God’s Grace Empowers Us July 30, 2015

Dear ones, today I want to talk to you about legalism and grace. What do these terms mean? What does scripture say about it? I ask the Lord to take away our misconceptions and to shine His light on the Truth. May he type through me.

Titus 3:4-7 Amplified Bible (AMP)

^“4 But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Savior to man [as man] appeared,

⁵ He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

⁶ Which He poured out [so] richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

⁷ [And He did it in order] that we might be justified by His grace (by His favor, wholly undeserved), [that we might be acknowledged and counted as conformed to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action], and that we might become heirs of eternal life according to [our] hope.”

I want to talk to you as a fellow student. I have worn the many masks of legalism. It invades all areas of life and sucks away the joy until you feel dead inside. Let me clear up a misconception before we begin.

Grace does not mean sinning all you want with no consequences. And having standards does not mean you are a legalist. By all means, follow the speed limit, don’t murder, don’t steal. The difference between legalism and grace is found in the heart…not necessarily outward actions.

Grace- unmerited favor and mercy.

Romans 3:23-24Amplified Bible (AMP)

^“23 Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory ^[a]which God bestows and receives.

²⁴ [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,” 

For more info on justification and the meaning of other important Biblical terms check out this post:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/inspirational-wednesday-part-two-the-power-of-the-cross/

“Legalism is:

1. Emphasis on the letter rather than on the spirit of the law;

2. Belief in salvation by obedience to the law rather than by the grace of God or by faith;

3. Undue stress on legal details without balancing considerations of justice and mercy.

Legalism only demands that the law be satisfied.”

~Grace that Breaks the Chains pg 27  (originally taken from The Dictionary of Religious Terms)

•           Legalism exalts man as god. The gospel of legalism says “I can earn my salvation.” “I can keep my salvation.” “I can please God on my own.” “I am good.” “I am righteous.”
•                The gospel of Grace says “Jesus is my salvation.” “Jesus keeps me.” “Jesus is my goodness.” “Jesus is my righteousness.” “Without Jesus I can do nothing, but with Jesus I can do all things.”
•          Grace empowers us to live right, through relationship with Christ.
• Legalism chains us to the impossible task of being good in our own strength. It inflates our pride when we do well. It brings us into the pit of depression when we fail.

Grace or legalism? Which is in your heart? Look at the root. Are you trying to earn God’s favor by your good works, or are your good works the result of your love relationship with God?

True Christians know that we are saved by grace, but even Christians can be legalistic. We know that grace through Jesus’ blood initially saves us, but then we think to live the Christian life we must try hard and do good works. Jesus saved us but we don’t expect Him to sanctify us. We look to our own strength. We think our good works will KEEP God’s favor. Dear ones, that is backwards. It is God’s grace that enables us to live right. It is the blood of Jesus that sanctifies us continually. We can not do it on our own.

Ephesians 2:8-9Amplified Bible (AMP)

^“8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (^[a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;

⁹ Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]”

“Man was never designed nor expected to keep God’s commands on his own, nor was strict adherence to law ever God’s way of making man righteous. It has always been by faith. Seeking to achieve right standing with God by religious performance would be like expecting a mirror to wash the dirt off your face. The purpose of the mirror is not to clean you, but to reveal the dirt. In the same way, ‘through the Law comes the knowledge of sin’ (Romans 3:20), not the power to remove it.“

~Grace that Breaks the Chains pg 28

So often we miss the purpose of the law, because we miss the Person who made the law (meaning the commands given in scripture). The Law, the feasts, the Sabbath…everything was made to point to God, to Jesus. Even in the New Testament…Jesus’ teachings, the parables, communion, baptism, putting on the armor of God…all made to point us to Jesus. The law shows us that we are helpless without God. We are missing something. We are in desperate need of God. If we try to follow the letter of the law so we can be good people or even to earn God’s favor, then we have missed the point.

James 2:10Amplified Bible (AMP)

^“10 For whosoever keeps the Law [as a] whole but stumbles and offends in one [single instance] has become guilty of [breaking] all of it.”

