FOUNDATION SCHOOL

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the foundation school is to educate the students in the foundational
teachings of Christ and to lay a firm foundation upon which successful and fulfilling
Christian lives can be built (Mathew 7:24-27). Knowledge is key and makes the
difference between success and failure. The foundation school will:

i. Through the ministry and manifestation of the Word and Spirit of God work
towards presenting you perfect in Christ (Colossians 1:28)
ii. Correct any erroneous ideas you might have had prior to this time
(Ephesians 4:11-14, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
iii. Help us grow in the knowledge of God (1 Peter 2:2, 2 Peter 3:18)
iv. Prepare you for the ministry of reconciliation and train you to become an
effective soul winner (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

CLASS ONE - NEW CREATION REALITIES

In this class, we will receive an understanding of the Christian’s place in Christ, and
the excellent life of glory that knows no defeat or failure. There is indeed a higher
life in Christ: 1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the
name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may
believe on the name of the Son of God.

The New Creation – who are they? 2 Corinthians {5:17} Therefore if any man
[be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new. 5:18 And all things [are] of God.

When you were born again, a new life was introduced into your spirit, and the
human life with which you were born of your earthly parents ceased to be; it was
supplanted/replaced by the life and nature of God. We’re a new species; a kind of
creature that never existed before; a new type of man! Paul isn’t talking about the
body, or the outward man, or the mind. He’s talking about the spirit – the inward man –
who is in Christ. You are a divine breed in God’s class, an uninfectable species and a
carrier of the God-life! Everything about your life is new and divine.

When the Bible says old things are passed away, it is talking about everything that
was associated with your Old nature from the first Adam; that nature that was
subject to sin, sickness and disease, failure, defeat, death, etc. These are all products
of the old fallen and corrupt nature of the first Adam and no longer a part of the life
of the one in Christ. The new creation has an extraordinary indestructible life that is
superior to sickness, disease or the negative forces in the world. They have the life,
nature and character of God in their spirit. When a man has this life, he can only and
is expected to live like God. (1 John 4:4)

When God recreated you in Christ Jesus, He fashioned, designed and programed you
for good works. Now you can heal the sick, save the lost, and bless the world
because you have the nature of your Father in you. You are God’s excellently crafted
masterpiece, a work of outstanding skill and expertise, called to live the good life,
which He prearranged for you! (Ephesians 2:10 AMP)

The new creation is born of God – in the new birth, our spirits are born of God.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, [even] to them that believe on his name

When we believed and received the Word of God, it gave birth to us. (I Peter 1:23)
The Word is the Seed of God. John 1:13 say’s of the us, “Which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Our spirits are
born anew by the Spirit and the Word of God with the nature and life of God.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit. {3:7} Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. James 1:18
says “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of
first fruits of his creatures.” We are recreated by the Spirit through the Word. No
man recreates himself. It is purely the work of God.

The new creation received salvation by grace – in other words it wasn’t because
of anything they did on their part - Salvation is God's gift to you through faith in
Jesus Christ. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). Salvation can't be earned by any amount of good
works, because God doesn't give eternal life based on anything you do. Jesus Christ
did everything that needed to be done through His death, burial, and resurrection.
You receive eternal life by faith in Him alone! It is God who has qualified us.

Ephesians 2:8 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
[it is] the gift of God: {2:9} Not of works, lest any man should boast: Grace is a divine
influence in the spirit of a man that produces in them that which is consistent with
the will of God.
Titus 2:11 - For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
Once a man recognizes and acknowledges this grace, then the faith to confess the
Lordship of Christ is imparted to their spirit, ultimately bringing them into the
reality of salvation! Our salvation is a miracle of God’s grace. It is according to "the
riches of his grace." By implication, God alone defines us, it is He alone that equips
us and that gives us a new identity in Christ.

What Assurance does the New Creation have for their salvation? What are the
things that prove the certainty/sureness of our salvation? What has you convinced?

