Colin A Gyles » Word of God

Are you truly harmless?

Colin — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:30:18 +0000

Are You Harmless? (Summary)

All righteousness is summed up in love to God and love to our fellowmen. Love to our fellowmen is the most observable evidence of righteousness, but this love includes not only doing good works but also being harmless towards friends and enemies alike. Jesus was harmless. He has commanded His followers to be harmless. Jesus is the “express image” of His Father’s person. Therefore, the Father is harmless as Jesus portrayed Him. It is a part of the Devil’s misrepresentation of God to make out that the Father is an austere and stern individual who is hard to please and who punishes severely for the slightest mistake.

Quite the opposite, in His presence is fullness of joy. It is our separation from God by our voluntary choice that leaves us in distress and vulnerable to many evils. Those who will truly represent God in the latter days will be sealed with God’s character. Therefore, if we would be sealed we must be harmless. The question is, Are You Harmless? If you are not harmless, ask God to change your heart. Ask Him to take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. He will give you a new heart and give you His Spirit . You will be a new person – someone that others can live with both now and in eternity. This is God’s desire for us.

FIRST DRAFTED MAY 20, 2010.

SERIES: Are you harmless?

PART ONE: Mark of True Christianity
PART 2: Forgive them because they do not know any better
PART 3: Love is harmless
PART 4: For Peace Sake
PART 5: True Christians are harmless
PART 6: Following Jesus
PART 7: Like Father, Like Son
PART 8: Understanding the wrath of God
PART 9: God’s Character
PART 10: Acquiring a new heart
PART 11: Are you truly harmless?

Acquiring a new heart

Colin — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:00:13 +0000

The Invitation, New Heart

Having bought us back Jesus now says:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30.

We need not be afraid of God. He knows our situation even better than we think we know it. We are told:

“For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” Ps. 103:14

Further, He knows our inability to change ourselves.

“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Jer. 13:23.

His intimate knowledge of our weaknesses and limitations puts Him in a position to give us just the help we need.

“For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” Heb. 2:18.

Therefore, if one should ask: “Are you a Christian?” the question might well be re-phrased: “Are you harmless?” Of ourselves, we are not harmless.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9.

But there is hope. God can and has promised to remove the stony heart from those who desire to be changed and give them a new heart.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26.

This is what conversion is all about. It is a miracle that God performs on the human heart. We cannot change ourselves but God can change us. All we need to do is ask Him.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:13.

We need to appreciate the reason why this change of heart and transformation is necessary. God has promised to restore paradise. What if He restores paradise and places people in it who are harmful or selfish? How long would it continue to be paradise? It goes without saying that a significant part of what makes the restored paradise something that can be enjoyed is the presence of loving and loveable people.

Name of the Father in our Foreheads

God is perfecting a people for the final crisis in the last days, who like Job, will not waver even though subjected to the full onslaughts of Satan, of evil spirits and of evil men. We are called upon to show the superiority of righteousness over evil, of love over selfishness. To do this we must be like Jesus: holy, harmless, patient, longsuffering and non-violent. This group of people will have the Father’s character perfected in them. They are represented as follows:

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. Revelation 14:1.

The name of God signifies His character (see Exodus 34:5, 6). To have the name of God written in our foreheads means that we have been transformed and are settled intellectually and spiritually with the character of God sealed in us. God is love (1 John 4:8) and so shall we be. The truth concerning the character of God is the single most important truth that needs to be known and correctly appreciated as we approach the final crisis. It is in beholding the true character of God that we will be changed into the same character and be sealed.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2. Corinthians 3:18.

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3.

Ask and you Shall be Given

God’s character that must be formed in us is one of love. An important manifestation of love is being harmless. Jesus Christ was harmless. His followers are harmless. Are you harmless? If you are not harmless, ask God to change your heart. Ask Him to take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. He will give you a new heart and give you His Spirit. You will be a new person – one that others can live with both now and in eternity. This is God’s desire for us.

