Let's see what godliness means. From my perspective, godliness it is God mindedness, God consciousness or heaven mindedness. Godliness is seeing yourself as a model of God here on earth. Jesus said "Ye are gods ye children of the most high" (John 10 : 34). 

We know that there is only one God- The Most High. But the children of God are gods. 

Jesus asked his disciples a godly question: who do men think I am? (Matthew 16:13-20). Some of them said he is Elijah, others said he is Jeremiah, another said he is John the Baptist. 

But Peter led by the Spirit said that Jesus is the son of the Most High. 

Godly people are the children of God; worldly people are the children of the devil. By the fruit of the Spirit we know the godly, while by the works of the flesh we can know the worldly ones. 

The Mysteries Of Godliness

This describes the logic of how we become born again. Jesus said to Nicodemus that except one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

And that one must be born of the water and of the Spirit (John 3). Mystery is a word that speaks of a spiritual logic or prophecy which cannot be understood naturally. We are born again through baptism. Water baptism and most especially Holy Spirit baptism. 

Water baptism is to prepare us for the coming of the kingdom and the first rising of the dead. While Holy Spirit baptism is to empower us to be sons and daughters of God. 

Godliness Is A Seal

Godliness is a seal of sonship. The authority of angels and the authority of man on earth is being passed unto you. It's a name given to you by God. 

Psalm 1:1-4

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away."

According to David, godliness is the path of righteousness. When you follow this path you would have life at the end of the tunnel. The whole world lies in darkness (iniquity). 

The thoughts of men are becoming wicked- deceiving people with fake love. 

Ungodly people are betrayals. They are lovers of themselves and enemies of the cross of Christ. 

Those who don't have the genuine love which is the love of God are enemies of the cross of Christ.

When you follow the cross, which reflects the love of  Christ, you would find life and peace which is the end of godliness. 

Living A Godly Life

1. To live a godly life is to be obedient to God.  

2. It's to be humble and gentle in heart.

3. It's to avoid wrong company.

4. It's to delight in God's law or the word of God.

5. It's to lean not on your understanding, but to trust in God.

6. It's to walk in the Spirit.

How To Get Rid Of The Habit Of Sin

Sin is the power of rebellion against God.  Before the law, sin was already ruling man. Paul refers to sin as the spirit of the world (1 Corinthians 2:12). 

Sin is like obscuring someone from light. Sin brings shame and reproach. Sin brings darkness. The devil is the father of sin. 'Men love sin' it's because men love ignorance. 

To get rid of sinful habit be godly. Draw near to God and He would draw near to us. But sinful habits would make us to move away from God. God doesn't run from us, it is we that run away from him because of sin.

Sinful habits are common traps of lust we fall into due to our wrong ideology or weakness (emotion). You need deal with your poor ideology about life and you must also deal with your emotion. If Satan can't enter you through false belief or doctrines, he would enter you through friendship with devilish people. 

And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.

 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

 

(Mark 10:46-47).

Many Christians have despised the place of God's mercies in their lives. They rather think on what they can do to get blessed. Mercy is a place in God's kingdom. Even in the law there's a seat called the mercy seat (Exodus 25:17-22). When you come into the place of mercy, you come into the place of Father. 

When you live by acknowledging God's mercy you understand how to give. Jesus said freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10:8). Our giving is to appreciate God for His mercies. We cannot buy or bribe God to bless us. Even what we do is not actually the main reason why He's blessing us.  He blessing us is because He's willing. Remember He sends rain to both just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

What's God's Mercy?

God's mercy is His will to show forgiveness, deliverance, protection and goodness towards us. It is the place of Father in Him. To know about blessings read my Post: The Difference Between Grace and Blessings

Not every man has the place of father in them, some has the place of devil in them. The first tabernacle has a need of a place of Father called the mercy seat. This is where God appears to the high priest. 

10 Reasons Mercy is Better Than Blessings

1. God's mercies preserve our life.

 'It is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed' (Lamentation 3: 22). We are living in a wicked world, but God's mercy protects us from our adversaries.

2. Seeking God's mercies brings healing and deliverance. 

Blind Bartimaeus cried for mercy and He caught Jesus' attention (Mark 10:46-47). His healing need was met because he seek to be loved and forgiven by Jesus, which are important to the Father. 

3. God's mercies predestinated us (selected us). 

We are children of God by His mercies, for He chose us. We don't have the knowledge to choose Him. Before we were born He chose us.  Jeremiah 1 verse 5 says,

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 1 verse 5.

