RECOGNIZE or KNOW them... "BY"...
Does anyone understand why I am posting these? I read / hear the following a lot.
I hear N' read a lot from Christians who justify *judging*
others, including other Christians, based upon two (2) or three (3) key passages:
A) John 13:35 (and if someone is seen as being remotely
critical, he / she is oft times labelled "unloving")
and
B) Matthew 7:16 & Matthew 7:20
So, in view of especially Matthew 7:16, I want to post
THREE (3) images. One is simply known as a Cursed Tree, one is a Crab Apple
Tree and the third is an Apple Tree. I
was wondering, how many of us (including myself) can clearly and accurately
define just from the limited image seen, which one is the Crab Apple, Apple or
Cursed tree?
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| IMAGE 1 |
+
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| IMAGE 2 |
+
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| IMAGE 3 |
Does anyone understand why I am posting these? I read / hear the following a lot.
"The Bible says: 'By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have
love one to another.' John
13:35 KJV, and I can tell by the way you are so *______________ ______________
___ _____________*, that you're no Christian..." or
"The Bible says: 'Judge not, that ye be not judged.' Matthew 7:1, and you sure seem to be doing a lot of judging!" or my personal favourite:
"The Bible says: 'Judge not, that ye be not judged.' Matthew 7:1, and you sure seem to be doing a lot of judging!" or my personal favourite:
"The Bible says: '...by their
fruit you will recognize them.' Matthew 7:20, and I sure do NOT see any fruit from him /
her!"
First I will say that I am intentionally going to
completely ignore Matt 7:1, for now.
Next, Second, I wish to address John 13:35, as I hear this
one a great deal, especially from my Christian friends. “ya know the Bible says
they will KNOW we're Christians by our love and ole so-N-so over there sure
isn’t demonstrating very much love...” Looking
at the passage, John 13:35 there are two (2) questions that occur to me: First *WHO*
will know? And second by our LOVE for *WHOM*? Many times I've witnessed
Christian’s spewing vile hatred of say, Islam or homosexuals, or polygamists
(the list is both lengthy and boring) and had someone say the ole “...they will
KNOW we're Christians by our love... and I don't see much love there...”
Well consider WHO will KNOW we are Christians, according to
John 13:35... ALL MEN (other Christians and perhaps even MORE importantly, that
DYING World {the members of Islam, homosexuals, polygamists and so on} who so
desperately NEED to see the love of G-d (Christ), are those WHO will KNOW we
are Christians...) NOT just other Christians, who are in the
know! Next, consider what John
13:35 has to say about HOW they (Who? ALL MEN) will KNOW that we are Christians...
Is it by our love, (period)? Or reading the passage again, is it by our love
for ONE AND OTHER? The Amplified says: “...if you love
one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].” Backbiting and
attacking our fellow brothers N' sisters in the Lord, IN FRONT of unbelievers,
is counter productive to preaching G-d's (Christ’s) word.
Third, I want to spend a moment considering how many of us (and I include myself in this too, as I am far from perfect) use Matt 7:20 when we speak, especially to other Christians: “The Bible says: 'you can JUDGE a tree by its fruit', and I don't see much (if any) fruit from ole Ms. / Mr. so-N-so...” The funny thing (truly very sad thing) to me is that what do ya do with the TREE when it's NOT in season? As is the case with each of the three (3) trees pictured above. None of those trees are bearing fruit (right now), and yet each tree is (remains) whatever tree it has always been. So what does that have to do with Christians, you might ask...? Great Question would be my reply! Let’s explore this further…
I would like to point out that the most common answer I have received when posting the three pictures has been “I am not sure which one is which”, when it comes to the above three (3) trees. And the reason for this is that with only a limited amount of information, it can be very difficult to "recognize" a trees fruit, even for Arborists! (Not impossible, but it can be difficult). Perhaps one or more of those trees pictured has some fruit that we just cannot see, due to the limitations of the photograph... More likely I suppose is that they are NOT “in-season” right now. Thus, could it be folks that we as Christians, even “seasoned” Christians who have walked with Jesus Christ / Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Rabbi Yeshua Bar Yosef) for possibly dozens of years, may not be able to see (recognize) the fruit, of another Christian for whatever reason?
