Lordship Of Christ Issues

"You are slaves to the power you choose to obey"  (cf. Rom. 6:16).
"People are enslaved by whatever defeats them" (cf. 2 Pet. 2:19).  
"Through him we received grace and apostleship; to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake" (Rom. 1:5, NIV).
"[S]o that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith--" (Rom. 16:26, NIV).  
"[A]nd every tongue [shall] acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:11, NIV).   ALL EMPHASIS MINE.  

Jesus was crowned Lord of all by the Father when he was raised.  The way up is down in God's economy--what a paradox!  Jesus began in humility to increase as He entered His ministry when He was baptized by John who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  John did away with his ego and didn't let it get in the way; likewise, our egos must die and we must say "No" to self before we can say "Yes" to Christ.  It's a contradiction to reply "No, Lord!" For that would be breaking faith! That's what faith in the Lord is:  giving up, surrendering, committing, and trusting--that's much more than acquiescence or simply easy-believism."  It is said:  Faith is not believing despite the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences!  

God never grants cheap grace which justifies the sin, not the sinner.  We become Christians with our prayer of relinquishment giving over ownership of our lives to the Lord of All.   Yes, this was also Jesus' motto of life:  "Thy will be done!"  The problem is that we are all volitionally defiant and have a will of our own--even our wills are depraved and in need of salvation.   It has been said justly so that Jesus "will not barter away His right to be Lord" and "will save no one whom He cannot command," according to A. W. Tozer.  When we address Him as Lord, it implies we are His servants and subject to His authority.  We must not be control freaks or enthusiasts over our lives!

We must obey our Lord for "to obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).   Heb. 5:9 (cf. Acts 2:39), NIV, says, "...[H]e became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him [italics mine]."  Jesus also said that if we love Him we will obey Him.  But it's not a legalistic attitude of having to, but a new change of heart of wanting to please our Lord.  This is accepting Christ for who He is--Lord and Master!  He has been exalted with all authority granted Him.   The more in bondage we are to our Lord, the more freedom we experience!  Any other belief in Jesus is rejecting Him.   He is worthy of our submission for we are not our own and have been bought with a price (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20).  This is interpreted as meaning that we undergo a reorganization of our life priorities.

We must never forget that true Lordship entails the flip side of faith which is repentance--we have a believing repentance or a penitent faith, so to speak.   This radical change in our life is from the inside out--not turning over a new leaf, making a New Year's resolution, or making an AA pledge.  We must own up to our sins and come clean with God, doing a 180-degree turnaround, a U-turn, or about-face, having a complete change of heart concerning sin as well as our sins.  Christianity has nothing to say to the unrepentant.  It's not always how big your faith is but how thorough your repentance. The call to repent was the first word of the gospel from John and then Jesus and they must be made manifest by fruits worthy of them.

We must learn to "trust and obey" as the hymn says and "walk in a manner worthy of our Lord" (cf. Eph. 4:1).  He is worthy of our worship as well as our allegiance!    Remember, we have the power to live in the Spirit, not the permission to live in the flesh; that is, our sins show our slavery, they don't demonstrate our freedom.   Saving faith (not dead faith) is manifest only in obedience as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  To call Him Lord and to disobey are contradictions (cf. Isa. 1:19, Heb. 3:18-19)!  We must never dichotomize Christ's offices as Lord and Savior:  we submit to Him as Lord and trust Him as Savior, we must receive Him as Lord and Savior; i.e., the whole package!  

Gal. 2:20 sums up our new life in Christ or our walk of faith showing we live a substituted, inhabited, exchanged, and surrendered life.  Finally, do you see yourself as Jesus' sidekick or colleague to be befriended, or as the Personage you own as Lord?  In sum, acknowledging Jesus as Lord is what our faith is all about--all else pales in comparison.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Your God Is Too Small

"Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor?" (Isaiah 40:13, NIV). "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33, KJV).

The most important thing about us is our concept of God (just look at how Joseph treated his estranged brothers because he believed in Providence yet he told them God had done it (cf. Gen. 50:0). The issue is how big our God is (not how big our faith is! And we must realize He's bigger than we can fathom, bigger than all our issues and problems. Our beliefs do indeed affect our actions, character, demeanor, disposition, track record, credentials, and behavior. That's why it's important to have a divine viewpoint, or see things from God's perspective (i.e., having a Christian worldview).

Martin Luther told Erasmus that his thoughts of God were too human!  This is the issue: People limit God and don't apprehend that you cannot put the infinite into a finite space, or, to use a cliche, put God in a box or make Him one-dimensional!   The old Latin phrase (finitum non capax infinitum) said that the finite cannot grasp (apprehend or contain) the infinite. This is why we will never peg God or figure Him out, He is beyond our analysis (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9; Rom. 11:33). Even after many eons in eternity, we will still be just scratching the service in knowing Him; we can never know Him exhaustively, but only truly! 


What is the practical application of this? God is not defined or delimited by man and we cannot compare Him to us, but only contrast Him, and only draw analogous inferences. Only that which is revealed in Scripture belongs to us and the secret things belong to God (cf. Deut. 29:29). To be more specific, you cannot say God is a member of your party, He would drive a Harley, or even be a gun-toting, loyal member of the NRA (they wouldn't even accept God as a member even if He did apply!)--or even that God is American, even though our nation is especially blessed, it is not superior or even God-inspired. Our status as the city on a hill is eroding fast! The nation Israel is God's chosen people forever. 


Christendom is from God but God reveals Himself in manifold ways around the world, not just in our culture. So don't think you're becoming more Christlike by joining some elite or exclusive club or that your loyalty matters to God in it, because your citizenship is in heaven and God demands ultimate and final devotion and loyalty. Even if you have faithfully, as a believer, voted one party all your life, don't assume that God is a member of that party--even if your spiritual leaders all are members and you believe the other parties are of the devil or completely wrong and out of God's will. It is like saying God favors a sports team and rigs games with divine "luck." ("God is no respecter of persons," or He shows no partiality; Acts 10:34: Romans 2:11)


God doesn't even vote on one issue, like some who say they vote the Second Amendment or with the stance of the NRA (who says this is a right God gives us anyway? or they always choose the pro-life candidate, as the Roman Catholic Church requires its members to do. God is too complicated to make Him a one-issue voter; this is like being biased and showing favoritism--there is no partiality with God--His political stands cannot be comprehended nor defined by us and we will never know who He thinks is the best candidate till he wins--Providence ultimately reveals it. God has reasons for His will, that our reason cannot fathom. 

