularly as regards the healing of our bodies.
Sometime ago, I noticed this pain and irritation in my right eye. I did not even know when and how it started. I just prayed about it and trusted God. Recently, I noticed that the pain and irritation had gone. I did not even know when the healing occurred. Jesus healed me. Isaiah 53:4-5, Ephesians 1:19-23, 1 Peter 2:24. God is gracious indeed and abounds to me everyday of my life.

[Paulpraze]

MY REPLY TO SOTON

The importance of the renewal of the mind and the consequent transformation that it leads to cannot be overemphasised.
When the rubber meets the road, the difference between a growing believer and a stagnant believer comes down to this very important matter of the renewal of the mind. The difference in the experience of two believers will be determined by the renewal of their minds. The one that minds the Spirit will experience life and peace, while the one that minds the flesh, though alive in the spirit, will still experience death.
One of the believer’s biggest needs will be that of a mind renewal.

[Paulpraze]

MY REPLY TO SOTON

Two major observations I’d like to make here.
First, I would have loved to know more of your thoughts on how the variety of meanings of the word soul is partly responsible for the divergent views on the origin of the soul.
Secondly, you did not take a stand or position on the matter of the origin of the soul.

[Paulpraze]

MY REPLY TO BEN

I particularly like the quote from Pearlman that you used as the basis for your stand on the matter.
It is my belief, that the idea that souls may come from parents does not necessarily mean that God is not their Creator.
So yes, God creates every soul but through the agency of parents.
Pearlman’s suggestion of a cooperation between God and parents makes the most sense to me as well.

[Paulpraze]

THE ORIGIN OF THE SOUL
There are two main schools of thought or views concerning the origin of the soul in Christianity (Creationism and Traducianism) but there are three views generally.

CREATIONISM.
This school of thought believe, that the soul of every human being is an immediate creation of God. In other words, God creates each soul ex nihilo, and incarnates it or fuses the created soul with the body of the human that has been formed by his or her parents at conception. Hence, every person’s soul comes directly from God and has nothing to do with the parents involves. They believe, that such Scriptures as Numbers 16:22, Ecclesiastes 12:7, Isaiah 42:5, 57:16, Jeremiah 1:5, Zechariah 12:1 and Hebrews 12:9, can only be interpreted as meaning or implying a direct and immediate creation of the soul by God.

Some Arguments for Creationism
1. This concept is more consistent with the original account of creation as seen in Genesis 2:7. We see from this account that the body and the soul are made separately, first the body without life and then the soul coming into being, the body taken from the earth, and the soul coming directly from God.
2. It is also more consistent with the immaterial and spiritual nature of man’s soul. This nature of the soul means that it is indivisible and can therefore, not be a product of separation or division of essence according to traducianism.
Some Arguments against Creationism
1. According to the creationist, the parents of a child are only responsible for the formation of the body of the child and not its soul. This implies, that Creationism does not therefore, account for the resemblance not just of physical appearance of a child and its parents but of mental and moral traits. It is unable to explain how a child, whose soul has nothing to do with its parents, can have such resemblance with them mentally and morally.
2. If the soul is a direct and immediate creation of God, and the depravity of man is acknowledged, this would mean therefore, that God is responsible for depravity in man, it makes God the source of moral evil. It has neither answer nor explanation therefore for original sin.
3. It is not consistent with God’s present relationship to the world. God is no longer involved in the immediate and direct creation of anything. His work of creation is now done through secondary causes.

TRADUCIANISM
This is the belief that God is the Creator of the soul, but through the media of the parents. It holds, that the soul, along with the body, is formed at conception. Each soul is therefore, a product of the action of human parents as God’s channel of creation. This school of thought holds, that God rested from his work of creation. Genesis 2:1-3, 46:26-27, Exodus 1:5, Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:12-13, 1 Corinthians 15:22, Hebrews 7:9-10.

