Yes! We know as Christians we must. Jesus said it in Matthew 5. But what does that mean? Am I to feel emotionally warm and fuzzy about someone who is my enemy? No. I am to love(agape) them. What is Agape love? It’s love that only a believer is capable of. We see it described exactly in 1 Corinthians 13. “Love is patient, kind, doesn’t envy or boast, isn’t proud or rude, doesn’t think of itself, isn’t easily offended, it thinks no evil, doesn’t rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth, it bears, believes and hopes and endures all things ( bears, believes and hopes and endures the best, in other words). Love, that is agape, never fails.
So, toward my enemy I can, if I am an obedient believer, be patient, kind, not envy , not boast, not be rude but believe, hope endure the very best and think no evil. This is how to love an enemy, and is what it means to love an enemy.
Now Psalm 15 says this: “Who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He who walks up rightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart. He who doesn’t backbite with his tongue (talking behind someone’s back, always cutting them down and imagining evil), nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile ( rejected, reprobate) person is contemned (despised). But he honors those that fear the LORD. He that swears even to his own hurt but still changes not. He who puts not his money out for usery, nor takes reward against the innocent. He that does these things shall never be moved”.
So here we see a description of who will dwell with God in His tabernacle. I believe this is describing those who will dwell in New Jerusalem in eternity and not on the new earth only. I’ll expound on that in next article.
Here are exactly what requirements there are. One of them is a person who despises the vile person.
But we are told to love our enemies. Which is true? Both. Here’s why…
Treating someone who has personally offended me with love has nothing to do with despising evil.
I can love my enemy remember, by being patient, kind, not envying, not boasting, not being rude and believing the best and imagining no evil, etc, but at the same time I must despise that which is evil. I can do both.
I should always, as a believer, hate evil because God hates evil. The word even tells us He hates the evil doer. But evil doer here refers to the lost and God rejecting forever, not to the lost sheep.
My enemy could very well be a lost sheep.
So there are no contradictions in the Bible, just profound truth for the one who cares to find out God’s heart.
If I see a gross offender who is vile in every way and savoring evil and harming others without an ounce of remorse, but joy in it, do I despise the evil? Yes! Do I despise the person, as the word says, as long as the person is in the evil doing and loving it? Yes. Am I to love that enemy with kindness , patience, etc? Yes, because I am to always be kind, patient, hoping the best. And God loved me when I was His enemy.
This also is referring to a state of mind, toward a state of being, as well. MY enemy is very personal. A generally vile person might not be known to me personally. God is reasonable. Everything He says always resonates as true to the heart that seeks truth.
Bless You Lord.
Zechariah chapter 3 is one of my favorites in all of the word. God is speaking to the prophet about Israel and their redemption as a nation, that was to come at the last day, but as always, we also have a picture of the individual believer here that is so wonderful. I wanted to share.
The Bible is written about historical events, and in a parallel way, spiritual truths are there as well. Some are more hidden than others, but patterns of truth and prophecy are always there. Here is one:
We see a man Joshua standing before God in a heavenly, spiritual way. He was the High Priest in Israel at that point in time when Zechariah received the vision.
“Be silent O all flesh, before the LORD, for He is raised up out of His holy habitation.” This reminds me of the scene in heaven in Revelation where all was silent for the space of half an hour.
This is earth shaking. There is a pronouncement in Heaven telling all to be silent because the LORD is raised up from His Holy Habitation. Something is about to happen…something earth shattering. God Almighty is about to declare what He is about to do. It is absolute. It is unchangeable. It is on its way.
Next, we see that Joshua the High Priest is standing before the Angel of the LORD (this is God). Satan is standing at his right hand to resist him.
The picture here is one of Satan, always coming against God’s people. Namely, at this point, it is Israel. Joshua was the High Priest at the time so he is representing Israel. God takes care to mention that Satan stands at Israel’s right hand. The right hand represents God’s instrument of power. So Satan is there to fight against the power of Israel. He wants to defeat her.
The same is true for the believer. Believers are instruments of God’s power. Satan stands by us continually to prevent us from doing God’s work and to accuse us.
“And the LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD Rebuke you, oh Satan; even the LORD that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked out of the fire?’”
