I love you, so I'm going to tell you some hard truth, as it is written "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. (Leviticus 19:17, KJV)"
My profile was getting crowded with much of this, so I'm putting it here instead for those who are truly seeking, who are really searching for G-d's Will. I don't know everything. Far from it. But this I do know: Most professing Christians are not going to make it. Sadly.
As I'm entering this, one of the random women suggestions above, which CDfF.com has delivered, is a picture not of a woman, but of a black square instead, which contains the words "ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME". How appropriate. Indeed, this is the prevailing attitude of this wicked generation, who thinks they can live however they like without incurring His Judgment. Most of us will not hear the Truth. The sad fact is that GOD WILL JUDGE YOU if you refuse to repent of your sin. You are supposed to work out your salvation with FEAR and TREMBLING (Philippians 2:12).
Personally, I'm not looking for a Christian woman, at least not what is common among 'Christianity'. I'm looking for a follower of G-d's Messiah, whose priority is truly following Him rather than men; following Christ Jesus by the Spirit of Christ and in accordance with what is written... not a denomination, not a pastor, not the latest teaching, nor your feelings, nor your friends, and certainly not the majority of professing Christians. Christianity is plagued with traditions of men that nullify the commandment of G-d, which Christ Jesus HATES (See Mark 7:7-9). "But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. (Matthew 15:13, KJV)" To have a hope, we must give Him our lives, and if you've given Him your life, it's no longer yours to do with as you please. It's His.
Most people I come across who profess to be Christians are not really following Christ Jesus. To someone who is really in Messiah, it is very obvious. When you truly step out of the world, it is shocking to see how a part of the world the overwhelming majority of professing Christians are in the world; integral. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, most professing Christians don't even realize they are not actually following Christ, but the sad truth of the matter is that most professing Christians follow man, and, sadly, are headed straight for destruction as a result. It very well could be that you are just such a person, even likely, so let this be a warning to you if you hear His voice as you read this. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
The Master says, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 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 (ANOMIA; LAWLESSNESS!). (Matthew 7:21-23, KJV)" Not all believers are "saved," despite what man will tell you. As James says, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:19-20, KJV)"
"Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all [ye] workers of ANOMIA. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you [yourselves] thrust out. (Luke 13:23-28, KJV)"
The Master says, "If any will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow ME. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (Luke 9:23-24, KJV)" If you really follow him, frankly, you will hardly fit in anywhere. As He says, "Because ANOMIA will abound, the love of many will wax cold. (Matthew 24:12)" "My sheep respond to my voice, and I know who they are. (John 10:27, KJV)" If your goal is to fit in with most Christians and have a nice cozy life --- if your goal is to fit in at the average church --- sorry, you're not really following the Master. It's time to wake up people.
So what's the difference between the real believer and the imposter? We should be in the world, not of the world, set apart by His Spirit, WHOLLY OBEDIENT TO HIS COMMANDMENT. We do not pick and choose which commandments to obey. The soul that abides in sin shall die (Ezekiel 18:20). Unfortunately, most Christians fail to understand what, precisely, sin is. Sin is transgression of the Law (1 John 3:4), as given to Israel by G-d through His humble servant Moses. And it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before G-d, but the doers of the Law will be justified (Romans 2:13). Being Jewish doesn't matter, nor being Gentile; what matters is that you become a new creation in Messiah, who keeps the commandment of G-d (Galatians 6:15, 1 Corinthians 7:19)! The LORD changes not!
Fellowship and worship on the first day of the week if you like, but don't reject the G-d-given 7th day Sabbath, nor His feasts, and stop eating what is not food, stop celebrating pagan festivals. Wives, be reconciled to your husbands or remain alone. Stop believing the lie that G-d's grace means it's okay to sin, or that you cannot sin in Messiah even though you do! Don't be absurd. This passage in John's epistle means you are not in Messiah if you abide in sin! If you are truly in Messiah, you cannot abide sin just as HE CANNOT ABIDE SIN! He who says he abides in Messiah and lives in sin is a liar and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:4)! Don't be deceived. Unless you repent, you will perish (Luke 13:3,5).
