aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaDedicated to spreading Christian civilization around the world

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

I'm from the Government





This comic strip was generated at http://www.MakeBeliefsComix.com. Used by permission of author and site creator Bill Zimmerman.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

What God says about Immigration

Is this an invasion of the U.S.?


Leviticus 18:26

Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:

Leviticus 24:22

Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God.


The Bible has a lot to say about immigration. Immigrants or illegal immigrants, are identified in the Scriptures as strangers, foreigners, resident aliens, wanderers, sojourners, or even immigrants in one version.

What I want to talk a little about in this article is how the laws are to be enforced on everyone residing within national boundaries and jurisdiction - whether they're nationals or foreigners, as the verses above confirm.

If this were enforced in the nations, including the U.S., a lot of the problems associated with migration and close proximity being forced on various people groups with completely different world views, and thus laws, would be significantly reduced.

What we must learn is the law of the land equals culture. If a foreign culture invades in large numbers via migration, the values and laws of those people take precedence in their minds and way of life, and they put enormous pressure on the native population that adhere to a specific set of laws that have guided their lives.

Those existing laws come forth from who the people are and by extension what they believe, and so should be identified as the culture of the land. We as Christians need to look to the entire Bible for our laws to be modeled on, and build civilization based upon that.

In the U.S. that is how we built our country, albeit in only a partial adherence to the law of God revealed in the scriptures. We must once again search out the Bible diligently to once again put those laws into effect, while finding out which laws no longer apply. We also need to do the same with the penalty portion of the laws in a post-Resurrection world.

As we stand in the U.S. now, anyone abiding within our national borders must obey all the law, and be arrested and punished accordingly. That also includes the immigration laws, which are almost entirely ignored. Illegal entry into our country in the numbers we're seeing is nothing short of an invasion. The fact that it's already being done in a lawless manner speaks to the character of many of the people coming here.

According to the Bible, we aren't to oppress foreigners within our borders, but we surely must require them to obey the existing laws as all real American citizens are required to do. Oppressing them would be to treat them in a way outside of the law. Sending them back to where they came from isn't oppression, it's enforcing the laws we already have.

Again, as God reveals to us, the laws of the nation apply to all people equally - whether they're citizens of the nation or not. These laws should be based upon the Bible.

This is what makes up the culture of a nation, and when a people come into a land and don't obey the laws, including illegal entry, they are setting up the nation for a war, as differing world views and approach to laws means the way people live and treat one another is totally different. That means violence will escalate, and identity politics and tribalism will increase.

All of this will happen because we as a nation have refused to enforce immigration laws, which has brought a significant number of evil and lawless people into the country. They aren't of the American culture, and they don't have any interest in assimilating. Since our laws in general have at least been loosely based upon the laws of God revealed in the Bible (until recently at least), it means our culture has been over-run by those that have no interest in obeying our laws.

Yet according to God, that is a requirement of all people dwelling within the borders of any nation, and that means a lot of tension and escalating violence because of various world views and lifestyles that don't mesh in any way.

This is another reason we need to seek the scriptures for answers to today's challenges.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

New Testament and the Law: Romans 3



Law established through faith

Romans 3

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Justification by faith

One of the more confusing and ongoing misunderstandings about the law of God when it transitioned to the post-resurrection era, is the failure of believers to understand the difference between justification, which can only come through faith, in order that no man can boast, and holiness or practical transformation, which God expects all believers to work and move in obedience toward.

As the scripture above states, "by the law is the knowledge of sin." While we are only saved by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and have hope because of His resurrection, it has nothing to do with learning the law of God and with the help of the indwelling Spirit of God, increasingly obeying it as we grow in understanding of its requirements in various situations and circumstances.

Romans 3:31

Verse 31 is the key scripture I want to focus on here, because the other scriptures confirm what every true Christian already knows, that only by faith in Jesus Christ and not works are we saved.

Law also established by faith

The verse says this: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

This is another one of those clear statements in the Bible that can't be misunderstood unless it's willingly misunderstood. We don't get rid of the law because faith in Jesus Christ, without the law, has brought us justification before God. Rather, the law is established by faith. It can't get any clearer than that.

