CAN A CHRISTIAN
BELONG TO THE POLITICAL, JURIDICAL OR POLICE SYSTEM?
Although
the answer is easy, unfortunately our carnal nature has difficulty accepting
Jesus and His teachings (1Corinthians
2:14). It is the old struggle between our new and old man:
o
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old
man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in
the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God
is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4.22-24).
However,
we cannot continue to limp between two thoughts (as Israel did - 1 Kings 18.21): if the god of strongholds (the god of the antichrist - Daniel
11.38) is the true god, follow him; If Jesus is the One True
God (as I believe He is),
then we cannot adopt any other god in His presence (Exodus 20: 3, Matthew 6:24).
Either
we believe in the power of godliness and give ourselves to it, or we’ll simply
transform the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ into mere utopia:
o
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the
Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world,
received up into glory.” (1Timothy
3.16).
o
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For
men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of
those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof: from such turn away.” (2Timothy 3.1-5).
Furthermore,
does it make sense to live in a world where, in order to overcome evil, it is
necessary to do greater evil then those who try to offend us? Does it make
sense to live like Ishmael?
o
“And he will be a wild man; his hand [ will be ] against every man, and every
man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” (Genesis 16.12).
In
order not to be a victim of evil, we must be more evil than our enemies (whom, by the way, we are commanded to
love - Matthew 5:44,45)? Shall we harm the one for whom Christ died?
Who is most powerful: he who has the power of darkness and death (see Hebrews 2:14, 15), or
the One who:
o
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [
us ] into the kingdom of his dear Son:” (Colossians 1.13).
If
it is not possible to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13,14)
overcoming all evil (Romans
12:19-21), then it is better to die than to live (or more still: not to be born), as
the preacher of Ecclesiastes said:
o
“Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the
living which are yet alive. Yea, better [ is he ] than both they, which hath
not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 4.2,3).
Unfortunately,
as Paul said, few are willing to undergo sound doctrine:
o
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but
after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears; and they shall turn away [ their ] ears from the truth, and shall be
turned unto fables.” (2Timothy
4.3-4 – ARC).
Most,
though they claim to be serving Christ, are at heart serving their own womb:
o “For they that are such serve not our
Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”
(Romans
16.18).
o “( For many walk, of whom I have told you
often, and now tell you even weeping, [ that they are ] the enemies of the
cross of Christ: whose end [ is ] destruction, whose God [ is their ] belly,
and [ whose ] glory [ is ] in their shame, who mind earthly things.)” (Phillipians 3.18,19).
I
know that in the face of injustice, we are tempted to seek resources in the
"justice" of this world to protect us and our rights (something that the Eternal abhors -
Psalms 20.7; Isaiah 30.1-3; 31.1-3). However, our real enemy is
not the people or what they do against us:
o
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high [ places ].” (Ephesians 6.12).
Nor
do the weapons we have to fight with are physical:
o
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6.10,11).
o
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on
the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” (Ephesians 6.13-18).
o
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: ( For the weapons of our warfare [ are ]
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; ) casting down imaginations, and
every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your
obedience is fulfilled.” (2Corinthians
10.3-6).
I go
further: our victory must be spiritual. If we are to be truly victorious toward
the Eternal, we must gladly accept our defeat here for Christ's sake:
o “He that findeth
his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life
for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10.39).
See what Paul says:
o
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
No man that warreth entangleth
himself with the affairs of [ this ] life; that he may please him who hath
chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, [ yet ] is he not
crowned, except he strive lawfully.” (2Timothy 2.3-5).
Note
that it is not to try to escape from afflictions, fighting against everything
and everyone to keep them away from us. I know this is difficult to accept, but
whoever rejects the bitter medicine does not want to be healed. Whoever get
away from troubles does not want to be blessed.
In
fact, the reason why many homes fall apart is because, when a conflict arises,
instead of suffering the afflictions of Christ by the spouse (see Colossians 1:24; Philippians 3.10),
they try to overcome it with carnal weapons.
We
have to think that the evil of the other is only bothering us because, first of
all, evil has found place in us to dwell:
o
“Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his
sins?” (Lamentations
3.39).