4. Acknowledging God's mercies makes us to understand others plight.

 People go through certain problems in life not necessarily because of their sin, but they are there for you to show mercy to them. John 9:3 says,

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:3 

5. God's ears are ever opened to the prayers of mercy. 

Jesus gave us a parable about two men who went up to pray in Luke 18 from verse 10. One was a publican and the other a Pharisee. The publican asked for mercy, but the Pharisee was boasting of his works of righteousness. Surely, Jesus said the Publican went home heard by God, but the Pharise wasn't heard his prayers. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus said Ask, Seek and knock. This can only be on the platform of mercy.  

6. Acknowledging God's mercies in your life is being rich towards God.

 Jesus gave us another parable in Luke 12:13-21, that a certain man had everything going well for him but refuse to see God's mercies in his prosperity. Jesus concluded that that man was not rich towards God. When you acknowledge God's mercy in your life you're rich toward God. 

7. Despising God's mercies in your life is sin. 

(The rich fool) From same parable, it is clear that the rich fool offended God by him holding his acknowledgement of His mercy.

8. Acknowledging God's mercies preserves your blessings. 

Acknowledging God's mercies would spare your blessings from the devourer. Under the law tithes and offerings were for acknowledging God's mercies. But under Christ it is what you do for the brother or sister around you who's in need that counts. 

9. Being merciful to people makes God to remember you in His mercies. 

When you are merciful to others God shows you mercy. Matthew 5:7 says,

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 

10. Acknowledging God's mercy is acknowledging the place of Father in your life. 

In the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32), the prodigal son later acknowledged the place of Father in His life- He acknowledged the place of mercy. When we look at God's mercy we see Him as Father. 

In conclusion, mercy is before blessing. 

 

Forgiveness according to Christ is reconciliation between two person who were in good relationship before. It is not a reconciliation of light and darkness. But Christ expression of forgiveness on the cross centers around taking away sin.  He was made sin he who knew no sin in order to take away sin- forgive sin. Christ forgiveness is focused on a whole new life. While our forgiveness is centered on a whole new relationship. Someone who is hell-bent in destroying you from the beginning is not a candidate of your forgiveness. God can forgive him, but for your health you need to for-leave him, leave him behind. There are people you don't have the power to forgive:

1. Satan

2. Witches and wizards

3. Demons.

As I said, light has no reconciliation with darkness. Light and darkness should dwell apart.

5 Biblical Ways To Forgive Someone Who Has Hurt You 

1. Pray for them.

 When you pray for someone you reconcile them to God. You know, anyone who hurts you first of all hurts God. By praying you present yourself too for reconciliation. The opposite is praying against them. See what Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45,

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; 45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45.

2.  Give to them if they are in need. 

According to Jesus, your heavenly father sends rain both to the just and unjust. Emulate God. 

3. Love them. 

Love covers faults instead of taking advantage of people's fault. Love is for you to strengthen the weak. You also need God to give grant you the strength of love.

4. Endure. 

All the above might not work immediately, you don't need to give up. You can hands up if such person is either a witch or a wizard. Witches and wizards don't need your forgiveness. 

5. Try to forget what is behind. 

Life is not in the past but about the future. We don't need to judge the past of others. Anger grows when we visit the past mistake or ignorance.  You forget by spending time in planning, studying, or doing things to improve your life. 

You can read my post: The Power of Forgiveness.

The thief does not come except for to steal, kill and to destroy. But I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10).

What's An Abundant Life?

Abundant life as implied by Jesus is a life without the thief. It is also receiving all the things Satan has stolen from you. Revelation 5:12, says, 

Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.  Revelation 5:12

Jesus was slain and went to hell to receive all these things Satan has stolen from us. Jesus referred  to Satan and his cohorts as the thief. According to him, a thief is not only as robber or someone who steals, a thief is a killer and a destroyer.

Jesus pictured a life without the thief as an abundant life, since your all labours and  blessings are safe. We need to know the thieves against our soul.  

Jesus wasn't only referring to Satan the devil. Even though he used a singular term 'The thief', I think he was being holistic since he had cited other thieves in several scriptures. Now let's know who they are.     

The Thieves According to Jesus 

Apart from an armed-robber, burglars, scammers, the following are thieves against our soul.

1. False prophets.

 In Matthew 7:15 Jesus said, 

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  Matthew 7:15

False prophets are workers of iniquity who uses lies to prosper. I have explained iniquity in one of my post: The Difference Between Sin and Iniquity . Jesus said we should beware of false prophets, because they are only there for personal gains, scamming lies, and on a faith-destroying mission. It's so sad that many Christians have repented to the hands of false prophets. 

