The Demanding Of Personal Rights: Is It Wordly

From whence come wars and fightings

among you? come they not hence, even

of your lusts that war in your members? 

Ye lust, and have not; ye kill, and desire

to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight 

and war, yet ye have not, because ye

ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because

ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it

upon your lusts. 

James 4:1-3

     James uses an interesting contrast in words: "wars," and "fightings," and it would seem that both are speaking the same thing. So why use both words? The Greek word: "πόλεμοι" means to battle or be engaged in battle, and is not the fighting itself for that is another Greek word: "μάχαι" that means to actually be doing the battle, but figuratively means controversy as in the word for wars is where we get the English word, polemics. Polemics carries the meaning of a controversial argument as against another opinion, and speaks of a person who likes to argue. James is not speaking of an actually war as between two nations or peoples and there was many warfare going on in the world in which James lived, but this is not what he is writing about. The context (remember is is always context, context, context in interpretation of Scripture) for James gives is the reason for his using of those words: "Is it not thence, from your pleasures, which war in your members?" (James 4:1b). James is speaking about a person and the fact that that person is one who is using controversy, that is like to argue and this because he feels that his right to pleasure is being challenged. Is this not a problem in our world today whereby people are always speaking about "their rights?" Yes! We hear and know of the right of a woman to have an abortion even without consulting the father (if he is known), or that homosexuals have rights for their abnormal behavior and both are demanding laws so that there is a legal basis for these "rights." 

     It is true that a person has rights over their own bodies to protect them and safeguard them. Even some protection for their personal rights for their reputation and freedom of movement, to have privacy, and laws have been made to protect those rights. The basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are considered to be entitled, often held to include the rights to life, liberty, equality, and a fair trial, freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of thought and expression. All rights have a foundation, a basis from which they are formed: A 'right' is a moral principle defining and sanctioning a man's freedom of action in a social context. There is only one fundamental right (all others are its consequences or corollaries): a man's right to his own life. Therefore what must be considered is the morals from which a right is formed and this was done as with no other nation when the United States and its Constitution came into being: "The concept of individual rights is so new in human history that most men have not grasped it fully to this day. 

"It was the concept of individual rights that had given birth to a free society. It was with the destruction of individual rights that the destruction of freedom had to begin. 
"If some men are entitled by right to the products of the work of others, it means that those others are deprived of rights and condemned to slave labor.  Any alleged 'right' of one man, which necessitates the violation of the rights of another, is not and cannot be a right.  No man can have a right to impose an unchosen obligation, an unrewarded duty or an involuntary servitude on another man.  There can be no such thing as the 'right to enslave.' " 
"The term 'individual rights' is a redundancy: there is no other kind of rights and no one else to possess them." 
                                                 -- Ayn Rand in "Man's Rights"

      When a person is demanding a "right" because that right gives them a pleasure of some sort, as in a woman having an abortion so that she will not become encumbered by a child so that she can continue in a life of fornication has stepped on the right of an unborn child, as well as the father may not have agreed to the death of this child in the womb. You see, a woman, and a man do not want an unchosen obligation, yet they knew that to have sex is to have a great probability that a pregnancy could occur. (They do it anyway for they want the pleasure, it is simply lust in action). A homosexual wants to have this euphoric pleasure, even knowing that this lifestyle is in opposition to what is considered normal in society. Yet, they press forward demanding this "right" even if it does harm to society as a whole (all one has to do is look at countries that have allowed this and now find themselves in financial trouble because the future children who would have paid taxes are not being born). 

     A person may ask government, or even attempt to get society on their side, and even go so far as to ask God to give them this "right." A person asks, but does not receive from God what he is asking for he asks for the wrong thing. He asks so that he/she can receive pleasure and will even go to war (controversy, attempting by argument to sway government, or people to their way of thinking just so they can have some form of pleasure). James is not ashamed to give us what he is speaking about for he is speaking about evil and evil is anything that is contrary to the Law and Will of God, not just man for man is secondary. 

     "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore with be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). How serious is this? Most serious for James under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives to us the will of God: Do not be a friend of the world! If this is what you desire, and lust after, well then you are an enemy of God and you will be condemned to Gehenna on the Last Day when Jesus returns. You see: an Authentic Christian is not a friend of this world and removes from themselves all stain and stench that they may have acquired before believing upon Jesus Christ and converting to Him. Are you Authentic? Or, are you pretending to be Authentic?

For, lo, they that are far

    from Thee shall perish:

Thou hast destroyed all them

    that go whoring from thee.

                    Psalm 73:27

Christianity is serious business

Richard L. Crumb

God's Gift To His Children: Wisdom

Who is a wise man among you?

Let him shew out of a good conversation

hs works with meekness of wisdom. But

if ye have bitter envying and strife in

your hearts, glory not, and lie not

against the truth. This wisdom decendeth

not from above, but is earthly, sensual,

devilish. For where envying and strife 

is, there is confusion and every evil

work. But wisdom that is from above

is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,

and easy to be intreated, full of mercy

and good fruits, without partiality, and

without hypocrisy. And the fruit of

righteousness is sown in peace of them

that make peace.