Thus,
instead of losing our blessing by trying to resolve everything by our own
strength and ability (see
Zechariah 4:5), may Jesus give us courage so that we never stray
from Him and from everything He is and represents so that we do not lose the
crown of Eternal life (James
1:12; Revelation 2:10) to us destined:
o
“Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide
for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their
fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses
my servant commanded thee: turn not from it [ to ] the right hand or [ to ] the
left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy
mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written
therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have
good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be
not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [ is ] with thee
whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1.6-9).
Only
those who fight legitimately are crowned! Therefore, may Jesus enable us to
follow His wonderful example:
o
“For this [ is ] thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief,
suffering wrongfully. For what glory [ is it ], if, when ye be buffeted for
your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer
[ for it ], ye take it patiently, this [ is ] acceptable with God. For even
hereunto were ye
called:
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was
guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he
suffered, he threatened not; but committed [ himself ] to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his
own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1Peter 2.19-24).
May
Jesus give us all the courage to not turn away from His healing call, to wit,
allowing Jesus to communicate to us all that He feels and suffers for the one
who has offended us (see
Ezekiel 33:11, Colossians 1:24, Philippians 3.10).
________________________________________________________________________________________
A WOMAN OF GOD'S MAN CAN BE VIOLATED?
Perhaps
you question: and if was your woman threatened of rape?
It
is good to remember that there are two types of sin: sin outside the body and
sin against one's own body. I understand your questioning, but we (starting with myself)
cannot abandon Jesus and the principles of Holy Scripture to defend ourselves.
If we do this, even if, for the time being, we can get rid of the problem,
we'll get bigger problems up front than the ones we already have.
We
need to believe what the Holy Scripture says:
o
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to [ his ] purpose.” (Romans 8.28).
I
know that when we are going through a struggle it is difficult to accept this
truth. But the Holy Scripture is clear:
o
“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you,
live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [ rather ] give place unto wrath: for it is
written, Vengeance [ is ] mine; I will repay, saith
the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him
drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but
overcome evil with good.” (Romans
12.18-21).
o
“Finally, [ be ye ] all of one mind, having compassion one of another,
love as brethren, [ be ] pitiful, [ be ] courteous: not rendering evil for
evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and
see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they
speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue
it. For the eyes of the Lord [ are ] over the righteous, and his ears [ are
open ] unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord [ is ] against them that
do evil.” (1Peter
3.8-12).
o
“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every
thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1Thessalonians 5.16-18).
You
may ask me: "But Leonardo, let us suppose that a thug threatens to rob all
the assets of your house. What do you do: kill him, call the police or remain
praying, trusting that more has Jesus to give than Ha-Satan to take? Sincerely,
brother, I ask of Jesus all the faith and grace necessary to remain resting and
waiting in the Eternal (Psalm
37: 7), fully convinced that:
o
If the thief can rob me, it is because the
Eternal has brought him to do the cleaning in my house, so that the repressed,
shaken and overflowing blessing that He has already brought can fit in it (Luke 6:38);
o
If the thief tortured me or anyone in my
family, surely Jesus will be with us to keep us in peace and happiness in Him,
just as He did with:
§
The apostles who, after being whipped, went
forth rejoicing that they were judged worthy to suffer affront by the name of
Jesus (Acts 5:
40,41).
§
Paul and Silas who, even after being whipped,
bound and with their feet tied unjustly in the trunk, yet at midnight they were
able to worship and praise the Eternal to such an extent that all the prisoners
heard (Acts
16:22-26).
§
Stephen who, when saw the heavens open to him
and Jesus at the right hand of the Father, felt the sorrow of Jesus for having
to judge His beloved people and, for this, he asked the Eternal not to impute
sin to them about what they were doing with him (Acts 7:59-60).
o
If the thief kills me or someone in my family,
we will be with Christ, which is incomparably better than staying in this world
(Philippians 1:23).
o
If none of the above options is the will of the
Eternal, then the thief will repent, convert to Christ, and then, we’ll be good
friends and brethren in Christ.
Anyway,
what we cannot forget is:
o
“Rejoice in the Lord alway: [ and ] again I
say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [ is ] at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God.” (Phillipians 4.4-6).
We
have to keep in mind that if the Eternal brought the thief to us (being us, of course, righteous in His
presence), it is because He wants to save the thief. Jesus
brought him to us so He could make Himself known to the thief. After all, if
the thief were to steal another person, he could be killed and so would
eternally go to hell and then to the lake of fire and brimstone.
