A Word For Thought

This article is about the “?” in the title.

+”We’ve”—Indeed, most theological wording says what ‘we’ have come up with and believe about God and spiritual matters, more than just what the Bible says.

Go back to the beginning of most distinctive church doctrines, and check the date.

If it is so important, why didn’t the ‘theologians’ in the Bible say it?

‘We’ may not necessarily have more enlightenment than they had.

+”We’ve always done it . . .”—Indeed, theologians do ‘always’ write more theology, and then write more theology to explain their theology.

Theologians get accustomed to doing theology, as a profession, and it builds on itself, becomes an end in itself—just like the experts of Jesus’ day created and imposed a massive superstructure of doctrine and rules to follow—‘they knew more than the people.’

Catholicism carried this to new levels, with unprecedented monopoly on theology for more than a millennium.

Throughout history there is a never-ending tendency to add doctrine to the Bible—to ‘explain’ it, to ‘explain’ God, to offer a ‘better’ understanding of spiritual matters than we had before.

Our guiding rule should not be the pattern of precedent in church history and what church leaders have come up with—clouding the distinction between the Word of God and the words of the church.

Today, we are more conditioned than ever to think our experts in theology and psychology know more—with an unprecedented proliferation of new ideas to improve on the Bible.

We don’t want to say it that way, but now the reality is, we spend more time listening and reading everything else that’s new, more than the Bible.

“Did God really say?” and “Did God really say enough for us to live by?”

In January on this site, I wrote “2020—A CLEAR SPIRITUAL VISION.”

Now is a good time to re-read that article.

And now is the time when “It will become harder to be a Christian, but it will become easier to tell who is a Christian.”

Your vote in November will not make you a Christian, or make you not a Christian, but it will certainly reflect whether you are a Christian.

Some things are black and white now.

– – –

The democrat candidates vehemently advocate abortion more than ever—killing innocent human babies.

The current republican administration has spoken and acted for the life of unborn babies more than any previous administration.

A Christian cannot vote for anyone who promotes killing babies.

– – –

The democrats loudly boo-ed God in their last convention, and they purposely left God out of the pledge to the flag (and not just once) in this convention.

The republicans welcomed God in speech after speech in their convention.

A Christian cannot vote for anyone who trashes our country’s Christian heritage.

– – –

The democrats are currently restricting our first amendment right to religious freedom.

The current president is the first to address the entire United Nations on religious persecution around the world.

A Christian cannot vote for anyone who does not clearly defend our freedom of religion.

– – –

The democrats make many ominous threats to limit or eliminate our second amendment right to keep and bear (use) arms—designed to change America without resistance .

The republicans make many commitments to protect and defend our second amendment right to keep and bear (use) arms.

A Christian cannot vote for any platform to take away our right to defend ourselves.

– – –

Christians, vote in November, in line with Christianity—not in line with tradition, family, pressure, or propaganda.

IS OPPRESSED A PERMANENT CONDITION FOR YOU, IF . . .

. . . if your skin is a certain color?

. . . if your ancestors were oppressed?

. . . if you were oppressed?

IS OPPRESSED A PERMANENT CONDITION FOR YOU, IF . . .

. . . if someone says you are oppressed?

. . . if you think you are oppressed?

. . . if you say you are oppressed?

IS OPPRESSED A PERMANENT CONDITION FOR YOU, IF . . .

. . . if you hear that someone else is a racist?

. . . if you hear that someone else is an oppressor?

. . . if you hear that someone else was an oppressor?

IS OPPRESSED A PERMANENT CONDITION FOR YOU, IF . . .

. . . if someone is better off than you?

. . . if you say, “It’s not fair . . .”?

. . . if life is not fair?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

IS OPPRESSOR A PERMANENT CONDITION FOR YOU, IF . . .

. . . if your skin is a certain color?

. . . if someone says you are an oppressor?

. . . if someone says your ancestors were oppressors?

IS OPPRESSOR A PERMANENT CONDITION FOR YOU, IF . . .

. . . if someone says their ancestors were oppressed?

. . . if someone says they are oppressed?

. . . if you are better off than someone else?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

OPPRESSED / OPPRESSOR – – – CAN YOU SHAKE IT?

No one can take the blame for holding you back, when you are free on the inside.

And you cannot take the blame for holding someone else back, when you are free on the inside.

The only permanent oppression is the oppression in your heart, which every person lives under and cannot shake alone.

We all need Jesus, and “if He sets you free, you are free indeed.”

Our greatest need is not social or economic equality, which doesn’t exist, but to be free from the one thing that makes us all equal—sin.

Sin oppresses everyone, because it makes us all guilty, and we don’t deserve anything good here, or after here.

Jesus paid, with His life, for our guilt and the sin that caused it—because He knew we couldn’t pay.

Will you accept His offer, and live free and clear of the oppression in your heart?

And you can spend the rest of your life sharing with others your freedom, rather than endlessly fighting the oppression you claimed to hold you back.