{"id":1299,"date":"2018-11-15T11:26:41","date_gmt":"2018-11-15T19:26:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1299"},"modified":"2018-11-15T11:27:02","modified_gmt":"2018-11-15T19:27:02","slug":"1299","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1299","title":{"rendered":"Devotion 2 Corinthians 13:11 Truth And Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday (11-14-18) I posted this FB post:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Inline<\/p>\n

Steve Spivey and Jan Kain responded to this post and inspired me to write the below.<\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 13:11<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration,\u00a0encourage\u00a0one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.<\/i><\/p>\n

Everyone makes mistakes in life (1 John 1:8<\/b>\u00a0\u201cIf we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.\u201d<\/i>).\u00a0\u00a0But that doesn\u2019t mean they have to pay for them for the rest of their life.\u00a0 Sure, if you kill someone or do some horrendous crime, there are earthly consequences.\u00a0 Sometimes good people make bad choices.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t mean they are bad. If one regrets their sin, and turns from it, we are not to ostracize the one who has sinned, but to embrace them and help them, to love them. We don\u2019t excuse their sin, or our sin, by saying they, or we, are only human.\u00a0 However we must acknowledge that scripture does state that we will continue to sin as long as we are in these earthly bodies (Romans 14:14-25<\/b>).\u00a0 Yet we should not have the habit of sinning (Hebrews 10:26-27<\/b>), but a desire to resist sin and become increasingly Christ like.\u00a0 In\u00a0John 2:1<\/b>\u00a0we are clearly told not to sin but then, in the same verse, in the same breath, that if we do sin we have forgiveness through Jesus (and we all will continue to sin while on this earth).\u00a0 No-one in this life will walk a sinless life, the Lord will help us along that road. \u00a0It should be our goal, with the knowledge that we make mistakes and forgiveness is available to us through Jesus, as we repent and have faith in the works of person to cleanse us from the debt of that sin, to not sin.\u00a0 That is our goal as we yield to the work of the Holy Spirit within us.<\/p>\n

Steve, what you have said regarding the excuse sits very well with me.\u00a0 You know that when you speak I listen and consider.\u00a0 To me, what the above spoke to was not that sin should be taken lightly by the offender, or by us, but the consideration is what will be our response to someone who has sinned, then repented, and would like to not be held under the thumb of the world.\u00a0 Too often a person does wrong and then when they repent of the sin, no-one is willing to forgive and help them get beyond a past that they regret.\u00a0 Helping someone to move beyond a regretted past action to a changed life is what Jesus specialized in.\u00a0\u00a0 Since we are His disciples and we are to be like Him, then we are to carry on His mission.\u00a0 Jesus said that He came to\u00a0\u201cseek and save\u201d<\/i>\u00a0the lost.\u00a0 We are, as you know, to encourage and help each other.\u00a0\u00a0James 5:20<\/b>\u00a0\u201cremember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

For sure, what Jesus did was not to excuse the lost.\u00a0 Or to say to us \u201cYou are forgiven, after all you are only human.\u201d\u00a0 The Word clearly states that we are not to live in continuously sinning (Romans 6:1-2, 11-14<\/b>). \u00a0We are expected to turn from a life of rebellion against Jesus (continue in sinning).\u00a0 There is no excuse for that, not even \u201cbeing human.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus healed and forgave, but then He has said to the forgiven and healed to sin no more (John 8:11<\/b>).\u00a0 On November 8th<\/sup>, this year, I posted something speaking exactly to this (http:\/\/www.bob4god.com\/<\/a>) on the third paragraph down.\u00a0 In this post I wrote \u201cBeing human is a reason for our weakness, but not an excuse to continue in the weakness.\u201d\u00a0 The Bible certainly acknowledges that we live in corrupted bodies (Galatians 5:17, 19-21<\/b>), but also states we are to not live ruled by the flesh but by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16<\/b>).\u00a0 We must never excuse our sin but hate it and run away from it.\u00a0 So honestly, it is anathema to me for people who know the Lord to use the meaningless excuse \u201cI\u2019m only human.\u201d\u00a0 We are called rise above it.\u00a0 The Word is clear.\u00a0 So no-one should continue in sin but should instead fight against our sin nature and be led by the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 As Christians, we should call sin what it is, sin.\u00a0 But for what purpose?\u00a0 The purpose is to help people get their walk with Christ back on track, or on track.\u00a0 It is not for the reason of holding someone down, but to do so out of love, to, if they allow us, lovingly help them (Romans 15:5, 1 Corinthians 16:14, 2 Corinthians 13:11<\/b>).\u00a0 Just as Jesus did, and does, for all of us.<\/p>\n