What that means is obedience and conformity to the revealed law in the Holy Scriptures is established by faith in Jesus Christ. That's how we go about searching out the law and obeying the revelation we have of it. Since faith in Jesus Christ means we have the Spirit of God now dwelling within us to empower us to obedience, it's now possible to line up with God's requirements in a way the Old Testament saints didn't have the ability to. The Holy Spirit is what makes the difference in our ability to walk in obedience to His laws.

A book looking at the law from a different perspective



For those not familiar with the Bible, one of the enormous tasks Paul had when he performed his ministry was to work through the implications of justification by faith without the works of the law, but then to turn around and call believers to walk in obedience to that same law.

The resistance of the Jews of that period of time made his task all the harder because they told so many lies about his teaching. That confused Gentile believers, and is why Paul had to severely chastise the Galatians for starting to believe circumcision of the flesh was required for salvation.
As I've mentioned a number of times, there are a lot of changes to the law after Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial aspects of the law, which is why we no longer have animal sacrifices, the priesthood of the Old Testament period, or laws that pertained to Israel living specifically in the geography it did. Those among others have been abolished, but the moral laws laid down by God to Moses, definitely remain in effect.

The idea of Jesus dying for our sins and that allowing people to freely murder other people, contrary to the revealed law of God, is preposterous. All the moral laws revealed in the Bible are still required to be obeyed today, with the caveat we have to work through the penalty portion of those laws to see what remains in force, and how we adapt certain penalties for theft that were specific to the agricultural society of that period of time.

In other words, if it's not an animal that is stolen, how does that translate to other types of theft in regard to the penalty of the law? We know theft is wrong, but we have to clarify how to enforce penalties that various types of theft require, but aren't specifically revealed in the scriptures. And we need to do it without making it difficult to understand by the general Christian population.

The conclusion is we are not only justified by faith, but in regard to obedience to the law, it is also established by faith. Faith is the entirety of the matter, and that faith is in Jesus Christ who indwells all true believers by the Holy Spirit.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Law in the New Testament: Jesus Came to Fulfill the Law


Mt. 5:

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

There are a couple of important things to consider when looking at what Jesus taught concerning the law. The most obvious is He removed the idea from the minds of those listening to and being taught by Him, that He had come to destroy the law. That would be the equivalent of denying who He was, because the law is based upon the very character of God.



What He was partially dealing with here was the ongoing confusion associated with the religious leaders of tht day. They have been adding a variety of laws to impose upon the people, and they asserted those laws were as authoritative as the laws revealed to Moses by God. The consequence was heavy burdens were laid upon the people which made life miserable and lacking joy because of the heavy weight of the man-made laws they were pressured to obey.

One thing Jesus was dealing with here was to be sure they differentiated between His attack on laws He never made, and those that He did reveal and expect to be continued to be obeyed. I draw that conclusion from the fact Jesus felt the need to tell them this in the first place. Why talk about not destroying the law unless there had grown a misconception among the people that this is what He was communicating to them?

The point is, Jesus didn't come to destroy the law or the prophets, but came to fulfill them. Since He is the example of how we are to live our lives, it is obvious we are also to continue to obey the moral laws revealed by God to us through Moses as well. The difference between then and now is when Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws, they were removed from being a requirement, because it would make no sense to sacrifice animals or participate in the symbolic aspects of the feasts, when the fulness and meaning of them were met in Jesus Christ.

Ceremonial laws set aside

Some believers get confused when contemplating the meaning of "Till heaven and earth pass," believing it's a reference to the literal heaven and earth. I don't think that's what it's referring to, because the text itself provides a clue as to when this is going to happen. It's the event surrounding when all will be fulfilled.

At that time there would be some changes to the law, which was what the "one jot or one tittle" refer to. Once the fulfillment took place, at that time there would be some changes to the law. I've heard different ideas concerning when all was fulfilled meant. For example, some believe it was when Jesus died, was buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven; others believe it was when the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples; still others believe it was when Jerusalem fell.