However,
as Jesus takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11),
but He came to call sinners to repentance (not the righteous - Matthew 9.12,13), to rescue the lost sheep (not the ninety-nine sheep which need no
repentance - Luke 15:7), to restore the prodigal son (Luke 15:24,32),
then He brought the thief to us so that He might somehow manifest Himself
through us who are vessels destined for His glory and honor (Romans 9.22,23).
If
it is for the thief to suffer and pay for everything he has done, our presence
in this world becomes unnecessary. It is enough for Jesus to shut up and the
thief himself will make his own evil fall on his head. We only have some use
if, somehow, Jesus can use our life to confirm what Paul and Jesus said:
o
“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound:” (Romans 5.20).
o
“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for
she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [ the same ] loveth little.” (Luke 7.47).
Probably
you still keep asking yourself: but Leonardo, what if sin is against the body? What would you do?
o
“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but
he that committeth fornication sinneth
against his own body..” (1Corinthians
6.18).
Note
how the sin of sexual immorality is placed on a special level. And no wonder! After
all, marriage is the most sacred and important institution that exists. Just
think that the first marriage (between
Adam and Eve) was PERSONALLY celebrated by the Eternal. As soon as
Adam saw himself in the woman, the Eternal made them one body (Genesis 2:24). As
soon Eve was created, the Eternal married them.
The
Eternal did not promote a course or seminar for couples, he did not say
anything about religion. Much less sent an archangel, cherub, etc. to celebrate
their marriage. He married them immediately.
Being,
then, the marriage something so sacred, I doubt that the Eternal would allow
the wife of a faithful man of God to be violated.
Look
at the case of Abraham. Even he lying, saying that Sarah was only his sister,
yet the Eternal prevented her from being possessed by Pharaoh (Genesis 12:17-20) and
Abimelech, king of Gerar (Genesis 20).
See
also the case of Job. The Eternal allowed Ha-Satan to touch the goods of Job,
to take the life of the children of Job and even to fill Job with tumors.
However, at no time Ha-Satan (or any
of his cohorts) was allowed to touch a single hair of Job's wife.
We
can go through many afflictions in this world (John 16:33), be persecuted for righteousness, be reviled,
persecuted and lie victims for Jesus' sake and His Word (Matthew 5: 10,11),
but never a genuine servant of Jesus Christ will ever see His wife in the hands
of another. On the contrary:
o
“Blessed [ is ] every one that feareth the
LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat
the labour of thine hands: happy [ shalt ] thou [ be
], and [ it shall be ] well with thee. Thy wife [ shall be ] as a fruitful vine by the sides
of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.” (Psalms 128.1-3).
o “Blessed [ shall be ] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground,
and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine,
and the flocks of thy sheep.” (Deuteronomy 28.4)
o “And the LORD shall make thee
plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the
land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give
thee. ” (Deuteronomy
28.4).
o
“Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand [ is ] a right hand
of falsehood: that our sons [ may be ] as plants grown up in their youth; [ that ] our daughters [ may be ] as corner
stones, polished [ after ] the similitude of a palace:” (Psalms 144.11,12).
For
those who are faithful to the Eternal, the home is surrounded by blessings and
promises. Only those who refuse to listen to the voice of the Eternal can be
victims of adultery, betrayal, rape, etc.:
o
“Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou
shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a
vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.” (Deuteronomy 28.30).
In
short, if we are faithful to the Eternal, we can go through the most diverse
adversities (Philippians
4:11-13). In all of them we are already more than conquerors
through Jesus who strengthens us (Romans 8:37). However, the Eternal will never allow the
home so sacred and blessed that He built Himself to be adulterated:
o
“Então
chegaram ao pé dele os fariseus, tentando-o e dizendo-lhe: É lícito ao homem
repudiar sua mulher por qualquer motivo? Ele, porém, respondendo, disse-lhes:
Não tendes lido que aquele que os fez no princípio macho e fêmea os fez, e
disse: Portanto, deixará o homem pai e mãe, e se unirá a sua mulher, e serão
dois numa só carne? Assim não são mais dois, mas uma só carne. Portanto, o que
Deus ajuntou não o separe o homem. ” (Mateus 19.3-6).
