Thursday, April 15, 2010
Were We Ever A Christian Nation
We have been raised to believe we are a Christian nation and that our roots were in Christianity. I believe that we as a nation took some basic Christian principles from the Bible to form our country, but as a people we have not honored God most of the way along. We were more focused on our freedom than we were on Christ himself. We are not now nor ever have been a country that honors God in our lives as a whole. Of course there have always been the remnant as in any country. Those who are faithful but remain the minority. If we had truly been a Christian nation we would have been ruled by a group of elders who seek God everyday. Christ would have been our leader. That will not happen until the millennium. If we had been a Christian nation we would never have had the civil war which was started because of the evil of slavery and greed of many people. We would never have had the "Roaring 20's." We would never have legalized the killing of millions of unborn babies. We would not have passed legislation allowing for the open and free practice of homosexuality. We would never have taken the Ten Commandments out of our schools, or the Bible or prayer out of our centers of learning. We would not have established a public school system, because parents would have been educating their own children. If we were a Christian nation our people as a whole would have gone to their knees the first time God's standards were violated. Pockets of people, the remnant, did pray but most people did not. If we were a Christian nation we would have never taught self esteem to our children, or tolerated and endorsed our young people dressing like sluts and living together out side of marriage. Marriage is becoming rare in our culture. The movies we watch are deplorable and an abomination before God. If we were a Christian nation we would have never softened the laws on divorce and remarriage. We would have executed child molesters and murderers, rapists and drug dealers. God removed the Ten Commandments from our public places because we were not following them anyway. Christian nation....not a lick. Our churches are superficial and un-Biblical and irreverent toward the Lord. They are full of silly trivial preaching, full of marketing techniques, foolish jesting and evil meaningless music. We fail to preach convicting messages that lead people to sorrow over their sin. We are in this condition in our churches because we have failed to pass on to our children the deeper teaching of Christ and the principles of the Holy Word. Shame on us!!! We are under judgement for our pride. God never said that we must be politically free. Our freedom in Christ is in who we become because of Who He is. We can be free and yet in prison for His sake. We need to stop preaching freedom for our country and begin preaching repentance. Our people need to get on their knees and weep for their wickedness. There should be weeping in every congregation, weeping for all we have tolerated, all we have neglected to obey and all that we have endorsed by our silence. God is offended, our nation is in dire trouble. Repentance is what we need, the greater blessing that God could bring is our repentance, not more stuff and more pleasure and more freedom.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Does Our Life Match Our Words
There was a question in my mind some years ago concerning the words "believe" and "confess" in reference to the Bible passages that speak of salvation. I knew in my heart that just because someone says with their mouth that they believe in Jesus Christ, it is not necessarily indicative of their salvation. How could someone live like the devil, feel no sorrow for it and even get angry with those who would chastise them, and still consider themselves saved. The Holy Spirit showed me that there was no salvation in a case like this, but I didn't know how to prove it from the Scriptures. I prayed for guidance and studied and read some more. One day I was listening to a Bible teacher on the radio whom God used to illuminate me further.
1 John 3:24 through 1 John 4:3 says:
1 John 3:24 through 1 John 4:3 says:
3:24. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us by the Spirit whom He has given us. 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
This teacher was versed in the original Greek and Hebrew languages. He pointed out that the word confess in 1 John 3 and 4 was not just speaking what one believes but actually living the lifestyle of Christ likeness. The word confess means "a demonstration of ones life." There is a vast difference between just saying with our mouth that Jesus Christ is God, and actually living as though we know He is.
Matthew 15:8
"These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me; Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
In the passage in Matthew we see that God does not accept mere words as demonstration for our devotion to Him, but the demonstration is in our lifestyle. If we are saved our life will be a clear demonstration that we love the Lord. It will be His works in us that will count not our own fleshly works.
Something to ponder.
Gwendolyn
Saturday, April 3, 2010
All Things To All People
So often we take a Scripture out of context in order to fulfill in our hearts, the desire we have to allow ourselves to indulge in the culture in which we live. One of the phrases used in our modern day has driven us to a secularized Christianity. A faith that no longer produces holiness in ourselves but even more devastating is the witness that we have been to the world not for Christ but against Him.
The phrase that I am referring to today is found in 1 Corinthians 9:16-23.
