Month: September 2023

The first and greatest commandment is for the believer to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul, and strength. Jesus Christ taught that He is the truth. In this essay I consider the love of truth and seeking and working with truth and the benefit doing so can have on one’s mind and emotions. I also consider some other biblically sound practices which can result in promoting mental health in the mind of the believer: being mindful of where one dwells and praying without ceasing including while resting in the Lord. 

I am blessed in that I have a life of passion, for my greatest love is my love for truth. Jesus Christ is the truth and for me to love Him is for me to love Him back for He loved me first. His love is superior to my love and unimaginably so and I love him back. Because of having believed upon Him I have the mind of a believer. The mind of the believer is a mind that the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ has shined unto. It is my understanding that from that point on the mind of the believer can work with truth. The first and greatest commandment includes me loving the Lord my God with all my mind. This of truth tells me that what I do with my mind is important with respect to my relationship with God.

The Bible speaks of seeking the truth. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Luke 11:9-10 says “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” My understanding is that seeking truth can have a beneficial effect on a person’s mind and emotions. By trying to understand what is what and why what is what I find I become fascinated as I come to new insights. When I actively work with truth my mind is working actively in healthy manner and generally speaking, healthy emotions result. 

Among the benefits of the Biblical practice of seeking truth is that the believer can possibly achieve a healthier mind and emotional balance in his life. How is it otherwise? My experience has been that spending some time each morning appreciating the gospel is a faith building experience and following that with truth seeking is a wonderful way to begin the day. What happens in my life is constructive christian thinking followed by healthy emotions as opposed to, say for instance, brooding and experiencing too much anger or worrisome thinking followed by anxiety.

Further, when I work with truth I am truly working with what I love. I experience both the creation and the cares of it diminish as I seek truth and more truth. I grow as a saint in light coming to new insights about the faith. I consider my first love, who is Jesus Christ, is more pleased with myself as His child, servant, and subject. Why I so passionately love the truth is still at least somewhat of a mystery to me. I know that The Lord is the greatest and that He is eternally awesome and that isn’t a mystery to me but He is. His awesomeness is truly unfathomable. The depth of the love of His gospel for the lost is unmeasurable by creation. His depths are truly unsearchable! 

How is it that coming to such knowledge of truth isn’t uplifting of heart and spirit? In Hebrews 11:6 the Bible teaches, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” To me to experience passionate love for truth is reward enough but it gets better. God has prepared what is unimaginably good in way of reward for those that love Him.

Another sound Biblical practice includes considering where one dwells and deliberately dwelling in a specific manner. Dwelling on the past can bring a smile to one’s face and it can also pose an emotional problem for the believer. It looks to me like there is more than one way to dwelling on the past and there is at least a productive and counterproductive way to going about doing it. 

I’m an advocate for that memory be and that it can definitely be put to good use. That’s proved to be so by my life. I’ve also experienced memory pose a problem to me. Over the course of a number of years I went through a number of trials which included a great deal of intensities come unto my person. There were many misfortunes I had gone through and thus had many memories I considered to be unfavourable. Consider the apostle Paul who wrote in 2nd Corinthians 11:25, “Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;”

Given unfortunate experiences, is it better to do what with respect to them? Consider the following ‘story’: I remember hearing about a bear that was apparently more of a threat to man than what would be considered normal. The bear was apparently very Ill tempered and at some point I take it that it was tranquilized and taken into captivity. From what I recall about how the story went was that it was discovered that years prior the bear had been fitted with an identity collar and the collar itself was an ill fit for the animal and it had become ingrown. I take it the bear was still young when it got initially fitted with the collar and had grown since then and was stuck with an ingrown collar that caused it chronic pain that  had adverse effect on its emotions. The result was an ill tempered extremely dangerous bear.

I considered the story as an analogy for someone suffering from a past of misfortunes. The misfortunes of the past are represented by the collar around the bear’s neck. How the person dwells results in whether or not the collar is ingrown or not. Consider someone dwelling obsessively on the misfortunes in a manner of brooding; how is it that the result wouldn’t be as the bear with the ingrown collar but in this case it’s an ill tempered man. Now consider the apostle Paul writing again in Philippians 4:8 with respect to dwelling: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Consider the privilege for Paul to have suffered for Christ’s sake. How much of what is pure, and lovely, and of virtue could Paul, or other believers for that matter, dwell on given the person of Christ. Was it for Paul, or myself, or others to consider John 16:33 which says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Is it for all believers to not dwell upon past misfortunes but rather to rally together after dwelling on some of the sinless life lived by the holy Lord and say to live is Christ and die is gain!

Two other Biblical practices I look at in this writing are pray without ceasing and resting in the Lord. Is it that the two practices sound mutually exclusive given that one talks about would it be a form of exertion without ceasing and the other for one to rest. How can the two be reconciled?

My understanding of pray without ceasing is to be communicating with God constantly. My understanding is it is possible to pray without ceasing because of the Holy Ghost residing with the believer and there be Spirit to spirit communication. I find I can pray to the Lord with, at times, no noticeable effort. When I first came across the Scripture about pray without ceasing I assumed it was going to be a horrible burden but the assumption was incorrect. Praying without ceasing can be a form of rest. Consider the Scripture: Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God:” I considered I’ve prayed at times in casual manner as well while I was working tirelessly and effortlessly with truth; a true delight. 

