Archive for the 'Religion' Category

Part One

Romans 9 and 1 Corinthians 1 as references.

There is the offense of the cross and the scandal of the cross. But they, at the center, have much overlapping commonality. It could be the scandal that offends, but both are scandalous and appalling to men.

The New Religion and mock-Christian liberalism are both inclusive, but neither is actual Christianity. At the center of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the exclusive nature of Christ and by Him Christianity.

The Roman Empire had many gods in the first century. So too, the continual influence of the last Greek empire and its philosophies in Christ’s day permeated much of European and Mediterranean basin civilization; the seeking of “new knowledge” and the presence of many gods was in every town and hamlet.

What struck the first century’s polytheistic (and pantheistic) senses as the Gospel went west was that Christians proclaimed one God, a living God, and an undivided title by Him to be made a son of God. To the exclusion of all religions, Christ stands as the only way to have a personal relationship with God. He alone is the door and salvation for entrance into the legitimate flock (John 10:9), which is His Church – the body of Christ; everlasting life in heaven is through Jesus. This is deeply objectionable, still today, and even among some professing Christians.

The world nods in acceptance and approval when you find a new way to have temporary comfort in your own skin. Whether that path is proper or even wholesome doesn’t matter. Everyone is allowed to have his unique god, which does not matter as long as everyone finds the thing that helps him justify his evil while conforming to the modern sense of ethics and morality.

It’s claimed that you can have any savior you like and be secure in your feelings; this is the least objectionable thing in which there is no scandal. Can’t we all get along? But to the mind of the man in Christ, he knows Holy God is deeply offended at making yourself accepted among men in the rejection of Him; Christ said, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

All those professing to be wise by knowledge and “science” and well-doing, comfortable in their own deception, are brought to ruin in the simplicity, exclusivity, power, and authority of Christ’s cross.

The abject sinfulness and grotesquely open wicked flaunting of sin as pride all started with well-doing. Where else could the works of men, trying to do good, lead but to proclaiming themselves to be free from consequence? These works of faith have led directly to the place warned of by the prophet in Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

All this evil of the New Religion in the West started as well-doing; the works of being a good person but outside of God’s holy law through faith in Jesus Christ is ruinous. They still think they are correct; the claim is that good people are being tolerant. They genuinely believe. You might say, well, I’m not that bad, I would never land in the bed of someone of my own sex, but the works of your own righteousness, whatever they may be, will no less land you in the same hell with them.

Also, today, self-centered humanists are significantly at odds with the message of the cross. As it was from the start, the preaching of the cross two thousand years later is somewhere on the scale of foolishness for them (1 Corinthians 1:18) to causing seething murderous rage (Acts 7:45). Without Christ, you are numbered as an enemy of God.

There’s a movement that’s gained little traction, but we must be on guard. There are those saying that Talmudism (modern Judaism), Mohamedism, and Christianity are all Abrahamic faiths and are, therefore, equally valid. The Talmudists are promoting this but don’t actually believe it and still hate Jesus Christ. This is the subtlety of the devil, a broad way, an easy non-offensive path, but Christ has defeated sin, death, and the grave; Jesus says, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Few find it because it must be sought by faith in Jesus and only by faith in Him. Talmudism and Mohamedism are founded in hatred, not in the love of God, who gave His only begotten Son to reconcile sinful man to Himself. It is not holy God that must negotiate with all the faiths; it is men that must be reconciled to God by surrendering to Him through faith in Christ Jesus.

All men are helpless before the God that created them. The evolving god that changes as a man ages and learns, built by the world’s wisdom, is foolishness to holy God (1 Corinthians 1:23-29). But men, in their vanity, assert a god: regardless of the form, the mastery claimed by man is to conceive his god and make that god the symbol of his many illusions so that he may placate his fears of the unknown universe. But it’s not the man that can conceive God but God that creates the man.

“For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” – Romans 14:9

Jesus Christ is Lord of all. We must convey that you can, in accordance with the power and authority of Jesus Christ, enter into His kingdom and eternal life in heaven by placing your faith in Him. He died for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. Jesus lived a sinless life, defeating sin on the cross, and He rose again on the third day conquering death and is now seated at the right hand of power in heaven, crowned Ruler and King of all that is. The power and authority of God to make life eternal can be realized by you, in faith, and the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord imparted unto you by the forgiveness of your sin and imputation of Christ’s righteousness.

“Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” – Romans 9:18

The acceptance of Jesus Christ’s payment for your sins on the cross and sole reliance on Him for eternal life, by faith in His resurrection, is for those that belong to Him mercy, but to those that are not, it lends to a hardened heart. God’s authority over all His creatures and, therefore, the offense of the cross is well shown in this verse. God does what He wants with whom He will, and nobody can tell Him to do otherwise; He is sovereign. But we know that entrance may be gained by much prayer in seeking not to rule God that He changes His mind but by calling upon the mercies of Christ Jesus the Mediator. Nonetheless, God does as it pleases Him with His creatures.

But this exclusive title offered by Christ to become a son of God comes not by the workings of man, for what difference would Jesus Christ make if He were just one more religious figure added to the pantheon of global gods? That notion is no offense to the world or the New Religion. Jesus, the “good guy” and guru of kind living, is easily assimilated into the many false world belief systems, and thereby, Christ, in the mind of the unconverted, becomes just another inoffensive idol among the rest.

A man is not saved by following the moral life of Christ or the ethics of His teaching but by faith; except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God: ye must be born again. Nonetheless, if they would be called friend, those that are His keep His commandments. In fear of the Lord, when He reveals Himself and His divine authority to judge your wicked crimes against him, a man can receive Christ as having taken his substitutionary punishment. As applicable as Christ’s teachings may be, and indeed, obeying Christ’s commands is a fact of life after conversion, the rest is simply religion.

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Part Two

No man genuinely converted by Christ chose to become Christian; neither did any man who did not receive Christ get converted.

This statement about the undivided authority of the Almighty to work His will for His unknowable purposes will offend not just unbelievers but 95 percent of professing Christians. Salvation is an exclusive moment. You can join a denomination, church, cult, or movement and perform rituals, rites, recitations, and ceremonies, but that’s not conversion. All other associations exist for the sake of Christianity and not Christianity for the sake of performances; the object of our faith is not ceremony; it’s Christ.

God, in His grace, may reveal to a lost sinner his sin, allow him to see that he’s headed to hell, or leave him fearful without excuse knowing he will stand before the God of creation. All these things are true.

The scandal is this; there’s nothing any man can do but surrender his whole being to the One who made him, accepting that God does that which He will. There’s no way but the cross, and unless God, in His mercy, shows you your need, you’ve been condemned already, a helpless soul headed to an unknown death and an eternity of darkness and separation from God. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost; until the soul of a man knows it’s lost, in need of Jesus, he is unlikely to be found. Here’s the offense, those dead in their sin, except God quicken them through faith in Christ, are damned; all men have sinned against God, and only Jesus can save them.

Except God calls you, there is no heaven for you. You deserve the eternal torture of God for your sin, and until you face this fact, under the power of conviction from the Holy Spirit, the Christ of the Bible is just an imaginary being. Every man’s salvation testimony is unique, but every man who’s been converted has one. A testimony of Christian ceremony is not a conversion covenant with the holy Creator. If your testimony relies upon a ceremony of any kind for eternal life and not upon Christ, why are you waiting? We suppose a man could reject the call of God, but having shown Himself to them, it’s unclear how or why he would. Reading this, God is offering you the way by faith in Christ alone; if you’re feeling helpless right now, you are being called; Jesus is the way!