The world is too complicated, ("He's got the whole world in His hands"), and God has all of it in His care, and limiting God to one issue as being of paramount value is putting God in a box and making Him smaller than He is--there is always more to God than we can apprehend. "Canst thou by searching find out God?" asked Zophar in Job 11:7. We oversimplify the issues when we rank them or put them in some value system as to their relative importance--every issue is important to God, but He reserves the right to overrule our will with His divine wisdom, which consists of knowing the best means to the best ends.


God exalts one and demotes another at will (cf. Psa. 75:7), and the president elected is God's man for the time being in a sense of speaking. Why does the pendulum swing at the whim of the fickle people who go from one extreme in politics to another--never finding a happy medium? God is at work and has to correct our erroneous concepts of politics, and we often don't know why our God put them there till after elected (for instance, look at the wonderful job JFK did with the Cuban missile crisis!). Our nation most likely wouldn't have survived the Civil War had it not been for Lincoln, yet there were believers who seceded with the Confederacy. Lincoln wasn't even a believer till after Gettysburg, yet he was God's person for the job. 

That's why Christians ought to pray for the president all the more because it is our God who installed them there in that position of power under God. It shouldn't upset us if our favorite candidate doesn't win the election, because God is still on the throne and He rules over the nations, which are" like a drop in the bucket" (cf. Psa. 22:28; Isa. 40:15). Soli Deo Gloria!

Works In Progress

"[U]ntil we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13, NIV).
"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48, NIV).
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Phil. 3:12, NIV).

Not that we ever attain maturity this side of glory, but we are always "works in progress" or the masterpiece of God that He isn't finished with yet.  But "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6, NIV).  We are never perfect, but that is the standard we aim for and our goal looking at Christ as the Exemplar, but the test is the direction we are headed in our walk with Christ--forward or backward!

There is often some sin that easily overcomes or besets us so that we stumble and don't reach the goal of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus (cf. Phil. 3:14).  Hebrews 12:1 talks of setting aside our easily distracting sin so that we can press on to maturity and don't get tripped up on the way to the Celestial City.  Note that it's usually the case that there's some unconfessed sin or somewhere that needs overcoming that hinders maturity--the devil gets the best of us and held us captive to a certain degree.

The writer of Hebrews mentions one sure sign of the immature or infant believer and that is that he is incapable of solid food or the meat of the Word, but feeds on the milk (cf. Heb. 5:13) or the basics such as the necessity of salvation, faith, repentance, baptism, and judgment. The immature believer balks at learning the deep things of God, having lost his taste for sound doctrine.  We all must learn the basic lesson that we cannot get away with sin and God disciplines those He loves.  Sad to say there are some ABC churches that never progress into the deeper truths of the Word thinking wrongly that doctrine is too arcane for the average believer.

The infant believer is totally dependent on others for his spiritual nourishment and hasn't learned to feed himself or even to see the need for it as he may go to church simply to get a lift or encouragement, and not to worship God and contribute of his spiritual gift to the body.  He is basically tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (cf. Eph. 4:14) because of this naivete and not having a firm foundation of Bible doctrine to discern good and evil and false teaching from sound, biblical teaching.

Once he learns how God speaks to him and communication is achieved he has progressed in his walk and able to go on to maturity, but this vital step trips up too many believers who become spiritually dependent on one preacher as their favorite and lose discernment as if only drinking from one fountain.  The mature believer discerns good and evil and can smell false doctrine when it approaches the church.  The pastor should inoculate the body from heresy by preparing them for what is out there and warning that Satan seeks whom he may devour (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8).

There may be several types of attendees in the church:  seekers, unbelievers, doubters, fence-sitters, contra Christians, adolescent believers, even pagans, atheists, or agnostics, besides the flock he is assigned.  Just as Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep and to feed His lambs, the preacher must be sensitive to all members of the body--knowing where people are is a key to resonating or connecting with them.  The prophetic message is known as comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.  There are some who are at ease in Zion and have become complacent and feel they have no need of preaching because they are "mature."  No one ever outgrows preaching and the preacher is even preaching to himself as well as the body!

Everyone in the body should feel they have been fed adequately to feel a part of the body and to identify with the preacher with something they can take to the bank.  Just like Elijah went 40 days on one meal, sometimes a spiritual meal can have multitudinous applications and can have the ability to nourish the believer for an extended time--sometimes it's not how much one digests in the meal but how good the nourishment was and the preacher may really hit home on something that can get the ball rolling spiritually.   That's why everyone in the church may feel the preacher was speaking to them personally as an individual and it related to him--a personal message from the Lord!

We must realize that we are not perfect just because we're saved and our lives speak volumes.  The church is not a hotel for saints but a hospital for sinners--the requirement for membership is to admit one's a sinner and has fallen short of God's glory.  No perfect people need to apply it's said!  The phrase "please be patient; God isn't finished with me yet!" is the reality for everyone, not just infant or newborn believers.  This ought to be every believer's slogan.  We never reach perfection but that doesn't mean we don't aim for it.

People may even think we are cantankerous for being Christians, but just think how much more cantankerous we'd be without Christ in us and the Holy Spirit restraining us.  When we see great sinners in our eyes we ought to utter what George Whitefield said when seeing a man going to the gallows:  "There but for the grace of God, go I." We all can utter what William Jay of Bath said:  "I am a great sinner, but I have a great Savior!"  Only when we realize our sinfulness are we candidates for grace and this is the job of the preacher--to show the body its sins because we all tend to justify ourselves and put ourselves in the best possible light.