Matthew 11:28-30 teaches that Jesus Christ spoke, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” How beautiful is it to rest in the Person who can do better than make all your dreams come true. Consider 1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” God knows one’s heart’s desire and how is it He doesn’t know of better than that as well. He is the Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega, the merciful and generous creator of man and woman.

Consider what he gifted Adam with; a help mate and what a help mate! How beautiful the first woman must have been to the eyes of the first man. How is it that Adam and the first woman were not a form of natural perfection created by Christ? How is it that one cannot glean of generosity of the Almighty Creator who had considered that it was not good for man to be alone? What is more beautiful in nature to man than the woman? What a glorious Creator the Holy Father’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ truly is!

In my mind, living passionately for Christ should be the goal of every believer and it should happen. Doing so can have profound effect for the better on the mind of the believer who is commanded by the Lord to love Him with all of his heart, mind, soul, and strength. From the rewarding experience of seeking truth to being rewarded by Jesus Christ for having been seeking Him, to dwelling on what is lovely and awesome such as considering his unmeasurable grace and love, to praying without ceasing while resting in the Lord, the life of a believer can be rich indeed.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

Lucifer. Satan. Baphomet. prince of darkness, prince of power of the air, god of this world, Beelzebub, are some of the names and titles given to the Devil, the worst creature of Christ’s creation. A being that has been involved in the corruption of other beings since the brewing of the first war of the creation. In this work I consider Lucifer and look to, in part, answer the following questions : who is Lucifer? what does Lucifer do? Why is Lucifer able to do what he does? What is the fate of Lucifer?

Who is Lucifer: My understanding is that Lucifer was once the chief angel in the heavens. Was it that Lucifer was created by God to be a splendid being with shining beauty and with heart, mind, soul, and strength of it’s own? From within his heart I consider be a seed of evil. As written in Isaiah, he said in his heart that he will be as the most high. I consider this was a perverse desire of Lucifer’s heart. I consider that Lucifer’s own evilness affected other beings and in turn some of the affected beings did what was evil as well. 

The Bible says, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.” Given that there had been a war in the heavens, I consider that Lucifer’s perverse desire led to him having the bad goal of trying to achieve becoming like God. I consider that Lucifer had been proud in his effort to be like God and in his pride Lucifer looked to be worshipped by the Lord’s creation. I consider other beings erred along with Lucifer, by taking part in his evil agenda against the good Lord. This is some of who Lucifer is; a bad being that perversely seeks to be worshipped in a creation where only the Lord should be worshipped.  

I see that written in the New Testament that Satan tried to tempt Christ to worship him. Regarding one of Satan’s failed efforts to tempt the Christ, the Bible says, “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

The Bible is clear that angels are not to be worshipped. The book of Revelation teaches “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”

The Christ taught others of  Lucifer’s person. Jesus spoke, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Lucifer is a bad being with perverse desires. He is a fallen angel and there is no good to his person. He is a cursed being and a damned person. Lucifer has warred against God and is hopeless with respect to Jesus Christ, his Creator.

Some of what it is that Lucifer does: Lucifer is a deceiver. What does the Bible teach about Lucifer and the origin of sin amongst humans? The woman was first to be deceived. The Bible teaches that the fruit of the tree she was not supposed to eat from, given Satan’s effort to deceive her, was seen by the first woman, “to be desired to make one wise.” After eating of the fruit the Bible teaches that God asked the woman, “What is this thou hast done?” She reported back to God that she had been “beguiled” by the serpent. 

Before the creation of Adam and the first woman, was Lucifer beguiling the angels in heaven to join him in his effort to be like the most high? I think Lucifer at that time was deluded in his own pride and thought that he actually could be as the most high. Was it that he appealed to the hearts of the other angels and thus appealed to their desires as was it he did with the woman who became known as Eve? 

By deception and in his pride he looks to involve others in his bad will. Be they angels or humans, I consider since Lucifer desired to be like God and acted upon the desire that he has had no good influence on other creatures. The Bible teaches that, as a deceiver, Lucifer is involved in trying to keep as much of mankind in darkness as he is able to. 2 Corinthians teaches, “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Satan is a wicked creature and it’s been of his work to deceive people into going to eternal damnation. Satan knows of his damned fate and wants other creatures to have to exist in eternal damnation as well. 

Lucifer has been called the god of this world and how is it he has not had great influence over much of human cultures that were void of good as well as technological development that is considered not good as well. The Bible teaches in the book of Romans that there were those that invented new ways of sinning. How much of new technology qualifies as ‘new ways of sinning’?

How much of that which is of the world and void of God is of the Devil? From government agendas to text books in school to arts and entertainment, how much of would it be so much of what we consider to be ‘normal’, ‘educational’, or even just ‘helpful’ is actually of Satan? Would it be a surprise to find out that one’s favourite novel series or self-help book is actually of satanic design? Should it be a surprise? Consider that the Bible taught, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

With all that said, is it that the questions that are begged are as follows: how is it that God allowed such an abominable creature to be god of this world? What good comes out of a world that is so wicked that the Bible teaches that the whole world lieth in wickedness? To answer these questions I consider next some of what God may be accomplishing with allowing Satan the freedom that it has had with respect to the world that it has been god of.

