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Leviticus 20

Death to all who worship Molechverses 1-5

 And the LORD spoke to Moses

Saying  Again – you shall say to the children of Israel

Whosoever he be of the children of Israel

or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel

      that gives any of his seed to Molech

He shall surely be put to death

the people of the land shall stone him with stones                

I will set MY face against that man

and will cut him off from among his people

BECAUSE he has given of his seed to Molech

to defile MY sanctuary and to profane MY holy name

IF the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man

when he gives of his seed to Molech – and kill him not

THEN I will set MY face against that man – and against his family

and will cut him off – and all that go a-whoring after him

to commit whoredom with Molech

                  from among their people

Death to all that consult mediumsverse 6

 And the soul that turns after such as have familiar spirits

and after wizards – to go a-whoring after them

I will even set MY face against that soul

            and will cut him off from among his people

Sanctifying is done by the LORDverses 7-8

 SANCTIFY yourselves therefore – and be you HOLY

            for I am the LORD your God

You shall keep MY statutes – and do them

            I am the LORD which SANCTIFY you 

Sins that require a death penaltyverses 9-21

 For everyone that curses his father or his mother shall be surely

put to death

he has cursed his father or his mother

                        his blood shall be on him

And the man that commits adultery with another man’s wife

            even he that commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife

                        the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely

be put to death

And the man that lies with his father’s wife has uncovered

his father’s nakedness

both of them shall surely be put to death

                                    their blood shall be on them

And if a man lie with his daughter-in-law

            both of them shall surely be put to death

                        they have wrought confusion

                                    their blood shall be on them

IF a man also lie with mankind as he lies with a woman

            both of them have committed an ABOMINATION

                        they shall surely be put to death

                                    their blood shall be on them

IF a man take a wife and her mother – it is wickedness

            they shall be burnt with fire – both he and they

                        that there be no wickedness among you

IF a man lie with a beast – he shall surely be put to death

            and you shall slay the beast

IF a woman approach to any beast and lie down thereto

            you shall kill the woman and the beast

                        they shall surely be put to death

                                    their blood shall be on them

IF a man shall take his sister

his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter

and see her nakedness and she see his nakedness

it is a wicked thing

and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people

he has uncovered his sister’s nakedness

he shall bear his iniquity

IF a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness

and shall uncover her nakedness

he has discovered her fountain

she has uncovered the fountain of her blood

and both of them shall be cut off from

among their people

YOU shall not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister

            nor of thy father’s sister

FOR he uncovered his near kin

            they shall bear their iniquity

IF a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife

            he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness

                        they shall bear their sin

                                    they shall die childless

IF a man shall take his brother’s wife – it is an unclean thing

            he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness

                        they shall be childless

Obedience required in Promised Landverses 22-24

 You shall therefore keep all MY statutes – and all MY judgments

and do them – that the land

whither I bring you to dwell therein

spew you not out

You shall not walk in the manners of the nations

which I cast out before you

                        for they committed all these things

and therefore I abhorred them           

BUT I have said to you – You shall inherit their land

            I will give it to you to possess it

                        a land that flows with MILK and HONEY

                                    I am the LORD your God

                                                which have SEPARATED you from

other people

Eating habits communicatedverses 25-26

 You shall therefore put DIFFERENCE between clean beasts and unclean

and between unclean fowls and clean

            and you shall not make your souls abominable by beast

or by fowl – or any manner of living thing

that creeps on the ground – which I have

SEPARATED from you as unclean

You shall be HOLY to ME – FOR I the LORD am HOLY

            and have severed you from other people

that you should be MINE 

Death to all: consult mediums & spirits of the deadverse 27

 A man also or woman that has a familiar spirit – or that is a wizard

            shall surely be put to death

they shall stone them with stones

                                    their blood shall be on them

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 5        Then I will see my face against that man, and against his family and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people. (2181 “whoring” [zanah] means to commit fornication, be unfaithful, to abandon someone to, to act treacherously, conceived of as living like a prostitute, or have illicit intercourse.)