So this is the first thing God says after He raised up from His holy habitation: “The LORD rebuke you Satan”. He comes to fight for us because we are unable. So Satan is rebuked and made powerless at that rebuke. Then God declares to Satan that Jerusalem, and this also applies to the church, is a brand plucked from the fire. These were Isaiah’s words as well. So what is a firebrand? It is an ember in the fire that is about to be consumed but pulled from destruction before that could happen. So was Jerusalem, so are we. The saved are those who have been plucked from the destroying fire by God.
“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel.”
Joshua, meaning Israel, meaning all of the lost but yet to be saved, has filthy garments on and there is nothing he can do about it. And he just stands helpless before God in a lost and unfit state. Can’t you hear the compassion in God’s voice in the way this sentence is composed? He starts it with “now Joshua”. We sense that God’s heart is moved by the man standing before him who is unfit and filthy…dead in sin.
“And He answered and spoke unto those that stood before Him saying, ‘take away the filthy garments from him’ And he said to him, ‘Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass away from you, and I will clothe you with a change of raiment.’”
The filthiness is our sin and the new garments is Christ’s righteousness covering us…taking away our sin.
But it doesn’t end there. This is why this is so earth shattering. God goes on…as if this were not enough.
“AND I said, let them set a fair mitre upon his head”.
God is crowning the believer. This is a fair crown, a righteous one. Kings wear crowns. Priests wear robes and he has already been clothed with a priestly garment, so we have a king and a priest. Such a thing never existed before Jesus came to be our High Priest and King. And if we will be made one in God with Him, we will also be kings and priests, Revelation tells us. This is what we are seeing here in the spirit realm.
“So they set a fair mitre on his head, and clothed him with garments. And the Angel of the LORD stood by”.
God is watching the angels clothe and crown those who will be saved and made one in God with Christ.
Now hear this part: “And the Angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of Hosts; If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep my charge, then you will also judge My house ( meaning family), and shall also keep my courts, and I will give you places to walk among these that stand by”. Oh my word let’s break this down. Do we know what has been said and what awaits the believer? It is unfathomable.
To protest here means to admonish or declare, to warn and charge. So God is warning, admonishing, charging the believer to what? Let’s see:
“If you will walk in My ways AND keep My charge”. Charge here means post, sentry, office, watch. So if we will walk in His ways, not just affirm them but live in them, and keep watch, then we will do what?
1- Judge His family
2-Keep His courts (ruling and reigning His hedges in places, villages, walled regions, read… cities, nations)
3-Given a place to walk among these…who? Well, who was standing by that He was referring to? Angels.
My prayer this very minute is that every believer would know this and walk in it. Amen
If you are a believer, don’t go after idols! Your eternal rewards might be affected! I say this based on Bible prophecy found in Ezekiel. But the whole Bible exhorts not to go after idols.
In Ezekiel 40 and after we see a future time when all things are restored and God is reigning during 1000 year reign in His temple (the one Ezekiel describes) and those who were His but went after idols before they were restored, cannot draw near to Him. The ones who never went after idols before God restores all things can and do draw near to Him. These are referred to loosely as Levite’s and the line of Zadok respectively. Israel is not the church and the church is not Israel, but there is coming a day when Jesus restores all things and the two flocks will be one. This is that time and for reference purposes, Ezekiel distinguishes those in Gods family who did go after idols but were restored as Levite’s, and those who were in God’s family but never went after idols as the faithful line of Zadok.
Paul says in 2 Timothy that in Gods house (family) are both vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. This is it. Who are the vessels of honor? Paul says. The sanctified while alive. They have put away all evil.
Jesus showed is a picture of an inner circle of disciples and an outer circle. The inner circle drew near and was allowed in rooms where he raised some from the dead and healed. The outer circle remained just outside the door. This is what we see continued in Ezekiel.
I see many running after idols in the church. They are as the Levite’s spoken of in Ezekiel who will serve God but from a distance in eternity.
They embrace strange doctrines that rush through the church. They indulge in blasphemous things of the world and of other religions and call it freedom in Christ…yoga, and all the eastern mysticisms.
They read witchcraft like Harry Potter and think it’s ok. They explore books that blaspheme God like The Shack, The Divinci Code, and others but will not study the scriptures to show themselves approved.