FIRST DRAFTED MAY 19, 2010.

SERIES: Are you harmless?

God’s character

Colin — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 09:14:01 +0000

Lesson from Job’s Experience

The history of Job’s experience shows clearly that suffering and destruction are caused by Satan and that he desperately tries to get people to believe that God is the One doing such things.

Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. Job 1:9-12.

Satan swept away all Job’s possessions and killed all his children. Yet Job remained faithful to God. Satan was not satisfied. He went back and challenged God.

And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. Job 2:4-6.

Satan afflicted Job with boils from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet so that Job was in abject distress and misery. Then he sent his agent Eliphaz to try to convince Job that God was the One causing his distress. Eliphaz related to Job that God had showed him in vision that such suffering was caused by the “blast of God” as punishment for sin. Clearly, God was not the One who gave Eliphaz this vision since God later reproved him (Job 42:7) for what he had been saying to Job concerning God. These were the words of Eliphaz:

Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed. The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken. The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad. Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it. Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom. Job 4:7-21.

God’s Character

Such is the propaganda that Satan seeks to promulgate about God. But quite to the contrary, God is a loving Person. To know Him is to love Him. As Jesus was, so is the Father – loving, kind, patient, gentle and merciful. And so He desires that His children should be.

A significant part of our problem as human beings is that we were born in sin and sin, like a cloud of smoke, obscures our vision. We have gotten accustomed to viewing God through the cloud of sin and have thus developed a warped image of Him. But, if we could look beyond the cloud before sin entered the picture we might get a clearer, more accurate, picture of the type of Person God is.

Looking back at the beginning, what do we see? God created a paradise. He fixed it up and placed our first parents in it. What did He say to them? Did He lay on them any requirement? Did He demand anything of them? No! All He did was simply to give them paradise and say, in essence, “live and enjoy. It’s all yours”. It seems almost too good to be true. Perhaps, that is why many people don’t believe it is that simple. They think that God requires something. But He did not ask for anything. Thus, Paul tells us:

“For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” Heb. 4:3.

With the work already finished and paradise given to us for us simply to rest, enjoy and be at peace with God and with each other, our first parents chose to invite Satan into their paradise home. That is where the problem started. All of a sudden, God was no longer seen for who He is – a loving, pleasant Father, a Giver of good gifts, but rather, as someone to be suspicious of and afraid of, who requires impossible things.

And yet God did not leave us. He gave us His laws to protect us as we try to survive within the cloud of sin that now envelopes our environment, tarnishes paradise and obscures our vision. David says of God’s laws:

“Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward”. Ps. 19:11

Before sin entered there was no need for any warning except one thing – “Don’t go to that one place, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the only place where you could possibly come in contact with Satan. Apart from going to that one place and coming in contact with Satan you are perfectly safe.” As it was then, so it is now, that God’s commandments are not requirements by God for His sake. They are wholly for our benefit and protection. Let us not be mistaken in thinking that we are trying to please God when we obey His commandments, except to the extent that God is happy when He sees His children happy and protected. God is not making demands of us. He only wants us to be happy and at peace.

If we want to know God’s attitude towards sinners, look at what happened when Adam and Eve sinned and invited Satan into their home. Did God smite them or cut them off? No! He came searching for them. They were the ones who started running and hiding from God because of the fear and suspicion that they now had of Him. He told them what the results of their having Satan and his host of fallen angels around them would be. Then, in love, He put them out of the reach of the Tree of Life so that they would not live forever in the torment of sin. He made a promise that He would work out a way for Satan to be removed from their home and paradise be restored – Gen. 3.

Thus, looking back, beyond the cloud of sin’s presence we see the true character and personality of God. Yet, that is not all. God sent His Son – the only Person who is truly like Him, to come to us where we are in the cloud of sin so that we can see Him close-up and get some idea of the type of Person God is. In the process, He bought us back from Satan’s captivity by giving His only begotten Son (who volunteered – John 10:17,18) as a ransom (a payment to secure the release of captives) – 1 Tim. 2:6; Matt. 20:28.