16)For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! 17) For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. 18) What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel. 19) For though I am free from all men. I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20) and to the Jews became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are without the law; 22) to the weak I become as weak that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23) Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.
This passage has been used by some believers as licence to do what the heathens do to win them to Christ. Would God ever ask us to act like a heathen to win the unsaved? I say not.
Romans 6:1-5 says: 1)"What shall we say then? Shall we sin that grace may abound? 2) Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3) Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ......5) For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.
The Words of Scripture here are not giving licence for a believer to act as the heathens do to win them, rather we are given the mandate to give up those things that are allowable in order to resist becoming a hindrance to the gospel. If we offend a non-believer by eating meat, even though we are free in Christ to do so, we will abstain from eating meat in the presence of those vegetarians to avoid any distraction from the work of the gospel. It is important to study the culture of another people group before we go to them with the gospel. Not for the sake of becoming like them, but to avoid doing things that we are free to do but that would be offensive to them. Eating meat is only one example, there are others such as clothing style. Our clothing must always reflect modesty in obedience to Scripture.
In recent years there was an article written about an American woman who was in the military in an Islamic country. While in the military, the mandate was handed down from the authorities that any woman leaving the American base would wear Islamic garb in deference to the laws of the host country. The woman in question, refused to wear what she considered to be a symbol of Islam when she left the base, because she felt it violated her conscience to wear anything that validated this false religion. I thought on this for a long time wondering what I would do in this situation. After much searching of my heart I realized that perhaps the conscience of this woman was weak. The Bible says that we must follow our conscience but it is a weak one that is focused on, what we eat and what we wear, of course within the guidelines of modesty and wholesomeness. I do not berate this woman for obeying her tender conscience. But at the same time I think that if my Christian testimony would be distract by my clothing, I would wear the Islamic garb to draw attention away from clothing so that the gospel would be heard. I believe this is akin to not eating meat offered to idols mentioned in 1 Corinthians 8. I would not be sinning to wear Islamic garb in the countries where it is the law, as long as it meets the criteria in Scripture that mandates modest clothing. Also the Scripture commands us to obey the laws of the land in which we live. To rebel against the American officers in authority over this military woman, and the host country seemed misguided. Then of course there is the discussion of a woman in the military to begin with, that is another discussion by itself.
Paul was not telling us to become like unbelievers to win them. He was telling us to give up things that will be offensive to them, in order to remove the distraction from the gospel. Having said this I feel compelled to clarify that sometimes the gospel itself will be offensive and our modest clothing will irritate non-believers, I do not say that we should change in defiance of the commands of Scripture to win unbelievers. Never. But when we dress like the heathens in an immodest manner, we disobey God and harm our own Christian witness, no to mention our own spiritual well being and the example that we leave with other believers.
Our first concern is, what does God think of this action, and secondly, how will this action influence other believers, lastly how will this action distract my witness with non-believers. We are to obey God rather than man, as stated in Acts 5:29.
If we take our focus off of our selves and onto Christ, we will not violate our conscience or bring reproach to the name of Christ by our actions.
Blessings!!
Gwendolyn
The phrase that I am referring to today is found in 1 Corinthians 9:16-23.
16)For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! 17) For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. 18) What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel. 19) For though I am free from all men. I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20) and to the Jews became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are without the law; 22) to the weak I become as weak that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23) Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.
This passage has been used by some believers as licence to do what the heathens do to win them to Christ. Would God ever ask us to act like a heathen to win the unsaved? I say not.
Romans 6:1-5 says: 1)"What shall we say then? Shall we sin that grace may abound? 2) Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3) Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ......5) For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.
The Words of Scripture here are not giving licence for a believer to act as the heathens do to win them, rather we are given the mandate to give up those things that are allowable in order to resist becoming a hindrance to the gospel. If we offend a non-believer by eating meat, even though we are free in Christ to do so, we will abstain from eating meat in the presence of those vegetarians to avoid any distraction from the work of the gospel. It is important to study the culture of another people group before we go to them with the gospel. Not for the sake of becoming like them, but to avoid doing things that we are free to do but that would be offensive to them. Eating meat is only one example, there are others such as clothing style. Our clothing must always reflect modesty in obedience to Scripture.
