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Apr 2011
What does God want to see in his people? Is it people whose outward behavior conforms to all the standards God sets out in his law-the 'Ten Commandments'? Or, is it people who love the Lord--their heavenly Father--with all their heart and with all their soul? (Matthew 5:27) Are both statements saying the same thing? Another question to ask: What do you want? To exalt God or to look upon him as a means to the end you really want: to feel good about your behavior, not God's?
What is God's standard? Is it the degree to which our outward behavior appears to conform to God's standards or is it our degree of reverence for God. Which does God looks at and is He pleased by? Is it the outward behavior or the purpose from which the 'behavior' springs that is more basic? Which 'comes' first? To use an illustration from nature --does the soil come from the fruit or the fruit from the soil? ---"I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." (Jeremiah 17:10) Would you like to be treated according to what your deeds, your thoughts, your wishes deserve or to be covered by God's mercy? The Bible answers this question: "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. " (Romans 4:7-8) Before going on it may be beneficial to say what I am calling 'internal behavior' is. Terms that the Bible uses frequently to refer to 'internal behavior' are those terms that refer to what the non-physical part of the person does, such as the mind, or the heart, or the soul. A few examples of 'internal behavior' should be sufficient to make the point: Believing, Loving, Remembering, Approving, Fearing, Hoping, Trusting, Forgiving, Considering, Choosing, Rejoicing, Honoring, Judging, Longing, Waiting, Craving, Being ashamed, Being kind, Being full of joy, Feeling, etc., etc. Only God can see this kind of behavior. ---"Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." (1 Thessalonians 5:15) ---"He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy." (Proverbs 14:21) The wrong attitude towards one's neighbor is a sin; the right attitude towards the needy is approved of by God and 'rewarded' by God. (Matthew 25:34 & 40) God speaks about this issue many times in his written word. Yes, God wants people to conform their outward behavior to the commandments set forth in his law, the 'Ten Commandments'. God would not have communicated his standards to man if conformity to those standards was of no concern to God. But, God also said many times that a particular attitude or motivation must be in the heart first. It is not a matter of choice whether or not a positive underlying motivation is present or not; the right purpose, the right motivation must be present--the same way a firm foundation in the ground must be present before a tall building can be built upon it. The particular attitude or motivation is a prerequisite that must underlie each and every external act of 'good' behavior. God judges by what he sees in the heart; not by the outward behavior that men may see. Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount provide a clear example: "You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.'28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:27-28) ---Moses said to the Israelites who had come out of Egypt: "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands." (Deuteronomy 8:2) ---It is important who you take 'instructions' from. Moses told the Israelites: "You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 13:3) ---Jesus was asked, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? "Jesus replied: " `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38 This is the first and greatest commandment.39 And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.'40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.' " (Matthew 22:36-40) ---"He answered: `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, `Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27) ---The apostle Paul put this truth this way, saying, "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet, and whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'love your neighbor as yourself" (Romans 13:8-9) ---"The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " (Galatians 5:14) ---"Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 13:10) ---"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5) ---"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12) ---"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right." (James 2:8) ---"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." (Psalm 86:11) ---"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' (Mark 12:28-30) Virtuous behavior is not even mentioned. ---"The second is this: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:31) ---"So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 3:5) What is most important to God is not the external, visible God-pleasing behavior itself as (for example, being honest and above board in your relations with other people); what is most important to God is the motivation (the internal behavior) that necessarily underlies and precedes each and every external act. The underlying motivation is like the right 'soil' that particular plants grow in (out of). If an individual is honest and above board but acts that way not because that pleases God but for a different reason such as (for example), 'you get on better in society if you are honest and above board'. That behavior (even though such behavior appears to human beings to conform to what God's law requires) is not pleasing to God. It is the godly motivation of the individual that underlies the God-commanded behavior that is what matters most to God. Think of a spy. He/she may appear to perform all the right activities but he/she does so with a different motivation--to hide the fact that he/she is a spy whose ultimate objective is to undermine or destroy the 'organization' he/she appears to be a member of!