First appeared May 19, 2010; Published February 13, 2011

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Understanding the wrath of God

Colin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 15:12:10 +0000

What is the Wrath of God?

If Jesus’ teaching and behaviour are truly representative of the Father, then the Father is a pleasant person to relate to, and not someone to be afraid of. What then is the wrath of God?

Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:1,2.

In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. Isaiah 54:8.

How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire? Psalms 89:46.

Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. Psalms 27:9.

LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. Psalms 30:7.

Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Psalms 143:7.

God’s wrath is the hiding of His face from those who reject Him, which leaves them without protection from the myriad evils that have been caused by sin. God consistently does good and no evil at all. Thus, as was pointed out earlier, the Father did not kill His Son on the cross nor require His death in man’s place. The Son volunteered to take man’s place and bear the consequences of sin in man’s behalf. Jesus said:

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. John 10:17, 18.

The Father painfully delivered His Son to that which He had chosen.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27:46.

As the father’s face would have been hidden from sinful man, so His face was hidden from the One who took man’s place. The Father was not there giving His Son a whipping that He had purposed to give to man, but gave it to His Son instead, since His Son chose to take man’s place. It was the sins of humanity and the wickedness of sinners and evil spirits that killed the Saviour. Those who reject the Saviour will bear the consequences of sin themselves and will perish since “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

It is Sin that Causes Death

It is sin that causes death, not God. God is the author of good only. Therefore, there is nothing to fear about God’s presence. What we should fear is the hiding of His face, which leaves us vulnerable. Of course, an unrepentant, guilty conscience will lead us to want to flee from His presence, and in fleeing from Him we are left unprotected and desolate.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:13-17.

Someone is trying to make out, contrary to what Jesus Christ depicted, that God is a very punitive Person who is watching for the slightest slip on our part to smite us. That person is Satan. While Satan is busy causing all manner of evil, suffering and destruction, he tries to convince the world that God is the One who is causing them. Even professed Christians have bought into that lie and have sought to emulate that hard-hearted attitude towards others who err, claiming that it is justice. But, if such was the nature of God’s justice, then all humanity would be cut off because we have all sinned.

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Psalms 14:2, 3.

FIRST DRAFT May 19, 2010.

SERIES: Are you harmless?

True Christians Are Harmless

Colin — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:42:15 +0000

True Christians Are Harmless

Are you harmless? If you are not harmless, then you are not really a Christian – regardless of what you profess. Do you love your enemies? Would you give your life for your enemy? Or would you rather kill your enemy? The Christian way is not only doing good deeds, it is also being harmless. The big betrayal of Jesus Christ is the association of Jesus Christ with violence. Christianity has earned for itself a bad reputation of being associated, in many cases, with violence and intolerance. Such is not true Christianity. True Christians are harmless as Jesus Christ Himself was harmless.

The thought that true Christians do not hurt other people provides a very important basis for determining, especially in the last days, what schemes and systems are of God and which ones are not. Jesus warned:

They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. John 16:2, 3.

This statement highlights another loop-hole through which misguided persons attempt to justify their giving-in to the carnal spirit of evil and intolerance. They claim that they are manifesting ‘righteous indignation’. Because of their supposedly high moral values and standing, they are greatly incensed about the ‘evil’ and ‘immorality’ of others, so they have to ensure that ‘justice’ is done. But this is just another manifestation of the carnal, unloving and unforgiving spirit that seeks to destroy rather than to restore.

True justice is primarily concerned with restoration and restitution, be it towards offender or victim. This might involve ensuring that the offender compensates the victim or withholding privileges from the offender which might otherwise be used for strengthening their offensive posture. Punishment, for the sake of punishment, that has nothing restorative about it and does not benefit anyone is only vengeance and is essentially carnal. Such a spirit will cause the supposed executor of ‘justice’ to leave the suffering victim unattended while they seek to vent their anger on the offender.

