When you become born again do not be surprised if the people you thought were Christians have more contempt for you after your salvation than they did before you were saved.
Often there is a spiritual jealousy on the part of those who are Pharisee types. These people are more concerned about their appearances than they are about love and holiness. It was the Pharisees, the religious leaders, get that? "religious", who treated Christ and the apostles with contempt. They hated that Christ made them look bad, they loved their added rules and own ideas more than they loved God.
Mark 7:12-14
"12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
They do all the right things in their own eyes while violating more scripture than they obey. Their goal is to elevate self above those they like to think of as inferior.
Matthew 23:26-28 "…26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well. 27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.…"
It was a shock to me when my eyes were opened to the truth about many people that surrounded me. I was expecting them to be excited about my new faith in Christ, but the opposite happened. These people chose to believe I was the same person after I became a Christian as I was before I was transformed by Christ. They preferred their own ideas about me never attempting to get to know me as a person.
The only thing I can figure out is that those who liked me better before I was saved, could not have had a salvation experience of their own, or they would know that they also were once wicked and unsaved in need of cleansing. Then the light bulb went on, how could anyone be hostile to a brother or sister in Christ, holding past sins against them unless they never repented and confess their own sinfulness.
Anyone who knows the sin Christ snatched them from must be excited for someone else who has also been cleansed.
When we meet self righteous "Christians" its possible they never knew the Lord, being so full of their own importance they miss the blessing of connection with other authentically born again believers. When someone is born again the Holy Spirit in one believer connects instantly with another believer who has the Holy Spirit. It is the SPIRIT Who connects us!!!
Yes, these people say lots of Biblical things but have no love and are full of jealousy. They are known for twisting Scripture to make the Bible say what they want it to say but are enraged when corrected by others with Scripture.
Authentic born again believers love to hear the scripture, they love correction and they love others who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.
John 13:34-35 "…34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
1 Corinthians 13:2-3 " 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing.…'
Do not be discouraged when you encounter these things! God said it would be this way and we have Him Who lives inside of us who is our constant companion.
Some of the meanest and most dangerous people in the time of Christ were those who were "religious" but not born again.
No comments:
Post a Comment