We all need to go to church regularly not only because it's commanded and the right thing to do, but we all need regular spiritual checkups or take spiritual inventory once a week or we may get off on a tangent and go our own way even into heresy or backsliding.  We cannot stand still and go nowhere in the spiritual life with Christ, but we are either walking forward or backsliding--no treading water with Christ permitted! One doesn't just reject the church or turn one's back on Christ or the faith, but one slips away one small step at a time in a gradual timing that one may not notice until he may not even believe himself how far out of it he is and needs repentance.

For instance, one doesn't turn one's back on the church but misses or skips a service or two then it becomes a habit to find other things to occupy Sunday morning with than to attend church and then one believes he doesn't need church--one may even be deceived into thinking that the electronic church is a good substitute for being active in the church and fellowship just because one is getting favorable teaching from someone who doesn't offend them.  Note that if the preacher never steps on any one's toes or is afraid to bring conviction on the body for its shortcomings and sins, there must be something amiss--he should realize you cannot please everyone!

There are certain plumb lines or measuring sticks to gauge maturity.  The mature believer knows who he is in Christ as to his spiritual gift or how God uses him to fulfill the Great Commission in both ministries to the body and mission to the lost.  You only find out your gifts by experimenting with service and the growing believer has a servants heart!   This entails being discipled or mentored in the basics and has had experience in sharing his testimony and in actively witnessing for Christ, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  From my experience the newborn believer has a newfound love and hunger for the Word and reads it voraciously and regularly--no one has to tell him this either because it's all-natural for a baby to feed.

It's such a joy to know and to fellowship with an infant believer--it's the adolescent ones who know enough to be dangerous and must be edified or set right before they go astray.   It's a pity when the believer loses his initial love for the Lord and has fallen for the world and what it offers--there is no place for both a love of Christ and love of the world in the heart at the same time.   In God's economy, the way to be filled is to be emptied, and this implies we must say "No" to self before we can say "Yes" to Christ.  Sometimes we just have too much of the world in us to have any appetite for the things of God.

God has nothing against newborn believers, just that some believers tend to stay immature and don't want to grow up.  Christ wants zealous believers who are all sold out for Him and serve Him with gusto and wholeheartedness.  It is a joy to be with a believer who has been in the presence of God and has experienced the Lord's goodness.  Once you've experienced it, you want to pass it on!  That's where the mature believer gets the can't-help-its or the desire to spread the Word (cf. Acts 4:20)!  What God desires is those who worship in spirit and in truth (cf. John 4:24)--not lip service or hypocrisy! This is natural for newborns and mature believers but those who are stunted in their growth have trouble passing muster.  It's par for the course that this attitude of complacency can affect a church body and its worship become perfunctory or routine--performed as if a duty, not a pleasure!

And so our walk with Christ is by faith, not by sight according to Hab. 2:4 (the verse that awakened and roused Luther from his dogmatic slumber).  We must learn not to rely on feelings though we will have them and this is a major step since fact and feeling are often confused. The divine order: fact, faith, and then feeling.   We must get our thinking straightened out according to the mind of Christ and have the mind of Christ.  The more aligned with sound doctrine we are the more divine our thoughts and we are to have this as a Christian worldview affecting all academic disciplines and all of life and reality.

Noah was a just man who walked with God just like Enoch and Moses are said to do--quite a resume for anyone--and we have no excuse not to do likewise because we have the indwelling Spirit.  The mature believer knows how to keep short accounts with Jesus of his confessions and to stay in close fellowship with Him.  He readily engages in the angelic conflict with Satan and his minions and knows the Word adequately as his offensive weapon of choice enough to fight off an attack with his shield of faith.  This is why Hebrews tells us that the mature believer who is ready for the solid food knows to discern good and evil (cf. Heb. 5:14).

Finally, it would all be in vain if the believer had no love in his heart to share even if he had every gift of the Spirit.  God shares His love with us and sheds it abroad in our hearts so that it overflows to others and they can see the love of Christ in action through us.  Some believers never progress to this stage of maturity in learning to love and be loved--Dr. Karl Menninger, MD said that sin is the refusal of the love of others [and by application of God].  We all can become stunted if we don't find love in life and live for ourselves--selfishness is the prime sin or thinking it's all about us!  Even an infant is starved for affection at times and must be hugged, knowing love by instinct.  We all need to learn to reach out to others in need and realize we are here as servants on a mission to glorify God.  Never lose focus of the fact that "Christianity IS Christ and all else is peripheral [or circumference]" according to John Stott (emphasis mine).


CAVEAT AND WORDS TO THE WISE:  THERE ARE SOME WHO HAVE A ZEAL FOR GOD BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE (CF. ROM. 10:2; PROV. 19:2).  ALSO, SOME ARE CONVERTED TO THE PROGRAM, NOT TO CHRIST AND EQUATE GOOD WORKS WITH SPIRITUALITY--THEY MUST BE DISTINGUISHED BUT NOT SEPARATED, I.E., GOOD WORKS MUST SPRING FROM HEALTHY FAITH AND SAVING FAITH MUST PRODUCE GOOD WORKS OR FRUIT!  DON'T FORGET OUR MARCHING ORDERS TO KNOW GOD (IS TO LOVE GOD) AND MAKE HIM KNOWN THROUGH LOVE IN ACTION, TRANSLATING OUR CREEDS INTO DEEDS OR PUTTING OUR BELIEFS INTO ACTION--THAT'S WHERE IT'S AT AND ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST! 

Let me add:  Eph. 4:15, ESV, says, "Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ."       Soli Deo Gloria!

The Never-ending Story

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." --George Santayana
"The Christian belief system ... is relevant to all of life." --Carl F. H. Henry
A WORLDVIEW OF HISTORY FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE

History is a grand narrative or "Big Story" written by the Great Storyteller--God! It has a purpose, meaning (hence an Ultimate Mind), and significance; it's going in a direction (hence a Director) that will be consummated at the Second Coming of Christ. It seems to repeat itself or be cyclical (but it's linear) because we often don't learn the lessons of history and are condemned to repeat it because of our ignorance. History is not bunk, but worthy of study and totally relevant to our day. We ought to be careful not to interpret persons involved in history as if they lived in the modern era; for instance, Lincoln may have seemed like a racist in today's political correctness.

