Speak the Same Thing, Pt. 12

When you follow Christ according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, he will put you under a performance-based acceptance system.

Matthew 5:28

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Matthew 5:22

But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

The Lord is really giving it to them and he is doing it on purpose.  Israel was under a performance-based acceptance system.  Christ’s earthly ministry, including the Sermon on the Mount, was under the law.  The only place you will find Christ’s commandments of grace is from the Apostle Paul in his epistles (Romans through Philemon).

1 Corinthians 14:37

If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I [Paul] write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

The issue of being joined together is that God did not create parts of the body to be out there on their own without fellowship.

1 Corinthians 1:9-10

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.   Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing [that being, Paul’s doctrine] and that there be no divisions among you; […don’t let anyone put legalism on you] but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

 It is like being equals on a ship sailing together.  We are all members of one body (1 Cor. 12:12-25).  If you cut your hand off, it will not stay alive.  The rest of your body will hurt and still live, but if the doctor doesn’t reattach that hand it will wither away and die. 

That is the same thing that will happen to a grace believer out there alone.  Satan wants to kill you.  He wants to destroy you but because he can’t physically kill you (unless he tempts you into killing yourself), he has doctrines of devils and seducing spirits to ‘kill you’ spiritually.  Satan wants to kill every human being and take them to hell with him.

To be continued…