Some Arguments for Traducianism
1. The Scriptures referred to above by creationists as meaning a direct and immediate creative work of God may not be a true argument. This is because, whether God creates immediately and directly or creates through secondary causes, God is still the Creator. Hence, the fact that these Scriptures talk about spirit and soul as being created by God should not and cannot be taken as authoritatively meaning a direct and immediate creative work of God. The fact that the body is a product of the parents does not mean that it was not created by God. Plants and animals produce after their own, yet, this does not mean that God is not their creator. The propagation of the human race became man’s responsibility after our first parents were created directly by God. Genesis 1:26-28.
2. According to passages like Genesis 46:26 and Hebrews 7:9-10, descendants are in the loins of their fathers. Not just the body, but the person. These passages say nothing about descendants being in the loins of their mothers.
3. Original sin or moral and spiritual depravity is explained. It is inherited through the father of the descendant and not the mother, hence the need for Jesus’s virgin birth by Mary. This is the logical follow-up from the previous point.
4. The inheritance of family traits and moral similarities is also an argument for the traducianist point of view here.

Some Arguments against Traducianism
1. It is inconsistent with the philosophical doctrine of the simplicity of the soul, in that it suggests a derivation of essence, which is clearly opposed to the indivisible nature of the soul.
2. It is based on the idea that God only now creates in the world through secondary causes. This idea however, gives no explanation for the regeneration of man at salvation.

There is a third school of thought called PRE-EXISTENTIALISM.
This is the belief that souls were created by God even before the earth was created and that God then unites the soul with the body in its mother’s womb at conception. This school of thought has no scriptural support whatsoever and given no serious attention in Christian circles.

In conclusion, both the creationist and traducianist view of the origin of the soul have questions and difficulties that need to be resolved. However, with the knowledge that is available to us at the moment, I am inclined to favour the traducianist view of the origin of the soul. This view appears to me to be more in keeping with Scriptures on the order of creation, a holistic view of all Scriptures involved, the question of original sin as well as family traits and resemblance. The traducianist view seems to me to have better and more satisfactory answers and less difficulties.

[Paulpraze]

There are different benefits or blessings for the believer, that a proper or biblical understanding of sin brings.
Firstly, a proper understanding of the fact of sin, leads to a deep appreciation of the grace of God and the gift of salvation, and ultimately the worship or fear or reverence of God. It produces such a wonder and awe in us toward the God who has shown us such mercy and grace.
Secondly, a biblical understanding of sin leads to a deep appreciation for the forgiveness of sin and the gift of righteousness in Christ Jesus our Lord. Those who trivialise sin do not understand what forgiveness really means. They are hardly moved or touched by the idea that their sins have been forgiven.
Lastly, an unbiblical view of sin will lead to a lack of transformation in a believer’s life. If we do not understand for example, that the sin nature is no longer the problem of the new creature in Christ Jesus but an unrenewed mind, then, such a believer would ultimately conform to the world. They would wrongly think or believe, that they are helpless and hopeless towards whatever sin they may be struggling with as a believer.
Men like David understood these things. They understood sin and therefore had such a high regard and appreciation for God and His gift of forgiveness. Psalm 32:1-2, Psalm 130:4. (Romans 12:1, Ephesians 2:1-4).
THREE FACTS OF SIN
1. Sin is a fact. Sin is not an “error of the mortal mind” according to Christian science, neither is it a mere heritage of our “animal ancestors” according to evolution theories, nor is it non-existent according to atheists. It is also not an infirmity according to determinists, who present man as a slave to his circumstances, thereby robbing man of his free will, neither is it something to be sugar coated and trivialised according to hedonists, who believe that man’s goal in life is to pleasure himself and encourages him to yield to every and any kind of temptation. Sin is a fact.
2. God did not create or originate sin. God is not the source of sin. All that God created were, by His own standards, very good. Genesis 1:31. Sin originates in the garden of Eden at the fall of man. Despite opposing ideas like the cosmic dualism that presupposes that good and evil are self-existent and eternal cosmic forces that have always been at war, and that sin has always existed, or beliefs like the finiteness of man and the sensuous nature of man that seem to seek to exonerate man from being responsible for his sin, the biblical understanding of sin is that it began with the fall of man in Eden. God is good, always good and only good. Hallelujah!
3. The sin nature. Often, sin is limited to being just actions that men carry out or things that men do. Sin however, is more that just an action. It is first and foremost a nature, an essence, a constitution. It is the thing that makes a sinner a sinner. His essence and constitution is that of sin. Matthew 7:17.
This means therefore, that for expressions or actions of sin to be dealt with, the nature of sin must be dealt with first. Romans 6:5-14. And this brings me to my next point on the positive impact of knowing this truth on my Christian walk.
POSITIVE IMPACT
Because sin is a nature, and because that nature of sin has been removed and that the old man, which is the sin nature, has been crucified with Christ, I know that sin no longer has rule or dominion over me like it did before I was recreated in Christ Jesus. I know now, that I have the choice and ability in Christ to not sin. The sinner is driven by his sin nature to sin (Ephesians 2:1-3) but I am no longer dead in sin and trespasses. I have been made alive unto God in Christ Jesus my Lord.
This means, that when temptation comes, I have a choice and I am empowered by God’s Spirit to walk away from it. I have a new Master and I am no longer a slave to sin.
As a believer, who has new life in Christ Jesus, I only need to renew my mind in order to deal with any acts of sin in my life so that my life does not conform with the world.
I have found it to be so in my life, that the more of God’s word I ingest, the more like Christ I become experientially.