They go to so called prophets to get their fortunes told. They break laws for their own benefit thinking God endorses cheating and are not bothered in conscience. They play the religious leader, yet devour widows houses and defraud the government.
They are not bothered by the satanic confusion of gender in society and side with homosexuality even though God abhors such.
They fill those minds and eyeshadow with the corruption that is on TV and movies and claim it’s ok.
This is idol worship.
These run entire congregations and refuse correction. They are not prophets but claim they are. They are not apostles yet claim they are. Neither are they subject to the prophets because they will not receive correction.
Most of these are not believers at all and they are doomed. But some of these are true believers yet double minded and still on the milk of the word and devoid of wisdom.
They will serve God from a distance because they had hearts that did enter the kingdom but barely, as we see in 1 Corinthians. They will have sent no fruit ahead of them. They will not draw near because God warned men over and over again that idol worshipers will not draw near to God but will remain in the outer court.
Ezekiel’s temple, as the temple has always been, is a picture of an actual temple, but is at its core the human heart that has allowed God to enter and to dwell. There is a most Holy place in that temple in every believer’s heart. Only the faithful will enter the most holy place in that temple. Those who went after idols remain at a distance.
Who will you be?
What this scripture does not mean is that we are to confess all of our sins to another believer. No! We confess our sins to God!
What this scripture does mean is that when I sin against my brother, go to him and confess that I have offended him and ask forgiveness from him for the offense…restoring that relationship, I am now in a restored righteous state and can be healed, and effective in prayer, and in my walk generally.
Look at he rest of the verse…”praying for each other so that you will be healed. For the fervent and effective prayer of the righteous avails much”.
So we see the idea here and the context. We are not to expose our sins to others. These things are between God and us. Other believers are not meant to carry that kind of burden. I don’t want to know your sins!!! And in the same way, I don’t want you to know mine!
But if I have sinned against my brother in some way, I had better not leave it hanging. God says if I do, then not only are my prayers not heard, but any worship I offer to God is worthless. It’s as if Ive given Him nothing at all…it is an unacceptable offering. Matthew 5:23-24.
We have weird things going on today in the Church and it is because most really have not studied the scriptures, and they go off on some tangent and create new doctrine, because they are spiritually lazy. It is all packaged up as “accountability”. We are told that you cannot walk successfully with Jesus if you don’t have an accountability partner. HOGWASH!!! And yes, I am yelling and that, with extreme prejudice! Add some malice aforethought in there.
Let’s examine why this is not only not sound doctrine but it is wicked doctrine. Let’s just look…
The very idea of confessing my sin to other believers (in the way I confess all of my transgressions to God) removes my relationship with God. It says I have to have some mediator. So now the friend or “accountability” partner takes the place of a catholic priest. This is ridiculous. You know what it also says? It says that there is no Holy Spirit in me to make me accountable. It is completely of the flesh and dead religion re packaged.
I would ask a believer who thinks he needs an accountability partner this: doesn’t God see what you do? Doesn’t He know what you think? Do you think you can hide that from Him? He alone is my accountability partner.
A believer only needs to walk in the Spirit, the word says, and he will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Thats it.
We cannot walk in obedience by trying to obey the law!!!! It won’t work friends! Haven’t we then become the very ones Paul warned of who were dead and insisted that we “don’t do this, don’t do that”?! Yes! It accomplishes nothing.
You can walk on the straight and narrow your whole life with your accountability partner, keeping yourself in line because you fear telling your sins to someone, and be unsaved. You have just ordered the flesh to be it’s best rather than become a new creature. So sad.
If I am truly saved, the Holy Spirit will make sure that I am accountable to Him. Period. This causes change.
Exposing false doctrine where ever it pops up… yours truly, with zero patience for spiritual ignorance and laziness,
Cheryl
John 20:23
Is there a time to retain someone’s sin? Yes. The Bible says so.
Jesus told the disciples that they had the power to go out into the world spreading the gospel and whosoever’s sin they remitted would be remitted and whosoever’s sin they retained would be retained.
Only the mature believer has this authority and only those who know when God gave them that authority, have it.
It is a huge responsibility. Only the mature believer who walks in obedience to God, who walks in the fullness of Christ Paul spoke of, is able.
They have the mind of Christ and only do what the Spirit of God says to do. They do not operate from their own emotions.
