In our society a trend of
‘christianaphobia’ is rising. Christianity is accused of some amazing things and
to such an extent that it turns the values of Christianity on its head. A couple of years ago in a
large circulation Regional Newspaper in England Christianity was accused of being the source of the 'tide of disrespect engulfing us'. On a very
basic level the principles of Christianity (if practiced) would ensure that
peace and harmony ruled on earth as all people would act in the way Jesus
Christ described (forgiving, loving etc). It is obvious however that all people
have not accepted the salvation that Jesus Christ offers and that sin in the
heart of humanity (as also established by Judaism) still results in evil and
hurt for all concerned.
The writer chose to focus on one part of
the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Other records in the Gospels state that
the Lord Jesus did not come to 'destroy the law' as received under Judaism but
to 'fulfil it'. This means that the individual who loves the Lord God expresses
this in respect of others and respect for authority. The Lord Jesus never
undermined the authorities of the day and indeed he encouraged his disciples to
'render to Caesar' the things that belong to Caesar i.e. revenue, tax, civil
obedience etc.
The rest of the New Testament (see
Romans 13) supports the principal that Christians are expected to obey the
authorities and that political powers have been ordered by God and have
executive powers from God to rule (with all that that implies). I would suggest
kindly that should one choose to take a closer look at the Bible (and in
particular the books of Isaiah and Revelation) they would discover that the
Lord Jesus Christ has promised to return to planet earth one day and that he himself
will dispense summary and immediate judgment on wrongdoing and evil (Revelation
21:8). Sadly unbelief in him is one of the crimes that will qualify for his
judgment. This may seem harsh but
essentially unbelief is the worst crime of all because of what it leads to.
God is light therefore unbelief leaves you in moral darkness. God is truth
therefore unbelief leaves you with all that is false. God is life therefore
unbelief leaves you with death. God is holy therefore unbelief leaves you with
sin, imperfection and that is wicked. Ultimately unbelief leads to all the
grosser wicked sins that we readily accept are wrong and harmful. Thankfully today
we all have the opportunity to 'believe in the Lord Jesus Christ' to be saved.
In that day it will be too late.
So in closing I want to pass on to the
readers of this blog a ‘Global Warning’ (excuse the pun). This is not about the
effect of the mismanagement of our planet and its resources (important though
that is) but about a longer lasting issue. This planet will come to the end of
its life cycle one day (see the Bible – 2 Peter 3). However your and my
soul will never die. The warning is that if we do not actively get
back to God then we will find that we are, on death, forever at a distance from
God (and all that God is, love, justice, peace etc). How can we come to God?
The answer is in honestly seeking the truth, obeying his command in the word of
God. This is to repent of our sin (turn away from it) and place our personal
faith in Jesus Christ.
The scripture teaches - 'Christ died for our sins....and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day,' 1 Corinthians 15.3,4.
The solution is to 'repent and believe the gospel,' Mark 1.15.
May you come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour as a result of considering these quotes from the Bible.
For more information visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk
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