[Paulpraze]

GOD’S CHANGE OF MIND CONCERNING SOMETHING HE HAD DONE OR DECIDED TO DO
It has been thoroughly established in the course of this lecture that God is immutable. This means that God cannot change, neither for the better nor for the worse because He is perfect and self-existent. It simply is impossible for our heavenly Father to experience change. He is always the same.
However, it also must be said, that the immutability of God concerns His character, purpose, and promise but His dealings with men or action per time with men may change. This change in His dealings or actions per time with men actually seeks to protect the immutability of His character, purposes and promises and does not contradict it. It also seeks to give mankind the opportunity to experience God as He truly is despite their own mutability. In other words, God adapts to mankind in His dealings with them in order to be unchanging and to give them the chance to experience His unchanging character, purpose and promises. Hallelujah!!! Isn’t our God just wonderful?
An examples of this glorious truth.
One of the most common or popular example of this is found in Genesis 6. Due to man’s state of wickedness, evil and sinfulness, we are told that God “repented” that He made man. This repentance led the event of the flood of Noah’s day.
We know from Scriptures, that God’s purpose for man before time began was for man to be christlike. (Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 1:3-4, etc.). However, from God’s perspective, the state of man had become too far removed from God’s purpose for man. Therefore, in order for God’s purpose to be preserved and fulfilled, it was necessary for the change of mind and consequent flood of Noah. There are different events or outcomes that may have occurred without the flood, but God, in His wisdom, chose the flood as the best means to preserve and ultimately achieve His purpose for mankind.
Noah found grace in God’s sight. He believed God and therefore received the opportunity from God to be saved by God from the flood alongside anybody else who believed. Hence, God was able to preserve His purpose and gave mankind the chance to experience it.
It is important to mention here, that God’s action of judgement (2 Peter 2:4-6) in this event does not contradict His nature because His judgement is always just and righteous. We may not see or understand it but so nonetheless. His conversation with Abraham in Genesis 18 is a clear proof of this. Abraham, at the end of the day, soon came to know what God already knew about the people of that city, that there was none righteous save Abraham, therefore his destruction of the city was just.
It is also important to note that while this action of God was judgement, it was underpinned by His immutable love for mankind and His purpose (salvation for mankind).
Oh the incredible wisdom of our heavenly Father!!!