That being said, what is the prerequisite for a person having their sin remitted? So easy. Repentance. Did the offender come and ask the offended for forgiveness? What is the state of the offender’s heart?
If there is no repentance ( recognizing that I have sinned and long to be cleansed of it) then there is no forgiveness, and the consequences for that unconfessed sin are set in motion.
We reap what we sow.
I think unrepentant hearts don’t understand that if they won’t admit they’ve sinned, then they are not forgiven of that sin. They may have entered salvation as forgiven people and walk in that but now if they have one particular offense and won’t go to their brother and say, “ I have sinned against you and am very sorry, forgive me,” they are walking in the repercussions of that particular sin. This won’t affect salvation but will affect their walk.
A believer who chronicly does such a thing makes me very concerned about their salvation. I wonder if this person has ever repented unto salvation then if they are rarely of ever repenting of their offenses?
If one who says they are a believer, assumes they are just forgiven of offenses, but doesn’t recognize the sin and apologize for the sin, wanting forgiveness of that sin…I wonder if they are saved? A saved heart is a repentant heart. That heart recognizes and hates their sin. They are quick to go to the person sinned against and apologize and ask forgiveness. They intuitively know the dangers of not confessing sin. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin. If there is no conviction, maybe there is no Spirit in them?
Now the offended has to forgive. But when do they have to forgive? Only, only, only, when the offender asks. Not until then.
Jesus doesn’t just willy nilly forgive. He has the mission of transforming sinners. Transformation won’t happen if they don’t repent of their individual offenses…asking forgiveness.
Sometimes it makes no sense or is impossible to go to the individual and say you are sorry and ask forgiveness. God is after your heart.
I can’t always go back to people in my past that I offended, and only realize years later when I have no contact with them any longer, that I sinned against them and need to get to them to ask forgiveness. If it is practical and possible then yes. But if not, then a repentant heart and acknowledgment to God is enough.
It also depends on the motive and extent of the sin. God is reasonable. But this is a serious stumbling block in the church today.
People are sick and dissatisfied and weak and unproductive and dying because they refuse to recognize sin and repent of it.
Very serious stuff.
Paul said we should examine our hearts regularly to make sure we are in the faith. This is what he meant. It has to do with our “doings”. Are they pure?
If, if if, “you will confess your sin, God is faithful and just to forgive our sin and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness” ( 1 John 1:9).
So look hard at this: by contrast then, if we do not confess our sin, we have not been 1- forgiven, nor 2- cleansed from ALL unrighteousness.
So if we are a believer and refuse to confess a sin and ask forgiveness, then we are walking around in an unrighteous state…not in the salvation sense but in the behavioral sense after salvation…two different things.
If we are saved then we are positionally righteous. But looking at our walk, is it behaviorally righteous?
We are told in scripture that if we don’t forgive then we won’t be forgiven. This is a secondary truth…was there repentance? Repentance is ALWAYS THE PREREQUISITE.
If God brings to mind something I said or did in the past to someone who may not even be aware of it, do I need to go to them? I doubt it. Why cause more trouble than you already have? Does it make sense for all involved to go apologize and ask forgiveness? Then do it. If not then it is sufficient to be burdened over it and run to Jesus and then ask Him to forgive you and to bless the offended person.
God is so reasonable, sensible and ready for renewal for you. He is always examining your heart.
If your heart says, I’m not really sorry. Who cares. They hurt me so they deserve it. Oh well it wasn’t that big of a deal. Then you, my friend, are in trouble. Your heart is wrong, and be sure He will do everything, in increasing measure, to fix it. It’s your decision wether it’ll cost life or limb. What about your offenses? Do you not appreciate that you were forgiven?
There is no sin too great. The only one too great is the unconfessed one.
For Jesus requires confession of sin (repentance) in order to forgive and to restore to new.
So when He says, forgive if you want to be forgiven, this is only after the offender has come and apologized and asked for it.
There is a time to retain sin. Paul said to turn the immoral brother over to Satan to be taught not to sin. This is the time to retain. A believer with the Mind of Christ, will ache to do it. That’s when we know we are qualified to do it…when it hurts to do it. If we have the Mind of Christ, then we long for repentance for the offender. The last thing we want to do is to retain someone’s sin when we know what forgiveness is and how much we need it.
