Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.
For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just. What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
Romans 9:1-33
"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha. What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."
The claim that all are created equal in the sight of Almighty God, by Almighty, is false. Vessels made for destruction are not equal to vessels made for honor. There was an is an advantage to being a Jew, as it says in Romans 3. The children of the promise are superior as compared to the children of the flesh.
We have an opportunity to gain equal status as Christians by exercising faith in Christ, but even within the body of Christ, it says in 1 Timothy 5 that the ruling elders are worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in doctrine (teaching). It says in Isaiah 61 that those who mourn in Zion will be given double honor before the gentiles. It also says that we as Christians have different places in the body, 1 Corinthians 12, with different unequal levels of honor. In 1 Corinthians 6 we are told that the least esteemed member of the body of Christ is the better person to judge an issue between the saints as compared to the most brilliant unsaved person.
So no, we are not all created equal. We do not all have the skill to hit a baseball thrown at 100 miles per hour. We cannot all throw a football 60 yards or more. We cannot all run a sub 10.0 sec 100 meter dash. We are not all equal in being able to discover cures for diseases, or understanding quantum physics. We don't all have perfect pitch or the ability to compose symphony music. Not all are gifted mechanics that can make an engine "purr".
We are to treat all men with honor. We are all commanded to love one another. We are commanded to be humble. But we are not all evangelist. We are not all helpers. We are not all gifted orators. We do not all prophecy. "For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked." If they were the same, they would not need to be given more abundant honour, but they lacked.
This false doctrine which is enunciated in the Declaration of Independence is fundamental to the eventual destruction of this country, because it has fostered an independent spirit which opposes the spirit of unity in the body of Christ. This false spirit of independence says you can do it by yourself, and be successful by being a lone ranger. We are to be dependent upon each other, as one body. We do have need of the other members of the body.
The equal thing that we are, is condemned by unbelief until we are saved by exercising trust in the Almighty who shed His holy blood to pay for our sin. Acts 20 Zechariah 12 At that point, we are joined into the family of God by an act of God in adopting us, and causing us to be born of His Spirit, making us unequal and superior in position as compared to the unsaved.
None of the above says it is okay to demean someone because of their race. It is not. But not every rejection of a people is because of race, but more often, the prevalence of evil deeds within a culture. This is why God ordered the complete destruction of people groups at the hands of the Jews. We see that God spared Rahab the harlot, because she humbled herself before God, even though she lived among an evil people. We are to be in the world, but not comingled with the world.
We are citizens of heaven. "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray."
In response to this I have met some very attractive Hispanic and Asian women that if things were different I would have dated. They were of a different religion.
Have you ever read the ridiculously long 119th Psalm? Have you ever read the book of Isaiah? God is absolutely into ridiculously long. He isn't interested in His children remaining infantile, and wanting to be spoon fed little bits their entire life; but growing up in the faith, and doing the hard work of searching out the scriptures: all of them.
"For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." - Hebrews 5:13-14
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to ALL that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." - Joshua 1:8
This false doctrine which is enunciated in the Declaration of Independence is fundamental to the eventual destruction of this country, because it has fostered an independent spirit which opposes the spirit of unity in the body of Christ. This false spirit of independence says you can do it by yourself, and be successful by being a lone ranger. We are to be dependent upon each other, as one body. We do have need of the other members of the body.
Friend you are very wrong in this response. The purpose of the Declaration of Independence was based on the idea to remove an worldly tyrant and restore free choice to worship God and not have the state tell us how to worship God. This is one of the reasons behind the Declaration of Independence. Like the word of God our laws have been misinterpreted.
Please make sure you understand what is being said, before commenting.
The claim that all are created equal in the sight of Almighty God, by Almighty, is false.
Belief that all are created equal "has fostered an independent spirit which opposes the spirit of unity in the body of Christ."
This is the foundational doctrine which supported the creation of the Declaration of Independence. It asserted wrongly that governments are made by man to serve man.
"to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"
God says He established governments to accomplish His will.
"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God�s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God�s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience� sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God�s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor."
Governments are not established nor destroyed by men, but by word and hand of Almighty God. God established the government of the Babylonians, the Assyrians, and the third Reich. He did it to punish the wickedness of man. He does it to break the arrogant and proud hearts of people full of sin and rebellion, to purge them of their haughty tongues and to break their pride. And when those evil empires bring their wickedness against the people of God, God then breaks them after He is done using them to discipline His people. Is this not the very message of Joel? Lord, the cruel nation comes and lays waste to us, and God answers, I will destroy them for harming the apple of My eye.
These framers of the Declaration Of Independence penned a lie that man was in charge of government, as it was man's creation. It is not. They also penned the lie of equality. We are not.
Nor sir. Man is not created equal, nor is government a product of the consent of the people. These lies have given rise to the pervasive unholy spirit of independence, which is choking the very fiber of this country. Every man goes his own way. There is very little community in the churches. There is next to no accountability to the body. There is a rebellious spirit which says I do not need to submit to the elders of the church nor be accountable for my time and resources. I can just have a good old time, because I'm a self made man.
12 A person has only one body, but it has many parts. Yes, there are many parts, but all those parts are still just one body. Christ is like that too.
13 Some of us are Jews and some of us are not; some of us are slaves and some of us are free. But we were all baptized to become one body through one Spirit. And we were all given[a] the one Spirit.
14 And a person�s body has more than one part. It has many parts.
15 The foot might say, �I am not a hand, so I don�t belong to the body.� But saying this would not stop the foot from being a part of the body.
16 The ear might say, �I am not an eye, so I don�t belong to the body.� But saying this would not make the ear stop being a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, it would not be able to hear. If the whole body were an ear, it would not be able to smell anything.
18-19 If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But as it is, God put the parts in the body as he wanted them. He made a place for each one.
20 So there are many parts, but only one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, �I don�t need you!� And the head cannot say to the foot, �I don�t need you!�
22 No, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are actually very important.
23 And the parts that we think are not worth very much are the parts we give the most care to. And we give special care to the parts of the body that we don�t want to show.
24 The more beautiful parts don�t need this special care. But God put the body together and gave more honor to the parts that need it.
25 God did this so that our body would not be divided. God wanted the different parts to care the same for each other.
26 If one part of the body suffers, then all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part is honored, then all the other parts share its honor.
27 All of you together are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of that body.
28 And in the church God has given a place first to apostles, second to prophets, and third to teachers. Then God has given a place to those who do miracles, those who have gifts of healing, those who can help others, those who are able to lead, and those who can speak in different kinds of languages.
29 Not all are apostles. Not all are prophets. Not all are teachers. Not all do miracles.
30 Not all have gifts of healing. Not all speak in different kinds of languages. Not all interpret those languages.
31 Continue to give your attention to the spiritual gifts you consider to be the greatest. But now I want to point out a way of life that is even greater.
Romans 12:4-5
4 Each one of us has one body, and that body has many parts. These parts don�t all do the same thing.
5 In the same way, we are many people, but in Christ we are all one body. We are the parts of that body, and each part belongs to all the others.
Not all are members of the body of Christ. Any attempt to establish equality based upon being a member of the body of Christ ignores this very simple fact. We are not all created equal.