DEVOTION:  Children are precious in the sight of the LORD. The LORD blesses those who have their quiver full of children. Children are a heritage from the LORD. God loves HIS children.

Jesus told HIS disciples to let the children come to HIM for a blessing. The disciples thought children were not important enough to come and receive blessings.

God was angry with anyone who thought it was good to sacrifice their children to a false god. HE told them they were committing spiritual prostitution by offering their sacrifice  via fire to Molech.

This false religion stated that if a family wanted to be blessed by this false god they were to take their child and burn him in a fire and they would receive a blessing.

This is not what the LORD wanted and HE stated it before the children of Israel entered the Promised Land. HE was giving them a Promised Land that was going to be very fruitful in many ways. One way is that there would be enough provided for them was enough food for many children.

If any family offered their children to this false god they were to be cut off from the tribes of Israel. This could mean they would be killed or excommunicated. If the children of Israel didn’t do anything to this family HE was going to do it HIMSELF.

What usually happened is the whole nation had to suffer for their disobedience to HIS commands. It was far better for them to obey HIS commands than to try to protect one family that was sinning.

Today in the church there are times when those who are members of a local body have to be disciplined in order to keep the whole body clean. It is not easy to discipline today as if one church disciplines a member they can usually go to another church who will take them in just down the road.

All discipline should have as its goal to restore the person or family after confession of sin. God is in the business of restoration and so should HIS church be today. Once an individual confesses their sins they can come back into the fellowship of the church.

CHALLENGE:  We don’t have the authority to end a life as a local body of believers today. The children of Israel had this authority given to them by God to keep the nation pure.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 7        Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be you holy: for I am the LORD your God. (6942 “sanctify” [qadash] means to be holy, removed from common use, subject to special, to set apart by means of religious rites, consecrated, clean, or devote)

DEVOTION:  There is a two-part process involved in setting ourselves apart unto God. HE has HIS part and we have our part. It is very hard to understand how this works in our life. We need to submit to the LORD and HE helps us do it.

Here we have the nation of Israel being instructed by the LORD. There is HIS provision and their actions. HE provides the ability for sinful man to be separated from the normal activities of mankind which is to sin continually against HIM and gives them the ability to please HIM.

HE commands them to consecrate or set themselves apart for service to HIM. They are to obey HIS statutes and judgments with HIS strength. They are to understand that they are going to receive strength from HIM but they must put forth an effort as well.

It is a personal decision to be holy. The way they show their willingness to be holy is to obey HIM. In this process the LORD sets them apart to live a holy life. It is a daily choice for the children of Israel and for us.

The LORD did all the work of restoration on the cross. We have to acknowledge HIS work and depend on HIM to help us live a life that is pleasing to HIM. Understanding this process has kept theologians busy for generations. God makes a simple statement and we have to confuse the issue with our explanations.

CHALLENGE:  We don’t seem to be able to just accept this fact by faith.


: 24      But I have said unto you, You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess it, a land that flows with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people. (3423 “inherit” [yarash] means possess, heir, occupy, take, ownership, or drive out completely)

DEVOTION:  God was giving the children of Israel a promise. HE had made the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. HE was going to keep HIM promise.

They were going to take possession of the land when the time was right. They had to wait over four hundred years until the iniquity of the Amorites was full before the LORD was going to allow them to take over the land.

The nation had to grow to the point where they could possess the land and defeat all the nations living in the land. The nation grew while it was in Egypt. They started out living in the part of Egypt that was the most fruitful.

When they left they had been turned into slaves and required to do hard labor. This also prepared them to make the trip through the wilderness to the Promised Land.

God doesn’t give anything without first preparing the people to be able to accept it and restore it to a place in which HE is pleased. The land was a fruitful land but there were people living in it that were worshiping the wrong God.

