By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected By this we know that we are in Him: 6the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. – I John 2:3-6
I recently took up pipe smoking about a year and a half ago. At first it was something that I did on occasion. Mostly when meeting up with a book club I belong to. Later when I was diagnosed with a medical condition was causing me great abdominal pain (two years misdiagnosed if you can believe it) I did some reading and found out one of the ways to alleviate the symptoms was to smoke.
Apparently nicotine, for some unknown reason, masks the painful symptoms of my condition. (Funny Side note: I had commented to my wife, just a couple of weeks before the diagnosis came in, that the pain I was experiencing was alleviated after having smoked my pipe.) There was no way I was going to start up the lazy and nasty habit of smoking cigarettes. No, I decided to go with what I already knew. As you can imagine since then I have become quiet knowledgeable on how to properly smoke and upkeep a pipe.
I carry pipe cleaners, a tamper and a lighter with me where ever I go. I know that if the pipe I am smoking starts to gurgle it means that the tobacco is too wet and I need to slide a pipe cleaner down the stem to absorb any moister. I know one should rotate between (at least) two pipes throughout the day if they are a regular smoker. Rotating pipes keeps them from burning too hot and keeps them properly dry. I could go on but you get the idea. Someone who claims to be knowledge about pipes will be knowledgeable on how to use them properly.
Now lets say that someone comes along and claims to be knowledgeable pipe smoker. While he is talking to you he takes out his dirty pipe and starts to stuff the tobacco down the stem.(The long shaft of the pipe) After doing that he raises the bowl (The big round part of the pipe) to his lips and starts to inhale. Observing this behavior we would conclude that he doesn’t know what he is doing and that he had never smoked a pipe in his life.
This is the sort of thing that John is talking about. There are many who claim Christ who do not know him at all. They may know the name,they might have learned a little something in Sunday school when they were young or they may have even picked up a bible a couple of times. Yet their claims to know the Christ of the bible are proven to be false by their actions.
For instance lets say i have this friend named Larry. If I go to Larry's house, burn it down, run away with his wife and shoot his dog then what kind of friend am I? I am no friend at all. I have shown by my actions that I hold Larry in contempt and that I do in fact hate him. So it is with Christ when claim to love Him yet hate our brothers in Christ, live in sin and fraternize so comfortably with a world that hates God.
to be continued...
LOL... I was wondering where you were going with the whole pipe thing. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think you are pretty clear, so I don't have much to add at this juncture.
I fraternize comfortably with a world that hates God...I think we all do. It's call life in general within our culture. I mean from the President to the bum on the street...you can't escape it. One can try but he or she can't. PS the Puritan Board's main topic is Jay Cutler traded to the Bears. Point made.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments Rusty. They are appreciated and welcomed.
ReplyDeleteIn Paul's letter to the Corinthians (I Corinthians Chapter 5) he addresses an issue that had taken place amongst the church. A son had slept with his Father's wife; most likely a step-mother by the wording. The Church there had not taken disciplining measures but instead:
"You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst."
He tells them to excommunicate him; to remove him from their midst. He does this so that he is either consumed by his sin and is judged by God or he comes back to the church and repents. (He may be the one in the second letter to the Corinthians that Paul encourages the church to bring back into their midst having repented)
After admonishing the church he carefully instructs them:
"I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;"
But...
"I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges."
Christians are to be in the world but not of the world. They are also instructed to not fence themselves off from unbelievers that are worldly. Instead we are to worry about our own inside the church, those outside the church we live among and reach out to.
So It's not worldly to discuss Jay Cutler (Hope the Browns do not trade for him) or to go out and have a pint or three with a friend;in and of themselves there is nothing wrong with these things. But what would be considered worldly?
We would have to look at biblical definitions of worldliness. John later explains what he means by "the world" later in the chapter.
"Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever."
Being worldly is indulging your lusts which includes lust of the flesh (Sexual sins for the most part), in the eyes (Sins of covetousness, people or things) or the pride of life. (Living a life that thinks nothing of God) I could go on but I hope you get the idea.