What
the Eternal does lasts forever:
o
“I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for
ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God
doeth [ it ], that [ men ] should fear before him.” (Ecclesiastes 3.14).
o “I know that thou canst do every
[ thing ], and [ that ] no thought can be withholden
from thee.” (Job
42.2).
o
“I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when [ there was ]
no strange [ god ] among you: therefore ye [ are ] my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I [ am ] God. Yea, before the day [
was ] I [ am ] he; and [ there is ] none that can deliver out of my hand: I
will work, and who shall let it?” (Isaiah 43.12,13).
The
door that Jesus closes, nobody opens; The door He opens, no one closes (Revelation 3.7).
What Jesus assembles, no one is able to separate.
In
addition, it is worth remembering that:
o
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God
[ is ] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to
bear [ it ].” (1Corinthians
10.13).
o
“God [ is ] jealous, and the LORD revengeth;
the LORD revengeth, and [ is ] furious; the LORD will
take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth [
wrath ] for his enemies. The LORD [ is ] slow to anger, and great in power, and
will not at all acquit [ the wicked ]: the LORD hath his way in the
whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds [ are ] the dust of his feet.” (Nahum 1.2,3).
Based
on all this, I ask that Jesus convert us more and more to Him (Lamentations 5:21), so
that we never deny Him and His Word in any circumstance. Instead, may Jesus
give us the eyesalve of Him (Revelation 3:18) so
that we may see His way in every situation that comes to us, as well as faith
and love to follow this path, in the certainty that the home of the righteous
will never cease to be a true expression of the love of Jesus for His Bride (the Church).
________________________________________________________________________________________
HOW SHOULD THE CHURCH HOLD BEFORE
EVIL IN SOCIETY?
In
consideration to this question, here is the answer: it is impossible for anyone
to be a follower of Jesus Christ and, at the same time, be a member of the
political, judicial or police system. After all, the concepts and values of
Jesus and His kingdom are totally opposed to the system that rules this world:
·
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [ it hated ]
you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are
not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15.18,19).
·
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater
is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world:
therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth
them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth
not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” (1John 4.4-6).
·
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is
the enemy of God.” (James
4.4).
See
what Jesus said about His kingdom:
·
“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my
kingdom not from hence.” (João 18.36).
·
“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God
should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with
observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the
kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17.20,21).
See
what Isaiah said about seeking help in Egypt (namely, in the military or legal system of this world):
·
“Woe to the rebellious children, saith the
LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not
of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: that walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked
at my mouth; to
strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,
and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh
be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt [ your ] confusion.” (Isaiah 30.1-3).
·
“Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust
in chariots, because [ they are ] many; and in horsemen, because they are very
strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!
Yet he also [ is ] wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words:
but will arise
against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work
iniquity. Now the Egyptians [ are ] men, and not God; and their horses flesh,
and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen
shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.” (Isaiah 31.1-3).
Finally,
look at what Jesus and James said:
·
“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:” (John 5.22).
·
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [ his ] brother, and judgeth
his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a
doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?” (James 4.10-12).
Note
that there is only one Lawgiver and Judge, who is Jesus, whose kingdom is not
of this world.
Therefore,
it is not for us to judge or condemn anyone, much less strive for a better
world, as many religious have suggested, using evangelism as an excuse to gain
power in this world.
Dear
brothers and sisters, I believe we are confusing the message of the gospel!
When Jesus called Peter, He did not tell to Peter to commit himself so that He
could reign over everything and everyone (this time is reserved for the millennium). Instead, look again
at what Jesus said:
·
“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were
fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4.18,19).
Notice
that Jesus did not call Peter to make his fishing company prosper, but so that
all the peoples of the earth would see that the name of the Eternal is invoked
upon him (see Deuteronomy
28:10; James 2:7).
That
is, the gospel consists in fishing the individuals out of the sea of this
world so that they can prepare for the coming of Christ (and not to make them great in the world
- contrary to Luke 16:15).
And
how should they be prepared?
·
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon
Peter, Simon, [ son ] of Jonas, lovest thou me more
than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith
unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time,
Simon, [ son ] of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest
that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith
unto him the third time, Simon, [ son ] of Jonas, lovest
thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest
that I love thee. Jesus
saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” (John 21.15-17).
