[CONTINUED FROM THE LAST ISSUE]

Now, let us get strengthened with life experience of some of the people given below.

1. 'Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.' [Genesis 5:24] This Enoch walked with God for three hundred and sixty-five years and fathered Methuselah and many other sons and daughters. He led a family life as an ordinary man and lived an amazing life. God took him to be with Him forever. What a marvelous life! Can we dedicate ourselves to God so that to be always with Him. We need to own a heart to comply with it.

2. When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." "Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt." ... "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain." [Exodus 3:4,10,12]

   This Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the sheep and came to Mount Horeb. Events happened there is described in the above scripture portion. Moses also was an ordinary family man. Like any of us, he was man well involved in earthly transactions. Moses, he himself quotes of his weakness that he is slow to speak and of slow tongue. God calls him. God walked with him. Pharaoh or even any forces in this world cannot challenge this shepherd boy or his caller Lord God. God saves Moses and the entire Israel while Pharaoh and chariots drowned in the Red Sea. Beloved readers, please heed to all these attentively!

   God appointed Moses as the redeemer or rescuer of Israel. Even though they had to undergo many hardships on their journey, God made the Red Sea a dry land and the waters were divided for the children of Israel to make their way to enter into the Promised Land. Manna was given to them from sky on their journey. Thick rocks were split and water came out of it in a manner human mind cannot even conceive. This is amazing; this is very amazing! Ho, Moses, you are marvelous! You walked with God. You heard voice of God un-enduringly! You yourself affirmed that you did not let yourself to depart from Lord and also that a prophet will be raised to save the people from their sins. It was the prophecy about the redemption of the mankind through our Lord Jesus Christ. How big is the profit and reward of one walking with God? It is amazing! Beloved readers, let us also choose this good path! Jesus calls you; Jesus calls me; Jesus calls us! Let us dedicate us also like Moses to see and enjoy the wonders of God, to work for the glory of God and to sanctify ourselves. Let our Lord extend His mercy to us for this cause.

   A great man had commanded us: 'Look for great things from God, act great things for God.'

3. 'Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. .... And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. [2 Kings 2:8-11]

   The wonderful works enacted by Elijah were numerous. When Elijah prayed on the mount Carmel, the fire from heaven came down. God arranged food and drinks for him when Elijah was desolated at the brook Cherith. In the house of the widow of Zarephath the bowl of flour was neither exhausted nor the jar of oil was empty till Lord sent rain on the face of earth. Very important point to be noticed in all these events is that Elijah was born and lived as an ordinary man like any of us and became Godly and walked with God.

   The biggest necessity of our contemporary world is that it needs saints. There are many rich, scholars, artists and genius in many other topics, however we really lack Godly people. Let this scarcity be replenished! Let us dedicate you and me, the humble servant of God for this cause.

4. All the events what we had seen above were experiences of saintly persons of Old Testament. Now let us look through the realities in the New Testament. But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!" And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.

   With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. [Acts 3:6-8] 'But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, does not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep.' [Acts 7:55,56,59,60]

   On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, "Get up quickly." And his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals." And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me." And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the Iron Gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. [Acts 7:6-10]

   Apostle Peter was ordinary among ordinaries. St Peter himself witness that while hearing the call from Jesus, he renounced everything and followed Jesus. Later he turned out as a wondrous man. Same way the first martyr Stephen also became elevated in the presence of God. At his death hours he had seen the heaven wide open and viewed Jesus waiting in the heaven to receive him. How much amazing are all these episodes. God make use people who are obedient and obligated to God. Behold, my brethren! Let is also become saintly in the presence of God!

Like these we can enumerate many more wondrous events in the life experience of many saints.

Beloved readers, it is illogical and unjustified to think that these type of experience would not happen in your and my life. God had created us in the image and similitude of God to be the dwelling place of God and to enlighten and share the Godliness to others.

Sunlight, when it falls on the clear glass, it glitters. If the glass is soiled with dirt and mud, it loose it's ability to gleam with light. The saints of God are the ones who diffuse the light to the world. So me, the weak servant of God, remind you to be the abode of God. Let all impurities and evil thoughts may be dispelled off from our mind! Let us become Godly and let the light of God emerge out from us. One saintly father had exhorted to his disciples, 'Those who see us, let them see God in us, those hear us, let them hear God from us, those who interact with us, let them interact with God.'

We have written the experience of few saints who embraced the redemption of Lord in order to demonstrate about the mysteries involved in those. Now we trust in Lord to elaborate about the sin and redemption through Jesus Christ. Me, the weak servant of God wishes that you all should learn this and practice in our day-to-day life and become the wondrous men and women of God.

