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With that fact in mind, it is appropriate we research a few misconceptions concerning Scripture, our faith, and how God intended His people to interact with society. It is important to note that our Christian faith (Protestant or Catholic) has its direction and main teaching vehicle from Scripture – not from clergy or any other source! The Catholic faith has (in addition to Scripture) Tradition and Magisterium, but these, along with the Catechism, are to clarify Scripture, not change or contradict. It is your obligation to study Scripture rather than to simply take another’s word for it. The Bible can be easy to understand or difficult – depending on the commitment one has to his or her faith.
The facts listed here-in have been abbreviated for sake of space in this study. We do not have time to respond to telephone calls but we do encourage your comments or questions via postal or e-mail.
In order to understand Scripture, and decipher how God is instructing us in living a Christian life, we must first acknowledge a universal law of Christianity and three laws of hermeneutics (the science of interpretation). The Universal Law of Christianity is – “a statement by Jesus Christ (Son) cannot contradict a Law from God (Father).” God did not send His Son to earth for the purpose of starting a new religion, or so those who simply agree to who He is – can keep on sinning and claim salvation! Anyone that makes such a statement is either deliberately or lying completely stupid – don’t believe them! The first law of hermeneutics is to “examine what the text actually says.” To do this, there are times when we must go beyond the English text in order to understand what was said in the original language, the Hebrew of the Old Testament or the Greek of the New Testament, this will require a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. The second law is to “examine the immediate context in which the passage is found.” What is the subject discussed? The third law is to “examine the whole analogy of Scripture,” meaning, the entire context of the document being studied.
1. Take for example the word “hate.” (Luke 14:26) – “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his mother and father, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also He cannot be my disciple.” First Law - “Hate” in NT Greek means to – “love less” - meaning we are to love everyone less than we love God. But “hate” in OT Hebrew and when applied to (Ps 139:21 – 22) and (Mal 1: 3) means – “personally” - Same word but two different meanings. David personally “hated” those that “hated” God and God stated He personally and in human form “hated” Esau. In (Prov 6:17) God states in OT Hebrew that He “hates,” not only the shedding of innocent blood, but the person – in human form! The term “hate the sin but love the sinner” is not part of Scripture. Second Law – What is the subject? It is obvious in (Luke 14:26) that Jesus does not mean we are to literally “hate” our parents and everyone else. Third Law – The Bible as a whole universally condemns looking at another person with an unloving heart, but there are instances where “hating” is justified as in the examples listed above. So the word “hate” can mean one thing in one paragraph and something entirely different in another.
2. Sin – I received the following e-mail recently that said, “Let me say right up front, sin is sin in God's eyes. No sin is greater than another, whether it be the sin of murder, adultery, stealing, lying, gossiping, or gluttony.” In an attempt to “level the playing field,” so as to justify non-involvement in issues such as abortion, sodomy, adultery etc, this type of deception has become widely spread in recent years. Common sense tells us there must be different penalties for various crimes and all governments direct such penalties. God clearly orders, in the great book of Leviticus, punishments to be imposed according to the sin committed. Murder is a sin and lying is a sin, but these sins carry with them very different consequences and therefore different punishments. God is JUST! “For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal 6:7).
3. Prayer – (Exodus 14:15) and (Joshua 10-12) states that as Believers our responsibility is to adhere to the fact that if God ordered it, we don’t need to pray (petition) Him about it. This kind of prayer is simply an attempt to con God into holding our hand, when we should be seeking His face! “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked” (Gal.6:7). Where prayer is used in the New Testament most of its usage associates “worship” rather than a “petition” for favors. In (Matt 21:13), “My house shall be called the house of prayer,” and (Acts 12:5), as well as many other verses, prayer refers to a form of “worship.” Whereas in (Phil 1:4), “Always in every prayer of mine for you,” it means “petition” - same word but two different meanings. Scripture talks more about sins of omission than sins of commission, more about deeds than about words, more about do’s than don’ts, and more about “worship” and “action” than a list of “give me’s” (petitions).
God does not instruct His people to “pray” (petition) for benefits they could otherwise achieve through their own action. If you never go to work, but simply stay home every day and “pray” (petition) that you can pay your bills, how long do you think it would take before problems set in? If your children stopped attending school, or studying, but “prayed” (petitioned) that they would somehow have the knowledge to become nuclear scientists, do you think they would succeed? If you have a flat tire or your roof is leaking, would you “pray” (petition) and nonchalantly go about your daily activity without attempting to fix the problem? Come on now – of course you wouldn’t. In fact – your problem would probably get worse. It’s simply common sense. How then, for the love of Pete, can any intelligent person expect the moral sins of our day (abortion – sodomy – pornography – diminishing family values, etc.) to simply go-away, or correct themselves, if we treat them in a like manner?
