In a book I have published "The Seven Churches of Asia/ Revelation 2-3," (ISBN number 978-1-4343-4789-3) the chapter on Christian Liberty pages 44-45 has this content:
When we reduce Christianity to the level of a religious philosophy and experience, instead of for who God sent Jesus to be for us, it is easy to view Him, what He said and did, as just another religion, instead of a supernaturally changed life. Serving God is not an alternate way of living and thinking; IT IS A CHANGED NATURE, THAT EXCELS FAR ABOVE THAT.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
The reason the Sinner, the Religious, and the Hypocrite cannot understand what being a new creation in Christ is, is they have not been "born-again". It takes the Holy Spirit to give us the "new birth." The new birth or born-again experience is the Holy Spirit removing the "sinful nature" that is in us and replacing it with God's "righteous nature." When this happens we become a "new creature," on the inside.
When Jesus is reduced to just another religion, just like other religions, it is easy to disregard what we don't agree with and say, dispensational, that not everything the word of God says applies today. When the words of Jesus are viewed as just another philosophy, any way of living out our life in that philosophy is acceptable, and no punishment associated with it, whether or not it is temporal or eternal. This is the kind of faith in God that depends simply on intellectual knowledge, without being converted from darkness to light, born-again. These are those who justify sin with their own moral code (the religious, hypocrite, and lukewarm). Without the Holy Spirit we cannot live God's standard of holiness.
We justify sin and say that God is OK with that. This is the thought pattern of what some of the Believers in the seven churches of Asia "fell" into, and which made it possible for them to be deceived by the teachings of the Nicoliatans, Balaam, and Jezebel. The spirit and teachings of such as these exists in the heart of the Religious, the Hypocrite, and the Lukewarm today; a liberal theology about Christian liberty that interprets what Christian liberty is not. Christian liberty is not a license to live as we please, but rather to please God, for whom we have been born-again to do. Christian liberty is freedom to do His desires, something we did not have as "Sinners", but we do have as "Saints."
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:20
Vicario it appears obvious to me that you are somewhat versed in the Latin language as it relates to the Catholic church, translation of the Scriptures, and doctrines. Anyone who has a basic knowledge of church history know the Catholic church over the centuries have adopted many doctrines that have been influenced by many pagan beliefs and philosophies contrary to the Apostles doctrine and what Jesus taught. Many denominational and non-denominational churches have fallen prey to a lack of using the correct definition of the Greek and Hebrew words in the origional transcripts; part of the problem related to this fact is that some words have multiple meanings and not using the correct definition can lead to an incorrect interpretation and understanding of scripture. The other problem related to incorrect doctrinal beliefs is that many interpret scripture to fit what they believe rather than forming what to believe on what a scripture correctly interpreted is teaching.
I have shared all of this for these reasons:
It is noted that you have an appreciation for the things of God, and have some form of morality which conforms to the carnal, sinful, and world view of what Christianity is ( a Christianity that is a philosophy for living but not what is true Christ-likeness). We must have a true and sincere born-again experience to live what is true Christianity or Christ-likeness. You have only gone through the ritual of repentance which has caused you not to have a changed nature, this in turn has caused you to become a Religious sinner on your way to Hell and not a Righteous Saint on your way to Heaven; the Catholic church for the most part has failed its perishioners in this matter, by making them believe that because they have gone through the ritual they are saved when actually they are not, this shows in the way that the majority of Catholic believers live out their lives.
Much of what I have read that could be understood in your questions and statements show that you have not experienced what it is to be born-again (or as the Vulgate translates "born from above"). This fact is obvious to me because of your filthy language and the fact that contrary to God's objectional view of same sex relationships, which He calls an Abomination and for which He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, an example of His absolute opposition to homosexuality, you chose to rebel against God on this issue; which I know some denomations have chosen to do the same. When it comes to the act of sexual intercourse, from the very beginning God commanded Adam and Eve to do it to replenish the earth, thus to teach it is a sin for married couples (a man and a woman) is a doctrine that is contrary to what God has said to do.
This is the conclusion: From a sincere and true heart of repentance from sin God will remove the "sinful nature" that is in your spirit and soul and replace it with His "righteous nature;" when this happens the hereditary element of God's righteous nature will automatically compel you to live your life after the example of Jesus as shown in the Gospels and as taught by the Apostles throughout the New Testament, a life that is in total obedience to God's expectations of His people. To be pleasing to God a truly born again believer must live their life in Christ after the example of Jesus and not after what they see in a fellow believer who themselves may be living an example far below Jesus' example.
Samuel samuside@aol.com
