| "How can you believe, which receive honor one of another?" John 5:44 |
| The whole course of our lives will be upset by failure to put God where He belongs. We exalt ourselves instead of God and the curse follows! Consider the very disturbing question that Jesus asked of men when He was on earth: "How can ye believe, which receive honor of one another, and seek not the honor that comes from God alone?" If I understand this correctly, Christ taught here the alarming doctrine that the desire for honor among men made belief impossible! |
| Is this sin at the root of religious unbelief? |
| Could it be that those "intellectual difficulties" which men blame for their inability to believe are but smoke screens to conceal the real cause that lies behind them? Was it this greedy desire for honor from man that made men into Pharisees and Pharisees into Deicides? |
| Is this the secret back of religious self-righteousness and empty worship? I believe it may be. |
| Men and women who will make the honest once-for-all decision to exalt and honor God and His Christ over all are precious to God above all treasures of earth or sea, for He knows that His honor is safe in such consecrated hands! |
| By A. W. Tozer |
Seeking Man's Favor: The Root of Religious Unbelief
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I see a post here I fundamentally agree with.
There is an often quoted verse that would cement this in my mind. Unfortunately the true meaning of the verse is often quickly (and perhaps conveniently) overlooked.
Note that the root of all evil is specifically the love of money. You want to put another word on that? The single most accurate word that comes to my mind is lust. We wonder why these stars, athletes, and politicians do what they do. It's for lust, and it doesn't necessarily have to be about money. Pride is a strong desire, or lust for something. It might be getting the last word, doing something questionable to "one up" someone, or (in Satan's case) desiring the throne of God.
A true teacher cannot be full of pride and therefore full of lust. I know this from personal experience; everytime you begin to build yourself up, you will be brought down as a student of the Living God.
Look at King Solomon, God will give and God will take away just as quickly if we do not follow the proper path. The road is narrow, but the road is lit up by an unquenchable light. We must have humility and realize we need that light to survive.
Thank you for sharing!
There is an often quoted verse that would cement this in my mind. Unfortunately the true meaning of the verse is often quickly (and perhaps conveniently) overlooked.
I Timothy 6:10 said:
Note that the root of all evil is specifically the love of money. You want to put another word on that? The single most accurate word that comes to my mind is lust. We wonder why these stars, athletes, and politicians do what they do. It's for lust, and it doesn't necessarily have to be about money. Pride is a strong desire, or lust for something. It might be getting the last word, doing something questionable to "one up" someone, or (in Satan's case) desiring the throne of God.
A true teacher cannot be full of pride and therefore full of lust. I know this from personal experience; everytime you begin to build yourself up, you will be brought down as a student of the Living God.
Psalm 10:17 said:
Look at King Solomon, God will give and God will take away just as quickly if we do not follow the proper path. The road is narrow, but the road is lit up by an unquenchable light. We must have humility and realize we need that light to survive.
Thank you for sharing!
I have never really seen the ALL in the root of all evil.
A question this raises to me is...are evil and wickedness different?
I wonder about this as from the time I learned of the previous age, the age in which we were in spirit form...not flesh, I question what exactly went on? I guess it's that I am so much more offended by sexual perversion and as that wasn't involved in the first age it had to be power, money, or of the "honor they seek of one another," that caused the overthrow. Of course the primary reason was Satan's attempt to gain the place of God but he must have used those "evils" in order to achieve his goal....as he does now.
A question this raises to me is...are evil and wickedness different?
- Revelation 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
I wonder about this as from the time I learned of the previous age, the age in which we were in spirit form...not flesh, I question what exactly went on? I guess it's that I am so much more offended by sexual perversion and as that wasn't involved in the first age it had to be power, money, or of the "honor they seek of one another," that caused the overthrow. Of course the primary reason was Satan's attempt to gain the place of God but he must have used those "evils" in order to achieve his goal....as he does now.
Ezekiel 28:2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:
Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.
[/color]Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
wickedness and evil here are the exact same word in Hebrew but we also see it is our imagination that is evil wicked I see this a little different in as much as
who imagines they want to be poor ? .... Once your imagination starts thinking of wanting more it can be a start of an evil growing in our imaginations . Its says money is at the root i.e. only the beginning ...
