Judging By The Law Of God: Are We To Judge?

For there is no partiality with God.

for as many as have sinned without law,

and as many as have sinned in the law

will be judged by the law (for not the hearers

of the law are just in the sight of God,

but the doers of the law will be justified;

for when Gentiles, who do not have the law,

by nature do the things in the law, these, although

not having the law, are a law to themselves,

who show the work of the law written in their

hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,

and between themselves their thoughts

arousing or else excusing them) in the day

when God will judge the secrets of men

by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Romans 2:12–16

            So often is there a cry that we are not to judge people. This cry has no foundation in Scripture or in any common sense. Two things need understood when it comes to judging a person. First, we cannot know who are and who are not converted Christians, and as to their salvation which is a free–gift of grace by God. That alone is for God prerogative and not ours. Secondly, we judge a person as to their lives, their actions and this accordance with the law for it is God’s law that is our guide in this matter: “But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things” (Romans 2:2). Yes, it is God who has the final judgment. We who are to fight against all unrighteousness must use this same foundation by God revealed in Scripture. We, as Christians, do not sit apathetically, and by doing so give tacit approval of such unrighteousness, no, we are to clear out from the congregation those who are willfully, and unchangeably, sinning. God is not partial and He will judge both the Jew and the Gentile by His law. Man is made in the image of God and this has a meaning that we have the ability, a moral law within us, and can choose to do what is right even if we do not have the law. Do we do this perfectly? No! But it is done as can be seen in such documents as Hammurabi's Code of Laws, list of 282 laws governing almost every part of life to ensure that society would be protected from such evils as are presently found in our present day culture. Whether one has the Ten Commandments given to the Jews or not does not matter for we know what is right and good towards one another and not to do so is to blaspheme God who gave to man His law, both written and in our hearts. Every nation has laws against murder, stealing, false accusation; history tells us that even incest governed by such as Hammurabi's Code of Laws, #157. If any one be guilty of incest with his mother after his father, both shall be burned. Prostitution, fornication, all covered by this ancient law and many others: Hammurabi's Code of Laws, #130. If a man violate the wife (betrothed or child-wife) of another man, who has never known a man, and still lives in her father's house, and sleep with her and be surprised, this man shall be put to death, but the wife is blameless. Paul in this letter to the Romans, inspired by the Holy Spirit to be written and codified into our Bibles for us does not give that which has always been condemned, by God, and by men, and yet we so willfully ignore that God will not be mocked by our refusal to obey His law. We cry out: “There is a war against Christians!” It is true that there is, but we so often bring condemnation upon ourselves because we say: “Do as I say, and not as I do!” We allow sin to reside in our congregations, and that by our own disposition towards sin, and a false idea that we are not to judge such unrighteousness as though by lowing our standards somehow we will aid others to rise to the standard we preach and not do. These pagans show the law of God even though they may ascribe such law to other gods, and we who have the law as revealed by God in His revealed word to us, seem to militate against the law making excuses for why the law is not our guide in all things of life. For instance: I just had a conversation about keeping the Sabbath as required by the Ten Commandments and yet there was an outcry against making this law to be active in today’s world. Is not our culture different from that of Moses day, therefore, we must not keep the law, we can work, do anything we desire to do. Of course, it is better if we go to Church first. Although many are dressed like some beach bum: (although this would not happen in our work where we have to meet with owners, or in sales, etc.). So often we do not set aside time to keep the day holy. There are those who believe to be holy due to their fact they are “Christian,” and yes, by God you are holy, except in this life our holiness is shown to the world that we live by the law for we are taught the law, in our Churches, and Bible studies, in our own reading of the Bible. Our dispositions are our secrete things and God will judge us by the Gospel. Are you, and me, disposed towards God? Are we willing to believe that God will bless us and care for us when we do the things that He has commanded? Are you living for the “now” and not for the eternal? Is your life a living witness to the glory of God? I do hope and pray that this is true of you and of me and that our lives are being lived according to His perfect law.

Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.

As it s written: “That You may be justified in Your words,

and may overcome when You are judged.

                                                Romans 3:4; cf. Psalm 51:4

Live Your life to the glory of God

Richard L. Crumb

You Are The Watchman For Truth

Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:6

That is, along with whom ye also are: and he does not say, that he called the others with you, but you with the others. For if in Christ Jesus there is neither bond nor free, much less is there king and private man. For even ye were called and did not come over of yourselves.

      This taken from the Homilies of St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407 A.D.) Archbishop of Constantinople on the Epistle of St. Paul the apostle to the Romans.