The Bible makes it clear that we as humans are unable to completely keep the law. We will fail. So why did God give us commands if we can’t keep them? Friends, God is good. He loves us. He wants us to see that He is what we are missing. Humans need God’s help to live. We need relationship with God. We can not be righteous, but Jesus can be righteous for us. Jesus sacrificed Himself so His blood will cover our sin. Truly without God we are naked and in the dark, with no way of turning on the light and clothing ourselves. Only God can turn on the light and clothe us. God gave the law so we would turn to Him for help. So we would realize we are not god. We were never mean’t to live independently from God. We were never mean’t to do everything in our own strength.

Galatians 3:24-26 KJV

^“24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

²⁵ But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

²⁶ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:3 Amplified Bible (AMP)

^“3 Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun [your new life spiritually] with the [Holy] Spirit, are you now reaching perfection [by dependence] on the flesh?”

Acts 13:38-39 KJV

^“38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

³⁹ And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

Romans 3:19-20 Amplified Version

^“19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that [the murmurs and excuses of] every mouth may be hushed and all the world may be held accountable to God.

²⁰ For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [^[a]not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character].”

Romans 5:19-21King James Version (KJV)

^“19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

²⁰ Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

²¹ That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

 

Legalism is a deceptive tool of the enemy. Legalism appears to be holy, but it is rotten to the core. Do you seem good on the outside but inside you are dying? Is your church a hateful place with no life in it? Are you losing members to the world? You might be legalistic. You see Legalism may seem to work for a bit. When you parent a child with an iron fist and no grace, they may be compliant for awhile, but inside legalism will spawn rebellion, bitterness, and defeat. Legalism simply does not work.

I get it. Some of us are scared of grace because we’ve seen the term misused. The world and carnal Christians have used “grace” as a way to excuse all manner of sin. Maybe you’ve been hurt by someone who said “Hey, don’t judge me.” The subject of grace has been horribly abused and so many misunderstand the meaning because of that. Dear ones, please don’t miss out on the power and goodness of Jesus’ grace. When someone truly accepts God’s grace they will live a beautiful empowered life through it. Abiding with Jesus by His grace enables us to live righteously. We will want to obey his commands because we love Him. Perfection won’t happen until Heaven, but our desires will be to follow Jesus.

Romans 6:13-15King James Version (KJV)

^“13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

¹⁵ What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.“

Romans 7:5-7King James Version (KJV)

^“5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

⁶ But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

⁷ What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”

What separates legalism from grace is our position. Where do we operate from? Do we operate in the Spirit or in the flesh? Are we in Christ or not?

Romans 8:2-4King James Version (KJV)

^“2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

The Spirit is not some mystical force or a drug that gets you high. The Spirit is a PERSON. The Spirit is God. We walk in the Spirit by spending time with Jesus. So we see that Grace and living in the Spirit all comes back to relationship. The law means nothing without relationship. Its job is to point us to relationship with Christ.

Galatians 5:17-18 KJV

^“17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

¹⁸ But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”

Hebrews 7:19 KJV

^“19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”

Hebrews 10:1 Amplified

“For since the Law has merely a rude outline (foreshadowing) of the good things to come—instead of fully expressing those things—it can never by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year make perfect those who approach [its altars].”

What is a better hope? What are the good things to come? Jesus answers them both. He fulfills the law. I enjoy the Biblical feasts (like Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles), but I know that celebrating them will not help me earn God’s favor. The purpose of the feasts are to point us to Jesus. I enjoy the celebrations when I use them as a way to think of Christ and fellowship with Him. There was a time in my life that I saw the feasts in a legalistic way. It’s funny because I completely lost my joy during that time and began to dislike the feasts. They became burdensome to me.  Have you ever done this with God’s commands or spiritual disciplines?

Let’s get in the New Testament shall we. Maybe your devotion time or how often you pray has become a burden because you believe these things will make God like you more? Maybe you feel that when you sin or skip church etc… that God all of a sudden dislikes you? Dear one, I’ve been there. Legalism can come into any denomination and it can invade any area of your life. I have seen legalism take over my parenting. I have seen it take over my self esteem…whether as puffed up pride or insecurity (which is just pride in another form). Legalism takes our eyes off of Christ and puts it on ourselves.