Not that there is a thing wrong with working hard and trying to improve ones lot in life ...This is Gods way
However when our imagination gets to the point that we will steal,cheat,lie
do anything to raise our lot in life it opens the door to all manner of sins.
Look at our government as example they will legalize abortions, destroy Gods marriage laws all for greed,give us your donations,pay us taxes, let us keep our jobs, take money from lobbyists, and we will give all manner of rights so that you may act sinful ... at the root of all this is money ...but roots sped in all directions
[/color]Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
wickedness and evil here are the exact same word in Hebrew but we also see it is our imagination that is evil wicked I see this a little different in as much as
who imagines they want to be poor ? .... Once your imagination starts thinking of wanting more it can be a start of an evil growing in our imaginations . Its says money is at the root i.e. only the beginning ...
Not that there is a thing wrong with working hard and trying to improve ones lot in life ...This is Gods way
However when our imagination gets to the point that we will steal,cheat,lie
do anything to raise our lot in life it opens the door to all manner of sins.
Look at our government as example they will legalize abortions, destroy Gods marriage laws all for greed,give us your donations,pay us taxes, let us keep our jobs, take money from lobbyists, and we will give all manner of rights so that you may act sinful ... at the root of all this is money ...but roots sped in all directions
Ah but Christina, it's the love of money. Money is simply a means to an end, that's not the focus of the verse. Because of our nature, even if we bartered or whatever other system we'd come up with, we would (as humanity) manage to corrupt it in only a matter of time. This doesn't so much apply to you, but so many people try to make it money and it's saying a lot more than that here. I like your point about the roots being the beginning and then spreading out. It fits perfectly with the idea of confusion. A seed is planted and then it spreads from there.
It's not that doing something is obviously inherently intelligent evil. It's that doing something without or in spite of God is evil. It's just like conspiracy theories; folks suggest that certain things are maintained by evil people. That may be the case sometimes, but often these systems function like giant bureaucracies where no one has control. It's the old phrase that things take on a mind of their own sometimes.
Like I said, it all goes back to lust. It goes back to the desire of what we don't have so it will edify ourselves. Satan wanted the mercy seat because, as far as he saw it, he deserved it and I am sure he thought he could run it all better than God. (I say this with confidence because I see this exact trend playing out in this world today.) Politicians function as they do because they're self serving - staying in office is power for them. It's not that they want socialism or capitalism, it's that they want control so they can dole out things to get votes and preserve power.
Satan weaves quite a web and is masterful at building these systems. This is why nations and empires rise and fall. They build themselves up, eventually reaching the point where they can no longer sustain. That love of money desire rips you apart on the inside, you'll do anything to preserve power or gain prestige. Literally anything, look at the recent news headlines of affairs. There's no rhyme or reason. It's not unstable relationships or unhappy families. It's men (and women) that want more. It annihilates persons, families, countries, and souls.
It's not that doing something is obviously inherently intelligent evil. It's that doing something without or in spite of God is evil. It's just like conspiracy theories; folks suggest that certain things are maintained by evil people. That may be the case sometimes, but often these systems function like giant bureaucracies where no one has control. It's the old phrase that things take on a mind of their own sometimes.
Like I said, it all goes back to lust. It goes back to the desire of what we don't have so it will edify ourselves. Satan wanted the mercy seat because, as far as he saw it, he deserved it and I am sure he thought he could run it all better than God. (I say this with confidence because I see this exact trend playing out in this world today.) Politicians function as they do because they're self serving - staying in office is power for them. It's not that they want socialism or capitalism, it's that they want control so they can dole out things to get votes and preserve power.
Satan weaves quite a web and is masterful at building these systems. This is why nations and empires rise and fall. They build themselves up, eventually reaching the point where they can no longer sustain. That love of money desire rips you apart on the inside, you'll do anything to preserve power or gain prestige. Literally anything, look at the recent news headlines of affairs. There's no rhyme or reason. It's not unstable relationships or unhappy families. It's men (and women) that want more. It annihilates persons, families, countries, and souls.
Jimmy Engle
New Member
If any man puts anything above Christ such as people, money, cars, health, personal relationship, family, children, the bible and so on it's idolatry and it's not reflecting Christ. Christ calls all men to die to themselves and give it all up so we may have Christ on his terms on not of our own. Even if your own joy comes from your good works that reflects Christ it is still idolatry because you are satisfied only when what you do pleases you.