God doesn’t force Himself on a man; that would not bring love and mutual fellowship but resentment in the man. But in His lovingkindness, our merciful God shows the man his need for Christ. By a thought, God could make all men little robotic automatons of obedience, but that’s not love; that’s tyranny leaving God little better than a petty despot, which He is not. Faith in God’s love and trust in Him through His Son brings salvation!

Starting a discourse about preparing a home in heaven for His followers, Jesus said, “ye believe in God, believe also in me.” Elsewhere, a forewarned seeker, whose child was possessed, cried out in faith with tears unto Christ and said, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” You must receive the Christ of God.

And so we begin to see a more complete picture of the offense of universal damnation for sin and the scandal of the exclusivity that is the cross of Christ.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – John 14:6

With God, there is no doubt allowed as to who is the Saviour and who is the way to heaven. Contained therein is the very right of Christ set forth before all men: He claims to be the sole path to heaven for meeting the Maker (Romans 9:21), the Father of us all by faith; if you would be forgiven and made His son being condemned no more and welcomed into eternity.

But you must face some facts; no man comes to God but by Christ. That is the most offensive claim ever made, and they killed Him for it. For we are designed to seek a god, as religious beings, to have a god, and Jesus, being the only way, destroys all the imaginations of the hearts of men, leaving them helpless at the mercy of He who says, “I Am.” Salvation isn’t merely through Christ, but only through Christ. Other means are hereby resolutely rejected, leaving a man helpless and thus deeply offended in his pride.

If Jesus weren’t the only way, but just another way, He would have been gladly added everywhere to the list of fine men who’ve benefited history with excellent teaching on lofty living, and there would be no persecution of His followers. But being the only Saviour, exclaimed by those in Christ who must abide by their new nature never to deny Him, brings hatred from all corners to the Christian man. The name of Jesus is hated the world over by those that remain in their sin, but unto us that are saved by His grace, we know, neither is there salvation in any other. The religious despise Jesus most of all, even today, and two thousand years ago if He had been just another teacher of good things, they would not have tortured Him to death.

If the offense of the cross is done away with by inclusiveness, so too is the glory in Christ’s power by the resurrection gone. The simple question remains, do you believe in the power and authority of Jesus Christ to save your eternal soul; will you be converted through faith in Jesus Christ? Christ has bound all men’s hope of peace, faith in God, love, redemption, forgiveness, grace, new birth, soul salvation, and eternity in heaven to His person. Jesus isn’t only a good life, He didn’t teach merely another truth, and He isn’t only a way; He is the way, the truth, and the life.

The offense of exclusivity and the scandal of the cross is the beauty of Christ to those who belong to Him by faith.

“24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. 27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: 28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.” – Acts 18:24-28

This section of Acts is a tightly-knit example of discipleship to us today. View it in this context and not merely as a historical aside.

Introduction.

Not necessarily enjoying character studies from the Bible; nonetheless, we find several important markers in Apollos of a man willing to mature in his faith and serve Jesus Christ. Some folks suspect Apollos wrote the New Testament book of Hebrews. But in any case, he received instruction, verified what he was shown by searching the Scripture, grew thereby, and preached Jesus Christ whithersoever the Lord sent him. That, brethren, is Christianity in a nutshell, as God would lead and have us serve; yield yourself unto God as one who has been made alive from the dead, making yourself an instrument of Christ.

Many are willing to be taught but never verify, with God, the integrity of the instruction. That’s how they end up in Christian-sounding cults. Many are eager to be instructed and do absolutely nothing with what they’ve been taught except enjoy a good feeling. They also err. Worst of all, some folks claim to know all they need, rejecting a love for God’s holy word when they should take it upon their honor to become a lifelong student of the sacred writ.

These few verses from Acts teach us exactly how to grow and serve. You might object, saying that you’re not called to preach, but we are all witnesses for Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15), and how shall you answer the man seeking God except you know His holy word to expound the truth to them more perfectly, as Aquila and his wife did with Apollos? Your faithful service may be the spark by which Holy God raises another Spurgeon, Whitefield, or Edwards! Look at what mighty work Aquila and Priscilla did by spreading the truth of Jesus Christ.

Points of instruction.

First, learn by personal study and seeking sound preaching for the purposes of growing in the faith. Growth is sometimes uncomfortable; get over it; God desires your service, having saved you to walk in the works He has foreordained for you to accomplish, and the kingdom needs you, for what kingdom can flourish with ignorant and slack citizens?

Second, verify in Scripture the accuracy of all teaching, taking no man’s word it, but praying for understanding from holy God alone, searching the Scriptures for yourself. Apollos did, so should you search the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11); are these things so? He took seriously the public responsibility of carrying the marker Christian with his name.

Thirdly, be a life-long learner of the word of God. Please don’t allow the understanding that you will never comprehend the entire Bible to discourage you. But apprehending the walk of faith rightly, you are blessed never to stop learning, growing, drawing nigh to the throne of God, bringing glory to Christ, and being sanctified for Father God’s great purposes, which we can only see half darkly now, but knowing all will soon be revealed. Apollos learned (Verse 25), and continued to be instructed (Verse 26).

If we knew all the answers, it wouldn’t be faith! It’s an honor to be born again; look at the gift you’ve received, and pray to the Giver that you will walk worthy of your calling in Christ.

Notes from the text.

In verse 24, we find that Apollos is a student of the word of God, mighty in the scriptures. Believing firmly in the providence of Holy God, it seems to us that Apollos was sent to Ephesus for this very reason; to meet and be further trained by Aquila and his wife. The Christian ought to see life as something other than random chance but readily accept the fortuitous meetings that the Lord appoints. And the Lord may also present a negative contact from which to learn. In all these, give thanks unto the Father because He loves you enough to continue enlightening you in the faith. Also, by the foreordination of God, for whatever practical reason Apollos may have perceived he was traveling, the Lord was already making him an evangelist by practice.

Doing what the Lord says is critical for the life of the believer to continue to walk in faith. The whole object of this life in Christ is to live by faith, from initial salvation to serving Him in love and truth, up to the end, in reliance on Him to take us into heaven. Your faith brings glory to the Father through Christ, our Saviour. And your failures prove His will; we often say the will of God is found in the Holy Bible. If you think you’ve heard from God, yet it doesn’t align with Scripture, then be cautious. For Apollos, he was a man of the book.

In verse 25, Apollos is shown as having been instructed yet willing to be further advised and also to teach. Though, being a student of the Old Testament and a disciple of John, he knew that Christ must come, but he lacked complete knowledge of the New Covenant. Sound encouragement for us on this point is found in the duty Apollos took upon himself, and Acts 17:11 also applies.

He had received some formal training, it appears, but as Mark Twain may have said, don’t let your schooling get in the way of your education. Apollos continued to pursue the truth of God’s word, adding more completely to what he had been taught.

Life for the believer is much different on this side of the cross for us, than for the Old Testament saints. We have the historical record of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. And for Apollos, a firm foundation in the Old Testament; though he didn’t have the New Testament, it was being written upon his heart as he received the truth of Jesus Christ from the disciples and apostles. What more excellent advantage have we also to have the New Testament record, yet we do less with it?

