Applying the Bible to Life - Part 7
Here’s the next part in this multi-part series of “free-form” offerings of the Spirit for you to consider.
Each one is meant to benefit a person’s Walk with the Lord, by applying the Bible to real, everyday, walking-around life.
True or False: "If everyone kept the Ten Commandments, the world would be a better place."
Anyone who answers "True" to that knows and admits that God's Commandments are good.
"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." - James 4:17 (NKJV)
Thus, if we know God's Commandments are good but do not willfully keep them ourselves, we are a hypocrite, and in sin.
There is no greater tragedy than knowing what is good and right and not doing it.
For an easy way to remember God's Commandments, please see this:
We pray, "Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven."
And what is God's Will ? Love. And what is Love ?
"If you love Me, keep My Commandments." - Jesus in John 14:15 (NKJV)
"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His Commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments. And His Commandments are not burdensome." - 1 John 5:2-3 (NKJV)
Anywhere where God's Commandments are being broken, it is not Love, and His Will is not being done.
So, are we supposed to keep only some of God's Commandments or ALL of them, His Law ?
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." - Jesus in Matthew 5:17-19 (NKJV)
Have Heaven and Earth passed away yet ? If not, then every single aspect of God's Law is still in effect.
"For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not murder.' Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law." - James 2:10-11 (NKJV)
Obviously, we are to keep all of the Truth God has given us. Therefore, if we know the Commandments, as we should, then we are to willfully be keeping all of Them, not just some of Them. And not just the nine out of ten that many acknowledge while rationalizing the remaining one away based on the tradition of men, who have acted in concert, either willfully or in ignorance, with the devil in an attempt to change God's times and Law. If we cannot justify our behavior based on what the Bible, and the Bible only, says, then we should change our behavior to God's Way. Habit change in this life is a whole lot easier than facing God in the Judgement and trying to explain to Him why we felt we could willfully discard even one of His Commandments. Jesus, and all of God's Word, makes this exceedingly clear. Do we Love Him, yes or no ?
We say "nine out of ten" above, knowing that many reasonable and moral folks who refer to themselves as Christians, and who are not leaders of the "beast" church of prophecy, would acknowledge Commandments 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. They'll have to face God over the Fourth Commandment, because God's Commandments cannot be altered, only broken or kept. If we've heard and know better, then we're to keep the Light we have. Now... the beast church on the other hand, is another story.
Line-walkers and pretenders try to negotiate God's Commandments in an attempt to keep sin based on wished-for technicalities or tradition, driven by pride, evil, or both. A true-hearted person does not seek technicalities with God, or to keep wrongful traditions, but simply seeks to be safely under His wing, no matter what, by Love for Him.
"For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men." - Jesus in Mark 7:8 (NKJV)
"All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition." - Jesus in Mark 7:9 (NKJV)
"You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts." - Jesus in Luke 16:15 (NKJV)
Too often when a believer tries to reason with a group over one of their doctrines, and by Love for God, and them, points out an impurity that is not Scriptural, Satan, the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), is quick to hand the group many diversionary accusations against the believer that serve only to avoid the point made. But when the manufactured smoke clears, the choice still remains unchanged - we either use God's Word, the Bible, for what we believe, or we refuse, with God as Witness.
Dirt makes a white shirt dirty; the white shirt does not make the dirt clean.
A drop of poison makes a bowl of soup toxic; the bowl of soup does not make the poison safe.
In the same way, that which is wrong defaces that which is Right.
Until the dirt and poison and wrong are removed, a thing is not clean or safe or Righteous, and there will never be Peace about it.
99% pure is more pure than 95% pure, which is more pure than 80% pure, which is more pure than 55% pure. But all are still impure and have room for improvement.
What if, over a long period of time, we find our spouse or co-worker or friend to be trustworthy 49 out of 50 times; and for the one time out of 50 when they are willfully untrustworthy, they do not repent, but instead try to rationalize, minimize, justify, or defend their action, and then move on. Do we trust them ? Now, what if that person is not someone else, but us ? Would we be trustworthy ? Surely, 98% trustworthy is more trustworthy than 95%, and 80%, and 55%. But who would we rather deal with - a person who is 100% trustworthy or 98% trustworthy ? Therefore, what kind of person should we be for others, and Whose Standard of Truth should we use ?
It's not what we do right that needs correcting. And while there is wrong, there will be no Peace. For when we sin against God and others, we also destroy ourselves.