These zealous enforcers will say such things as: “this person deserves to be punished.” But, in that case, which of us do not deserve to be punished? Should our lives then revolve around punishing each other for our various misdeeds and supposed wrongs? Where then would it end? We would then be all under constant punishment, which would fit Satan’s agenda, rather than God’s.

In reality, many of those who are so consumed with executing this supposed justice have a lot of anger bottled up within them and would only be too ready to seize the opportunity to vent that anger when they find a supposedly justifiable basis for doing so. Such is not the manifestation of love, but rather, selfish gratification at the expense of others. Jesus said that “these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me” (St. John 16:3).

Even the dreaded Mark of the Beast (whatever one might consider it to be) is based on a scheme in which violence and coercion is used to impose a particular form of religious observance.

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Revelation 13:15-17.
If one can appreciate that God does not operate on that basis, then one should be protected from misguidedly supporting any such scheme, regardless of the supposed benefits that it is presented as offering or the pious garb with which it might be clothed.

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For Peace Sake

admin — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:28:12 +0000

Give Up Right for Peace Sake

In short, we must be willing to give up our right for peace sake. This is explicitly said in the following words:

Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. 1. Corinthians 6:7, 8.

Some persons think that following such counsel is a recipe for becoming a doormat for others to walk upon. This is not necessarily the case. Do we think that others are oftentimes not aware when they are being unkind to us? Very often, they are very much aware. And for this reason, they expect a fight. When you do not resist them and there is no fight, for the first time, they have an opportunity to reflect. Those who have a conscience will repent. Those who seem to have no conscience might not. But, would it have been better to fight? No. Even if you win the fight, there might remain lasting animosity. For a Christian it is not worth it.

Another consideration is that sometimes we genuinely think that we are right and it is only when we back down and look again at the disputed matter that we realize that we were wrong. Another possibility is that the other person might be wrong while thinking genuinely that he/she is right. And by us backing down that person reflects and sees that he/she was wrong. Of course, there is the worse case scenario, when we are in conflict with a genuinely ruthless person who will hurt and destroy without any compunction and will use your acquiescence to their advantage to further create distress for you. In such a case the best course is to leave the matter in God’s hands. Cry unto God! God is not indifferent. Jesus said:

And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Luke 18:7, 8.

What if Martyrdom is Your Lot?

And yet, it is still possible that we do not see immediate redress. In that case, still leave it to God. Be patient. Even until death. God will not fail to honour you – if not in this life, certainly in the next. He knows why He would allow it, and He does all things well. Take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, suffered and died and we are only walking the road that Jesus walked for us. In the same way that Jesus overcame the temptation to retaliate and has been greatly honoured by His Father, we will likewise be honoured. And, if in God’s wisdom, He sees it fit to allow us to experience a martyr’s death, it means that any trying on our part to have it otherwise would only place us outside of His will for us. In that case, we could verily lose out not only on eternal life, but even in this life as well.

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. 1. Peter 2:21-23.

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Revelation 3:21.

Jesus Was Harmless

Jesus is highly honoured among Christians for His good work. What is little emphasized is the fact that, in addition to His good work, Jesus Christ was harmless. He was described as follows:

For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. Hebrews 7:26.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:7, 9.

Jesus Christ was harmless and He has called upon His followers to be harmless.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16.

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Love is harmless

Colin — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:23:59 +0000

“Love Worketh No Ill to His Neighbour”

This second manifestation of love (that is, being harmless to others) is greatly emphasized throughout the Scriptures, even though many persons seem to overlook it. In fact, apart from the fifth of the ten commandments, which speaks of a positive duty of good work, namely, to honour our parents, all the other commandments of the last six (which deal with love to our fellowmen) speak of the evil that we should not do to our neighbour (Exodus 20:13-17). The apostle Paul, after listing the five other commandments of the last six concluded:

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:8 -10.