We are supposed to share the Gospel with the lost and encourage the saints. Hide the word in your heart that you might not sin against God, but then share it with others that in so doing iron would sharpen iron among the brethren, and sow the seeds of faith by His word among lost souls for they must all hear of Christ our King.

In verse 26, we see again that Apollos is willing to be instructed further, and beyond doubt if he hadn’t heard, Aquila told him that one Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), and the New Covenant had arrived. John 14:1 comes to mind.

These few verses are as much about Aquila and Priscilla as Apollos. They found a man of good faith and taught him in the way of a disciple of Jesus Christ. They did it on purpose with a goal in mind; they took him and expounded unto him the way of God by intentionally training him. It may be that nobody sets about to teach you how to grow in the Lord, but in either case, you must, as Apollos and Aquila did, prepare yourself from Scripture, seek faithful saints from which to learn, and also teach. This section of Acts is a tightly-knit example of discipleship to us today.

Aquila didn’t pursue unwilling subjects to conform them into good little cultural Christians. Sent by God, he found a man, able, willing, and seeking.

In verses 27 and 28, having been converted by grace, Apollos taught and preached with all the more boldness. Even if you only teach a man for a brief season, as Aquila did, or in just a few points of doctrine, you may be setting firm foundations in a future preacher or teacher, missionary, or evangelist. This is serious stuff and oughtn’t to be viewed lightly or pursued haphazardly. All of Heaven desires these things from you, and God will prepare and equip you if, and only if, you will walk by faith, learning from failures as much as from successes, relying on the word of God as your preeminent source and guide.

Conclusion.

Apollos showed publicly, from the Scripture to the lost, that Jesus was the Christ. This requires some things; prayer, knowing the Scripture (study/reading) to present, carrying your bible, and expounding on it to lost souls. Also important is being strengthened and encouraged in the religion by assembling together with other believers. None of this is difficult, but it will take time, commitment, and, most of all, faith.

And so we see the confidence of Aquila, his faithful wife by his side, and Apollos to go where God leads, be taught by others, study the word, and then to go make more disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

Part One

“7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?” – Genesis 4:7-9

We know the story of Cain and his brother Able, the first sons of Adam. God had respect for Able and his sacrificial offering and not for Cain. Cain became jealous and killed his brother, for which Cain was cursed, yet received mercy; God spared his life. Cain missed the covenant offer of God, as has, seemingly, every modern Christian who speaks of this passage.

There’s more to the simple story than those things the New Religion has taught us. And modernity, at the hand of its leaders, has done a very effective work of evil to purposefully destroy the family tribal unit. Look carefully at verse seven; there are three phrases. The first is straightforward: “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” When not distracted by the second, within the third, we find an incredible covenant offer from the Almighty to Cain, that of the elder brother toward his younger, pointing to the Fifth Commandment (Exodus 20:12) to come and ultimately to Christ. “And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”

The older brother’s responsibility is set forth; an immutable truth of our nature made in God’s own image is evident. The younger brother’s desire is toward his older brother, and so rule by authority is indicated, informal in the family structure but quite evident in nature, that older brothers have a serious responsibility. (So, too, do men and women more mature in their faith have duties toward the babe in Christ.) Their preferred inheritance position, the right of the firstborn (Deuteronomy 21:15-17), is not only grace from God but appears contingent upon doing rightly toward God that not only the father and mother may well train the younger brother and all children.

It’s a blessing to see a family well raised, whose children are toward the first male, accepting his station over them in prayer and support that as the parents age, he may be the head, well pleasing in God’s sight. There are several examples in Scripture where the older son is unrighteous, and the younger gets the blessings. These are set forth, in part, as instruction by exception, a warning against disobedience to God’s design purposes for the family. The Left has so demolished the family design of God that these assertions may sound odd to the American ear.

The first two phrases in verse seven are the covenant blessings and curses. “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.”

Within each covenant of God are blessings offered for well-doing and curses forwarned for sin against Him, a little instructed fact in the modern American churches that you would be well to heed and obey; study and teach your church and young.

Even as parents age, the eldest brother, if he is right with God and in good standing among men, shall hold the leadership role and dominant position, which extends to all the families that each sibling will birth. If taught, understood, and accepted, this simple fact of God’s created order will permanently bind the more extensive family into a tribe. Don’t allow children to marry somebody that doesn’t love God, obey Him, and like their siblings! The more we study the Scriptures, the more we learn that modernity has many subtly crafted deceptions pointing men to “go their own way” and “do their own thing.”

In many sections and demonstrations, the Bible shows the truth of God’s desire for tribal blood unity. There is no replacement for the family.

The common application is not to let the sun go down when in conflict with your brother. Be the bigger man, even if you are justified, and seek reconciliation, knowing that the object is for Christ to be glorified whether your brother receives you again unto himself or not. Christ said; forgive seven times seventy. The New Religion would say forgive them in your heart and be done with it, but that’s not what the Bible says; go to your brother and by much prayer seek in earnest, true communion in Christ one with another again. (Matthew 5:23-24, 18:22, etc.) The context of this post is family, sin in the church among the brethren (Matthew 18:15-17) is a somewhat different aspect. Still, it may well apply, the end of which may be deep regret, for sin can surely destroy a family, church, tribe, or nation, and has by many examples in the holy Bible, history, and today as witnessed by our own eyes.

To extrapolate the covenant offer, we’re on firm Scriptural authority as evident in nature. The older brother has duties from birth. This God calls blessings. But the poorly trained, woefully, and even negligently prepared Christian older brother today may consider the benefit of ruling over his younger brother a burden. The younger’s heart desires to be loved, taught, and led by his older brother; he seeks his older brother’s approval. When young and old alike are inadequately trained, the family-tribe structure is broken for generations to come setting the younger siblings, men and women, adrift.

Remember that the trouble started over faithful service to God and obedience to His law-word. So what of Cain? His younger brother did well, so Cain became wroth with anger, killing his own brother and committing the first murder. Cain should have been filled with joy at the faith of Able. The Fifth Commandment, as with all the commandments of God, do not present in a vacuum. Many instances highlight it in the law and prophets and even by Christ, which we’ll see.

In verse nine, Cain uttered the famous and oft-debated question to God: Am I my brother’s keeper? The debate went on in the Old Testament days and is ongoing today as to how this applies, but the context of the discussion needs to be understood. Christ, having fulfilled the law of the Fifth Commandment, we now salute each other as brothers and sisters in Christ for this reason.

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Part Two

“33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.” – Mark 3:33-35

If you study this section but leave out verse 35, you err. Jesus’ family came seeking to speak with Him. Far from rejecting his mother and siblings, Christ welcomes the brethren by obedience to the faith which is belief in the Father of all.

First, Jesus did not reject his family! If you’ve been taught this, as plainly as possible, we say flatly, that’s wrong. James (not the brother of John), also the son of Mary, became what would be the head of the church in Jerusalem by obedience to God through faith in Christ, his eldest brother. This would not have happened except with Christ’s blessing. Connect the dots to Cain and Able, for that was a point of Christ’s statement to the crowd who had been taught for dozens of generations about Cain’s transgression.