            I begin this blog with the above Scripture and quotation from St. John Chrysostom to remind us that we are not our own for we are of the elect, called by God and this not of ourselves. Men both in some Churches and in the world at large have much difficulty with this doctrine and hold to the doctrine of Free Will. Free Will is only free if there is no original sin. Only Adam and Eve had pure Free Will. From their sin and fall from grace all men are subject to original sin and the soul of man is so infected that the will is no longer free but contaminated with sin and all that man is left with is Free Choice. Yes, the will is involved, but the will is not Free. Our election is some magnanimous, simple indescribable that God would elect a person for salvation and that to His glory. Our election is not Free, it is by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His ascension to the right hand of the Father making intercession for the elect. The grace of God is our peace and yet many have such high thoughts, so puffed up, and yet salvation is not by what a person does, salvation is by grace and grace alone. Some in their search for this peace have devised many theologies that are heretical and have assigned themselves to others: this is separation from the truth. Those who have devised such heresies do not abide, or as the Greek states: (μένει: remain), even though they enjoy common grace. Unless God is their object, and that is the God of the Bible and not some anthropological God, as with the Mormons, there is not profit and are at war with those who teach the Bible in truth and in words that are misleading. Many of the heresies have such good words and seemingly speak what Orthodox Christianity speaks and yet upon examination there is to be found a veil of truth hiding the harm. Here is what is taught by the Mormons and this seems so much like any Christian Church; but let is examine what is taught:

Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of God. He is our Redeemer. But what do we mean when we say He is the Savior of the world? The Redeemer? Each of these titles point to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way by which we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. Jesus suffered and was crucified for the sins of the world, giving each of God’s children the gift of repentance and forgiveness. Only by His mercy and grace can anyone be saved. His subsequent resurrection prepared the way for every person to overcome physical death as well. These events are called the Atonement. In short, Jesus Christ saves us from sin and death. For that, he is very literally our Savior and Redeemer.

Hidden is that by Jesus Christ as our Redeemer we can “return” to our Heavenly Father. Mormons teach that we are gods, and that we came from heaven, alive before in heaven, awaiting our time to be placed upon the earth in a body, and that we will “return” back to heaven redeemed. Read their Doctrines & Covenants and this will be shown taught that God is a man, and that Jesus is another God, and that may preexisted in heaven before becoming man on earth. This is but one example and it is clear that they are not abiding with the God of the Bible. There is no gain for the Christian if they approve or in some way accept teachings that are not of God and are of man–made doctrine. This is an offense to God! Break through the veil hiding what they actually believe and teach and the heresies seen.

            Paul in Romans begins with such good news of our election and what God has done through His Son Jesus Christ and then sets forth that man is inexcusable for not knowing God and this even is He shown by the natural world. After pointing our the sins that are of offense to God and that God will judge men by what they have done in this life, and their disposition for doing those offending things, Paul then speaks: “But glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile” (Romans 2:10). Is it peace the object of your search for God? Faith is shown by our works and our works of they be of God bring glory and peace, and honor, and if not of God, or teach that which is not revealed to us by God then our peace has as its foundation error. Paul says that those who work for good have peace and honor and glory first to the Jews and this leaves us with the question: What Jew does he mean? Furthermore, what Gentiles is he referring too? Paul was referring to those who were before Jesus Christ’s coming and in this part of the writing Paul had not come to Grace, and was still looking back to earlier times. Paul was demolishing the separation between Jews and Gentiles so that when he writes about grace; he will not be accused of a new and degrading doctrine. In earlier times, grace was not set forth as it was now after the coming of Jesus Christ; therefore Paul sets forth establishes that there now is no difference and all can receive grace. This by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and this received by faith, that faith that God gives freely and to some before the foundation of the world.

“They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:14)

As God can send a nation or people no greater blessing than to give them faithful, sincere, and upright ministers, so the greatest curse that God can possibly send upon a people in this world, is to give them over to blind, unregenerate, carnal, lukewarm, and unskilled guides. And yet, in all ages, we find that there have been many wolves in sheep's clothing, many that daubed with untempered mortar, that prophesied smoother things than God did allow. As it was formerly, so it is now; there are many that corrupt the Word of God and deal deceitfully with it. It was so in a special manner in the prophet Jeremiah's time; and he, faithful to his Lord, faithful to that God who employed him, did not fail from time to time to open his mouth against them, and to bear a noble testimony to the honor of that God in whose name he from time to time spake.

Taken from George Whitfield: Selected Sermons: The Method of Grace

Be Wary: Read and Study the Bible

Richard L. Crumb

Learning To Stand For The Truth Of God

…eternal life to those who by patient continuance

in doing good seek for glory, honor,

and immortality; but to those who are

self–seeking and do not obey the truth,

but obey unrighteousness––indignation

and wrath, tribulation and anguish,

on every soul of man who does evil,

of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who

works what is good, to the Jew first

and also to the Greek.

