Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren,
and exhort you be the Lord Jesus that as ye
have received of us how ye ought to walk
and to please God, so ye would abound more
and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you be the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God,
even your sanctification, that ye should
abstain from fornication: that every one of
you should know how to possess his vessel
in sanctification and honor; not in the lust of concupiscence, even a the Gentiles which
know not God: that no man go beyond
and defraud his brother in any matter:
because the Lord is the avenger of all such,
as we also have forewarned you and testified.
For God hat not called us unto uncleanness,
but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth,
despiseth not man, but god, who hath also given
unto us His Holy Spirit.
1Thessalonians 4:1-8
In the antediluvian time, the time of Noah, faulty thinking existed among men. We see this same faulty thinking postdiluvian when men began to rebel against God and develop for themselves gods to suit their desires. We can see today this faulty thinking about God, a time when people have attempted to develop a life without God. Abortion, same-sex marriage, the rise of homosexuality, murder, and "free-sex" with little, or none, thinking about God and their relationship with Him. A problem that exist in the Church today with many people is that they are tacit, in the least, cultural Christians, people who live as though they have little to do when it comes to being a Christian. Example: I was born into a Christian family, or I belong to a Christian nation, or I have been baptized as an infant, I go to Church, I try to live according to God's commandments and all this is doing is causing them to be in some way default Christians. There is no truth in what many believe. We are called to examine ourselves: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1Thessalonians 5:21). The apostle John writes: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1John 4:1). Paul exhorts: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8). We are called to examine ourselves to make sure that we are really an Authentic Christian, that our faith is Authentic Christian Faith. We are not called to follow our conscience or to justify our opinions, our positions on some matter as to our acts, those acts we give some minimal commendation. If so we are then fooling ourselves into thinking that our habits, those habits that are in contradiction to the law of God are just only occasional acts, therefore they are not all that bad and God will forgive. This is faulty thinking: join the antediluvian people, join the postdiluvian people, in fact you have joined the culture of this world.
Faulty thinking leads people to forget that our Christian work is to live according to God's law, to live according to the pattern that Jesus Christ gave to us, and to live under the influence that will enable us to live according to God, to please God, and this by the Holy Spirit that resides in all Authentic Christians. If we are not living in the way set forth for us to live, to make God, our relationship with Him our primary task then we are cultural and nominal Christians, you lack understanding of why the Bible has shown us spiritual life. Cultural Christians see nothing that gives them need to rid their lives of anything that might inhibit their way of growing in faith and obedience. Cultural Christians, those liberal Christians have no interest in developing a passion to follow Scripture, they would rather follow some influential man, or woman than the truth of Scripture. Cultural Christians have faulty thinking about the future reward in heaven as those this is a future reward, a reward that they will receive have death for doing what they deem as God's work.
Authentic Christians: do you not know that you are already in heaven? Yes, you are still on earth just a passing through, for your home is already in heaven waiting for your arrival. Live now according to what you are: An adopted son of God, the bride of Jesus Christ, not later, not after death, but now and until you arrive to your heavenly home you have work to do and that begins with you and extends then into your world. The first part of your work is to ensure that what you believe is Authentic Christian Faith, and the second part is for you to take the Gospel into the world, however that works out for you, however you are led to go and bring the Gospel. The world may hate you (they will) but who cares? Your eternal life with God, with Jesus Christ is now, and forever and no man, no woman can take that away from you, so they hate you, ok, here is the difference: God loves you!
Offer unto God thanksgiving;
And pay thy vows unto the
Most High: and call upon Me
in the day of trouble: I will
deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify Me. But unto the wicked
God saith, What hast thou to do to
declare My statutes, or that thou
shouldest take My covenant in thy mouth?
Seeing thou hatest instruction, and
castest My words behind thee.
Psalm 50:14-17
Take time: examine yourself
Richard L. Crumb
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