They
were not to be prepared like ferocious lions in order to get out shredding all
the wolves. Rather they should be cordial (docile) as lambs, simple and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16, Romans 16:19).
Or,
if you prefer, as Paul did:
·
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to
one husband, that I may present [ you as ] a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means,
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ.” (2Corinthians 11.2,3).
For all
this you already see clearly as the role of police officer, politician, judge,
lawyer, prosecutor, etc. does not fit within the pattern established by the
Eternal. Nevertheless, to further strengthen our faith and the faith of our
beloved brethren, let us consider a few more verses:
·
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged:
and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how
wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and,
behold, a beam [ is ] in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam
out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out
of thy brother's eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls
before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”
(Matthew 7.1-6).
Brothers,
we have to take the Holy Scripture seriously! This here is to be followed by
ALL who claim to be of Jesus. After all, the holy things (gifts and talents)
that the Eternal gave us are to enable us to watch over our pearls (individuals that Jesus gave us),
instead of throwing them to the "pigs", namely, those who have no
acceptance before the Eternal.
If
we really want to be rich toward the Lord (Luke 12:21), we must have patience with the pearls He gave
us so that Jesus will make them more and more pure, so that they may take place
at the doors of our New Jerusalem (see Rev. 21:21).
In
other words: instead of judging and condemning these pearls, let's hide them
close to us (1
Corinthians 12:22-25). After all, they are our inheritance, our
blessing (1 Peter
3:8-9).
Hence
Jesus says:
·
“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; that
ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he
maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5.44,45).
Jesus
did not ask us to do this: He ordained it! Only by living this can Jesus make
us children of the Eternal (John
1:12). Who really wants to belong to Jesus has to walk as He walked, do the
works that He did:
·
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that
I do shall he do also; and greater [ works ] than these shall he do; because I
go unto my Father.” (John
14.12).
·
“He that saith he abideth
in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1John 2.6).
And
how did Jesus proceed?
·
“And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a
village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him,
because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples
James and John saw [ this ], they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and
consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and
rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to
save [ them ]. And they went to another
village.” (Luke
9.52-56).
·
“And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith
unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and
the other on the left, in thy kingdom. And when the ten heard [ it ], they were
moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them [ unto
him ], and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles
exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon
them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great
among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let
him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20.21,24-28).
That
is to say, our role is not to dominate over individuals, much less to judge them
and exterminate them because of their sin. Instead, our role is to give up our
lives so they can be rescued.
Finally,
may the Eternal give us a heart that can only find joy in the salvation that is
in Christ Jesus:
·
“We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we
will set up [ our ] banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions. Now know I that
the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him
from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some [ trust ] in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the
name of the LORD our God.” (Psalms 20.5-7).
May
Jesus free us to trust and, above all, to delight in the powers and authorities
of this world:
·
“He delighteth not in the strength of the
horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in
them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” (PSalms
147.10,11).
May
the Holy Spirit make of these verses the essence of our prayer (Romans 8:26):
·
“Whom have I in heaven [ but thee ]? and [ there is ] none upon earth [
that ] I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth:
[ but ] God [ is ] the strength of my heart, and my portion for
ever.” (Psalms
73.25,26).
________________________________________________________________________________________
IS THERE GOOD REASON TO KILL?
With
all due respect, what justification is good enough to justify the murder of
someone made in the image and likeness of the Eternal, someone for whom Jesus died
on the cross just so he would not perish in hell, but would have the
opportunity to repent, convert and inherit eternal life (John 3.16)?
Suppose
one of our children were to commit a crime (it is good to remember that there is only one good that is God -
Matthew 17:19, Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19). I ask Jesus to never allow
this in our lives.
I go
further: suppose you were the judge in Old Testament times (when the murderer had to be killed),
and one of your sons killed the other. How would you proceed? If you did not
apply the law (Leviticus
24:14), you would be unjust and corrupt. And if you did,
you'd be without two of your children.
What
I mean by this is that every thug, in spite of all the evils he does, still has
relatives who love him or who depend on him. Not to mention that, since we are
all flawed, one hour we will sin. How we want to be treated when this happens.
Let
me be clear: I am not apologizing to sin. I am only proposing indignation so
that together we may reach the most excellent Way (1 Corinthians 12:31).
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