This past week on FaceBook, I’ve read posts in which a person threatened to “punch their boss in the face” and in the same post wrote the name of the place where they worked!
I’ve also read someone’s post who admitted that they had willingly done damage to a vehicle after getting angry with the vehicle’s owner. They even wrote the name of the store where this crime took place and admitted guilt!
I read another post where the writer (who is a Christian) admitted that they were going to ‘get very drunk, get into a fight that would land someone in the hospital, and themselves in jail’. The post was ‘peppered’ with swear words that even ‘non-Christians’ don’t use on FaceBook.
I’ve seen cartoons and photos and ‘humor’ posted (again) by Christians that would bring us great embarrassment if they were put up on the overhead screen at church during worship; especially if our name was attached to them.
Wow, what were they thinking! Do they not think that people read their posts?
The Apostle Paul wrote;
“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.” (Ephesians 5:2-4 NKJV)
Hey Christian FaceBook users; we need discernment! Discernment is one of the most important qualities to develop in life.
Discernment is the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is not clearly seen or easily distinguished. It means to have keen perception or judgment, the faculty of discerning; discrimination; acuteness of judgment and understanding. the act or an instance of discerning.
He also tells us that “Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly.” (Proverbs 15:21 NKJV)
My dear friends; STOP BEFORE you write or post on FaceBook. We are responsible for what we say. Jesus, our Lord and Savior told us:
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:35-37 NKJV)
Thank you for speaking the truth in love. What we are talking about is "righteousness". What is righteousness? It is first a relationship - a covenant, between God and mankind. "Basically righteousness is a concept of relationship. He is righteous who has fulfilled the demands laid upon him by that relationship in which he stands." - George Eldon Ladd. Righteousness means a right relationship, but one that is expressed in actions of practical piety and moral rectitude. When we look at the biblical relationsl concept of righteousness, it lifts it out of the realm of impersonal ethics and shows us that it is first and foremost a thing of the heart, and expression of that right personal relationship we have with Yahweh. Ethical conduct flows from a right relationship, it is an expression of our right relationship with God. It is important that we keep this order, first a relationship and then conduct, because the covenant union we have with God is the root, and correct behavior is the fruit. Otherwise, we are no better than the Scribes and Pharisees that Jesus warned us about, that our righteousness must exceed those who ALWAYS looked good on the outside but inside was like stuff that coffins are filled with, DEATH.
ReplyDeleteThe biblical realism of righteousness is first relational (a gift from God), then eithical (grateful response), and finally forensic (security as the right behavior in the eyes of the Lord). This righteousness has no degrees, no curves, only a pass/fail. A man is either righteous in God's eyes or wicked. There are no gray areas.
All too often we go to extremes of what this righteousness is all about. We either look at it as totally free and our doing the right thing will not affect this "gift from God". Or, we go the other extreme and do everything outwardly to look good, but inside we are so far from God. We are counting on our "good works" to get into heaven. It takes both actions and trust for a person to be considered righteous. In other words, true righteousness is not just about faith or works, true righteousness is a balance of both. Balance is definitely the key. Just ponder this, what happens when something is off balance? It falls over, right? A rigteous person is totally rooted and grounded in Yahweh and doing what is right. This does not mean that we are sinless or perfect. To the contrary, perhaps the greatest difference between one who is righteous and one who is wicked is that when the rightous fall down, they get back up again. Proverbs 24:16 says, "Though a rightous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity."
Thank you, Tom, for showing us that our rightousness is a reflection of our right relationship if God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for speaking out as according to James 5:19,20; "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."