But sometimes we have to. and if we remit someone’s sin who has not confessed, we are robbing them of the joy of repentance. Things then won’t be set in motion to cause that person to repent!! Why? It’s because whatever we bind on earth is bound in Heaven!!! Whatever we loose on earth loosed in heaven! Sometimes a disciple also has to turn an immoral brother over to Satan to be taught not to sin.
If we have experienced the joy of repentance, we long for every soul to know it.
If we have no experienced the joy of repentance, then we don’t know what they are missing and don’t care…
Disciple..walk in forgiveness today! Know when to remit and when to retain. Always be ready to see the slightest tendency toward repentance and seize upon it on behalf of the world.
In Jesus’ holy name!
Amen!
So that was a good segue to talk more about those who will be counted worthy to escape the coming wrath.
2 Timothy 2 clearly describes 2 different kinds of vessels in God’s family. Both saved, sealed unto God for all eternity.
One group is saved and a vessel of dishonor. These are the lukewarm, the double minded. They are those waffling back and forth from the old man and the new. They are the saved but distracted…still self ruled.
The second group is saved and a vessel of honor. They are sanctified and fit to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. They escape the wrath to come. They are about their Fathers business and are not distracted. They are God-ruled and not self-ruled. They are single minded and will be raptured before God’s wrath is unleashed to purify the vessels of dishonor who will not escape the wrath, and destroy the unsaved…those who rejected totally God’s offer of salvation.
The second group…the group who were vessels of honor, who God was able to use for His work, and were fruit bearers while they awaited His return…watched, waited, prayed, expected, and kept themselves from evil.
So salvation alone will not ensure us that we escape the wrath. Salvation and fullness in Christ will ensure that we will.
So many parables warn us not to be caught unaware. Not to be lazy. Not to be careless and unfruitful.
If we are these things, God will toss us into the tribulation to refine us because we refused to do it while we were alive, and before the rapture.
Oh that the church would be taught these truths accurately today! Yet I haven’t heard it anywhere.
Chuck Missler taught this to the rejection of many friends. But he was right.
Oh, that the church would watch and pray and keep themselves from evil so that they would be counted worthy to escape this coming wrath.
Amen.
Paul says it all in these verses here in 2 Timothy chapter 2. He tells Timothy that in Gods house are both vessels of honor and of dishonor. He is to warn all believers to flee iniquity(sin). Then he goes on to tell him that if a believer will flee iniquity (sin) he will be sanctified and can now be used by the Master for the Kingdom. A fruit producer.
2 Tim 2:21
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What wrath is this? Luke 21 is clearly a dual prophecy, and that is easy to see. Jesus is asked by His disciples (those who belong to Him and not unbelievers) what will be the signs of the last day or the day of the Lord’s vengeance. He tells them. The first thing He warns of was the destruction that was to soon come in 70 AD, when Jerusalem was indeed overtaken and totally destroyed, with not one stone remaining upon another. But this was not the day of the Lord’s vengeance that is to come upon the whole face of the earth, Luke records. So Jesus first warns the believers listening to Him then, and also all believers who would have been in Jerusalem when it was destroyed in 70 AD by what is commonly believed, the Romans. Greece is also a possibility. I read a great article which cites Josephus’ account of that battle under the Roman general Titus. I should research that myself. But he cited book and chapter. Josephus claimed it was Greece who actually did the destroying of the temple but Titus was blamed for it and it stuck. Both companies were all mixed up in the battle and according to the article, Josephus, who was there at the time, records that it was Greece and Titus wanted to retreat and leave the Jews alone and the temple. That is very intriguing of true.
But then He skips to another destruction, not just in Jerusalem now but upon the whole earth. This is clearly the last day, the day of His wrath. He is speaking of the wrath of the Lamb now.
Keep in mind that His instruction is not to unbelievers. This instruction is to believers. He says to keep watch for that day. He said there would be signs in the sun, moon and stars, and distress of nations. This is now not about just Jerusalem. Prophecy is always like this. There is very often a precursor that is a foreshadowing of a future prophetic fulfillment of the last day.
Jesus goes back and forth from one to the other and you have to pay close attention to the markers which identify which period He is talking about but it’s very clear.