HE gave them the land to live in so that they could be separated from the rest of the world. The land was surrounded by water. All of the boundary lines were water. If the children of Israel had defeated all the nations the way they were supposed to they could defend it from any outside enemy. The problem was that the enemy was within because they compromised their promise to God to completely take the land without making any treaties with the Amorites.

We are promised an inheritance in heaven. We need to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD after we make a genuine commitment to HIM through the blood of Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

CHALLENGE: Heaven is real and we need to store our treasures in heaven instead of trying to live on this earth for eternity.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 26      And you shall be holy to me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that you should be mine. (914 “severed” [badal] means to divide, separate, distinguish, differ, or select)

DEVOTION:  Difference is a word that describes the children of Israel. They were to be different from all the cultures around them. They were not to worship the false gods of those around them. They were not to practice the eating habits of those around them. They were not to practice the sexual practices of those around them. The worldview of God’s people is so different from the worldview of all other people of the world. They were not to treat people the way the people of other nations treat people. Every part of life was different for those who were followers of God.

God is HOLY. That meant that HIS followers were holy. What does it mean to be holy? The Hebrew word means to be clean or pure. Does that mean that the Israelites were not sinners? NO!! All the rules showed that some of the Israelites were not going to be obedient to the rules the LORD told Moses to teach the people. However, when the rules were broken, the individuals involved were killed. Capital punishment was a good deterrent to disobeying God. People knew what was going to happen to those who disobeyed.     

The people we have around us influence us. The children of Israel were warned to not have the people of the land around them. They were to destroy them because of their influence for wickedness. The people around them offered their children in human sacrifice to a false god named Molech. There was a lot of sexual perversion going on in the nations around Israel.

The LORD wanted them to realize that HE had set them apart to be different from any other nation around. The LORD chose the children of Israel to divide them from the rest of mankind. They were HIS people, not for any special reason of their own but just because HE is sovereign and chose them.

HE does the same thing today for those of us that are Christians, it is nothing that we have done but what HIS son has done on the cross for us. Jesus paid the price for our sins. HE chose us before the foundation of the world and when we turn to HIM in repentance, we realize we are HIS child. Let’s make a difference between HIS children and the rest of mankind. We need to stand out for HIS lifestyle. We need to practice HIS worldview which is a Biblical worldview. There seems to be many different Christian worldviews but only one Biblical Worldview. Do we show the world what a Biblical worldview looks like?

Does this mean that those who practice a Biblical worldview are not sinners? NO!!! We are still sinners but we are not living in sin. What is the difference? Confession!!! Those who want to honor the LORD should continually go to HIM in prayer and confess their sins and HE is faithful and just to forgive. We are a forgiven people. We will never be sinless while we are here but we can with the LORD’S help diminish our sinning.

We honor the LORD by our relationships with those around us especially those fellow believers who are struggling. Remember we have a ministry of reconciliation. Too many Christians just look for faults and are not looking for ways to keep a brother or sister from committing the sin unto death. The children of Israel didn’t have this choice. The judgment of God was quick in the wilderness. We are living under a better covenant. Praise the LORD!!

CHALLENGE: Remember that we are to live HOLY lives with the help and forgiveness of the LORD.


:27       A man also or woman that has a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be on them. (3049 “wizard” [yiddâʿoniy] means 1 a knower, one who has a familiar spirit. 1a a familiar spirit, soothsayer, necromancer. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship].)

DEVOTION:  We live in a day when we wink at almost any kind of sin.  People have always wanted to know the future, and now there are those who are willing to tell us the future for a price.  We first encountered them in New Orleans, but recently spotted one of them in a South American country as well. 

God’s desire is for us to know some of the future, but not our own personal future.  You see this, for example, in how people gamble on the lottery or with the stock market.  God is more concerned about our community together as followers of Him, and so He lets us know that we will be persecuted as a believer of Jesus Christ, but that He will ultimately return and triumph over the forces of evil and Satan in this world.  In the meantime, He is more concerned with how we live out our lives than what actually is going to happen to us.