James 3:13-18

      Some, if not many, people pretend to be wise, and are not in reality as wise as they pretend. What is meant by the word "wise?" A wise person is one who critically thinks, discerns and judges properly as to what is true or right, or false, having discretion.  A wise person is one who is scholarly, (I do not intend to say that only those with higher education are wise), that is, one who is willing to study, to take time to read literature from various sources, to examine all things, then hold to that which is good, (1Thessalonians 5:21). So then, a wise person is one who has acquired knowledge, is one who is informed. By being one who meets that qualifications of "wise" is one that is not presumptuous, and is cognizant, and is not pretending to be wise. A wise person is known by his/her conduct, whether it be good or bad. A wise person applies good conduct and when speaking he does not have a tongue of fire, rather words that inform, and heal, and do good, these are the marks of wisdom. 

     A wise person is meek, and mild and is in control of their temper, and spirit. A wise person bridles his/her tongue. If this wisdom is not from God then it is from the person and the wisdom of this world. We can see worldly wisdom being applied everyday, by men who are prideful, maligning others, and speak falsehood.

     Wisdom from God cannot reside side-by-side with evil. Envy is evil and seeks it own self, to be self-reliant, and by this envy lies are thrust upon others, there is deception so that this envying person tries to win the support of others to their cause even is that cause is wrong. This wisdom this worldly wisdom is not from God and cannot come from God for He is Wisdom, Good, and does not send out evil (As did the gods of Greece did as can be seen when read the Illiad, etc.). Envy has its foundation in Satan, in satanic thoughts and works. 

     Heavenly wisdom is allied with Christian love, in Authentic Christian Faith and works and every man can ascertained this wisdom. It is not hid from men, but men hide from it. True wisdom from God is God's gift to men, that is a man or woman will receive that gift. This heavenly wisdom will excite a person to love as God love, to have pure respect for others, (not those who are active in sin and will not change), to love this person is to love not as God but as a man and we see the effects of this worldly love with the acceptance of the LGBT society and the laws being made to make them have legal status. Heavenly wisdom is free from iniquity, and will not allow any known sin to be in their lives, to rule their lives. 

     I pray that God will bestow upon us, His children this gift of wisdom, and may we be active in acquiring this gift and then sow the seeds of goodness and righteousness. You will never need to think that you can extinguish this gift for God will replenish you whenever you need it: all you have to do is: ask!

O give thanks unto the LORD;

     for He is good: for His mercy

endureth forever.

               Psalm 136:1

Acquire heavenly wisdom: you will be blessed

Richard L. Crumb

How Can This Unruly Tongue Be Tamed?

For every kind of beasts, and of birds,

and of serpents, and of things in the sea,

is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

but the tongue can no man tame; it is an

unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith

bless we God, even the Father; and therewith

curse we men, which are made after God.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing

and cursing. My brethren, these things ought

not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at

the same place sweet water and bitter?

Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive

berries? Either a vines,figs? so can no

fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

James 3:7-12

     The mast savage beasts have come under control of man. Yes, the lion and others like him are wild and dangerous but as the documentary last night in regards to the Asiatic lions that live in the Gir forest in Gujarat, India and have grown to more than 500 lions. The people have come to rely on the lions to keep the grazing animals out of their fields and I even saw that they would be close to them without fear. Although they are dangerous men have tamed them to a point. The huge elephant is used by men to do work. Birds have even been tamed that reside in forest. Yet The tongue has been hard to tame. To tame the tongue man does not have the power to do so and can only be done by the grace of God working in lives.

     Sins may come and go with time, that is, in time sins lose their pleasure and vigor and even become tamed. Yet the tongue remains untamed and even becomes more passionate in its expressions. It does not matter how important, how persuasive, the laws made to tame the tongue, punishments for misuse of the tongue, all this evil cannot be stopped, it may be hindered but not stopped. the tongue must be watched, guarded, and governed as it is an unruly beast. The tongue can hurt, even divide Churches, or brothers and sisters. However, if we bless God who is our Father, our Savior, our intercessor, we will be taught to speak well, and if we are busy blessing God there is no room for the tongue to speak evil. 

     Depending upon the grace of God will give to us success in this matter of controlling the tongue. We need to fill our hearts with love for God, for Jesus Christ our Savior, for our brothers and sisters. We allow our conversation to be salted with grace and kindness and we conduct ourselves as Authentic Christians, not in name but in practice for our faith determines our actions. Will this be easy? NO! But with God all things are possible all we have to do is rely on God and grow in our relationship to Him. 

     Do not become a busybody, rather become a body that is busy, busy for the Lord, for the Gospel then you will speak, act and be an Authentic Christian with Authentic Christian Faith.

All this have I seen, and applied

     my heart unto every work

that is done under the sun: there

     is a time wherein one man ruleth

over another to his own hurt.

                   Ecclesiastes 8:9

Speak truthfully to your neighbor

Richard L. Crumb