Forgiveness That Heals Hearts

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven …

“Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’  “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” Luke18:21-35

Forgiveness is not about me; and it’s not about you...

and it’s not about you and me, or about you and anyone else. Forgiveness is about each person and God ... you or me or them and God.

 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know [Him] [in this way] no longer. 2 Corinthians 5:14-16

The words in this verse are about the love of Christ controlling us. And Jesus wants us to love and forgive others in the same way he has loved and forgiven us. In spite of all of our failings, Jesus died for each and every one of us from the beginning to the end of time. And He forgives all of us unconditionally throughout eternity.

ALL is a big word. He forgives ALL of us for our many failings every day; and he forgives ALL of our sins of the past, present, and future; and He forgives ALL of us forever. The only thing we need to do in order to receive His free gift and His promises … is to believe that Jesus is who he says He is.

Paul explains that the way we are to worship Jesus the Creator and Savior of the world is to NOT be conformed to the world; but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Our divine transformation will result in our being conformed to Him by the leading of His eternal truth and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When the Love of Christ controls us we become Christ-centered rather than self-centered. This results in victory over any and all forms of sin and failings in our daily life.

For us the worship of God by the renewing of our minds regarding forgiveness means that our thinking needs to be transformed so that we no longer forgive others from a worldly point of view; but rather we forgive in the same way that Jesus forgives others. To do otherwise is to disregard the instructions and example Jesus has given us.

Once again the instruction here from Jesus is perfectly clear …

“Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Mathew 18:21-22

This foundational Truth of never-ending forgiveness should be how others view each one of us, and then think and say: “He or she is the most forgiving person I have ever met.” This is how Jesus draws others to Himself through us. But the big question is: “who do you even know that is living out this type of a Christ-like forgiving spirit?”

The problem is that when Christians choose not follow the most basic teachings of Christ, others see them as hypocrites and this negative example leads others to become discouraged, and they turn away from the Savior. These Christians  become an anti-witness for Christ. When we follow the leading of Jesus, the opposite results occur as He draws others to himself through us.

The verse above explains the transformation of our thinking when we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and God’s eternal Truth. “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh” ( or from a worldly point of view). This is a Paradox Principle since it is contrary to the view that many will unconsciously and naturally and most likely have towards others.

It is natural for our most ugly character qualities to become apparent in response to others when they treat us badly, embarrass us, or hurt our feelings. We have all at times fallen into the most destructive habits when we become angry with someone else. But God teaches us a better way. “ BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”  Ephesians 4:26-27

The scripture is clear. The question is not: “will you get angry?” But rather; when you get angry: “what will you do with your anger?” Letting the sun go down on your anger results in giving the devil an opportunity. This can lead to many evil responses. Slander, backbiting, gossip, lying, hatred, bitterness, jealousy, and resentment are only a few of the traps that the evil one leads us into once he has established a stronghold in our life.

All of these sins can lead us to act out of character and say and do things that we will surely regret. All of us have a pride problem that we must bring under control, or the evil one will use this problem to control and destroy us.

Anger and bitterness is like a cancer. If we allow this evil to grow … it will rob us of our happiness, our peace and joy; and most importantly hinder our fellowship with the Holy Spirit? And we have not even begun to mention the loss of valued friendships, respect, and our ability to be a positive witness for Christ.

Jesus has promised us that if we “humble ourselves to Him that He will lift us up.” James 4:10 We can only hear the leading of His Spirit when we are listening to the words of Christ that He has implanted in our hearts. His promises will give us the needed strength but we must listen to Jesus and His Truth and follow Him.

In closing, what about you … right now? Are you looking at others from a worldly point of view? Are you living for yourself, or for Christ? Are you following the pride of your flesh; or the Prince of Peace. Are you following: “Him who died and rose again on your behalf?"

Do you have the mind of Christ, or are you living and acting like a mere man?

Are you living out the life of forgiveness that the Savior has planned for you?

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2

God Bless you my friends, Bob

The Living Word

The grass withers and the flowers fall, 

but the word of our God stands forever.   Isaiah 40:8

The Living Word

by Dr Harold Sala

There are some truths that are so profound and meaningful that it becomes intensely painful to really confront them.  The implications are too great, too all-inclusive, too encompassing; so, refusing to confront them, we do one of two things: we ignore them, pretending that they are not there while all of the time they lie before us like the iceberg did when the Titanic, oblivious of warnings, pushed through the dark night.  Or, recognizing that they are there, we simply trivialize them, pointing out that things are not always as they appear and that there are other options.

OK, you may be thinking. Give it to us straight. With maturity and age (which are not always synonymous) you begin to see some things that just are not obvious at age 25. Now that I'm past that milestone, I see some things far more clearly than I used to. Such is the profound implication of how you view the truth found in the Bible.  "Just a minute," you may be thinking.  "Does it really matter that much what your views are of this book!"

