Those That Actually Read The Bible….

When you hear people talk about Jesus, those that actually read the Bible and know Him personally, can immediately spot a fake or a manipulator of the Word. What I mean by this is when you hear people say, “Jesus said not to judge”, or “Jesus said “love covers a multitude of sins”, or “Jesus hung out with sinners”, I can’t help but think, “that’s true, but finish the sentence”. He did say these things, but they had more on those topics. For example, He did say “not to judge”... hypocritically. We are to judge using the proper standard, but not condemn; for it is not in our power to do so. “Love covers a multitude of sins” is true, but forgiveness through repentance (stopping sinning) is the requirement. Yes, Jesus hung out with sinners, but most of them were repentant sinners, who knew what grace was. For the others, Jesus always gave them the “go and sin no more” speech too. The point I’m making is this: the Bible is for us. First, we are to examine the state of our own hearts, then to help restore the souls of others. It isn’t to be used as a manipulated weapon to control others. That’s what “religion” is all about. Religion is when a man takes his own convictions and makes it become a burden on someone else (who doesn’t have the same convictions). Jesus, here in Matthew chapter 15, calls out the “religious” pretenders called Pharisees. When you know God, and practice His ways, they are never a burden. They make us whole as people. The problem with Christianity is there are too many nominal Christians (in name only), that spoil the perception of unbelievers. Christians need to be more like Jesus, “politically incorrect”, unlike the popular view of Him, rise up, and call out those who honor Him with their lips, but whose hearts are far from Him. These spoils in the church need to be purged. And the world needs to see it. Maybe then respect can be restored for those that show their true allegiance to the God of the Bible. We need to get rid of the “WWJD” method, and actually do what Jesus did, not what we think He would do. Know God’s word, and you’ll come to know God Himself.

1 Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked Him, 2 “Why do Your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”3 Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? 4 For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ 5 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’6 In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition.7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, 8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips,but their hearts are far from Me.9 Their worship is a farce,for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’” 10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” He said, “and try to understand. 11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”12 Then the disciples came to Him and asked, “Do You realize You offended the Pharisees by what You just said?”13 Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by My heavenly Father will be uprooted, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”15 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”16 “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. 17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.18 But the words you speak come from the heart–that’s what defiles you.19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” Matthew 15:1-20