The fear of ostracism causes many individuals to retreat rather than assert what they believe to be true. The notion that safety is aligned with trending beliefs, even if they lack a Biblical basis, is unfounded. Many people tend to agree with what is popular, as long as it grants peace. Few possess the strength to oppose what they consider inapplicable to God’s laws, assuming that those with esteemed profiles are more informed. However, Christ provides the most stable foundation, granting any person confidence and authority over their opponents.
Jesus assured His followers that He was the rock whose foundation ensured stability. We do not have to believe any convincing statements, even by the apostles unless they align with the teachings of Jesus. A person without a solid foundation is swayed by every wind of doctrine and remains unstable. Innumerable postulates have been adopted based on the benefits received by the adherents. Each person prefers to follow a particular trending doctrine, as favourable to their circumstances. The popularity of any group is determined by the number of people attracted to it, rather than by the teachings of Jesus.
“And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:13-17 NKJV).
Jesus encountered increased opposition from various authorities who questioned Him at every opportunity, not to learn from Him, but to find grounds for accusation. Nevertheless, Jesus seemed to relish addressing these questions, as they allowed Him to elucidate His teachings, which continue to benefit us today. This is why Paul stated: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NKJV). Happiness is attainable when one finds solace in what he perceives as originating from Christ.
There is no need to spend time worrying about what others do or say in one’s absence. The most important thing is to practice and live by the teachings of Jesus. This often attracts opposition, as the teachings of Jesus are commonly unpopular with those of this world. Anyone advancing Christ’s teachings is vulnerable to unwarranted attacks and is expected not to violently retaliate, except by pointing to His teachings. A physical person has no defence and is thus susceptible to conforming to the environment. A person who is subjected to death when defending what Jesus taught is as alive as Jesus is alive.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him” (1 Peter 3:18-22 NKJV).
The assurance obtainable through Jesus nullifies the need for tenacity, which suggests resilience despite stern opposition. In Jesus, there is nothing to be concerned about, as Christianity is submission to death. A Christian is someone who has chosen to leave the world to be with Christ. His or her presence represents Jesus’ presence, although Jesus is assumed to have left the scene in the first century. This person submits their body to fulfil God’s will as if Jesus were still physically present. The individual may not necessarily seek to accomplish the works already completed by Jesus and His early disciples.
The same Jesus, whose mission seeks to accomplish what needs to be performed in our time, uses Christians from diverse backgrounds. Currently, we have the same Jesus, diversified into multiple individual personalities. The ability to discern those representing Jesus from those whose mission is from the devil is crucial. The works of Satan are more prevalent in Christianity than in any other field. The most important aspect of discerning the truth is to recognize that Satan’s version of communication is not entirely opposed to God’s voice.
Satan emphasizes much of what aligns with God but subtly modifies it according to the individual’s desires. Satan uses the mind to attract deception, causing the accuracy of communication to become distorted without proper evaluation. This is evident in the interaction between the woman and Satan, displaying how sin was brought to the scene. Satan adds and subtracts from God’s words, saying what God did not say, generalizing rather than being specific. However, Eve also demonstrates her distorted understanding of God’s words. With that confusion in comprehension, Eve was easily deceived.
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:1-5 NKJV).
The above is a confused communication, and it is in that confusion that sin is brought to effect. Without accurate information, there can be no communication. The time spent in that conversation carries the package of deception that brings Eve to his side. For the sake of understanding, let us take time to analyze the conversation that led to the eating of the malevolent fruit. God had said: And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV).
Every tree was free for consumption; however, Satan’s communication states: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” This contradicts God’s specific instruction, which stated that only one tree in the middle of the garden was not to be eaten. This miscommunication was further exacerbated by Eve’s statement: “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’ ”
Eve was correct in stating that it was the tree in the midst of the Garden that they were not supposed to eat from, but God did not mention the aspect of touching it. To be helped to avoid confusion, one needs to maintain the actual words uttered. By uttering words never spoken by God, Satan seized the opportunity to introduce an element of falsehood. “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” What Satan proclaims bears no relation to the true words spoken by God, as he fabricates them to suit his advancement of falsehood.