The important lesson to learn is that no one can claim history is over and they have achieved victory until Christ returns! Any such claim is premature and presumptuous gloating and assumes that God doesn't also punish and have reasons for allowing events to transpire which we cannot comprehend. "Philosophers have only interpreted the world differently; the point is, however, to change it." --Karl Marx

All of history can be seen in the light of good and evil and these forces in timeless, linear conflict from the day Adam took of the proverbial apple and decided on his own plan, desires, wisdom, rules, standards, approval, discernment, and way. The Way of Christ is not one of many ways to understand history, nor the best way, but the only way! The only system of thought Christ will fit into is the one where He is the starting point, according to Athanasius. 

Where you begin determines where you'll end up! As Carl Henry said, we must live in light of eternity and realize Christianity is relevant to all of life's academic disciplines and making sense of reality; for Plato said that in order to know how to live in reality, one must know what God is really like! Some may object that it's illogical to begin with an unproven premise and claim a certain conclusion; however, atheists begin with an unproven universal negative and don't reckon that all knowledge is contingent and begins in faith.

When doomsayers say we are headed toward Armageddon we must be skeptical and not set dates, but realize that His Parousia is always imminent ("... this is the last hour..," cf. 1 John 2: 18, NIV) and we must always be ready to meet our Lord regardless. We must learn "to interpret the times" per 1 Chron. 12:32 and fly our Christian colors, even daring to be Daniels in this day and age of Secular Humanism that wants to dethrone God and deify or exalt man, making a name for themselves at God's expense. We cannot solve our problems by ourselves but need God's intervention. History will march on with or without us and God's purposes will prevail with or without our contribution or cooperation. No political party can claim final victory as if history doesn't march on and times they are a-changing.

What we can do in our setbacks is to take inventory and do a spiritual checkup and evaluate our stands to see if they align with God's will and worldview--for we all must be willing to admit that we could be wrong or we'll never arrive at the truth, willing to go where the evidence leads. We must not close our minds and refuse to see other viewpoints when we don't understand. But God can give discernment to determine good from evil. Christianity is a historical faith or it's nothing!

You might say that it's not over till it's over or until the fat lady sings! We must not be presumptuous that the tide won't turn the other way just as they say that what goes around comes around--God balances things out in the end and works it all for His glory (cf. Eph. 1:11). That's why it's important to be gracious, not vindictive in treating others. When Lincoln was asked how he'd deal with the South after the Civil War, he said he'd handle them as if they never left the Union! ("With malice toward none, with charity toward all....") We must never get discouraged as if we don't believe God is in control of history and actually micromanages every event--He orchestrates all of history to go in His favor.

God is not like the God of Aristotle "who reigns but doesn't rule" (like the sovereign of the UK) but He actually is in full control and sovereign without any maverick molecules in the entire cosmos--God leaves nothing to chance (cf. Prov. 16:33) and there are no flukes in nature or history. God's sovereignty isn't limited by our freedom! The God Einstein conceived was more accurate: "God doesn't play dice with the universe"

The Christian conception of history depends upon the objective veracity of Scripture and the reliability of its subjective experience in believers. History, or time, had a beginning (hence an Author and Creator), is going in a direction (hence a Director), and will reach a conclusion or ending point at the climax of Judgment Day. In four words history is described as creation, fall, redemption, judgment!

When Christ died on the cross and rose again, this was the most important event in all of history and it's the turning point, and it's evidenced by many infallible proofs (cf. Acts 1:3). By definition, "history is the unfolding of God's ultimate, redemptive plan for mankind in real time" as God entered it in the person of Jesus Christ saving man from himself, sin, death, Satan, and God's wrath.

In the meantime, we need not get nearsighted and miss the forest for the trees but realize God is at work in mysterious ways that we know not! The plot goes on! The plot thickens! But we must never jump ship or bail out and give up on God who will work it out at the end of time, and we will be glad we're on the right side of history! Meanwhile, we may need to remove ourselves from the events and not get so personally involved, to see things in proper perspective. Our worldview determines what kind of handle we get on current events. "God does not play dice with the universe." --A. Einstein

One may view history erroneously because he's too involved and time will tell as God makes course corrections--it's like the swing of a pendulum with man overreacting and not being informed to act rationally; being rash always brings error (we must be removed and objective enough to rightly interpret--hindsight!). History by its very nature is nonrepeatable and therefore not subject to empirical investigation or analysis (in the domain of scientific inquiry)--one's religion and philosophy enter into the equation. In short, history is meaningful (hence a Mind).

CAVEAT: DON'T GET TUNNEL VISION AND FOCUS ON THE HERE AND NOW! "Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him" (Col. 1:16B, MSG); "... who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will" (Eph. 1:11, NIV). NB: Christ's coming changed the course of history!

Christianity is a historical religion OR IT IS NOTHING! It's historicized and never proven otherwise by archaeologists and if dehistoricized, it's fully discredited. But the Bible "has more marks of authenticity than any profane history." --Sir Isaac Newton We can be thankful our God is the God of history and has the whole world's story in His hands. One could easily posit the Bible as the best book on history ever penned by man. And never lose track of the fact that God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform. Finally, history looks forward to the consummation of the Second Coming and we don't have to know the future's details, but we know who holds the future! 

In sum, the plot thickens and history marches on by God's intervention:  creation, fall, redemption, judgment, heaven or hell.               Soli Deo Gloria!

Our Bodies For God's Glory

Many Christians focus on the externals of serving God with their body--going through the motions--forgetting the spiritual dimension.  The Jews also focused on externalism like fasting, sacrifices, Sabbath and holy day observance, circumcision, kosher rules, washing of hands and feet, and tithing.  It was Jesus who first brought spirituality into this new realm of performance.  We are not called to be a body-builder nor to elevate the body in such a way so as to distract from the spiritual element.  Even non-Christians can diet, exercise, and be hygienic but this doesn't define any spiritual devotion--quite the contrary, it may be a focus on the physical at the expense of the spiritual.  Paul did say that physical exercise was of some benefit but the discipline of godliness has a greater reward in this life and the one to come; though we must discipline our bodily passions, appetites, and desires.

