Tag: the New Christianity

God is Tolerant

Originally posted on August 18, 2013

I am sitting in a booth at the annual fair today for the birth center of which I am a participant.  The booth next to me is for Falun Dafa, a Chinese philosophy that involves Godless peace and exercises (like tai chi).

I just heard a man say he was attracted to it because he was raised as a Christian but he wanted something ‘more tolerant.’

More tolerant than God?

The thing is, that God is sovereign and makes the rules. We follow them and He graces us with abundance.  There is no negotiating–God simply knows what is best for us and gives us His Laws and commandments to follow.  God has a plan for each of our lives and we can choose to follow it completely, not at all, or anything in between.  He gives us the free will to do this!  What is not tolerant about that??

I guess he is talking about Christians who do not validate people’s choices in their own life, but judge them according to God’s Law and Word.  Thing is, as believers, we are commanded to rebuke our brethren when we see them committing sin, and are in a special role whereby we can educate people and point them in the right direction.  However, as Jesus taught, we become hypocrites when we go beyond that and judge each other, and allow our notions to put distance between us and our neighbor, whom we should always love, no matter what.  One of the Great Commandments is to love your neighbor as yourself.  It doesn’t say to love them with conditions.  Unless someone harms others, they should not be judged, and only then by the proper adjudicator or Priest.  And God, as we know, is the Ultimate Judge, and is perfectly capable and able to punish and reward His flock.

If God allows them to choose their path, who are we to judge them?  I made all kinds of Godless choices and I have reaped the consequences of them.  No one rebuked me at the time, but even if they had, it is doubtful I would have listened.  It is only by the grace of God that I can hear Him now.  Once you are born again (and I literally was–I underwent a psychophysiological rebirth)–you want to share the Good news with everyone!

Personally, I believe if our choices do not line up with God’s Law and divine will for us, we are not going to live up to our fullest potential.  But that is also our choice!  We have a gracious God that allows us much wiggle room (as long as we do not break the greatest commandments), even when He knows we are hurting ourselves.  That is what I call tolerant.

LOVE Church and the Trinity~

Originally posted on June 29, 2013

I am led today to reinfuse Christianity with God’s Word and Holy Spirit which He has spoken into me.  I am displeased, and I believe God is too, with most current religions and church doctrine, one of the most heretical being the Christian church itself in how it worships Jesus as God, and makes graven images to him (crucifixes, etc.), and does not advocate following all God’s Law.

God has revealed to me physically and in my spirit that this worshiping Jesus is serious idolatry and violates the first two commandments.  And that those He chooses to follow Him, need to learn and understand all His commandments, statutes, and judgments as the One and Only Holy Law for man.  Not in order to limit man, but in order to lift him up and grace his life with abundance, which God longs to give us!

Jesus never commanded his disciples to worship Him. Indeed in Satan’s presence, He admonished anyone who would worship anyone but the Father:

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” ~Matthew 4:10

Some claim that because Jesus did command to be honored in John chapter 5, that He is implying here that He should be worshiped. But the Greek word for honored in this text is not among the numerous Greek words used to denote worship in the New Testament. In fact, the Greek word used here for honor is ‘timao’, Strong’s entry 5091, which is used also in the context of “Honor they father and thy mother”. So to be more precise, Jesus is relating the concept that He most certainly deserves honor, as one is also called to honor their parents, not that He deserves to be worshiped.

In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him. ~John 5:22-23

Another place people claim that Jesus allows for worship of Himself is when Doubting Thomas comes to believe that Jesus is the Resurrected One in the Upper Room and exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) to which Jesus replied, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” (John 20:29). This simple phrase my Lord and my God (God here is the Greek Kyrios) could be Thomas addressing both Jesus as Lord and Father God in this exclamation, or Thomas could be referring to his understanding that Jesus is the Kyrios or Messiah who is indeed risen again, and is God the Son. But it doesn’t mean Thomas was worshiping Jesus in this scene, only recognizing His resurrection.

Another argument for worshiping Jesus is that since He acknowledged He had the power to forgive sins–which was a Godly task–that He has the authority of God and as such should be worshiped as God. However, this is a fallacy that says by what Jesus’ actions are, makes Him worthy of being worshiped. This is not how it works. We worship God alone because He is the sovereign GOD, El Shaddai, not because of what He does but who He IS. In the same chapter of John where Thomas became a believer, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:22-23). So here Jesus is clearly giving power, through the Holy Spirit, for believers to forgive sins also, but we know that believers are not to be worshiped. 

We are called to be thankful to the depths of our soul for Jesus’ sacrifice for us, redeeming us unto our Father, and making those who accept Him born again in the Spirit, and able to have eternal salvation.  Jesus only has the power and authority to judge and to bridge the chasm between us and God. He alone was able to ensure we are able to receive the Holy Spirit inside of us.

BUT: John 9:38 Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. also, hebrews 1:6And when he brought his supreme[c] Son into the world, God said,[d]

“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”[e]

But we should offer worship alone to God the Father, Almighty ALHYM.