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---"Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." (Exodus 12:17) ---"Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Abib he brought you out of Egypt by night." (Deuteronomy 16:1) --- "David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets." (1 Chronicles 13:8) ---"And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people go up with flutes to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel." (Isaiah 30:29) --- "The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully." (2 Chronicles 30:23) ---"Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy." (Ezra 6:16) ---"At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they live and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres." (Nehemiah 12:27) ---"The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great." (Nehemiah 8:17) ---"The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests sang to the Lord every day, accompanied by the Lord's instruments of praise." (2 Chronicles 30:21) ---"So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration." (1 Samuel 11:15) ---"Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month." (Leviticus 23:41) ---"So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover," (Numbers 9:4) ---"They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written." (2 Chronicles 30:5) ---"The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem." (2 Chronicles 35:18) ---"The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant." (Exodus 31:16) ---"Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you." (Deuteronomy 16:10) ---"Tell the Israelites: ‘When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body or are away on a journey, they may still celebrate the Lord’s Passover." (Numbers 9:10) ---"But if a man who is ceremonially clean and not on a journey fails to celebrate the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people because he did not present the Lord’s offering at the appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin." (Numbers 9:13) Celebrating the redemptive acts of God was not a matter of choice. God did not leave the matter up to human preference. ---"So Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all." (1 Kings 8:65) ---So important were these holy celebrations that they had to be celebrated according to the God-established rules for such celebrations: "They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem." (2 Chronicles 30:3) ---"For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel." (Ezra 6:22) ---"These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants." (Esther 9:28) ---"And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people go up with flutes to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel." (Isaiah 30:29) ---"Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them." (Nehemiah 8:12) ---"Look, there on
the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace!
Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the
wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed." (Nahum 1:15)
---When the 'prodigal son' returned home his father said, "Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate." (Luke 15:23) ---The father of the 'Prodigal son said, "For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate." (Luke 15:24) ---Speaking to his earthly father, the brother of the 'prodigal son' said, "Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends." (Luke 15:29) ---The father of the 'prodigal son' replied, "But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ " (Luke 15:32) ---"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7)
This includes internal as well as external behavior. ---"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!" That is what the apostle Peter says. Why does he says that? the quote continues--"In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time....8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:3-5, 8-9) This is the theme of the Bible, not the goodness of our behavior. ---"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. " (Psalm 32:1) Does this statement say to the believer 'unless your behavior is perfect you have no reason to hope'? ---The apostle Paul adds more information about this truth--that it is God's action, not our behavior, that resulted in the forgiveness that believers enjoy; "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. " (Romans 4:7-8) The Bible never says 'blessed is he whose behavior always comes up to God's standard of absolute perfection. ' What human being has never had an ungodly thought or wish since the day of his birth? No one. No one's record is flawless and therefore has no need of God's mercy, God's forgiveness. (1 John 1:8,10) The apostle Paul writes to the congregation in Rome, saying, "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." How many statements in the Bible speak of the actions of God and not the behavior of sinners! The focus is on God. Is that not where every believer should be looking? ---" Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." (Luke 6:21) ---"So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." (Isaiah 28.16; see also Romans 9:33; 10:11; 1 Peter 2:6) The verse does not say the one whose behavior is perfect will never be dismayed but that the one who trusts will never be dismayed. The external behavior of sinners is not decisive but their internal behavior (in this case--their 'trusting') is. ---Jesus speaking: "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." (John 12:26) It is not the degree to which behavior in general conforms to the pronouncements in the 'Ten Commandments' that is spoken of but how the doer of the behavior views Christ. ---What words of Christ do we hear in the last book of the Bible? -- "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and hades." (Revelation 1:18) What connection do these words have with the behavior of believers? ---The apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome, saying, "The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:12) The Bible says that because we are at a particular stage in God's drama we should make an even greater effort to do God's bidding. Where we are in God's drama is the issue, not the inadequacy of our behavior. ---In the Old Testament God's law (the 'Ten Commandments') sets forth many behavioral standards. The apostle Peter says--"And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:19) These words do not sound like they have to do with the issue of whether our behavior comes up to God's standard of perfection. ---"Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.' " (Revelation 14:13) Does this truth have a bearing on the adequacy (level) of our behavior at this moment? Or, is the only reason we are not condemned is because God is merciful? ---"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' 27 'Yes, Lord,' she told him, 'I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.' " (John 11:25-27) Does this truth have a bearing on the adequacy (level) of our behavior at this moment? Or is the only reason we are not condemned is because of God's mercy? ---"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5) Does this truth have a bearing on the adequacy (level) of our behavior at this moment? Or, is the only reason we are not condemned is that God chose to be merciful? ---"His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ " (Matthew 25:21or 23) Does this truth point believers to thoughts about the adequacy (level) of their behavior? ---"Among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. 