Jealousy

Jealousy is to personal freedom as jail is to the innocent!

People fear that their position or affection is in jeopardy. Why are people jealous?  Jealousy is an attempt by the insecure to protect themselves from hurt. It's self-preservation. Jealousy is the worship of the "God of Self". The gamut has been run from "fear" to "idol worship" (Since jealousy has no scientific nomenclature I shall name it myself;  it is "praetextophobia", "fear of loss of prestige"). Jealousy may be at either extreme or at both. Jealousy is poison to the soul! It can kill and does. Jealousy is one of the top motives for homicide!

I recently recounted the story of Cain and Abel from Genesis Chapter 4. Cain killed Abel because Abel had God's favor. Whereas, Cain the firstborn, would normally be more honored, God respected Abel and his offering more than Cain's.  It appears that Cain was jealous of Abel and death resulted on two counts: Abel physically died, but lives on in eternity while Cain lived on, but died spiritually being no evidence of his repentance. Jealousy can lead to either physical or spiritual death!

"Jealousy" and "envy" have been synonyms since early times. The Ten Commandments included "envy" (called covet, another synonym) as the tenth of those commandments.

Exodus 20:17 “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."

God provided a list of things "not to be jealous of":

neighbor's house (material)
neighbor's wife (romantic, sexual)
manservant or maidservant (position, power)
ox nor ass (ability to provide)
nor anything that is thy neighbor's (anything)

Why was Cain jealous of Abel? Abel's offering was greater (ability), God respected Abel's offering (spiritual) and Cain's birthright was threatened (position).

"Spiritual" can be categorized under "anything". However, spiritual jealousy is still rampant, even in the church!  Church leaders vie for position and power within the church. They pursue respect and get tight-lipped and thin-skinned when others get "their" recognition. These people are much like the Pharisees who prayed in public so others could see how "righteous" they were while inside their hearts were cold. Envy can kill a church. Envy suppresses God's Spirit from working in the church. Envy is a virus in the church and can only be controlled by an inoculation of repentance!

In a work environment envy and jealousy are rampant! Many workers, vying for a top management spot or a lucrative hourly position, undermine perceived competition and ridicule those of whom they're jealous. Successful endeavors of others are minimized and their own tasks are maximized as if they are superhuman feats! When workers or managers are overlooked for the promotion or pay raise, vengeance is theirs, thus saith the jealous!  In the educational field competition and awards provoke self-glorification.

Competition can be misconstrued as jealousy. Competition is good!  It's like running the race to which Paul refers. Competition is healthy. Competition motivates and leads to success. However, there is a thin line between healthy competition and jealousy. What discerns healthy competition from jealousy? Attitude! The heart is the defining factor. In the Bible the heart is the center of emotion and spirit!  The heart, being the center of the physical, mental and spiritual life of people, must be harmonious. Fear confounds harmony, and if you remember, fear drives jealousy!

"But", you say, "The heart just pumps blood!". Truly so, but the heart reponds functionally to thoughts and spirit!  Our mental picture of a beautiful woman causes the heart to pump wildly. Spiritual hope calms the heart and reduces stress. Blood pressure goes down and in all cases, our entire body feels the results of the mental and spiritual processes! What does the heart feel when jealousy occurs? There is an emptiness there. The heart responds to the emotion of fear and passes along the results to the entire body. Our heart aches and our stomach follows suit! We get "stressed out"!  Jealousy is not a pleasant experience.

The American Psychiatric Association "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual" (DSM-IV) does not list "jealousy" as a disorder!  Why? They have their reasons, but in my opinion, sin is not an emotional disorder, it's a spiritual one! We don't look for spiritual healing in manuals; we look for healing in the Bible! In fact mankind looks to often to the scientist for physical and spiritual help, when healing is just a prayer away, when taken with a large dose of faith!

I've had occasion where I knew people who were jealous of my possessions! I noticed that each time I bought a new car, a friend did. When I bought a new house, that same friend did. He was "keeping up with the Jones'" so to speak. Socialism, even, can be summarized as "jealousy of property ownership"! It's the have-nots desiring what the haves have. Scripture tells us that the "love of money is the root of all evil". Think not? Go back to Cain. His grain was his money. He offered God a selfish portion of his "money". He may have lost his soul because of the love of money, not to mention his jealousy!

Last, but not least, in this discussion, is sexual called "romantic" jealousy. Yes, we can be jealous of anothers sexual prowess or desirability, but I'm speaking of jealousy of ones object of affection: a girl or boyfriend or husband or wife. When one "dates" a member of the opposite sex, we lay claim to them. They are our hearts desire! We cherish the thoughts and feelings we have toward each other. We all live in fear that some third party will triangulate the relationship. The "other" will steal either part or all of the affection we so desire to keep for ourselves!