Some follow Rome, some follow Luther, some John Calvin... some THINK they follow Paul, but 'Is Christ divided?' as Paul so aptly said (1 Corinthians 1:10-15). Blessed are they, rather, who hear the Word of God and obey (Luke 11:28). Traditions are unacceptable if they nullify the Law of God in any way. THAT is the test. As He said: I have not come to destroy the Law. Whoever breaks one of the least of these instructions will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven, and unless your righteousness in these matters exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you certainly will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:17-20)! But hey, believe what you will. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (Joshua 24:15).
So let's love Him every day with all our hearts, souls, minds, resources, and love our neighbours as ourselves. Interestingly, those two instructions are not found in the Ten Commandments, but elsewhere in the Law; in Deuteronomy and in Leviticus respectively! That fact should speak volumes to you about the accuracy of the common understanding of the words of Jesus ('We must keep the Ten Commandments...'). It's true, but not the way most people mean to say. As it is written, 'The commandment is a lamp and the law is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. (Prov. 6:23)' Do you have one without the other? Or have you not then turned the lamp off??!
So what did Jesus mean when he said the most important commandment of all is 'HEAR O Israel' (Mk. 12). Most professing Christians prefer to quote this occurrence as it appears in Matthew, which leaves this critical demand out. Most, I find, tend to say '...as long as I love God and love my neighbour, it's all good, even if I choose not to live entirely by the Word,' but WHAT IS LOVE? How do we know whether or not we love? The word translated in Mark 12 as HEAR (SHEMA, see Deut. 6, which means HEAR/LISTEN/OBEY) is the key to love. As John says, 'the love of God is that we keep His commandment, and his commandment are not grievous. (1 John 5:3)' And likewise, 'By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandment. (1 John 5:2)'
How do we know, then, that a husband loves his wife, and a wife her husband? What about their children? A son his parents? Parents their children? Hopefully you guessed it hopefully... So don't forget SHEMA! When we SHEMA to the best of our ability, we THEREFORE love God and love our neighbour; and you can then know, therefore, that you will love your husband or wife as yourself. If this sounds insane to you, then you haven't yet really met Jesus. Search for him. Search for him with all your heart and you will find him.
And stop following men! Follow Jesus! Meditate on the Scriptures, seeking the illumination that only the Word of G-d can provide by His Spirit, and act on it! Stop paying heed to your frivolous feelings, attributed to the Holy Spirit, that are not consistent with Scripture ('I feel like the Spirit is telling me it is okay to not obey this time...'). The heart is deceitful above all and desparately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).
Feel free to message me if you have any questions. G-d willing, He will give me the wisdom to respond appropriately. But please, the above is Scripture. If you don't agree, take it up with Jesus.
P.S. To the divorced on here, I'm curious what you think:
How do you interpret the words of Jesus? ...maybe no one has brought your attention to these words before:
In Luke 16:18 and Matthew 5:32 (see also Mark 10:10), Jesus is recorded as saying he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. (ESV)
Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 7:11, Jesus says through the Apostle Paul "To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife."
Just prior to that, Paul writes the following:
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral....will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
I'm just doing the math here. It seems pretty logical to me, but maybe I'm missing something... The LORD says marrying a divorced woman is committing adultery, which is sexual immorality, and Paul warns us that the sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Great, so remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy as it is written... don't light fires, prepare your food in advance, cease from your labours and creative acts, and rest in Christ Jesus giving glory to G-d. Otherwise, whatever word you use, you are nullifying the commandment of G-d by your tradition.
If I misunderstood you, forgive me. Christians primarily misrepresent the fact that Jesus fulfilled the Law to mean they don't need to obey G-d's instruction as provided there anymore. You can understand of course why I might have understood that to be your position, as my discussion with the lady above is about keeping the Sabbath, and my position that we absolutely must do so because we love G-d. So if you didn't mean to say that it doesn't matter either way that we keep the Sabbath, on the 7th day, and everything that is written in Scripture concerning it, please accept my apologies for the misunderstanding.
aka, Judaizer, can't wait for your teaching on circumcision!