Basically this is what Satan did when he tried to overthrow God. He kept saying “I will” “I will”. Satan put his focus on himself and his power. He said in his heart that he did not need God. Then he fell and came to Earth where he convinced humanity that we do not need God. But it’s a lie. We were made by and for God. We are diseased without Him. We are cursed without God. The only cure IS God. Jesus Christ came to be your cure. He is God the Son, a part of the God-head (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 3 in one, the Trinity). Dear Christian, you were not saved so you could do it all yourself.

We must give every bit of our lives to Christ. We must have relationship with Jesus and operate out of that relationship. We must walk in the Spirit. It’s simple. Be with Jesus. Spend time with Him. Talk to Him. Get to know Him. I pray we won’t miss this simple yet profound truth. I’m there with you. Please pray for me as I pray for you. God wants to be known. He loves us.

God bless and remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

 

This is only part 1. Go to the website for all parts.

http://lifetoday.org/video/encased-in-grace-part-1/

Inspirational Wednesday: Scandal of Grace June 5, 2013

Hello dear ones, I heard this song at church tonight and I wanted to share the video with you. Email sub. please come to my blog to see the vid.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Scandal of Grace by Hillsong United

April 18, 2012

Happy Inspirational Wednesday and thank you GodGirl for this heartfelt post! God bless and Remember The High King Lives!~Amber Dover

It's a God thing...

Ever witnessed a group of people that seem like noisy, over-fed chickens? They flap their ‘feathers’ wildly and squawk about, showing off their knowledge, preening, posturing… indulging in delusions about themselves and the rest of their ‘coop’. These kinds of people love to gossip and make judgements on others’ lives, as if somehow they have the authority to do so…

Perhaps we’re all a bit like this, especially in those times we feel loneliness or weakness. Talking about others behind their backs – or letting a narky comment slip – might temporarily make us feel better about our pain, or relieve boredom – and make us feel like at least we know something others don’t.

I admire people for whom negative comments are water off a duck’s (chicken’s?) back, though they are probably fictional. You can’t be human if an ignorant assumption doesn’t get to you from time to time. I mean, many of us ignore massive abuse from our past for years without confronting it. Of course we’re going to have…

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Inspirational Wednesday: Justice & Mercy: Finding the Balance February 8, 2012

Justice and Mercy: Finding the Balance

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⁸He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?^(B) (Micah 6:8)

Note: Please search the scripture for yourself and please don’t take my word for it. If you allow people to spoon feed you, you just might be fed poison one day. It’s always good to test everything.

When we read the Bible in context by Exegesis we see that God is both just AND merciful. Unfortunately in most circles people dote on one extreme. This gives the appearance that God is one dimensional. The truth is that God (Jesus Christ) is perfect and balanced.  He is fully just and fully merciful. The two can walk hand in hand. This is not a contradiction.

“Exegesis is the exposition or explanation of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text.

The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis, which is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he wants.”

(Quote from: http://lightingtheway.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-is-exegesis-vs-eisegesis.html)

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Often people choose to avoid the paradoxes in scripture. For instance, how can Jesus be FULLY GOD and also FULLY MAN? It doesn’t make sense to our finite mind. How can we be saved by Grace through faith and not works yet our faith is dead without works? When we choose to embrace these truths in faith & read the Bible in context, we find balance. Balance is healthy.  It IS true we are saved by faith and not works. But TRUE Faith (someone who has really repented) will show good fruit. When we truly make Christ our Lord we WANT to obey HIM & it will be apparent in our lives that we are trying to Live for him (though we will never be perfect on this earth). You see, these two beliefs that seem to contradict each other really work together real well. For faith without works is an empty faith, but we can’t save ourselves by good works. It is Christ’ blood that redeems us.

Back to balance…please don’t get me wrong. I am NOT talking about Yin & Yang. I am NOT saying God is good and evil. Father God is PURE and HOLY. He is PERFECT. He is TRUE Balance in what is right. Father God is a righteous judge and HE gives mercy freely. How do these two aspects  of God work together? And how can we be balanced in these areas? Let’s look at what scripture says about both. 🙂

Let’s start with the hardest: Justice (Judgement)

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These are all from the amplified…the closest I’ve found to the KJV that is easy to understand.