One prominent person who violated this specific commandment was King Saul.  He had sought to rid the land of all those fortune tellers, and then came to one the night before he was to face the Philistines in battle.  He asked her to allow him to see the dead man Samuel, and God allows her to conjure him up.  Saul is punished for this act of disobedience by dying in battle the very next day.  One wonders how he might have explained this to God when he saw Him after he died!

It is just as wrong for people to trust in “luck” as their guiding principle in their lives.  We should be saddened by the number of people who are addicted to the sickness of gambling in all of its forms.  This is another expression of being unwilling to trust God for His provision throughout our lives.

CHALLENGE:  Is there any area of your life where you are unwilling to trust God?  If so, find a close friend today that you can discuss this with.


DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Sanctuaryverse 3


DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Statutesverses 8, 22

Judgmentsverse 22

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 7, 8, 24, 26

Holy nameverse 3

God (Elohim)verses 7, 24

I amverses 7, 8, 24

LORD your Godverses 7, 24

I am the LORD your Godverses 7, 24

I am the LORD which sanctifyverse 8

I the LORD am holyverse 26

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Strangersverse 2

Manner of nationsverse 23

Other peopleverse 24

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Worshiping Molech [false god]verses 2-5

Defile sanctuary of the LORDverse 3

Profane God’s nameverse 3

Go a whoring afterverses 5, 6

Commit whoredom with Molechverse 5

Consulting familiar spiritsverses 6, 27

Consulting wizardsverses 6, 27

Cursing father and motherverse 9

Commit adulteryverses 10–12

Neighbor’s wife

Father’s wife

Daughter in law

Confusionverse 12

Homosexualityverse 13

Abominationverses 13, 25

Wickedness: marry mother and daughterverses 14, 17

Sex with animalsverses 15-16

Uncover sister’s nakednessverse 17

Iniquityverses 17, 19

Lying with woman with monthly periodverse 18

Uncover nakedness of auntverse 19

Lie with uncle’s wifeverse 20

Sinverse 20

Take brother’s wifeverse 21

Unclean thingverses 21, 25

Walk in manner as other nationsverse 23

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Sanctifyverses 7, 8

Holyverses 7, 26

Obedienceverses 8, 22

Inheritverse 24

Separatedverse 24

Differenceverse 25

Severedverse 26

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Mosesverse 1

Children of Israelverse 2

Inherit land flowing with milk and honeyverse 24

Put a difference between clean beasts and uncleanverse 25

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things(Future Events)

Put to death by stoningverse 2, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 27

Cut offverse 3, 5, 6, 17, 18

Kill man offering children to Molechverse 4, 5

Burned with fireverse 14

Die childlessverse 20


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QUOTES regarding passage

9 This verse is quoted in Matthew 15:4 and Mark 7:10. Cursing one’s parents was a capital offense (so also in Exod 21:17; cf. Prov 20:20). Also, striking one’s parents was a capital crime (Exod 21:15); and a “stubborn and rebellious son,” “a profligate and a drunkard,” was to be stoned (Deut 21:18–21). This appears to be very severe punishment. What parent would wish to have his son stoned to death for being “stubborn and rebellious”? It is probable that there is more to these verses than meets the eye.

In any language there are words relating to sin that gather a connotation with usage. In colloquial English a “square” is not a four-sided man; a “loose woman” is a woman loose in morals, etc. So in ancient Hebrew the connotation of to “curse” father and mother or to be “stubborn and rebellious” is of importance in understanding the passages. Unfortunately, after the lapse of so many centuries, the connotation of the words is hard to discover. In such a case it is wise to be guided by the context and general situation.

The phrase “stubborn and rebellious” is applied to wayward sons in Deuteronomy 21:18. It is applied to Israel’s apostasy from God in Psalm 78:8 and Jeremiah 5:23. From this we may surmise that the connotation of the phrases included apostasy and idolatry. As to the duty of parents to accuse such a son, the implication is that parents should not shield even their own children who descend to apostasy and black magic (cf. Deut 13:6–11).