You see folks I believe very very firmly that G-d (Christ) is the ONLY one capable of judging a man's heart. In Jeremiah we read – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]?” Chapter 17 verse 9 (AMP). And being a Christian is about surrendering one's life to both the Lordship and Salvation of G-d (Christ), through FAITH in Jesus Christ / Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Rabbi Yeshua Bar Yosef). It's a very personal thing and who are we to try to JUDGE whether someone has genuinely and sincerely invited Christ to come into their heart (life) and supp with them?
Now, before anyone starts thinking I am saying folk can believe whatever they want, or DO whatever they want, I'd like to qualify that (IMO) being a Christian is a sort of THREE-FOLD process:
One must surrender their life to the Lordship / Saving Grace of G-d (Christ)
One must believe in the TRUE Christ, i.e. to deny for example the Deity of Christ, is Anti-Christ - 1 John 2:22 and....
One must bear fruit (eventually) as faith without works is dead - "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." James 2:17 KJV
Which one is THE single most important one of these three? Is “Surrendering” to Christ's Lordship? What if the Christ one has surrendered to is the half-brother of Lucifer, as the Mormon's teach? Or what if the Christ one has surrendered to is also Michael the Arch-Angel, as the JW's teach? Are these people Christians...? I'd be sceptical, as they (the Mormon's and JW's) deny the Deity of Christ, YET as noted above, T'is G-d (Christ) who both KNOWS and Judges a man's heart... More on this in the conclusion...
What about “BELIEVING” in the ONE TRUE Holy G-d (Christ) who is in fact ONE G-d, part of the Holy Trinity...? Well James tells us that “You believe that God is one; you do well. So do the demons believe and shudder [in terror and horror such as [a] make a man’s hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin]!” James 2:19 (AMP) “...demons believe and shudder...”, I'd say it's a very safe bet, demons aren't *SAVED*... ergo “believing”, in and of itself is NOT sufficient (as a stand alone) to make one a Christian...
So then, what about doing GOOD WORKS and “BEARING FRUIT”? I think most everyone who reads the Bible would agree, we do NOT get saved (or even STAY SAVED) by doing Good Works. That's a very legalistic works based view, and one that get's many churches and well intentioned Christians in trouble. The WHOLE reformation of Martin Luther revolved around “…the just shall live by Faith…” Hebrews 10:38 KJV, see also Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and of course Hebrews 10:39 “…but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.!”
Next, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE... do not mistake my referencing Martin Luther's Reformation as a strong stand against Catholicism (Roman Catholic or otherwise). Although I am not in any way, shape or form a GREAT DEFENDER of Catholicism, neither am I a GREAT DEFENDER of PROTESTants / Protestantism... In fact I tend to be cautious of "isms" and schisms, and choose to focus on believing in, and inviting into ones heart, Christ's Lordship and acting on (works based upon) Christ's Lordship / Saving Grace. In my opinion, and understanding of, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) they meet the basic requirements of a bonā fidē Christian Church, as does the Church of England (Anglican / Episcopalian), the Lutheran, Baptist, Pentecostal, Evangelical, Messianic and many, many more (to name just a very few). Are there FLAWS, even GLARING flaws, within Catholicism? Sure, of course there are... Are there NOT flaws (even GLARING flaws) within each of the other NON-"RCC" Churches mentioned above? You BET there are!