[Paulpraze]

THE CONVICTION OF THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
A good example of this conviction ministry of the Holy Spirit can be found in Acts 2. After the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the consequent gathering, misunderstanding (in thinking that the disciples were drunk) and amazement of the people, Peter preached to the Jews who were present and had come from all over the world to celebrate Pentecost. Peter begins his sermon by clearing their misunderstanding about the events that they were witnessing as a fulfilment of a prophecy from Joel 2, then he goes on to present Christ to them. And in Acts 2:37, we are told that they were pricked in their hearts. This pricking of the heart is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
THREE THINGS THAT THIS EVENT PROVES
Firstly, Christ is faithful. Before Jesus’ ascension, He promised His followers that He would send the Holy Spirit and that He – the Holy Spirit, would convict the world of sin because of unbelief. John 16:7-11. In Acts 2, after Christ’s ascension, in the upper room, the fulfilment of this promise made by Christ was fulfilled. Not only did the Holy Spirit come, we see Him doing precisely what Christ said He would do upon His arrival. This event, among other events, show that Christ’s words are yea and Amen indeed. His words can never and will never fall to the ground. They surely will accomplish the purpose for which He sent His word.
Secondly, the effect or result of Peter’s sermon shows the manifest presence of God’s Spirit. This event proves the operation and activity of the Spirit. It proves that the Holy Spirit is alive, active and powerful. It proves that the minister of the Gospel and the believer is not alone or by themselves.
Lastly, this event proves that conviction is an exclusive work of the Spirit. It is a work, result or effect that only Holy Spirit can produce in a person’s life. Hence, the expediency of Jesus’ instruction for them to tarry for the Holy Spirit to come. He already revealed His will to them (Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:46-48), but they needed the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit in order for them to be effective witnesses of Christ. Peter’s words alone would not have been able to produce the kind of result that we see in Acts 2. Therefore, our ministries can be fruitful because we have the Holy Spirit at work in us. Hallelujah!

[Paulpraze]

JESUS OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST
I consider it a most incredible truth that Christ not only came to the world and did all that He, sent the Promise of the Father the Holy Spirit, but is still active on behalf of the believer as our Great High Priest. His sheer commitment to His purpose and promise, His word and will, His plans and pleasures. It is amazing indeed. Herein lies our guarantee both in this age and the age to come, that we cannot fail in God’s plan and purpose for our lives. God is absolutely committed! Hallelujah! Somehow, our being able to hold fast our confession is tied to having Christ as our great High Priest. Hebrews 4:14.
In order to have a good understanding of Jesus as our Great High Priest, it is important to have some background knowledge of who a high priest is and what they did in the old testament. This is the pattern that the writer of Hebrews uses in his writing to describe what Jesus both did and does today as our Great High Priest. Hebrews 8:4-6.
According to Hebrews 5:1, high priests were men who were selected from among men to act on behalf of men in things relating to God. So they were middle men of some sort. They offered gifts and sacrifices to God on behalf of men. Hebrews 8:3. Whatever gifts and offerings or sacrifice that men had to give to God had to be given through the high priest.
One of the major role of the high priest was carried out on the day of atonement (Yom Kippur). On this day, the High Priest alone would come into the holy of holies with the blood of bulls and goats to make atonement to God for the sins of the people and himself. Hebrews 9:7. This the High Priest did once every year.
Another role of the High Priest was to oversee all other Priests under him. He had a leadership role over all other Priests in the temple. 2 Chronicles 19:11.
In Christ as our Great High Priest, all of these roles are truly perfected and fulfilled.
Firstly, Christ was a man who was selected from among men to be man’s go-between with God. Our gifts, offerings and sacrifices, are only received by God because Christ is our Great High Priest. By ourselves, we simply stand no chance. In Christ, we are able to offer our gifts and offerings to God. Without Christ as our Great High Priest, we could not offer anything acceptable to God (1 Peter 2:5). Unlike the priests in the old testament however, we are not limited to the outer court with our offerings and gifts because we are in Christ and are therefore holy. We have direct access to God by faith in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!
Secondly, Christ fulfils the duty of the High Priest in the old testament by offering Himself unto God for our sins alone, not his, for He was without sin (Hebrews 2:14). His offering was for our sins alone. And while the offering of the old testament High Priest covered sin and needed to be done yearly, the offering of Jesus as our Great High Priest was made once and for all and didn’t merely cover sin but remitted sin. His offering or sacrifice offers remission of sin rather than a covering of sin. Jesus’ offering takes away sin and makes us perfect. Hebrews 10:1-4.
Furthermore, Christ as our Great High Priest has a leadership role over us as believers who have been made Priests in Him (Rev. 1:6, 1 Peter 2:9). He is our Shepherd today (1 Peter 2:25), leading and guiding us by His Spirit and inspiring our gifts, offerings and sacrifices to God by the work that He did on the cross for us. (Romans 12:1).