Some jealousy is healthy. (God is a jealous God, but supreme jealousy is not addressed here).  For instance, when we marry, man and wife become one flesh. We are a unit. We're partners, not only in the family, but spiritually and sexually. When another person tries to break that bond, we become defensive and respond.  It is healthy to step up the attention we give our spouse. A little more demonstrated love can't hurt as long as it's genuine! We can pray that God protects our relationship and God will honor our prayers. Holding a marriage together IS God's will, but many ignore that will and follow pleasure. Trust is a sign of healthy jealousy. If you are one spiritually, then there's a bond there. You know that God is with you. Trust is a reprieve from a virtual prison!

If trust is not in a relationship, the results are smothering and often leads to estrangement. Jealousy should be just enough to demonstrate love, but not enough to be compulsive. Yes, if your chosen one is strongly attracted to another that is cause for concern. Fear is warranted and communication with each other and God is imperative. Prayer does change things. However, jealousy will not ensure that triangulation will cease, but can lead to more since as the mate makes an attempt to escape the "jail" in which you have sentenced him or her.

Prison and jail are strong terms!

Proverbs 6:34 (KJV) "For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance." or in more modern terms:

Proverbs 6:34 (ERV) "The woman’s husband will be jealous and angry and do everything he can to get revenge."

 

The revenge of the jealous husband can be physical violence or mental. The mental is the "jail" and "prison" to which I'm referring. The husband (or wife) becomes the jailer or guard. The suspect spouse is followed, spied upon, blamed and deemed guilty of violation of the unity of the relationship. Friends of the opposite gender become imagined paramours. Actions of the suspect spouse are all perceived as provocative. The spouse under attack takes measures to free themselves from the mistrust yoke, and with each maneuver, becomes even more suspect when detected. The jail bars get stronger as the jealousy becomes more raging! 

 

As jealousy turns to enragement, hate develops. The imprisoned spouse hates their jailer, their abuser!  As hate engulfs Satan will always send another in to fuel the flames. Suspected jealousy carried to extremes can result in actual infidelity! That's what Satan wants. He wants to undermine spiritual relationships because by doing so, he undermines God. That's his chosen profession and your jealousy is making a success of the devil!

 

Never take what the Bible condemns lightly. Jealousy is a sin for a reason. Jealousy destroys what God has joined together. Yes, even premarital relationships are to be God ordained and pure! As with any sin, there is a cure! 

 

2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV) "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

 

Jealousy is fear! Fear is often unwarranted. That's compulsive jealousy! The spirit which God gave us is self-control.  The Comforter (the Holy Spirit) is with us in this world to help us! Call on the Spirit and he will enable us. He will remove the doubt and stress. Pray to God and all things are possible!

 

I had a relative who said "This one is too great for God to handle." when his wife became unfaithful. He went to a psychologist who failed him. Nothing is too wrong for God to mend. Faith and hope are no guarantee, but it sure puts God in your corner and helps the "odds". If the spouse has no commitment, you can even pray for the person to be committed to a relationship. Yes, God changes things!

 

Acceptance: Is that what it's all about?

I've heard many say that the Bible is all about "acceptance"!  Is that true? Probably in the context of scripture the best definition would be to receive something willingly and gladly because it's true and real. To accept would be to agree with the tenets or principles of the subject.

In the context of Christ let's see if "salvation" meets the criteria.

"Accepting Jesus" implies free will. We can choose to accept Jesus as our Lord or we can choose to reject him. Of course those who believe in predestination would argue this point, but predestination is deterministic and few within the evangelical world accept the doctrine of Calvinism. Here's a choice we all have:

Romans 6:16 (KJV) " Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

 

There are many other verses, but you get the point from Romans. God calls everyone. Everyone is predestined to be Christians, but we have the free will to yield ourselves to obedience to Christ, or conversely, to reject.

 

Yes, "accepting Jesus" is done willingly. Note also that Romans tells us to "obey"! I'll touch on that thought in a moment.

 

Does "Accepting Jesus" qualify as something which is done gladly? Since it's our free will and we're not forced nor coerced into accepting Jesus, it's obvious that "accepting Jesus" must be done gladly! Scripture reinforces the obvious:

 

Romans 5:11 "And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."

 

You betcha! If you're a Christian you are certainly glad, even joyous! There are so many places where joy is associated with being a Christian that it's unnecessary to be exhaustive. In fact, joy in the Lord should be intuitive for someone who was given the gift of eternal life! If you're not joyous nor gladly receive eternal life, then I would question whether your faith is sufficient!