There have been great believers who have been overweight for instance including Spurgeon and Luther, and there is no direct correlation between weight and holiness.  It is far more significant whether one is a glutton or makes food the focus of his life than whether they are overweight.  Some refer to 1 Cor. 9:27 that mentions that we can be "disqualified" after having preached to others, but this means being trapped in sin, not some physical standard to comply with or meet. 

Preachers that work out may live longer, be more attractive, and feel better about themselves, but there is no direct correlation with spiritual hygiene and physical discipline, especially in the senior years.  We don't need work-out heroes and champs but prayer warriors!  I see ads for male testosterone that enhances a man's ability to gain muscle mass and think this is nothing but vanity--a no-no for one's spiritual walk.  We need to learn to walk with the Lord, not walk our dog!  This physical body will decay and it's not a contest to see what a good corpse will be in our coffin.

On the other hand, though we don't either exalt nor degrade it we ought to treat it with respect and not be abusive nor remiss.  For instance, when good food is available we should have the discipline to eat our vegetables and even thank God we have them and not consume them begrudgingly.  Our appetites can get the best of us and lead to lack of discipline overall.  Our physical health is enhanced by proper diet and this, in turn, makes us feel better and more productive for God's work--but I do not believe we are called to be vegans or go on fancy and expensive diet programs.  The key is to avoid extremes and to count all food as the blessing of God and none should be refused for His sake.

But let's focus on the real bodies that we must dedicate to God:  our feet are meant to rush to those that need comfort and aid; we need to be lending a helping hand to those in need; we need eyes that see that world's blight and disasters; we have voices that sound off for God and spread His message of grace; God gave us ears that hear those crying for help (we must beware lest God's Word falls on deaf ears); our minds must be dedicated to thinking a divine viewpoint and expressing the thoughts of Christ with His cures; God gave us hearts to reach out in love to all in need and in our circle or orbit and we must pray for God to unite our hearts to fear His name; and our labor is meant to build and do the work of Christ in the world.  The whole point of salvation is that God gives us a new heart to love Him and do His will in service.

Remember that true faith expresses itself!  The faith you have is the faith you show, someone has said.  Note that we are to love God with all our strength and this means putting our best foot forward and always doing our best for God's glory, with whatever bodily strength we can muster.   As Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now canonized, said:  Christ has no hands but ours, no feet but ours; and no heart like ours to share with the world in need.

Christians have problems with their spiritual bodies: they become hard of hearing spiritually and are not sensitive to God's will and mission; they become blind to things of the Spirit and need their eyes opened up as revealed in the Word--both ways they become callous to fulfilling their calling in life and using their gifts and all the resources God has granted them and will hold them accountable for.  We are to walk by faith, not by sight nor feeling and this can only be done a proper focus on the way God reveals His will to us.

I would be remiss not to mention that the only sin against the body is sexual immorality, not getting fat!  In the final analysis, we all need to admit we have feet of clay (flaws not readily apparent) and constantly need the eyes of our hearts and understanding to be enlightened by God's Word.  In sum, we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (cf. Rom. 12:1) unto God (for we all died and our life is hidden in Christ, cf. Col 3:3)--i.e., living for Him, His glory, and will.    Soli Deo Gloria!

A Work Ethic

"Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness" (cf. Jer. 48:10).
".. 'I am engaged in a great work [project] so I can't come [down right now!].  Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?'" (Cf. Neh. 6:3, NLT). 
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..." (Eccl. 9:10, ESV).
"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need" (Eph. 4:28, ESV).  
"In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty" (Prv. 14:23, ESV).

Work ethic has been called the Protestant work ethic for centuries.  In 1607 Captain John Smith of Jamestown announced that he who wouldn't work will not eat after the admonition in 2 Thess. 3:10.  It was Martin Luther who first brought dignity to work, for it had been considered a curse and fit for slaves by the classic philosophers.  All that mattered was whether one did it to the glory of God--it didn't matter the kind or manner of a work project.

During the Holocaust in a concentration camp at Dachau, the Nazis tried to entice the Jews to work by telling them "Arbeit Macht Frei" or that work makes one free--it was a sham to motivate.  The Germans had a number of wise proverbs including "Arbeit Ehrt" or work dignify; "Arbeit Macht das Leben Suss," or work makes life sweet.  Work is meant to be a blessing just like food and drink according to Eccl. 3:13.

By way of illustration:  There is one well-known anecdote of a man who asks three men at a stone quarry and asks them what they are doing:  one says, "Can't you see?  I'm cutting stones!" another says, "I'm earning 100 lbs a week!" and the last one has a divine viewpoint and says, "I'm building a cathedral!"  Our perspective on our tasks makes all the difference and take on a new light as a witness to the world!

Jesus said, "I have ... [completed] the work you gave me to do..." (cf. John 17:4)--what a sigh of relief!  Nehemiah said, "For the people had a mind to work." (Cf. Neh. 4:6)--God can give intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation and incentive to work, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty" (Cf. Zech. 4:6).   We are as inspired as our dreams and goals--aim high, not low--if you aim for nothing you will get nowhere.

We must all be willing to do humble work, in the so-called "order of the towel," as when Jesus took one to do the foot-washing in the Upper Room.  There is no caste system or class consciousness in Christ, as He leveled the playing field and made us all one in Christ, whether slave or free.

We must learn to do whatever we do with all our heart as unto the Lord, and to His glory, learning to love what we do, thus being a light to the world.  King George III said that we should aim not to do what we love but love what we do!   It's not wrong to take pride in one's vocation or work, for we will do our best and have extra motivation.  When we work, we are expressing God's image in us--work is no curse but part of God's plan and there will be work in heaven. 

It has been said that man is meant and "hard-wired for work" (according to Dr. Carl F. H. Henry), and cannot live without meaningful work or tasks to complete--we're not meant for idleness.  We must be wise to redeem the time for God, not wasting it (cf. Eph. 5:16).  Augustine of Hippo said, "to work is to pray!"  We all must learn to stay out of trouble, for idleness can be the devil's tool and workshop!  We are happiest when we are busy doing the Lord's work! Lack of stimulating work is debilitating--sloth (acedia) or idleness is one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

God does not call us to success but to faithfulness, according to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, recipient of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize and now canonized.  The Bible condemns selfish ambition, but not godly pursuits.   Jer. 45:5 says, "Do you seek great things for yourself?  Seek them not."  Everyone has a niche and a calling with one or more talents to use for God.   We should never compare ourselves with others but seek faithfulness in our God-given chores, tasks, duties, and errands.   "Whatever our hand finds to do, do it with all our might," says Ecclesiastes 9:10.  

