(Continued from part two…)

3)            The book of Romans 11:29 says, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” The Greek word for ‘gifts’ is charisma (khar’-is-mah) ‘a (divine) gratuity, that is, deliverance (from danger or passion); (specifically) a (spiritual) endowment, that is, (subjectively) religious qualification, or (objectively) miraculous faculty.’ The next word ‘calling’ is klēsis (klay’-sis): ‘an invitation.’ This is a call to the Divine feast: invitation to embrace salvation of God. The first communion of the New Testamentary establishment was of scriptural recording between Jesus Christ and His disciple friends.                                                             

                The Lord made the ‘call’ when He pronounced a universality of an invitation attributable only to Divine utterance in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Only God can give rest. Now, the words ‘without repentance’ is ametamelētos (am-et-am-el’-ay-tos) ‘not repentant of, unregretted –or better still– irrevocable.’ God will never feel sorry or regret as far as this friendship is concerned. It is an entente cordiale between the Redeemer and His redeemed preciousness. Our natural birth is unbelievably sinful (Psalm 51:5), ergo, disqualified to be the friend of the King of kings and Lord of all lords, the Saviour even the Almighty. Somewhere in Isaiah it says that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;” where the ‘filthy’ is `ed (ayd): ‘1. the menstrual flux (as periodical). 2. (by implication) (in plural) soiling;’ and ‘rags’ beged (behg’-ed) is: ‘1.  a covering. 2. clothing. 3. (also) treachery or pillage.’ The ‘filthy rags’ of our nature most definitely alienates us from any association with the purity of the Divinity. Jesus, notwithstanding, the putrefaction of our being, decided to make us His eternal friends.

“Let us make man in our image after our likeness”

                Were we not very close to His Divinity in Eden? At creation we were made in the image and after the likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). ‘Likeness’ in the Hebrew is dmuwth (dem-ooth’), a feminine noun reminding us of how the first woman had to be brought to the man, it means: ‘1. resemblance. 2. (concretely) model, shape. 3. (adverbially) like.’ The ‘image,’ tselem (tseh’-lem) is interestingly a masculine noun. It has these definitions: ‘1. a phantom. 2. (figuratively) illusion, resemblance. 3. (hence) a representative figure. 4. (especially) an idol.’ The ‘mage’ of God was what we did lose as a result of the original sin. While the ‘likeness’ is in reference to the anthropomorphism of Divinity, the ‘image’ is in actual fact a Person: Christ (2Cor 4:4). And that points to the rationale of using tselem, a masculine gender! Having got us born again, we have recovered the lost ‘image’ of Jehovah in Himself i.e. Jesus Christ our good Friend! Amen!  

These two verses of Colossians 1:21-22, “And you, that ‘were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22) In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” tell me unequivocally that the reconciling Redeemer is the Consummator of this Divine friendship. The relationship is truly an entente cordiale: for the original sin did sequester our Eden fellowship with the LORD God. The Greek for ‘reconciled’ is apokatallassō (ap-ok-at-al-las’-so): ‘to reconcile completely; to reconcile back again; bring back a former state of harmony.’ Just for saving us, should we be left as the slaves of Jesus forever, would that not be a thing to be eternally grateful for? For an inexplicable reason, in spite of all that we owe Him, the love of Jesus chose us. He forgave all our iniquitous acts. He washed us clean just for the actualization of His intended friendship.                                                                                                                                                       

He is the Friend that sticks to you for all eternity. How I do arrive at this fact is in the definition of ‘present,’ paristēmi or paristanō (par-is’-tay-mee) ‘to stand beside, that is, (transitively) to exhibit, proffer, (specifically) recommend, (figuratively) substantiate; or (intransitively) to be at hand (or ready), aid.’ Our friendship is an engenderment of the free salvation wrought on the cross of Calvary. Jesus had always loved me. One of the reasons Jesus, of very God the very God, died for me was to befriend me! Astounding! Is it not?

                Astounding it is to understand that Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, is my bosom Friend. Hallelujah!                                                                                                                                                                                                        Thank You, Jesus, for being my friend! O How I love Jesus: for He first loved me. Praise the LORD!

                You can choose to be another friend of Jesus. Get born again. Meaning it from your heart, say this prayer:

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”   

 (Concluded)

Read part two here

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