 

The definition says that we "accept" because it's "true and real". Yes, Jesus is real! Secular history tells of Jesus, his life, death and resurrection. Likewise the Bible is a first hand account by those who knew him that Jesus is the Christ! Jesus declared that he is God:

 

Jesus said oh so simply!  John 10:30 "I and my Father are one." Likewise, when Jesus walked on water, the disciples asked "Who is it?"  Jesus replied "I AM" (the most accurate translation). "I AM" or "I AM THAT I AM" is the name of God! Jesus IS God. He said as much! We accept that by faith, but with faith based on fulfilled prophecy, his immaculate conception, his virgin birth, his perfect life, the miracles he performed, the transfiguration witnessed by Peter, James and John, his death on the cross with hundreds of witnesses, the empty tomb, a resurrected man who had been dead (witnesses galore), Jesus ascension into heaven and the presence of Jesus' Holy Spirit which remains with us. Yes, the story of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is true and it really happened. We can try, but we can't refute the testimony of thousands of witnesses to the life of Jesus!

 

Don't doubt! Thomas did, but he was convinced!

 

John 20:24 "But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

 25T he other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God."

 

Thomas not only ceased to doubt, but he was convinced! He not only saw the injuries inflicted on our Lord, but touched and sensed a resurrected body! Thomas was an objective first hand eye-witness to Jesus' resurrected, but he was a changed skeptic! He was finally convinced that Jesus is Lord! (Why do so many still doubt? People don't want to believe so that they can control their own lives. They are too proud to be a servant... a servant to Jesus. They refuse to obey the Lord their God).

 

Summarizing, salvation and belief in Jesus meets all the criteria for one to accept Jesus!  That's "scriptural acceptance". The Bible is all about acceptance, but in the context of accepting Jesus as Lord of your life!

 

The implication in the statement "The Bible is all about acceptance!" is that we are to "accept" in a general context not necessarily meaning to accept Jesus as Savior.

 

Even Jesus' enemies said this about him:

 

Luke 20:21 "And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:"

 

Yes, the statement is correct. Jesus was not an "acceptor of persons"!  Jesus never taught the acceptance of human initiatives, human thought, nor human behavior; he taught acceptance of God. He taught acceptance of himself!

 

Theologians, influenced by modern thought, yes political correctness, teach that a Christian's duty is to "accept? Without quoting the Greatest Commandment we know that "love" is imperative in relation to Christ and to others. "Love" is not a synonym to "acceptance"! If you remember the criteria for acceptance. it is something done willingly and gladly and is real and true.

 

Since the "cause of the day" is same-sex marriage, Let's examine that issue. Homosexuality is real and true. There are homosexuals. So far so good. However, everything which is "real and true" isn't in God's will. Scripture tells us throughout that homosexuality is an abomination to God. We need to ask ourselves the question: "Shall we accept same-sex marriage knowing fully that God rejects it?" Any honest Bible believer surely knows that we're not to condone sin. We're to do all in our power to "save" those in sin! Here's where the "love" come sin. We want them to live a life for Christ because Jesus loves the sinner. Jesus the punisher cannot condone sin. Those who disobey God are doomed to eternal punishment. Christians want all to come to Christ and that none shall perish, because like Jesus, we love the person. We love the sinner because we're sinners too!

 

Salvation is not about "acceptance" of any sinful behavior. Salvation is about obedience to the God who can save us! By tolerating sin, we're condoning it. Not that we have the power to condemn or reprieve, but we do have the right to admonish and rebuke! Sometimes that fails, especially when liberal theologians equate "acceptance" with "love". Here's an example of what we're to do in the face of people who live a life of sin:

 

1 Corinthians 5:9 "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world."

 

Paul didn't pick on one group of sinners. He said this about those who live a life of many types of sin. We're "not to keep company" with those whose lives are sinful and have not repented of their lack of obedience, their rebellion. It should be obvious to the reader that if you're not to keep company with those people, you are rejecting them! Rejection is the antonym of acceptance! No we're not to accept those who live a life of sin!

 

Some people are reprobate!  Those are sinners who are rejected by God because their heart is so hardened to sin.

 

Titus 1:16 "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."

 

And...

 

Romans 1:27 " And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"

 

Are we to accept those reprobate? Indeed we're not! God has given up on them. God has refused to accept them in their state of sin. We're not to accept them either. Oh, what are we to do?

 

Matthew 10:14 "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

 

"Shaking off the dust of your feet" is a metaphor for rejecting. You are no longer obligated to include them as potential Christians. You do not accept those who fail to receive the Word! No, Scripture is not about "acceptance", but "obedience". We shouldn't rejoice in their failure to accept Jesus, but we mourn for them, but go on in our own obedience!

 

Some believe that just because we love and know a person with a particular sinful lifestyle, that we should accept them as they are. That's called "unconditional love", but I say that "true unconditional love" is when a Christian loves a person enough to innervate themselves to admonish and rebuke. That's love! Letting a person go on in their chosen sinful lifestyle is "easy love", but one where the person doesn't love enough to keep their friend or loved one out of damnation! If you love any person, tell them what Romans says. "All have sinned!" Tell them of Jesus' love! And finally, tell them about God's judgment. If that doesn't work, shake the metaphorical dirt off your feet!

