Jesus came to fulfill the Law

Anyone who believes that Paul was a homophobe and was judging this behavior specifically is ignorant of Scripture. Paul does not cherry pick one sin over another. Nor does God ignore, abolish, or change his mind about sinful behavior with the Advent of Jesus. Jesus clearly states that He came to complete/fulfill the Law (and that He was not going to change one jot or tittle of it). (Matt 5:17-18) So sin is still sin although Jesus makes it clear He will not judge someone for their sin. (John 12) Jesus told the women caught in adultery that he would not condemn her but to “Go and sin no more!” OBVIOUSLY, He is not telling her or implying that she will never sin again, but that she is not to participate in that particular sin again. Sin is Sin! God’s Law has not changed and Jesus’s death has definitely does not allow us to do whatever we choose to. Peter and Paul point this out very clearly in their letters to the churches and to others. Galations 5:13 - 14 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Titus 3:1-3 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, 2 to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. 3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 1 Peter 2:15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. When Paul writes of the old passing away and that the new has come to the Corinthians, he is speaking on multiple levels. Jesus’ death on the cross puts believers in a different standing with God. The old nature within us is being transformed but it is a process of change. We are not instantly made perfect and sinless but over our lifetime, our attitude toward what we once participated in is no longer to have a hold on us. We are commanded to tell others of God’s plan for salvation, what He has done for us, what Jesus came to do for them, and how we shall then live in light of these truths. 2 Corinthians 15:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 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. 16 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. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. I Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! 16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. I Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 15:17 Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? 18 But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20 These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.” 2 Peter 3:3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 2 Timothy 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. Being Christians, the world tells us how we are to behave and tries to force us to change but we are called to listen to another voice. Scripture is very clear that God has not changed in what He expects of His people and it should be clear about the world and will happen to this world and unbelievers. However, when we share or point to God’s standard for living in hopes of those who have ears to hear, like pearls cast before swine; those who do not want to hear, refuse to hear and want to remain in bondage and continue to live in error, will attack the speaker with scriptural words out of context and threaten us. We are told “You are judging me” and then they label us and call us names. When that does not work then we are verbally attacked on another level. “You are not a Christian because you don’t love me like Jesus does.” Most believers are conditioned to respond that Jesus hated sin but loved the sinner. However, the attacker don’t want to hear that because they refuse to accept that “their behavior” is still a “sin.” They want to change Scripture so to justify their position and to legitimize their acitivity. The third level of attack comes with there is anything in our behavior which would allow us to be called a hypocrite “take the splinter out of your own eye first”. And finally, they bring in man’s law and attack us on the grounds of hate and offensive speech and political correctness. II Timothy 3: 12-13 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. All we can do is love people thorough our actions and pray that God will call them and they will hear His voice. John 12:46 I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. Romans 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. May we be what God has called us to be - His witnesses, His laborers, His disciples and share the living Truth! BibleGateway.com was used to obtain the New American Standard Bible verses used above.

Returning to Blogging

For multiple years, I have been developing essays, poetry and other creations based on my response to political, social and religious situations and conditions but was not able to find the best platform for such written material. So I am going to try here as a continuation of the blog work which was done before I retired as a librarian. It will be interesting whether in cyberspace, I will be read.