Jan, I understand your heart, and that we are to forgive and help each other.\u00a0 I cannot agree more!\u00a0 Along with that we need to understand what kind of judging we are not to do, and what kind we are to do.\u00a0 Because we are definitely called, as believers and followers of God, to judge whether something is right or wrong and to respond to it accordingly.\u00a0 If we just look at something as basic as who is a believer and who is not, that is judgement.\u00a0 We are called to recognize who is and who is not and we are told that by their fruits we will know them.\u00a0 An example of Jesus telling us to judge what people do is in\u00a0Matthew 7:15<\/b>\u00a0in which Jesus tells us to\u00a0\u201cwatch out for false prophets.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 How are we to know if someone is a false prophet unless we judge whether what they do is right or wrong.\u00a0 If we continue to read on to\u00a0V20<\/b>we read that Jesus said\u00a0\u201cby their fruit you will recognize them.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 He is expressing that we should look at what people do and judge whether it is of God or not.\u00a0 In\u00a0V20<\/b>Jesus states that by their fruit (what they do) we will recognize who is doing what is right and who is not.<\/p>\n

Yet, we must look at the whole Word of God that has no contradictions, and understand how what is stated above is reconciled with a verse such as\u00a0Romans 14:4<\/b>\u201cWho are you to judge someone else\u2019s servant?\u00a0 To their own master, servants stand or fall\u2026\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 So, some may think we have a dilemma rectifying the Matthew verses with the verse here in Romans.\u00a0 Yet we need not worry.\u00a0 The Matthew verses states that we are definitely to judge whether what a person is doing is right or wrong.\u00a0 That and so many verses require us to do that.\u00a0 The Romans verse is telling us not judge whether someone will go to hell or to heaven.\u00a0 We are not to judge whether, at the end of one\u2019s lifetime, someone will go to heaven or hell.\u00a0 Only God knows that.\u00a0 What the position of our eternal soul will be is a matter between the individual and God only.\u00a0 Yet, be assured, that we can definitely tell one and all that unless we know Jesus as Savior and Lord, one will definitely go to Hell.\u00a0 The Word of God is clear about that (John 14:6, Acts 4:12<\/b>).<\/p>\n

So I agree with both of you, Steve and Jan.\u00a0 We are to judge the works of man, we are instructed to do that.\u00a0 We are not to judge whether someone will go to Heaven of Hell.\u00a0 Though we certainly can tell someone that unless they come to Jesus, they will go to Hell.\u00a0 See, we are not making that declaration, but rather just believing what the Bible has to say about it.\u00a0 Yes, we can, and must judge the works of man but we cannot make a determination of a person\u2019s final destiny.\u00a0 Only God knows that.<\/p>\n

This really is only a superficial response to the remarks of you both.\u00a0 To know why I posted this post please look at my response to Rick Holmes on this same post.\u00a0 I believe that this post is not excusing sinners, but is a call to lead them to the love of God in Jesus and not to cast them aside as so much trash.\u00a0 We need to help those who are in bondage to wrongdoing.\u00a0 We need to love them and help them as they will allow us to.\u00a0 If we don\u2019t love, we don\u2019t belong to God (1 John 4:8<\/b>).\u00a0 He calls us to not only recognize sin and to call it sin (as the Word states), but then to help the sinner.\u00a0 To use a true saying, we are called to \u201chate the sin (that destroys), but love the sinner.\u201d\u00a0 This should be our attitude to all.<\/p>\n

God has forgiven me of much.\u00a0 He did not cast me aside, but led me further and stronger into walking with Him.\u00a0 As the \u201cbody of Christ\u201d we are called to continue His work in helping others and each other.\u00a0 And that is to call sin what it is, sin.\u00a0 But not in a hateful way, but in a loving way with the true intention of helping them to draw closer to God.\u00a0 In this way we show that we are God\u2019s children whom love Him and also love each other.<\/p>\n

Of course books have been written on this subject.\u00a0 Truly, this is only barely touching the subject.\u00a0 However, I think that one can glean from what is here written what the Word states concerning calling sin, sin, and also that just as we are to name sin, we are to love and walk beside the sinner as we lead them to God, or back to God.\u00a0 Let us always be a shining example of God\u2019s righteousness and love.\u00a0 Both righteousness and love are inherent to the very person of God.\u00a0 Let us love both.<\/p>\n

Thank you both for your comments!\u00a0 God bless you both!<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.<\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday (11-14-18) I posted this FB post: \u00a0 Steve Spivey and Jan Kain responded to this post and inspired me to write the below. 2 Corinthians 13:11\u00a0–\u00a0Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration,\u00a0encourage\u00a0one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Everyone…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,129,1969,104,1700,100,101,94,17,10],"class_list":["post-1299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-corinthians","tag-galatians","tag-hebrews","tag-james","tag-john","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-psalm","tag-romans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1299"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1301,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299\/revisions\/1301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}