Satan’s communication seems credible to physical humans, whose reasoning is influenced by the presence or absence of physical pain. While God referred to spiritual death, Satan applied it to physical death. What mattered to Satan was that God was projected as a liar, while Satan appeared truthful. Physically, Adam did not die immediately after eating the forbidden fruit, as God had said. However, the only reason the couple sought to hide from God was that they had become spiritually dead, as God had pronounced. The blatant falsehood about death continues to torment humanity to this day.
The definition of death is the absence of life or disconnection from the source. In the physical universe, everything appears alive, in the form of animation. All life forms in the physical universe come from the soil. The putrefying body may appear irretrievable but produces more life organisms originating from it. The physical component of humanity is as temporary as any organic life pattern in the cycle of birth, growth, decay, and death. The earth is the starting point, where everything living returns to feed the earth unless consumed by fire.
In many simple organisms, including bacteria and various protists, the life cycle is completed within a single generation: an organism begins with the fission of an existing individual; the new organism grows to maturity; and it then splits into two new individuals, thus completing the cycle. In higher animals, the life cycle also encompasses a single generation: the individual animal begins with the fusion of male and female sex cells (gametes); it grows to reproductive maturity; and it then produces gametes, at which point the cycle begins anew (assuming that fertilization takes place).
Humanity was created to be unique but has been reduced to an animalistic pattern due to Satan’s falsified information. The origin of humanity is God, just as Jesus Christ’s origin is God. Caught up in a condition of spiritual death, yet identified with God, humans needed a Saviour, now revealed as Jesus. Helping humanity revert to its original state is the aim of Jesus’ mission, although hindered from the state of Godliness by three conditions. The first is attachment to earthly conditions, controlled by pain and ecstasy. Secondly, being influenced by other humans of this world rather than listening to Christ. And lastly, Satan’s falsified information, which suggests that humans are as physical as animals are physical.
Aware of the three impediments of a person, their solace is Jesus, who provides the only verifiable truth leading to salvation. The first impediment requires one to realize they are God’s child and to start emulating Jesus’ way of life. The second carries more weight, as Jesus is as present today as He was at the beginning of Christianity and is represented among fellow humans. This requires the Bereans’ attitude, recorded as having listened with eagerness, verifying whether what Paul and Silas said agreed with the Scriptures (Acts 17:10-12). This does not necessarily require verifying the profiles of those claiming to be Christ’s messengers.
The only criterion is whether what they say aligns with Christ’s teachings. Having obtained verifiable information from others, one is expected to pass it on rather than keep it to oneself. A true Christian cannot be likened to the Dead Sea, which is stagnant and unable to flow outward. One must verify the information to determine its truthfulness. If it is false, the person should not hesitate to correct the informant, exemplifying iron sharpening iron, as stated in Proverbs 27:17. Upon discovering that the information is true, the most significant question is what the person does with the truthful information.
Nevertheless, while humans can be instruments of God, they can also be used by the devil. Hence, it is necessary to evaluate information at all times. After Peter had been commended for identifying Jesus as the Son of God, Satan provided him with information that led Jesus to rebuke him as “Satan.” Because of His superior knowledge, Jesus could quickly discern the source of Peter’s information. Jesus is the only one who can be trusted with truthful information, evaluated by what He taught.
Modern Christianity seems to be evaluated and practised according to denominational boundaries. For instance, truthful information is often dismissed if it originates from those considered to be practising unorthodox Christianity. There is a tendency to condemn without attempting to correct those viewed as unorthodox or outrightly ignore truthful information. Pride seems to be central to this issue, as God’s truth is as accessible as the number of Christians. It is highly doubtful that such introverted Christians, possibly displaying pride, can ever be approved by God.
Addressing the third and final impediment, originating from the devil, necessitates not altering anything taught by Jesus, irrespective of the individual’s background. Jesus is the sole authority, serving as the standard among various Christian informants. Among Christians, there is minimal dispute regarding Jesus’ true authority. Some Christians attempt to equate Paul’s epistles with Jesus’ teachings. However, true believers cannot have any difficulty with the question of precedence between Jesus and the apostle Paul.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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