And Col. 1:10 equates work with faith and says to "bear fruit in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God."  We all should hope to find a "labor of love" to complete God's will.  We may retire from our jobs, but not God's service!  In a sense, our job is our workbench of worship and a dress rehearsal for heaven.  Teddy Roosevelt said that there's never been a man who led a life of ease whose name was worth remembering.

One anecdote from St. Francis of Assisi is in order:  He was busy doing his gardening at the monastery and was asked what he'd do if he only had thirty minutes to live.  He said, "I'd finish this row!" O, that we all could die doing what we love--doing God's will and busy at the Lord's work!   He had a handle on his purpose and was ready to meet the Lord at any time.   In conclusion, ask yourself:  "Who are you working for?  The man, the union, or the Lord?  Are you a team player?  Do you seek excellence in the Lord's work? Do you go to work to worship and pray as well as work?    Soli Deo Gloria!

Easy-believism

"You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that--and shudder" (James 2:19, NIV).  
"Believe in the Lord [i.e., accepting his lordship or ownership] Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31, NIV).
"...' Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37, NIV).

A. W. Tozer wrote a book, I Call It Hersey, to debunk the false notion of easy-believism (i.e., not accepting Christ as Lord of one's life but believing in spite of it) or cheap grace (i.e., forgiveness without repentance, justifying the sin, not the sinner!), as Dietrich Bonhoeffer referred to it as.  This message of domesticating and dumbing down the call to lordship is the gospel in vogue in modern, mainstream denominational churches who disregard repentance and, its flip side, faith as the only means of salvation. William Booth warned of a church offering forgiveness without repentance!

We must have a penitent faith or believing repentance as it were.  Salvation is indeed free, but not cheap--it costs everything we've got (total surrender of self to His will).  The propagators of the easy-believism tend to preach that we don't have to obey Christ to be saved--just believe!  This is not accepting Him as our Lord.  Christ will not dichotomize His offices and personhood.

We must submit to Him as Lord and trust Him as Savior.  We cannot accept a half-Christ.  He is Lord of all, or not at all! (Cf. Rom. 10:12; Acts 10:36).  We must bow to His authority (cf. Phil. 2:10-11) and ownership over our lives as the "Captain of our soul and Master of our fate" (cf. Invictus by William Ernest Henley)--we must release control of our life. In other words, our destiny is in His hands (cf. Job 23:14) and we must openly confess Him as our Lord before men to confirm our salvation (cf. Rom. 10:9-10; Matt. 10:32-33).  There are no secret Christians or closet believers.  There are also no Lone Ranger ones or solitary saints--we must all get connected with the body to function and grow.

Now there is no such thing as a carnal Christian as a class of believers, though believers can become carnal or lose their fellowship, backsliding or even falling from grace.  Christians do disobey God, though they do not continue in it, for God disciplines them and brings them back into the fold.  If we are without discipline, we are not real children of God!  Blessed are those who have learned to be rebuked by the Scripture and don't need a school of hard knocks to learn lives Reality 101.  "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all" (Psalm 34:19, NIV).  

God is looking for believers with gusto, who are gung-ho for the Lord, not halfhearted!  We must seek Him with our whole heart to find Him, for God regards not triflers.  It was said of Joshua (cf. 14:8) that he "wholly followed the Lord."  We must hold nothing back, making no compromises with the world, for if we love the world or the things of the world, we will not love God (cf. 1 John 2:15).  We must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (cf. Mark 8:34).  Jesus never made it sound easy to be saved, but even discouraged halfhearted "disciples."

We, also, must not contextualize or water down the gospel message to lure or entice folks with an "acceptable" gospel they can swallow or handle without offense (but Christ is the Rock of offense and a Stone of stumbling!).

Some people merely pay lip service or go through the motions, memorizing the Dance of the Pious, in their worship--which is a fraud and a sham, not the real thing--this is Churchianity or playing games with the church, not Christianity.  The  Bible condemns those whose lips are near but their hearts are far from the Lord only doing their religious "duty" in church, not out of the heart.  Lukewarm believers are ones who are not walking with the Lord and need Christ in their heart to be a real encounter with Him.

The only genuine test of faith is obedience and "only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes," according to Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Yes, there's a cost to discipleship and no one is promised a bed of roses--our reward is not in this life (cf. Psalm 17:14), for the Lord is our portion (cf. Gen. 15:1)!

Our faith is not measured by our ecstasies or encounters, even experiences such as visions and dreams, but only by our obedience (cf. Heb. 3:18-19)!  Jesus will say that we are merely good and faithful servants at the Judgment Seat of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10).  Yes, the cost is great and it's a life of sacrifice of self--not living for oneself--but the cost of rejection is greater!       Soli Deo Gloria!

What About Those Divorced?

"'...Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate'" (Mark 10:9, NIV). 

Divorce is nearly one of two marriages now, even among Christians because they are not walking in obedience.  There are umpteen reasons to get divorced but most states now offer "no-fault" divorces so that anyone can get a divorce for virtually any reason, without even stipulating it.  Sometimes one party is forced into it unwillingly and is a victim of sorts of the system. To mention a "for instance," divorce can cause permanent trauma to both parties--there may be delayed or long-term effects.  Divorce isn't God's design but only a concession due to the hardness of man's heart.  It is wise not to go beyond that which is written as 1 Cor. 4:6 says, and to stick to biblical guidelines.  The Bible is very explicit that God SAYS "I hate divorce" (cf. Mal. 2:16)--it is only appropriate in certain cases--(i.e., that it's His will).