Sincerity, if it even exists in a given person, is a good start, but only half the battle. What is sincerity ? It's a lack of deceit. How ? It exists when one's thoughts match their words which match their actions. If there is any inconsistency among the three (thoughts, words, actions), then there is insincerity, that is, deceit, or hypocrisy. But one can be sincerely wrong or sincere in ignorance, if one does not have the Truth. That is still a dangerous position, but God, by His grace, will do His best to encourage people to Him by the Truth, to bring them under His Loving and Protective wing. When Truth is then purposely sought by a sincere person who is humble in their heart and has Love for God, they will find and receive, and God's Kingdom will be opened to them through His Word and Holy Spirit. They will be fed the Bread of Life and Living Water, and will Grow to bear the fruit of repentance, forgiveness, and obedience, by which God's Blessings can flow easily and without measure, as He wishes for anyone to choose in Faith. But notice, once a person knows the Truth, it is in their thoughts, and they can only continue to be sincere if they change their words and actions to live by the Truth the Holy Spirit has given them. It is impossible to be sincere - meaning consistent in thoughts, words, and actions - by continuing to defend a lie with rationalized words or actions that do not match the conviction on their Spirit. Only the insincere can attempt to bury the Truth within themselves in order to keep living lies by pride.
"When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite." - Jesus in Luke 12:58-59 (NKJV)
If we are an adversary to the Holy Spirit by resisting the Truth, will He not take us to the Judge, Jesus ? And being found guilty by His Word, will we not be delivered to the Officer, the One who allows the awful earthly consequences of sin to be our earthly sentence, in the hope that it will turn our heart back to Him, by which rehabilitation for eventual habitation in Heaven can take place, instead of permanent, unthinkable consequences beyond this age ? So if our sin has gotten us cast into an earthly inner-prison, manifested also with outer consequences, does not God know that the proper earthly sentencing time a person needs will be that by which they finally give in and surrender to what is good ? His hope and Mercy wait patiently for us the whole time, from the first minute, so our earthly sentence is solely the length of time it takes us to give up our pride. And if we never do ? The Bible tells us that all will confess God, but if not in this life, one's begrudging confession of regret at the End will be too late.
Let there be no misunderstanding here. Can God punish ? Yes, God can impose His Will anywhere at any time to correct any situation, all by His Righteousness. Does God Himself personally punish sin often ? Let's liken it to this: a person commits a crime on Earth, gets caught by the police, is tried in court, gets sentenced by a judge, and is then sent to prison. In prison, there are also other prisoners who likewise are lawbreakers, and even though confined themselves, they often make the lives of their fellow prisoners quite difficult. It's truly a prison within a prison – all bad. Now let's ask, is a guilty person who ends up in prison truly punished by others, or have they punished themselves ? Yes, there was a criminal justice system in place to process the crime, but truly, it is the person who chose their own predicament. It's really no different where sin is concerned. Let's face it - too many believe the bounds of morality are limited only to “getting caught” by human authorities; that anything they can get away with otherwise is okay. And many times, in fact, we are not caught by human authorities for wrongful behaviors. But the system God put in place isn't like that. Yes, God's System is built upon Laws, Righteous Laws, and they include the Two Most Important Commandments and Ten Commandments. But they also include all the natural laws for all the processes of the Universe. And unlike human systems, God's System isn't fallible, for in His System, each cause automatically produces an effect. There is no such thing as “not getting caught”, because in God's System, all is seen, good and bad, both outer behaviors and inner, and all effects occur automatically from their cause. Many of us do not perceive most causes and effects, least of all our own, nor do we often keep in mind as we go about our day-to-day routine that many causes produce effects that also build up over time to produce a much larger effect, whether one of success or too often one of devastation. But nothing passes under the radar in God's Universe, which includes our own Earth, where what is sown is also reaped, good or bad. So, to go back to our original question... does God Himself personally punish sin often ? God can and does step in supernaturally where He Righteously deems it necessary, but more often than not, we as free-will beings in His Universe choose to punish ourselves when we decide to live apart from God and His Way, away from His Light and out in the darkness, which is not a vast “free” zone at all, but only a confining prison of pride and sin, a double-prison where other prisoners-by-choice – including Satan and his demons – also live to make the inmates' lives harsh and difficult. It is not God's Will to punish. God is a Righteous Parent who tries to protect us and keep us from evil, knowing True Freedom only exists with Him.
For a brief discussion regarding the difference between God's discipline for His children and punishment for sin, please click here.
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