[Paulpraze]

THREE EFFECTS OF THE FALL OF MAN
I. SPIRITUAL DEATH
In God’s conversation with Adam in Genesis 2:16-17, God clearly warned Adam of the danger of sin or disobedience to His command. He commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The result of disobedience to God was death.
However, as events unfold and we arrive in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve eat of the tree they were commanded not to eat of by God, but they do not fall to the ground and die as God had said they would. God had said that ‘in the day the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’. Therefore death was a sure thing in the day they ate of the tree. According to God’s warning, death was to happen immediately. Thus therefore implies that, what God had in mind wasn’t a mere physical death but an event that was not perceptible to the physical senses. It is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, death surely occurred in that day but it was not physical. It was a spiritual kind of death but will nonetheless eventually lead to physical death.
In Scriptures, death is used to refer to separation of spirit from (James 2:26). It is also used to refer to separation from God, both in this life and in eternity. (Revelation 2:11). According to the English dictionary, death is defined as the cessation of life. Hence, this is true both for our physical existence and our spiritual existence. The absence of the life of God in man’s spirit is spiritual death. It is a separation and alienation from the life of God, from eternal life. (Ephesians 4:18).
According to the Apostle Paul in Romans 5, death is a result of man’s Adam’s sin on the human race. In Ephesians 2:1, Paul tells us that ‘and you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins’. We have been quickened or made alive by receiving God’s gift of eternal life by faith in Christ Jesus.
When Jesus spoke to Jews in John 10:10, he was not talking to a group of corpse, neither was he preaching in a cemetery or mortuary. What He offered them was eternal life, without which they were dead. ‘For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord’. (Romans 6:23).
II. UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
Another effect of sin is man’s lack of righteousness. Amongst other definitions, righteousness means the ability to stand in God’s presence without any sense of guilt, fear, shame and condemnation. It is the state of being made right with God, a state of having a right standing or right relationship with God. It is being as God wants us to be. This right standing and relationship with God is the reason Why we can stand in His presence without fear, shame, guilt or condemnation. It is why we can come boldly before God’s throne of grace.
In Genesis 3, after man had sinned and fallen, the same presence of God that he had previously enjoyed was now something that he hid from. Adams excuse was that he was afraid because he was naked. (Genesis 3:10). But He had always been naked. His nakedness did not originate from or begin with his sin. He was made that way. But his nakedness was never a problem until the fall. He didn’t become naked after he sinned, he only became aware of his nakedness and became afraid because of it and therefore attempted to hide himself from God. Not only did he try to hide, he also tried to cover his nakedness by sewing fig leaves to cover themselves. This was an attempt by Adam and his wife to cure their shame, fear, guilt and condemnation but to no avail. This clearly shows us that nothing we can do or not do can ever be enough to make us righteous and deal with our sense of inferiority before God. Doing good works or not doing bad works can never make us righteous, but through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Romans 5:17.
III. SLAVERY
People generally like to think that they are in control of their lives. They believe that their actions are completely their own, a result of the exercise of their free will and nothing more. However, the Bible clearly disagrees with this belief.
According to the English dictionary, a slave is a person who is held in servitude as the property of another person, and whose labour (and often also whose body and life) is subject to the owner’s volition and control. It also means one who has no power of resistance (to something), one who surrenders to or is under the domination (of something).
These definitions quite hit the mark that is clearly described in the Scriptures about the state of a sinner as a result of the fall. In Ephesians 2 for example, the Apostle Paul makes this case clear. He affirms that sinners are under the control of the ‘Prince of the power of the air’ and that they live according to his control. One of the effects of the fall is therefore slavery to Satan and sin. In Romans 6:17-18, Paul says we were servants or slaves of sin but have now became servants or slaves or righteousness. In Colossians 1:13, he tells us that we have been delivered from the power (mastery, authority, rule) of darkness.
This is the estate of the fallen man. He is separated and alienated from God and God’s life, he cannot stand before God and is under the rule of sin and Satan.

