Grace360

GRACE360

EDEM LIGHT

Copyright © 2017 Edem Light Kumah

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

without the express written permission of the publisher

except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 9781370022021

Title: GRACE360

Author: Edem Light

Smashwords, Inc. edition

Email: edemlight@outlook.com

Phone: +233 505 645 584

DEDICATION

To all peoples of the world in search of rest.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My sincere gratitude goes to the numerous people who have spent several hours with me on this work. Kafui, I promise not to put you under too much pressure next time and I will take more of your literary advice for my next publication. Kwame Mantey, I hope you are happy now, for successfully pestering me into making a print edition of this book. Bill Bakomora, and the rest of The Unified Group, your keen interest in the success of this work, is much more appreciated than you’ll ever know. To the many others who were not even aware that, by critiquing my annoyingly long posts, they were contributing immensely to what I hope would be a life changing book for peoples all over the world, I say a big thank you. Now you all realise that there was method to the madness, lol. Above all, I thank God that, of all the overwhelmingly qualified people he could pick, it was to me that he granted the privilege and inspiration to write down these particular words of grace. Kindly note that any minor or major errors you may find are wholly of my making and I sincerely regret any such inconvenience.

PREFACE

For a book that has been three years in writing, I could begin by telling you a story about the sorry state of confusion and desperation that I was in, before the major shift I had in my understanding that, the GRACE of Jesus Christ is the gospel.

Or I could begin by trying to summon all the religious verve that I could, to try to get you into proceeding from a preferable disposition.

Maybe I could put on my political hat and bring to bare on you, the full force of the art of persuasion. Believe me, if there's anyone who can play artfully with words to the ends of manipulating emotions, under the guise of reason, their gift could not be further than mine. But to what end? It profits nothing.

I believe that everyone must carry their cross, everyone must find their way to truth or rather truth will find whom it will find. Manipulating people therefore is a fruitless venture, after all, just like false religion wore off from me a few years ago, so will any message that is based on anything other than the power of the Holy Spirit. So will any message that is not the truth. So will any message that is not based on Christ Jesus.

I'm therefore not at all worried about the capacity of this message about the grace of Christ Jesus to achieve the purpose for which it was written. Which purpose is to bring liberty to a world held in captivity by lies and empty religious zeal that is based on human philosophy rather than divine knowledge. To bring light to a world that has become locked in the darkness of human traditions and ignorance and fear of the unknown. To bring healing to a world that has been broken for years by depression and pain, induced by having to live through life by false teachings that have not survived the vagaries of time, because they are not based on the one truth which is the person Christ Jesus.

Such a message, no matter how one may try, can never be as a result of the mere creative imaginings of people, whether their objectives be noble or otherwise. It must run on its own legs, fly on its own wings, stand on its own feet and its truth be self-evident.

Such is the message of the Grace of Christ Jesus. The person Jesus liberates, heals and brings light. It is him that this books seeks to introduce in all his goodness and mercy. Its hope, is to reveal to its reader, the UNCONDITIONAL love that he has, for all humanity. To reveal a relationship that is based on his loving kindness alone, which demands absolutely nothing as payment in return.

A revelation that takes away, man and what empty religion says man must do, from the centre of Christian doctrine; a revelation that points to the person whom the scriptures show as the beginning, the centre and the end of creation's relationship with God. That person is Jesus.

Prepare therefore to unlearn the false yet popular theology of much of the church today, which passes off a mixture of self-help philosophy and the law of Moses as the gospel. Once upon a time, honest people believed that the earth was flat and the centre of the universe. Indeed the whole world believed this to be the truth. The preponderance of the same opinion does not necessarily make something true or false. Now just imagine how far scientific research would have advanced for instance, if men knew and believed the truth much earlier than it was. See what impact ordinary men had on human scientific and material progress, when a few got to know and spread the truth. Now imagine how great the church of Christ Jesus on earth would be and the exploits it would make if men knew the gospel for what it is.

I say the above because I do not wish it be lost on you, that the message that this book carries, may be unlike anything you have come across. A friend whom I asked to take a look at the unedited manuscripts said something that I recognise as true. he said It is a hard message to carry and I agree with him. It is hard, not at all because it is difficult to comprehend, but because it raises its standard against the tide of popular theology. It points 100% to the finished work of Christ Jesus without any ifs or buts or caveats that are born out of fear rather than knowledge.

But like I said before, truth can only stand on its own legs, with or without intervention. I'm only a messenger with a message according to the leading of the Holy Spirit that Christ promised(I believe). I kindly implore you therefore to take a seat aboard this boat of rest with me, as we sail through the pages of this book, to see and understand GRACE, the gospel of Christ Jesus that Paul Preached.

