Posted by: the warrioress | March 2, 2014

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

There are many fairly standard responses to what one must do to be saved, to experience the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ. If I were someone who wanted to know how to be saved, I would turn directly to the word of God, the Holy Bible. Jesus Himself tells us what we must do, as do His apostles. Read with me the following stories presented to us within the New Testament. These are stories of people who asked Jesus Christ what they must do to be saved. If you want to be saved, do these things, just as they did:

————-Jesus teaches Nicodemus————–

14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 

16For 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. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3: 14-18

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10: 8-13

——————The Parable of the Good Samaritan—————

25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’c ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denariie and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10 19:25-37

————-The Conversion of the Jailer————–

29And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”… Acts 16:29-31

———————————–

There are many verses within the Bible which tell us exactly how to be saved and what the process is. Ministers, preachers, teachers, prophets, and those who know, abound — they all have their opinions; I take mine directly from the Holy Bible itself.  I take my opinion from the mouth of Jesus Christ and those who followed Him. We can read the Holy Bible for ourselves and follow Jesus.  If we do what it tells us, we will be saved; Jesus assures us of this.

Do not allow anyone to make it overly complicated for you. Do not allow someone else to tell you that you are not saved when you have done what the bible tells you to do. Do not let another person interject doubt about your salvation through their own thoughts, church beliefs,  church denomination, politics, or life experiences into what you must do to be saved; when people do this, they are adding to the bible and probably taking away from it without even knowing that they are doing it.

Have confidence and faith in your salvation. You become a new person in Christ Jesus once you have been saved. You are different and continue to grow and change over time. Jesus tells us exactly what to do to be saved and keeps it very simple, as do the apostles of Jesus Christ.  See below:

36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. John 3:36

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; Romans 3:10

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1John 1:8

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. John 5:24

 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,i through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26

6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11

————-

When you recognize that God is Holy and we (none of us are holy) are not, you realize that you are a sinner and you need saving. There is only one name by which you can be saved. There is only one savior, Jesus Christ, and only one way you can be saved– through Jesus Christ. You are saved through believing and confessing aloud that you believe.

 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9

Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” That should clarify pretty much everything you need to know about it.

When you believe and are saved, things in your life change. You change.  How so?  The bible tells us this too in a variety of places.

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Posted by: the warrioress | February 26, 2014

Vetoed!

TUCSON — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has vetoed a controversial bill that would have bolstered a business owner’s right to refuse service to gays and others on the basis of religion. (Source)

The United States of America must not return to the days of separate water fountains for African Americans and a Trail of Tears for Native American Indians. We must not have the kind of moral regression that made women little more than chattel/property for their owner’s/husband’s. Women weren’t even allowed to vote, for goodness sake!

It would seem that there are traditionalists who want to return America to a place that was only brought forward through actual civil war. Why haven’t Americans learned after all of this time, blood, sweat, and tears? Why do we have people unwilling to recognize how fundamental it is that people have civil rights, regardless of race, gender, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, or anything else that can be discriminated against?

Today’s Christian must recognize that an unwillingness to do business with others because of their sexual orientation or lifestyle is akin to times in which we made African American’s ride in the back of the bus, drink from separate water fountains, and other horrific atrocities. We cannot go back to these awful places in history.

May the youth of this nation stand up and stand firm for freedom for all Americans, and equal rights for all. This is really a no-brainer. There are some issues that shouldn’t be that difficult to grasp what side of the aisle we should fall upon, politically and spiritually. If the behavior in question is hateful, discriminatory, ugly, and intentionally hurts someone else, it is wrong and is not necessary. We don’t  uphold religious rights by crushing the civil rights of others. We live in a multi-cultural society. We share this country with people of varying personal religious beliefs, ethnicities, and cultures. It’s not just “our America.”  It’s OUR America, all of ours.

If you’re someone who still supports racism, prejudice, or discrimination, you need to repent. God does not approve of treating your neighbor with contempt for any reason. We are under the New Covenant, thanks to the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Galatians 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

1 Samuel 16:7 : But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Acts 10:34-35:  So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

Related Articles:

http://www.gotquestions.org/racism-Bible.html

http://www.blogos.org/exploringtheword/yes-I-sin.php

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-michaelson/jesuss-advice-to-the-turn_b_4830870.html

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Posted by: the warrioress | February 23, 2014

You’re Not Really Saved!

Beautiful, dead on posting from someone who is obviously very “plugged in.”