So He wraps Luke 21 up by describing the events and the signs before His return. He says to believers…watch that you don’t be caught up in ungodly behaviors ( He lists them) and distractions (the cares of this life). He says this to believers : “ Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things ( His wrath in last day) that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man( Jesus as judge at the last day).
Current teaching in the church, to just relax if you are saved, is sloppy. It is false teaching with carelessness. It is not false teaching with malice however. It’s just lazy.
But the problem with it being lazy is that there is no excuse for it. This instruction could not be clearer and I encourage the reader to just read it slowly and pay attention. But bad teaching here can be very dangerous.
Jesus said, WATCH ALWAYS AND PRAY THAT YOU WILL BE COUNTED WORTHY TO ESCAPE THIS WRATH THAT IS COMING ON THE WHOLE EARTH.
So not all believers will be counted worthy to escape the wrath of the last day. Jesus isn’t talking to the lost here and telling them to get saved so they are worthy. He is talking to the saved and tells them to watch and pray that they’d be counted worthy to escape the last day wrath.
Immediately before He says this, He describes what would makes the believer unworthy… “hearts overcharged with excess or over-indulgence, drunkenness and the cares of this life”. Wow.
He finishes… “ so that day comes upon you unaware”. Luke 21:34.
Jesus clearly says to believers who would be alive at the time of the last day, that they should watch and pray and not be caught up in excess and drunkenness and cares of this life, or they would not escape the wrath that is coming…would not be raptured.
There will be believers who believed before the rapture of the church who are lukewarm and caught up in the cares of this life and its excesses and will not go, but suffer through the 3.5 year tribulation, or wrath, and we know these are the beheaded saints of Revelation.
When the man of perdition is revealed at the 3.5 year mark, the wrath begins. The 1st 3.5 years of the last 7, called Jacob’s Trouble, is a time of false peace and not wrath. God sends great delusion when He raptures His Church so that those who didn’t believe before, cannot believe. Any gentile alive and on earth at the tribulation who believes, did so before the church went. They just were not single minded. They were not watching. They were not hidden in Christ.
More next time…
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5).
All of these are present in the believer who has the fruit of the Spirit. If not all of these are present, then we don’t have the fruit of the Spirit. We don’t gain each aspect of the fruit one at a time by working on them.
Rather, when we walk in the Spirit, by obeying God, we don’t fulfill the lust of the flesh, Galatians 5:-6.
So as a believer I can’t say I have love but need to work on self control. Or I have kindness but need to work on faithfulness. All 9 components, of what comprise the Fruit of the Spirit, come altogether and at once to the obedient believer.
A believer walking in immaturity and self rule can be patient at times, or loving at times, but this doesn’t mean they have the love that is a part of the fruit of the Spirit. The old man, or the flesh, is capable of a lot of what we would call good things. However, if it is of the old man, God calls all of these righteous act, filthy rags.
So, you will recognize if a believer walks in the fruit of the Spirit, or bears the fruit of the Spirit, when they ongoingly exhibit all nine aspects listed in Galatians. If one or more is missing, there is no fruit yet.
Remember…it is FRUIT, not fruits. The fruit of the Spirit is a singular thing with nine parts. It is not 9 separate traits that we add on one by one by trying in our flesh to improve the old man.
If we will instead, obey God by 1- knowing His word…and I mean studying and knowing constantly, His word, and 2- obey what we know by what we’ve read and studied, then we will walk in the Spirit, not fulfill the lust of the flesh, and bear then…the Fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy , peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Spiritual things are gained in Spiritual ways. I cannot labor to be kind and then be kind. I might appear to be kind but no. This isn’t the fruit of the Spirit, kind. It is man’s kindness. I obey God as I walk with Him. I choose all of His ways because I love Him and because of my proximity to Him. I transform my mind to be in agreement with Him in all things. Then, boom, all at once, the fruit of the Spirit reigns in me. Glory to God.
So what about believers who do not exhibit this fruit? They have not agreed yet with God.
But… Let God be true and every man a liar!
Jesus Christ bless you as you walk in Him!
Good morning ! I have something very thought provoking to share if I may. I have found, as y’all have I’m sure, that the more bazaar and obscure a scripture is in the Bible, the more delightful the hidden treasure within it is if we will search. Here are some that are related. I’m combining them into a thought. “The Kingdom of God suffers violence and violent men take it by force, all men press into it.”