But believers are also capable of disobeying God and of falling into sin or rebellion, even backsliding and getting divorced when they should have reconciled or worked it out.  But sometimes this is rendered impossible due to circumstances.  Note that the Bible never gives believers permission to divorce due to falling out of love or what is legally termed "irreconcilable differences."  But we all can make mistakes, fall short, and exhibit poor judgment and we are not to judge or make life difficult for someone's errors and confessed sins committed long ago. 

God doesn't write anyone off as hopeless and out of it--He can work with any penitent soul; i.e., it's never too late for a fresh start with God and a clean slate when coming clean and making our peace with God.  No need to say, "I've made a big mistake AND BLEW IT and I'll be paying for it the rest of my life."  We can always get on track with God's BEST plan for our lives WITH ANOTHER CHANCE.

God is a God of grace and mercy and can extend it to anyone who is repentant, even believers.  One cannot change the past or make up for mistakes but must live and learn and go on with the school of hard knocks and experience.  But redressing or making amends is always called for whenever possible.  God says that no matter what we've done, He will receive us if we repent (cf. Lev. 26:44)!  But God wants sincere repentance and a change of heart and will to abide in Him from now on, i.e., sometimes it's impossible to correct past mistakes or to change the past.   Christians are capable of falling into temptation and sin and disobeying God like anyone else, but God always brings them back into fellowship and restores them--the apostasy or fall from grace is never permanent.

The lesson learned is that God may have other plans for the divorced and doesn't want their "interests divided" as it were.  If a person is divorced, they should not seek marriage but God's will and direction--God's plan for their lives through a life of obedience and submission to the Lord as a calling of being the servant of the Lord.  We should be careful not to celebrate or harbor the world's viewpoint of divorce and remarriage, which is far too lenient and lax, biblically speaking.  Granted, there are times when divorce is warranted, but adultery and unbelief are hardly the common ones we see today--it's usually flippant, selfish, and frivolous reasons that can be worked out and reconciled.

But we should never assume that marriage is the ideal state for everyone, but some are called to be celibate--it's a spiritual gift.  Many divorces can be avoided by not marrying outside your faith and ending up jeopardizing it at the expense of trying to save the marriage.  One's faith must take first priority and to be unequally yoked is forbidden by God (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14), yet people have flaws and feet of clay (weaknesses not readily apparent) and make mistakes that can even ruin their lives. 

But sometimes people act in ignorance and unbelief and need forgiveness, but it's God's will for them to work it out and not give up too soon.  If both parties are one in the Spirit, it can be worked out.  To stay together, however, both parties must be fully committed even though unrequited love is a hard burden to bear, but this is God's will and a test of one's faith.   

Meanwhile, the church is an organism of imperfect souls working out their salvation (cf. Phil. 2:12)--no perfect people need to apply!  The same set of standards for believers and unbelievers in the world differs--we see the light (cf. John 1:7-9; 8:12) and should know better and are therefore accountable and more culpable (cf. Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). Unbelievers are sinners who need repentance for their sins.  It is a sin to divorce for unbiblical reasons (cf. Mark 10:9)!  

But Christ came to seek and to save the lost (cf. Luke 19:10: Matt. 18:11) and the church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints!  We're not sanitizing personalities, but salvaging souls, as bona fide members of the soul patrol!  He came not to call the righteous, but sinners [unto repentance] (cf. Matt. 3:2; 9:13; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 5:32).  Sin is not to be condoned, but preached (cf. Luke 13:3,5) and people are to get saved from its power over them (cf. Matt. 1:21)--to be set free in Christ (cf. John 8:36).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Simpler Times With Miracles?

"A miracle is an event which is not producible by the  natural causes that are operative at the time and place that the event occurs." --William L. Craig
"'Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders" (Job 37:14, NIV).
"He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted" (Job 5:9, NIV).   "[T]he day he displayed his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan" (Psalm 78:43, NIV).   "What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him" (John 2:11, NIV).
"Even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father" (John 10:38, NIV).

Skeptics like to attribute biblical faith in miracles as primitive, gullible, superstitious, and ignorant, and unschooled (this is a misconception and a myth), but even the educated didn't question they happened, as recorded in Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus, who was no stranger to the world of the supernatural as a Jew who wrote of Christ.  They were just as sophisticated as us and by no means can we attribute their belief as naivete.  Of course, the error was that the Pharisees attributed these signs to the work of the devil and couldn't discern good from evil they were so blind and hardened of heart.  There were only a few periods in biblical history that miracles were commonplace (the exodus, the conquering of the Promised Land, the time of Elijah and Elisha, the time of Jesus, and the beginning of the church age).

But people have never been "simple" and willing to believe anything and they could distinguish the normal from the supernatural or paranormal activity--they would not be fooled as easily as if we were to drive an auto and they would wonder how we could have a horseless carriage, for instance.  They knew what was plausible and what was clearly impossible and a sign from God!   They knew people don't rise from the dead as Elijah and Elisha had done and then Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament.  When Moses presented the Ten Plagues on Egypt, the sorcerers recognized the very "finger of God" at work and told that to Pharaoh.

The point of miracles is that they represent an unusual act of God since everything is orchestrated by Him and a common occurrence of God.  But if they happened all the time they'd be called "regulars."  If you want to see a miracle look in the mirror or at the sunrise!  If you say that miracles are "fixed," then so is the sunrise!  Miracles have been defined as something that cannot happen under the circumstances without intervention from an outside force.  They are indeed unusual events caused by God, but for a reason, since God is not haphazard, whimsical, capricious, nor arbitrary.

Jesus wouldn't accommodate people with miracles on demand to prove Himself, even in front of King Herod during one of His trials.  Neither would He do a "biggie" miracle to convince the Pharisees and skeptics, for miracles don't produce faith, faith produces miracles. They evoke or elicit faith in faithful!  They only reassure the faith of the believer, and they were never for show, to entertain, or for personal gain or selfish reasons.  In fact, miracles only give the desire for more miracles!  The Bible records all kinds of miracles to show God's power over nature, men, the elements, disease, demons, and even death.  John called them signs because they showed a side to His Deity that He was teaching or illustrating. They show the authenticity and genuineness of His claims!