Let us go into in depth of the subject, redemption, and try to conceive the divinity involved in it. Salvation is a very intensive subject in all the religions. All religions contemplate intensive human intellectual investigations based on human efforts. In Christianity, salvation is an offer given to mankind inspired out of the ardent love of the most loving God. Though it involves human efforts, it is not something, which can be attained only by the human efforts. Christianity believe that it is a blessing from God attained by the grace of God. Salvation is the free offer through the grace of God. The word salvation has got meaning like, redemption, savings from danger, absolution of debts, consolation, freedom from bondage etc.

The savings or redemption as per above verses can be referred as redemption or salvation. Judges 8:9, 1 Samuel 19:11; 1 Samuel 19:9; Job 20:20; Jeremiah 51:45 etc. also should be studied along with these.

In Hebrew language the words Yesha, Yeeshayah means redemption by God, security, redeemer, savior etc. Another word used in Hebrew is 'geaal', which mean save, free a slave by giving ransom etc. We read the proclamation of God in the Holy Scriptures to redeem Israel. 'Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.' [Isaiah 41:14]

'Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.' [Isaiah 43:14]

'Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.' [Isaiah 44:6]

'Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb. [Isaiah 44:24]

In Greek language the word used for salvation is 'Zozo'. This word mean save, give life etc. Another word used is 'soteria' which mean redemption, security etc. Biblical scholars believe that his word was used in literal works of that time.

In Syriac the synonymous word used was 'forookko' and 'mahiyona' which were also used in Greek and Hebrew. These words mean savior, redeemer, life-giver, and giver of renewed life sparing from death etc. However all these words creates a spiritual conscience of the salvation offered by our Lord. The Gospel writers had used these words to reveal the real experience of salvation through Christ. Children of Israel firmly believed that their God save them from devastations, hardships, wars and from all their opponents. So they called the Lord undoubtedly as 'Lord God, Our Savior'. When there were falls and failures to happen due to their distraction from the God, they were warned about it through the prophets. The prophets and foreseers very emphatically reprimanded them that the root causes of all their falls were by their retraction from the living God. These are not only applicable for the Israelites, but also it is the reality and experience of ours which happen very frequently in our life.

According to the Christian faith, salvation is not involved in spirit or body alone but it involves the salvation of the entire human aspects. It also involves the divine liberation of the nature and all universes. It involves a new world, new life, new establishment and a new enjoyment. The first parents were created in the same image and similitude of God and they were accommodated in the Garden of Eden and ornamented with the divine presence of God Himself.

God had given them His commandments to guide them to lead a well-disciplined life pattern. But the freedom given to them to live in accordance with the will of God was misused to live accordance with their self-motivation and self-glory. They were cast out of the paradise because of their disobedience to God. This was the fulfillment of the justice of the God. The reward of sin is death. Sinner should be punished. This is the justice of God. We all should understand that the responsibility is imbibed in the individuals. Life with divine instruction is the experience of heaven. Hell is the evasion of the instruction of God. If we need to see the heaven, we should look through the families and society where instruction of the God prevails and reverse for the hell. This is a great truth, which is specifically concerned to the church and organizations.

‘And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.’ [Genesis 3:15] Here the promise about the seed of woman is noteworthy. It reveals that there will be a seed of a woman, which is not related to the seed of a man. It was the foresight about the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ through a virgin. How much amazing is these facts. He is the one who bruise the head serpent. Is it not evident that it was our Lord Jesus Christ who defeats all darkness, evils and satanic nature which got injexted to the creation? It was a firm declaration that He will bruise the heel of the serpent.

This great divine salvation is originated through hardships and sufferings. It was the farsight of the passion, sufferings and crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redemption, which is given to the world through His death. That is why our early fathers named it as 'Proto evangelion'. While we perceive the justice of God in their punishment, at the same time we perceive the love and mercy of God in their salvation.

This reveals that God is just, compassionate and loving at the same time. Yes, God is really the amalgamation of justice, compassion and love! We see many verses in the Old Testament to corroborate this idea. 'Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.' [Isaiah 7:14]

'For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace.' [Isaiah 9:6] In the Book of Exodus, the Children of Israel were redeemed by Moses from the bondage of Pharaoh through the blood of the Passover Lamb and led them to the land of Canaan flowing with milk and honey. This track of salvation and the proclamation of Moses that a prophet shall be raised like unto me, revealed the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Paul perceives our Lord in the Passover Lamb. 'For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us' [1 Corinth. 5:7] He was foreordained before the foundation of the world. These all confirm that Salvation through Jesus is not mere incidental.

[TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT ISSUE]