Christianity

2024 – THE WORLD, MORE LIKE IT IS NOW THAN EVER BEFORE!

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Of course, the world is more like it is now than it’s ever been before! Wars and rumors of wars. But the question is why the world is in the miserable condition it’s in now?

Sunrise, sunset… a day, a week, a month, a year has always led to another ever since creation. Even the events of those weeks, months, years, decades, and centuries bear similarity – and that’s due in great part to the worldwide continuity of selfish human nature. History repeats itself!

The corrupting influence

God inspired the apostle Paul to pen this passage of Scripture: “…the carnal [that is, physical] mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Romans 8:7).

Add to that the passage in Genesis 3 where evil thinking was taught to the first human family – Adam and Eve – through the slick enticement Satan’s lying lectures. Never underestimate the overweening, destructive influence of that evil, fallen angel and his demonic cohorts!

From the time God specially created that first human family humanity has lived an up-and-down, often chaotic, mostly selfishly motivated history. We see this today in the war in Europe, the horrific attacks on Israel this past October, and now the war in the Middle East. These aren’t the first, or even yet the worst wars, the world has ever seen, but they remind us that humanity hasn’t overcome anything that was instigated from that first deception.

Sin’s tragedy compounded

At the evil instigation of the serpent (Satan the Devil in masquerade) our first parents, Adam and Eve, ignored God’s loving command to eat specifically from the Tree of Life.

Instead, they chose to listen to the Devil’s evil prompting and ate fruit from the specifically forbidden Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That wrong choice bore continuous, negative fruit, in effect initiating what has become “this present, evil age” (see Galatians 1:4).

Every generation from Adam to now has essentially perpetuated the sins of disobeying the loving commands of our Creator. And our society continues to reject the 10 Commandments right into our day now. Perhaps saddest of all, is that most of the Christianity of our age, and several centuries past, has systematically rejected God’s law as well (particularly the Sabbath command), proclaiming it “done away with”. If “Christianity” cannot respect God’s way, how can the rest of the world have any hope to do so?

But what about you?

Do you have to perpetuate the sinful mistakes of Adam and Eve?

The answer is a resounding NO!

Forget the old, physical world and its evil ways! Systematically seek a closer relationship with God our Father and His Son – our Savior, Jesus Christ. Request a daily progress report of yourself: Am I keeping God’s law and upholding His way of life? As the Passover approaches in a few months, it’s a good time to start examining ourselves in light of our baptism covenant with God.

As every other human who has or will ever live, we owe everything, including life itself to Jesus Christ our Savior and to God our Father! Live your life dedicated to that dynamic destiny offered by our Savior in the soon-coming Kingdom of God!

*If you wish to reprint this commentary or learn more about how to do so, please contact me in the comments below. I reserve my rights to this content, it is not in the public domain for use or reprint without my permission.

A True Christian’s New Identity

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Who are you? Where do you come from? Who’s your family? What do you do? How would you answer important, personal identity questions like these?

Let’s imagine for a minute that we’re interviewing a very outgoing lady circus performer. We say “hello” and she says something like, “Hi there, I’m Sally Sue from Peru – Peru, Indiana, that is.”

Interestingly, Peru (locally pronounced pee-roo), Indiana was no doubt a great place to call home. Historically, it was the headquarters for the Haganbeck-Wallace Circus Company which was the primary rival to the famous Ringling Brothers Circus in the early 1920s.

Peru has long billed itself as the “circus capital of the world” and has maintained the International Circus Hall of Fame for some considerable time.

However, regarding the imaginary Sally Sue, would being a Peru, Indianian be the sum-total of her identity? The answer is “no” and there is a great reason why!

Many hats – that is, identities, to wear

To start with, our imaginary Sally Sue would be an American—in addition (obviously) to being an Indianian. She and her comrades in circus entertainment would also have identified themselves as performers in one or typically more circus skills… trapeze artist, trick-rider, sharpshooter, clown, exotic animal trainer, ticket seller, tent set-up worker, and/or announcer, etcetera and so on. Circus people often wore many hats when the Big Show went on the road!

Similarly, we each have several or more physical identities or roles in life. We start as infants, then grow into children. Our parents and schoolteachers ideally instruct us how to be ever more responsible children, then adolescents and finally adults—and in due course to be good parents ourselves.

Early on we learn to be chore doers, students of ever more complex fields of study… Hopefully our instruction includes how to be a good sport as well as skilled in a remarkably wide variety of games and endeavors. When old enough to work a part-time job we begin to take on the identity of a worker.

The list of skills with each its own influence on our overall, individual identities and increasing abilities is really quite remarkable.

Now consider our new, spiritual identity

When God calls us out of this present, evil world and into the true, historic Church of God each of us at repentance and baptism begins a new spiritual identity. That and the beginning of a greater depth of spiritual understanding of God’s Word and plan of salvation. If we do our part in prayer and personal Bible study we notably grow in grace and the knowledge of the true God of the Bible (there is a distinct, though sometimes seemingly subtle, difference between the God that traditional Christianity worships, and the true God of the Bible). For that gift of understanding God’s Word, way and future plan for us and all humanity, we ought to be ever thankful!

The apostle Paul was inspired to write: “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:3-5).

Our spiritual growth

Through our personal repentance for our sins which are the transgressions of God’s holy, perfect and righteous law… and our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Master, High Priest in heaven and soon-coming King… God calls or will call us out of this present, evil world and into His historic, true Church of God that Jesus Christ personally built.

Though we’re still the various people that we were physically—through repentance, faith, baptism and the laying on of hands by one of Christ’s true ministers we are or will be therewith invested with God’s Holy Spirit through the process of spiritual conversion. And through that process God gives each of us our new identities in Christ and in His soon-coming Kingdom of God.

Much more yet to come…

Thus…“beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

That revealing will take place at Christ’s second coming. God speed the day!

– Commentary by Randy Stiver

*If you wish to reprint this commentary or learn more about how to do so, please contact me in the comments below. I reserve my rights to this content, it is not in the public domain for use or reprint without my permission.