When we can only see a small portion of a matter we cannot make a decision about truth. Those who choose portions of the Bible and ignore others will not see truth as well as those who change the meaning of the scriptures to fit their culture.
We see more scripture being dismissed than obeyed in our culture today. Many people use the Bible to fit what they wish to believer and become angry when an authentic Bible believer comes along and corrects their false assertions.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ."
It is a choice to become a fool refusing to believe God's Word as He spoke it.
For those who have been authentically born again by the power of the Holy Spirit when they confessed their sinfulness and desired to be changed by Christ, we have the truth because we seek God for it. We do not depend on the culture to shape us, we depend on Christ.
John 16:13
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
We need not take seriously those who rage against us when we tell the truth. We are merely the messengers guided by the Holy Spirit, the response of others is God's business.
John 8:31-32
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Those who abide in God's Word (Christ) are those who were changed by Christ. Those who do not abide in God's Word (Christ) were never born again.
Those who have been changed by Christ and have the Holy Spirit living in them will connect Spiritually with those who are also born again and abide in Christ.
God said; "you shall know them by their fruit."
Matthew 7:15-20
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 thornbushes 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."
What is the fruit of the Spirit of God Who lives in born-again believers?
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
When we see a lifestyle of anger in someone who claims to be a Christian, without remorse for their evil toward those they dislike, we are seeing someone who is a pretender, they were never born again and are resisting the Holy Spirit. No one who resists the Holy Spirit in their lifestyle is born again.
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
God wanted us to be able to discern the difference between those who belong to Him and are our family and those who are just pretending. The reason we need to discern this is because many false Christians will bring in cultural ideas which are against God's Word while claiming they come from God.
We can know if someone is a pretender by their overall spirit of rebellion against God's Word and their angst toward correction from the Holy Spirit.
Believers can disagree at times but they do not hate those who disagree, they enjoy the discussion and seek the truth in prayer depending on the Holy Spirit to guide them.
Pretenders almost always become angry when corrected. They want to believe they "know it all", when they really do not know it all but worse they spread false doctrine to justify their own appetites for their fleshly desires.
2 Timothey 4:2-4 "2 preach the word; be ready [a]in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and [b]exhort, with [c]great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
Remember this to have that ever-present peace and joy that soon this mess will be over and we will have our reward for being faithful to the Word of God, Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
8 in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."
The dead in Christ and the living in Christ will one day see His appearing in the clouds coming for His Church. The bodies of the dead will be reunited with their Spirit and the living will have new bodies. All of this happening instantaneously!!! In a twinkling of an eye we will be freed from this wicked world.
May the pretenders realize their need to repent, confess and be cleansed by Christ and may those who are already born again worship and praise God for His amazing kindness to us.
