Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry (EGFM)
Programme: School of the Spirit (SOS)
Date: Thursday, 3rd February 2022
Ministering: Pastor Tope Falaye
Text: Matthew 5:43-48
In 1Peter 1:13-16, Peter was speaking to a people whom he called obedient children. These people are not ignorant of obedience, that is, they had obeyed something that made them free from a certain fashion as a result of light. This obedience here is neither by confession nor a result of new birth but is a product of living a form of life which is called former lusts. These people are not ignorant and, by reason of the knowledge and enlightenment that they came into, a different formation that was not according to their former lusts was raised in them.
Therefore, Peter began to tell them to gird up the loins of their mind for the receiving of a grace (1Peter 1:13). They have been cured by the light of Christ from a mould that this world gives and that light healed them from certain lusts. He is telling them this because there is another allocation above them that they are to be introduced to.
“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied” (1Peter 1:2). While some men might hold that they were elected at new birth, progressive revelation and light makes us know that 2Peter 1:10 was not referring to men who have only received the Lord as their saviour. The sanctification of the spirit in this context of the scripture is not at new birth. Peter was not telling them about the new birth because they had been saints for a long time and were facing some measure of persecution.
The spirit of faith sanctifies (Romans 5:1). The church in 1 Peter came into election through the work of the Spirit. The spirit of life in Romans 8 is the spirit of sanctification; it separates the soul from the old works. Our spirit was regenerated, while our soul was purchased with blood (Ephesians 1:14). When we are born again, the spirit of promise seals our spirit while the spirit of sanctification (or the spirit of life) begins to teach us after we must have used the milk of the word.
When the spirit of sanctification begins to act through preaching, it separates a soul unto Christ. The spirit makes the soul both separated and sanctified. The first activity of sanctification is that it can separate a soul unto God. Our spirit is an entity of heaven and we share nature with Christ (Ephesians 2:5). Our spirit was quickened with Christ and the Holy Spirit sealed our spirits so that They could begin to work on our soul. This work is the work of sanctification or the work of life, which is done by preaching and teaching. Thus, they show us the doctrine of life, which can also be called the doctrine of Christ.
The doctrine of Christ has two aspects to it: life and peace. These two things make a soul elected unto God. A soul that is taught the doctrine of Christ has been elected; that is, he is taught away from the world. Though we are born again and quickened with Christ in our spirits, our minds and hearts are still worldly and are still on the same pedestal with every other man on earth. The only difference is that we have been purchased to be redeemed.
The soul is an organ of the spirit; it is what keeps and houses the things of the man. The spirit of a man knows the things that he has (1 Corinthians 2:11). Our minds and hearts do not belong to the devil even though they have not been quickened but have only been purchased by the sacrifice of Jesus when he entered into the tabernacle and into the Holiest of All. Until we arrive at the tabernacle, we have only been purchased but not yet redeemed. The reason for teaching Christ is to actualise the reason for which the soul has been purchased. A soul that learns Christ well, comes into the outer court.
The span of Christ doctrine is that it can take a soul from outside the camp and bring him to the Outer Court. Thus, the doctrine has separated that person and moved him/her into the Holy Place; thus implying that, when a soul hears the doctrine and yields to it, he will be sanctified. Such a soul can be said to be godly, be holy or have made peace with God. Peter signifies that such a soul has been elected out of all.
The Old Testament is a picture of the new, wherein the Lord took a particular tribe and committed the laws of consecration to them. There are laws of separation. The Levitical laws are laws that are designed to separate Levi unto their inheritance. Apart from the Levitical law, there are also particular laws for the sons of Aaron and for Aaron himself. These laws are all laws of nearness (Malachi 2:4-6). All of us have been sealed with the spirit of promise (born again) but not all of us have been made to come near. The reason for the doctrine of Christ is to allow us to come near.
We are elected by the sanctification of spirit (1Peter 1:2). This spirit is not the Holy Ghost but is the law of the spirit of life. The saints in this book of Peter had fulfilled a particular obedience before but there is another obedience ahead of them. Jesus learnt a higher obedience than the one He had done before (Hebrews 5:8). When we begin to hear the doctrine of Christ, we begin to take responsibility; we begin to have an obligation to obey doctrine. Thus, we grow uncomfortable with disobedience and actions that we have once been at home with.
The Lord does not throw instructions ahead of doctrine. Instructions are part of the framework of doctrine. When doctrine enters a soul, instructions arise. As we hear the doctrine we come to a place where the doctrine lays a demand on us for obedience. The doctrine of Christ is a giving of spirit and that spirit makes us obey.
1 Peter 1:3 is similar to Ephesians 2:4-6; they both speak of the resurrection from the dead. “Begotten again” means that what happened to the spirit of the believers in that church had now happened to their souls. At the new birth, our spirit was born an entity of life; it became Christ by the quickening of the Holy Ghost. Thus, what they first learnt is the resurrection from the dead, which is the preaching of Christ.
Faith was responsible for justifying the people in Romans 5:1. By justification, those people came into having peace just as God has peace. They were already standing by faith (Romans 5:2). The place for standing is the Holy Place (Psalm 134). The purpose of the doctrine of Christ is to bring the soul from the outer court into the holy place where he can stand to ask God for things that are behind the veil.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul spoke of two things; resurrection from the dead and resurrection of the dead. Even though the First Corinthian church were already standing in the faith of Christ, they were yet to be saved (1 Corinthians 15:1). Resurrection from the dead speaks of the doctrine of Christ while the resurrection of the dead speaks of everlasting things, which is the ‘then’ realm. The church in 1 Peter had experienced resurrection from the dead in their spirits and had also learned Christ in their souls. The learning of Christ, including faith, hope and charity, is actually the resurrection from the dead.