 

The "politically correct", but unbibilcal doctrine of "acceptance" is damning. Don't fall for the devil's lies. even the elect (Christians) will be deceived!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Critical Spirit vs. Peace

I needed these verses! A great friend provided the first and I ran across the second:

 

2 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV) " Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

 

Hebrews 12:14 (ESV) " Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."

 

2 Corinthians addresses "brothers". These folks would be fellow Christians. Instead of being critical, melancholic or even malevolent, we are to rejoice!  Rejoicing is a positive outlook. We're Christians now; we must act like it! No! "Act" is wrong. We are to behave or live as Christians. We're to have a Christian spirit. Too many people are just "acting".

 

"Aim for restoration", we're told. At one time we brothers were in harmony. Pride often gets in the way and contentions arise. We are to be restored to the original relationship; not the pre-Christian one, but where we were when we were born again. (Surely we were joyous!). In fact, the Bible tells us:

 

Matthew 5:22  (ESV) 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

 

This scripture uses the term "reconciliation".  We are to restore that close relationship which we must have with a brother in Christ! It's a synonym of restore. Where were we before the anger? We were not angry! A contention, normally caused by pride, creates anger.  Certainly we can disagree!  If we're dogmatic, pride replaces reason. If we throw out an insult in anger we need counseling. We need to be told what Christ expects. (These verses do exactly that!) If we have even caused a brother to be contentious, before our offering is respected, we must first make things right with out brother. That's the "love" part in "loving thy neighbor as thyself"!

 

2 Corinthians also say "comfort one another"!  How can we do that when we have a critical spirit?

 

John 7:24, (KJV) “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment”.

This verse basically says. "Don't criticize  based on assumptions,  but rebuke in love."  If we're always ready to "jump" onto a person who may be sinning, we're in no position to restore anyone to Christ. We are as the Pharisees if we're always waiting and watching for someone to break the law, and they were referred to by Jesus as "vipers". The Pharisees in general, had a "critical spirit", and their judgment was unrighteous.  How do we "comfort". We admonish in love. Our teaching is not to condemn, but to correct! We condemn when our hearts are angered. We correct when our hearts are loving!

2 Corinthians tells us to "agree with one another". Of course we're going to have unresolvable doctrinal differences because we're not God. Some matters just can't be settled. We're to agree to disagree, and to disagree without anger nor hard feelings. We don't always have to be right because we're just not!  Why would we get angry if someone disagrees with us? Pride!  Pride interferes with agreement and comfort and is the original sin!

"Live in peace" 2 Corinthians tells us! If we seek to restore, comfort one another and be agreeable, we will have spiritual peace and that critical spirit of John 7:24 will be replaced by love and charity! What's more, we're told "the God of love and peace will be with you". We remain in communion with God! The flipside of that is if we don't endeavor to live in peace, we'll be in ill communion with God!

Hebrews 12:14 links "striving for peace" with holiness. To be holy, we are to be Christlike. Being at peace with our brothers, even our enemies, is a prerequisite for holy living. Without peace between brothers, holy living is a farce! A genuine Christian works on the critical spirit we all have! I have it and you have it to some degree. We can improve and God knows when we're truly being humble.

I cannot change others, but I can change me. I can't change me without the Comforter. All that I've written applies to me. If by coincidence you find it applies to you as well, then Christ has the answer... love!

 

Einstein and Relativity: God and Relativism

I won't go into detail, but Albert Einstein was known for his "General Theory of  Relativity".  Basically, this theory discusses the space-time continuum and it's non-compliance to Newtonian Physics. Space and time is not "relative" to the observer, but remains the same regardless of point of perspective. Well, what's this got to do with "relativism" and God?

"Relativism" is also a theory that the concepts of truth and moral values aren't absolute, but depends upon the person. In other words, people may believe things are wrong for others, but right for themselves. It also means that some people believe no truths or values are valid, hence in belief, they are anarchists. Whereas, Einstein proposed a concept of "no relativity", the theory of  "relativism" does just the opposite!  Enough of Einstein now! Let's turn to God!

"Truth" is when something is proved to conform to the actual. "What is truth?" is the primary question philosophers and scientists seek to answer. Each time there is an hypothesis the tester must operationalize the test to compare variables. When hypothesis are tested, null correlations are examined. Hypothesis are never proved, but "fail" to be disproved!  Scientific studies, then never "prove" anything. They strictly fail to disprove with varying amounts of uncertainity. Science, therefore, requires faith. Rather than faith in a creator God, science requires faith in fate!