Science cannot forbid miracles, for they are not within its province and the parameters are out of its domain or realm in the same manner that ethics is--but that doesn't imply they contradict science.  They cannot be repeated or duplicated and therefore cannot be tested. One-time events are historical in nature and not subject to repetition.  Miracles are not a "violation of natural law," as David Hume postulated, but a special intervention of God into our dimension.  The Bible makes no attempt to prove its miracles because it's self-attesting and doesn't appeal to any authority other than itself, otherwise it would not be the highest authority--if it appealed to science we would put our faith in science!   In sum, don't boast that you would believe if you could see a miracle, because there is no greater one than the resurrection of Christ which is given by "many infallible proofs" according to Acts 1:3.  Blessed are those who have not seen (a miracle--cf. John 20:29)!

The question of the existence of miracles is a philosophical one and depends on whether there is a God.  Often the issue is not a miracle in question but the very possibility of miracles that is doubted.  We have the veracity of the witnesses as historical evidence and we can easily believe they have not deluded us as madmen or deliberate liars who faced death as the test of their credibility.  If you take the miracles out of the Bible it is nothing and only a system of ethics and stories, but if you remove miracles from other faiths, they remain intact.

But none of Christ's miracles were for show or selfish reasons, and He didn't want to just be known as a miracle worker, for He came on a mission to save sinners, but without His miracles, He may have gone down as a mere footnote in history.  The problem with the Jews was that even though He had done many miracles they would not believe (cf. John 12:37).  Today, you can witness the greatest of all miracles now:  changed lives through Christ's resurrection power.  Note:  You can remove the miracles from other religions and they remain intact, but if you do that to the Bible, it is disemboweled; if Christ had performed no miracles, He would've remained a footnote in history!    Soli Deo Gloria!  

Oh, Theophilus (Lover Of God)!

Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.  Our love is contingent upon obedience, not feeling or maudlin sentimentality, which can fluctuate like a weather vane in a whirlwind.   Some believers are more demonstrative than others, while some timid or inhibited believers are sometimes stoical, even with secular matters they show restraint at showing motion publicly--they may be too self-conscious or don't want people to notice them or deflect attention off Christ.  The focus of our worship and love should be Christ and not how we express it--there is a no-size-fits-all way to worship!  We're all hard-wired uniquely to complement the body!

The measure of faith is our obedience and its only yardstick. "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes" (Bonhoeffer).  Love is not merely a sentiment or getting a spiritual high or intoxication on Jesus--though it may be a preoccupation!  We don't walk in the glow of some religious experience all our lives. It's not about walking on Cloud Nine all day!  We have to have our valleys to test our faith, as God withdrew from Hezekiah to see what was really on his heart (2 Chron. 32:3not 1).

God wants to know how we will act by faith, not feeling!  (not paying "lip service," Isa. 29:13; Jer. 12:2).   For we walk by faith, not by sight! (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).  It is faith that pleases God (cf. Heb. 11:6)--He will not say to us, "How great awesome your feelings!"  Some people just have no control over their feelings and give full vent to them regardless of them being good or bad.  Jesus commended the Canaanite woman for her faith!  The Roman centurion was also commended for his faith!

What does it mean then to love God with all our hearts?  It means all that we are:  our wills or volition; our emotion or sentiment; and, of course, our intellect or mind.  Everyone seems to be strong in some areas and weak in others--for we all fall short and are works in progress.  The point is that we are sincere in our love and worship and don't feign love or try to be someone or something we are not to impress others.

Our faith isn't how much we believe, but how well we obey.   Our obedience is measured by how we love with our volition and submit to God's will; our emotions may be expressed by outbursts and feelings shared with others, and loving with our intellect measured by how we use or don't use our God-given brains and talents.  We cannot say that someone is an intellectual and is just wired that way to be insensitive and impassive in other ways, no more than we can say one is emotive and foolish and reckless in expression.

We must seek to love God with our full and complete personality--all that we are and strive to be in Christ (OUR SOUL, MAKEUP, OR PERSONHOOD--WHAT DEFINES US!).  That's why Scripture says to love God with all our soul, all our mind, all our strength, and all our heart!  That just about covers all the bases and shows that we all have room for improvement and growth, for God isn't finished with us yet and we all must enroll in His school of love!

Christians are in love with Jesus (not just the idea of Jesus) and He is the Great Lover of our soul, who loves us for who we are and accepts us with baggage, flaws, and blemishes, and all!   The believer's walk is a romance with God and we grow in our love by means of obedience and communion or fellowship on a daily basis.

We are to grow in our love of the Lord and it's a thrill meant to last a lifetime.  All believers have a different strong suit or forte of how they express their love for God--we might do it through our spiritual gift and in our service to Christ either in our mission to the unsaved or in ministry to the body.  At the Bema of Christ, we all await the final verdict:  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"  And we must never divorce faith and faithfulness!

The important lesson to glean is that we should never compare ourselves to others and get jealous of their gift or abilities, talents, responsibilities, or opportunities.  There are two common errors in the body:  gift projection, whereby we expect others to be like us; and gift envy, whereby we wish we had someone else's gift--we will all be judged individually and personally!  CAVEAT:  Don't let someone belittle your gift!   Christians are lovers in essence and what the world needs is more Christian love (our primary gift), according to Bertrand Russell, British mathematician, and an atheist philosopher.

Christ didn't found an empire on war or the sword, but by being the Emperor of Love, according to Napoleon Bonaparte.  NB:  Christ never asks us to do anything He didn't do--He gave all for us and we must return the favor by denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him, as our expression of love.  The expression of love is self-sacrifice, the opposite of being selfish and living for oneself--love gives of oneself sacrificially!  Remember who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us--His all!

A measure of our love for God can be seen in how we love our neighbor and especially the brethren too!   This is love in action and love applied!   He who loves another has fulfilled the law, according to Romans 13:8.  "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command:  "Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Gal. 5:14, NIV).  "Love does no harm to a neighbor.  Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:10, NIV).  We have no right to claim a love of God if we do not love one another, for love is the fruit of the Spirit in all believers, which is shed abroad in our hearts (cf. Rom. 5:5).  The institution of matrimony is meant to be the image of Christ's love for the church and this is one vehicle for learning and applying the love we experience in Christ.  Soli Deo Gloria!