“I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.” -Martin Luther
A couple of days ago, I took the time to watch “The Passion of the Christ
Think of it, Jesus willingly shed His own blood to redeem sinful mankind unto the Father (Colossians 1:13-14; Revelations 1:5), The Lamb of God, who was without spot or blemish (Psalm 40: 7-8; Hebrews 10:7; Matthew 5:18), took away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
I have to ask, when seeing Christ’s sacrifice, how can anyone get confused when it comes to what real love looks like? (1 John 3:18; 1 John 4:10) And how is it that others are willfully negligent when it comes to taking a stand to defend His message in the present considering the great love wherewith He loved us? (2 Corinthians 5:20; Philippians 1:17)
I also noticed that Jesus never looked for the approbation of men (John 2:24-25), As a matter of fact, He rejected it (John 6:15). He simply lived only to that of the Father and His will (John 5:44) regardless of His reputation (Philippians 2:7-10).
I also found myself asking the question concerning the present state of the American Church, “How is it that so many profess to love Christ, and do not even know His will, nor take the time to know His will? I ask, how could this be?"
“This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.” (Matthew 15:8)
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15; Philippians 2:12)
If they have been forgiven so much, then one would think that they would also love Him much that forgave so much! (Luke 7:41-43)
How are men to “fight the good fight of faith” if they do not even have the faith to begin with (Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 12:2) or the scriptural knowledge of what they are supposed to be fighting for? (Philippians 3:14; Colossians 3:1; 1 Timothy 6:12)
Remember, His message was and is “repent” (Matthew 3:2) and it applies to all of us, so that we, bearing His cross (Luke 9:23), may have everlasting life.
Remember, Jesus also said, “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,” that leads to life everlasting, not “wide is the gate and broad is the way.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
Maybe these types of people have never been driven to the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18) to repent (Acts 2:38) because they feel that they did not break God’s moral Law (Exodus 20; Psalm 19:7; Galatians 3:25). We can clearly see that all are guilty (Romans 3:19).
If they did, they would simply understand that grace empowered is to abound over sin and not to succumb to it (Isaiah 30:1).
“…But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound," the Bible says in Romans 5:20.
And for goodness sake, how are you to know the power of the Holy Ghost if you are ignorant as to who He is in Christ? (2 Timothy 1:12)
“And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him.” (Acts 5:32)
We are called to put on the Christ (Roman 13:14), to emulate Christ and exhibit or union with Christ. (Mark 1:17)
How can you give what you do not have? (Matthew 10:5-8) You cannot.
On the other hand, Christians, understandingly establish God’s moral Law (Romans 3:31) through faith, not to abrogate it. (Matthew 5:17-18) The Law brings about the knowledge of sin (1 John 3:4) that men might repent before God (Acts 20:21), as a doctor would give knowledge of the disease before he would give the remedy.
After all, it is a faithful witness that delivereth souls.
The first part of Proverbs 14:25 says, “A true witness delivereth souls:.
The second part of that same scripture says, “but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.” (Proverbs 14:25)
So, it is a “faithful witness” that delivereth souls, not diplomatic witnesses (diplomacy is seduction in another guise), not compromising witnesses (compromise is where 2 men get together and agree on what they both know is wrong), but faithful witnesses, witnesses who are faithful to Him who is the Author of all truth. (John 18:37)
How can one speak the truth with power (Isaiah 10:27) if he speaks not the truth from the One who gives that power to set men free? (Hebrews 1:3) We have to do things His way (Mark 7:13).
Man’s words and are as a wooden blunt sword, yet God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12) by the Holy Ghost brings forth the conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11).
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34)
And this brings on a spiritual and natural war with men who hate the truth and love the darkness (Psalm 120:7; John 3:19).
“…and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19-20)
We are in a world that is at war with the Power Giver, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, truths in fact that we as a people should be accustomed to and established upon (Exodus 18:21).
We are in a world that hates the truth (John 15:18) and persecutes them that proclaim it (John 15:20) and yet we hear day in and day out lies, half-truths and more blatant lies. Are we to roll over and play dead and not correct the errors that may save men’s souls whether they take heed or not? (Luke 11:44; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Ezekiel 18:32)
Furthermore, as a Christian am I to turn the other cheek when the preacher lies to the sheep and feeds them at large with heresy and false doctrine? (1 Timothy 4:1) Am I to advocate what God clearly condemns? Absolutely not.
Or when the President lies to those that he is to serve, wheCongressss commits treason, and bureaucracies seek to further enslave a people void of knowledge? (Hosea 4:6) Am I to be silent in the face of the people who make war against God the way that the false prophets did? (Micah 3:5) Not acceptable.
It was Christ (Luke 13:32) and His apostles and His prophets (Luke 3:19) that warred, in the power of the Spirit against darkness (Ephesians 6:12), against those who were guilty of such transgressions (Zechariah 4:6; Ephesians 6:12-18). Furthermore, these people are the ones responsible for crucifying Christ and His disciples. And why? Because they did not sit down and go with the apathetic and ungrateful crowd that stood up only when it came to crucifying the Christ by shouting, “We have no king but king Caesar.” (John 19:15)
What it comes to is this, where I see others lack in honoring the Christ, is where I find myself consumed with duty unto His glory (Luke 16:11).
If you want to change the future, like that of Christ, His Prophets, and His Apostles you are going to have to trouble the present. (Jeremiah 23:6) After all, we are called to be witnesses of His resurrection (Acts 1:22).
Christians are called to live for Him who died for them, and in this way, and this way alone, He is glorified (2 Corinthians 5:15).
Stand up and be counted!