Likewise, cursing father and mother here surely does not refer to the angry response that a child might give in a fit of temper. The word is widely used. It includes blaspheming the name of God (24:11–16). Shimei cursed David in open rebellion (2 Sam 16:5–13). Gaal, the son of Ebed, cursed Abimelech (Judg 9:27). Cursing in ancient times sometimes involved a malevolent operation of magic against the person cursed. The modern equivalent is to put a hex on someone. It could thus include an appeal to false religion. Such cursing of parents (or anyone in authority, Exod 22:28), if it were a determined and aggravated offense, was punishable by death. The place of this sin at the head of a list of sexual crimes may or may not be significant; we do not know. Many times the laws recorded in the Pentateuch are not according to a system we would expect. It may be that the law has closer affinity with the law forbidding “mediums and spiritists” in v.6.

In vv.9–16 death is specified as the penalty. The method of execution was usually by stoning. This was the penalty for idolatry (Deut 13:10; 17:5; Lev 20:2, 27), adultery (Deut 22:21, 24), blasphemy (Lev 24:13–16), profligacy (Deut 21:21), and Sabbath breaking (Num 15:35). Often the method of execution is not named. Burning (v.14; Gen 38:24) was apparently rare. (Harris, R. L. (1990). Leviticus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, pp. 611–612). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)


20:9–21. On the death penalty for persistent disobedience to parents (v. 9), compare Exodus 21:17. Leviticus 20:10–17 basically parallels 18:6–23 except for the addition of the punishment (and the prohibition against intercourse during a woman’s menstruation; cf. 15:19–20). The penalty in 20:19–21 is not clear. (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Leviticus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 203). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)


Ver. 9. For every one that curscth his father or his mother, &c.] Here begins the account of the penalties annexed to the several laws in the preceding chapter; and that respecting the fear and honour of parents being the first, is here begun with: shall surely be put to death; the Targum of Jonathan adds, “by casting of stones,” stoning being the punishment of such transgressors: he hath cursed his father or his mother: to do either is his sin, and a capital crime it is: his blood shall be upon him; he shall be guilty of death, be adjudged unto it, and punished with it, namely, by stoning; for, as Jarchi observes, wherever it is, his blood shall be on him, or their blood shall be on them, it is to be understood of stoning. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 653). London: Mathews and Leigh)


This chapter reveals the justice of God in dealing with criminals. Death penalty is most prominent. It is pronounced upon the following crimes: Molech worship; dealing with familiar spirits (Spiritualism); different forms of incest and sodomy. Men advocate now the abolishment of death penalty without considering the outraged justice of a holy God. The object of these severe penalties imposed by Jehovah were the satisfaction of justice and the vindication of a broken law. A closer examination of these warnings and the penalties attached will reveal the seriousness of the offences against the theocratic government set up in the midst of Israel, and the perfect justice of every penalty. It is a serious matter if critics find fault with these solemn statements, denying their authority and judging the holy and infallible Judge.

The chapter gives a testimony against the awful drift of our times in the lax laws concerning marriage, divorces and its attending evils so very much in evidence among the so-called Christian nations. (Gaebelein, A. C. (2009). The Annotated Bible: Genesis to Deuteronomy. (Vol. 1, pp. 261–262). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)


FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)


Romans 14
Christians should not exercise personal liberty if it destroys another Christian.
INSIGHT

We are a part of others; what we say and what we do affects others. This is especially true of Christians. We are a part of the body of Christ; we are a part of one another. Not only does God not want us to live isolated lives but He has made it so that we cannot make it alone. Therefore, we must always be alert to how our actions affect others. If something we do harms another person, we must take that into account. If our freedom causes hurt to a brother or sister in Christ, then love dictates that we limit our freedom.

