When people call you "legalistic" for staying close to what God said in His word they are saying; "I don't want to listen to this I would rather have my feelings and my personal "right in my own eyes."
I meet people frequently who say they are Christians but care very little about obeying God's Word. In fact, I meet more people like this than those who love God's Word willing to give up their own desires to please God.
John 14:14 "14 If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it. 15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
Those who say they are Christians but fight against the principles and teaching of the Bible are very likely pretending unbelievers. God said; "you WILL keep my commandments." To me this suggests that authentically born again believers love God so much that they pour over His Word to suck into their soul every bit of wisdom the Holy Spirit can teach them.
It is not possible to love God "with all your heart, soul and mind" and still remain unconcerned about pleasing Him.
John 14:21
"Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him."
John 15:10
"If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love."
1 John 2:3
"By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments."
1 John 5:3
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,"
2 John 1:6
"And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love."
John 14:21-24
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him…"
God said all of this and more about the importance of obeying Him that comes out of our deep love for Him. Those who negate His truth from His Word are in effect denying Jesus Christ because He IS the Word.
John 1:14
"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning." (Jesus Christ is the Word)
When someone minimizes or negates any part of God's Word they are denying Jesus Christ.
Matthew 10:33
"But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:32
"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,"
2 Peter 2:1
"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction."
There are false prophets and false believers in every gathering these days. Satan has planted people full of their own desires and pleasures to disrupt the truth, even making the lies sound good to be able to enjoy worldliness and self indulgence.
1 John 4:1
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."
So many gatherings remain silent when something is said that negates the word of God. They think they are being kind avoiding hurting feelings, but really they have no love for the brethren because they have no love for God. Their loves is for self alone.
If we love our brethren our greatest concern will be their spiritual condition and their growth in holiness.
Those who shout legalism the loudest are those who love their worldly traditions, elevating "feelings" above truth. This is really self-worship.
John 12:24-26 "…24 Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.…"
There is no denial of self when self comes above and before the Word of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment