The Walk Per Day

WebersHome

Well-Known Member
Supporter
May 7, 2017
2,140
460
Oregon
✟368,343.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
-
501) 1John 3:18 . . My little children, let us not love only in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

What is truth? (John 18:38)

Pilate's question was meaningful in his day because ancient philosophers perpetually discussed and debated the nature of truth without ever achieving a universal agreement about it.

Well; one of Webster's definitions of "truth" is: a state of being the case; viz: fact; which Webster's defines as the quality of being actual. In other words: truth is the way it is; viz: truth is reality as opposed to speculation, fantasy, opinion, deception, falsehood, error, inaccuracy, inexactness, dishonesty, sophistry, theory, imagination, invention, misrepresentation, and half-truth, etc.

The trick to loving in truth is first of all knowing the truth.

I was once asked by an atheist why Christians need so many rules when their whole religion is summed up by just one: the Golden Rule.

Well, the world's idea of the so-called golden rule is one thing; which may not may not conform to God's idea; hence the following commandment.

Rom 12:2 . . Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

There are no short-cuts to the truth. The good path is according to Eph 4:11-15; viz: by teachers and preachers. I do not recommend the self taught route. People who go that way usually end up with disinformation lodged in their heads that is not easily corrected. Beware.

2Pet 3:16 . .Some of Paul's comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters around to mean something quite different from what he meant, just as they do the other parts of Scripture-- and the result is disaster for them.

Anyway, point being: love in accordance with truth may at times seem very unloving to the world because it doesn't know the truth, nor does it care to know. I think a fair percentage of the world would agree with Pilate that truth is uncertain and unknowable.

/
 
Upvote 0

WebersHome

Well-Known Member
Supporter
May 7, 2017
2,140
460
Oregon
✟368,343.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
-
502) 1John 4:1 . . Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

The koiné Greek word for "spirits" is pneuma (pnyoo'-mah) which means, among other things; a current of air; viz: winds and breezes. Probably what John is talking about are influences; which range anywhere from celebrities and astrological horoscopes to popular singers and musicians; with philosophers, poets, and pulpit pounders being somewhere in the middle.

The common Greek word translated "prophet" is prophetes (prof-ay'-tace) which essentially identifies a foreteller; i.e. someone who can predict the future. But it also applies to inspired speakers as per Eph 4:11-15.

Abraham was a prophet (Gen 20:7). Though Abraham saw the future (e.g. John 8:56) there's no record of him foretelling it; but there's evidence enough to believe that he was at least an inspired speaker. (Gen 18:19)

The problem with testing speakers is that there exists no universal standard for doing it. The testing of inches, meters, yards, centimeters, cups, and teaspoons is easy because we have universal standards for those measurements that everybody goes by. But in regards to doctrine; really all that most Christians have to go by are the standards of their own denomination. In other words: truth for a Catholic is whatever Rome says it is, while truth for a Mormon is whatever Joseph Smith and/or Brigham Young say it is; while truth for a Jehovah's Witness is whatever the Watch Tower Society says it is; and truth for a Baptist is whatever their Baptist minister says it is.

So then, truth among Christians is typically proprietary truth rather than standard truth; so good luck testing the spirits seeing as how even your own spiritual influences are suspect.

I personally believe the Bible to be an independent, non-proprietary source of truth. So then, if I were to put a Bible in your hands, could you use it as a sort of sacred Geiger counter to test the winds of religious thought? No; you couldn't; and that's because there are any number of ways to interpret the Bible; and whose to say that their way is the one that's infallible and speaking for God ex cathedra?

Jesus said that false prophets are known by their fruits (Matt 7:15-20). But there again, not everyone is qualified to be a fruit inspector, so good luck with that.

503) 1John 4:20-21 . . If someone says "I love God," and hates his brother, he's a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.


NOTE: The commandment referenced is located at John 13:34

The Greek word for "love" throughout 1John 4:20-21 is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which is an indistinct word for love that may or may not include affection and fondness; but it certainly includes things like civility, courtesy, generosity, lenience, tolerance, charity, kindness, patience, forgiveness, diplomacy, humility, hospitality, sympathy, respect, tact, etc.

I think that what John is trying to get across is that inconsiderate treatment of The Father's children betrays one's lack of consideration for a father's feelings; which is the behavior of a churlish Christian rather than a spiritual Christian.

/
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

WebersHome

Well-Known Member
Supporter
May 7, 2017
2,140
460
Oregon
✟368,343.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
-
504) 1John 5:16-17 . . If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

The most common sins unto death are those classified as capital crimes; viz: those for which the death penalty is the right thing to do. It would be a miscarriage of justice to pray somebody out of that jam. If the courts and the laws of the land have decided that they must die; then they must die; and that's that.

If a fellow believer is on death row for a capital offense; it's best to stay out of it and let God and the courts handle it. Christians on death row should be encouraged to man-up (or woman-up, as the case may be) and face the music rather than expect sympathy from either their church or their Christian friends. Christians who pray for the release of believers on death row for capital crimes are not only attempting to obstruct justice, but also in shameful rebellion against Almighty God's sovereign wishes.

Rom 13:3-4 . . For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

505) 1John 5:21 . . Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

The "little children" within the context of John's epistle has no reference to John Q and Jane Doe pew warmers. It specifically addresses a special class of Christians in the present possession of eternal life.

1John 5:13 . . I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

So then, it should go without saying that people lacking eternal life are not believers; no, they are disbelievers no matter what their denominational affiliation nor what church they attend.

The koiné Greek word for "idols" is eidolon (i'-do-lon) which means: an image (for worship) viz: by implication, a heathen god.

Religious art such as paintings and sculptures don't really qualify as idols until somebody gets a little too carried away; for example:

There's a statue of Ste. Peter in Rome whose big toe has been eroded over the years by the lips of people kissing it. I would have to say that easily qualifies as idolatry. I've no objection to paintings, statues, and stained glass, but when people kneel to, pray to, speak to, and/or kiss those items, then I believe they've trespassed into forbidden territory, and broken the very first of the Ten Commandments.

Deut 4:15-16 . . Be strictly on your guard not to act corruptly by fashioning an idol for yourselves to represent any figure, whether it be the form of a man or of a woman

Using that as a guideline, I would have to say that praying to, and/or looking to, patron saints for providence and protection easily qualifies as both polytheism and idolatry; as well as marginalizes God and diminishes one's affections for Him. If somebody loves The Lord their God with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and all their strength, as per Mark 12:30, there will be nothing left for patron saints, artworks and/or statuary; and so idolatry would never be an issue.

Rom 1:22 . .While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man

1Thes 5:21-22 . . Test everything; retain what is good; refrain from every kind of evil.


NOTE: Idolatry back in Paul's day oftentimes included immoral activities with temple prostitutes. We sure wouldn't want Christ's believing followers involved in that sort of thing.

1Cor 6:15-18 . . Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." But he who unites himself with The Lord is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

/
 
Upvote 0

WebersHome

Well-Known Member
Supporter
May 7, 2017
2,140
460
Oregon
✟368,343.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
-
506) 2John 1:5-6 . . And now I beseech you, lady, not as writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

The precise identity of the "lady" of this epistle is impossible to know for sure. Some have construed it to be The Lord's mom, and yet others as a local church to which John mailed his letter, while others believe it refers to the church as per Matt 16:18. I tend to think it was a local church since 2John 1:13 indicates the lady had a sister; viz: a sister church.

The first of the two loves in the passage is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which is a verb. The second love is agape (ag-ah'-pay) which is a noun. Neither of those two words specifically refer to either affection or fondness.

Things like courtesy, generosity, loyalty, sympathy, kindness, civility, and charity can all be extended to one's fellow Christians without especially liking them; in point of fact, we may even wholly despise them with every fiber of our being. But we dare not allow our low opinion to dictate how we treat them.

Anyway, the bottom line is: though Christians obsess and chirp about love till the cows come home, the bald fact is that if they are not complying with Christ's commandments in their association with other believers, then as persons they have little to commend them.


NOTE: Christianity is a very practical religion. It not only brings sinners into a right relationship with their creator, but it also makes them better people; viz: makes them more humane.

507) 2John 1:8 . .Watch yourselves, that we might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

The koiné Greek word for "lose" is apollumi (ap-ol'-loo-mee) which doesn't mean to lose as if stolen or misplaced, but rather, it means to lose something by its destruction like when people's homes were demolished in New Orleans by the hurricane Katrina.

Apparently it's okay if your successor wrecks what you've accomplished in The Lord because that will be on their head. Just make sure you yourself don't do anything to wreck it; and it doesn't really take all that much: a little adultery, a little immorality, a little fraud, a little embezzling, a little dishonesty, a little abuse of power, a little hypocrisy, a little dereliction of duty, a failure to honor promises and commitments; et al.

Take for example Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He started off as an okay Christian man ordained to serve Jesus Christ, and then deserted the sheep that Christ entrusted to his care and diverted his energies to political activism. King's pastoral work went abandoned and neglected; and he cheated on his wife too.

Moral of the story is: nobody is twisting anybody's arm to commit to serving Jesus Christ; but once the commitment is made: then they'd do well to stay the course and not get distracted.

Luke 9:62 . . No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.

2Tim 2:4 . . As Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army.

Two things that Christ and his Father value very highly are integrity and loyalty. When those are someone's guiding lights; the likelihood of their bottom line with God showing a profit, instead of a loss, is greatly improved.

/
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

WebersHome

Well-Known Member
Supporter
May 7, 2017
2,140
460
Oregon
✟368,343.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
-
508) 2John 1:10-11 . . If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

The greeting in view is the holy kiss mentioned in Rom 16:16, 1Cor 16:20, 2Cor 3:12, 1Thess 5:26, and 1Pet 5 :14. The holy kiss is reserved for brethren, not for outsiders.

Some have construed 2John 1:10-11 to mean believers are forbidden to respond to a knock on their door by Latter Day Saints and Jehovah's witnesses, or invite them in for a chat. That's not really what John's saying.

In his day, missionaries were put up in people's homes during their travels; thus assisting them in their mission. So then, if you greet cultists as brethren, and/or put them up for the night, or assist them in any way to accomplish their mission, then you become an accomplice and assist the Devil to reap souls for the wrong place; and that includes buying flowers from Moonies.

509) 3John 1:5-8 . . Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellow helpers to the truth.

The "Gentiles" in this instance can be considered, for all intents and purposes, unbelievers because that's what most of the non-Israelites were in the Roman world of that day.

Paul and his contemporaries did not stoop to the despicable practice of selling tickets to their meetings, and/or passing the hat among the crowds that gathered to hear them. God forbid! No, just as the Old Testament's priests were supported by their constituents, so Christ prefers to draw support from his own rather than from strangers.

510) 3John 11-12 . . Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

The "one who does evil" refers is a believer who walks in the flesh rather than in the Spirit. In other words, they habitually give in to the base nature instead of resisting it.

For now, it isn't possible to literally feast your glims on the actual person of the Bible's God. But what John's saying is that believers who do evil are somehow unaware who they're dealing with. I think one of the more serious temptations is for Christians to take God for granted; and to forget that first and foremost the Bible's God is a monarch who does not tolerate insurrection in His kingdom. He may be your Father, but He's still your sovereign too.

Mal 1:6 . . A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?

1Pet 1:17 . . And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

The koiné Greek word for "fear" in that verse is phobos (fob'-os) which means: alarm or fright. In other words: a little theophobia goes a long ways towards giving God the degree of respect He not only wants; but also fully deserves. If it's unwise to trifle with rattlesnakes, high voltage electrical wires, arsenic, and IRS audits; then surely it's agreeable that it's just as unwise to trifle with God.

Inquiring minds can "see" God on the pages of holy writ by means of The Lord's personal tutoring.

Matt 11:27 . . No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son: and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

So then, a believer who's lazy at Bible study, and/or indifferent to complying with Christ's commandments, will fail to see God, and subsequently, they will fail to imitate Him simply because they don't know enough about their Father in order to utilize Him as a role model.

Eph 5:1 . .Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children

/
 
Upvote 0

WebersHome

Well-Known Member
Supporter
May 7, 2017
2,140
460
Oregon
✟368,343.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
-
511) Jude 1:3 . . Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

The koiné Greek word for "contend earnestly" is epagonizomai (ep-ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee) which means: to struggle for

Webster's defines "struggle" as:

1• to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition.

2• to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition

3• to proceed with difficulty or with great effort

Some example that Webster's gives for struggle are:

• He has been struggling with the problem of how to keep good workers from leaving.

• They struggled for the right to vote.

• She struggled up the hill through the snow.

• She struggled to lift the package by herself, but it was too heavy.

• He struggled to get free of the wreckage.

• He's been struggling in math class for most of the year.

• The team has continued to struggle in recent weeks.

• He was living as a struggling artist in the city.

Given the peace-loving nature of true, God-given Christianity, I seriously doubt that Jude means Christians should get involved in political activism, civil disobedience and/or inquisitions and crusades. So, then, I would say that struggling for the faith means doing everything in one's power to keep the faith of one's own church from being suppressed and/or crushed to death by people with ideas; for example:

Jude 1:4 . . For certain men, whose condemnation was written about long ago, have covertly slipped in among you. These are irreverent men, who pervert the grace of our God as a license for unethical conduct; and contradict Jesus Christ, our only Sovereign and Lord.

These kinds of people get on staff covertly, which means at first they look genuine, but it's only a matter of time before they show their true colors. The Ephesian church is a prime New Testament example of spiritual decay. When Paul said his farewells to that at-one-time shining beacon for Christ; here is what he predicted.

Acts 20:17-31 . . And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them:

. . .Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among your own selves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

Paul's prediction came true. By the time of The Lord's evaluation of the Ephesian church in Rev 2:1-7, they had become cheap goods.

When the faith of a church becomes as hollow as the one at Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22) nothing short of a wipe can save it. The whole staff has to go; every last one of them from the senior pastor on down; and don't forget the membership committee. Why? Because they are typically interested only in numbers; not believers; I've seen it.

When applying for membership in a mega church in San Diego some years ago, I had to meet three prerequisites. First off, I had to attend the Pastor's class for candidates. Then I had to make a profession of faith and undergo water baptism. And then finally, I had to be interviewed by the membership committee. For that, I was herded into a room with three other candidates and asked to explain how I came to know The Lord.

I have an excellent testimony in that regard but the other three in the room with me were so vague and generalizing that I thought for sure they would be rejected; but no, they were given the right hand of fellowship same as me. Right then and there I knew that church was infested with irreverent men. That membership committee was just too accommodating-- the interview wasn't meaningful at all; it was just a formality. At that point in a church's life, the life of its faith has been over from some time and nobody on the inside knows it; like a frog boiled to death by starting out with cold water.

Jude isn't saying you should make an effort to revive the faith of a hollow church; he's only saying you should take a serious interest in preventing the faith of your church from becoming a husk.

According to 1Cor 3:6-9, churches are like farmland. Without proper husbandry, crops fail to produce and the land risks becoming fallow.

Heb 6:7-8 . . For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

/
 
Upvote 0

WebersHome

Well-Known Member
Supporter
May 7, 2017
2,140
460
Oregon
✟368,343.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
-
512) Jude 1:20-21 . . But you, beloved-- building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit --keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

"keep yourselves in the love of God" is somewhat vague. It can indicate God's love for the believer, and/or it can indicate the believer's love for God. I tend to suspect it's both because Jesus said:

"If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15)

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him" (John 14:21)

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." (John 15:9-10)

The Greek word translated "keep" is very ambiguous. One of it's meanings refers to safe-guarding and/or protecting so as to prevent loss.

It's impossible for a believer to stop God from caring for them, but by their conduct they can, and they often do, make it difficult for Him to actually like them.

Prayer in the Holy Spirit simply means to communicate with heaven via God's given method rather than one's own, or a method prescribed by one's denomination; i.e. man-made methods. The protocol has to be God-given or else your thoughts will just bounce off heaven's door like popcorn off the side of a brick house.

The mercy spoken of is one's resurrection to a permanent, immortal body; which is something that Jude says them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ and called should anticipate, viz: not just wish for, but instead fully expect. (Phil 3:20-21, 1John 3:2-3)

513) Jude 1:22-23 . . On some have compassion, making a distinction; but others rescue with fright, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

Some Christians are offended by fright because it violates their concept of love. But fright can be a good thing if it's applied judiciously. For instance: it is just as wise to be afraid of God as it is wise to be afraid of cactus spines, a mule's kick, and/or a forest fire.

Christians neglecting to build themselves up on their most holy faith, to pray in the Holy Spirit, to keep themselves in the love of God, and to look for the mercy of their Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life; are seriously off-reservation. Some are so far off-reservation that somebody needs to get in their face and confront them about their condition, even if it means becoming harsh, insensitive, and judgmental because stray Christians are also away from God's providence; and that is a very risky situation to be in.

Some off-reservation Christians can be stopped from destroying themselves; while others are too far gone. Of those with possibilities, counselors have to use a little God-given common sense as it isn't necessary to employ fright with everyone-- just the ones who are particularly difficult. Some people can be reasoned with, while others only understand fear and can be persuaded to move in the right direction only by literally lighting a fire under them.

514) Rev 14:6-7 . . And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the everlasting gospel to preach to the people who dwell on the earth-- to every nation, tribe, language, and people. Fear God! he shouted. Give glory to Him! For the time has come when He will sit as judge. Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all the springs of water!

The everlasting gospel is very elementary. Pretty much all it says is:

1• There's a supreme being.

2• He deserves respect.

3• There's a frightful reckoning looming on the horizon, and

4• The cosmos-- all of its forms of life, matter, and energy --is the product of intelligent design.

Giving "glory" to God simply indicates giving someone credit where credit is due; and "worship" basically just simply means admiration. People who disbelieve intelligent design of course do neither.

The everlasting gospel's points are as valid in our day as they will be in the days ahead; viz: the everlasting gospel is timeless.

-- The End --

/
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0