Third, I want to spend a moment considering how many of us (and I include myself in this too, as I am far from perfect) use Matt 7:20 when we speak, especially to other Christians: “The Bible says: 'you can JUDGE a tree by its fruit', and I don't see much (if any) fruit from ole Ms. / Mr. so-N-so...” The funny thing (truly very sad thing) to me is that what do ya do with the TREE when it's NOT in season? As is the case with each of the three (3) trees pictured above. None of those trees are bearing fruit (right now), and yet each tree is (remains) whatever tree it has always been. So what does that have to do with Christians, you might ask...? Great Question would be my reply! Let’s explore this further…
I would like to point out that the most common answer I have received when posting the three pictures has been “I am not sure which one is which”, when it comes to the above three (3) trees. And the reason for this is that with only a limited amount of information, it can be very difficult to "recognize" a trees fruit, even for Arborists! (Not impossible, but it can be difficult). Perhaps one or more of those trees pictured has some fruit that we just cannot see, due to the limitations of the photograph... More likely I suppose is that they are NOT “in-season” right now. Thus, could it be folks that we as Christians, even “seasoned” Christians who have walked with Jesus Christ / Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Rabbi Yeshua Bar Yosef) for possibly dozens of years, may not be able to see (recognize) the fruit, of another Christian for whatever reason?
You see folks I believe very very firmly that G-d (Christ) is the ONLY one capable of judging a man's heart. In Jeremiah we read – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]?” Chapter 17 verse 9 (AMP). And being a Christian is about surrendering one's life to both the Lordship and Salvation of G-d (Christ), through FAITH in Jesus Christ / Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Rabbi Yeshua Bar Yosef). It's a very personal thing and who are we to try to JUDGE whether someone has genuinely and sincerely invited Christ to come into their heart (life) and supp with them?
Now, before anyone starts thinking I am saying folk can believe whatever they want, or DO whatever they want, I'd like to qualify that (IMO) being a Christian is a sort of THREE-FOLD process:
One must surrender their life to the Lordship / Saving Grace of G-d (Christ)
One must believe in the TRUE Christ, i.e. to deny for example the Deity of Christ, is Anti-Christ - 1 John 2:22 and....
One must bear fruit (eventually) as faith without works is dead - "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." James 2:17 KJV
Which one is THE single most important one of these three? Is “Surrendering” to Christ's Lordship? What if the Christ one has surrendered to is the half-brother of Lucifer, as the Mormon's teach? Or what if the Christ one has surrendered to is also Michael the Arch-Angel, as the JW's teach? Are these people Christians...? I'd be sceptical, as they (the Mormon's and JW's) deny the Deity of Christ, YET as noted above, T'is G-d (Christ) who both KNOWS and Judges a man's heart... More on this in the conclusion...
What about “BELIEVING” in the ONE TRUE Holy G-d (Christ) who is in fact ONE G-d, part of the Holy Trinity...? Well James tells us that “You believe that God is one; you do well. So do the demons believe and shudder [in terror and horror such as [a] make a man’s hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin]!” James 2:19 (AMP) “...demons believe and shudder...”, I'd say it's a very safe bet, demons aren't *SAVED*... ergo “believing”, in and of itself is NOT sufficient (as a stand alone) to make one a Christian...
So then, what about doing GOOD WORKS and “BEARING FRUIT”? I think most everyone who reads the Bible would agree, we do NOT get saved (or even STAY SAVED) by doing Good Works. That's a very legalistic works based view, and one that get's many churches and well intentioned Christians in trouble. The WHOLE reformation of Martin Luther revolved around “…the just shall live by Faith…” Hebrews 10:38 KJV, see also Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and of course Hebrews 10:39 “…but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.!”
Next, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE... do not mistake my referencing Martin Luther's Reformation as a strong stand against Catholicism (Roman Catholic or otherwise). Although I am not in any way, shape or form a GREAT DEFENDER of Catholicism, neither am I a GREAT DEFENDER of PROTESTants / Protestantism... In fact I tend to be cautious of "isms" and schisms, and choose to focus on believing in, and inviting into ones heart, Christ's Lordship and acting on (works based upon) Christ's Lordship / Saving Grace. In my opinion, and understanding of, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) they meet the basic requirements of a bonā fidē Christian Church, as does the Church of England (Anglican / Episcopalian), the Lutheran, Baptist, Pentecostal, Evangelical, Messianic and many, many more (to name just a very few). Are there FLAWS, even GLARING flaws, within Catholicism? Sure, of course there are... Are there NOT flaws (even GLARING flaws) within each of the other NON-"RCC" Churches mentioned above? You BET there are!