In recent years there was an article written about an American woman who was in the military in an Islamic country. While in the military, the mandate was handed down from the authorities that any woman leaving the American base would wear Islamic garb in deference to the laws of the host country. The woman in question, refused to wear what she considered to be a symbol of Islam when she left the base, because she felt it violated her conscience to wear anything that validated this false religion. I thought on this for a long time wondering what I would do in this situation. After much searching of my heart I realized that perhaps the conscience of this woman was weak. The Bible says that we must follow our conscience but it is a weak one that is focused on, what we eat and what we wear, of course within the guidelines of modesty and wholesomeness. I do not berate this woman for obeying her tender conscience. But at the same time I think that if my Christian testimony would be distract by my clothing, I would wear the Islamic garb to draw attention away from clothing so that the gospel would be heard. I believe this is akin to not eating meat offered to idols mentioned in 1 Corinthians 8. I would not be sinning to wear Islamic garb in the countries where it is the law, as long as it meets the criteria in Scripture that mandates modest clothing. Also the Scripture commands us to obey the laws of the land in which we live. To rebel against the American officers in authority over this military woman, and the host country seemed misguided. Then of course there is the discussion of a woman in the military to begin with, that is another discussion by itself.
Paul was not telling us to become like unbelievers to win them. He was telling us to give up things that will be offensive to them, in order to remove the distraction from the gospel. Having said this I feel compelled to clarify that sometimes the gospel itself will be offensive and our modest clothing will irritate non-believers, I do not say that we should change in defiance of the commands of Scripture to win unbelievers. Never. But when we dress like the heathens in an immodest manner, we disobey God and harm our own Christian witness, no to mention our own spiritual well being and the example that we leave with other believers.
Our first concern is, what does God think of this action, and secondly, how will this action influence other believers, lastly how will this action distract my witness with non-believers. We are to obey God rather than man, as stated in Acts 5:29.
If we take our focus off of our selves and onto Christ, we will not violate our conscience or bring reproach to the name of Christ by our actions.
Blessings!!
Gwendolyn
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Benevolent Kingship vs Harsh Dictatorship
"Never the less, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord." I Corinthians 11:11
"And, though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." I Corinthians 13:3
Why would I put these two verses together in the same discussion concerning "God's will for leadership in the home? Without love, the leadership is nothing more than worldly deprivation. (deprivation: a condition of being deprived). I say it this way because so many men in the church think that leadership is simply barking orders, expecting obedience and becoming angry and vindictive when they do not get their way. Not concerned about the needs or desires of the underlings, they see to their own desires.
God told the woman to obey the man, he told the man to love his wife as Christ loved the church. Women are fragile beings in every sense of the word fragile. The Bible describes women as the weaker vessels, the words in the original languages, I am told, describe a delicate pottery vessel much like china. They are to be handled with care and love. God instructs the man to protect his wife, this does not mean that he dictates where she can go and what she can do. But as the leader he discusses with her, those things that may be dangerous and suggest to her a safe course of action. If she loves her husband she will see whether something is important to him or just a mild suggestion. She chooses to obey him out of deference for his position as the leader.
He should never demand or bark orders, but suggest with compassion. If she disagrees the man is obligated to listen and consider what she says. She is his helpmate, she brings to the marriage her own wisdom, given to her by God, that may enlighten the blind spot in the man's eyes.
Men and women think very differently, there is a reason for this. The woman has insight that the man does not have and the man has insight that the woman does not have, both bring intelligence and wisdom to the marriage, if they are walking with the Lord. If they work together they can move mountains. God says there is safety in many counselors. A man working alone, will not have the results of a woman and man working together.
God tells the woman to obey her husband in everything. The woman is to choose to submit to her husband, this is a command to the woman. I don't read in this passage or any other, a command for the husband to force a woman into submission, whether by subtle withdrawal of affection, harsh words or physical abuse. He must trust the Lord for his wife's reaction. This will take prayer and faith.
The man is to wash his wife with the Word. Most husbands in the church today are not doing this. They may read the Word themselves, and take their families to church but they are seeing to their own needs and leaving the wife and children to take care of their own needs. What can the men expect when they neglect the spiritual needs of the wife in disobedience to the Word. They can expect a wife who will protect herself, just as children will learn to do this when a father will not wash his children in the Word and discuss important matters with his family.