Secondly, God’s covenant purposes shown in Genesis four and Exodus 20 are not ended in the New Covenant but are being fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Of course, blood kin remains essential; Jesus in no way whatsoever ended the family but demands, by divine right, as the firstborn Son of God who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth (Revelation 1:5) that He be obeyed not only by bloodline but by faith in our one heavenly Father. Jesus is the first raised from the dead, and so too, those birthed anew by the Spirit (Romans 6) are born again to follow Christ now and also resurrected from the dead at His return.

Christ’s role as the eldest heir, with us brethren, requires our acceptance, according to His preeminent power. The mind of the older brother is that we are taught well in all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). The good news is that Jesus isn’t Cain; the better you do in the faith, the more well-pleased He becomes; Cain’s error unto death becomes our benefit unto eternal life in Jesus Christ. Let the heart of the older siblings be likewise. By position, Christ is the firstborn Son, rightful heir to the throne, we being joint kingdom heirs with Him. Jesus Christ is the ultimate example that we should follow Him in faith.

Christianity is dependent on the person of Jesus Christ, and we should here insert, lest we fall into the New Religion ourselves or backtrack into the last century’s liberalism, that in no way is Jesus like unto sinful man. Quite the opposite; anything good in us is solely due to Christ’s sinlessness. He washed us from our sins so that one day, in eternity, we will be perfected, but unlike Jesus, we will always retain a moment of cleansing by faith in His power to save us from our sins. Though He is our eldest brother and Jesus calls us friends (if you keep His commandments), it’s not because He is like us, but because we are being remade into a son of God, yet only Jesus is holy and perfect without sin. We mustn’t regard Jesus as merely an example of a good man who pointed the way to have faith in God, but Jesus is the very object of the Christian faith, our Saviour and Redeemer.

We could note that Joseph, the husband of Mary and likely much older than her, though it’s not mentioned in Scripture, is likely dead by the time Jesus attains thirty years. But in any case, Jesus has no father but that which is above! Read what He said in Mark again; who is our father, the man who is from God by obedience to Christ! We know Jesus is God, but from the standpoint of His statement is speaking in the authority of the eldest Son.

The New Religion would state mealy-mouthed platitudes about how the Church can replace the family, but this is a lie straight from the pits of hell. (Neither can the State replace family.) Yes, faith in Christ may divide the unfit from the faithful; train your children with all seriousness, straight from the text of the Holy Bible, show the covenant foundation of the family and how sin, the greatest of which is a rejection of Christ, separates men from Father God and separates us from otherwise lost, yet beloved blood kin as well.

Fathers must take their role seriously as subordinate to the living God yet head of the family as its priest; without hyperbole, we contend that all civilization hangs in the balance. Open your holy Bible, get down on your knees, and implore the God of glory upon His throne, by the mercies of Christ Jesus, that He teaches you to do these things, to be steadfast day after day in training the generations to bring Him the glory.

Am I my brother’s keeper?

Third, the sons of perdition are not, emphatically and without backtracking, our brother. The workers of wickedness living in sin, though you might do good unto them from time to time as you ought, are not in the family of God, are not the sons of God, and are not the brothers of Christ; have ye no part whatsoever with them! “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother.” Your duty to them is to show them the Scripture, how that Christ died for their sins and was buried, and how He rose again on the third day from the grave according to Scripture; that if they have faith in His payment to God for their sin, and would be converted by Christ, God will save them from the wrath of hell. If your church is full of unrepentant sinners, throw them out, or go find a real church. Again, do good to lost man as you will, especially if called by God for the purpose of assisting the broken so that they may hear of Christ.

You are, without doubt, the keeper of your brother in the faith and those by the blood that they too may be of one faith with all the saints of God.

Therefore, examine the perils of a flippant attitude toward God’s law word or misunderstanding God’s covenant nature, and know that only through faith can your family, local church, and nation be saved. God’s indelible covenant impressions shown in Scripture by offering blessings and curses abound in all we do, and none can fare well in violating the New Covenant in Christ’s blood.

The life of the Christian is not about what you can get from God but what you can give. You can have the cross of the blood covenant in Christ, as seen from heaven’s holy hill, affixed to your family crest, the power of the resurrected Christ through the sword of God, which is His word emanating from all that your tribe says and does that when the sons of men look upon your family line they would know there is a righteous, just, Holy Spirit filled people, seeing that God is real, His power emanating from the men and women who walk according to the potency of the mandate of heaven. A mighty generational work will be done in those that pray rightly – calling down the power of heaven that Holy God would fill them with all that honors His exalted name – that they might walk in the truth and not depart from it.

This is one of those posts that could go much longer, and the topic is by no means exhausted but thus ends our writing here. Though God appears to judge America now, do a multi-generational work of righteousness in faith that the Kingdom of God, which now is, may stand the test through your family.

——-

Prior Notes to the Rebuilders: Warnings From The Wall, Every Christian is a Christian Nationalist, Restitution is the Law of God, Reaping the Whirlwind, The Effect of Righteousness.

“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” – Romans 2:4

Often spoken of is the condition of man in sin against His holy Creator God, but an understanding of the glories of heaven to be had through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour may also come through a concrete hope in God’s patience.

Those who despise God reject the riches of goodness He sheds upon all men. The basest of creatures receives his sustenance, and the wicked rulers have wealth beyond imagination. The forbearance of God in longsuffering toward man is a measure of His grace, but it’s not eternal.

Required for eternity is repentance by the realization that though you have broken every command, flaunted His holy law, rejected His innumerable mercies of goodness and patience, He remains the God of peace in the loving hope of you forsaking your own understanding and seeking that which is higher than the mere daily sustainment that He provides.

The Almighty provides all good things, and you repay Him how? It’s not that you ever could repay, for all things are His, but you ought to acknowledge and repent of falsely accepting as permanent those things which can be taken in a moment. Hard times make hard men, but they also make soft hearts toward Holy God.

Difficulties will come, but they needn’t make a man bitter; seeing the goodness of God requires a proper perspective. You will know He is God, look at all He gives, and pray ye to accept Him in life and not meet Him in the horror of eternal death when the damned of all the world shall be judged, for every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. In the simplicity of acknowledging the favor He has shown, please don’t harden your heart, considering yourself worthy of your own ends.

“5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds” – Romans 2:5-6

It’s the callousness of the heart, the pride of life, unrepentant of sin, the assurance of reliance upon only that which may be seen or touched that brings upon a man the wrath of God, who in His mercy, day after day, has fed you and given blessings generations past could only dream. Knowing the goodness of God, you store up barns full of provision, all the while accumulating wrath against the day of judgment that hunts down all men, for one day the stores will empty, even if the Almighty in His patience forbears until the day of your death; the wrath of God abides on all who reject the mercy of God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Riches will not save you. So few accept the revelation of the righteous judgment of God before it’s too late, and the day comes upon them when they are left without excuse, naked and helpless before God who knows your deeds. But to all men is God evident, whether having been reckoned by faith being made dead unto sin but alive in Christ; or you who have not obeyed the truth of God what will become of you? So devilish is the lie, ‘be your own man,’ no man is his own or ever has been. Two permanent events level the field for every living soul: death and the truth of the cross where Christ was nailed, crucified for your sin.

Without Christ, death mocks you and will take all that you are; hell’s calling is so subtle that you pretend it doesn’t hold sway.