The Bible doesn't outright define "truth", but everywhere implies that just because God is God, what he says and does, his plan, is truth!

Psalm 33:4 "For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth."

There is verse after verse correlating God and truth. The most often written verses complement "truth" with "God's mercies"!  God has mercy on those who seek truth, and as we can see from Psalm 33:4, whatever God says is truth! Philosophers and scientists look for truth beyond God. Regardless of what they find in their theories and discontinuities, God remains Truth!

Back to Einstein for a second. After all Einstein's research and conclusions, this atheist Jew said (paraphrased) "It had to start with God!" Now, that's the "Truth"!

Many people declare God wrong. Scripture says "the Lord is right"! Not right in some cases or most of the time; but God is always right. That's absolute! That's purity of thought! Absolute is not abstract and it's not a mix. The absolute temperature is when all heat is removed from a substance. It's not a mix of  hot and cold! All, not some, of the electrons are at rest. There is no motion. That occurs at negative 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit. That's cold! That's absolutely cold!

Note that "absolute" is "absolute". It's when all heat is removed from a material. It doesn't depend on who's holding the thermometer or to whom the liquid nitrogen belongs. It's just absolute. Relativism would mean that absolute zero cannot be. It would vary depending on something else. Wrong! Any known element is without electron activity at that temperature. It's not relative to anything!

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

 

Remembering that Jesus IS God, this means that God is absolute! His word is unchanging. Remembering from Psalms that God's word is "right" then God's was right yesterday, he's right today and he's right tomorrow! God is not hampered by the space-time continuum. That continuum is created by God. Mr. Einstein discovered what God created, but who gets the credit? Einstein. Go figure!

 

Some people, referring to God's Word, say "Times have changed. That's no longer true today."  That statement is "relativism". In effect the sayer would as well say "God is a liar"!  For instance, if homosexuality is an abomination to God when Sodom and Gemorrah was destroyed, it still is disgusting to him. Nothing has changed! Sin is absolute! It's not wrong for the people of old, but right for this enlightened age! That's not scriptural. That's Satan's deception!

 

I just implied that Satan is a practioner of "relativism".  That's right! He doesn't care if you believe in God as long as it's God tempered with relativism. The demons believe in Jesus; they're just rebellious against his majesty! Satan (the devil) is not spoken of very highly in scripture, as his followers are not:

 

John 8:44 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

 

If you don't believe in absolute truth, but propagate relativism, then who's your father? Answer: "the devil". The devil is a liar and his entire goal is to undermine God. He wants you to believe that God's Word is not right. He wants you to believe that truth is not absolute, but changes through the ages. He wants you to believe in the theory of "relativism".

 

One Christian lady with puffed-up knowledge told me "In biblical times they didn't know that the man with a legion of demons was schizophrenic!" [This statement reeks of relativism because God is omniscent (all-knowing)]. I replied "On the contrary, science today doesn't recognize schizophrenia is demon possession!" (If the symptoms are examined schizophrenia may very well be just that! Otherwise, there may be no connection between the two and the lady was making a false hypothesis). Either way, that's "relativism"!

 

Our patriarchs by faith obeyed God! It was works, but was credited to them as faith. Today we have Jesus and are called to place our trust in Him. That trust is also faith. We're not saved by the works, but by faith, However, the "works" we do are evidence of our faith!

 

James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."

 

Some would say that "works" no longer matter. As we can see from James (several places even) that works is "proof" of our salvation. This is the operationalization of Christianity. Just as scientists operationalize by the use of data in "proving" their hypothesis, God did the same. (The wise man said "There is nothing new under the sun.") "Works" is how salvation is quantified! Zero works means no salvation. It's absolute! For some "works" is not part of the equation! They accept the "hypothesis" that they're saved (assurance) on faith alone, even short-lived faith, when works is the measurement of faith! 

 

Those who believe that "works" is of no consequence, that's "relativism". They deny truth for their own wrong perception of truth; a relativistic truth.

 

Relativism is disobedience to God. It's obedience to the devil even though you may not realize it! Satan carries a deadly disease. That disease is eternal death. There is a cure for that disease. It's ABSOLUTELY pure blood. It's the blood of Jesus, uncontaminated by an ABSOLUTELY sinless body.

 

Where would your hope be if John 3:16 read:

 

 ^"For God loved some of the world, and  he gave, or had taken, one of his possibly many begotten Sons, that a few are allowed to believeth somewhat in him, and may or not perish, but possibly have a little life depending on God's mood."

 

Quite a different impact, being relativistic! Here's God's ABSOLUTE promise:

 

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Now that's a fact. That's truth. Amen!

 

 

 

 

John 3:16 and What it Means to You

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

 

"For God".  God is supreme in the universe. His name is "I AM THAT I AM". He is the beginning and the end. He created the earth, the universe and mankind. We owe God reverence. He demands that we revere Him and only Him.