Aha! That's where you find yourself in the category of those who trivialize the implications of this book.  Here's why. The implications of the contents of this book are tremendous, touching every part of my life including my business, my marriage, my money, my ethics, my work, my morality, my sex-life, my views of men and women, how I treat the elderly, what I think about abortion and stem-cell research and on and on.

If you confront what this book says, understanding that what God said in the book is to be taken at face value and embraced, then neutrality about some issues is not an option. In simple terms, the truth of this book touches my life, my conduct, and my thinking.

Many, of course, never get to that point. While vast numbers of people say they are Christians-and yes, own and carry Bibles to church with them-in reality they never fully confront what this book says. They dance around it, spiritualizing it, considering it a benchmark, something nice to shoot at but impractical in the world in which we live.

But most simply ignore the Bible, thus embracing situational ethics and weaving through the minefields of life hoping that they will not be discovered and thus embarrassed when society condemns their behavior.

OK, how do you know whether or not this book should be taken at face value, whether or not it is the living Word of God and that its truth should serve as moral and spiritual guidelines for living?  Jesus made a promise.  He said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own" (John 7:17).  Take the challenge to find out for yourself. No other book in the entire world makes claims as does this one. Paul wrote, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Twice-one time in the Old Testament and another in the New-it says, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

The greater your knowledge of this book, the greater will be your respect for it, and when you come to understand that it is a book given by God, you gradually begin to recognize that God gave us the direction He did for our benefit, not to make us miserable, but to show us how to live.

Don't take my Word for it. Study it and find out for yourself. It will change your life.

Dr Sala was my first bible teacher over 35 years ago.

God bless you my friends, Bob

Human Viewpoint Thinking

Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; 

and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 

So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"  

David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her. 

2 Samuel 11: 11-12

We all have Human Viewpoint Thinking. 

We are born with it. It’s not all bad. Without it, we would fail at the most basic daily tasks. 
We learn a lot from our experiences, logic, and feelings. 

But on the other hand ... all of our mistakes, wrong thinking, and wrong decisions are a result of false conclusions, lust, and pride that are now ingrained, and are blocking our mind from accepting God’s eternal truth which is very often contrary.

Uriah was one of David’s bravest and most loyal men. He was obviously extremely important since he lived within view of the roof of the king. What would cause King David, whom God had blessed with everything imaginable, to seek out the wife of this most loyal follower? Evil … Human Viewpoint Thinking took control of David’s heart and mind. God’s counsel in his heart and mind was blocked out by his lust.

The results for David were disastrous. First adultery, and then Uriah was murdered to try and cover up the evil. David’s newborn son died. David was disgraced before God and men. And the resulting problems continued to haunt David until the death of his beloved son Absalom. But worst of all was that David fell out of fellowship with God. Following sinful lust and pride always leads to failure, loneliness, shame, guilt, fear and more evil.

The story of David and Bathsheba demonstrates that even when a person is a faithful follower of God, he is still open to ongoing attack from the god of this world. And the evil one will attack each of us where we are most vulnerable, when we least expect it, and in three primary ways: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. A similar attack led to the fall of mankind in the garden. Genesis 3:1-6 … but when Satan tried this tactic with Jesus, the result was the opposite. The devil's absolute failure (Mat. 4:1-11) led to Jesus Christ’s victory over the evil one, and deliverance for all of those who trust in Him forever.

When compared to David; or to Adam and Eve; there is one major difference in the story of Jesus that resulted in victory over the devil. Jesus simply replied to the tempter with authoritative statements of absolute truth from God’s Word, which is the sword of the Spirit … “and the evil one fled; and angels came and ministered to Jesus.”

How could the same man that wrote Psalm 23 also send his most loyal follower out with the intent to be murdered? That is easier to understand, when we know the depth of the evil that is still alive in the hearts and minds of men.  “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 

The difference is that David was controlled by the Love of Christ when he wrote Psalm 23 and also when he defeated Goliath and Israel's other enemies; but with Uriah, David decided to follow the god of this world when tempted with pride and lust ... and then he was led by the god of this world to commit one evil act after another. 

You might say … “I do not believe that the devil is real, and that he is determined to destroy me” … then a pride problem is clearly in view. You are over-ruling God's eternal truth with your personal views. A humble mind is the way of escape. The lesson for all of us is that we need to understand the truth, and be ready to respond with the truth when tested. And we must accept that the eternal truth often has very little to do with our logic, feelings, experiences, and opinions.

To deny that the devil exists is to also to deny God’s eternal Truth and the author of our faith also … Jesus who we claim to believe. “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:11-12. 

What a difference we see between the response from Joseph when tempted by Satan in Gen. 39, and King David in 2 Sam. 11. One was controlled by the love of Christ and had Divine Viewpoint Thinking; and the other was consumed with lust and pride and fell into Human Viewpoint Thinking which rendered him unconscious spiritually and led him off the edge of a cliff.