There is no question mark in verse 6 above. It’s the Mighty God, who is the Lord most high, that will render to every man according to his deeds: to the man who surrenders to Christ our King everlasting life and to the disobedient man, having rejected the truth you will arrive at the indignation of the wrath of God heaping an eternity of tribulation and anguish upon your head. The Lord God knows if you are in rebellion or in transgression; which will it be, heaven or hell?

Therefore by faith in Jesus Christ, who died to pay the horrible debt you owe, your ledger can be wiped clean of the wrath of hell, having your name changed from among the damned to be numbered with those who reside in the hope of eternal life that abides in Christ. Because He rose again from the grave the third day, the covenant in the blood of God’s only begotten Son is now offered, seeing that the resurrection is the validation of His life-giving power; He will put the seal of God on your soul that the time of death would no longer grip you.

“To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life” – Romans 2:7

So having been added to the body of Christ, if you will, rightly fit for service, just like our God in patient continuance, always going about in well doing, for what would a son of God do but try to be just like his heavenly Father? But not of your own power but altogether, having the Holy Spirit of God and backed by the throne of God who goes before His servants making their way straight, you can see the Kingdom of God, by the grace of God, brought to bear at the workings of your own hand.

Every man wants glory and honor now but also to keep the gift of eternal life in Christ to come. But the glory of treasure we seek is for our King to have, and the only possible honor to bestow must be upon the judge of all the earth, the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. In salvation comes the service of God, who seeks a different treasure, as His pinnacle creation, the mind-heart-soul of man; your mind, your contrite heart, offer your soul back to the One who created it.

“1 Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. 2 For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. 4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” – Psalm 43

Exposition of Psalm 43, by Charles H. Spurgeon:

Verse 1. Judge me, O God. Others are unable to understand my motives, and unwilling to give me a just verdict. My heart is clear as to intent and therefore I bring my case before thee, content that thou wilt impartially weigh my character, and right my wrongs. If thou wilt judge, thy acceptance of my conduct will be enough for me; I can laugh at human misrepresentation if my conscience knows that thou art on my side; thou art the only one I care for; and besides, thy verdict will not sleep, but thou wilt see practical justice done to thy slandered servant. And plead my cause against an ungodly nation. One such advocate as the Lord will more than suffice to answer a nation of brawling accusers. When people are ungodly, no wonder that they are unjust; those who are not true to God himself cannot be expected to deal rightly with his people. Hating the King they will not love his subjects. Popular opinion weighs with many, but divine opinion is far more weighty with the gracious few. One good word from God outweighs ten thousand railing speeches of men. He bears a brazen shield before him whose reliance in all things is upon his God; the arrows of calumny fall harmlessly from such a buckler. O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. Deceit and injustice are boon companions: he who fawns will not fear to slander. From two such devils none can deliver us but God. His wisdom can outwit the craft of the vilest serpent, and his power can over match the most raging lion. Whether this was Doeg or Ahithophel is small matter, such double distilled villains are plentiful, and the only way of dealing with them is to refer the matter to the righteous Judge of all; if we try to fight them with their own weapons, we shall suffer more serious injury from ourselves than from them. O child of God, leave these thine enemies in better hands, remembering that vengeance belongeth not to thee, but to thy Lord. Turn to him in prayer, crying, “O deliver me, “and ere long you shall publish abroad the remembrance of his salvation.

Verse 2. For. Here is argument, which is the very sinew of prayer. If we reasoned more with the Lord we should have more victories in supplication. Thou art the God of my strength. All my strength belongs to thee—I will not, therefore, use it on my own behalf against my personal foes. All my strength comes from thee, I therefore seek help from thee, who art able to bestow it. All my strength is in thee, I leave therefore this task of combating my foes entirely in thy hands. Faith which leaves such things alone is wise faith. Note the assurance of David, thou art, not I hope and trust so, but I know it is so; we shall find confidence to be our consolation. Why dost thou cast me off? Why am I treated as if thou didst loathe me? Am I become an offence unto thee? There are many reasons why the Lord might cast us off, but no reason shall prevail to make him do so. He hath not cast off his people, though he for awhile treats them as cast offs. Learn from this question that it is well to enquire into dark providences, but we must enquire of God, not of our own fears. He who is the author of a mysterious trial can best expound it to us.

“Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.”

Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Why do I wander hither and thither like a restless spirit? Why wear I the weeds of sorrow on my body, and the lines of grief on my face? Oppression makes a wise man mad; why, Lord, am I called to endure so much of it for so long a time? Here again is a useful question, addressed to the right quarter. The answer will often be because we are saints, and must be made like our Head, and because such sorrow is chastening to the spirit, and yieldeth comfortable fruit. We are not to cross question the Lord in peevishness, but we may ask of him in humility; God help us to observe the distinction so as not to sin through stress of sorrow.

Verse 3. O send out thy light and thy truth. The joy of thy presence and the faithfulness of thy heart; let both of these be manifest to me. Reveal my true character by thy light, and reward me according to thy truthful promise. As the sun darts forth his beams, so does the Lord send forth his favour and his faithfulness towards all his people; and as all nature rejoices in the sunshine, even so the saints triumph in the manifestation of the love and fidelity of their God, which, like the golden sunbeam, lights up even the darkest surroundings with delightful splendour. Let them lead me. Be these my star to guide me to my rest. Be these my Alpine guides to conduct me over mountains and precipices to the abodes of grace. Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. First in thy mercy bring me to thine earthly courts, and end my weary exile, and then in due time admit me to thy celestial palace above. We seek not light to sin by, nor truth to be exalted by it, but that they may become our practical guides to the nearest communion with God: only such light and truth as are sent us from God will do this, common light is not strong enough to show the road to heaven, nor will mere moral or physical truths assist to the holy hill; but the light of the Holy Spirit, and the truth as it is in Jesus, these are elevating, sanctifying, perfecting; and hence their virtue in leading us to the glorious presence of God. It is beautiful to observe how David’s longing to be away from the oppression of man always leads him to sigh more intensely for communion with God.

Verse 4. Then will I go unto the altar of God. If David might but be favoured with such a deliverance as would permit his return, it would not be his own house or heritage which would be his first resort, but to the altar of God his willing feet should conduct him. His whole heart would go as sacrifice to the altar, he himself counting it his greatest happiness to be permitted to lie as a burnt offering wholly dedicated to the Lord. With what exultation should believers draw near unto Christ, who is the antitype of the altar! clearer light should give greater intensity of desire. Unto God my exceeding joy. It was not the altar as such that the psalmist cared for, he was no believer in the heathenism of ritualism: his soul desired spiritual fellowship, fellowship with God himself in very deed. What are all the rites of worship unless the Lord be in them; what, indeed, but empty shells and dry husks? Note the holy rapture with which David regards his Lord! He is not his joy alone, but his exceeding joy; not the fountain of joy, the giver of joy, or the maintainer of joy, but that joy itself. The margin hath it, “The gladness of my joy, “i.e., the soul, the essence, the very bowels of my joy. To draw near to God, who is such a joy to us, may well be the object of our hungering and thirsting. Yea, upon the harp will I praise thee. His best music for his best love. When God fills us with joy we ought ever to pour it out at his feet in praise, and all the skill and talent we have should be laid under contribution to increase the divine revenue of glory. O God, my God. How he dwells upon the name which he loves so well! He already harps on it as though his harp music had begun. What sweeter sounds can music know than these four words? To have God in possession, and to know it by faith, is the heart’s heaven—a fulness of bliss lies therein.