1) The Word of God– Your salvation came by your confession of Christ’s Lordship!
(Romans 10:9-10) God’s word is the proof that you are born again and not how you
feel. Salvation or being born again has nothing to do with how you feel. It is a matter
of faith in God and His Word. (1 John 5:9-12)

Feelings are deceptive and they change with situations and circumstances, but God’s
Word doesn’t change. So believe, accept and live by God’s Word: (Mathew 12:37)

2) The witness of the Holy Spirit - Romans 8:16 say’s, “The Holy Spirit bears
witness with our spirit that we are the children (sons) of God.”

Being born again, we have inside information; knowledge produced in us by the

Holy Spirit that God is our Father. It isn’t an assumption! There is a knowing deep
inside us that we’re born of God. 1 John 5:10say’s, “He that believeth on the Son of
God hath the witness in himself:” Remember, the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth.
(John 16:13) Now, we aren’t products of our feelings or what our minds tell us; we
are who and what God says we are!

Man as a spirit - Man essentially is a spirit being who possesses a soul and lives in a
body. Man's spirit is that part of him that contacts God. He is in the same class with
God because God is a Spirit and He made man to fellowship with Him. In order to
fellowship with God, man must be in the same class with God. Therefore, just as God
is spirit, so is man.

Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth" (John 4:24). God doesn’t relate with us from our human minds or the
senses. You can never know God except from your spirit; that’s where His light
shines. (Proverbs 20:27)
Genesis 1:26 say’s God created man in His image and in His likeness. Then Genesis
2:7 say’s, He formed man from the dust of the ground; the created man was the
human spirit, after which his body was formed from the dust of the ground. Then
the Bible say’s, “He breathed into his nostrils the breathe of life.” God introduced the
spirit man He had created into the physical body He had formed, and man became a
living soul. Job 10:11 say’s, “Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast
fenced me with bones and sinew.”

A natural birth brought you into this world, but a spiritual birth is required to enter
God's kingdom, Jesus tells Nicodemus, "…Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). The
new birth is a rebirth of the human spirit! "That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." He is a new creature, as Paul said in II
Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

The new creation lives on the word of God (Matthew 4:4; Heb. 5:12-14)

According to Mathew 4:4, man is meant to live by what God reveals to our spirit.
God’s Word will enlighten, energize and build up your spirit to live the victorious life
we have in Christ. The spirit man derives nourishment to grow and attain fullness or
maturity in Christ from the Word – 1 Peter 2:2. Thus, the development of the human
spirit is by the Word of God. (John 6:45-51) Your sustenance is through the Word
since you are the offspring of the Word. (1 Peter 1:23)

THE FRUIT OF THE CREATED HUMAN SPIRIT IN CHRIST

When we are born again, we are born with all the distinct and unique features or
qualities of the recreated human spirit. This is by reason of the life, nature and
character of God inherent or in-built in our spirit after the new birth. These features
are listed in Galatians 5:22-23.

These are intrinsic features of the recreated human spirit! Which means there is
love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance
in your spirit. These aren’t things we pray to God about. God’s life, nature and
character are already in your spirit; however, you have got to spend time to
cultivate and nurture your spirit by learning and meditating on the Word. So as we
grow in and live out the Word, these spiritual characteristics become evident in our
lives.
As we attain spiritual maturity, we begin bearing fruits of righteousness. This means
the works of righteousness are being manifested in our words and actions! Isaiah 61:3
say’s we are tress of righteousness, so we produce fruits of righteousness, and all of
these are in our regenerated spirits. We express the fruit of the spirit based on the
workings of the Spirit of God in us.

THE SOUL OF MAN

The soul is the part of man, which deals with the mental realm or the intellect, the
feelings and the will. Your character isn’t formed by your spirit but by the soul.
Personality is the expression of the contents and working of ones mind. (Proverbs
23:7)

Your body and soul (mind, will, and emotions) didn't change at salvation the way
your spirit did. The way you think must match your born-again spirit (Romans
12:2). At salvation, your spirit became an entirely new creation and is always in
agreement with God! However, the Word ought to renew your mind to what’s
already happened in your spirit. James 1:21 it says, “receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” It is the Word of God, which will
save your soul, or restore it!