Just look onto Christ! Godbless.
Just look onto Christ! Godbless.
Stumpmaster
Well-Known Member
According to Scripture having favour with men is not forbidden.
Pro 22:1
(1) A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
Ecc 7:1
(1) A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.
Luk 2:52
(52) And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Act 2:46-47
(46) And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,(47) Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Act 7:9-10
(9) And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,(10) And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
Pro 22:1
(1) A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
Ecc 7:1
(1) A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.
Luk 2:52
(52) And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Act 2:46-47
(46) And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,(47) Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Act 7:9-10
(9) And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,(10) And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
Nomad
Post Tenebras Lux
whirlwind said:
1 Tim. 6:10 is frequently misunderstood. The word "pas" translated "all" in the KJV can mean "some of every type," or in other words "all kinds." See definition 2a below. Newer translations reflect this:
1 Tim. 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. ESV
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. NIV
For (A)the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil... NASB
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil... NKJV
G3956
πας
pas
Thayer Definition:
1) individually
1a) each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything
2) collectively
2a) some of all types
Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: including all the forms of declension
Citing in TDNT: 5:886, 795
Well perhaps I think to simple
Root/begining of evil imaginations =love of money =greed=self=sin justified in the eyes of man
greek=philargyria
1) love of money, avarice
synonym for avarice
primarily the having more, and then in a secondary and more usual sense, the desire after the having more, is the more and so on
or more we have the more we want
Root/begining of evil imaginations =love of money =greed=self=sin justified in the eyes of man
greek=philargyria
1) love of money, avarice
synonym for avarice
primarily the having more, and then in a secondary and more usual sense, the desire after the having more, is the more and so on
or more we have the more we want
Jimmy Engle
New Member
Psalm 51:12 - Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.
I believe that this is telling us the root of all evil/sin. Whenever we commit a sin, the thing that drove us to it such as lust is a symptom of a disease but not the disease. That is why this Psalm doesn't mention it. The symptoms of this disease is what I thought was the main issue but I realized it's not the main issue. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation...when we lose this joy or this gladness of our salvation we begin to do things that we know is wrong. We begin to place ourselves out from under the authority of God. It's not pride or lust or money or any other thing. I believe that the problem is that we lose our joy in our salvation and it leads to those things.
It seems to be the source of this falling away because when we do have joy in our salvation we overcome temptations with relative ease...do we not? Let me know what you guys think but I think this is the main issue this forgetting of our joy in what Christ has done for us.
I believe that this is telling us the root of all evil/sin. Whenever we commit a sin, the thing that drove us to it such as lust is a symptom of a disease but not the disease. That is why this Psalm doesn't mention it. The symptoms of this disease is what I thought was the main issue but I realized it's not the main issue. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation...when we lose this joy or this gladness of our salvation we begin to do things that we know is wrong. We begin to place ourselves out from under the authority of God. It's not pride or lust or money or any other thing. I believe that the problem is that we lose our joy in our salvation and it leads to those things.
It seems to be the source of this falling away because when we do have joy in our salvation we overcome temptations with relative ease...do we not? Let me know what you guys think but I think this is the main issue this forgetting of our joy in what Christ has done for us.
Miss Hepburn
Well-Known Member
Stumpmaster said:
Very observant of you.
...
And Nomad that was nice of you to show us those different Bible translations.
Thanks
Stumpmaster said:
No, there is nothing wrong with having favor with man. But SEEKING for it above seeking God and developing a personal and intimate relationship with Him is where we go wrong.
Favor with both God and man should be a by-product of seeking God's Kingdom first. We should not actively and intentionally be seeking for man's favor. If we are, it means we are looking for love and acceptance from man first, instead of God, who will truly satisfy and fulfill our need to be loved and accepted. When we seek admiration from man it means we are insecure and we have not learned to be satisfied with God's Love and Acceptance. Seek first the Kingdom of God (all these things will be automatically added to you), do not seek self-promotion, self-glorification, and 'your own little kingdom' !
Galatians 5: 26
"Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."
Philippians 2: 3 - 4
" Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."