5 All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will... give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels." (2 Thessalonians 1:4-7) Does this truth have a bearing on the adequacy (level) of our behavior at this moment? Or is the only reason we are alive is because of God's mercy? ---"There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 22:5) Does this truth have a bearing on the adequacy (level) of our behavior at this moment? Or is the only reason we are alive is because of God's mercy? The truth about eternal life has always been part of the reality and purpose of God. But God's apostles and saints did not set forth that truth distinctly and repeatedly until after God himself accomplished the redemption of his people by the sacrificial death of Christ, and his resurrection from the dead. There is mystery here. While we do not read about 'eternal life' extensively in the Old Testament yet many Old Testament saints knew about it. In the 11th chapter of the New Testament Book of Hebrews we read about many Old Testament saints who lived, acted, and died the way they did because of their faith in God and the kingdom he promised. "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.16 Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16; see also John 8:56) ---"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." (Hebrews 11:24-26) Does this truth have a bearing on the level of our behavior at this moment? Or is the only reason we are not condemned is because of God's mercy? ---"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (1 Corinthians 9:25) Does this sound like an exhortation to Christians to improve their behavior? ---In the apostle Paul's 1st letter (epistle) to the young minister he had nurtured he wrote: "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I (the apostle Paul) charge you (Timothy) to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords," (1 Timothy 6:12-15) ---"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) ---"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:10-18) ---"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 2:3) ---"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation," (1 Peter 2:2) ---"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." (1 Peter 3:9) ---Speaking to his disciples Jesus said, "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man (*the expression Jesus himself used to refer to himself after he had ascended in heaven) will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:44) --- "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns." (Matthew 24:46) ---"You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Luke 12:40) ---"for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." (1 Thessalonians 5:2) ---"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (1 Corinthians 4:7) ---What does God say to believers? "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." (Philippians 2:12-13) ---Even human logic would tell us that God's plan of redemption did not come into being after the death and resurrection of Christ had taken place. In the Old Testament book of Daniel we read: "... But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever…8 .So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?" 9 He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. ...13 "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance." (Daniel 12:1-3, 8-10, 13) ---"For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." (Matthew 16:27) ---"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same l way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11) ---"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:25-26) The correct attitude towards God (having no reason to be ashamed) is what counts. Behavior is not mentioned. ---"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may 1 grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." (1 Peter 2:1-3) ---"At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." (Luke 21:27) ---What is that early minister in the Christian church to do? "keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ," (1 Timothy 6:14) ---Every Christian is to do the same thing: "You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near." (James 5:8) ---The apostle Paul tells the believers in Philippi: "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3:20-21) ---"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed." (Revelation 16:15) ---What does the apostle Paul say to the believers in the church at Corinth? "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." (1 Corinthians 1:7) The references to the future age, the phase of existence beyond earthly death, appear constantly in the verses that speak about behavior. ---"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23) ---"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10) --- Visible God-pleasing behavior is not enough. "By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." (2 Peter 3:7) ---To the elders of the churches to which the epistle (letter) of the apostle Peter was addressed, the apostle said this: "To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:1-4) TO HERE 4/7 ---"He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he (Christ) is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead." (Acts 10:42) ---"For he (God) has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:31) ---"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousnes.14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." (2 Peter 3:11-14) ---"In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him." (1 John 4:17) ---To his disciples who had returned from the missionary journey Jesus had sent them on, Jesus said this: "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20) ---Jesus replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots." (Matthew 15:13) ---"And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) ---"to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect," (Hebrews 12:23) ---"He (Jesus) replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."" (Matthew 17:20) ---"For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous ...16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares." (Romans 2:13,16) ---"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.' " (Matthew 16:24-25) ---"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:3) ---"So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.' " (Isaiah 28:16) ---"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." (Psalm 116:15) --- What is the center of attention in the Bible? Behavior that conforms to the pattern that is set forth in God's law or Christ? What does Christ say? "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18) ---"Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow1 them." (Revelation 14:13) ---"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." (Psalm 