Passage Proverbs 21:3:
³To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Psalm 89:14

¹⁴Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and loving-kindness and truth go before Your face.

Passage Proverbs 4:18:
¹⁸But the path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be prepared].^(A)

Revelation 20:11-12

11Then I saw a great white throne and the One Who was seated upon it, from Whose presence and from the sight of Whose face earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

    ¹²I [also] saw the dead, great and small; they stood before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is [the Book] of Life. And the dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done [^[b]their whole way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors] in accordance with what was recorded in the books.

Let’s face it. We don’t like to be judged. But I dare say that most of us have our own sense of justice. We don’t like it when murderers walk away scotch free. We want the child molesters to receive just punishment.  We are very good at judging everyone around us. That jerk in traffic who cut us off…..that wasn’t right. I can’t believe that person cheated on her husband….and so on and so on.  But when it comes to ourselves we usually have lots of mercy. Well, I didn’t mean to do it or you don’t know what’s been going on in my life. I was super stressed when I ran that red light. I cheated because he didn’t show me love….etc etc.

We don’t want to accept the responsibility of our own sin and why would we? It’s painful. But if we are honest I’m sure NONE of us would want to live in a world without justice. When someone does us wrong we want them to PAY but we don’t want to have to pay.  The TRUTH is that we ALL sin. No one is perfect. We were born with sin and it all goes back to Adam & Eve. Sin is in our bloodline.  Praise God that HE is JUST and perfect. Praise God that Christ became the pure sacrifice for our sins so we don’t have to face God’s wrath (as long as we trust in HIM).

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The issue comes about with the way humans view sin. We have limits. Our brains are finite. God is infinite. He is the creator and he knows all things. It stands to reason that the Creator is the one who makes the rules….not the created. Humans measure sin differently than God. We say being angry with someone in traffic is not the same as murder. Makes sense…it seems. God however says hating our brother is the same as murder. God judges the intentions of our hearts. He knows that the sin of murder starts as a seed of hatred. The sin of adultery starts as a seed of lust…etc etc…  According to God’s rules if we break one law we are guilty of breaking them all. So every one of us have broken his law and in His justice he must dole out punishment. This is why we need a savior….this is why we need forgiveness.

I have seen several extremes in the church and in times past I have been apart of them both. In those times I was most miserable and the furthest from God. Judgement without mercy is scary. Some people say God only showed wrath in the old covenant. Their they go again….trying to make God one-sided. The truth is that God showed tons of mercy in the old testament as well as the new. Just look at the people God chose to speak for him…….Moses a murderer….Jacob the deceiver…..David the adulterer. They were sinners just as we are. The book of Hebrews makes it clear that their faith made them righteous before God. Yes, HE forgave sin even back then. God’s people looked forward in faith that God would send the messiah to save them.

Now let’s look at MERCY. We all love this one 🙂

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Passage Psalm 25:10:
¹⁰All the paths of the Lord are mercy and steadfast love, even truth and faithfulness are they for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

Passage Psalm 32:10:
¹⁰Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on the Lord shall be compassed about with mercy and with loving-kindness.

Ephesians 2:4-10

⁴But God–so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us,

    ⁵Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (^[a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).

⁶And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us ^[b]joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

⁷He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.

⁸For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (^[c]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;

⁹Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

¹⁰For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), ^[d]recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

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Mercy is beautiful. The King of the Universe loves us so much he gave his life for us. It’s like when a child disobeys their parent. We discipline that child so they will learn  & grow up to be a good person. When our child asks for forgiveness we are more than willing to accept it. God will never turn away a repentant heart. HE loves it when his creation accepts HIS forgiveness. Christ would rather no one go to Hell but HE is also just. If God was not just he would be evil. None of us want to serve an evil god (I hope you don’t).

We see from the verses above that we must choose God’s mercy by trusting in Him. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He does not force HIS love on anyone. We must accept it and walk in it by following Christ. Now some people claim that Jesus only preached mercy. This is not true. Jesus is God and HE is just. Christ showed his justice when he purged the temple & drove out the money changers. Jesus showed his justice when he told the woman caught in adultery to ‘Go and SIN NO MORE”.  Christ called the religious leaders a brood of vipers because of their hypocrisy & legalism. We see in the book of Acts that Ananias and Sapphira, both Christians, fell dead after they lied to the apostles about their offering. Jesus tells us in John that if we truly LOVE him we will OBEY his commands.