NB: Italics are used only for the purposes of emphasis and not necessarily for scriptural references, hence the differences in the formatting of some biblical references.

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1: Before And After The Cross

Chapter 2: The Reason For The Season

Chapter 3: A Covenant Keeping God

Chapter 4: You Are Like Christ Jesus

Chapter 5: Have The Christ Perspective

Chapter 6: Grace Doesn't Depend on You

Chapter 7: You Are Not Abandoned

Chapter 8: On The Road To Salvation

Chapter 9: Why God Is Not A Chauvinist

1

Before And After The Cross

■ A NEW WAY, A BETTER WAY ■ GRACE EVERLASTING ■ THE DIFFERENCE IT MADE ■TOTAL DEPENDENCE

Before the cross of Jesus, Jews had the law, the rest of us had no relationship or agreement with God.

Before the cross of Jesus, Jews had a way of covering their sins from God by sacrificing animals once a year by the law, the rest of us had no way of pardon even for a day because we are not Jews.

Before the cross of Jesus, Jews had to pay tithe which was given to widows and priests according to the law that God had given them in order to be blessed. The rest us had no agreement between us and God concerning tithes or being blessed.

Before the cross of Jesus, Jews had to fulfill every single bit of the law to be blessed and if they failed even one, it was equal to failing ALL. Deut. 28

Before the cross of Jesus, Jews had to earn their own righteousness by living by the law of Moses. The rest of us had no law by which we could EARN our righteousness.

Then God decided to make something radically different from what was in existence.

he decided to fulfill his original intentions which he had before he created the world.

he decided to CREATE a completely new creation. A completely NEW kind of man from what was in existence. And he decided that he wanted to create this new kind of human being in Christ Jesus.

God did NOT send Christ Jesus to come and make Jews into people who are better or more capable of obeying the law than they were before he came.

God did NOT send Christ Jesus to come and turn the rest of us who are NOT Jews into Jews so that we can obey some of the law or all of the law.

That is why your bible says that Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a NEW CREATURE... 2Corinth. 5:17

Because you are a new creature, applying the law does not matter to you in any way. Because you are a new creature going to adopt the law of the Jews does not matter to you in anyway. That is why your bible says in Gal 6:15

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Before the cross of Jesus, the law of sin and death existed for everyone whether Jew or not, because of Adam's sin. So sin is not present because you disobey the ten commandments, sin is present even in little children because all human beings inherited the sinful nature from Adam.

And we know from the bible that the wages of sin is death; that, is the law of sin and death which came into force when Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.

Now Christ Jesus, through his death at the cross, became for the Jews, once for all, an eternal sacrifice by which their sins are purged.

Christ Jesus, through his death at the cross became for the rest of us who are not Jews also, once for all, an eternal sacrifice by which our sins are purged.

Jesus did this by satisfying the requirement of the law of sin and death. The bible teaches us that the wages of sin is death, that is why Christ Jesus DIED on the cross.

Because the wages of sin is death, we had to die. The Jews had a special dispensation with God so instead of they dying, they were allowed to use animals according to the law of Moses, which gave them a covering that only lasted for one year.

The rest of us who are not Jews had no hope of ever being redeemed from the wages of sin(a nature which all people inherited from Adam) which is death.

Now that Christ Jesus has suffered the penalty of death for our sin once for all, we now have eternal life both Jew and non-Jew. Christ Jesus himself said this in John 3: 15-18

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. he that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

After the Cross of Christ Jesus, there is no longer the distinction of Jew or Gentile, we are all children of God in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:28

So from now on, stop trying to judge your righteousness by your performance of the law of Moses, which doesn't even apply to Jews any longer.

You are free from condemnation for ever and ever once you are in Christ Jesus. This is the wonderful work that Christ did you and I, his work for us is finished. IT IS FINISHED.

You have a wonderful Life free from legalism in Christ Jesus.

■ A New Way, A Better Way

The way people worshiped and related with God before the cross was not 'bad', 'wrong', or 'evil'. That system was called the old covenant, which was everything that Moses thought them to do.

But the same God sent Jesus to introduce A BETTER way. The cross therefore was the means by which Jesus put an end to the old system and begun the new system.

The old system caused people to have a servant-master relationship with God. Example, the parable of the talent.

The new and BETTER system causes people to have a father-daughter(son) relationship with God. Example, the parable of the prodigal son.