27:4) ---"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." (Psalm 84:10) ---"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1) ---"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23:6) ---In the apostle Paul's letter to the congregation at Philippi he tells them: "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14) ---The apostle Paul speaks about God, saying, "who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time," (2 Timothy 1:9) Our behavior no matter how perfect thousands of years later could not have 'earned' our salvation. ---"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." (Psalm 116:15) ---Jesus' words of comfort spoken to his disciples the night before his arrest and crucifixion did not deal with behavioral deficiencies but with 'internal behavior': "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God Trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms (mansions); if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14.1-3) God judges by what he sees in the heart. ---"Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace." (Psalm 37:37) ---Physical behavior that is pleasing to the Lord is not enough. The Bible says, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." (Psalm 2:12) The Bible never says blessed are they whose behavior is wonderful. ---What happens on earth is not the 'end' of God's history; what happens on earth does not include the last words and or the last actions of the Eternal Creator God: "All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." (Matthew 25:32) ---"Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: 'See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.' " (Jude 14-15) ---"for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29) Another reason we have peace; we don't have to strive to attain God's gift of eternal life with eternal blessings but we do have to strive to act in ways that please God. (Romans 12:1) There is much more to pleasing God than visibly conforming our overt behavior to God's standards; what God demands is more than virtuous behavior. Anti-God behavior is not always evident to human beings-- At a certain time in Jesus' ministry "Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 'Never, Lord!' he said. 'This shall never happen to you!' " "Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.' " (Matthew 16:22-23) Sin should not be connected with the idea of overt or external behavior. UnGodly thoughts may be unGodly because they are untrue, not because they are unethical. Sin is so much 'bigger' and insidious than overt unethical behavior. "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19) ---Death is not the end or the ultimate judgment of God "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment," (Hebrews 9:27) ---"He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." (Acts 3:21)
4 In a way what is involved is even 'deeper', more fundamental, than even the emotion or motivation that underlies behavior. What could be deeper than the motivation? A relationship. ---There is a relationship between a son or a daughter and his or her Father. It was the father who created the relationship. The son or daughter could not have the motivation to please his or her father unless the relationship already existed. The redeemed son or redeemed daughter could not have the motivation to please his/her heavenly Father unless the heavenly Father had already redeemed the son/daughter. The relationship had already been created by God. What is important to God, what is important in the Christian life is not primarily the behavior of the believer but the close relationship to God that the son or daughter has. And who created the relationship of the believer to his or her father? Did you create the relationship with your earthly father by choosing who your earthly father would be? Did you create the relationship with your heavenly Father by making/changing him who was not your heavenly father into your heavenly father? Look at some of the verses in God's word which speak of the bond between the redeemed human being and the Lord Many, many, verses in the Bible do not speak of ethical standards or behavior. Instead they speak of, or imply or expressly refer to the relationship, the bond, between the speaker and God. ---It was the heavenly Father who created the relationship: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will." (Ephesians1:3-5) ---"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:18) ---"Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:6-7) ---"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." (Hebrews 12:5-6) ---"Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ " (Hosea 1:10) ---"because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Romans 8:14) ---What is important to God is not just what we do or how we behave. Even more important is who we believe in; who we look to for guidance and wisdom; who we pay heed to. "If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder 2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them, 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:1-3) How many verses in the Bible speak of who we believe in, whose leadership we are guided by, who we pay heed to. This is just as true now, after Christ died as a sacrifice and was raised from dead, as it was in Old Testament times. ---"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:23) ---What does God say to the to the Isrealites he had rescued from the land of Egypt? "Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you." (Deuteronomy 8:5) ---"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." (Psalm 119:71) ---"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8-9) ---"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5) ---"Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:13) ---Listen to the apostle Paul addressing believers,
"Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.11 Put on the full armor of God so
that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.12 For our struggle
is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that
when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you
have done everything, to stand.14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth
buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15 and
with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