There are different reasons as to why each of those positions are held, but the point for us today is it doesn't matter concerning the law, as the fulfillment has happened, and some changes to the law were made. The most obvious is the ceremonial laws, which again, don't make sense because Jesus fulfilled them, as He did other symbolic parts of the law. So now there have been some of the jots and tittles of the law that have been changed, but in regard to the moral law, as far as our being required to obey them, they are still in effect.
https://www.amazon.com/Bounds-Love-Introduction-Gods-Liberty-ebook/dp/B01D1H7DMG/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=httpwwwacts29-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=ac25a3a0e07aecc31fc3d4315634e16a&creativeASIN=B01D1H7DMG
All throughout the New Testament that is confirmed. As I've mentioned before, the reason Christians get confused is they lump in the law in relationship to justification with sanctification, and for that reason draw the wrong conclusion that all the law has been forever removed as a way of life.

Moral law

The Bible clearly state throughout its entirety, that the moral laws of God are expected to be obeyed forever. They have come from God and reflect His character and expectations, and nothing has happened, including the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, that has changed that.

Many actually conclude that after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the law has been forever put to rest. That's probably why they live such disobedient and abhorrent lives, and according to the Scripture, aren't saved in the first place.

Once again, here is the proof:

1 John 2:

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

If a person isn't obeying the commandments of God, they don't know Him. Period! That doesn't mean a person will never sin, only that sin as a way of life will be impossible to them if they are truly regenerated. The Holy Spirit within, which has written the laws on our hearts, influences and empowers true believers to obey the laws of God on a consistent basis.

Jesus fulfilled all the law, included obedience to all of the moral law, and now the Holy Spirit lives within us in order to continue to work toward that end, conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ. That's what John meant when he added that we are to walk as Jesus walked; that we are to obey the commands of God as He did.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The Law of God in the New Testament - Romans 13



Romans 13

8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.


Romans 13: 8-10 is another powerful testimony to the fact the moral laws of God are still applicable in our day. It can't be any more clear than that from the brief list of the laws in verse 9.

The point of these verses is that if a person doesn't have a full comprehension of what the law of God is and how it applies in a specific situation, they can go back to the simplicity of understanding we are to do no harm to our neighbor. That will get us out of any uncertainty we have in how to deal with different circumstances we face.

That's not to say we're not to read and dwell upon God's law, only that when something arises we're not certain about and a decision has to be made on the spot, we can count on remaining close to the will of God by filtering our actions through the impact it will have on other human beings.

Another interesting thing to comprehend here is that love, which isn't defined by emotions, but by us not doing harm to our neighbors, is the literal fulfillment of the law of God.

When people talk about love in our time, it's substituted to a meaningless emotion that could be in place even while a person is doing harm to another. It has absolutely nothing to do with how we feel about someone, and everything to do with how we treat them. Period!

That doesn't suggest we're to be an emotionless person, only that it has nothing to do with how we treat other people, or whether or not we do them harm. People that are full of emotion, in fact, such as the liberals and social justice warriors who claim to have compassion on people (as long as that compassion is expressed by using other people's money), are in many cases extremely vicious to those that don't agree with and resist their world views.

In the case of SJWs, they will destroy the reputation of a person or business, while also trying to get them removed from a job, or in the case of pressure, get them to step down in order to make it appear they had nothing to do with them losing their income.

It can also happen with businesses, as we've seen with Chick-fil-A, Duck Dynasty, and those those not wanting to make cakes for gays, among others.

As for the law in the New Testament, we can see from the list above that Paul without a doubt still considered it in force, with the emphasis on not harming those people we interact with.

With that in mind, from there we can learn about the specific laws revealed in the Holy Scriptures and learn which of them remain in force, how we can apply them in life, and whether or not penalties included in the law still remain.

I want to briefly mention how love is defined once more, because it's one of the must misused concepts in the Bible. Again, love in our generation is identified with emotions, so-called tolerance and how you feel about someone or some thing.

That type of love as it relates to God's laws, doesn't exist in the Bible. Love is not doing harm to someone else. It's as simply and easy to understand as that. That is how the law is fulfilled, and why the law of God is still part of the requirement Christians are to live by.

