Prof Biju Issac

But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you that what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. - Gal, 1:8

A great burden I have is to present Christ to people as a total solution to their sin marred life. I have often failed in that and was severely convicted by God about that matter, for it needs more than a man to do that awesome task - meaning, that’s a supernatural work that has to be done by God and not by the techniques of man.

It’s very easy to speak about a good life that we should be living with various principles of behaviour like humility and love. That would make the hearers only good on the outside, when their inner life is still fuming rotten stench of selfishness. I am penning below some understanding that the Lord has given me, so that the good news we speak to others is indeed Christ - centered.

1. Man’ Man’s s lostness and depravity:
Man in his best form is only like a vapour or morning mist in God’s eyes. Though created in the image of God, he lost that charm when he took sides with sin and Satan. He thus carries along within him a vacuum, which can only be filled with God.

His best and noblest act is selfcentered. That’s why we have an automatic itch that comes along, to let people know about the good works we are doing, to gather a name for charity.

The word of God declares with frank plainness that all humanity is dead in their sins before God and that they don’t have a sense for God. No one seeks God and there is not even one person good in God’s sight. Even those who claim to go for pilgrimages are only mindful of “getting” some blessing from God and are not content to have God as their greatest blessing. The word of God goes even further to declare that the prince of the power of the air - i.e. Satan himself, controls all humanity. Many are not aware of that. The human race is self-centered to the core and is lost in the madness of sin and slavery to Satan - is the biblical perspective of human race (Ephes. 2 :1-3)

Firstly a person needs to be awakened to the truths above if at all he has to come to a place of making a choice to take sides with God. It’s true at the same time that no one can make a choice toward God unless God attracts that man to Himself.

2. Man’ Man’s s inability to obey God:
Even after understanding the depravity of one’s life, we need to see the inability inherent in us to obey God wholeheartedly. Consider the following verses from the Scripture.

* The Lord says - Be holy holy,, , for I am holy - Pet. 1:16.
* You shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matt. 5:48
* For who ever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. -Js. 2:10.
The demands on the degree of obedience that we should be having before God is close to perfection. The question is - ‘How will we make it?’ Even if you keep the whole law and stumble in one point, you stand guilty of breaking all the laws of God.
We are in or out -there is no middle ground.

What I am trying to point out is the obedience that God is asking for is not 20 or 40% obedience, but 100% . So it takes a supernatural God’s help to obey His commandments. If you understand this, all your self-striving to please God will come to a halt and you would look only to God for help. There is no other go. Apostle Paul in his effort to obey God came to some definite conclusions - 1. There is nothing good dwelling in his flesh and that he is carrying a body of death. 2. Only Christ Jesus can deliver him and lead him to be more than a conqueror. Are we coming to such conclusions?

3. God’ God’s s provision:
Only God can obey His commandments. I am not speaking here of external adherence to some laws (which many can keep), but an inward obedience to God’s law. As a miracle, God decides to dwell in man - thus providing a way by which we can obey God. For that man has to be cleansed on the inside. So He sent His son Jesus to die for our sins and He was raised from the dead so that we can be right before God. If we abide in Christ, we can have the same righteousness as Christ -an only way to be pleased of God. God accepts or approves only the righteousness of His son -Christ. Any other right form of living apart from Christ is evil in His sight. Good mannerisms without abiding in Christ are a stench in His nostrils.

Jesus said - I am the way (to God), the truth (concerning God) and the life (of God) and no one can come to the Father (God) except through me (Jn. 14:6). Our lives need to be so centered and be rooted in Christ. That is the only way to have any form of relationship with God. Without Christ, there is no hope of knowing or reaching God, in as much as without a bridge there is no hope of reaching the other shore. The word of God says that as we abide in Christ, He would abide in us strengthening us from within - making us overcomers.

When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, those Jews who were bitten by the poisonous serpents were healed as they looked on it in faith. Even now that’s the only way to be healed of the wounds of sin that Satan has inflicted on us. Look upon the risen Christ (exalted through the cross) in faith, for He is able to deliver us.

All the promises of God remains true -’ Christ Jesus is able to save us to the uttermost’ - ‘He is able to keep us from falling into sins’ - ‘He is able to save us from all our sins’ - He will not test us beyond what we are able, but would provide a definite way of escape’ - ‘He causes all things to work together for our good, if we love Him’ - No one can harm us if we pursue what is good’.
Acknowledging our inability, let’s look to the Christ Jesus and draw all our strength from Him as we run the race. We would only sink in despair, if we turn our eyes off Him and look on to something else (to the trial or to the people around us). This I believe is the secret of Christian strength.

4. Our response
* Let’s accept the verdict of God concerning our insufficiency to obey God fully.

* Let’s repent and forsake all known sins in our life, hating the very nature of it. Let’s learn to walk in the light as God is in the light - i.e. be very honest to God about our pitfalls and sins.

* Let’s dwell in Christ and believe that we are serving a God who is all-sufficient- who could create the world out of nothing, who parted the Red Sea, who raised up an army of
soldiers from a valley of dead bones, who could give life to the dead...... There is nothing too hard for Him. Your disfigured and messed up life is too small a matter for Him to
straighten up. Praise God!