Romans 2:7–10

            Our God does not speak to us in words that are not human, that is: words that can be taken, in more than one-way. Some think so, and even attempt to use words of Scripture out of context and are not the words or intent of God. God speaks to us in propositional and those words disseminated propositional are to be dealt with, as those words are that which must be dealt with, affirmed or denied, and by doing so those words are determined to be of a character as either false or true. We have that work so that we must study His word and this in context, context, context; furthermore, it is important to understand the language in which it was written. If in Hebrew or in Greek, and in some small cases, Aramaic, if those words written are not understood grammatically, then we are apt to misuse Scripture and allow false teaching and unrighteousness to enter into our thoughts, our lives, and in our Churches. An example is one of the most famous verses: John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Does God love the “whole” world? Some say yes, and they believe that everyone can be saved, if they so desire; that is, that man has enough good in him so that if he so wishes and wills to be saved, he will be saved. Is that what the Bible teaches? Does this Scripture meet the standard of what the Bible teaches that man is elected, drawn, and enabled by God? Some say yes, and that when they hear the word of God and certain circumstances surround a person they are then drawn by God, they believe and they are saved. Faith does come by hearing the word of God: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). If one believes that man has enough good in him to believe God when hearing the Gospel and be saved is to ignore that man has original sin, and that a sinner deserves death due to the justice of God. So man is not totally depraved, he has some remnant of good that was not destroyed by Adam’s sin and that sin passed down to all of his progeny. So, then, by this man is not totally bad, and if not totally bad then really does not deserve the punishment of God, death. Let us again look at John 3:16 in the Greek and see if this is what is taught: I will insert the English transliteration:

 Οὕτως so γὰρ for ἠγάπησεν  loved ὁ the θεὸς God τὸν the κόσμον world ὥστε so as  τὸν the υἱὸν son τὸν the μονογενῆ only begotten ἔδωκεν He gave, ἵνα in order πᾶς all ὁ the πιστεύων believing (note: this word is: nominative, singular, masculine, participle, present tense; so then it is the one presently believing, and not anyone far off or future) εἰς into αὐτὸν Him μὴ not ἀπόληται perishy ἀλλὰ but ἔχῃ have ζωὴν life αἰώνιον etemal. It is then by the grammar that the one who is saved is presently believing now, and in the future; this is conversion. The word “world” seldom means the entire world, and often is used to mean the evil world, or some special people. Does this meet then context and Scripture? Peter says: “To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galata, Cappadocia, Asia, and bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ” (1Peter 1:1b–2; cf. Romans 8:28–29; Ephesians 1:4). So, then, according to Scripture you did not choose God, God chose you, and this before you were born, before you did anything good, or bad, God chooses His elect; therefore it is not the “whole” world, as in everyone, it is those who God chose, elected who hear the word of God and believe due to the faith that was freely given them: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not yourselves; it is the gift of God,, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8). It is then our disposition that determines, whether or not our conversion to God or only believe in God that is only a hope that you will be saved, even if you are sincere. Sincerity and $1.50 might get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks for people all over the world are sincere in their beliefs. Yes we are sincere, and yes we believe, and yes we hope, as do all the world, and yet we have that one thing that is missing in all other beliefs: we have the sure word of God. It is this written word whereby God revealed Himself to man; first to the Jews a special elected people to demonstrate to the world the glory of God. They failed, God will judge failure, and we too must be concerned that we are not failing by allowing false teaching to disrupt our faith and teach us to do things that are not of God. So often, we look for the thrilling, and this is so opposite of God’s word and is an intense failure and form of selfish interest. This self–interest assumes what God does not teach and we then allow unrighteousness in our lives and Churches. Self–seeking is not to obey the truth: God will allow this, and God will judge this on the Last Day before the judgment seat.

            Live today for Christ; live for the truth; stand for the truth, in every circumstance. This is the will of God, and those believing and are converted do not fear man, they fear to disobey their Father and His Only Begotten Son, and fear to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Your blessing is not just in this world, for we have the greatest of all blessings: WE WILL LIVE ETERNALLY WITH GOD!

O that blessed birth , a virgin gave birth to our salvation,

with giving birth pregnant with the holy Ghost,

the Redeemer of the world and the boy revealed His sacred face .
These will be the height of heaven, all the angels sing,

sing to the praise of God anywhere , whatever there is of virtue :

there is no silent tongues , the voice , and all the consonant .

Hymns of: Prudentius, Aurelius Clemens (358-413 A.D.) Be In Prayer Today: Communicate With Your God Richard L. Crumb