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So we know God uses both justice and Mercy. We now know that they work good together. But how do we keep the balance in our own lives? We don’t want to harshly judge everyone but we also don’t want to ignore sin……after all, true love is tough love. Also, we deal with our imperfection. How can we judge someone else when we ourselves are sinners?

When talking about Judgement we often hear these verses quoted even by those who rarely pick up their Bibles:

Matthew 7:1-5

¹DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves.

    ²For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.

    ³Why do you ^[a]stare from without at the ^[b]very small particle that is in your brother’s eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam ^[c]of timber that is in your own eye?

    ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam ^[d]of timber in your own eye?

    ⁵You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother’s eye.

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But we hardly ever hear these verses. It all comes back to picking and choosing (Eisegesis):

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

   ⁹I wrote you in my [previous] letter not to associate [closely and habitually] with unchaste (impure) people–

    ¹⁰Not [meaning of course that you must] altogether shun the immoral people of this world, or the greedy graspers and cheats and thieves or idolaters, since otherwise you would need to get out of the world and human society altogether!

    ¹¹But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person.

    ¹²What [business] of mine is it and what right have I to judge outsiders? Is it not those inside [the church] upon whom you are to pass disciplinary judgment [passing censuring sentence on them as the facts require]?

    ¹³God alone sits in judgment on those who are outside. Drive out that wicked one from among you [expel him from your church].

SAY WHAT? Which is it? Here’s another paradox. We can not rightly judge others. We do not see peoples’ hearts like God sees. If we judge based on our own opinions we will judge wrong. BUT God’s word is truth and full of HIS justice. We can point others to God’s word because HIS judgements are always right. So it is not us that judges but the Word of God that judges. The Bible makes it clear we are not to judge unbelievers (they are already judged by their own unbelief). We should point them to God’s word and pray for them in love. But OTHER Believers are a different story. If we see our brother/sister in sin we need to correct them in love. Here’s where it gets tricky.

We correct, rebuke, chastise, and exhort another believer because we love them and we don’t want them to suffer the consequences of sin. We are NOT to rebuke someone to be hateful or to puff ourselves up like WE are the spiritual elite. We are ALL in the same boat. God knows your motives so tread carefully. God chastises HIS children.

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Galatians 6:1-5

¹BRETHREN, IF any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also.

    ²Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens and ^[a]troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete ^[b]what is lacking [in your obedience to it].

    ³For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another’s load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives and deludes and cheats himself.

    ⁴But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [^[c]in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor.

    ⁵For every person will have to bear (^[d]be equal to understanding and calmly receive) his own [^[e]little] load ^[f][of oppressive faults].

So it boils down to this. We are supposed to correct out of love….even if we are to expel someone from the church the Bible is clear we should accept them back with loving arms if they repent. It’s like the story of the prodigal son. Sometimes we just have to let people go and pray they will come back. We must be very careful though if we do judge because we are being  judged as well. We need to pray and seek God’s wisdom in all matters. We must point people to God’s word, not our own opinions.

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John 3:16-19

¹⁶For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (^[d]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

    ¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

    ¹⁸He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation–he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ’s name.]

    ¹⁹The [basis of the] judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this: the Light has come into the world, and people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works (deeds) were evil.^(C)

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Remember we ALL mess up. How can we cast stones in hatred when we deserve the same punishment? Jesus’ words to the woman caught in adultery apply to us as well “Go and sin no more”.

Titus 3:3-7

³For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

   ⁴But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

   ⁵Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

   ⁶Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

   ⁷That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

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I pray you will stay balanced in your faith and that you will see things in context. I pray your sense of justice will be tempered by mercy and grace. Have a happy Inspirational Wednesday!

God bless and remember The High King Lives!

~Amber Dover

Ps: Have you ever been spiritually abused by an extreme person? I know how that feels. You need healing. Here’s a link to a good site that deals with spiritual abuse. I hope it helps 🙂

http://www.spiritualabuse.com/?page_id=41