Adding to or Detracting From Scripture is Sin

Ephesians 4:2-3

"2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Unity in the Spirit can only happen when believers are more interested in learning the truth of God's Word than they are in their version of Christianity.

Adding to and detracting from Scripture to form one's own idea of God's principles is a sin as well as influencing others to follow a set of principles that are mixed with human desires and God's truth making the whole matter unBiblical.

Ecclesiastes 7:8

"The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one."

We can only defer to Scripture when we are humble enough to admit we don't know everything and desire God's truth more than our own thinking or the thinking of the culture.

Colossians 1:11

"being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully"

Colossians 3:12

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

Where there is pride there is a lack of humility and kindness. Those who possess arrogance do not defer to others, rather they attempt to dominate and control.

There is only unity in the Spirit when there is a desire to please God more than we care about being seen as right or superior.

Proverbs 18:2

"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."

Proverbs 1:7

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Proverbs 29:9

"If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet."

When we see that we cannot have a rational conversation with someone in honesty and authentic concern for one another then is time to walk away and avoid these people.

Proverbs 10:23

"Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding."

Narcissists Don't Understand Love God's Way

Narcissists don't understand love, when they say; " I love you", they are saying; "*I love how you make me feel when I am around you." There can be no genuine love from someone who does not have the Holy Spirit.

The love of the world is not love at all, it is based on self and even when it appears sacrificial it is still based on how giving makes them personally feel, not on the person they are helping.

They honor someone with their lips but they don't love the person the same way pretenders treat God.

Matthew 15:7-9 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8 These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ ”

They give gifts to get a good feeling for doing it, it's not about pleasing others. Gifts are also often given to impress others more than to provide something the other person would enjoy.

When gift-giving is "expected" and done out of ritual, love hardly ever is involved.

What is love God's way?

1 Corinthians 13:3-5 "…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. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.…"

We live in a world full of false love, false religion, false gods and false personas. It has become rare to encounter a person who is genuinely authentic with pure motives and a desire to love God and others.

Proverbs 17:9

"Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends."

1 Corinthians 4:6

"Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another."

Galatians 5:22

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,"

Ephesians 4:32

"Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you."

Colossians 3:12

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

As you can see, "Love" has nothing to do with self and everything to do with God and others.