Chapter
7
There are many ways to view the Bible.
I have given some of the best that I know of, any of which
is simple if you understand. "And
yet I show you a better way . . .
If I do not have love I'm nothing." Now, we see only in part, but when that which is perfect is
come, the riddle is done away, (1
Cor 13).
The law shows the way, as a schoolmaster, but it is written in a figure.
We accept that we are under grace
rather than the law, as if the law were done away, but Jesus said the law does
not pass away. Rather, He
interpreted the true meaning of the law in such sayings as, "He who is
angry with his brother without a
cause is in danger of judgment," or, "He who lusts after a woman has committed
adultery in his heart."
The commandments are comprehended in this, thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself, (Romans 13:9).
The worldly meaning of the law is no longer followed because the true
meaning has been interpreted.
And we should offer the sacrifices of righteousness, (Psalm 4:5).
Do to others what you would
have them do to you; this is the law, (Matt 7:12).
We should believe on the name of Jesus and love
one another; this is the commandment, (1 John 3:23).
It is not the work of your hands that counts,
but the work of your heart. The
true meaning of the law is love. If
we love God and love our neighbor,
then we keep the law truly.
We teach every man that we may present them perfect, (Col 1:28).
These things are revealed to babes,
(Matt 11:25). We adults tend to make things more complicated than they are
because we want to add our own
reasonings, but children, in their humility, understand instinctively the
simplicity of Christ.
Ask a child if the boogy-man is good or bad and he can tell you without
question, he is bad. Then ask if
they've ever seen the boogy-man, if he ever got them or did anything at all to
them. Their answer will
be, "no." Then ask, if he
hasn't done anything to them, why they say he is bad. Their answer
will be, "Because he wants to get me."
Very simply, it's the motive of his heart that counts-- what
he wants to do rather than what he has done.
Ask a child why he spilt the milk and what will he say?
"I didn't mean to." Simple.
If I didn't intend to do
wrong, why would you find fault? It
is not the deed, but the intent.
Or, to put it another way: Two men, each donated a thousand dollars to
charity. The first gave because he
had pity on the poor and cared to feed them; the second, because he was full of
pride and wanted to be seen--to give
the impression that he was good even though he didn't really care about the
poor. The first did a good deed.
For the second, it was a bad deed, even though outwardly, it was the
same deed. It's the deeds of the heart that count, (Romans 14).
The Lord searches the heart to give men accordingly, (Jer 17:9).
It is what the Lord finds in your
heart that He has regard for, and love is the only commandment we need.
"A new commandment, I
give you; that you should love one another," (John 13:34).
Paul said that, for him, all things were lawful, (1 Cor 6:12).
Whosoever is born of God cannot sin
for His seed (the Word) remains in him; whosoever loves his brother is of God;
this is the message from the
beginning, (1 John 3:9-11).
The issues of life come from the heart, (Prov 4:23).
If your heart is right with God, isn't that liberty
from law, and the fulfillment? You
are called to liberty, for to love your neighbor as yourself is
to fulfill the law, (Gal 5:13-14).
Ishmael was born of the servant and Isaac of the free, Jerusalem under
bondage and Zion free, likewise the
law is by compulsion or by liberty. If
you have love in your heart, isn't everything you do
for the right reason and, therefore, without fault?
And you are holy and blameless in love, (Eph 1:4).
How can anything be accounted to you as sin if the motive of everything
you do is love?
But for the wicked, everything they do is for the wrong reason.
Their motives can't be right if they
don't have love in their heart. Everything
they do is for the wrong reason and even their prayers are
accounted as sin. The sacrifices of
the wicked are an abomination, (Prov 21:27).
He who turns his ear from
hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination, (Prov 28:9).
To the pure all things are
pure; to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, (Titus 1:15).
Paul, who spoke much on this, is one of the best examples.
He was persecuting Christians. The outward
deed, most of us will agree, was bad. But
what was the work in Paul's heart? In
his heart, he was being zealous for
God. And it is apparent that it was
accounted that way with God because the
Lord appeared to Paul and corrected his error.
The Lord does not do such things for the wicked, for them it is the
opposite; the truth is hidden from
them. God will send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie, (2 Thes 2:11).
God doesn't regard the
outward appearance; He looks at the heart.
If we obey, we obey from the heart, (Romans
6:17).