Regarding Why has Lucifer been able to do what he has done: I consider that the Lord has made good use of His creature Satan. For example, consider that Lucifer was used in the life of Job. Job, a child and servant of the holy, was greatly affected by Satan’s suggestions to God of what it would take to get Job to curse God to his face. Satan failed to get Job to curse God and the Lord rewarded his servant Job. The Bible holds detailed record of testings of Job in the Old Testament and in the New Testament the believer is told to remember the patience of Job. 

I consider that many a believer has been inspired by the life and patience of Job. I consider that Satan’s person has been used wisely by God and that the Lord’s children can benefit in knowledge as well as in development of character by God’s use of Satan is their lives. 

Satan has been involved with men as they wrestle against him and his minions. In the book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul writes, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Lucifer and his minions have been involved in many battles against children of God while the Lord develops His good family, giving His children opportunities to prove to be faithful to Him and thus earn rewards in His kingdom of heaven. 

As battles between good and wicked play out in real life, heroes and failures in the Lord are made. Real victories and tragedies occur. While life occurs including: men and women marrying, children being born, people passing away, people’s life stories are lived out and real judgements are passed. As mentioned, both victories and shames occur. ‘Dramas’ unfold on ‘the stage of life’ and sometimes severe penalties are dealt. The so-called ‘stage’ has at times been a killing floor and there testings and wars have taken place. Such tests and clashes are of life which is all under the governance of the Almighty Christ. 

Under Christ’s governance, the believer can faithfully rest assured that the Lord’s allowance of a form of freedom for Satan and His use of the creature is ultimately of the good and for the good. It’s for the believer to become more knowledgeable with respect to his God, being the holy Lord of hosts and His Word and to grow in the faith and gain in understanding that Jesus Christ means good for him regardless of how dark and satanic the fallen world can appear at times.

Concerning the fate of Lucifer: The Bible speaks of a terrible fate for Lucifer. The Word teaches: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” How many people has Lucifer deceived into being blinded of the light of the glorious gospel of Christ? How many people has Lucifer the abominable tried to have sent to Christ’s lake of fire that was created for the Devil and his angels to go to? How is Satan cast into the lake of fire not justice unto the creature but once there is it simply good riddance to it?

My understanding is that the lake of fire is not where Satan spends eternity. There is a place even worse than the lake of fire and that place is the bottomless pit. How is it worse? It is more painful for one to spend time in the bottomless pit than it is for one to spend time in the lake of fire. Both places are unimaginably terrible though.

Consider if you will that the Bible also teaches “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

It is my understanding that Satan will be sent to the bottomless pit for eternity and thus suffer the worst fate there is for a being to suffer. My understanding is that an eternity in the bottomless pit for Lucifer is a fate of ever increasing unbearable pain for the Devil. 

In conclusion, Lucifer was once an adorned angel of the Holy God and thus a member of the holy host. He had a heart, mind, soul, and strength as other angels did and in his case he had a perverse heart’s desire to be like the most high. He misused his mind and strength with respect to the perverse desire and did what was truly bad with respect to the only being that is truly good and that is God. Lucifer’s consequential fall and subsequent role as Satan the Devil has been involved in influencing many lives that have played out on the Lord’s planet earth. Many of the lives Satan has affected end with the people going to eternal damnation. Some of the lives that have experienced satanic interference are the lives of the fortunate that came to believe upon Christ and go to be with Jesus Christ in His kingdom. As for the fate of Lucifer, he of the abominable pride that wanted to be as the most high will suffer the worst fate of all.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In this essay I consider that of the Holy Lord’s gospel. I consider of how the world was given the gospel of Jesus Christ by considering of the grace and love of God. Next, I look at who the Gospel was given to; the lost. I then look at some of the cost of the gospel and consider salvation of the believer. I then reconsider the unimaginably great love of God that is truly awesome.

My consideration is that there is no greater love that exists than the Father has for His only begotten Son. Consider again Scripture that teaches that God gave his only begotten Son that the lost could believe upon him and be saved, receiving eternal life. The Bible teaches that God is love. It is by the grace of love who is God that we can hear of the great and glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. 

That which was lost and is now saved by His grace and love cannot measure either his grace or love. We cannot fully fathom the great love God has loved the world with that the lost can be saved. The Bible teaches that the Lord is mysterious with respect to His creation and that His depths are unsearchable. I take it that the measure of His great love that gave the world His Son’s gospel will be an awe-inspiring mystery for the believer for all times.

Each member of the bride of Christ, including that which had been lost but is now saved by His grace and love, has been given the “first and greatest commandment” to obey and that commandment being that each member of the bride is to love the bridegroom, the Christ, with all it’s heart, mind, soul, and strength. Christ is the bride’s first love and without Him the bride would have no capacity to love at all. The worthy bridegroom is the Creator and has loved the unworthy creation with a love so great that the bride has eternal reasons to love back with passion.