It has nothing to do with regeneration, being born again or saved, but everything to do with how we are to live our lives.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

New Testament and Law - the Foundation


1 John 2:

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.


This is the beginning of a lengthy study I'm going to go through concerning the law and the New Testament. There is a complete misconception by concerning law because of the confusion over justification.

The Bible is very clear that justification isn't by works, but only be faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. It is not of works in order that no one can boast that they are righteous. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and only saving faith in Jesus Christ saves us from our sins.

Justification only be faith in Jesus Christ


That said, what we call the New Testament as far as it relates to the Holy Scriptures, is full of references to the law of God, with most of it focusing on it not being the source of eternal salvation, but rather what follows afterward, as far as obedience to the law.

It needs to be understood that not all the law has continued. I still see some people learning of these things asserting that we still need to follow the feasts of the law, even though Jesus totally fulfilled them, as He has done in other areas of the ceremonial law as well.

We'll more into what has been discontinued of the law and what parts of the law are required to be obeyed after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, throughout this series of articles.

But first it must be proven and established that parts of the law are still required to be obeyed, and weren't discontinued after the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The key verse in the New Testament that clearly affirms this is in the first letter or epistle of John.

You can read the full test I'm using above, but I want to focus on the two verses listed below in this article.

1 John 2:

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Without a doubt the Holy Spirit had John write in this clear manner so there was no confusion by those reading what he wrote in the future. None of it can be carelessly tossed aside or ignored. If a person really has been regenerated, they will keep the commands of God. If an individual isn't keeping the commandments, it's very clear concerning their testimony: it's a lie. The truth isn't in that person according to John, as inspired to write by the Holy Spirit.

There is no getting around this. There is no way any other scripture can be used to counteract it. All other mentions of the law in the New Testament must be understood based upon this clear revelation from John.

We know him, if we keep his commandments

Obviously the next question by many will be what commandments is John referring to. The answer is all of them that were given to Moses that weren't fulfilled by Jesus Christ, or those that the New Testament mentioned have changed.

Those that oppose this conclusion don't really think through their false beliefs. The reason why is this. Do they really think because Jesus died on the cross that it's okay to murder people now because of some false interpretation or misunderstanding of justification versus the moral requirements of the law that are still in effect?

Is it not only okay to murder now, but also to commit adultery and every other type of sexual sin? What about theft? Obedience to parents? Lusting or coveting anything and in some cases, everything our neighbor may have, including their spouses? The list goes on and on.

The idea that the death of Jesus Christ for our sins releases us to harm our neighbors is so outrageous it can't be taken seriously. Love is the fulfillment of the law, and that means we are to interact with and treat our neighbors in accordance with the revealed moral laws of God.

Sure, we must learn their application today, and we also must diligently search out what penalties are still in force, and which have changed as a result of the death and resurrection of Jesus. But one thing is for sure, the laws remain in place and we are expected to obey.

It is so true that John said it is how we know whether or not a person is truly saved or regenerated. As the earlier verses above state, it's not talking about someone sinning, as any of us could fall into a sin, it's the lifestyle of sin that John is referring to here, where a person says they no Jesus Christ but are disobeying the laws of God.

After all, if a person is regenerated or born again, the Spirit of God takes up residence in them. That means the laws of God are not written in our hearts, and the Holy Spirit empowers us to obey them internally and externally. As mentioned, we may occasionally break a commandment, but it's impossible to do so as a way of life. The person doing so is a liar, according to the very words God gave us.

We are to walk as Jesus walked, meaning with the goal of obeying all the laws of God that remain in force.

It's our duty to study and understand them so we know how to treat our neighbor. That's how love is truly defined by the Bible, as those that do no harm to our neighbors. How do we know if we're doing harm to them or not if we don't know what the law is in the first place.

The law has been placed within us by the Holy Spirit, but we also need to understand and reinforce the work of the Holy Spirit by searching out the scriptures. They work together.

Not only is the moral law of God still in place, our salvation is identified in regard to whether we obey them or not. we are never justified by obedience to God's laws, but whether we're saves or not is. We can't live a life of disobedience and be born again. It's impossible. It's a lie.