The Church is not a temple with a cross on top. Do you come here for relationship with other believers or to lay heavy burdens on them? A simple scrolling with the mouse will reveal that answer.
Thank you for you apology, but I think it was a bit premature..lol... but we can start over if you would like.
I understand your postion and even agree with it for the most part. However after reading your posts to others; I believe it to be a unbalanced postion.
lol, there it is. Am I a Judaizer? Are you quite sure about that? What is a Judaizer? Someone who says that all of G-d's instruction applies to all of His people? If it were true that being a Judaizer meant that, then it would be true that I was a Judaizer, but as it is, that is not what a Judaizer is, nor is G-d's singular, indivisible instruction in His Law only for Jewish people. The Law is Jewish insomuch as the Jewish people keep them, but G-d's Law was given to a mixed multitude that left Egypt; many of which were not biologically descended from Jacob/Israel. And what does the Law say about its applicability to non-Jews?
"The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you." (Exodus 12:49, KJV)"
"One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. (Numbers 15:16, KJV)"
"Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I [am] the LORD your God."
Are you a sojourner, just passing through, in Christ? No. As Paul tells us,
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: (Ephesians 2:10-16, KJV)"
So, first of all, WE, as in Jew and Gentile together, are created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which G-d had already ordained when Paul wrote this. These are none other than the instruction contained in His Law, brought to fullness by and in Christ Jesus.
And notice carefully what Paul says about the Circumcision calling Gentiles the Uncircumcision. To understand Paul, you need to understand that he uses these terms to refer to Jew and Gentile. He likewise does not always use the term Circumcision to refer to the instruction given in the Law, but also, frequently in fact, to refer to what it commonly referred to in his day: ritual conversion to Judaism, which if I taught that was necessary for salvation, which I do not, then I could be rightly called a Judaizer. But I am not here to make Gentiles into Jews, which is impossible biologically in the first place, and in the second place, that would make the promise of G-d blessing the nations in the seed of Abraham of no effect.
So then, you who WERE without Christ, beings aliens from POLITEA (CITIZENSHIP) in Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise... have been brought near. Christ has made the two one in Him, Jew and Gentile together, one body -- ISRAEL -- by His blood, having abolished in His flesh the enmity that was between us, the law of commandments contained in DOGMA (always DECREES OF MEN in the NT), making in Himself one new man; Jew and Gentile in Him.
My friend, I am not here to bind heavy burdens. I am here to glorify G-d. He changes not. His Law is for you if indeed you are in Messiah.
As Jesus says, "If you will enter life, keep the [singular, indivisible] commandment. (Matthew 19:17)" Choose life my friend.
LawAbider, you forgot the rest of the scripture~1 Corinth. 7:15-But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such [cases]: but God hath called us to peace.
Everyone can interpret the "bondage" how they want to, so we work out our "own" salvation on this issue. I was released from an adulterous marriage with bondage very much a part of it.
The word fornication, which is what Jesus said was reason for divorce~The Greek word is "porneia" and it carries much more meaning than what legalistic believers convey. A man or woman who abandons the marriage, and this can be sexual or mental, is giving that other person grounds for divorce. imho~ We should go the last mile to save it and let God be the guide to say when it's time to quit "dragging that dead horse."
The law of Grace is written in our hearts and by His Holy Spirit, old things are passed away, forgiven and under the blood; all things become new. And even if someone did get a divorce through sinful methods, is this not forgivable? Of course, as believers we need to follow Romans 6 instructions for not repeatedly sinning and causing grace to abound.
I know I am free in Christ to remarry, and God Himself divorced Israel and grafted in or married Himself to the gentiles. He does remarry Israel in the end, so who is to say He does not allow marriage to someone else, when He did it? Paul spoke a lot in the context of that time period and culture, so we really need to study with the Holy Spirit's enlightening and go from there.
Thank you for your reply and for bringing up 1 Corinthians 7:15. Amen, assuming it is indeed the other who leaves as Paul says.
You are, however, mistaken about Israel. G-d has grafted Gentiles into Israel. How then has he divorced her?
"I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. (Romans 11:1-2a, KJV)"