To live an abundant life, we must beware of false prophets.

2. False Christ. 

In Matthew 24:5 Jesus said,

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Matthew 24:5

False Christ can also be called Anti-Christ. Anti-Christ are false leaders, though an Ant-Christ can also be referred to as a false prophet, but here we are looking at false leaders in powers.  These leaders are cunning and crafty and have a deceptive nature. 

They say one thing, but do the opposite. They are your secret enemy. You might love them, but they don't love you.  

They pretend to love the people in order to win their trust, but in their action they betray them. 

They are always trying to manipulate their followers, and during election they become loving and kind to the poor just to grab power. After they've succeeded they forget about them. 

Beware of loving such type of people, they are thieves. They want to steal your trust and further manipulate or neglect you. You can read my post: The Attribute of an Anti-Christ. 

3. Friends of Hell. 

Friends of hell are witches and wizards around you. Witches and wizards are spiritual thief. They are killers, they are destroyers. Beware!

Jezebels

Jesus spoke concerning Jezebel in Revelation 2:20, for Jezebel is a witch in the church. Jezebels are ministry destroyers. Jezebels are prophet destroyers. Jezebels are also family destroyers. They break churches and families. They are expert in the knowledge of seduction. 

They know how to open their body and to speak to people to fall for them lustfully. At night they do their real job by fornicating with innocent souls spiritually while those men (even women) are asleep. Jezebels can prophesy using the spirit of divination (a familiar spirit). This spirit is sent through a spell they cast on innocent souls. 

Sometimes these innocent men and women would be seeing a being chasing after them in their dreams. That's a familiar spirit following their movement in order to grab vital information concerning their life. 

Judas

Judas is the male counterpart . Judas are wizards .They do the same as Jezebels.  They have sex with innocent souls, choke them and afflict them while they are asleep or ignorant. Beware!

4. Demons.

Demons are destructive messengers of hell according to 2 Corinthians chapter 12. 

They usually present to our mind lustful and persuasive ideas or thoughts we often find difficult to resist even though we know they are wrong. Demons usually speaks to our mind using our own voice. Also, demons can attack a soul through dreams. 

They are strangers in our dream hired by our adversary against our soul. Satan uses demons;  witches and wizards use demons.  

5. Satan. 

Satan is the dragon, that old serpent. He's a bitter enemy of God and His children. He cruelly  seeks worship from man, and turns them against God. 

His best tactic in trapping man is his scamming lies. Scamming lies are lies that gives you false hope. He uses false hope and pleasure to take the real thing for you. No one lies more than the devil. 

What The Thief Comes To Steal?

According to the book of Revelation 5 verse 12, there are 7 things Satan and his cohorts come to steal from us:

1.  Power

2. Riches

3. Wisdom

4. Strength

5. Honor

6. Glory

7. Blessing.

We also can assume from here that an abundant life is a life of Power, Riches, Wisdom, Strength, Honor, Glory, and Blessing. 

 3 Vital Ways To Live An Abundant Life

1. Beware of the Thief.

 I've already explained who the thieves are. So beware to live an abundant life.

2. Receive Jesus into Your Life.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is the way out of the thief. Without Jesus you are still in a relationship with the thief. When Jesus comes into your life he breaks the connection between you and the thief, by exposing the thief. Accept Jesus, you accept an abundant life.

3. You Have to Pay the Price of Obedience. 

As it is said:  "Obedience is better than sacrifice." According to the law, abundant life means receiving all the blessings written in the law (Deuteronomy 28). 

Don't be stubborn as Jonah lest you would be swallowed by poverty. Abraham obeyed God, and God blessed him. Obey before blessing. Obeying  God would take you to a level in life where no man bring you down. 

Conclusion

I believe you've been blessed by this post.  An abundant life is available to every born-again child of God, and every addicted follower of Jesus. As you follow  what is written here I pray that God takes you to a level where no man can bring you down. Be blessed! 

  

  

 Grace

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5.

 

Blessing     

 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

Deuteronomy 28:1-7.

 

Apostle is the chiefest of the ministerial gifts or the anointing that Jesus gave when He ascended to Heaven in  Ephesians 4:10-11 . This gift of Apostle is only seen in the new testament which was used to represent the Twelve disciples of Jesus. These Twelve were ordained Apostles. They were meant to carry out the works of Jesus on earth especially after His resurrection to confirm the resurrection with signs and wonders.