Verse 5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? If God be thine, why this dejection? If he uplifts thee, why art thou so near the ground? The dew of love is falling, O withering heart, revive. And why art thou disquieted within me? What cause is there to break the repose of thy heart? Wherefore indulge unreasonable sorrows, which benefit no one, fret thyself, and dishonour thy God? Why overburden thyself with forebodings? Hope in God, or wait for God. There is need of patience, but there is ground for hope. The Lord cannot but avenge his own elect. The heavenly Father will not stand by and see his children trampled on for ever; as surely as the sun is in the heavens, light must arise for the people of God, though for awhile they may walk in darkness. Why, then, should we not be encouraged, and lift up our head with comfortable hope? For I shall yet praise him. Times of complaint will soon end, and seasons of praise will begin. Come, my heart, look out of the window, borrow the telescopic glass, forecast a little, and sweeten thy chamber with sprigs of the sweet herb of hope. Who is the health of my countenance, and my God. My God will clear the furrows from my brow, and the tear marks from my cheek; therefore will I lift up my head and smile in the face of the storm. The Psalm has a blessed ending, such as we would fain imitate when death puts an end to our mortal existence.

Some reminders, foundational instruction for us, and a few points of core importance to the Christian faith are set forth. Parts of this may appear as a simple Sunday School lesson to some, but we often meet folks who lack these baseline principles of the workings of God. As you read, some meat may be found in opening the Scripture and examining the context surrounding the cited verses.

Where Deuteronomy in the Old Testament is the foremost book of the law doctrine given to Moses, the book of Romans is the primary book on the New Covenant doctrine of grace by faith in Christ. Hebrews has much weight to lend to these foundational principles by showing how the Old Testament law of sacrifice was fulfilled in Christ, but it’s Romans to the mind of the man in the new birth through faith in Christ Jesus, that must be studied and understood to know the full import of faith by grace in Christ’s atoning death, burial, and resurrection.

We’ll look at several sections in Romans bringing three vital truths.

The Reward of Debt or of Grace.

“4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” – Romans 4:4-5

The reward is the consideration in repayment, but Christ is the final and full payment to Holy God for your sin. To those who seek or attempt to maintain soul salvation by works of their own doing, they are not under grace but debt. You could read this burden as debt after faith because you love God for saving your soul by faith, but though we commend the believer’s service, that’s not what is meant in verse 4. Verse five is included for context.

The debt spoken of is sin debt to God, as though a man were worthy to offer up to God anything to repay God for violation of His holy law. (See Romans 11:6.) If you try to work your way into heaven, you make the grace of God through the offering of His own Son of no effect, having rejected Christ’s humiliation in offering Himself on your behalf. I greatly fear the end of these men.

Works salvation is an impossibility in the first place because God already owns you (Ezekiel 18:4), and all things you have or could ever give are His granted to you. A man has nothing to give because all of creation is God’s! That’s why the blood of bulls or goats could never fully satisfy God’s wrath for sin but only put it off temporarily (Hebrews 10:4). Though you kill a thousand fine heifers, the justification for sin was always through faith.

But most importantly, and the doctrinal point of Romans chapter 4, is that no man shall be justified except by faith in Jesus Christ. It’s Christ’s work, His atonement fulfilling the promise of faith given to Abraham, the father of our faith. The assurance was not given for creating heirs through the law of Moses (Deuteronomy) by works but through the righteousness of faith. If the heirs of the kingdom were by the law, then the law of grace is void and of no effect, and you remain lost to burn for eternity.

“13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect” – Romans 4:13-14

But righteousness was not imputed to Abraham alone. It is written to us in the Old Testament and New Testament that by faith alone, those who would come to Christ, who is the justifier of all, shall be justified; for none other, including any works of our own at all, can justify.

How is a man justified? Speaking of Abraham: “23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” – Romans 4:23-25

There is a chapter break after Romans 4 and verse 25, but the rounding out and summarizing statement of Chapter 4 is in verse 1 of Chapter five, and we’ll include verse two for context: “1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” – Romans 5:1-2

Therefore, since the justification of the ungodly (sinner) is by faith and not repayment through works or human activity of any kind, we stand fast in the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. We pray you never lose sight of the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus.

Sin By One and Atonement By One

Next, Romans 5:12 is a verse we often cite in many circumstances. It points back to the fall, where sin entered into the world, and evil becomes inherited by all men, for all men sin and die.

Adam is a figure of Jesus but only in federal headship over all men. We understand that you didn’t make Adam your federal head, but that’s just tough; the sooner you get over the fact that you’re not God and He is, the better everything will become for you and your civilization. The number of humanist Christians is alarming, if they’re actually converted by Christ, which we doubt.

In the single offense of unrighteousness, Adam, in violation of God’s holy ordinance in the covenant He made, came sin and death, both of which passed to all men. But, the figure of Adam is only in that universal imputation; through one (Adam) was sin ascribed to all, and therefore death passes upon all men.

In Christ is the perfect fulfillment of the covenant of God, that forgiveness by the grace of God might pass to all men by faith in Christ, who gave himself a ransom for all, fulfilling God’s plan according to the many prophecies of Scripture, and testified of today by those who know Him as the true and living King. Christ alone is the federal head of salvation from the sin you inherited. There are two inheritances; eternal life or eternal damnation.

“15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.” – Romans 5:15-16

The purpose of the law in the New Covenant

Another concept of Romans is essential and often misunderstood by modern evangelicals, believers of many stripes, and unbelievers. The notion that the law is of no use today and contrary to the purposes of the Christian in service to our Lord, drawing his family nigh to the throne of God, is wrong. Also, the law of God must serve as societal and governmental boundaries for the man, the body of Christ, the family, and the entire nation.

“11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” – Romans 7:11-12

Sin, when seen in the light of the law in the word of God, makes our sinful condition apparent. It’s not the law that causes death but the sin that the law reveals. The law of God is still perfect, holy, and just. Sin deceives us, and we deceive ourselves in sin, attempting to blame God for the perfection of His commands. And often, we are brought into thinking we’re not sinful, it doesn’t matter, or that somehow we are self-justified in our words or deeds. We also point out that the grace of God found in Christ is not license to sin.

When a man says he hates God’s law or even simply rejects it, he is, in fact, saying that the Holy Bible has revealed his sin, and he doesn’t know how to deal with that knowledge. This is an opportunity to understand the grace of God in the New Covenant; it was never the law that saved, but only faith. If you’re reading this and struggle with faith in God, understand that the rules outlined in the Holy Bible are not, and never were, designed to free you or put you in a forgiven position with God. Yes, indeed, the law of God is binding, and that’s the point; you need the grace of God to bring forgiveness for your inability to keep any set of rules, let alone the perfect letter of the highest and holy law in creation set forth by our heavenly Creator.

You need Jesus Christ, for He paid through obedience where you never could or ever will. Have the faith that Christ’s obedience today stands good for you before Holy God; make your covenant with Jesus to belong to Him. No amount of religious law or ceremony will save your soul; you must be Christ’s.

It’s by the ordinance that we know sin even today. When the Spirit of God convicts a sinner, be it unto initial salvation or working in the soul unto consecration, all instances have a related section of the law that has been trampled.