As you continually renew your mind with the Word, you will increasingly partake of
the divine nature and enjoy the blessings of your salvation: (Ephesians 4:23-24)

THE BODY AND ITS DISCIPLINE (it’s regulation, self control or self restraint)

The body is the covering of the spirit man. (Job 10:11 - Thou hast clothed me with
skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews...

As a child of God, one thing you have to consciously do is to subject your body to the
authority of the Word. You have to train your spirit to dominate your body by
engaging in spiritual exercises like studying and meditating on the Word, praying
especially in the spirit and fasting regularly. When its time to pray, pray and refuse
to feel tired or sleepy; put away anything and everything that’s likely to distract you.
Paul says in I Corinthians 9:27 “But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into
subjection...”

God does not want us to be carnal Christians, or "body-ruled" Christians (those that
live according to the senses). Notice something. "I" keep under my body and "I"
bring it into subjection. What is he saying? "I" don't let my body rule me. "I" is the
man on the inside. If your body were you, he would have said, "I keep myself under."
He calls the body "it." Who is "I"? "I" is the real you. That is, the inward man or
hidden man of the heart. Galatians 5:16 -[This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

REMISSION AND FORGIVENESS OF SIN

Remission is the act of totally washing away or complete removal of sin. This is what
we have in Christ. It’s man’s total release from sin, its effects as well as
consequences. (Hebrews 10:17-18) Jesus paid the price for our sins [1 Peter 2:24].
All we had to do was believe that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross was for
us. (Acts 10:43 KJV) He was the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world!
[John 1:29 Acts 2:28]

How is remission different from forgiveness? Forgiveness is something we get when

we err/stumble as God’s children. Remission is something that the sinner gets when
they come into the Family of God by the rebirth of their spirit! Remission is for the
unconverted but once converted, their sins are blotted out forever.

FORGIVENESS FOR THE CHRISTIAN

To forgive means to pardon, that the record of wrongdoing is there but you will not
be punished. The blood of Jesus did much more than offer just forgiveness. God put
away our sins and transgressions; He doesn’t have a record of them.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, as he
is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin…

When we walk in the light of God’s Word about our forgiveness, meaning we
recognize and acknowledge that God has made provision for our forgiveness, then
because of our agreement with His Word and what it provided for, we can have
confidence in the automatic cleansing of the blood of Jesus. Ephesians 1:7 - In whom
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the
riches of his grace;
HANDLING OF SIN FOR THE CHRISTIAN

Living as a Christian - Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed
remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God (1 John 3:9 NKJV)

To properly understand the verse of scripture above, you’ll have to study it in the
right context. The purpose of that verse is actually in the 6th verse of the preceding
chapter and it says, “...He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as
He walked” (1 John 2:6 NKJV). Notice it doesn’t say, “He who says he abides in Him
walks just as He walked.” Rather, it says if you’re a Christian, you ought to walk
(live) as a Christian; walk as He (Jesus) walked.

Now, Romans 8:6 tells us, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace.” He’s teaching us here to walk in the Spirit. He says, “This I
say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians
5:16). These are all instructions and guidance given to us in the Word of God.

Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may
abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” No
Christian is at liberty to do wrong. You were called to display righteousness; to walk
in His rightness. The life that we have in Christ is sin-free. However, in your walk of
faith, it’s possible to make mistakes; so, the Bible says, “…the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). He prepared for us automatic cleansing.

What He expects is that you yield yourself to the Word, to be taught and to be
guided in righteousness. Through the Word, you’d discover that you’re cleansed
from all unrighteousness (John 15:3), and have the capacity to live sin-free. Praise
God! 1 John 5:18; 1 John 2:1; 1 John 2:28-29