Pastor Chris Linzey's avatarChris Linzey

salvation

So it started like this: an Anonymous friend of mine in an online group I’m part of made a comment that he was going to go watch a Dexter marathon.

I jokingly said, “You say you’re a Christian but you watch those terrible shows. You must not really be saved.”

Then it hit me. Let’s play a game! Let’s come up with all the ways Christians downplay the salvation of those who don’t fit the mold. Let’s face it ~ we’re masters at belittling the salvation and faith of those who don’t fit our own mold of what it looks like to be a Christian.

I called it: Not Really Saved

Then the game took off like wildfire. Dozens of people jumped in and came up with hundreds of ways we belittle others’ salvation. Here’s but a small sample of some of the things we came up with.

You say…

View original post 419 more words

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Posted by: the warrioress | February 23, 2014

Does Anybody Hear Her?

For the Mobile Viewer, click HERE

Does Anybody Hear Her?  By Casting Crowns

She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying but the canyon’s ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She’s another two years older
And she’s three more steps behind

Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she’s going down today?
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

She is yearning for shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching for a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away

Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she’s going down today?
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can’t see past her scarlet letter
And we’ve never even met her

If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can’t see past her scarlet letter
And we’ve never even met her
Never even met her, never even met her

Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she’s going down today?
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me

Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
Does anybody even know she’s going down today?
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?

He is running a hundred miles an hour
In the wrong direction

Songwriters
HALL, JOHN MARK

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Posted by: the warrioress | February 21, 2014

Subhuman Mongrel

Image Associated Press

Apparently in 2014 there are Conservative radical Republican Christians who believe it is acceptable and even godly to call The President of the United States of America a “subhuman mongrel.”

Many other Republican-leaning Conservative Christians say nothing whatsoever to condemn this kind of behavior as sinful; they merely continue their own personal diatribe’s against homosexuality and abortion, as per usual, as if these are the only sins worth taking note of or railing against.

Personally speaking, I don’t think Jesus Christ appreciates the Christian who slanders others or creates lies and gossip about anyone, including the President of the United States. You see, the bible tells us that God doesn’t like liars. God doesn’t like false religion, either, that claims to be following Christ, but openly exhibits rotting fruit for everyone to see.

Warning, sarcasm ahead:

The following kinds of Christians can instantly be spotted because they accuse and slander others; they bear false witness, and not just against the President either:

  1. They bear false witness against their neighbor.
  2. They gossip and spread vicious rumors that they cannot prove, that have no basis in fact whatsoever.
  3. Their “ministry” is all about negativity and harming others under the guise of “good Christian love and witness.”
  4. They claim prophetic knowledge of everything through their own allegedly-accurate (not) interpretation of the Holy Bible.
  5. There are no mysteries of God that they cannot answer because they have deemed that they are the mind and the mouth of God. We must pay attention to them because they are always right.
  6. If the Bible doesn’t actually name something sinful, these Christians determine for us what is and isn’t sinful because they’ve been blessed with an all-knowing mind and the ability to read God’s mind. They always knows what God is thinking about everything and everyone.
  7. When they slander, lie, accuse, condemn, call foul names, and judge the President or others, it’s okay because theirs is a “godly righteous” judgment done out of “love” and “concern” for those in their sites.
  8. When they accuse the President of not being a real Christian and insist that he is Satan himself or the antichrist, they are only rebuking and judging righteously — remember, they know bible prophecy.
  9. These Christians are above praying for our leaders and wishing the best for their political office; the instructions from the bible don’t apply to these kinds of Christians — they follow those they feel like following, righteously.
  10. These Christians know the heart of the President and yours and mine. They have that all-knowing eye. Beware their scary judgment and perspectives. They condemn you in Christian brotherly love.

(eye roll)

I submit that all of that is bologna. And the following is not sarcasm.

God told us how we can recognize a real Christian. We can recognize a real Christian by his or her fruits:

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

— Matthew 7:15-20

Apple representing the fruit of the Holy Spirit. - stock photo

Related Audio:

for the mobile viewer click HERE

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Posted by: the warrioress | February 19, 2014

Blind Guides

What about the Christian who is smug, self-righteous, priggish, judgmental, and certain he or she is correct about everything he believes about God and the Holy Bible?

These kinds of Christians beat their audience bloody with the word of God. They hold themselves up as pious examples, certain that they are above the fray. They are better than the rest of us who claim Christ, yet still fail and sin from time to time, nevertheless.  They are certain they must be perfect to glean a reward from God Himself, and thus demand that we all follow their example and behave similarly.