My husband has been in management positions from the beginning of his career. He knows that the best leadership is that which honors the workers, encourages them in their task and leaves them to do their job. The worst leadership are those who are micro-managers. Every detail of the underlings is constantly monitored. A micro-manager is one who believes he is the only one who is capable, leaving the co-workers feeling frustrated and oppressed. If a person is capable enough to be hired for a job, he is capable enough to allow creativity within his job without constant monitoring. Within the framework of the office, there are meetings where the boss explains his overall goal, some dictates for the accomplishment of those goals, at the same time allowing for creativity within each persons task. If a boss can not get his people to follow his leadership most likely it is because he is not leading in a way that motivates his people.
While the office environment is not exactly the same as the home, there are some good principles that I believe are Biblical.
A benevolent king is better than a harsh dictator. Who will the people follow with enthusiasm, most likely the benevolent king.
Thankfully I am married to a benevolent king.
If anyone is interested in my opinion on the submission of the wife, I can write about that, but it seems that there are so many resources written on that subject, that I thought I would write on the subject that is very often neglected.
If you go to the Internet and type in "wife submission" you will find far more articles written on that, than are written about the benevolent leadership of men. And, most of the articles are written from a man's perspective. I thought it would be good to have a woman's perspective to produce some balance.
If the men will be a benevolent leader, then his wife will follow him with enthusiasm. If wives will not follow, then the Lord is their judge and they will bring the natural consequences of disobedient children and a lack of God's blessing.
Everyone must do their part in obedience to the Lord.
Lastly, we must all pray for each other. If there is a disobedient member of the family, we can not force them into obedience of the heart. We must pray that God will do His work in their lives.
We are each responsible for ourselves before God. Let us obey Him no matter what anyone else is doing!!!
Blessings, Gwendolyn
"And, though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." I Corinthians 13:3
Why would I put these two verses together in the same discussion concerning "God's will for leadership in the home? Without love, the leadership is nothing more than worldly deprivation. (deprivation: a condition of being deprived). I say it this way because so many men in the church think that leadership is simply barking orders, expecting obedience and becoming angry and vindictive when they do not get their way. Not concerned about the needs or desires of the underlings, they see to their own desires.
God told the woman to obey the man, he told the man to love his wife as Christ loved the church. Women are fragile beings in every sense of the word fragile. The Bible describes women as the weaker vessels, the words in the original languages, I am told, describe a delicate pottery vessel much like china. They are to be handled with care and love. God instructs the man to protect his wife, this does not mean that he dictates where she can go and what she can do. But as the leader he discusses with her, those things that may be dangerous and suggest to her a safe course of action. If she loves her husband she will see whether something is important to him or just a mild suggestion. She chooses to obey him out of deference for his position as the leader.
He should never demand or bark orders, but suggest with compassion. If she disagrees the man is obligated to listen and consider what she says. She is his helpmate, she brings to the marriage her own wisdom, given to her by God, that may enlighten the blind spot in the man's eyes.
Men and women think very differently, there is a reason for this. The woman has insight that the man does not have and the man has insight that the woman does not have, both bring intelligence and wisdom to the marriage, if they are walking with the Lord. If they work together they can move mountains. God says there is safety in many counselors. A man working alone, will not have the results of a woman and man working together.
God tells the woman to obey her husband in everything. The woman is to choose to submit to her husband, this is a command to the woman. I don't read in this passage or any other, a command for the husband to force a woman into submission, whether by subtle withdrawal of affection, harsh words or physical abuse. He must trust the Lord for his wife's reaction. This will take prayer and faith.
The man is to wash his wife with the Word. Most husbands in the church today are not doing this. They may read the Word themselves, and take their families to church but they are seeing to their own needs and leaving the wife and children to take care of their own needs. What can the men expect when they neglect the spiritual needs of the wife in disobedience to the Word. They can expect a wife who will protect herself, just as children will learn to do this when a father will not wash his children in the Word and discuss important matters with his family.
My husband has been in management positions from the beginning of his career. He knows that the best leadership is that which honors the workers, encourages them in their task and leaves them to do their job. The worst leadership are those who are micro-managers. Every detail of the underlings is constantly monitored. A micro-manager is one who believes he is the only one who is capable, leaving the co-workers feeling frustrated and oppressed. If a person is capable enough to be hired for a job, he is capable enough to allow creativity within his job without constant monitoring. Within the framework of the office, there are meetings where the boss explains his overall goal, some dictates for the accomplishment of those goals, at the same time allowing for creativity within each persons task. If a boss can not get his people to follow his leadership most likely it is because he is not leading in a way that motivates his people.