Again, by the law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). No man is justified in keeping the law, for he cannot maintain the whole, but justification comes only by faith in Christ and Him crucified.

Verse 7 of Romans seven offers the example; thou shalt not covet. The cravings men claim in their desires they self-justify as requirements all day long, seeking that which is not only unnecessary but sinful or wicked. In our nature, we sin, having no knowledge that these lusts are wrong until the law is revealed by Scripture or Spirit. God’s holy law is good and does not kill. But the sin that the law reveals in us shows the end in us, which is death (Romans 6:23). Perfect obedience is not the point, but the fear of God by awareness of sin through knowledge of the law brings us to function in the service of Christ.

Believers today also fail God when they reject the law because they don’t allow it to convict them that they might purge their sins, one by one, being set apart now, drawing ever closer to the Holy One. Having first received the law of grace, the law in ordinances is an aid in refining the man that he be made worthy to carry the title of Christian, by faith, belonging to Christ as his King, and having no other.

Where the law of commandments is the conviction for sin, the law of grace is not allowance of sin, but forgiveness from sin. The law of God is the conviction of sin unto death; the law of grace is the mercy of God unto eternal life.

The maturing Christian comes to love the law of God, for it points out our weakness, enlightening the eyes to just how holy our Creator and Redeemer truly is; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous by any measure of depth or breadth. The law points us to our need for Christ to grow ever closer to Him. The law directs us to understand our wicked ways so that we might be active participants in the purging of our sins, for it’s sin that separates the man from his God. And the law of the Lord is perfect to convert the sinner to walk in the love and light of Jesus Christ our Lord by faith alone. The law only ever pointed to the grace of Christ by faith in Him.

Reason.

When local bureaucrats in Hennepin County, Minnesota, seized an elderly woman’s home over a small tax debt, sold it, and kept the profit, they likely had no idea they would set in motion a series of events that would cripple the practice known as “home equity theft” across the country.

Yet that’s what happened. The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled that the government violated the Constitution when it took possession of Geraldine Tyler’s condo over an overdue property tax bill, auctioned the home, and pocketed the proceeds in excess of what she actually owed.

Tyler, who is now 94 years old, purchased the Minneapolis-area condo in 1999. But a series of events, including a neighborhood shooting, prompted her to relocate to a retirement community in 2010, at which point it became difficult for her to pay both her new rent and the property taxes on her former home. She accrued a $2,300 tax bill, which turned into an approximately $15,000 bill after the government added on $13,000 in penalties, interest, and fees. Local officials then sold the home for $40,000—and kept the remaining $25,000.

Tyler spent years arguing that such a taking was unconstitutional. But despite the case appearing fairly black and white from the outset, she had no such luck in the lower courts. When her case went before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, its ruling was also unanimous—in favor of the government. “Where state law recognizes no property interest in surplus proceeds from a tax foreclosure-sale conducted after adequate notice to the owner, there is no unconstitutional taking,” wrote Judge Steven Colloton.

The Supreme Court forcefully overturned that decision today. “A taxpayer who loses her $40,000 house to the State to fulfill a $15,000 tax debt has made a far greater contribution to the public fisc than she owed,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts for the Court. “The taxpayer must render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, but no more.”

At the heart of the case is the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment, which stipulates that “private property [shall not] be taken for public use without just compensation.” In explaining the justices’ decision, Roberts traced the spirit of the law back to the Magna Carta, then to English law, and ultimately to the States, buttressed by several Supreme Court precedents which, as Roberts wrote, “have also recognized the principle that a taxpayer is entitled to the surplus in excess of the debt owed.”

Tyler is far from the only victim of this practice. Home equity theft is legal in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, and the District of Columbia, although today’s ruling should hamstring those forfeiture schemes.

Civil asset forfeiture is thievery and therefore sinful.  There is no other way to see it, and every individual, whether associated with the government or not, who has participated in or enabled such a scheme, should be ashamed, and will certainly face eternal punishment.  It’s an abomination that the Eighth Circuit found in favor of the state, and equally absurd that the Supreme Court took so long to take this head on and smash it to the ground in pieces.

We’ve already explored why you are made in the Image and Likeness of God in three parts; One, Two, and Three. Those posts, starting from Genesis, regard what our final estate will be. And we previously posted on this very topic discussing The Image of Christ.

Humans are visual creatures. It’s the most prevalent of our five senses. We have 3d depth perception in one of the broadest color spectrums of any creature on earth. Humans become enamored with beauty for a season. Some men appreciate specific facial structures and adornments given by God, while other men may respect different ones.

We’ve seen folks enamored with the appearance of somebody to the point of refusing to acknowledge that soul’s inward condition and ugliness. And conversely, if Christ had been attractive, could any have heard His great word and the offer of the Kingdom? The Father, through Christ, was and is seeking a people to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), not in outward impression.

Lovely, however, is the notion that He grew before God as a tender shoot [Isaiah 53], indeed, born of a virgin, God in a helpless child nurtured into manhood. So too that He grew from dry ground, an infertile hard pack where no life of the Spirit would grow; all Israel hadn’t heard from God in 400 years and was far astray from the Holy Creator of heaven and earth when John Baptist came preaching repentance toward God making way for the Holy One. Jesus arrived right on time, according to the prophet Daniel. But, praise God, not all were in darkness; some waited for the consolation of Israel and the Kingdom of God at His appearing. Simeon in the temple – Luke 2:25 and Joseph of Arimathea, who buried Christ’s body – Mark 15:43, are two examples.

The Stoic Christian, who I’m not very familiar with but seems solid in doctrine from what I’ve read, has a succinct article about artwork depicting Jesus, wherein this question is raised based on the Second Commandment. This is a consideration we’d not made previously.

Theologians often grapple with the question of visual representations of God and the incarnation of Christ. This document explores the four main objections raised by the Orthodox and Reformed traditions regarding visual representations of God and provides insights into the theological discourse surrounding this topic.

1. Violation of the second commandment

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: [Exodus 20:4 KJV]

The objection stems from the belief that creating pictures of Jesus or God goes against the second commandment, which prohibits making idols. Critics argue that visual depictions of God, made by human hands, can lead to idolatry. They refer to Old Testament descriptions of pagan idols made of earthly materials, incapable of hearing, seeing, or acting.

The question arises: Do visual representations of Jesus, whether in Sunday School books, galleries, or places of worship, amount to idolatry? Furthermore, how should we understand the relationship between the unique revelation of God in the incarnation and visual depictions of that Word?

The other three concise objections are at the link.

It has occurred to me that many problems in some churches and church groups have arisen from idolatry, which is not a stretch since the word of God is replete with warnings. A question was asked, why is sodomy rampant in certain churches, sects, and denominations? God warns us in Romans 1 of this path when making idols of creatures.

“23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

Now, doubtless, Christ is not a creature but the Creator (Colossians 1:16); nonetheless, He is the image of God not in appearance but in manifest power, grace, truth, and by instruction in righteousness (John 1:14). Images of an effeminate or beautiful Jesus have their own disrespectful effect on the senses. The Image of Christ is His holy word (the Holy Bible); after all, He is the word made Flesh (again John 1:14). He is the Son of God and having been raised from the dead: “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” – Romans 1:4. Context is critical, this declaration is near the outset of the entire Romans thesis on New Covenant doctrine, and before verses 23 through 25 above. Having risen from the dead, all power also given Him (Matthew 28:18), He is The Word of God (Revelation 19:13) coming to destroy His enemies and bringing in His kingdom.

