I would like to ask all reading or contributing to this discussion to consider something.
This is a post about salvation and sin, and if a lost person came here and read each post here, and tried to make sense of it all, their heads would explode, lol.
We are like the builders of the Tower of Babel, each one speaking the truth as they understand it, unable to hear the truths spoken by those dissenting as if they were speaking another language altogether. Each side are found digging in their heels as to what is truth, each clinging to their pet scriptures and understanding and totally ignoring or explaining away the scriptures put forth by those of another persuasion.
This alone should be a red flag to us, especially when it comes to the importance of sin and salvation, two of the key building blocks of our Christian faith.
But there is a far deeper problem revealed here. You see, when a seeker comes on this site and reads what has been written on posts such as this one, they have heard that Christianity is about love and His disciples, as reflections of Christ living inside them, are to be found bearing fruits and to love one another, even those who see things differently. Yet, if I am honest, I do not think this to be the case, and the truth is that, more often than not, I simply do not feel tears flow and loving concern given when most posters defend their position as THE truth.
Jesus said that the two great commandments were to love God with all that is within us and to love one another as Christ loved us. As to the first one, one post on this thread tells us that loving God with our whole heart is impossible. But how many there are who have inwardly concluded the same thing and thus given up seeking to become living sacrifices, and to be made fully obedient to the Spirit within us?
As to the second, He goes as far as to tell us that His truth will be manifested to a lost world by our love for one another. Above all else, this will be our "identification badge" as to whether we are really His disciples, amen? In the book of Acts, men in the world were amazed by the saints in the early church, and would exclaim "Behold how they love one another!" We do not hear that much today, do we? This fact should bother us to no end. The fact that it does not should bother us even more.
We are instructed to be patient and kind, lowly and forgiving one another, esteeming others more than ourselves, for this is how our savior is with us. And yet, in post after post, posters are more interested in proving their viewpoint is right, and often belittling, attacking or accusing those who dare to disagree with them. They excuse this as 'iron sharpening iron', but the truth is we often use our sharpened swords to slice and dice our very brothers and sisters in Christ, rather than pray that God opens all of our eyes as to how to be fruitful and Christ-like.
Combine these two facts, and we have a church that may profess the truth, but does not possess it.... or more accurately, is not possessed by it. God is about to change all that, but is waiting for us to admit our great lack so we can look to Him in faith to do what He promised to do for us, deliver us from the power of darkness found in our old natures.
If our response is to dig in our heels and rally around OUR understanding of scriptures, excusing our lack of love as simply our 'humanness, since no one is perfect' while there is scant little fruit to back up our assertions, are we not like the saints in Laodecia who said they had need of nothing?
But God is even now beginning to bring about something wonderful, a church seeking HIS will first and foremost. A church hungry not just for forgiveness but longing to abide in the vine, where we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh and instead bear much fruit that draws others to our Jesus.
May God open our hearts to our lack, so that we can look away from us, and OUR opinions, and see how deep the grace of God actually goes. He will..... WILL.... change us into His image if we yield completely and cry out to Him to believe His promise to cause us to walk as His love-filled, obedient children.
A harvest awaits, the greatest in all of history. And what will be the key to this amazing event?
"... and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall be sanctified IN YOU before their very eyes."
Ezekiel 36
This end times awakening is OUR heritage, OUR birthright, OUR destiny. We may drag our heels a bit, lol, but make no mistake, we are going to witness.... and be a part of.... something gloriously amazing. A church that fully reflects Jesus in every single saint.
blessings,
Gideon
