"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not covet,' and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:8-10).
What is the Law? Love. If you love you are in obedience to the law because if you love you will not do these things that harm your fellow man.
However Paul does say in Romans 12:9 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." Love must be sincere. You cannot trick God. You must learn to love with all of your heart.
In Romans 14:13 Paul says: "Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way." If eating pork is considered a sin to a fellow follower of Christ and by you eating it in front of him you ruin his faith, decide not to eat pork in his presence. Paul goes on in Romans 14:14-15 "As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convincd that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died." If you love your brother, you will not do something that may destroy him. Again, LOVE is the key to all of our actions.
No one is righteous in God's eyes but as Paul states in Romans 2:7-11 "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favortism." What is the "good" that Paul is talking about? As we read before in Romans 13:8-10, LOVE is what is good because if we love we are in full obedience to the law. What is evil? Evil is greed and self-seeking. Evil is not having love. We must truly understand that LOVE is the key to our walk with Christ.
Many times I've heard people say "If there is no evil then there can be no good, so it must be good to be evil sometimes" or the even more common "The end justifies the means." When I heard this first, I thought it was just some kind of joke or play on words and morality. However, Paul addresses these kind of people because there are truly people who hold this saying close to their heart and believe that there is a relative morality and if there isn't relativism then it must be good to be evil because good can not exist without evil. Paul states in Romans 3:8 "Why not say-as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say-'Let us do evil that good may result'? Their condemnation is deserved."
Many exclusivist churches and cults claim that God is the God of their church only. They may be heard saying (as I had heard many times) "But the God of OUR religion does not listen to unbelievers. He is the God of us." Paul, by maintaining that we are justified through faith and God's grace, notes that these sayings are wrong in Romans 3:28-30 "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith." God is the God of all. He no longer has a chosen geographical nation of people. God's nation is the nation of followers of Christ and that cannot be mapped out geographically. He is the God of Jews and Gentiles alike. He is the Creator of all things and the God of ALL.
Righteousness comes through faith as it shows in Romans 3:21-26 "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrafice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forebearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Jesus died for our sins and all of sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are all sinners and through faith we are forgiven and justified. In Romans 5:1 Paul clearly states that we are justified by faith and because of this we have made peace with God. We have made peace with our God and now we can hope for the glory of God at the end of time: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
God loves us all. "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6-8). You see? God saved us while we were sinners. He loves us all and we all have a chance for peace with God through the Son, Jesus Christ, no matter how wicked and corrupt we are before we turn to Christ.
With that I will put an end to this post on the beautiful teachings we can find in Romans. There are many more and it is best to read the entire book for yourself. If there are any thoughts please post them!
I would like to end this post with an excerpt from the book of John. Jesus, the Word made flesh in which all things were created through, says "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:16-17). God sent Christ to save the world, not to condemn it. God is a loving God, not a hateful one. God saved us through Christ. Through Christ He gave us life; He gave us a chance to live in the glory of God no matter how wicked and corrupt we were before it. We live in a wicked world filled with evil and hate, but God loves the people that populate this evil and wicked world. Through Christ we are given the chance to be saved from death, from this sinful and wicked world. We are given a chance through Christ because God loves us. That is the most powerful message of the Bible. God loves us and through Christ we can triumph over death and be saved from this wicked and sinful world. God loves us; that is why He sent his Son to die so that we may be saved.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
An Introduction
As I read the Bible more and more, I discover more and more things. And I learn that many of the churches I have attended are controlling churches that are not what they say they are. More on my history will come up later but for now I have just a few things to say.
Any church that claims it is the true and only church deserves to be tested. Anyone who says they should not be questioned is violating scripture. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 16:17-18 very clearly "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people."
The true Church exists inside your body. Your body is the temple. In I Corinthians 3:16 Paul states "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's spirit lives in you?" God's spirit lives inside of YOU!
Christ is God. Christ is not a creature. He was with God since the beginning. In Colossians 1:15-20 Paul states "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Also be onguard for people who deny the Word becoming flesh, John warns in II John 7-11 "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work."
Also, I discovered that you cannot believe every spirit. Do not believe everyone who claims to be of God. You must test these men who claim to have the Spirit. Anyone who says that they cannot be questioned is a liar. The apostle John demands that you question! These are cultic strategies to keep you uninformed of the truth of the Bible. In I John 4:1-4 it is said: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
These are things to be onguard for but remember we must LOVE. We must not regard the people who follow bad prophets as enemies. They just need our prayer. We must LOVE our enemies; Christians are to be a peaceful people. As Paul says in Romans 12:14-18 "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."
That is all for now, these are just my thoughts as I read and learn. All of these verses of scripture were taken from the New International Version of the Bible.
Any church that claims it is the true and only church deserves to be tested. Anyone who says they should not be questioned is violating scripture. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 16:17-18 very clearly "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people."
The true Church exists inside your body. Your body is the temple. In I Corinthians 3:16 Paul states "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's spirit lives in you?" God's spirit lives inside of YOU!
Christ is God. Christ is not a creature. He was with God since the beginning. In Colossians 1:15-20 Paul states "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Also be onguard for people who deny the Word becoming flesh, John warns in II John 7-11 "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work."
Also, I discovered that you cannot believe every spirit. Do not believe everyone who claims to be of God. You must test these men who claim to have the Spirit. Anyone who says that they cannot be questioned is a liar. The apostle John demands that you question! These are cultic strategies to keep you uninformed of the truth of the Bible. In I John 4:1-4 it is said: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
These are things to be onguard for but remember we must LOVE. We must not regard the people who follow bad prophets as enemies. They just need our prayer. We must LOVE our enemies; Christians are to be a peaceful people. As Paul says in Romans 12:14-18 "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."
That is all for now, these are just my thoughts as I read and learn. All of these verses of scripture were taken from the New International Version of the Bible.
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