What does God really think about them?

Jesus called these kinds of Christians “blind guides.” He wasn’t pleased with them at all.

“Leave them. The Pharisees are blind guides. If a blind person leads another who is blind, both of them will fall into a pit.” –Matthew 15:14

Jesus had other advice for those who think they can preach from a place of arrogance, judgment, and self-righteousness instead of humility and love:

“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.” — Luke 6:41-42

“We must judge ourselves, and judge of our own acts, but not make our word a law to everybody. We must not judge rashly, nor pass judgment upon our brother without any ground. We must not make the worst of people. Here is a just reproof to those who quarrel with their brethren for small faults, while they allow themselves in greater ones. Some sins are as motes, while others are as beams; some as a gnat, others as a camel. Not that there is any sin little; if it be a mote, or splinter, it is in the eye; if a gnat, it is in the throat; both are painful and dangerous, and we cannot be easy or well till they are got out. That which charity teaches us to call but a splinter in our brother’s eye, true repentance and godly sorrow will teach us to call a beam in our own. It is as strange that a man can be in a sinful, miserable condition, and not be aware of it, as that a man should have a beam in his eye, and not consider it; but the god of this world blinds their minds. Here is a good rule for reprovers; first reform thyself.” (Source)

Related articles:

The Parables of Jesus   ( http://theparablesofjesus.blogspot.com )

Bible Study Tools ( http://www.biblestudytools.com/matthew/15-14-compare.html )

DougBrittonBooks.com ( https://www.dougbrittonbooks.com/onlinebiblestudies-personalgrowthanddevelopment/changeyourselffirst-takethebeamoutofyourowne )

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Posted by: the warrioress | February 18, 2014

Christians who Hate? Part II

Luke 6:27-36   “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.  Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.  And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way.  And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same amount.  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”  (NAS)

“It is easy to love those who always treat us nicely.  Even the heathen do that.  The distinctive difference between the true disciples of Jesus and those who simply play church is obvious because of their attitude of loving those who refuse to love them in return.  Most Christians are so immature in this area.  They are thin-skinned, and nurture self-pity if their feelings have been hurt.  They love to harbor a grudge by nursing their wounds as though it was a God-given right.”

“So what happens when a brother or sister in Jesus says something mean, or hurtful to you?  Certainly it will produce hurt, or even anger.  Hurt and anger are not, by themselves, wrong.”

“God’s word tells us to be angry.  Even Jesus got angry when he saw the temple moneychangers.  Anger is a secondary emotion; it is a response to hurt or some other root cause.”

“When someone hurts our feelings, it makes us feel belittled or disrespected, and this produces anger.  God allows us to be angry, but He does NOT allow us to sin by hating the person who wronged us.”

 Ephesians 4:26-27 “When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down. Leave no such room or foothold for the devil give no opportunity to him.”  AMP

“If you harbor hatred towards a brother because he has hurt you, and made you angry, then you are sinning.  The hurt and anger are normal human emotions; the hatred is allowing Satan to get a ‘foothold’ in your life.  The Greek word for ‘foothold’ is defined as follows by Strong’s Dictionary:

“Foothold” = 5117 topos (top’-os); a spot (general in space, but limited by occupancy), i.e. location (as a position, home, tract, etc.)”

“If we allow unresolved hurt and anger to continue, the scripture says that the devil will find a “spot” to occupy in our lives, and in our homes.  This is not a good thing.  Marriages are destroyed simply because anger is not resolved before a couple goes to bed.  Instead, they allow the hurt and anger to fester all night long, and in the morning there is a cold distance between them.  Husbands have the greater responsibility here.  They must be the one’s to nurture their precious wives back to emotional health, loving them as Christ loves the church.”

I John 2:9-11 The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.  The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.  But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.  (NAS)

I John 3:14-19 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.  We know love by this that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?  Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him. (NAS)

“It is difficult to imagine we are guilty of murder when we hate our brother, but God takes hatred very seriously.  Not only is the attitude of a murderer prevalent in someone who hates a fellow believer, but also it causes him or her to walk in darkness.  They are like the blind; they can walk, but they can’t see the deception that has enveloped their life.

Unless we do everything possible to eradicate hatred from our hearts and lives, we will not have eternal life…we will lose our salvation!  That is why the scripture says, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”  This is very serious business, and must not be taken lightly.  A Christian who fancies him or herself as being spiritual, affirming their love and devotion to God without loving their brother is a liar.”

