Just two more blogs after this one and I will be finished with the negative ways men treat the true confessional transparency of sinful brothers. I want to thank those who have read and responded to my writings. You are encouraging and benevolent in your comments. I have no way of knowing how many are reading these because my counter quit at 1400. I am sure, as some have suggested, that I have been writing for a reason, perhaps personal. I don't know. I do know that I enjoy studying scripture and this is an avenue through which I can share some of my studies and I appreciate your comments. Some comments have come from out of the country, some have suggested I write a book, some just express gratitude for scriptural study. I do not, in my opinion, deserve any handclaps about my writing, and that is not false humility as some of the negativists might suggest....
I hope to study a few more words in the next two writings and in the last I hope to summarize all the negatives from Alpha to Omega in just a few words.
I have wondered as I have done this study if it were possible that a person can negatively endanger himself or herself spiritually by persisting in negative attitudes toward the true confessional transparency of others.
For years I studied the tenth chapter of Acts. Recently, due to personal circumstances, something unique to me, resulting from a study of this passage, has occurred to me. I think I missed some of the "necessary inferences" that have been there all the time.
Peter was an apostle. There is no doubt he was Spirit filled.(Acts 2) And there is no doubt he was inspired and his writings were inspired. (Jn. 14)(Jn. 16)(I &II Peter) There is something about Acts 10 that "infers" that even men with such spiritual power might need a little nudging and instruction to completely grasp the height and depth of God's love and His unlimited grace and mercy. Jesus had already given the great expanse of God's love.(Jn. 3:16) And after Peter got the whole picture he was later to write that God is "...not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."(II Pet. 3:9)(N.I.V.) However the account in Acts 10 reveals that Peter at this point was not so convinced of that fact. So God presented him with a miraculous object lesson.(Acts 10:9-16) And Peter's theology was shaken and reformed. The lesson came through a divine messenger, a miraculous vision and a direct word from the Holy Spirit. The gospel and God's forgiveness is for all, so go preach to a Gentile. And when he did go he made a comment that should sober the negativist of any day. It was profound, striking and went to the heart of God's dealings with men. Peter said: "God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean."(Acts 10:28)(N.I.V.) And that is exactly what God had told him. "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."(Acts 10:11)(N.I.V.)
What a lesson! Peter listened to God. Hundreds of years earlier Jonah had gotten the same lesson. Go preach to the Ninevites he was told. He ran from the truth. Some believe he went as far as present day Spain trying to escape the fact that it was possible for those to repent that he thought were unworthy of repentance. God gave him an object lesson in the form of the belly of a big fish.
It is strange just how stubborn some can be about God's forgiveness and its total unlimited nature. And to what degree they will go to circumvent the fact of God's forgiveness to all sinners. After Jonah had preached and the Ninevites had repented, scripture says Jonah was "...displeased...exceedingly...and he was very angry..."(Jonah 4:1)(K.J.V.) He knew the truth about God. He said of God. "You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and (when sinners turn to You and meet Your conditions;) You revoke the sentence of evil against them."(Jonah 4:2)(Amplified)
Those who know this account realize that Jonah was so distraught over these people being able to repent that he literally asked God to take his life. God simply asked him the question: "Do you do well to be angry?"(Jonah 4:9)(Amplified)
Is it possible that the nay-sayers of our day need object lessons like Peter and Jonah got. What is the problem with other people being forgiven. What is the problem with confessional transparency in other folks' lives. God offered mercy, kindness, forgiveness, revoking of a death sentence, purity and cleanliness. He still does to all men, even to blatant sinners. But there are still those who are "...displeased..." that some could possibly receive the forgiveness of God.
The Holy Spirit knew there were and would be those who would limit God's forgiveness to their own prejudiced form of religion. So he listed numerous possible human responses to their fellowmen.
phi negative responses
phaulos--"...evil deeds..." "...statements..."
"For every wrongdoer(phaula) hates (loathes, detests) the light and will not come out into the light, but shrinks from it, lest his works-his deeds, his activities, his conduct-be exposed and reproved."(Jn. 3:20)(Amplified)
"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil (phalon) work."(Ja. 3:16)(K.J.V.)
phtheiro--"...to spoil...in a moral or spiritual sense..."
"Make room for us; no one we wronged, no one we ruined,(ephtheiramen) no one we exploited."(II Cor. 7:2)(Interlinear) "...we have defrauded no man."(K.J.V.)
phthoneo--"...to envy..."
"Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying(phthonountes) one another."(Gal. 5:26)(K.J.V.)
phthonos--"...pain felt and malignity conceived at the sight of excellence or happiness..."
"...he knew that it was out of spite(phthonon) that they had brought Jesus before him."(Mt. 27:18)(N.E.B.)
"...they did not like to retain God in their knowledge..." "...being..." "...full of envy..."(phthonou)(Ro. 1:29-30)(K.J.V.)
"...the works of the flesh are..." "...envyings..."(phthonoi)(Gal. 5:19,21)(K.J.V.)
"...be done with every trace of wickedness(depravity, malignity) and all deceit and insincerity(pretense, hypocrisy) and grudges(envy, jealousy)(phthonous) and slander and evil speaking of every kind."(I Pet. 2:1)(Amplified)
phuluareo--"...to overflow with talk..." "...chatter..." "...talk in an idle, trifling manner against someone..." "...talking...falsely.."
"So when I arrive, I will call attention to what he is doing, his boiling over and casting malicious reflections upon us with insinuating language.(phluaron) And not satisfied with that, he refuses to receive and welcome the (missionary) brethren himself, and also interferes with and forbids those who would welcome them, and tries to expel (excommunicate) them from the church."(II Jn. 1:10)(Amplified)
phluaros--"...to boil..." "...an idle or trifling tattler..."