This is why the apostle Paul, calls this new system of relationship, A BETTER covenant. When a servant smashes a car, he may lose his relationship with his master. When a daughter smashes a car, her father does not cease to relate with her as a father.

Galatians 4:6-7

6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

7 Wherefore thou art NO MORE a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Do you see the difference... this is the GRACE (unmerited favour) that Christ Jesus brought to Jews who had the servant-master relationship, and to gentiles who were not even qualified to be servants under the old system.

This is why it is called the Gospel(good news) of the GRACE of Christ Jesus. That is why it seems so confusing, every time preachers mix up the old system with the new way that Christ Jesus has introduced .

But the apostle Paul teaches us clearly that GRACE is of NO effect to whosoever is under law(old covenant). But because many preachers are not clear in their understanding of the difference in relationship, they say many wrong things.

Example, we hear things like a sister has fallen from grace, because she had sex with a lecturer for grades. But that is simply not true, and yet they say it, thus mixing up the benefits of the new system of GRACE which is for daughters(sons), with the obligations that the old system of the LAW placed on servants, which the cross brought to an end. The apostle Paul clearly states that whosoever is justified by the LAW has FALLEN from GRACE, Gal 5:4. The reason being that, a father's love for his child is not dictated by what she does or does not do.

This is the flood of everlasting grace, that Christ unleashed at the cross for you and I, when blood and water poured out of his ruptured heart.

■ Grace Everlasting

Do you know what goes through the mind of Christ Jesus, anytime someone wants to judge you?

He simply thinks something like 'who does he think he is to judge me, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords'.

When Saul(Paul) encountered Jesus, Jesus didn't ask him why he was persecuting Stephen or the disciples. he said in Acts 9:4 ISV

.......Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting ME?

You see, as far as Christ is concerned, anything that happens to you is happening to him, full stop!!.

When an accusation is leveled against you, it is HIM that it is against. When sickness or trauma of any kind comes against you, it is him that it has come against.

In the same way, when someone shows any kindness to you, it is to HIM that it has been shown.

But make no mistake, he did NOT say that to Paul because Stephen or the disciples or the believers were(humanly speaking), perfect and without fault.

In fact they had disobeyed the full command to go into all the world and preach the gospel. They were all in Jerusalem, preaching to nobody but Jews.

So why would Christ Jesus therefore consider any actions against ‘flawed' beings as personally against him;

It is because he is literally one and inseparable from you. In fact, he specifically made that request to his father, when he was praying for believers in the book of John chapter 17 verse 22

JMNT And I Myself have given to them (or: in them), and they now possess, the glory (the notion; the opinion; the imagination; the reputation; the manifestation which calls forth praise) which You have given to Me, and which I now possess, to the end that they may continuously exist being one correspondingly as (just as; according as; on the same level as; in the same sphere as) We [are] one:

That's why the apostle John who wrote this down later said to believers in 1Jn 4:17

KJV ...as he is, so are we in THIS world.

The apostle Paul confirms this reality when he says in Gal 3:27 KJV

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ

So walk in the full assurance that you are Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul says in another place I live, yet not I but Christ that lives through me.

So no matter how hard you or anyone tries, you can never level an accusation against Christ. So stop calling him sick, stop calling him weak, stop calling him broke, stop calling him ugly, stop calling him poor, stop calling him a sinner, stop calling him dumb, stop calling him shy, stop calling him fearful, stop calling him timid, stop calling him arrogant, stop calling him wicked, stop calling him shameful, stop calling him rubbish, stop calling him a failure, stop saying all these and other negative things about him because they are simply not true. They will not stand a chance in any court in the entire universe.

You'll say, when have I said such things about Christ?; anytime you believe or say such things about your self, you are saying that, that is who Christ Jesus is.

And have you noticed that anytime you stopped yourself in a moment of negative thoughts and got remind of God's word relating to the matter, another thought almost immediately comes to your mind like aaaah... you see that you doubted God. My friend, that thought of condemnation is a lie that is not from God, it is the Holy Spirit whom Christ Jesus promised will remind you of all truth in John 14:26, who is doing his 'job'.

It's literally Christ Jesus speaking to you the truth of the matter in that very moment. In that instance, you have two options before you, to either acknowledge and believe a lie about Christ Jesus(Yourself) or to acknowledge and believe the truth about Christ Jesus(Yourself).

Agree with Christ Jesus, he is your life. This is the guarantee that you have through his finished work at the cross for all who believe on him.

■ The Difference The Cross Made

The same Jesus who said in Mat 10:33 KJV But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven., specifically asked Mary through the Angel to inform his disciples and PETER