Ministry of Love

The intention of this blog is to share Biblical messages at least on a weekly basis. Any response is appreciated. I do not expect everyone to agree with my interpretation of Biblical passages. I will try to respond with love and thoughtfulness.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Musings: 08/01/09, We Are Free, But Thoughtful, by John.

We Are Free, But Thoughtful.

I've heard more than one person say, "Jesus freed me from sin! Now, nothing is sinful for me!" That is an old view. The translators of the King James Version of the Bible were familiar with it. It caused them to add the last ten words of Romans 8:4 to the verse one. They informed King James that their reason for doing that was that many would see verse one as a license to sin! Leaving those words off, 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." I can see how people might misunderstand verse one, but how can they apply verse one and not verse four? It says, "That righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." It is every Christian's character to fulfill the law by our new nature!

Romans 14:12 says, "So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." We need to remember that Romans is a letter to Christians designed to help us be the people God wants and expects us to be. Paul has just quoted Isaiah 45:23, and he based the statement in verse 12 on that Scripture.

Many of us when we read that verse, and this whole section of Romans, glide quickly over it. Perhaps we feel it doesn't really apply to us because we have been freed, and we are free in Jesus. We are, and that is even more reason to consider these verses very, very carefully. We won't be what God expects us to be unless we the character given here develops in us.

Christians, we do not and cannot exist in a vacuum! We must constantly be aware that whether we have advanced a lot, or just a little, there is always some other Christian weaker than we are. In I Peter 2:2,3 we read, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

In the Romans section we've mentioned, Paul tells us he thinks about those weaker brethren all the time. If eating meat is offensive to them, he will refrain from eating meat. I suspect he was talking of meat that may have been offered in sacrifice to idols and then sold in the market place, but he could have meant any meat at all, and he is careful to say, "Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food." (v. 20). Is he really talking about food? Or is he talking about anything that causes a brother or sister to fall away from God and into sin? I think the latter!

He also said we should stop passing judgment on one another and we should make up our minds not to place stumbling blocks in our brothers' paths! That's in verse 13. It is in the present tense because Paul knew Christians were already passing judgment on each other!

You see, being a Christian is far more than being saved from eternity in hell. It is being saved and fitted for eternity as God's Own children! We are expected to be like Jesus. I've not seen an artist's conception of Jesus' likeness that pleases me. I have no idea about his physical appearance other than what I've read in Psalm 53. That pictures Him as homely to say the least. I'm content to recognize that He is God, and that means He is now glorious! Does our Father expect us to be like Him when we arrive in heaven? I think so. That's one of the things the Holy Spirit is doing with us. It's what Paul was talking about in Galatians 5:22-25, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit , let us keep in step with the Spirit."

God's Spirit is fitting us for our presentation into the presence of our Heavenly Father. But there is a problem in my mind. Are we going to wait until the last minute to become the changed person God expects us to be? Don't you think He wants us to change now? Romans 8:27 urges us not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Do we grieve Him when we pay no attention to Him as He pricks our hearts to be like Jesus? I believe it does!

As a Christian, we are free, but we aren't free from the penalties imposed when we break human laws, and we are just as guilty when we refuse to be like Jesus. "WWD" What would Jesus do if He was here? Many use that as a guide, but He is here! The question is what should I do since Jesus is here, and the answer is, be like Him! If you don't know what He is like then read about Him in the Bible, and read what His disciples taught! Even that may not be completely efficient if we do not read the Bible with our minds and hearts open to receive God's truth through His Holy Spirit.

Ah, yes! We are free, but we must be thoughtful, constantly aware of the needs of those about us as
well as our own needs. We need to expect to be more like Jesus tomorrow than we were today! We need to be careful in our relationships with others not to put stumbling blocks in front of them, not to offend them by our actions, but to help them be the children God expects them to be!

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