"...they learn to be...tattlers(phluaroi) also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not."(I Tim. 5:13)(K.J.V.)
phrenapates--"...deceiver..."
"...there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers..."(phrenapatai)(Titus 1:10)(K.J.V.)
I hope to study a few more words in the next two writings and in the last I hope to summarize all the negatives from Alpha to Omega in just a few words.
I have wondered as I have done this study if it were possible that a person can negatively endanger himself or herself spiritually by persisting in negative attitudes toward the true confessional transparency of others.
For years I studied the tenth chapter of Acts. Recently, due to personal circumstances, something unique to me, resulting from a study of this passage, has occurred to me. I think I missed some of the "necessary inferences" that have been there all the time.
Peter was an apostle. There is no doubt he was Spirit filled.(Acts 2) And there is no doubt he was inspired and his writings were inspired. (Jn. 14)(Jn. 16)(I &II Peter) There is something about Acts 10 that "infers" that even men with such spiritual power might need a little nudging and instruction to completely grasp the height and depth of God's love and His unlimited grace and mercy. Jesus had already given the great expanse of God's love.(Jn. 3:16) And after Peter got the whole picture he was later to write that God is "...not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."(II Pet. 3:9)(N.I.V.) However the account in Acts 10 reveals that Peter at this point was not so convinced of that fact. So God presented him with a miraculous object lesson.(Acts 10:9-16) And Peter's theology was shaken and reformed. The lesson came through a divine messenger, a miraculous vision and a direct word from the Holy Spirit. The gospel and God's forgiveness is for all, so go preach to a Gentile. And when he did go he made a comment that should sober the negativist of any day. It was profound, striking and went to the heart of God's dealings with men. Peter said: "God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean."(Acts 10:28)(N.I.V.) And that is exactly what God had told him. "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."(Acts 10:11)(N.I.V.)
What a lesson! Peter listened to God. Hundreds of years earlier Jonah had gotten the same lesson. Go preach to the Ninevites he was told. He ran from the truth. Some believe he went as far as present day Spain trying to escape the fact that it was possible for those to repent that he thought were unworthy of repentance. God gave him an object lesson in the form of the belly of a big fish.
It is strange just how stubborn some can be about God's forgiveness and its total unlimited nature. And to what degree they will go to circumvent the fact of God's forgiveness to all sinners. After Jonah had preached and the Ninevites had repented, scripture says Jonah was "...displeased...exceedingly...and he was very angry..."(Jonah 4:1)(K.J.V.) He knew the truth about God. He said of God. "You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and (when sinners turn to You and meet Your conditions;) You revoke the sentence of evil against them."(Jonah 4:2)(Amplified)
Those who know this account realize that Jonah was so distraught over these people being able to repent that he literally asked God to take his life. God simply asked him the question: "Do you do well to be angry?"(Jonah 4:9)(Amplified)
Is it possible that the nay-sayers of our day need object lessons like Peter and Jonah got. What is the problem with other people being forgiven. What is the problem with confessional transparency in other folks' lives. God offered mercy, kindness, forgiveness, revoking of a death sentence, purity and cleanliness. He still does to all men, even to blatant sinners. But there are still those who are "...displeased..." that some could possibly receive the forgiveness of God.
The Holy Spirit knew there were and would be those who would limit God's forgiveness to their own prejudiced form of religion. So he listed numerous possible human responses to their fellowmen.
phi negative responses
phaulos--"...evil deeds..." "...statements..."
"For every wrongdoer(phaula) hates (loathes, detests) the light and will not come out into the light, but shrinks from it, lest his works-his deeds, his activities, his conduct-be exposed and reproved."(Jn. 3:20)(Amplified)
"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil (phalon) work."(Ja. 3:16)(K.J.V.)
phtheiro--"...to spoil...in a moral or spiritual sense..."
"Make room for us; no one we wronged, no one we ruined,(ephtheiramen) no one we exploited."(II Cor. 7:2)(Interlinear) "...we have defrauded no man."(K.J.V.)
phthoneo--"...to envy..."
"Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying(phthonountes) one another."(Gal. 5:26)(K.J.V.)
phthonos--"...pain felt and malignity conceived at the sight of excellence or happiness..."
"...he knew that it was out of spite(phthonon) that they had brought Jesus before him."(Mt. 27:18)(N.E.B.)
"...they did not like to retain God in their knowledge..." "...being..." "...full of envy..."(phthonou)(Ro. 1:29-30)(K.J.V.)
"...the works of the flesh are..." "...envyings..."(phthonoi)(Gal. 5:19,21)(K.J.V.)
"...be done with every trace of wickedness(depravity, malignity) and all deceit and insincerity(pretense, hypocrisy) and grudges(envy, jealousy)(phthonous) and slander and evil speaking of every kind."(I Pet. 2:1)(Amplified)
phuluareo--"...to overflow with talk..." "...chatter..." "...talk in an idle, trifling manner against someone..." "...talking...falsely.."
"So when I arrive, I will call attention to what he is doing, his boiling over and casting malicious reflections upon us with insinuating language.(phluaron) And not satisfied with that, he refuses to receive and welcome the (missionary) brethren himself, and also interferes with and forbids those who would welcome them, and tries to expel (excommunicate) them from the church."(II Jn. 1:10)(Amplified)
phluaros--"...to boil..." "...an idle or trifling tattler..."
"...they learn to be...tattlers(phluaroi) also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not."(I Tim. 5:13)(K.J.V.)
phrenapates--"...deceiver..."
"...there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers..."(phrenapatai)(Titus 1:10)(K.J.V.)
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