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Galatians 6:5 says that each will have to bear his own load. That is, under God you are responsible for your own actions. Under God you don’t deflect blame onto others that you have deserved by your own actions. In any situation you have a choice in the matter. ‘He told me to do it’ is not a defense under God if what you were told to do is contrary to His Commandments and their associated Teachings which are expressed in the Bible. As it says in 2 Timothy 3:16, all Scripture is breathed out by God for our training, reproof, teaching and correction in righteousness.
We all have a choice in any situation. We may be told to ‘Do this, or else.’ Do this, or your family suffers. In a more disguised form, we may be told ‘Listen to me. What have you got to lose?’ You may have felt you are at the end of your rope, and along comes someone who tells you, ‘Listen to me, and you will be respected by others who know who I am.’ And then that person proceeds to tell you to do things that are contrary to the teachings of the Bible.
That person may say, “I will keep foreigners out for your benefit,’ even though Leviticus 19:34 says to love strangers as you would love yourself since your kind were strangers in the land of Egypt. In that regard, we are connected to that Egypt either by lineage or by inheritance, since Galatians 3:29 says that if you are Christ’s then you are heirs according to God’s Promise given to Abraham, the promise of fruitfulness and abundance.
The Promise given to Abraham evolved into the Covenant given to the Hebrews from when they departed Egypt as a free people rather than as slaves. But also, God reminded the Hebrews that their forefathers were strangers in Egypt at a time of great famine, but those forefathers, denoted by Jacob and his twelve sons, were provided for under a Pharaoh that preceded the one that enslaved their future offspring. And the Law of Leviticus 19:34 became part of Jesus’ commandment to love thy neighbor as thyself.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “[T]he time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching [of the Scriptures], but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” The time is not only here, it’s been here for quite a while. But what makes it upsetting is that in at least one country who has proclaimed itself to be a nation “under God,” many people have turned away from the teachings of the Scriptures to follow those, even those who say ‘Lord, Lord’ but do not do God’s Will.
Yes, they will tell their newbie followers, ‘We believe in God. You can see us in church. You can see how smartly dressed we are, and if you follow us then all your problems will go away.’ And those followers believe them, for, as their leader told them, ‘What do you have to lose?’
What do they have to lose? Considering those they follow don’t have God in heart, they lose God’s blessings and the promise of eternal life He gives to those who abide by Him. To those who feel they have nothing to lose because they may feel they were ignored or shortchanged by others, they lose the Blessing God gives to those who are poor in spirit. For those who feel powerless to make something of themselves, they lose the Blessing God gives to those who are meek, and they lose the inheritance of the earth that God promises to them. To those who show no mercy to others, who may be worse off than they are, they lose God’s mercy. To those who have lost their heart in their misery, they lose God’s Blessing He gives to those who maintain their heart in a righteous manner in spite of the adversity they may encounter. To those who are inclined to cause strife with others, they lose God’s Blessing for those who seek to co-exist peacefully. So, to those who ignore sound teaching, they have a lot to lose if they turn to those who EVADE sound teaching.
Lord Jesus is the most righteous among us. While he was in the flesh, he was tempted by Satan in Matthew 4:8-10 to forsake God and worship Satan, and in exchange he would receive all the kingdoms of the world. Satan said to Jesus, in effect, ‘Look what you have to gain.’ That’s quite a temptation, is it not, to rule over everything on earth? How does Jesus respond to Satan? He says, in Verse 10, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
What would you do if you were given the same offer? Would you forsake the Lord and go with Satan? Yet, some people nowadays have forsaken the Lord in exchange for a lot less it seems, and for things which don’t serve God’s purpose. God’s purpose isn’t served by being hostile to strangers. God’s purpose isn’t served by refusing to help those who are more needy than you. God’s purpose isn’t served by shortchanging others for your own gain. God’s purpose isn’t served by blaming others for your woes, or for your actions or shortcomings.
Each of us are accountable for our own actions. And if we truly love God through Lord Jesus, we will keep his commandments, learning to abide by them to be eligible for the Promise He’s made to those who believe in Him.
We all have a choice in any situation. We may be told to ‘Do this, or else.’ Do this, or your family suffers. In a more disguised form, we may be told ‘Listen to me. What have you got to lose?’ You may have felt you are at the end of your rope, and along comes someone who tells you, ‘Listen to me, and you will be respected by others who know who I am.’ And then that person proceeds to tell you to do things that are contrary to the teachings of the Bible.
That person may say, “I will keep foreigners out for your benefit,’ even though Leviticus 19:34 says to love strangers as you would love yourself since your kind were strangers in the land of Egypt. In that regard, we are connected to that Egypt either by lineage or by inheritance, since Galatians 3:29 says that if you are Christ’s then you are heirs according to God’s Promise given to Abraham, the promise of fruitfulness and abundance.
The Promise given to Abraham evolved into the Covenant given to the Hebrews from when they departed Egypt as a free people rather than as slaves. But also, God reminded the Hebrews that their forefathers were strangers in Egypt at a time of great famine, but those forefathers, denoted by Jacob and his twelve sons, were provided for under a Pharaoh that preceded the one that enslaved their future offspring. And the Law of Leviticus 19:34 became part of Jesus’ commandment to love thy neighbor as thyself.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “[T]he time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching [of the Scriptures], but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” The time is not only here, it’s been here for quite a while. But what makes it upsetting is that in at least one country who has proclaimed itself to be a nation “under God,” many people have turned away from the teachings of the Scriptures to follow those, even those who say ‘Lord, Lord’ but do not do God’s Will.
Yes, they will tell their newbie followers, ‘We believe in God. You can see us in church. You can see how smartly dressed we are, and if you follow us then all your problems will go away.’ And those followers believe them, for, as their leader told them, ‘What do you have to lose?’
What do they have to lose? Considering those they follow don’t have God in heart, they lose God’s blessings and the promise of eternal life He gives to those who abide by Him. To those who feel they have nothing to lose because they may feel they were ignored or shortchanged by others, they lose the Blessing God gives to those who are poor in spirit. For those who feel powerless to make something of themselves, they lose the Blessing God gives to those who are meek, and they lose the inheritance of the earth that God promises to them. To those who show no mercy to others, who may be worse off than they are, they lose God’s mercy. To those who have lost their heart in their misery, they lose God’s Blessing He gives to those who maintain their heart in a righteous manner in spite of the adversity they may encounter. To those who are inclined to cause strife with others, they lose God’s Blessing for those who seek to co-exist peacefully. So, to those who ignore sound teaching, they have a lot to lose if they turn to those who EVADE sound teaching.
Lord Jesus is the most righteous among us. While he was in the flesh, he was tempted by Satan in Matthew 4:8-10 to forsake God and worship Satan, and in exchange he would receive all the kingdoms of the world. Satan said to Jesus, in effect, ‘Look what you have to gain.’ That’s quite a temptation, is it not, to rule over everything on earth? How does Jesus respond to Satan? He says, in Verse 10, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
What would you do if you were given the same offer? Would you forsake the Lord and go with Satan? Yet, some people nowadays have forsaken the Lord in exchange for a lot less it seems, and for things which don’t serve God’s purpose. God’s purpose isn’t served by being hostile to strangers. God’s purpose isn’t served by refusing to help those who are more needy than you. God’s purpose isn’t served by shortchanging others for your own gain. God’s purpose isn’t served by blaming others for your woes, or for your actions or shortcomings.
Each of us are accountable for our own actions. And if we truly love God through Lord Jesus, we will keep his commandments, learning to abide by them to be eligible for the Promise He’s made to those who believe in Him.