[Paulpraze]

FIVE PEOPLE THAT WERE INSPIRED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THEIR DEEDS
I. Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. Judges 3:7-11. God raised him as a deliverer to the children of Israel and used him to judge Israel. He went to war against the king of Mesopotamia whom they had been previously subservient to and prevailed over him. Before this inspiration of the Holy Spirit, nothing was known about this man. Israel had been in captivity for about eight years. The only mention of him before this time was in Joshua 15:16-17, where he was said to have smitten Kirjathseper and won the hand of Caleb’s daughter for wife. This was probably the only battle experience he had before this time. However, it is important to note that they had been in captivity for eight years before this work of the Holy Spirit and by this incredible inspiration of the Holy Spirit, such a man was raised by God as a deliverer for Israel, went to war against his captor king and prevailed. Hallelujah!!! The effect of this feat gave Israel peace for forty years under his rule as judge. This is in no way a light matter in the light of the effect of slavery and captivity in a person’s life.
II. Gideon the son of Joash. Judges 6. By Gideon’s own testimony, he was the least of his father’s house, from a poor family in Manasseh. They had been in captivity to Midian for seven years at the time. God was patient and kind with Gideon in his doubt and obliged his every request in order to help him overcome them. In verse 34, we are told of the Spirit’s inspiration on Gideon and how the Israelites subsequently responded to his call. Their response to him was I believe, a result of this inspiration. Eventually he overcame whatever doubts he had left by the kind and patient workings of God. Then he went to war with three hundred men that were chosen from among about thirty two thousand men (32,000 men). And God gave them victory! Our background does not deter the inspiration of God’s Spirit in our lives. And while God may no longer work with fleece, He sure is still kind and patient with us and surely helps us overcome our doubt by the inspiration of His Spirit at work in us. Hallelujah!!!
III. Then there is Samson the strong. Judges 13:25, 14:6. These passages show us clearly, that Samson’s strength and consequent exploits were not merely natural. His strength and exploits were a result of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit upon him. This implies that what God can do through us is never a measure of or restricted to our physical qualities, whatever they may be or not be. In verse 14, we are told of how he rent a lion with nothing but his bare hands after the Holy Spirit moved upon him mightily.
IV. Saul the son of Kish is another who experienced this inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 1 Samuel 10:9-10. Saul was not a prophet, neither had he even prophesied before this time. This is why those who knew before this work of the Holy Spirit were surprised and rightly so. By the inspiration of God’s Spirit, he prophesied when he came into a company of prophets. The inspiration of God’s Spirit requires no status or experience.
V. Lastly, there was Bazaleel. Exodus 31:1-6. He, alongside some other men, were able to, by the Spirit’s inspiration, work with Moses in the building of the tabernacle. These men were not priests nor prophets nor Kings. They were ordinary Jews that were chosen and inspired by God to carry out all manner of workmanship that is required in the building of the tabernacle. This shows that the Holy Spirit’s inspiration is not limited to ministry within the local Church but also outside of the local Church. Inspiration can be drawn from the Spirit in whatever work we do in the name of the Lord.

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