Stop Declaring People As Good or Bad According to the Flesh

I am dismayed when someone declares someone a "nice guy" or a "nice lady", they are making a judgment about them when they have no idea what their home life is like. They are basing their judgment on how friendly they are to the one making the judgment.

Even worse there are many people judging someone as "great" or "wonderful" because of some talent they have that pleases the one making the judgment.

judgment

When someone says; "don't judge", they must be consistent to be convincing. If one believes we should not judge bad in someone's behavior then they should never judge good in someone's behavior.

Behavior can be a manipulation to fool people into believing someone is good when behind the scenes with people they don't like they act rudely and even wickedly. Never take good behavior as an indicator of one's character. We must judge righteously with the discernment of the Holy Spirit based on the Word of God.

Those who are born again and living their behavior according to the Spirit will be able to be seen by other born again believers. The Holy Spirit is able to tell us when someone is genuine or counterfeit.

Satan loves to draw in kind hearted people through false inauthentic behavior.

How do we know if someone is false or genuine? Here is what God says that helps us distinguish between those who love God and those who are pretending to be good people.

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."

And,

Galatians 5:22-23 " 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.…"

Born Again believers do not practice unkindness, unloving and manipulative ways. If they catch themselves acting rudely they are deeply convicted and repair the damage they did through confession of it and sorrow for it.

Romans 8:5

"Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit."

We can tell when someone loves us or hates us because we know what love looks like when we walk with Christ. Here is what God tells us love looks like:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.

5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,

6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

8 Love never fails;

A relationship based on love will never harm the persons of its love. Those who love protect and are loyal to those they love.

When our loved one falls we feel bad and want to help. Those who do not love only want to further harm the one for whom they have contempt.

When we walk in the Spirit of Christ we can easily see the difference between love and role playing that only serves to hoodwink the one being manipulated.

May each one reading this post self-reflect to see if they are walking in the Spirit or if they are walking according to the flesh to gain advantage over others.

1 Corinthians 13:1 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal".

Only those who love deeply by the Holy Spirit of God will be able to evaluate themselves and admit where they fall short desiring to be changed by Christ to walk in righteousness and holiness.

Remember to judge righteously and not according to feelings but according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and knowledge of HIs Word.

A True Christian is not Converted They are Transformed

True Christians are not "converted" they are transformed into a completely new creation opposite of what they were before and it is Christ Who does it.

Ephesians 2:10

"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

No one becomes a Christian by deciding to do it. Only those who have confessed they have a sinful nature and cannot change themselves and who have trusted Christ Who paid their debt of sin for them, AND, desire to be changed by Him into a completely new person opposite of what they were before, will be saved.

Those who join Christian gatherings because it will enhance their own lives or because of pressure from family members are not born again. Motive is everything, desire to be cleansed of our sinful nature is everything.

Psalm 51:10

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

Psalm 100:3

"Know that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture."

If someone says they are a Christian their life should be transformed completely, if it is not, if they remain exactly as they had been before they claimed to be a Christian then they were never born again.

When Christ changes us we no longer think the same way and because we don't think the same way we act differently. We hate the sin we used to love and love the righteousness of Christ we used to despise.

Those who fight against the truth of God's Word are not born again. Those who are hostile toward and embarrassed about Christians are not born again.

John 13:35

"35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

1 John 2:15-17

"15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

1 Corinthians 2:14-15 "14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.…"

Another indicator that someone is saved or not is whether or not they have the fruit of the Spirit and the Love of Christ is demonstrated in their lives.

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."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "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. 6 Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

The fruit of the Spirit is the qualities of Christ Who lives in the born again believer. Love is seen in the responses to people and situations as described in 1 Corinthians. Every born-again believer is the fruit of Christ.

When we encounter someone who lacks this fruit and this love then we have met someone who is a pretender, an unsaved person who has not repented and trusted in Christ.

Matthew 7:16-18 "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."

May anyone reading this self-reflect and pray to know for sure if they have the fruit and love of Christ.

The New Covenant

The Bible says that under the New Covenant, GOD will put His law in the minds and hearts of every Christian, Additionally, whether or not they know the Law of Moses or receive the Holy Spirit, all people receive the gift of conscience from God to distinguish between right and wrong. According to Romans 2:14-15, " When Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are the law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them" Since the Spirit of God indwells every true Christian, we possess new desires and new capabilities to do His will. " This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them in their minds." Hebrews 10:16. He prompts you to desire and to do His will. "....for it is GOD who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose" Philippians 2:13. He provides you with the power to do what He calls you to do. " The one who calls you faithful, and he will do it" 1 Thessalonians 5:24. #LOVE #TRUST

Forgiveness God's Way

Luke 17:3-4 says, "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him".

Let's not ignore the words; "if he repents you must forgive him." It is amazing how modern Christianity short cuts God's ways and purposes causing evil and sin to grow. God's way holds out for the proper responses so that total healing and growth can occur.

 
Relationships and friendships can only heal and become stronger when the offender deeply regrets the pain they caused. If there is no regret there is no change and thus the relationship remains broken.

 
If we say "I forgive" before the offender is sorry we are enabling the bad behavior and preventing cleansing, spiritual and emotional growth. We are not helping the offender by "just letting it go." And, we have no reason to trust someone who is offensive when they come back acting friendly hoping they will never be accountable. We know someone who is so prideful they cannot be sorry will not change. After the "sweet cycle" to appear like a good person they will at some point come back again with their old ways because they have not been cleansed by God through confession of their sin.

 
God forgives those who are repentant, and the relationship remains broken for those who will not confess their sin.

 
Let's live God's way so that true cleansing and healing can happen.

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