Blue Petals Afloat

Blue Petals Afloat
Logic informs us the corollas are not afloat

Monday, October 26, 2020

Is Your Way of Life Truly the Peculiarly Christian Way of Life?

(NB. The material below has the style of a bulleted response, which I chose as a way to make response to some sentiments I read, but which would have been better presented had they been made from purely -- and thus peculiarly -- a true Christian's worldview, and not from a worldview that Humanists espouse as a thing realizable without need for obedience to God's standards revealed in the Bible.)
How inclusive is the true Christian brotherhood? It does not tolerate in its membership those who practice racism, nationalism, sexual immorality — anyone who has not repented works of the flesh. We can forge no bonds with those who wish to remain in spiritual darkness.
How empathetic are true Christians? We have no sympathy or affection for those who are unrepentant, willful practicers of wickedness. But true Christians do indeed empathize with those conscious of their spiritual need.
As to dignity, whatever Jehovah hates are things a Christian cannot dignify, but are things he hates, too.
As to diversity, we are all of us free moral agents able to choose from any of a number of diverse lifestyles; however, there are hurtful consequences for bad choices.
As to community, Christians have the only international community/brotherhood on earth.
As to kindness, if one does not have holy spirit at work in his life, then he does not have, as a fruit of holy spirit, kindness.
As to integrity, the Bible defines it. The vast majority of men reject letting the Bible instruct them as to God’s standards for an honest, good (morally excellent) way of life.
A Christian must respect a man’s right to make a free-will choice as to what way of life he chooses for himself; however, that does not mean that we necessarily respect the very way of life some man has chosen for himself. For example, we respect that men have free moral agency; however, that means that a man can speak lies that are harmful to others. So, if he is a habitual liar, who can respect him or his words—his way of life?
As to justice, a Christian has chosen to abide by how God, in the Bible, wants us to treat others.
As to facts, every proposition of any moment to a Christian’s way of life must be weighed against whether or not the proposition is in harmony with relevant facts, which are the substance of the holy Scriptures’ record of God’s revelation of Himself to us, and of His will for us.
As to peace, a Christian has, as a fruit of holy spirit from God given us because of our obedience to Jesus Christ’s teachings, real peace.
Planet Earth has for its protector none other than its Creator, Jehovah God, who says this about the earth: “For this is what Jehovah says, the Creator of the heavens, the true God, the One who formed the earth, its Maker who firmly established it, Who did not create it simply for nothing, but formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18). Jehovah is jealous for the future of the earth; he does not leave its future in the hands of men who have proved themselves to be enemies of the earth. So, what will He do to ensure fulfillment of His original purpose for the earth? He will “bring to ruin those ruining the earth” (Revelation 11:18). God’s earthly servants will not participate God’s rescue of planet Earth; no, but it will be by supernaturally conducted warfare against wicked men at Armageddon that God, through His warrior Son Jesus Christ, brings needed action for stopping men from ruining the earth (Revelation 19:11-18). Neither politicians nor bold action by Greenpeace can bring about the needed rescue. It will take Armageddon and, after Armageddon, the binding of Satan and his demon angels before men now obedient to God’s commands will in future participate under heaven’s direction bringing about significant change for better ecosystems. 

If you have truthfully chosen in favor of a humanity that soon enough will no longer be beset by strife, warfare, famine, pandemics, racism, nationalism, misogynism, greed, sexual immorality, murder, and life-debilitating pollution of earth’s ecosystems, then you have chosen a way of life that shows that you favor God’s heavenly Kingdom government, and have chosen to reject anti-Biblical doctrines, whether they be Humanism, materialism, evolution, hedonism, or whether they be superstitions of religionists who do not really know the Bible, God’s message to mankind. 

So, what is a Christian's love for unbelieving neighbors? It always includes that we neither wish nor do harm against our neighbors--even though they may be deceived into working to suppress the truth of the Gospel (Good News); we must rather seek to educate them as to what is God's will, and should they begin to see the truth, then we work to support their genuine effort to break free from Satan's captivity of them, and for them to have fine relationship with the God of the Bible (q.v. Acts 26:18). They cannot have that fine relationship with God until they have repented from dead works of the flesh, turned around in order to follow closely in the footsteps of Jesus Christ; they must disown themselves in unreserved dedication to do God's will forevermore, and accept baptism into the Christian brotherhood as public demonstration that they are requesting God for a good conscience (1 Peter 3:21). That is our fervent wish for all our unbelieving neighbors, people who need to obey the Good News about our Lord Jesus Christ. So, we Jehovah's Witnesses let the Bible put it this way for us vis-à-vis our unbelieving neighbors: "For I am not ashamed of the good news; it is, in fact, God's power for salvation to everyone having faith, to the [unbelieving] Jew first and also to the Greek.... For God's wrath is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who are suppressing the truth in an unrighteous way" (Romans 1:16, 18). 

But until an unbelieving neighbor becomes a true Christian disciple, then members of the true Christian brotherhood are limited as to what will be the extent of the love they show unbelievers. Jesus has not put us his disciples under command to surrender our lives for those who are not our friends. Jesus put it this way: "No one has greater love than this, that someone should surrender his life in behalf of his friends. You are my friends if you do what I am commanding you" (John 15:13, 14). If they are not friends of Jesus, then they are not our friends, either. 

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