Without belief upon Christ, that of the bride of light was not of the bride at all and was wicked and lost and under the dominion of Satan. The light of Christ had yet to shine into the mind of the lost and the lost was in danger of eternal destruction. The cost of not believing in Jesus Christ is an ultimate cost and the fate the lost who die in their sins go to is too terrible for the mind of man to construct or fully fathom. The sinner without the saviour, who he is in need of, in and of himself is a child of Satan and is worthy of a fate of eternal death which is hell.

There is no good in the lost. The Christ taught that only God is good and that He and the Heavenly Father are one. The lost are after the image of their father, who is the Devil, and who is a liar, murderer, and thief. This is some of what Satan is with respect to His Creator. Whereas Jesus Christ is the truth, there is no truth in the lost or the Devil. Satan is an abomination unto God and how is it that his children are not as well?

By Christ’s grace, love, suffering, and victories: believers that had been of the abominable have been transformed into that of the bride of life. The bride has the God given capacity to love the truth above all. The saints in light have eternal reasons to exist with passion for their Lord and to love Jesus Christ, who is the King of kings, with all of their persons.

The Holy Father’s Son, the Son of man, fulfilled God’s law while living as the lamb without blemish. His life was in accord with His Father’s will and He walked amongst the lost and helped them come to believe upon Him. The Bible teaches that, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Among His works, the Christ himself healed the sick, befriended evil creatures, such as his disciples, and taught truth to the lost. He battled against wickedness and delivered humans from demons.

Considering some of the suffering of the innocent Christ, I consider Him in Gethsemane. The Lord prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” It seems clear to me that Christ did not want to proceed forward with what He was proceeding with but He submitted Himself to His Father’s will. A short while later the Bible tells of the Christ being accused of blasphemy and people, “spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,” and shortly after His disciple Peter denied him three times. The next day the Holy Lord was scourged and mocked at and later crucified. Only God knows the true extent of the suffering Christ did on the cross were He paid for the sins of the world.

Some of my understanding regarding the Lord’s glorious gospel is that to believe upon the blood of the Christ is to believe upon Jesus Christ’s sinless life that He lived and that by His life the sins of His believers can be forgiven. It is to believe upon the Holy Father’s innocent Son that suffered for the guilty sinners that they could be forgiven. Christ is victor over Satan, sin, death, and hell. Consider that, without abiding in Christ, that is to say, without having believed upon Him, one has no forgiveness of their sins and goes to the wrath of God, the second death, and that be eternal damnation. For the sinner, Jesus Christ is all important. Only by Christ can the sinner be forgiven their trespasses against God. 

The Word of God teaches that the saint is to work out his salvation with fear and trembling. The cost of his salvation is unfathomably more than the saint can ever fully appreciate. God has done what is truly awesome with His gospel. How is it that the sinner saved by his grace can appreciate enough the cost of the payment of his sins? Upon being saved, is it the eternal debt the saint is in with respect to the Lord begins and would it be that some of that debt is expressed in the form of passionate praise of His majesty and love and worship of His worthy person? Methinks yes.

The Bible teaches now is the day of salvation. The Bible teaches that their were those who were partakers with the Holy Ghost and at a latter point were no longer saved. The Bible teaches that salvation is of the Lord. Only the holy God is worthy. The bridegroom be worthy and the bride be the unworthy and is called to live up to a holy calling. Is this knowledge enough that the fear and trembling that should come along with one’s salvation should come along with it daily? Methinks yes.

Upon reconsidering love, I consider again that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth upon him shall not perish. With love amongst the worthy, the Father and His only begotten Son, being unthinkably great, how great is the love of the gospel for the lost? For the believer, who is saved by Christ, the love of the gospel is unimaginably great as well. I will forever be in debt to Jesus Christ for having believed upon His sinless blood and thus having experienced love of His Glorious Father. The gospel is truly worthy of being believed and kneeling in awe of.

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Some time after having been in both the lake of fire and the bottomless pit for brief periods of time, God asked me, “So do you still think it’s a joke?” Realizing that He is the worthy being and that I am the unworthy being in our relationship, I am here grateful to Him that He freed me from Hell and that He has saved me from eternal damnation. In this essay, I consider the reality of the fire Jesus Christ warned people about. I consider personal experiences in both the lake of fire and the bottomless pit as well as God’s gift of eternal life.

Jesus Christ taught his disciples, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” 

My mind cannot imagine the lake of fire that my soul (my awareness) was sent to. I recall a burning, churning inferno and moving within it and knowing that it was the wrath of God. I could not experience other than what I was experiencing which was hell when I (my soul) was in the fire. It was Jesus Christ that sent me to hell and it was Jesus Christ who took my soul out of hell. Only Jesus Christ has the keys to hell. My understanding is that those who are sent to eternal damnation by Christ stay in that burning inferno forever and ever. My understanding is that they who are cast into hell know that they are in hell as I did when I was there.

From the lake of fire my soul was sent to the bottomless pit. There I experienced the worst and most severe pain I experienced in my life. There be no comparison in pain that I experienced in my life outside of the pit compared to the pain inside of the pit. It felt like I was being stretched downwards and as I was going down the pain was increasing at what I would guess was an exponential rate. The pain was unbearable and continuously getting worse. I was only in the pit for a brief period of time and after Christ took my soul out of the pit and I was returned to my body He said, “You’re awareness comes with me.” My understanding is that who Christ would send to the pit for eternity experiences that unbearable pain getting worse and worse and with no end.