                  (Quiet Walk)


I recently discovered the wonder of anamorphic art. Appearing at first as an assortment of random parts, an anamorphic sculpture only makes sense when viewed from the correct angle. In one piece, a series of vertical poles align to reveal a famous leader’s face. In another, a mass of cable becomes the outline of an elephant. Another artwork, made of hundreds of black dots suspended by wire, becomes a woman’s eye when seen correctly. The key to anamorphic art is viewing it from different angles until its meaning is revealed.

With thousands of verses of history, poetry, and more, the Bible can sometimes be hard to understand. But Scripture itself tells us how to unlock its meaning. Treat it like an anamorphic sculpture: view it from different angles and meditate on it deeply.

Christ’s parables work this way. Those who care enough to ponder them gain “eyes to see” their meaning (Matthew 13:10-16). Paul told Timothy to “reflect” on his words so God would give him insight (2 Timothy 2:7). And the repeated refrain of Psalm 119 is how meditating on Scripture brings wisdom and insight, opening our eyes to see its meaning (119:18, 97-99).

How about pondering a single parable for a week or reading a gospel in one sitting? Spend some time viewing a verse from all angles. Go deep. Biblical insight comes from meditating on Scripture, not just reading it.

Oh, God, give us eyes to see.  By Sheridan Voysey  (Our Daily Bread)


JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION



If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9

John does not use the terms justification and sanctification; they are Paul’s great words. But, of course, John teaches exactly the same doctrine. Furthermore, I think that much of the trouble with regard to these matters has arisen because people will not see that fact. John, in his own pictorial way, is teaching precisely the same truth as the apostle Paul teaches in his more logical and legal manner by means of his terms justification and i>sanctification, righteousness and redemption, and so on.
What is meant by justification? Justification is the New Testament term that represents our standing in the presence of God. Justification means not only the forgiveness of our sins, but also that our sins have been dealt with and have been removed from us. Justification states that God regards us as righteous, as if we had not sinned. In other words, it is a stronger term than forgiveness; we may be forgiven, and yet our sins remain upon us. But what God does for us in justification is to remove the guilt altogether, to remove the sin. He does not punish us for it; He looks upon us as righteous, as if we had not sinned; our sin has been removed.

Sanctification, on the other hand, is that condition in which the sin principle is dealt with. Justification does not deal with the sin principle within us; it deals with the sins that we have committed. But after our sins have been forgiven, and sin and guilt have been removed from us, the sin principle will remain within us, and what the New Testament means by this doctrine of sanctification is the process whereby the very principle and the activity of sin within us is being taken out of us and removed.

A Thought to Ponder: Justification means not only the forgiveness of our sins, but also that our sins have been removed from us.


               (From Fellowship with God, pp. 137-138, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)


Lovers of Self

“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.” (2 Timothy 3:2)
One of the dangerous teachings of the “New Age” movement that has spilled over into modern evangelicalism is the notion of “self-love.” Many psychologists—even Christian professional counselors—are attributing society’s ills, especially among young people, to the supposed lack of a “positive self-image” or “self-esteem” on the part of those exhibiting antisocial behavior. What they need, we are told, is to learn to love themselves more, to appreciate their own self-worth. The problem with this idea is that it is both unscriptural and unrealistic. People do not hate themselves. The Bible says that “no man ever yet hated his own flesh” (Ephesians 5:29).
Instead of learning to esteem ourselves, the Scripture commands us each to “esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3). Even the apostle Paul, near the end of his life, considered himself so unworthy that he called himself the chief of sinners (see 1 Timothy 1:15).
We are told by some Christian leaders that the measure of our great value in the sight of God is the fact that Christ paid such a high price—His own death—to redeem us. The fact is, however, that His death is not the measure of our great value but of our terrible sinfulness. “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).
In fact, as in our text, the rise of this self-love idea is itself a sign of the last days, when people shall be “lovers of their own selves.” It is the main characteristic of New Age humanism, which is based squarely upon evolutionary pantheism.
Christ died for our sins because He loved us, not because He needed us. We should live for Him in thanksgiving for the “amazing grace, that saved a wretch like me!”

                    (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research) 


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