Showing posts with label liberty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label liberty. Show all posts

Monday, December 29, 2014

The law of liberty

According to Strong's Concordance, the law being spoken of in James 1:25 is the moral instruction given by Christ, the command about love.  The true liberty is living how we should, not as we please.  We are told to continue in that law of liberty, to abide in it. So what does Jesus Christ command us to do?  In Matthew 22 and Luke 10 Jesus commands us to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, all our strength and with all our mind and to love our neighbour as ourself.When we do that, we will have the heart of Jesus to be compassionate towards widows, orphans, our neighbour.  Who is our neighbour?  Anyone who needs help.  It does not matter who it is, we should show compassion and have mercy on all people in need.  You do that and you fulfill all the law!  See Galatians 5. :)   But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world~•James 1:22-27    Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." ~•Matthew 22:37-40   So he answered and said, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.' " ~•Luke 10:27   For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."~•Galatians 5:14

Friday, October 31, 2014

Customs

I have been so saddened lately when seeing online how Christians accuse others in Christ of disobedience and punishment in hellfire for having short hair.  I have short hair!  I was the one being accused by another brother in Christ of being disobedient to scripture and that I will be punished for it, basically saying I will go to hell because of my short hair.  No one will know how that made me feel.  It broke my heart.  Here I am, a born again Christian and I always thought that Christ was the one who did it all on the cross to set us free, give us liberty.  My response was that if God was unhappy with my short hair and that I pray to Him with my head uncovered, why has He answered my prayers so many times?  Why has He showered me with His love, comforted me so many times?  I believe it was a custom in Paul's day, that's how they did things then.  He was laying down a guideline for others to do it the same way.  I was told by this Christian that no, it was not a custom and that I am twisting and adding on to the word of God.   Now all this had me very upset.  I cried out to God in prayer about it.  No, I did not cover my head.  Today, after I don't know how many days of asking Him, God leads me in His word to Galatians 5.  One of my favourite books in the Bible. :)   God led me to where Paul talks about circumcision.  The Jewish Christians were trying to drag the Gentile Christians back under the law, under the yoke of slavery, when Christ has set us all free!  So I was reading this and it just became as clear as daylight....women having long hair and having their heads covered when praying, was their custom.  That was how they were used to doing it, how they were accustomed to doing it.  Then Holy Spirit confirmed to me in Galatians 5....that it's not what we do on the outside that matters, it is what Jesus has done for us on the cross and that all we have to do is love God with all our heart, mind and soul and love our neighbour as ourself, meaning love all people, even our enemies! :)  You will never know how much peace I had after this.This does not mean that Paul was wrong!  No, not at all!  That was their custom, it is not a salvation issue!  God led me to Galatians just to show me not to worry so much, to show me that He set us free and that He is not mad at me with my short hair.  It's my heart He cares about.  Please do not take my word for the truth, take this to God in prayer.  This is how I interpret that scripture.  If I am wrong, it is between God and I.  I don't want to lead anyone astray.  I am also just forever learning.
Precious people, enjoy your freedom in Christ, not to sin and indulge the flesh, but just enjoy and do not worry.  Trust in Jesus!  He finished it all for us!  Thank you Jesus for all that you did for us. ♥  Look here what the greek word for custom means in the Concordance: 
Strong's Number:   4914  
Original WordWord Origin
sunhvqeiafrom a compound of (4862) and (2239)
Transliterated WordTDNT Entry
SunetheiaNone
Phonetic SpellingParts of Speech
soon-ay'-thi-ah   Noun Feminine
 Definition
  1. intercourse (with one), intimacy
  2. custom
  3. a being used to, accustomed


http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/kjv/sunetheia.html   13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone wants to argue about this, we have no other custom, nor do the churches of God.•~1 Corinthians 11:13-16   1 Christ has liberated us into freedom. Therefore stand firm and don't submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Take note! I, Paul, tell you that if you get circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. 3 Again I testify to every man who gets circumcised that he is obligated to keep the entire law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace! 5 For by the Spirit we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness from faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.   13 For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. •~Galatians 5:1-6, 13-14