God also very clearly states in (Jeremiah 7:16 and 11:11 and 11:14), in (Isaiah 1:10-14), in (Ezekiel 8:18), and in (Malachi 1:9) that He will not hear the prayers (petitions) or (worship) of unrepentant people! God says in (Chronicles 7:14) that only after we humble ourselves, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, will He then hear our prayers and heal our land.
4. Doing “good to our enemies” - Beatitudes – (Sermon on the Mount) - (Matt 5:39-42). “But whoever slaps you on you right cheek, turn the other to him also. . . “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn him away.”- (Matt 5:44) “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Common sense tells us these verses cannot be as written, so we need to again refer to the laws of hermeneutics in order to fully understand the passage. The Beatitudes (Sermon on the Mount) addresses social or moral or personal issues. It is not addressing governmental, corporate, or constitutional issues.
When sending out His disciples, Jesus instructed them regarding how they should act when coming in contact with fellow believers. If the disciple treated a brother unfair or offended him, and the brother retaliated by slapping the disciple across the face, the disciple should “turn the other cheek,” because the disciple was guilty of an offence. This does not mean that Jesus intended evil people to abuse us – Jesus did not send out wimps! There is no such thing as “violence begets violence.” If the first act is violence, to respond is not vindictive but justifiable defensive retaliation.
Suppose someone has mugged you and beaten one side of your face badly. He is apprehended and you are to testify against him in court. The Judge looks down at you and says, “It is my decision that you ‘turn the other cheek’ and let this fellow work on that for a while.” You know this must be wrong – but why? Because it is not the Judge’s cheek that he is turning; it is somebody else’s cheek. Does (Matt 5:42) allow you to expect a Christian bank president to loan you any amount of money that you wish interest free? Hardly – because it is not the bank president’s money; it is somebody else’s money.
In Greek, enemies - can mean “Satan” in a severe sense or “foe” in a milder sense. It is obvious Christ was not inferring in (Matt 5:44) that His followers love Satan – so this must be in a milder sense – “foes.” The Greek meaning for love in this verse - means “in a social or moral sense,” persecute means “hostility,” and pray means “pray to God.” In (Matt 5:44) the words “bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and spitefully use you” are not from the original text and were added by man. The original verse read, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Meaning, “Be kind and pray to God for your foes and those who are hostile toward you.” Not a Commandment but a lifestyle guideline for happiness and definitely not meant as an excuse to not defend our life, country, or our culture from the moral evils of our day. We are to be kind to, as much as possible, (Romans 12:18) and pray for people we may disagree with (not because we want these people to prosper) but because the actions of other people affect our lives.
If we examine the text of these verses we will find that what Jesus is talking about is “personal vengeance, revenge, vindictiveness,” which is not to be confused with “justice,” a subject referred to throughout Scripture numerous times. It is not “vengeance or justice” which is proscribed, but “personal vengeance.” Fact - No time in recorded history has a major dispute been settled by doing good to our enemies - this is simply another misapplication of God’s Word. The United States did not “do good” to Iraq, Viet Nam, North Korea, Germany or Japan (our enemies). In the OT God treated His enemies harshly, but justly, and Jesus (being part of the Trinity) was there with His Father and was fully in agreement with Him – for a Christian to state otherwise is heresy!
5. Words and Works - Luther once referred to the doctrine of “justification by faith alone” as “the most dangerous teaching” because it has been used to allow license to sin. Eph 2:8-10 - The following Greek translations relate to (Ephesians 2:8-10) plus (Romans 3:28) and (James 2: 14-24). Dead means “the spiritual condition of the nonbeliever (dead),” faith means “reliance in Christ for salvation,” grace means “a free gift,” justified means “showed to be right” or” innocent,” law means “Mosaic Law or parts thereof,” save means “salvation in those believing in Christ,” say means “words uttered,” works means “work, act, deed,” workmanship – means “product.”
Applied to (Ephesians 2: 8-10) – New Living Translation: “God saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Meaning – “For it is a free gift that you obtain salvation, through no work of your own. For we are God’s product, His creation in Jesus Christ, to do the labor God commands us to do.” Applied to (Romans 3:28) “So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.” Meaning – “We conclude that a man is showed to be right by reliance in Christ for salvation apart from the deeds of the law.”