WhiteKnuckle
New Member
- Mar 29, 2009
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I suspect the "intellectual" arguments about God are the root of unbelief. If a person doesn't WANT to believe (for whatever reason) they wont. But, just to be on the "safe side" they present and buy into all kinds of seeming intelligent arguments against faith of any kind.
Now let's look at the Love of Money that was addressed,, I believe it goes hand in hand with the above.
Does that mean that people who buy into (not physicaly purchase) intellectual theories and ideas that are against God, are doing so for more money? No,, but what's the root of the ideas? Who writes the books and why do they write the books? Those who come up with grand ideas and schemes against God (or any religion) do so for fame and fortune.
This makes the Root of the cause of the evil to be Money. If there were no money in it, there would be no one writing the books or giving speaches, and thus, no one would be "buying" into the theories. Not so much as no one, but fewer would've been available.
Now what else is the Love of money?
Pornography is the love of money. People that my view pornography may be poor, and not doing so for money. But, the people who make porn are in it for money. If there were no money in it, there would be no porn.
Politics is the love of money. Many people in politicians positions are there for money. If there were no money in it, there would be no politicians. Atleast there would be fewer. Some are decent politicians with well meaning hearts. However,, money is the root cause of all bad or good politics.
We can take this to work place politics also. If the higher up positions didn't pay more money, people wouldn't stab other people in the back to move up. If the pay were the same, then only those who were good would rise in rank.
So, it's not exactly the people who give patronige to these things that love money. The root of all these things is the love of money.
By someone loving money and producing a product to get more money and laying aside all morals, brings it to the general public in the form of tangeable goods, makes it the root of all kinds of evil.
Now let's look at ALL KINDS,,,, is every evil deed caused by the love of money? How about catching your wife or husband cheating and murdering them? How about the act of cheating on your spouse? What about homosexuality? What about violence? If you play Solitaire and you cheat?
How do we useualy use the phrase, "All kinds" ? When we say Wal-Mart has all kinds of things,, are we meaning to imply that Wal-Mart has EVERY KIND of things? No, we're meaning to say,,, "Wal-Mart has a bunch of stuff."
So, we can deduce that the love of money is the root of alot of kinds of evil. Love of money is the root cause of perpetual evil, and the cause of evil being produced in a marketable package to be distributed.
Now let's look at the Love of Money that was addressed,, I believe it goes hand in hand with the above.
Does that mean that people who buy into (not physicaly purchase) intellectual theories and ideas that are against God, are doing so for more money? No,, but what's the root of the ideas? Who writes the books and why do they write the books? Those who come up with grand ideas and schemes against God (or any religion) do so for fame and fortune.
This makes the Root of the cause of the evil to be Money. If there were no money in it, there would be no one writing the books or giving speaches, and thus, no one would be "buying" into the theories. Not so much as no one, but fewer would've been available.
Now what else is the Love of money?
Pornography is the love of money. People that my view pornography may be poor, and not doing so for money. But, the people who make porn are in it for money. If there were no money in it, there would be no porn.
Politics is the love of money. Many people in politicians positions are there for money. If there were no money in it, there would be no politicians. Atleast there would be fewer. Some are decent politicians with well meaning hearts. However,, money is the root cause of all bad or good politics.
We can take this to work place politics also. If the higher up positions didn't pay more money, people wouldn't stab other people in the back to move up. If the pay were the same, then only those who were good would rise in rank.
So, it's not exactly the people who give patronige to these things that love money. The root of all these things is the love of money.
By someone loving money and producing a product to get more money and laying aside all morals, brings it to the general public in the form of tangeable goods, makes it the root of all kinds of evil.
Now let's look at ALL KINDS,,,, is every evil deed caused by the love of money? How about catching your wife or husband cheating and murdering them? How about the act of cheating on your spouse? What about homosexuality? What about violence? If you play Solitaire and you cheat?
How do we useualy use the phrase, "All kinds" ? When we say Wal-Mart has all kinds of things,, are we meaning to imply that Wal-Mart has EVERY KIND of things? No, we're meaning to say,,, "Wal-Mart has a bunch of stuff."
So, we can deduce that the love of money is the root of alot of kinds of evil. Love of money is the root cause of perpetual evil, and the cause of evil being produced in a marketable package to be distributed.
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