After having experienced the lake of fire and the bottomless pit I consider I’ve had some profound considerations regarding both places. I’ve considered the pit to be the worse of the two places to go but both are unimaginably terrible. I’ve considered that I do not wish an eternity in the lake of fire on the worst of who I would have considered to have been my human enemies. I’ve thought of the teaching love thy enemy and considered it with respect to the terrible fate God sends the wicked to. I take it that is why I’m to love my enemy. Is it that God’s gospel loves them as it loves me but my enemies have yet to come to believe upon the risen Lord? Will they ever? Is it for me to realize that it is by God’s grace that I have been able to believe in Christ and have been spared an eternity of the wrath of God? Thank you Jesus Christ. These are some of the considerations I have had since having been sent to hell.

Another consideration I’ve had was, what if years ago, when I was living in the darkness, I died and then suddenly was in hell, knew I was in hell, and was still there to this day? What if God hadn’t saved me but instead sent me off to eternal damnation? Terrible to consider it isn’t it? I considered some loved ones of mine that were not professing believers and who died and wondered if they went to the same fire I had been in for a brief period of time. 

Different than eternal damnation and the fire of hell is a kingdom of no tears and of eternal praise for the King of kings Jesus Christ. He has turned what we’re once wicked men into righteous men, having saved them from eternal destruction and has grafted them into His Kingdom of the Almighty Lord. 

The Lord has suffered for His people, that they could be redeemed. He, and He alone, is worthy of praise and worship. That the saved can be in His heavenly kingdom came at an unimaginably great price. My understanding is that there is no greater love that exists than that of the holy Father for His only begotten Son. That God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to pay the price of the sins of the world is worthy of belief and eternal awe and praise. 

Hell is a real place. I know this to be true for my soul was sent there for a time. That man needs a saviour is sure. Only Jesus Christ saves from hell. The Bible teaches that hell was created by Christ for the Devil and his angels. My understanding is the majority of people go to hell and that is where they spend eternity. Jesus Christ taught and teaches, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” 

Jesus Christ taught, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Resentment in the Lord is as common as it is common and in my experience I have experienced much of it. I found a difference as stark as say that of day and night in going from the resentful in the Lord to being grateful in the Lord. I have experienced going from bad days to good days and though it wasn’t a quick journey to go from one to the other, that is, from resentment to grateful and contented, it seems like the steps one should take to do so are simple enough and could apply to many. In this essay I look to discuss what resentment in the Lord is, some common resentments, and how I’ve been overcoming resentment in the Lord for good.

Angry, bitter, enraged, annoyed at perceiving having been treated unfairly by God? Sound familiar? Should I say welcome to resentment in the Lord? Do you feel wronged by God? I know I had felt wronged by Him in the past. At times I felt as though my life hadn’t been good to me and blamed Him for that.

Where does resentment in the Lord come from? I suppose each case is unique but I consider that, generally speaking, resentment begins with the perception that one has been treated unfairly, or wronged, by the Lord. So much can go wrong in a person’s life and how is it that so often it doesn’t and at the end of the day the believer is left to blame who? Does the believer consider, after all, the Lord is in control so how did He not in some way, shape, or form have something to do with what went wrong?

Consider the life and mind of Job. After having lost his fortune, his children, and his health Job says, “For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.” It seems apparent to me that Job was blaming the works of Satan in his life on the Almighty. While doing this how is it he wasn’t expressing resentment in the Lord? How is it he wasn’t expressing a form of annoyance and indignation at having perceived God was having him treated wrongfully?

Was Job resentful in the Lord during the trial or trials he was going through? We find out as the story progressed that Job was rewarded twice as much as he had before the testing of him. From that point on in his life I take it he wasn’t resentful. Would it be that Job’s story doesn’t parallel every believer’s life? I think it does not. Methinks there are believers that go through tremendous loss in their lives and are not directly visited by God during their lifetime and that things don’t get revealed or resolved until the afterlife. If Job had not received a visit from God how is it he too would not have had resentment in the Lord during the rest of his lifetime? Is it that many have gone through testings done by God and have not officially been told this and resented the trying experience they had gone through?

Some other common resentments in the Lord could possibly be being angry at God for what’s happened during a person’s lifetime that doesn’t include testing of a person. This could include blaming God for what a person got or didn’t get. Some examples include: did one get an illness or in an accident? Did someone lose a loved one? Did someone not receive answer to a prayer or prayers? Is it that these examples could all be common grounds for a believer to blame God?

Though there are many examples one could list of reasons why a believer might blame and resent the good Lord, there are good reasons why resenting the Lord is wrong. The Bible teaches the Lord is blameless. His ways are above the ways of his creatures and His thoughts are above the thoughts of His creatures. With that said, is it or is it not that there is an onerousness on the believer to not blame God though the believer may feel wronged by His good person? Who is the believer to not line up his thoughts and feelings with the Word of God? 