 

"So loved the world". That's us! God loves everyone. He loves evil-doers. Guess who that is? That's you! That's me. We don't deserve that love because we disobey God all the time. He understands. He forgives us. That's called "grace". We deserve death, but he gives us another chance!

 

"He gave". That's mercy! Think about the person who has wronged you most, even spat upon you and cursed you. Given the chance to get even would you punish or reward? Our nature is to get even! God had that choice. He chose mercy. He gave. He gives and he continues giving, although we keep sinning. Now, that's mercy!

 

"His only begotten son". God sacrificed his ONLY son who was part man and part God himself. Jesus isn't another God. He IS God in the flesh. He feels pain! He is sorrowful. He is at peace. He is love!

 

"Whosoever believeth". That's us! Anyone who chooses to open the door when Jesus knocks. He knocks right now. He awaits your response. Will you open the door? It has to be Jesus knocking! If there is an unfamiliar "knock", it's an imposter. Jesus is the Way and only Way! The blood sacrifice of Jesus is for the sins of ALL mankind. You can do nothing to deserve it. You can do one thing to receive it. That's acceptance. Accepting Jesus and knowing that he took your sins upon his own body and died so that you might have life. We must believe! Belief is not a passing fancy, but enduring faith. Faith is the things we hope for. Faith is believing that we can live forever and the only way to do that is by accepting Jesus.

 

"In him". That's Jesus. He is God himself who took on the flesh of man. Flesh just as we have! He did that so that he could feel what we feel. He empathizes for us because he is not only God, but is man also!  He feels our temptation. He feels our pain. He loves and has joy just as we do. Jesus cried. He cried just as we do. He felt sorrow. He cried for us.

 

"Should not perish". Our present bodies will perish, but they should not! It wasn't meant to be that way! We were created with immortality, but by the sin of one man, Adam, we bear the death sentence when Adam was penalized for his rebellion against God. As Adam is the father of death, Jesus is the father of life! Since Adam, ALL men have broken God's laws. We also will pay the penalty by a mortal death. Our present bodies will turn to dust, but with salvation, we shall receive imperishable bodies. We will be physically perfect without pain, disease nor depression! We will be joyous and will rejoice in the Lord who by his mercy allowed us to live on!

 

And the reward which we don't deserve? "Eternal life"!  Eternal is forever. Infinity. Beyond time. If we turned a door knob once every ten thousand years when that knob was totally worn out... eternity is just beginning! I want to spend that time joyous and in heaven. Since something eternal will happen to all of us, what other choices are available? If Christ lied we will lie moldering in the grave without hope.  Since Jesus is Truth, we will either have eternal life or eternal death.  However, death will be more than moldering in the grave. Eternity will be punishment without end for those who deny Jesus and his gift.

 

You say "A loving God won't send me to hell!" True!  A loving God gives you a way out! He has a plan for you so that you'll never have to endure torment (hell). By denying Jesus you condemn yourself to hell!  Don't do that! Any rational person would choose eternal life over eternal punishment.  If you think about one thing, think about your destiny. That's rational thinking!

 

"I don't like to think about death!" you say?  That changes nothing. By drifting through life without a plan for eternity which we call "hope" you condemn yourself. God calls you to consider your future. Will you enjoy a resurrected body as Jesus did, or will you choose eternal death? Think about the wonders of God! He has shown the majesty of his creation. By what you see you know of him. Now that you know him, accept his offer... accept his gift. Accept eternal hope! Accept eternal life!

Friends: In front of a Live Audience!

"Friends" is a television show.  We've seen friends interact on the pixelated screen. They care for each other, love each other and disagree. If they say something that will permanently hurt, the make-believe friendship, they just do another take! Real life is not that easy and friendship is so much more than "hanging out" together!

What is a friend? First, let's take a look at what a friend is not.  An enemy is certainly no friend. Someone who undermines you; someone who has feelings of envy, anger and superiority; or someone who just outright loathes you is certainly no friend!  At work I had a person tell me "I hate you!". Hate is a very strong word. What did I do to be despised? "I hate you because you're management!", the employee replied. He certainly had an irrational predisposition due to envy and anger. Why? We were on different teams and each had different goals and members of opposing thought. All true, but that's no reason to hate!

Myself, I have to work on "hate" more than anything!  Sometimes we get confused over hating actions  of people verses the people themselves.  As a child I would say "I hate him!" Mom would be quick to say "You should say 'I hate what that person is doing to me'."  Mom had it right! There is a fine line of demarcation which we must be careful not to cross. We can "hate the behavior, but not the person". I don't believe that's a verse in the Bible, but Scripture does teach us to hate sin and love our enemies!