(Ephesians 6:10-17) ---What does the psalmist, the Christian say? "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23:6) ---Addressing God, the psalmist says: "How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart." (Psalm 36:7-10) ---"The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (2 Timothy 4:18) ---How often in God's word, the statements and the prayers are addressed to the heavenly father. "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11) ---"Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple." (Psalm 65:4) ---"A psalm. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." (Psalm 84:1-2) ---"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." (Psalm 84:10) How many pronouns show that the psalmist is addressing the eternal Creator God! ---"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." (Psalm 119:71) ---"Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty." (Job 5:17) ---"Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law;" (Psalm 94:12) ---"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?' " (Hebrews 12:5-7) ---"Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands." (Psalm 112:1) ---"May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The Lord be exalted!" (Psalm 40:16) ---"The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1) ---"Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart." (Psalm 119:2) ---"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." (Psalm 27:4) ---"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23:6) ---"And I-in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness." (Psalm 17:15) ---"And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul," (Deuteronomy 10:12) ---"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." (Psalm 84:1-2) ---The conscious attitude of the redeemed individual towards God is like that of a child towards his or her birth parents: "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." (Psalm 86:11) Behavior either good or bad is not even mentioned. ---Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves." (Romans 14:22) ---Speaking to God the psalmist says, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11) ---"Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart." (Psalm 119:111) ---Addressing the Lord the psalmist says: "O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you." O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you." (Psalm 84:12) ---"Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight." (Psalm 119:143) ---"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin are covered." (Psalm 32:1) This forgiveness applies not to just a portion of specific acts (transgressions) in the past but to every sinful thought or act in the past, in the present, or in the future! ---So important, so far reaching, is this familial relationship between God and his redeemed people that it even 'replaces' the affect that some natural phenomena such as the sun and the moon have on human beings--no more sunburn! Why? "The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory." (Isaiah 60:19) ---"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God," (Psalm 146:5) ---"Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God." (Ecclesiastes 5:19) ---"But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4:13) ---"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance." (Psalm 33:12) ---In the New Testament the apostle Paul says: "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." (2 Corinthians 5:1) ---According to the Bible 'the fruit of the Spirit' is not conformity to the standards of outward behavior that God's law sets forth. What does the Bible say? "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness," (Galatians 5:22) Everything mentioned as a fruit of the Spirit is a form of 'internal behavior'.
What is the human emotion (the 'internal behavior') that is characteristic of the new relationship that God has bestowed on his children? Joy, Joy, Joy. Joy is the fundamental emotion; the fundamental reaction; the fundamental 'internal behavior'. Joy is not an optional addition--like the frosting on a cake. Joy is an eternal emotion; it extends into eternity and connects the believer with eternity... ---"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit," (Romans 14:17) ---"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2) ---"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17) ---"I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more." (Isaiah 65:19) ---"Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!" (Psalm 81:1) ---"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11) ---"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10) ---"As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you." (Isaiah 62:5) ---"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness," (Galatians 5:22) ---"A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth." (Psalm 100:1) The privilege, the joy, of knowing the eternal Creator God. ---"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Romans 12:12) ---"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful." (Psalm 68:3) ---"In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10) ---"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (1 Peter 1:6) ---"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23:6) ---"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." (Psalm 2:12) ---"A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth." (Psalm 100:1) --- Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands." (Psalm 112:1) ---"Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart." (Psalm 119:111) ---"Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight." (Psalm 119:143) ---"Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God." (Psalm 43:4) ---"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—" (Ephesians 2:8)
CONCLUDING REMARKS
It was not an increase in the 'ethicalness' of his behavior that the apostle Paul was talking about when he wrote to the members of the church at Philippi: "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14) Trials and hardships are not accidents whether they appear unfortunate or otherwise. They are part of God's plan; they help further God's purpose. In the apostle Peter's first letter he says to struggling believers, 6 "In this (an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you (v.4)) you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7) Behavior is not just behavior; it reveals one's attitude ('internal behavior') toward his/her savior, towards Jesus Christ. Listen to Christ's teachings to be revealed at the final judgment: "Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.44 "They also will answer, `Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? 45 "He will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:41-46) It is good to be concerned about our behavior whether it is external or internal. That is something we do. But the most important 'behavior' for us is to be concerned about, to believe in, are the acts of God (such as creation, such as Christ's sacrificial death and his resurrection; such as his coming again. The apostle Peter expresses this truth this way, saying, "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousnes.14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (2 Peter 3:11-14) "He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power." (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9) When the apostle Paul knew his opportunity to witness was coming to a close he said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8) (If exemplary behavior by humans was what God wanted the apostle would have said so. But instead he said, 'to all who have longed for his appearing.' "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 12:2-4) "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Corinthians 15:19) ---Visible behavior of the right kind is not the issue! "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8-9) ---"Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he
is pure." (1
John 3:3)
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