God’s Word is filled with examples like David, Peter, and Paul at their worst, and at their best. The good news is that no matter how far we fall … Jesus is always willing to forgive us and lift us up. But we are still subject to the consequences of our actions.

The question for each of us here is: “how can we walk in the world; but not be of the world?”

First we must love God more than life itself. When we love God as He loves us, we will be seeking to know Him better, and this comes through prayer and meditating on His word, and by the leading of the Holy Spirit. We need to pray that he will reveal to us our personal weaknesses where the evil one is most likely to attack. When we humble ourselves to God he will provide victory in the areas where the enemy has established strongholds in our life, and He provides for us ways of escape.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 1 Cor.10:13

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 2 Cor. 10:3-5

When we know the Eternal Truth, and we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind; we are then able to put off our old ways, and put on God’s new ways through the transforming and renewing of our minds by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is how we remove Human Viewpoint Thinking and replace it with Divine Viewpoint Thinking. This is our spiritual service of worship. This is how we worship Jesus rather than ourselves. Rom. 12:1-2

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 2 Pet. 1:2-4

God Bless you my friends, Bob

Divine Viewpoint Thinking

And do not be conformed to this world, 

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,  

so that you may prove what the will of God is, 

that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 

Romans 12:2

What does it mean to have Divine Viewpoint Thinking?

The first step is to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 
This can only be accomplished through God's Truth by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

We must also come to grips with the fact that we all approach the actions and affairs of our life, 
either from a human viewpoint or a divine viewpoint.

This includes those who see themselves as living a Christian or spiritual life. 
The first question that we must all ask ourselves is ...
Which viewpoint best describes me?

Paul clarifies these viewpoints with his explanation of the difference between Christ-like love and the loving ways of mere men.  “but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”  1 Corinthians 13:10-11

According to the Apostle Paul, our thinking before Christ is comparable to that of a child and after we become born again and controlled by the love of Christ, we are to become mature men or women and do away with childish things. But Paul also explains earlier that many who have trusted their eternal life to Christ are still following their feelings, pride, and lust … and living not as mature men; but rather the immature children feeding on milk only, and unable to yet eat solid food. 

“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.  I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 

The milk he refers to here represents those biblical teachings that are easy to receive and understand. The milk of the Word are those things that often do not test our character. They are easier to receive, like a baby drinks milk. For example, I believed "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" to be true long, before I became a Christian. Milk is often things which we have already accepted to be true. The solid food represents the eternal Truth teachings of God’s Word that in our human nature we do not want to hear, or just do not understand. God's Truth is often contrary to the teachings of the world. The Truth of God often goes against the grain of our feelings, worldly education, and human logic. 

But we are to test all things and our beliefs up against God’s eternal Truth, in order to have the Mind of Christ. Human Viewpoint Thinking does the opposite.

As Christians, Jesus is the foundation of our belief system and understanding. We are to hold our beliefs and ways of thinking accountable to His eternal truth and this results in authentic Christianity. Otherwise; the result is hypocrisy at best. The belief in creation or evolution is a prime example of divine versus human viewpoint thinking. It is not possible to have the mind of Christ and believe that men evolved from a slug. God could have done it that way, but if He did, then He lied to us ... and it is impossible for our perfect God to lie. 

Evolution is man’s atheistic explanation as to why there is no God. How can men believe in God and reject him at the same time? When one chooses evolution, he may as well trust his personal feelings or logic on all other decisions as well. Let's face it ... God's Word is filled with promises, miracles, and biblical absolutes that make NO sense to one's logic and feelings. 

This decision for evolution in actuality renders a person to be his own personal god in and of himself.  Jesus makes it clear how he views Christians who are still following human viewpoint thinking when he says:  “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16

The Apostle Peter is God's example for us of both viewpoints. Peter was walking daily with Jesus, the God of all things; and yet he continually fell back into his old ways of thinking. That's human nature. Jesus deals harshly with Peter in response to his habit of stumbling backwards into his human viewpoint thinking. When Peter contradicted Christ, while following his personal feelings and logic, Jesus would have none of it.

“From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Matthew 16:21-23

We have heard that “old habits die hard” and that "we can be sincere, but sincerely wrong." Even Peter’s denial of Christ, and his forgiveness by Christ did not cure him of these old habits. That was apparent when later Paul needed to once again rebuke Peter for his false, self-centered ... human viewpoint thinking. 

“But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” Galatians 2:14-16

But by God's grace, Peter was finally transformed by the renewing of his mind and gained Divine Viewpoint Thinking … and he clearly demonstrates this fact over and over again throughout 1st and 2nd Peter. He was able to develop the blessed Divine Viewpoint Thinking that Jesus Christ has promised and provided for each one of us as well.

Here is one of many examples of Peter's Divine Viewpoint Thinking: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”  2 Peter 1:2-11

There you have it … “we may become partakers of the divine nature”

And contrary to popular opinion … God’s eternal Truth is not that difficult to understand.

God bless you my friends, Bob