Jesus, yes God Himself, said:
Matthew 5:43 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 4 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"

How can a Christian even begin to love an enemy when they are still working on loving their friends? The answer lies in a Christian's true relationship with God!  "Do I really love God?" "Do YOU really love God?"

Matthew 22:37 "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Do you truly love Jesus? Is Jesus truly your friend?

A friend is not a mere acquaintance!  An acquaintance is one we "know". We may like to do things together and have common interests, but that friendship bond is just not there or is superficial. If you leave town tomorrow, it is likely that you may keep in contact, but there is little effort there to remain close. Partyers have many acquaintances! 

Most people have many enemies, more acquaintances, but few friends!  If each of us have two or three friends we're happy and content. Some are fortunate enough to have a bond through Christ such that the friendships are more widespread! Some may try to do it by secular means, but somehow those friendships seem to be more shallow that what "brothers and sisters in Christ" have, or at least should have. Now, let's look at what IS a friend:

Note that when I commented on Matthew 22:37, that I used "love" and "friend" interchangeably. That's a given; or at least it should be! A friend is ____________ (you fill in the blank).  For me a friend is a person that I know; one who I love and one with whom I have a trusting relationship. As a bonus, it may be that the friend and I enjoy the same activities, beliefs, values and personality type. (Most of my friends profess to love the Lord as I profess myself!) Yes, we must "love" our friend. Love and trust can only apply if the first criterion is met. Yes, we must "know" the person. Normally, it would be someone we know well enough to have developed a love relationship and with whom we have established a bond of trust!

Trust is a relationship where we have faith in the person's character and integrity to the extent that we don't doubt them. They're there for us! A person we trust is someone who tells is not only what we want to hear, but has the courage to tell us what we really don't care to hear. A friend admonishes  and reprimands. If we do wrong things a friend points out our error or faults! A friend will confront us in love and is courageous in doing so!  However, a friend doesn't condemn, but does admonish and reprove!

Where do we find true friendship? Is it the bar? The ball park? At the university? At the dinner party? In truth, you can find friendship anywhere, but we must be able to discern between acquaintances who have things in common, but  "love" and "trust" fails to be matured. Actually, it is more likely that secular places offer many acquaintances, but since there may not be a commonality in beliefs, values and even honesty, it is likely that all those people we call friends are only acquaintances. Be careful!

We find others with common beliefs, values, and morals, hopefully in the church. We're all there because we seek Christ or know and love Christ. If we know what Jesus teaches, then our beliefs have a high degree of commonality. (No, we don't necessarily believe alike on every issue, but we have Christ in common).  Within the church, Satan works on contentions! He wants strife within the church. That's his modus operandi!  Christ will use the color of a carpet or a doctrinal point to cause strife. When we're at odds we're not communing! When we're failing to commune with one another, Jesus is sidelined. When Jesus is sidelined, Satan wins. When Satan wins we lose!

Our church is a "commune". People, when seeking a church, look for friends first, even before doctrine!  If the church is unfriendly or has strife, it is easily detected and genuine people move on to where true communion exists! (I left a church myself because that camaraderie just wasn't there!). Some Christians have a negative disposition. They are short tempered, criticize, look for fault or just don't love and care for people.  They need to either fully submit to God or repent!  If one's a Christian it should be recognizable. If your nickname is "grumpy" then somethings missing in your love.

1 Tim 6:11 "But thou, O man of God, flee these things (sins); and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."

These are the characteristics of friendship! These are characteristics of a true Christian!  Be a friend to your Christian brother. Be a friend to those with whom you strive. Be a friend to your enemy!










 

Getting Back to Basics

In yesteryear's beauty pageants a question of the finalist always yielded a similar response "My desire for mankind is that we have world peace!" That was the answer most sought after by the pageant judges! That's as noble as it gets!

We all want world peace!  We want the killing to stop. We want our leaders to get along. We want partisan politics for the good of the nation. We want crime to stop. We want a society where child abuse and rape is non-existent! We want people to quit fighting over money. It goes on an on. Just think of what you want for mankind. I bet it's one or likely all of these things!

When did it all start? This jealousy, hate, selfishness, pride and hate?  I just noticed the negative connotation in all these words. God created us in his likeness, and surely that's positive, but now we're filled with negativity! I'll skip right over the "original sin" part. Most of us know the disobedience of Adam and Eve and the consequences.   What next?

Genesis 4:7 "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?"

 

Cain, a dirt farmer, and Abel his brother, a shepherd, presented their offerings to God. I won't go into detail, but Abel presented to the Lord the best of his herd. On the other hand Cain brought some of his harvest. Both made a sacrifice, but Cain's was apparently offered out of  duty, not of respect. God didn't respect the offering because of Cain's countenance.