Isn’t that great? I have always loved these truths and have done a lot of thinking on them. Here is what I found: We know that the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are the same. Some of my favorite teachers have tried to show how they are different. For instance, they will say one is a subset of the other, etc. But that is not the case. Jesus spoke of them interchangeably and sometimes it is just called the Kingdom…so there you have it. The Kingdom is the Kingdom.
Now the Kingdom of God is not easily explained or understood because it has many aspects. It is both within the believer and without. It is both present and future coming. It is both Heavenly and earthly. It is seen and unseen. It is both literal and intangible…all at once…and so on. So we have to keep the mystery attached to it to understand it best.
We know that we enter the Kingdom when we believe. It is a free gift and cannot be earned.
We know that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom.
We know that the Kingdom is within the heart but that there is a coming, seen Kingdom that we are waiting for and that Jesus says to pray for it’s arrival, and that He can’t wait for it to get here!
We know by fulfilled prophecy that it is very near…just by watching Israel.
We know that when we experience the immediate manifest presence of God (a God thing sometimes called) that, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is suddenly upon
you!”
How is it that this Kingdom “suffers” violence and violent men take it by force? And further, that all men press into it?
The phrase here “suffers violence” has an “almost exclusively poetic use and meaning.” It is visceral and we get that when reading it. It has a sense of pressing into. And there is the rub, so to speak. So here it is and it’s really wonderful. The Kingdom is freely given with great pleasure by the Father through faith. But there is still a further pressing into this Kingdom. Those of us who’ve walked a while with Him know what that means. Listen to some other scriptures that support this idea.
With all thy getting get understanding. Search for Me with all your heart. Search for wisdom as if searching for gold, hidden treasures and a pearl of great price, etc It goes on and on.
We know by the parables that all men DO press into it. Not all are allowed to enter, only those who believe, but all men try. Think of the wheat and the tares, the birds in the mustard tree, the wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jesus said that from John the Baptist till now that this violence takes place. This is because John marked the timing of Christ’s arrival on the scene at last…what Israel had been waiting for, and had received by faith until then (those who believed). The secret was revealed and now the world is pressing in!!!
Remember that Adam and Eve and Job and all others before Abraham were not Jews! God’s people are the faithful. Israel had a particular role and there is no difference between Jew and Gentile apart from the role Israel played to bring forth messiah. The Jews who believed when Jesus arrived were exactly the same as the Gentiles who believed when He arrived. The Jews who didn’t believe when He arrived, where not Jews at all then. Just unbelievers!
Even the woman who asks for the crumbs from the king’s table knowing that she is a gentile and not a Jew, a dog (Heathen), Jesus uses to show that there is no difference between believers. He uses reverse psychology. He is saying, “But woman, isn’t it true that I came only for the lost sheep of Israel?” He uses her as a public example to teach a spiritual truth. His answer is NO! I came for the WORLD. He was correcting wrong thinking in His wonderfully mysterious way. This is confirmed by all other scriptures both Old and New Test.
Now think of the walk after salvation: the further we press in, the more resistance from our enemy the devil. It is gotten, in the further getting sense, by persistence, determination, death to self, violence, at last crucifixion, our crucifixion with Christ. It is “resisting sin to the point of bloodshed”, ie. crucifixion.
So then the violence that gets the Kingdom, or the pressing into it, is really the losing of my life and not saving it. This is indeed something that takes a force of a different kind. It really is speaking of the work that the indwelt spirit now is doing to reach into the soul and then the body! God wants ALL of us. Jesus really explains this in John 17.
So while the road is light and joyous and unspeakably thrilling. It is filled with obstacles and trials as well. But these things are what make a beautiful saint, rugged, impossible to defeat, filled with the love of God no matter what!
The woman grabbing the hem of His garment, Mary of Bethany pouring out the costly ointment, spikenard (lavender) upon His feet, John the Baptist being beheaded for his testimony, Mary’s heart being pierced for her own salvation, Nicodemus having his presupposed false ideas shattered in order to see truth, Simon coming up under His cross as well. This is the violence that’s gets the Kingdom.
Love to you all!
God bless and Godspeed!