Applied to (James 2: 14) – “What’s the use in saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone.” Meaning – “What does it profit if you utter the words that you are reliant in Christ for salvation but do not act? Reliance in Christ by itself for salvation is not enough.” Applied to (James 2: 17) – “So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all – it is dead and useless.” Meaning – “Reliance in Christ for salvation by itself, if it does not have deeds is no better than being a nonbeliever.” Applied to (James 2: 24) – “So you see, we are made right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.” Meaning – “Man is innocent or proved to be right by his work and not by reliance in Christ for salvation only.”
Paul was saying in (Ephesians 2:8-9) and (Romans 3:28) in the translated form that a man is shown to be right by reliance in Christ for salvation apart from the deeds of the Commandments. He also states in (Ephesians 2:10) however, that a purpose of our salvation is to do the deeds God has commanded of us, and in (Gal 5:6) that faith is a trust that cannot exist without obedience. James is defining the issue and making it clearer and more understandable. He is saying there can be real faith or faith that is not real, and that real faith will be seen through our works! Paul and James agree with each other. Paul is talking about the right relationship – James is talking about the right conduct. The only way I can prove my acceptance of Christ is by my works - not my faith. Works is a result of faith. Faith is invisible; it has no shape or color. To say we have faith but live no different than that of a pagan or do nothing at all to defend God’s teachings is as James says – “A lie and not real faith at all.” If you wish further verification check out (1 John 2:3-4) (Greek), which states; “Thereby we can understand that we are approved by Him through keeping His prescriptions. But he who says, I am approved by Him and does not keep His prescriptions deceives by falsehood.” Plain enough? The truth is that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in Scripture! “Actions speak louder than words.”
True story – As a result of door-to-door witnessing by two pastor friends of mine, a man (with a shaded lifestyle) made a confession to accept Christ as his savior. Realizing and promising to abide by his duties and responsibilities, the man publicly announced his desire to join their church and was accepted. Here’s the problem . . . The man never financially supported the church, was never involved in any church functions, did not display any significant change in his lifestyle, and after only a few visits, stopped attending church. Needless to say, after a period of time the church removed this mans membership. Why? Because as James says, a lack of works proved his profession of faith to be “not real and a lie.”
True story - A lady was experiencing an emotional reaction as a result of viewing and reading one of our advertisements in a local newspaper regarding “partial birth abortion.” She described herself as being pro-life, yet after questioning, it was determined that she had never taken part in or financially supported any pro-life effort in fact, she even voted for pro-abortion candidates. I explained to her if she wanted to become a member of our group she would need to follow our directives and become actively involved in our organization, either through donating to us financially or by some form of volunteer effort. She said she would send us a check for a donation the following week and would let us know exactly how she could help us. This was the last we heard from her. A classic example of a person that said she believed in us but actually only believed about us. Is this person a follower of AFLM? . . . Of course not! . . . Why? Because her so-called profession of faith was not substantiated by some form of action, financial or otherwise. Works prove faith!
6. Forgiveness – In Greek terms forgiveness means to “lay aside” – a different, milder, and less forgiving meaning than absolution. Jesus didn’t teach unconditional forgiveness! Applied to (Luke 17: 3-4) - “If another believer sins, rebuke him; then if he repents, forgive him. Even if he wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and repents, forgive him.” This verse is addressed to believers, (not everyone in general) and specifies repentance as the all important criteria for forgiving. No where in Scripture does God indicate that forgiveness is justified without the need for repentance. - If that’s good enough for God it should be enough for us!
Forgiveness is one of the most misunderstood doctrines. Not to forgive should not to be confused with bitterness, which is destructive. Forgiveness depends on circumstances. 1. Sometimes love requires us to say, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Lk: 23-24). 2. Sometimes love requires us to forgive over and over (Mt. 18:21-22). 3. And sometimes love requires to withhold forgiveness for the sake of the one who has harmed us and society in general. In the latter case it is the responsibility of a wounded Christian to act. If the wound comes from a believer, we are instructed to rebuke him. This is to be in the best interest of the brother or sister who harmed us. From a Christian perspective, to hold people accountable for their actions is a way of honoring them, and shows that they are important enough for us to take their actions seriously. Sometimes forgiveness is justified because the offender did not know what they were doing at the time, as in (Lk: 23-24). This is often true of little children or the spiritually immature. But nothing is worse for the offender than to be allowed to go on in his or her sin unchallenged and uncared for until led into the judgment hall of God!
When someone is forgiven, God does not suspend the natural law of “sowing and reaping,” nor does He forgive so all consequences of our sin can be removed. He removes guilt and shame, but not the scars and consequences that we must live with! Contrary to modern theology God does not forget our sins. In (Jeremiah 31:34) “I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more,” the word “remember,” in Hebrew means “mention,” a much different meaning. God does not teach us to forget, but rather not to hold sins against one another. God did not forget but breathed into the Bible a record of the sins of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Paul, Peter, and other forgiven people.