Another reason why resentment in the Lord is wrong is because it can lead to a strained relationship with Him. My experience with resentment in the Lord has been that sin can result from chronically blaming God for one’s misfortunes. Such sin included mocking at God, accusing Him, and blasphemy. Blaming God for the day to day stresses that happens in life is a bad effort on the saints part and how is it that it isn’t giving Satan a foothold in one’s life to try to cause some form of division between the saint and the author of their salvation, who is Christ. Therefore, the saint should look to overcome resentment to promote a healthier relationship between him and his Creator. 

The question “How does one overcome resentment in the Lord?” is now asked. Regarding overcoming resenting the Lord I recommend considering what the greatest a believer has in his life. It is his belief upon Jesus Christ. Salvation is a gift of the good Lord depending upon whether one believes upon Jesus Christ or not. Consider how one believes upon Him. By me believing upon the sinless blood of the risen Lord means what? Among what it means includes me believing upon Him that fulfilled God’s laws and willingly gave Himself as a sacrifice that the sins of the world could be forgiven. I know that I have sinned against God and that if I say I have no sin I deceive myself. I can be forgiven my sins and ultimately I am forgiven my trespasses against God, all thanks to the sinless life lived by God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ. If I meditate on that, which is of truth, then what happens to me? I appreciate more of what it means to be a believer in the Lord and resentment is no longer what I am experiencing. 

What’s to resent if one has grown in knowledge of Christ’s worthiness and one’s own unworthiness? On overcoming resentment in the Lord I find it necessary to recognize that I owe Christ my all. Of my all includes my love and there is that which I love more than my life itself and that is truth. Jesus Christ taught that He is truth. I am a truth lover and I cherish that I love truth and am grateful that that be the case. I consider that I owe my love for truth to Christ and that there is even greater of my life than my love for truth and again that is my belief upon the blood of Jesus Christ. I owe my life to Father God’s only begotten Son and the sinless life that He lived. With that realized how can I possibly be resentful?

I find, though I have realized that, I have at later times still gotten resentful from time to time and it’s for me to realize again that I still owe my all to Christ and why that be the case. I find taking time each day devoted to appreciating God’s gospel helpful to do just that; bringing myself to a place to freshly appreciate the Lord’s great and glorious gospel again and again. Along with this practice, I appreciate the Lord in my life by actively working with truth by seeking what is what and why it is so. Once I begin to do this I find resentment disappears. By actively working with truth I find myself interested, fascinated, and content as opposed to being resentful, angry, and bitter. It seems to me that too much focus on worldly concerns can distract me away from my first love, which is truth, who is Jesus Christ.

Regarding more on overcoming resentment in God: Related to what is the greatest in a saints life and appreciating God’s gospel is the believer acknowledging that He has already done His greatest work in the believer’s life as opposed to the saint focusing on what the Lord hasn’t done for him. The Lord has already given His gospel. What is that with respect to what will happen in a saint’s lifetime? Consider the book of James chapter 4 verse 14, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Now consider 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

In this world how is it that one doesn’t see through darkened lenses? If I find myself brooding over the past in the recesses of my mind how much darker is it for me? One day one’s life will be over and how did they live their vapour? How much time was spent offended at the Lord? How much time was spent doing good works with Him? It seems to me that resentment is like a disease and eats away at the time a person has thus interfering with their ability to do good works and thus affecting heavenly rewards in the kingdom to come.

If it be true that one’s life in the world is as a vapour, and how is it that it isn’t with respect to eternity, it seems to me to be of the wise to not be vapour-centric with respect to one’s attitude towards God. Don’t get overly focused on worldly concerns. This world will pass away. Rather than resent Him for what He hasn’t done for one in this lifetime why not appreciate His unimaginably great gospel more and be transformed for the better for having done so?

With being offended at God having been overcome for good, one is in a better position to do good works. Consider Paul writing in Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” How much greater is it to “live is Christ” than to live as the offended at Christ? How much more free and enabled is the saint that doesn’t resent his Creator who is his Saviour as well? How much more likely will it be for the saint to express heartfelt praise and gratitude for Christ when he isn’t brought low by being wrongfully offended at the good Lord?

How is it not that blessed is the man not offended in the Lord? Resentment of God can have a detrimental effect on the wellbeing of the saint and his ability to do good works. By identifying why a person is resentful and putting it in a proper context with respect to who Christ truly is can help a person overcome resentment. By appreciating what God has already done rather than considering too much on what He hasn’t done in the saint’s lifetime can help the saint to passionately live for Christ and, unless rapture happens in his lifetime, truly die for gain.

Spiritual warfare has occurred in life over the ages and there have been striking outcomes. From the origin of war, which took place in the heavens before the creation of man, to the time of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and down through the generations of man to modern times and even the end of the world, the Bible reports of spiritual warfare being a reality in the lives of mankind. In the book of Ephesians, Paul writes of wrestling against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. It is commanded that the believer take up the whole armour of God that he, “may be able to withstand in the evil day.” In this essay I consider warring against spirits and the armour of God. The Bible commands, “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

I consider here the notion of wrestling not with the tangible but rather the intangible. My experience has been that, for the most part, warring with spirit has involved warring with the invisible as opposed to warring with the visible. To me, to war effectively for Christ I consider that one has to suffer for Him and that some of this suffering comes in the form of making sacrifices. I consider that one has to be willing to choose God over that of the creation if one is going to be an effective spiritual warrior. In life, I think here that to choose God can involve, at least sometimes, having to make personal sacrifices.