I John 4:19-21 “We love, because He first loved us.  If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.” (NAS)

“To summarize, a true believer cannot hate his brother, or even his enemies.  Those who harbor hatred in their heart are malicious deceivers.  Those who spread gossip and slander are, in effect, concealing their own hatred through lying lips.”

Proverbs 26:22-28 “The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body.  Like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross are burning lips and a wicked heart.  He who hates disguises it with his lips, but he lays up deceit in his heart. When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart.  Though his hatred covers itself with guile, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.  He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.  A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”  (NAS)

Proverbs 10:18-19 “He who conceals hatred has lying lips, and he who spreads slander is a fool.  When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”  (NAS)

There is a cure for hatred…love and forgiveness.  These terms are not just convenient Christian rhetoric, but the very essence of what our life should reflect.

Proverbs 10:11-12 “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.  Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.”  (NAS)

“In short, a Christian is NOT allowed to hate other human beings.  In fact, God requires them to love others, even their enemies, and those who mistreat them.  Jesus is the ultimate model to follow, and in his last moments, as he hung beaten and tortured, he forgave those who were responsible.”

Luke 23:33-34 And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.  But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”  NAS

[This entire “sermon” of part 1 & part 2 were taken from the following address below]

http://www.bibleanswerstand.org/hate.htm

It is an excellent article on hating others and demonstrating that hate through a variety of ways. I think all Christians should read it and meditate on the thoughts contained within.

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Posted by: the warrioress | February 15, 2014

Christians who Hate?

 

In a reading from “The Bible Answer Stand Ministry”:

Many Christians feel they have the right to hold grudges or animosity against certain people.  They actually hate those who espouse abortion.  They hate homosexuals.  If someone does them wrong, they feel vindicated when they hold feelings of ill will towards that person, or persons.  There are scriptures in the Old Testament where King David and others speak of their hatred for the wicked.  This hatred for the wicked was expressed under the inspiration of God in the scriptures. “

Psalms 26:5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.  (NAS)

“Does the psalmist’s hatred for evildoers justify a Christian doing the same?  There are numerous scriptures like Psalm 26:5 which one could use to rationalize hatred for the wicked. “

Jesus Christ came to bring Israel, and mankind into a new covenant.  Under the provisions of this covenant he gave believers a very different commandment regarding those who do evil, or are enemies.”

Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same?  And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (NAS)

“Notice the words of Jesus, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’”  He did not say, “You have heard that it was commanded by God…” 

“The Jews had modified the commandments of Yahweh to fit their own agenda; this included allowing themselves the privilege of hating their enemies. That is why we see such animosity to this very day in the Middle East.  Both Arab and Jew alike maintain mutual hatred for one another.  In fact, in many Muslim nations people actually live by a written code of revenge, exacting precise prescribed amounts and types of vengeance for a wrong suffered.  This should be sufficient reason to reject altogether the Satanic verse of the Koran.”

 “Let us look at the commandment that was modified into a manmade tradition by the Jews to see what it actually says:

Leviticus 19:16-18 ‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.  You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. (NAS)

Even under the conditions of the Law God requires His people to love their neighbors.  He specifies that they are not to hate their fellow countrymen in their heart.  They were allowed to reprove and rebuke a man for practicing evil of course, but vengeance belonged to the LORD.

The notion of ‘hatred’ towards others is very subtle at times.  Often Christians make glib comments like, “I just HATE the Democrats!”  A comment like this is made from our indignant feelings regarding the evil the Democratic Party promotes. 

However, we must be cautious, because these words can also express what is in our hearts and minds.  Don’t attempt to justify yourself, saying, “I don’t REALLY hate Democrats, I just hate their political agenda.” By your words you will be either justified or condemned.

 Dear Christian brother or sister, if you say something long enough, it can become the expression of what you feel in your heart.”

Mark 7:20-23 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.  All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”  (NAS)

Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?  I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.  (NKJ)

“We must guard our hearts.  A time of great persecution lies ahead for all true believers, and God is calling us to be like His son Jesus.  We must love and forgive even those who irritate, harm or act with malice towards us.  It only takes small measures of leaven (sin) to cause the lump of dough in our heart to rise with pride and anger.  Now is the hour to correct our thoughts, and be careful as to what we think, say and do.”

To Be Continued in the Next Post


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Posted by: the warrioress | February 13, 2014

The Greatest Love Story

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, so I thought it only logical to share the greatest love story of all time with everyone, here on my blog.