Thus, regardless of the supposed good work that we claim to do or actually do, if we do ill to our neighbour, whether by word, deed or silence we are in contravention of the principle of love and are therefore being unrighteous. Further yet, if we do not actually do ill but have the mind to do it or wish for it to be done to someone we are just as unrighteous. Love is not just about appearances, it is about our real attitude towards others. Jesus further explained:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Matthew 5:21-24.

From this, it is evident that being at peace with others and not offending them is far more important than religious ritualism and ceremonies.

A very important aspect of being at peace with others is highlighted as having a wholesome attitude toward our fellowmen; that is, not being angry with them without cause. A mark of evil is having a spirit of getting angry with other people who did not do us any wrong. Some people take offence over the simplest things. But a characteristic of love is that it is not easily provoked (1 Cor. 13:5). Therefore, people who find that they get upset very easily should beware of the evil that lurks in the shadows of that fragile temperament.

Before Cain slew his brother, Abel, God warned him about his being upset without good reason:

“And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.” Genesis 4:6, 7.

Of course, Cain did not heed the warning and his anger eventually led him to kill his brother who had done him no wrong. True Christians are not quick to get upset and they seek at all times to make peace. Jesus summed it up with the following words:

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9.

So important it is that we seek to be at peace with others that Jesus said:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Matthew 5:38-42.

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Forgive them because they do not know any better

admin — Sun, 16 May 2010 16:21:07 +0000

They Don’t Know Any Better

When Jesus was being brutally put to death on the cross, rather than seeking to destroy those who were killing Him, He prayed for them.

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34.

By this prayer, Jesus has provided a basis on which we can forgive even the worst kinds of offences committed against us without harboring residues of bitterness towards the offender. That basis is that the offender really did not know better. If they really knew better they would not have done what they did. Such is the true condition of humanity – blind and ignorant. The Bible says:

It is for this reason that one can say: “But for the grace of God, there go I”. We should therefore be thankful to God for whatever measure of enlightenment that we have received that restrains us from being offensive and unkind towards others, while we maintain a spirit of forgiveness towards those who might offend us, in the same way that God is forgiving towards us.

As erring human beings we need to humble ourselves and be patient with each other, especially when mistakes are made. We often come down very hard on those who err, especially when we think ourselves above making the same error. But oftentimes there are other ways in which we might err, in which the offender with whom we are impatient, perhaps, would not err. So, are we really better than the other person? Of course, this should not be construed as suggesting that measures should not be taken to prevent or restrain the person who might be intent on continuing to offend. What is being suggested is that such measures should be focused on protecting the victim (or would-be victim) while seeking to help the offender (or would-be offender) to do better, rather than seek to hurt and destroy.

The greatest love is a willingness to die for another. Jesus said this in the following words:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13.

True Christians are those who follow Christ. Jesus Christ said that we should love as He loved.

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12.

Two Manifestations of Love

A look at the expanded description of love as given in the Ten Commandments shows that love manifests itself in at least two ways combined:

1. Doing good for another.
2. Being harmless toward another.

The first of the two manifestations is well known and is often used to counterfeit true love. However, the lack of the second manifestation exposes the counterfeit. Even those who are regarded as being exceedingly wicked do good deeds at times. But the harm that they do to others gives clear evidence that the good deeds were not the outworking of a loving heart. The Bible has warned repeatedly against judging righteousness wholly on the basis of good deeds. The following words of Jesus highlight the situation:

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:22, 23.

One might even give all their possessions to feed the poor and still not be charitable, as we are told:

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 1. Corinthians 13:3.

Sometimes people would be better off without some of the supposed good work that is done on their behalf by misguided people if only they were spared the hurt and evil that is meted out to them as a part of the package.

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Mark of True Christianity

Colin — Sun, 16 May 2010 14:20:09 +0000

The true mark of a Christian is love. Jesus Christ Himself said:

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye
have love one to another. John 13:35.