Many especially of the orthodox faith have settled that Apostle was only given to the Twelve and to Paul, as no other is quality to obtain that gift. They assumed from Mathias replacement of Judas the traitor that the criteria as  stated in Acts 1: must be certified before one can be ordained  an Apostle.  Paul case or order of apostleship was different while also genuine, as even Peter, James and John gave him (Paul) the right hand of fellowship after they perceived the gift of God in him. Galatians 2:9 "And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship..."  Apostles is a gift that will continue till the end of the earthly church.


From my point of view an Apostle is one sent by Jesus or God to guide the church to the way of peace. Apostles are the Prophets to the churches. The New Testament is a book of Apostles. In Revelation chapter 2 and 3 Jesus gave John the Apostle a prophecy to the Seven churches of Asia.
Apostles are different from Prophets. Prophets are sent by God to guide the nations to the way of peace: "To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."(Luke 1:79). Also, Jeremiah 1:5 says

  "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."    

So Prophets are to see the future of the nations, while Apostles are to see the future of the churches. Apostle are senior in the church, Prophets are second to the Apostle.We are still in the generation of Apostles, and other ministerial gift will still function till the end.

In all,

"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." (2 Timothy 4:5).

 The work of an Evangelist must be included in every ministry in order to keep the lamp of your ministry burning. This is the extra oil every other ministry must carry in order to arrive at the goal of ministry 'Salvation of souls'.  I define an Evangelist as angel sent to announce the coming of the kingdom of God (doing it with clear understanding of the prophecies concerning the end).


Have a great time!

This article was written by Jeremiah Ogedegbe, tweets. 

Love is one word that strikes the heart and soul of man. The  whole world  lies in cruelty. Loving God and people seems feign. We always dream of heaven on earth which will never be possible except everyone walks in love.



Love is a Law abiding relationship. Jesus said in John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments." When you don't keep the commandment of God, it's a proof that you don't love God. When you don't keep the laws of your country, it's a proof you don't love your country. So, Love exist when laws and principles are followed (depending on the kind of relationship).

We have different types of  love from my point of view:
1. Perfect Love
2. Imperfect Love.

  Perfect love is the Love of God which Christ came to express (John 3:16). The Love of God is also the laws of God, all God's law are perfect. In Psalms 12:6 "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." This law is also the law of the Spirit. We are to follow this law with all of our life. The whole book of Psalm chapter 119 is dedicated to the  perfect love (Loving God's Law).

Grace and peace are two important things we need in order  for us to be genuinely happy in life. Where there is Sin; there is bondage. Guilt. Anger. Evil desires. Hatred and Lust. Frustration. Troubles etc. That was where Sin had put man. When God said to Adam "the day you eat of the fruit you shall die", God meant it (Man died a death of spiritual imprisonment, held bound by the Devil). That tree that God instructed man not eat which is the tree of knowledge of good and evil which represents the Devil.

God planted two trees in the garden of Eden:

1. Tree of Good and Evil
2. Tree of Life

 Eve met the devil on the tree. He is old serpent. He is subtle (he  hides himself in another form). Satan will never tell you that he is Satan, he always goes about deceiving the nation (Revelation 12:9). So he told Eve that you shall not surely die when you eat of the tree, but you shall become wise instead. Eve thought about the wisdom she wanted to get from the tree, and in a short while she was persuaded to eat the fruit, with pleasure gave her husband too,  and  they both felt a different type of death- shame, fear and punishment for man and for woman.

That tree was termed 'good' which means generally accepted. And was also evil which is something that can to destroy your life. Some may ask: Why did God planted this kind of tree in the garden if He knew man would be tempted to eat from it? Or, What is the need of God planting such a tree? Any of these question is worth getting a true answer or interpretation.  In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus said in the Lord's prayer, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."   Take note of this, A Life without Temptation Is not Life. Take for example we have different seasons during the year, it doesn't just be one season. We have cold season, we have warm season and we have hot season. So we have different temperatures throughout the year (even on a daily bases).  God put that tree there not for man to fall into temptation but for man to draw near to Him. James 4: 5-8 says:

 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
"Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

The Tree of Life represents Jesus. This tree was available for Adam as well, and God never stopped them for having it from beginning, but the tree eof knowledge of good and evil is really the lack of knowledge. God always visited at the cool of the day to teach and to fellowship with man as His children and a friend. All those effort to educate man ended up in dissappointment, not just because of man's curiosity but the rebellion man has fall into. Even Adam began blaming God for giving him the woman, instead of appealing. Man lost his soul to the devil and became a living thing instead of a living soul.