The “forgive and forget” approach to forgiveness we are experiencing today is an attempt to find a way to escape the reality of the moment and the hurt of the past. The “I forgive you for my own sake” attitude that advocates forgiveness for purely personal therapeutic selfish reasons is based on wrong theology. The danger is that it undermines the loving forgiveness taught in the Bible to a self-centered act of self-protection. Poor theology has taught us to forgive when we think it is our best interest to do so. God wants us to forgive when it is in the best interest of others.
7. Judging – (Matt 7:1) “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Does the Bible teach that it is wrong in all circumstances to judge? No it does not! The Greek meaning for judge in this verse means “condemn,” which is much different than in (1 Cor 4:3) “yea, I judge not mine own self,” meaning - “examine.” To judge “condemn” without proper evidence is sinful. But to judge, “examine,” is something else. The Greek verb tense means to “not be continually involved in judging others.” Hardly the same as to “never” judge anyone. We are to judge “examine” ourselves and others, to discern “discriminate” right from wrong, in order to lead a Christian life. Solomon (1 Kings 3:9-11) asked God for discernment, Hebrew meaning to “mentally distinguish” in order to rule his people. God agreed with him and granted his request. Other examples are (1 Corinthians 5:12) and (6:2), (Galatians 1:8-9), (Philippians 3:2), (1 Thessalonians 2:14-15), (1 Timothy 1 6:-7), (Titus 3:2-10), (1 John 4:1), (2 John 10), and (3 John 9). God expects us to think! So is it right for a Christian to judge “examine” a Dr. that kills unborn children, people that promote a lifestyle that God calls abominable, a lying church, or other “Christians” that distort the Word of God or display no visible evidence of faith in Christ? You’d better believe it – in fact God orders it!
8. Love or doctrine - If there is one word you can depend on hearing (above all else) during church services today, it is the message of love. Love (along with forgiveness) composes literally 99% of pulpit sermons. Jesus called love, “the first and the greatest” commandment. “Love your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” (Matt 22:37). He immediately added this corollary: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The golden rule is an extension of the same principle: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31).
But did you know that in the Greek translation, love is not merely a word or a feeling, but is referred to in a social or moral context associated with charity or more particularly an – action! Love can be known only in a Christian context from the action it prompts. God’s love (action) is seen in the gift of His son (1 Jn 4:9-10). In the last chapter of John, Jesus states to Peter that if Peter loves Him, he will prove it by doing something, “Feed My sheep.” This coincides with the statement from Paul in (Ephesians 2:10) regarding a reason for our salvation.
So what does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? It means to show the same care for people close to you as you show for yourself. The Greek meaning for neighbor is a person that is “close by or a friend.” If you were a Jew living in occupied Europe, and the Nazis were coming for you, what would you like a Christian neighbor to do for you? Passively stand by while you are kicked to death in the streets or would you want them to take you into their homes and try to save you from certain death? Suppose you are a baby living in your mother’s womb. You are about to be taken to an abortion clinic where instruments will literally cut you to pieces or suck out your brains. With your death imminent, would you want a Christian friend of your mother to only pray that you life would be spared or would you want that person to defend you?
Romans 12:9 states, “Let love be without hypocrisy.” God is love but love is not God. A symptom of our times is placing love above sound doctrine as a basis for Christian fellowship as if “love one another” means nothing more than “getting along.” Augustine said, “Loving our neighbor may sometimes require using force against aggression.” God loves who He chastises. We not only have God’s concern but we also have His correction. A god that is all “love” but not holy and just, is of Satan and the creation of our own sentimentality.
9. Jesus and the Law - Before Jesus was born salvation was granted to all that believed in Yahweh (the one true God) and obeyed the Covenant at Sinai (Law). Before the birth of the Law there was no sin, so God established the Mosaic Law in order to give His children a guideline for living. Since no human was capable of not breaking at least a portion of the Law, atonement through blood sacrifices of (choice) animals was practiced. Jesus was a practicing Jew. The Messiah, as foretold through the prophets, eliminated various legalistic laws, observances, rituals, ceremonies, and blood sacrifices. (Romans 8:3) states, “God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.” Jesus is now the sacrificial “lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). The birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus did not replace God (Father) with Jesus (Son) as our essential means for salvation - nor did it abolish the Law - sin is still sin! “Think not that I came to destroy the Law” (Matt 5:17). Jesus only assured us of salvation if we repent and believe, not about Him, but in Him, which is much different. Believing in Jesus carries responsibilities – meaning, obeying His Commandments, which are permanent and unchangeable.