In recent years
there has been a resurgence of the real Gospel, a sort of excavation of old and
ancient foundations that were buried deep underneath a super structure of
Legalism, spookiness, Gnosticism, secular Humanism and general worldliness. We
are beginning to recapture the essence of the Gospel. We are beginning to read
the Bible without the lens of religious conditioning.
As a result, I
believe there is a need to recapture the true meaning of Christian terms and
phrases. I have come to find out that a lot of the words we use bear a totally
different meaning from what we were made to believe growing up. Most times,
what we are taught are meanings steeped in Old Testament theology. Well, we
have come to know that the Cross made a difference. The coming of Jesus and his
death on the Cross has turned these terms on their heads and in fact abolished
the Old Covenant. And it is in this context that the New Testament writers came
to see and use these terms
A good example
is the word Righteousness. We were told righteousness means doing right, obeying
all the rules and being sinless; in other words, being spotless in terms of our
behavior (it’s funny that those who interpret it this way and encourage people
to ‘be righteous’ are not righteous themselves if they are to go by this
definition). However, we have come to know that this interpretation is faulty
in light of the New Covenant. No one can be righteous based on their
performance. No one is spotless in and of themselves. So, God goes the other
way round; he makes us righteous by giving us his righteousness and when we
lean on that, impulses are created in us to do his will. We begin to bear his
fruit, as opposed to creating fruit. Righteousness is not a doing; it is a
state of being.
Similarly, there
are various terms in our vocabulary we must begin to either redefine or
rediscover its true meaning. Words like faith, sin, The Word of God, holiness,
Church, responsibility, hope, Hell, repentance, Covenant and many more have a
totally different meaning in light of the New Covenant. This is one of the
things I’ve been thinking about in recent times. I will share my thoughts on
these things as I feel the release to do so of course, but I would implore you
to think for yourself and ponder on these things too. You have the Holy Spirit
and he will lead you into all truth
Below is a video
teaching by Ryan Rufus where he expounds on redefining Holiness, I think you’ll
find it quite enlightening. Even if you do not agree with it, keep an open mind
and let it spark up thought in you on these issues.
Till we meet
again
May the Grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ continue to be with you