Why the armour of God with respect to spiritual warfare? Consider that to be a saint in light there be that which pertains to the believer. Some of that pertaining to the saint is salvation, righteousness, and truth. That the saint in light is called to war for Christ is sure and that he has an enemy is sure. Is it that the Word speaks figuratively about armour for the warring saint and that he is to work with some of that which pertains to him such as salvation and righteousness as a warrior would work with armour before going into battle and while in battle. Methinks this be so. As for should one make literal comparisons with respect to righteousness and salvation to an actual breastplate and helmet is still of mystery to me.

To have one’s loins girt with truth, is it in part that one should have some understanding of, and appreciation for, what truth is? I would think yes. Jesus Christ declared , “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” That truth be a person named Jesus Christ, the name above all names, is true. That the Holy Scriptures be of truth and therefore of Jesus Christ is true. Consider that for one to love truth is what with respect to one loving Jesus Christ? For one to love Jesus Christ is one to love Jesus Christ but who is it that does love the Lord Jesus and I know that the one that does doesn’t love the Christ as he was loved first by Christ. God’s love and grace are supreme over the creation. One should love the truth, the way, and the life that Jesus Christ is but which one of any truly has done that enough to the extent of one’s calling? The truth is worthy of being loved.

Is it to have one’s loins girt with truth is to be protected by Jesus Christ? How is it that ultimately the Christ isn’t the protection of His people? The Bible teaches, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe.” How is it that the battling believer cannot benefit in battle against the enemy by knowing more about their Lord Jesus and what He is with respect to His believers. Recall the Holy Word speaking, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:” The Christ is the author of salvation for the believer. He is the hope of the believer. He is the believer’s way and light. My thoughts are the more knowledgeable the believer is in their Lord the better it is for the believer in question.

For the believer, his war is on more than one front of his life. For example, he is to war against his own sinful flesh and sinful mind. He is also to war against the kingdom of darkness. The enemy of truth, Satan, and his minions, are creatures that are void of truth. The Christ spoke about Satan when He said, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” I consider that it is essential to be able to work with truth if one is to effectively war against the forces of Lucifer. Consider how vital loving truth is to knowing what is what and why that be so. Consider the Scriptures: Christ taught mankind truth about the Devil. Given that knowledge of Satan is essential in one’s warring effort against the creature, and man knowing truth about the Devil is all thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ; one who is made by Christ to be an opponent of Satan, the adversary, should be grateful for their calling. Remember, the enemy is a deceiver. Consider the Scripture, which is of truth, and which teaches, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” It is only by truth can a believer truly know truth about Satan.

On considering the breastplate of righteousness, I think, as with truth, one might want to reflect on what righteousness is and have some appreciation for it. Consider that only Christ fulfilled the law of God. Only Christ lived a sinless life.The Bible teaches, “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” To have it counted unto one as righteousness is an unimaginably great privilege bestowed unto one by the Holy Lord. To be translated from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s only begotten Son is, to my understanding, the greatest privilege one can experience and it came at an unfathomingly great price.

To war as a member of the family of the righteous for righteous cause is to war for the Lord’s sake. The Bible taught to boast in the Lord. Is it that one can work to armour themself with the breastplate of righteousness by being proud of who they represent? Is it or is it not that the saint can boast of Christ’s victory over Satan and how is it he cannot? The Devil is a conquered being. Satan was defeated by Christ. Satan failed in his effort to tempt the Lord of hosts. How is it that the saint cannot proudly boast his Lord’s victories over sin, death, and hell as well? To hear the saved boast as such is, is it or is it not, of torment to the minds of the devils?

Regarding one’s feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: I consider the man made righteous by believing upon the Lord is not called to war against the flesh of his fellow man is he? The believer in the gospel is commanded to love his enemies and how is it not that he is commanded to love them unto his own death. Consider the martyring of Stephen: upon being driven by a mob out of a city and stoned Stephen cried, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” The believer is commanded to turn the other cheek as well as to love one’s neighbour as oneself. Would it be that the christian soldier be a man of peace in the form of posing no threat to his fellow man’s flesh or purse, but a warrior of belief looking to share into another the light of the glorious gospel of the good Shepard Jesus Christ?

With respect to the other articles of armour, the Word commands the believer to take the shield of faith above all. Why is this so? Could it be that because one having faith in Christ is the same as one believing in Christ and therefore the foundation of the saint’s existence? Is that to say then that without a shield of faith there can be no other armour for there would not be a saint to take it up? My understanding of having faith in Jesus Christ is to believe in the person of Jesus Christ. To me, to believe in Him is to have faith in Him. To me, belief in the Lord includes mystery as to how it can be so. Regarding believing upon Christ, consider John 6:65 which teaches that Jesus said, “Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” Also, consider John 14:6 when Christ proclaims, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Is defining ‘belief’ with respect to the Lord a black and white issue for the believer or does it too hold mystery? I think it does hold mystery and if it be so that mystery be present with belief in Christ then how is it that the shield of faith not be mysterious as well?