Again, He indicated that all righteousness is summarized in two commandments, both of which have to do with love – love to God and love to our fellowmen:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40.

One will recognize that the Ten Commandments are simply an expanded version of the same concept – the first four commandments briefly describe love to God and the last six commandments describe love to our fellowmen. Speaking of the last six of the Ten Commandments the apostle Paul said:

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:8 -10.

Love to our fellowmen is the single most observable evidence of righteousness as we are further told:

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 1. John 4:20.

The thought is further reinforced by the apostle John in the following words:

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. 1. John 3:14.

Love Your Enemies

The love that is spoken of here applies not just to our friends but to our enemies as well. Jesus said:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48.

Jesus is not asking us to do anything different from what He did. Jesus Christ loved His enemies. In fact He gave His life for us (humanity) when we were enemies.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 5:8-10.

SERIES: Are you harmless?

Crucifixion: Myth or Reality?

admin — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 18:38:47 +0000

The crucifixion of Christ on the cross of Calvary stands as a central pillar of the Christian faith, around which many aspects of the faith revolve. In establishing the truth concerning the death of Christ, the following lines of evidence are presented: 1. The circumstantial evidence based on history. 2. Old Testament prophecy concerning the Messiah. 3. The testimony of persons who claim to have witnessed the events. These lines of evidence are now summarized.

1. It is a documented fact of history that the Romans employed crucifixion as a form of punishment for slaves and notorious criminals. The 1st. century historian Flavius Josephus testifies to this, citing this mode of punishment as being inflicted on a friend of his, who, in the absence of vigilant guards was taken down from the cross and recovered. It was not until the reign of Constantine in the 4th century that this mode of punishment was abolished. It is therefore not unlikely that one such as Jesus who was wrongly considered to be a threat to the Jewish nation could be executed in such a manner upon the request of the Jewish leaders to the Roman authorities.

It is also significant that Constantine, in professing acceptance of Christianity adopted the cross as an emblem, replacing the Roman eagle. These can be seen on coins of Constantine the Great and his near successors. This indicates a clear association of the cross with the Christian faith, an association which could only be based on the idea that Christ was crucified on a cross.

2. In the writings of Old Testament prophets are found predictions concerning the life and death of the Messiah who was then expected. Such predictions seem to accord with the events that are reported to have taken place in the life and death of Jesus. Among such predictions are the following: The time of His death – Dan.9:25,26; His betrayal – Ps.41:9, Zech.11:12,13; His sufferings which include the piercing of His hands and feet – Ps.22:16, Zech.13:16, Isa.50:6, Isa.53:1-12; The casting of lots for His vesture – Ps.22:18. Since these prophets have also predicted other events that have occurred in accordance with their predictions, it is not unreasonable to accept the account of witnesses who testify that the events concerning Christ did likewise occur as predicted.

3. Gospel writers, particularly John and Matthew, claim to have been eyewitnesses of many of the events that transpired in the life of Christ. The testimonies of these and other witnesses is that Jesus was crucified on a cross. Minor differences in the accounts that are given are typically what might be expected when any event is reported by different human beings due to the differences in human perception and recollection. Such inevitable differences only indicate that the witnesses did not collude.

The evidences indicate clearly that the crucifixion of Christ is certainly not a myth but rather, a credible account that is worthy of acceptance. Further, the significance of the death of Jesus Christ is not particularly the method that was employed in carrying out His execution, since death by crucifixion was not unique to His case. Rather, the significance lies in the idea that this individual was the only begotten Son of the Most High God, was morally upright, blameless and did only good, yet, without just cause, He was dragged off and killed in a manner that was specifically reserved for the most notorious of criminals. If this was so, as Christians believe, then every well-thinking person should ask himself/herself, “why?”.

- Colin A. Gyles is Founder of God’s Love evangelistic ministry.