 

Countenance?  That's just "mood". We all know what that is? Cain just didn't offer God his offering with a right heart.  We see immediately how wrong Cain's heart was because out of jealousy his anger aroused to the point that he killed his younger brother! Then he immediately lied to God about it! He told an  outright lie, and a added a sidebar to try to fool God. "Am I my brother's keeper?"  Let's take a look at all the sins committed by Cain:

 

1) His offering was not of the "blood". Blood is a sin offering. Although grain was also used as an offering it was merely a "thank you" offering. Grain offerings were always offered secondary to the animal offering. God was due his offering for being gracious!  By withholding an appropriate offering, Cain stole from God. What became the "Eighth Commandment", "thous shalt not steal".

2) Cain's offering was disrespectful. We don't know how, but it as the attitude or mood in his offering. We are to make offerings to God cheerfully, not begrudgeonly. Cain placed himself over God. He violated what became the "First Commandment', "thou shalt not have no other gods before me."

3) "Cain rose up". He had malicious intent. His anger got the best of him. What probably caused the anger? Jealousy. Cain being the older brother was in a position of higher esteem since he was due his birthright. God recognized the offering of the younger brother with respect, not the eldest. Jealousy is what became the "Tenth Commandment", "thou shalt not covet"!

4)  Cain slew Abel. He broke what was to become the "Sixth Commandment", "thou shalt not kill".

5) Cain lied. (This is what people have annealed today and call "spin")/ He replied to God "I know not" when asked where Abel was. This violates what was to become the "Ninth Commandment", "Thou shalt not bear false witness".

6) And lastly, what "law" did Cain violate when he wise-cracked "Am I my brother's keeper?"?  He violated the greatest commandment and it's corallary Matthew 22: 37b "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." He showed a lack of love for God and a lack of love for his brother. In violating the "Greatest Commandment" he violated them all!

 

What "negative" personality traits or behaviors did Cain display? selfishness, jealousy, anger, lying, murder and blasphemy. Why does evil exist? Evil exists because mankind does not respect the desires, no commands, of God!  Mankind is most interested in the propagation of "self". Man wants what he wants. Man lives for pleasure, power and greed!

 

Unfortunately, Cain was not the last man to stand in the way of peace. Since that day mankind has repeated this activity, one I will call "The Wicked Commission". We think of Nebuchaddnezer, Pharoah, Caesar, Genghis Khan, and Hitler as leaders who caused world turmoil. They were certainly "Cain-like" in their behavior and all stood in opposition to world peace.

 

However, there are also "Little Cains"!  Those are the people who are Cain-like in their own personal small world. These are the people who "flip you off" because you make a driving error. They get angry because you're more prosperous than they are.  They dislike you because you have an education, or conversely, because you don't. They're angry because you have  a better family life and  perhaps a trophy wife. There are millions of reasons these folks are "Little Cains" because rebellion dwells in the hearts of mankind!

 

You may see that the people to whom I've referred are un-Godly, non-Christians even. However, there is a stench in the Christian world as well!  Why do you think we have church denominations? It's because we listen to and follow others instead of Christ!  (I confess that it's good to leave heretical churches and those which denigrate Christ and Scripture, but on non-substantial doctrinal issues, it's silly, even prideful!)  In essence, we are saying "I have pride in my interpetation and if you don't agree with me you're doomed!"  Woe are any who place pride over love. Yes, we can disagree, but leave room that each one of us may err!  The Bible is full of doctrine. Much of it is hard to understand because God is a mystery. We're just not meant to know everything, but we're always ready to put God in a box!  God cannot be defined. God just IS!  He doesn't follow scientific theories nor principles; he created them!

 

In writing this immediate text, I am making points to which I believe I am correct. However, I must leave room that I may not be. I've been wrong before and I may be wrong now. However, I seek my positions from Scripture in full context. I try to look at all related scripture. Sometimes I still don't get all the light. Please consider my thoughts, but realize that we may differ. You and I may use the same Scripture, but understand it differently. One is wrong, but each are sincere!

 

I attended a church recently which disagreed with me on one point of doctrine. When I was questioned about it by the pastor I replied "We'll find out when we get to heaven." I was trying to take pride out of the equation and remain amicable. The preacher got angry and ostracized me! That is a "Cain-like" attitude!  Shortly, thereafter that pastor resigned in a sex scandal. When a person sins there are other complementary sins? It's like cancer. When the primary location of cancer is found, there remains hidden secondary, even tertiary sites! Sin works the same way! Sin is "cancer of the soul".

 

Let's get back to basics! We're all wrong! We all sin and we all deserve death! Rhetorically speaking: If I'm a post-millenialist, so what? I'm saved and will someday be glorified!  So what that I like music in church? I'm still a child of God!  So what? So what? What is love of God and love of others! That's the basics we're to get back to! Love changes things! That's the basic idea.