Our sacrifices are our words. We
render the calves of our lips. And,
if we offend not in words, we are
perfect, (James 3:2). Why is it we
will be judged by our words? Isn't
it because our words indicate what
is in our heart? The things from
the mouth come from the heart and defile the man, (Matt
15:18). With the heart one believes to righteousness and with the
mouth one confesses to salvation,
(Romans 10:10). So, give the
first-fruits of your mouth and judge not until the Lord makes manifest
the counsels of the hearts, (1 Cor 4:5).
But one might argue that we have no control over our heart.
We don't love because we are commanded.
Can one change their heart? With
God all things are possible, we are the clay in the potter's
hand. Make you a new heart and a new spirit, (Eze 18:31).
The Lord will circumcise your heart
to love the Lord, (Deu 30:6).
Charity (love) is the bond of perfectness, (Col 3:14).
If you will be perfect, sell what you have and
give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and follow the Lord,
(Matt 19:21). Where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also, (Matt 6:21).
It stands to reason that our bias will follow our investments because
it's in our own best interest. Don't
take a gift from this world; a gift prejudices the heart and blinds the eye.
Set your affection on things
above, (Col 3:2).
And, about the words from our mouth, the answer of the tongue is from the
Lord, (Prov 16:1). And your mouth
speaks from the treasure of your heart, (Luke 6:45), (Matt 12:34).
Repent, confess, turn from sin, and you've begun a different line of
business. Believe and things start
to change. And, to love one another, we are taught of God, (1 Thes 4:9).
What is the most powerful
thing which can turn our affections to another but their affection for us?
How can we help but love
those who love us? Which one will
love more, but the one who was forgiven the more?
Can we help but love One who
has given His life for us?
If we love one another, God dwells in us and love is perfected, and we
love Him because He loved us first,
(1 John 4:12-21). Those born of the Word love one another with a pure heart, (1
Peter 1:22-23).
But all these things are a process of growth and the doctrine is called
milk. Milk is for the carnal,
(1 Cor 3:1-3). What is milk but
that which is given to newborn babes to give them a good start,
to grow to perfection?
For children it is like a riddle and we see in part but we will know as
we are known, (1 Cor 13:11-12).
From a child the scripture instructs us in righteousness that we may be
perfect, (2 Tim 3:15-17).
Grow in the milk of the Word, come to the Lord as living stones, a
spiritual house, a holy priesthood
acceptable to God, (1 Peter 2:2-5).
And then, as we develop, we are given stronger meat until we grow to
maturity of perfect love. Milk is
for babes and strong meat is for those who discern good and evil, (Heb 5:13-14).
As children grow through stages of development, so do we: From faith, to
virtue, to knowledge, to temperance,
to patience, to Godliness, to kindness, to love, to knowledge, (2 Peter 1:5-11). Or: Justified, we
have peace and faith, to grace, to tribulation, to patience, to experience, to
hope; because love is shed in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit, (Romans 5:1-5).
Or: Temptation tries faith and works patience,
and the working of patience makes perfect, (James 1:3).
So we should cleanse ourselves, perfecting holyness, and be perfect in
understanding, as our Father is
perfect, (2 Cor 7:1-2), (1 Cor 14:20), (Matt 5:48). Stand perfect and complete
in the will of God, (Col 4:12).
If you keep His Word, the love of God is perfected, (1 John 2:5-6),
perfect in one as the Lord and the
Father, (John 17:23). Until we all come into the unity of faith and the
knowledge of the Son of God unto a
perfect man grown in the truth of love, (Eph 4:13-15).
God is not worshipped with the hands,
(Acts 17:25), but with the heart.
And we shall know; His going forth is as the morning, as the former and
the latter rain on the earth, as a
light shines, as the day star arises in your heart, (Hosea 6:3), (2 Peter 1:19). The path of the
just is a shining light that shines more and more to the perfect day, (Prov
4:18); until the whole body is full
of light, (Luke 11:34).
God has promised the Kingdom to them that love Him, (James 2:5).
Love is obedience; love is perfection;
and in perfect love all things are understood.
The love of God is perfected in whoever keeps
His Word, (1 John 2:5-6).
"Who keeps my commandments, loves me, and I will love him and
manifest myself to him," (John
14:21). Serve God with a perfect heart and a willing mind; if you
seek Him, He will be found, (1 Chr
28:9). Those born of the Word, love one another with a pure heart
and live forever, (1 Peter 1:22-25).