While the office environment is not exactly the same as the home, there are some good principles that I believe are Biblical.
A benevolent king is better than a harsh dictator. Who will the people follow with enthusiasm, most likely the benevolent king.
Thankfully I am married to a benevolent king.
If anyone is interested in my opinion on the submission of the wife, I can write about that, but it seems that there are so many resources written on that subject, that I thought I would write on the subject that is very often neglected.
If you go to the Internet and type in "wife submission" you will find far more articles written on that, than are written about the benevolent leadership of men. And, most of the articles are written from a man's perspective. I thought it would be good to have a woman's perspective to produce some balance.
If the men will be a benevolent leader, then his wife will follow him with enthusiasm. If wives will not follow, then the Lord is their judge and they will bring the natural consequences of disobedient children and a lack of God's blessing.
Everyone must do their part in obedience to the Lord.
Lastly, we must all pray for each other. If there is a disobedient member of the family, we can not force them into obedience of the heart. We must pray that God will do His work in their lives.
We are each responsible for ourselves before God. Let us obey Him no matter what anyone else is doing!!!
Blessings, Gwendolyn
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Proverbs 6:-16-19
"These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
Proverbs 7:1-4
"My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your nearest kin."
"These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
Proverbs 7:1-4
"My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your nearest kin."
Friday, March 26, 2010
How Many Works and How Big?
If our Lord said that "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 then how can we expect to know whether or not we are doing a deed that pleases the Lord? We can't even know our own hearts. We lie to God in our prayers when we say we love Him and then proceed to disobey what He told us to do in His Word. We don't even seek His Word for direction from Him.
Our Lord also said, Isaiah 64:6-7: But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind." Mankind can not clean itself up to satisfy the Holiness of God. He is the only Holy One who can remove filth or despirate wickedness.
No where in Scripture do we have a description of the size of the works that count for salvation. Nor does He tell us in His Word how many of the right kinds of works would need to be done to gain heaven.
What a cruel god so many people have, that thier god would expect us to earn our way to heaven, but not explain how many of those works will be enough to balance the scales in our behalf. The Muslims believe that their good works are placed on a scale, if the scale tips just enough in the direction of the good works, then they are able to gain heaven. 51% good works and 49% bad works is enough to save them. What kind of a god would allow 49% evil in his presence. Our God can not tollerate any evil at all in His presence, He is perfectly Holy. We must be perfect to come into His presence. But according to Scripture we can not be perfect. We are despirately wicked as Jeremiah 17 says.
What is the answer? Simply that we have no good works in us at all. That is the reason Jesus Christ had to come and shed His precious blood for us. He was the perfect sacraficial lamb of God that could satisfy the Father's demand for perfect holiness. It is Christ's sacrafice that counts on our behalf. He sits at the right hand of the Father today and pleads on our behalf. The work is begun by Christ and it was finished by Christ. He said while He was on the cross before He died, "It is finished." John 19:30
It is blasphemous to think that we can add to anything that our Lord did when He declared that it was finished. All the work was done by Him then and all the work of righteousness in us is also done by Him now. The day we realize this, is the day we truely begin to trust Him for each day, each work and our future with Him.
I can not imagine that Christ would go through all that suffering and humilations, the perfect God, and it not be enough, ludicrous. Our pride wants us to think that we can do something, anything to earn it. It is our pride that will not humble ourselves and trust what God did. We like to be in control, to say that we are nothing and have nothing to offer, leaves us humble, we don't like that.
What happends after we realize these truths? 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their traspasses to them, and has comitted to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
When we are made a new creation, He changes us and we no longer desire the things we used to do that grieved Him. We begin to love His ways and His Word. He begins to work obedience in our hearts. Then He gives us works to do. There are many good works out there but we must seek Him for the ones He wants us to do. Any works we do in the flesh just to feel good about ourselves will not count, only those that the Lord told us to do, that we did in obedience to Him.
Our hearts like to think that we are special, that we are capable of great things, that we are good, oh so good. We have been raised on self esteem, that we should love our selves and be sure we count for something. This is the reason we have such a hard time accepting that we are nothing and that God is everything. We don't like to beleive that we were helpless and someone else had to save us, so we attempt to add our own works to that of Christ's, this is blaspehmey.
