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There are two important entities that show that a person belongs to Christ Jesus. These two must be found in the heart of every true Christian. They are the Word of Christ and the Spirit of Christ.
Jesus Christ categorically pointed out that, “…‘IF YOU ABIDE IN MY WORD, YOU ARE TRULY MY DISCIPLES, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).
Many ministers like to quote John 8:32 without first paying attention to the verse 31. The verse 32 is like the neck while the verse 31 is like the head. Without the verse 31, verse 32 is meaningless and impractical.
What I mean is that you will not know the truth and be set free unless you abide, live and dwell in the Word of Christ and learn to obey or act on it.
Again, Jesus says if a believer does not take His words seriously and preach, teach and live with them, he is not His disciple. In other words, if a minister refuses to strongly believe in the teachings or commands of Christ he shows that he is an antichrist.
Yes, this is what Jesus told the Jews who believed in Him. And if this instruction was necessary for the Jewish followers, then, it is necessary for us too.
Genuine ministers of God preach and teach the commands of Christ. As they do, Christ and the host of heaven recognise their son-ship and stewardship to God. Let us read the scriptures below.
“Whosoever transgresseth, and ABIDETH NOT IN THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, HATH NOT GOD. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1: 9, KJV).
“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does NOT AGREE WITH THE SOUND WORDS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing…” (1 Timothy 6:3-4).
You can be an ordained apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor/bishop or teacher with a great church, but if you do not preach and teach the commands of Jesus Christ, you will have yourself to blame on the last day.
Now, regarding the Spirit of Christ, Paul emphasised, in his letter, to the church that was in Rome that people who had the Spirit of Christ belonged to Christ Jesus. The same truth remains today.
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST DOES NOT BELONG TO HIM” (Romans 8:9).
This clearly means that a Christian is made by the Word of Christ and the Spirit of Christ.
By James Quansah