Anyone who just received the Lord is not born into inheritance but is born to begin to learn milk, which is followed by the learning of Christ (meat), before he/she can come to learn the things that pertain to the everlasting (1 Peter 1:4). The inheritance is not given to those who are newly born again. They have to first feed on milk and meat before they are given things that pertain to inheritance.
It is a man who is standing in the Holy Place that can hear the next call (1Peter 1:14-15). This charge is for people who are already obedient. The church in 2 Peter were warned not to go back to their former conversations because christs can retrogress and go back to their vomit (2 Peter 2:20-22). The call to be holy is similar to the call to be perfect (Matthew 5:48). It is another height of holiness that a Christ soul is called to come into. There are certain definitions of holiness in the learning of Christ.
There is an expression in every man that can connect God. While some men who are disciplined easily connect with the wrath of God, others are liberal and easily connect with His benevolence. While these expressions are good grounds for us to connect with God, that is not God’s real nature. We often define God according to our frame but God is higher than that. We should not attempt to bring people out of their various frames without light because if it is not initiated by light, it would not work grace. If we do so, such people can be exposed to wrong things without the grace that comes from the light of teachings.
For example, Reverend Kenneth E. Hagin addressed the concept of women in ministry and other women issues in his series: The Woman Question. This really brought to light the reality that holiness is not in what we wear. When God’s word enters a person, it will culture how he/she dresses. The design of a man’s life without is a result of the grace within. Reverend Hagin’s series properly addresses the subject of holiness from a high spiritual perspective. When holiness is properly taught and x-rayed to us, we would discover that we are unholy. We must be people who live from the inside out. Our external, including what we wear, must be according to the function of grace within. In this regard too, one must stay in one's own allocation of grace.
Holiness is a product of revelation; it is called out by words. Holiness is gracious. What God sees as holiness is the work that the word has wrought inside man. Holiness is a liberty from sin which binds us to serve righteousness (Romans 6:19). When we learnt Christ, we learned holiness in His measure. The milk teachings around holiness prepares us for truth. Holiness affects a man’s sight; it takes sight at a level to see the next allocation.
The holiness that is in Christ is extensively defined in 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter differentiates between what is holy and what is not. Charity is the peak of the holiness that the faith of Christ produces. A person who walks in charity is one who is godly. A person who can speak in all manner of tongues, but lacks godliness, is not holy. Therefore, in this chapter, Paul was correcting wrong definitions of holiness by speaking of a more excellent way. The gifts of the spirit and ministry gifts are lesser ways in comparison to the light of the more excellent way (1Corinthians 12:31). Moreso, they are not actually ways in themselves but are servants of the way; that is, servants of the doctrine. Their core assignment is to paint faith, hope and charity -- things that abide.
One characteristic of holiness is that it abides. Anything that can pass away is not holy, including heaven and earth. There are only a few men that passed through earth and were holier than the earth, including John and Jesus. Jesus was too holy for the earth. He is God on the throne and is regarded as holy.
Holiness is attained by obedience, while obedience is only demanded after doctrine has been committed. Within the committed doctrine is grace for obedience, which a man may either yield to or disregard. Faith, hope and charity are natures that remain (1 Corinthians 13:13). Paul began 1 Corinthians 13 by highlighting things that do not abide, even though they appear to give a kind of separation that God does not acknowledge. Paul then concluded the chapter by talking about things that abide.
The things that people place value on as spiritual are not actually spiritual. We become holy by suffering long. True holiness suffers long. This is not an outward disposition; holiness begins as an attitude of the heart. High holiness begins with thinking. Charity suffers long and is kind (1 Corinthians 13:4). The characteristics of charity listed in 1 Corinthians 13 were listed in ascending order. The least characteristic of charity is that it suffers long.
A person whom the Lord has taught and granted grace to walk in faith and has come to charity, will be required to suffer. Suffering in this context does not mean lack, but refers to our relationships with brethren. Suffering is expressed amongst brethren and suffering long makes one holy. The pain we go through when we suffer long accomplishes purification in us. Kindness and other attributes of charity are stands in the spirit. We will not arrive at charity without obedience.
It takes a lot of Christ wisdom to limit that nature that wants us to measure ourselves with others. We ought to measure ourselves with Christ only. Charity envies not (1 Corinthians 13:4). This instruction to not envy has levels and all envies have to be dealt with (1 Peter 1:14; 1 Peter 2:1). Charity does not vaunt itself; that is, it does not talk about itself. This requires constant exercise as exemplified in the life of Reverend Kenneth Hagin. Charity is not puffed up. These expressions are holinesses. It takes engaging in the doctrine of Christ to come into these estates.
Reward comes only from doing the everlasting commandment. His work is before Him, and His reward with Him (Isaiah 62:11). There is a work or love that commends the reward. As a community of Christ, we are meant to love one another. In Matthew 5:46, Jesus is raising the demand of love, that it ought not to be only the love of the brethren or the love of Christ but the love that is of the Father.
“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;” (Matthew 5:44). A brother can become an enemy, not because the person changed but because of how differently we begin to see the person. Judas had become a devil, which is Jesus’ enemy, yet Jesus loved him unto the end (John 13:1). Thus, being perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect is to come into a higher love or holiness. This is what Jesus calls perfection and Peter calls it holiness. Perfection is the ability to love an enemy. An enemy is one who can carry out the things listed in Matthew 5:44. The love that is required of us for our enemies is that we should be holy.