Once we are saved the Lord gives us these instructions from James 2:14-26. Because we have faith and have been saved we will have good works. In verse 22 we are told: "Do you see that faith was working together with his (Abraham's) works, and by works faith was made perfect? The works prove that we had faith.
Galatians 2:16 says, "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by fiath in the Son of God, who love me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 5:25 says: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
When we realize that God is the One that does all the work in us after we are saved, we then have no reason to boast about our good deed, He gets all the glory.
It takes faith to believe that God can do all His good works in us. His good works His way. What a weight is lift from us when we trust Him and then obey.
Blessings to you!!!!
Gwendolyn
Our Lord also said, Isaiah 64:6-7: But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind." Mankind can not clean itself up to satisfy the Holiness of God. He is the only Holy One who can remove filth or despirate wickedness.
No where in Scripture do we have a description of the size of the works that count for salvation. Nor does He tell us in His Word how many of the right kinds of works would need to be done to gain heaven.
What a cruel god so many people have, that thier god would expect us to earn our way to heaven, but not explain how many of those works will be enough to balance the scales in our behalf. The Muslims believe that their good works are placed on a scale, if the scale tips just enough in the direction of the good works, then they are able to gain heaven. 51% good works and 49% bad works is enough to save them. What kind of a god would allow 49% evil in his presence. Our God can not tollerate any evil at all in His presence, He is perfectly Holy. We must be perfect to come into His presence. But according to Scripture we can not be perfect. We are despirately wicked as Jeremiah 17 says.
What is the answer? Simply that we have no good works in us at all. That is the reason Jesus Christ had to come and shed His precious blood for us. He was the perfect sacraficial lamb of God that could satisfy the Father's demand for perfect holiness. It is Christ's sacrafice that counts on our behalf. He sits at the right hand of the Father today and pleads on our behalf. The work is begun by Christ and it was finished by Christ. He said while He was on the cross before He died, "It is finished." John 19:30
It is blasphemous to think that we can add to anything that our Lord did when He declared that it was finished. All the work was done by Him then and all the work of righteousness in us is also done by Him now. The day we realize this, is the day we truely begin to trust Him for each day, each work and our future with Him.
I can not imagine that Christ would go through all that suffering and humilations, the perfect God, and it not be enough, ludicrous. Our pride wants us to think that we can do something, anything to earn it. It is our pride that will not humble ourselves and trust what God did. We like to be in control, to say that we are nothing and have nothing to offer, leaves us humble, we don't like that.
What happends after we realize these truths? 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their traspasses to them, and has comitted to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
When we are made a new creation, He changes us and we no longer desire the things we used to do that grieved Him. We begin to love His ways and His Word. He begins to work obedience in our hearts. Then He gives us works to do. There are many good works out there but we must seek Him for the ones He wants us to do. Any works we do in the flesh just to feel good about ourselves will not count, only those that the Lord told us to do, that we did in obedience to Him.
Our hearts like to think that we are special, that we are capable of great things, that we are good, oh so good. We have been raised on self esteem, that we should love our selves and be sure we count for something. This is the reason we have such a hard time accepting that we are nothing and that God is everything. We don't like to beleive that we were helpless and someone else had to save us, so we attempt to add our own works to that of Christ's, this is blaspehmey.
Once we are saved the Lord gives us these instructions from James 2:14-26. Because we have faith and have been saved we will have good works. In verse 22 we are told: "Do you see that faith was working together with his (Abraham's) works, and by works faith was made perfect? The works prove that we had faith.
Galatians 2:16 says, "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by fiath in the Son of God, who love me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 5:25 says: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
When we realize that God is the One that does all the work in us after we are saved, we then have no reason to boast about our good deed, He gets all the glory.
It takes faith to believe that God can do all His good works in us. His good works His way. What a weight is lift from us when we trust Him and then obey.
Blessings to you!!!!
Gwendolyn
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
God's Kind of Love
Romans 12:3-8
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. So we, being many are one body in Christ, and individually member of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith: or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:15-16
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord: rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer: distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your minds on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion."
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. So we, being many are one body in Christ, and individually member of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith: or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:15-16
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord: rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer: distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your minds on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion."
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