Abiding in GOD's love of sending his son into our midst to take away our sins is a day-to-day, moment-to-moment task. When we realize from where we have fallen (the garden), and place our confidence in what GOD has done to restore that fellowship, that is the most important love and work. Treating others as we would like to be treated is justice; so is being merciful to them.JB_ said:Do you think there might be more to loving God than just our first response?
Also, how could we demonstrate God's love to our fellow brethren and indeed our neighbour?
The Moral Law not Abrogated by Christ to Believers
- Thread starter JB_Reformed Baptist
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We love God by walking in the Spirit and obeying His voice to us PERSONALLY. This is how we know Him and He knows us. That word "know" is speaking of an "intimate relationship" with Him, for even the demons "know of" Him (but they do not DO HIS WILL, which is knowing Him intimately).JB_ said:Beautiful.
Christianity is not about morality, it is about Jesus Christ and His life in us and living by that life (abiding in Him) and following His voice for we know His voice and another (morality) we will not follow.
Loving God is doing His revealed will spoken to us by the Spirit and not our will.
The Bible is not a rule book that we follow. We don't codify it and make systematic theological "moral" systems of thought.
If we lived according to a "moral code" instead of by His life, then we would be judged according to how we fulfilled the moral code instead of being judged on "knowing Him" (obeying the voice of the Spirit). He says to the foolish virgins and the man in Matthew 7, "I don't KNOW YOU".
It is not for us to judge how our brother is fulfilling God's will for their own lives. We can only know whether they are bearing the fruit of the Spirit or not which is produced by abiding in Christ. We cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit, only the vine can.
If we love Him, we will obey Him. People think this means (and they judge others by it), their version of EVERYTHING the Bible says. But, it means His spoken word to our hearts (which will not conflict with Scripture, but will conflict with some people's understanding of Scripture). But only the Holy Spirit knows how to lead each man, INDIVIDUALLY.
Why do you think we have been given the Spirit? So that we can know Him and be led by Him.
John 21:21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
John 21:22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Just as Peter is not to worry about how others follow Jesus or scrutinize their walk, we are not to. Just FOLLOW JESUS.
We are not equipped to judge others since the Christian life is a life of grace, also and people are growing in Christ and maturing and consequently at many different levels. When you judge, you fall out of walking in love because you are not equipped to judge another man's heart.
Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Axehead
Very flowery my friend. Can't say it helps very much at all. Waxing 'spiritual' is fine IF we use the words of the SPIRIT of GOD. But how would you help a brother in need, if you cannot council with specific advice according to the word of God?Axehead said:
What will all your sentimental and emotional appeal profit.... it's the equivalent of saying God bless you my friend, notwithstanding his immediate need. James 2:16 [SIZE=.75em]16 [/SIZE]and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; stay warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not give them what their body &/or soul needs, what good is that?
Besides friend, apart from a few passages of scripture what would the rest be useful for, if not then to consult how we are to think, act and be.
Ok.ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
What if we don't have a clear understanding on what it means to love ourselves properly and hence end up mistreating(biblically) others? Where do we source our understanding from when it comes to the above_self love= other love, if not the bible. If the bible then surely it's not only the Spirit of God but the commandments of God as well. After all we're not zombies and the pastors are instructed to TEACH. Where if not the Holy scriptures.
To treat others like you would like to be treated, IMO, means to avoid treating others like you don't want to be treated.JB_ said:Ok.
Where do we source our understanding from when it comes to the above_self love= other love, if not the bible. If the bible then surely it's not only the Spirit of God but the commandments of God as well. After all we're not zombies and the pastors are instructed to TEACH. Where if not the Holy scriptures.
Therefore in all things, whatever you want that people should do to you, thus also you do to them. For this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12
What is it you are objecting to? To be an effective counselor and brother for someone "in need", one must hear the voice of the Spirit for that person. Ten people with the same stronghold in them, came by it 10 different ways and may have 10 different roots that need to be dealt with. One must be a good listener of men and a good listener of the Holy Spirit in order to be an effective minister to others. We don't turn our Bible into a Rolodex of answers to minister. "Turn here for alcoholism, turn to this page for adultery, turn to this page for fear, etc, etc.JB_ said:
And why start with other brothers? Should we not start with you? You are displaying a mocking and condescending spirit. What is the root of that? Where did it come from? Why did it rise up out of you. Certainly, it wasn't my "flowery" message. You could not point out anything that was wrong so you resorted to denigration and mockery because there was something about it that you did not like. Do you even know why you did not like what I wrote which led you to mock and denigrate it? I do believe we should start with you, brother, for you seem to be a brother in need.
ChristRosefromtheDead has it right. Treat others how you would like them to treat you? Is there not a message in that from CRFTD to you?
The Holy Spirit does bring scriptures to my remembrance and gives me wisdom from His word and He will quicken my mind and spirit with the words I need to minister to someone. I do not go into a ministry with someone with premeditated things to say. I want to treat them as the individual they are and listen to their heart and at the same time to be open to the voice of the Spirit and not just give them some general spiritual guidelines that carnal counselors give out from their spiritual answers rolodex.
If I lean upon my own understanding, how would I be open to the gift of knowledge or word of wisdom from the Lord? I would not be. I would already have my agenda all set and my counseling notes ready to go. You know what I mean, don't you? Or do you not? Have you never heard the voice of the Spirit or had Him drop a word of knowledge in your spirit for the person you were ministering to?
What if Jesus took His spiritual rolodex book of answers to the woman at the well? And just laid out for her how to stop getting divorced and marrying so many men? Would He have missed the mark? Did He miss the mark? No, He did not. He ministered to her very effectively. Do you think the Spirit of God wants to continue to use men to effectively minister to others or just give them general guidelines that they could follow and that might work for their situation?
Axehead
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