Thus, finally in conclusion, with respect to judging others
and our human finite inabilities to accurately recognize a tree, where the
fruit is difficult to see; are we to blindly ignore errors on the parts of our
brothers? Should we just ignore the
brother or sister who years N' years later (after surrendering his / her life
to the Lordship / Saving Grace of Jesus Christ / Yeshua Ha Mashiach {Rabbi
Yeshua Bar Yosef} as a Christina) never seems to bear fruit? Or shall we ignore the person who professes
"faith in Christ" yet perpetuates a Gospel that is not in keeping
with the Gospel of Christ, according to G-d's (Christ's) Holy Word, the Holy
Bible? Of course not!
We should seek G-d's (Christ's) Face and ask the Holy
Spirit to guide our words to ensure that we are “...speaking the
truth in love...” Ephesians
4:15 KJV Remembering that G-d's
(Christ’s) Word is a SWORD {“For the word of
God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 KJV} (NOT a CLUB) which is
useful for “instruction”, “reproof”, “conviction”,
“correction”, “discipline” and “TRAINIING”
as Paul teaches us: “Every Scripture
is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for
reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of
error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in
righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose,
and action),” 2 Timothy 3:16
(AMP)
In a specific CHRISTIAN Forum, is it okay to have some “spirited” discussions about various points of the Christian Faith? Sure, so long as it's done respectfully… IMO. In other Groups / Forums etc., however, where unbelievers are present, it very quickly becomes counter productive to have Christians squabbling with other Christians about Church Doctrines etc. Sadly that DYING WORLD out there, to them, when they see Christians bickering, all too often all they see (perceive) is that we “Christians” are terribly confused, unkind or worse just plain mean...
PLEASE let's ALL continue to work together to present a UNIFIED Christ to our UNbelieving friends!!!! Remember, Jesus said – “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 KJV See footnote [1] below.
In a specific CHRISTIAN Forum, is it okay to have some “spirited” discussions about various points of the Christian Faith? Sure, so long as it's done respectfully… IMO. In other Groups / Forums etc., however, where unbelievers are present, it very quickly becomes counter productive to have Christians squabbling with other Christians about Church Doctrines etc. Sadly that DYING WORLD out there, to them, when they see Christians bickering, all too often all they see (perceive) is that we “Christians” are terribly confused, unkind or worse just plain mean...
PLEASE let's ALL continue to work together to present a UNIFIED Christ to our UNbelieving friends!!!! Remember, Jesus said – “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 KJV See footnote [1] below.
Love you's!!!!
“No Jesus, NO peace” and yet, “Know
Jesus, KNOW peace”
How does one get to “know” Jesus? Simple, invite Him into your heart, as Jesus
says: “Here I am! I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and
eat with him, and he with me.” [Revelations 3:20 NIV] How can we be assured that this Jesus stuff
means anything, anything at all? Well
because the Bible tells us so, as the Apostle Paul wrote:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with
your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10 NIV]
And for those of you who say to me, I can’t be bothered
reading the Bible, “it’s confusing” or “it’s a waste of my time”, may I draw
your attention to what the Bible says about wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is
the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” [Proverbs 9:10 NIV]
If nothing else, PLEASE read two chapters from the Bible –
(don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if you’re reading this, you can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV)
John 3 and John 14!
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.”
And John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, “I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me.”
Well that’s it, that’s Da Bauz’s Take on, “Knowin them by…” – this 15th day of May 2012
© 2012, All Rights Reserved. wr (Da Bauz, Christian Zionist “creationist” too)
Footnote [1] – What is / are Christ’s “Commandments”? According to Matthew,
40 These two
commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:36-40 (AMP)