In my last posting, I shared with you the opinions of the studied and scholarly about Old Testament Law. Because God loves you and I so much, God created a plan and a way that gave us a reprieve from Old Testament Law that the Israelites/Jews were under. God created a NEW COVENANT with man and His doing so was proof of the greatest, most unconditional love any Being could ever feel or know.

God offered His own Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity so that we would no longer be under the Old Testament Law. God knew we could not keep the Law — no one could, which is why all the animal sacrifices went on, but now God was washing away our sin and making us as holy as He is through the blood of His son, Jesus Christ. Jesus was the last sacrifice; there will be no more because no more are necessary. All that is needed now is for humanity to realize this gift of love that God has offered each one of us and to reach out and take it, and BELIEVE.

None of us will ever be worthy or “good enough” to merit this gift from Holy God. We cannot ever earn the gift, no matter what good works we attempt or how saintly we act. We now please God because we love Him, because we’ve been born again of the spirit and water, because of the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus makes us “good enough.”

You will never find a greater, more romantic, deeper love than God’s love for us, His church (the bride of Jesus Christ). We are the church of God, the followers of Jesus Christ, and we have been adopted as God’s own beloved children. We are royalty, thanks to Jesus.

Step into and wrap yourself into the loving, heavenly arms of our Father in Heaven and accept His love; it’s the ultimate; you will never find any better or greater as long as you draw breath and exist in this life or the next one. You’ve been given something that can’t even be fathomed, no matter how hard we try to comprehend it. Please accept this great love and don’t turn God’s Valentine away. Discover this great love for yourself as I have.

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Posted by: the warrioress | February 12, 2014

Old Testament Law

There is a wonderful site called “Gotquestions.org” that I often use when I want to clarify something for myself. Many of these well-versed, learned, educated Christian individuals have studied the bible more than I have and so I appreciate their take on the various issues and questions that often come up as we live this Christian life.  I like to meditate on these various opinions while I make up my own mind about a particular issue. Let’s look at what follows here, for example.

I am quoting directly from Gotquestions.org:

“What does it mean that Christians are not under the Law?”

“Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified” -Galatians 2:16

“This passage reveals that the Law cannot justify or make righteous any man in God’s sight, which is why God sent His Son to completely fulfil the requirements of the Law for all those who would ever believe in Him.

Christ Jesus redeemed us from the curse that has been brought through the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). He substituted Himself in our place and upon the cross took the punishment that is justly ours so that we are no longer under the curse of the Law. In doing so, He fulfilled and upheld the requirements of the Law. This does not mean that Christians are to be lawless, as some advocate today—a teaching called  antinomianism.  Rather, it means that we are free from the Mosaic Law and instead under the law of Christ, which is to love God with all of our being and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Christ became the end of the Law by virtue of what He did on earth through His sinless life and His sacrifice on the cross. So, the Law no longer has any bearing over us because its demands have been fully met in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ who satisfied the righteous demands of the Law restores us into a pleasing relationship with God and keeps us there. No longer under the penalty of the Law, we now live under the law of grace in the love of God.”

Read more:    http://www.gotquestions.org/not-under-the-law.html#ixzz2t9nBTxNq

—————

“Do Christians have to obey the Old Testament Law?”

“The key to understanding this issue is knowing that the Old Testament law was given to the nation of Israel, not to Christians. Some of the laws were to reveal to the Israelites how to obey and please God (the Ten Commandments, for example). Some of the laws were to show the Israelites how to worship God and atone for sin (the sacrificial system). Some of the laws were intended to make the Israelites distinct from other nations (the food and clothing rules). None of the Old Testament law is binding on us today. When Jesus died on the cross, He put an end to the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4;Galatians 3:23-25;Ephesians 2:15).”

“In place of the Old Testament law, we are under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2), which is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…and to love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). If we obey those two commands, we will be fulfilling all that Christ requires of us: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40). Now, this does not mean the Old Testament law is irrelevant today. Many of the commands in the Old Testament law fall into the categories of “loving God” and “loving your neighbor.”

The Old Testament law can be a good guidepost for knowing how to love God and knowing what goes into loving your neighbor. At the same time, to say that the Old Testament law applies to Christians today is incorrect. The Old Testament law is a unit (James 2:10). Either all of it applies, or none of it applies.  If Christ fulfilled some of it, such as the sacrificial system, He fulfilled all of it.”

Read more:    http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-law.html#ixzz2t9nQliL3

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