The recent case in New York about the defense of others on the subway will undoubtedly be politicized, and the laws will be abused for those purposes with no respect of persons but to discriminate wrongfully, trashing God’s ordained laws of justice. It would be quite remarkable if any just application of the law were found in this case.

The Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution comes from the ancient biblical legal foundation of not treating persons differently in matters of law as a magistrate or juror. It’s respect of persons, which is not respect for persons. Respect for persons requires discernment and, yes, discrimination in the classical sense of the word.

Though not about firearms, the case concerns the defense of others, something every CCW should consider carefully and pray about. You must know the laws in your state about using deadly force to defend others. It’s biblical to protect those less able from unlawful harm of all forms by the use of arms or other means. If we are commanded to rescue our neighbor’s Ox from the ditch, how much more important, made in the image of God, is the defense of our less capable neighbor?

Here are two articles concerning the matter.

Defending Law And Order Is Social Justice

Rewriting the Parable of the Good Samaritan

The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 is considered.

But first, as background, respect of persons in the Holy Bible applies only to law. It stems from Leviticus 19:15 and has nothing to do with outcomes of equality or equity among men and surely not forced results. See also Proverbs 24:23.

Proverbs 28:21 perfectly makes the application as to why any person representing the law of the land must show non-bias. “To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.” What would a judge do for a bit of bread? Some areas of the world operate on “greasing the wheels.” Christendom was supposed to be different (Acts 24:26), but look no further than Congress receiving bread to bias the law, and here we are. There’s a reason money is sometimes referred to as bread and now you know why. Anyone in a position of authority is bound to this Bible truth and will be judged by the Almighty, including parents with their children, teachers, pastors, supervisors, civil leadership, business owners, etc. It’s the Law of God. And James 2:9 says failing to adhere is a sin.

Next, respect of persons in the law of salvation is considered. God is no respecter of persons; all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God by breaking His law and all will be judged rightly on that terrible day. But neither does salvation in Christ grant license to sin. Salvation in Christ is a judicial matter before the courts of heaven as to how you will make restitution to God for your transgressions against Him.

Romans 2:11 mentions respect of persons, and verses 12-16 explain why in God’s law, all men need Christ Jesus, both the Jew and Gentile: if you sin in the law (of Moses / 10 Commandments), you’re judged by that law and die in hell without Christ. If you sin outside the law of Moses (a Gentile), your conscience bears witness, through God’s law written on your heart, about your sin against Him; without Christ, you also burn in hell. That’s God’s law concerning soul salvation without respect of persons; you must have Christ Jesus, as your mediator before the Judge, by faith to enter into eternal life.

That’s how Jesus completed the law by making the final necessary offering, and that of Himself, to God so you might be found not guilty if you place your faith in His payment to God by believing His sacrificial death on the cross is sufficient to cover your sin debt. Christ rose again the third, proving He has the power to go to God for you as your intermediary, or great High Preist proclaiming you to be His by right of payment; by faith in Him, you make this covenant to become His purchased possession, a bondservant of the King, no more bound to death and hell, but an everlasting heir with Christ in the household of God. I say to you, my friends, it’s a far better gig than being trapped by sin under the law of either Moses or conscience; He says: “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Much lighter than a life mired in the horrors of sin and its ever-worsening consequences and so much more, for liberty in Christ eradicates the law where men were bound to a set of rules they could never attain. Praise be to God.

Now, the precursive conversation that leads to Jesus’ parable and some application. Context is king. Understanding the parable correctly requires understanding its purpose. Here’s the beginning of the exchange between a lawyer and Jesus that sets the parable’s intent and meaning.

“25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” – Luke 10:25-28

So far, so good, but then comes the tempting in verse 29.

“But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?”

If your church skips discussing justification and goes straight to an explanation about who your neighbor is, I’ll caution that you may be in a liberal church. No man will justify Himself before God.

Remember, the question before us is one of law: be it the law of Moses or that which God wrote on your heart. The lawyer is confronted with a matter of Bible law from which comes our now-ending system of jurisprudence that began to mold and then guided Western Civilization since the Gospel went into Europe.

Next, this bit of commentary from the second link above (Rewriting the Parable of the Good Samaritan), though essentially right in its assertions, has glaring results of the dumbed downed churches in America.

“This was the story of a man who was robbed, beaten and left for dead. A priest and a Levite both saw the beaten man and walked past him, crossing to the other side of the street. But the Samaritan stopped to help the injured man, attending to his wounds, bringing him to an inn, paying the innkeeper to care for the injured man until he was well.”

I realize that article is about current events, but some necessary background would be helpful. Why did the Preist and Levite walk by, even crossing to the other side of the street? They were trying to follow the letter of the law and not become unclean by touching a sinner, getting blood on themselves, or helping a man that might die in their arms. Remember the context, Jesus is talking to a lawyer about Bible law. The Preist and Levite should have violated the immediate letter of the law concerning purification to save the man, then gone through the ceremonial tasks of making themselves “clean” again under the law. It would have burdened them more to take the time to separate themselves from family, fellowship, and work to be purified again than it would to have helped the man. They used the law as an excuse for not doing the right thing; beware the leaven of the Pharisees.

And finally, here’s the parable:

“30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”

And Christ’s necessary final exchange with the lawyer whose question was, who is my neighbor?

“36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

It’s a merciful duty to defend yourself and others.

Concluding statements. Some states have had statutes on the books where a citizen must help somebody whose life is under threat, making it criminal to do what the Preist and the Levite did. That’s taking Jesus at His word and applying it seriously as a people, as it should be again. In post-Christian America, the law of Christ is fading fast. In much of Europe, it’s now illegal to defend yourself from murder, let alone somebody else under threat. That’s not at all Christian.

Atheists, Agnostics, and mushy Christians declare there is no need for God or His law in government or society; keep your religion private they demand. Look around at the darkening landscape: behold, injustice and violence in all quarters in the absence of the Law of God.

That’s some background to help you understand what’s at stake as a result of the recent event in New York on the subway and the case in Austin, Texas with Daniel Perry. The overall trend in Western law as America comes under judgment is an outright abuse of hundreds of years of Western jurisprudence by removing the biblical foundation of the law including that of having no respect of persons and considering rightly the duty of defense as a good neighbor in light of understanding proper application of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Source.

In an interview with the Real America’s Voice program earlier in the year “The Water Cooler,” Trump was asked about his thoughts on why evangelical leaders expressed hesitance to support him in his bid to seek re-election.

“I don’t really care,” the former president replied during his interview with David Brody of the Trump-aligned right-wing news and opinion channel. “It’s a sign of disloyalty.”

This is all referring to Trump’s having recommended to “religious leaders” (whomever that is) that they jettison the high importance on right to life because Trump sees it as a losing issue.

We are not therefore to be governed by our parochial loyalties, nor by group dynamics, nor by peer pressure. All our churches, institutions, groups, races, nationalities, and allegiances must be subject to the prior government of the triune God and His law-word. Anything short of that is idolatry.  R. J. Rushdoony, Chalcedon Position Paper No. 62.

Men who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ should have no other loyalties than to Him, and Him alone.