Note,  living things are different from a living soul. Living things are plants and animals, while a living soul is someone who is connected to the source of life- God Almighty. So Adam died, he was cut off from God. He and Eve moved from living souls to become just a living thing.

What is Grace?

Grace from my definition is the power of that brings man from death (living thing) to life (living soul). So many of  us have been preached to many a times, but if that power is not there then it is hard to come out of death ( living thing) to life (living soul). It is hard to believe and say that Jesus is the Lord of your life. It is hard for us to pray (because you are dead). It is hard to believe in the word of God, or in His prophets (because you are lost!). Everything about knowing God will be hard, and you conclude you're an atheist.

How Can  We Find Grace? 

1. Seek for Repentance: Hebrew 4:12 says : "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." The first things you must do is to come with the heart of repentance to God in prayer, because no man can be perfect while calling on Him for help. Jesus told us about two men that went up to the temple to pray in Luke 18, one a Pharisee,  the other one a Publican (a sinner).

"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:10-14).

Also Paul the Apostle said in Romans 9:16- "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Lastly, in  Acts 2:37-38 Peter told the people who wanted to experience the grace of God that they should repent first before God will release the power upon them.

2. You need the Ministry of Prophets and Apostles to Guide You: You need those who know the way (i mean the sent one) to help you get connected. It is obvious today that there are many fraudsters wearing the coat of Prophet and Apostle, nevertheless there many genuine ones who can minister the grace into you through prayers, the Word and the laying on of hand which is a form of baptism. Acts 9:11-12 says "And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight."  

Also, in same book of Acts chapter 8 verse 14 to 17. the scripture says: "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

"Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."

So this grace is in the HolySpirit which will come upon you (Acts 1:8).

3. Prayers. Luke 18:1 says: "men are to pray always and not to faint". Acts 2 from verse 1 showed us how the 120 disciples gathered together for prayers. Also in Acts 4 it showed us how the place where they held prayer was shaken due to the power of God present with them. Note, A Prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian. When you have grace you will definitely have peace.

God bless you.


 This article was written by Jeremiah Ogedegbe, twitter

 " For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17).

The Law (i mean the Jewish Law) is the commandment of God to Moses to the nation Israel, which also entails the responsibility of the people,  the Jews, toward the High priest. So the Law fully prescribe the duty of men towards the high priest and do's and don'ts toward one another. So obvious that God was leading the Israelite as a holy nation. He set laws for them to help them become the best or first fruits among other nations. But these law couldn't be fulfilled because of the lack of knowledge as being highlighted in Hosea 4:6  "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Israel couldn't keep the laws, because of lack of knowledge of  their leaders who seek their own will. Probably everyone is under one law or the other. Now What is a law?

From my own definition, a law is a force (which can be person, spirit or objects etc) that allows a function or stops a function through statements, or experience of facts as in scientific theories or principles. That mightn't be the exact definition of a law but i'm just trying to make the point that laws goes beyond words or order given, to order with power to compel. So under the law the people were strictly under the Jewish high priest, and no one can oppose their ignorance except the chosen ones- THE PROPHETS.

The Prophets are Holy men that God has given the full interpretation of the law through His message. The Prophets hears from God directly, and works with God. God is always happy with His Prophets being His messenger. In Amos 3:7 the word of God said:  "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." The prophets speaks from the mouth of God:
"But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah." (Jeremiah 37:2). For one to be a prophet one must have an holy birth, or be baptized by the Spirit. Holy birth means to be baptized from your mother's womb, like Jesus, John the Baptist; Samson etc. Holy means clean and selected from your mother's womb and ordained by God to be a prophet or an Apostle unto the nations:

" Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.  Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. "  (Jeremiah 1:5-6).

Also,

 "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace." (Galatians 1:15).
The law seek for one thing, and that's A Better Sacrifice That Can Put Away Sin Once and for all. Read Hebrews chapter 7, 8 and 9.
   The Prophets seek for a better high priest who can offer that sacrifice to put away sin once and for all. That was why the Prophets were always at conflict with the priests.

 "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

 "Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

 "For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore." (Hebrew 3:26, 27, 28).


Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets:

 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5:17),

" For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."  (Matthew 5:18) - He has fulfilled all of them.


This article was written by Jeremiah Ogedegbe, tweets