I now consider here the helmet of salvation. I consider that salvation of the Holy Lord is the greatest gift one can receive from God. That salvation comes by one believing upon the sinless blood of Jesus Christ tells me that the cost of one’s salvation is unimaginably great. The gift of salvation is truly awesome. Jesus Christ is the only author of salvation.The enemy, Satan, gets no salvation for its person. The wicked fallen angels are doomed to eternal damnation and wicked people that remain unsaved and die go to eternal damnation as well. 

Satan and his minions are incapable of taking salvation from the believer but they might try to attack on the grounds of trying to get the believer to believe he isn’t saved. Would it be that of utmost importance to one’s warring effectively with the helmet of salvation is working out one’s own salvation with fear and trembling as a believer is commanded to do? How is it that one having done so is not essential to one growing in the faith? For a believer to know he is saved after the Lord has saved him is what, if not essential to him being able to properly praise the good Lord and to war effectively for him? I consider that a practice every saint may want to engage in is: upon waking from sleep, to proclaim some of what the Holy Word proclaims by speaking , “behold, now is the day of salvation.” and to follow with meditating some on the greatest gift a man can have and that gift being his belief on the sinless blood of the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

On thinking about the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, I consider here that the Christ taught his disciples, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Christ has announced that His words are life and spirit. The Word is living Spirit. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God and we are commanded to take it up and war against the wicked with it. 

On working with the sword of the Spirit I list here of the Lord Himself battling Satan the tempter and then I go on to conclude this work. 

Matthew 4: 1-11 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

That spiritual warfare is a reality for the believer is of truth taught by the Holy Bible. For the believer to wrestle against the wicked is of the saint to engage and work against the intangible enemy or enemies of God. The Holy Word commands the believer to take up the whole armour of God. By having a better understanding of what is truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God, a believer may more effectively take up the whole armour of God to help him stand come the evil day. 

The Lord commands His believers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Why is this? There are different views of how salvation occurs and what it means to be saved. It is my understanding that salvation should be recognized as the primary gift of the Lord and that without being saved one suffers the ultimate punishment for their sins. Given the paramount importance of salvation, the question of whether or not one can lose their salvation is begged to be asked. I consider that though there be theologians with answers to this question that differ, that ultimately there is not a creature that is an authority on speaking on salvation. I consider also that salvation that comes by having believed upon Jesus Christ still remains a mystery to the believer in the Lord as does those that were once saved and are no longer saved.

Salvation includes the believer in the Lord having been saved from the kingdom of darkness and the fate the wicked suffer: that fate being eternal damnation. Salvation should therefore be seen as of paramount importance to the believer. The Bible is clear on salvation being of utmost importance to man. Jesus Christ taught, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The believer is instructed to fear the Lord and only the Lord. It is my understanding that to be saved by the Son of God by having believed upon Jesus Christ’s sinless blood is the greatest gift a man can receive. 

I consider that, “Can one lose their salvation?” is a question that has been asked by at least many a believer. Consider what Paul wrote regarding the rest of creation not being able to separate the believer from the Lord. In the book of Romans, chapter 8 verses 35 to 39, Paul writes, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Given what Paul wrote, it sounds definite to me that there is not that in creation, be it another creature or any other aspect of the creation that is not a creature, that can take away salvation from a believer in the Lord. Now consider though, what about the believer himself? Though the rest of creation cannot separate him from the Lord, can the believer himself lose salvation? The Bible spoke of what to me sounded to be people who were once saved but then were no longer saved. Hebrews 6:4-6 reads, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” So much for the ‘once saved always saved’ teaching!

In chapter 10 verses 26-29 of the book of Hebrews the Bible goes on to teach, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remained no more sacrifice for sins, But a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace.”

Again, it sounds to me like there has definitely been those that had been saved and were later considered to be no longer saved. Does that mean they lost their salvation? If so was it done by sinning willfully? Consider though, how could one possibly lose salvation if salvation is of the Lord and one is to boast only in the Lord. If one could lose salvation and did not, is it or is it not that one could therefore boast that they did not lose their salvation because of that which they did and/or did not do and therefore their salvation rest on their own work or works? I know this to not be so, for again, salvation is of the Lord and one is to boast only in the Lord.

Is it by mystery that there has been some to have believed upon God and thereby were saved and others did not believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby were not saved? Is it also of mystery that there were those that were once saved and at a later time they were no longer saved? Is it that the Lord cancelled their salvation and how and why He did so remains a mystery and how salvation occurs once one has believed upon the Holy Christ remains a mystery as well? Methinks this be the case. Is it for those that were no longer saved were deemed to be as such by the Lord Himself? How is it other than this for, once again I say, the Bible teaches that salvation is of the Lord. 

I consider that the Lord Himself is always, at least to some degree, a mystery to His creaturehood for His depths are unsearchable. That one in and of oneself cannot lose salvation is, in my mind, scripturally sound. That the Lord has cancelled salvation for some believers in the past appears to me to be scripturally sound as well. I consider that there be that of salvation and the once saved that are no longer saved that still remain a mystery to the believer. Could this be related to why one is called to work out one’s salvation with both fear and trembling? Methinks it is, for the state of one being saved is always in the hands of the Almighty, who can cancel it at any time.

That one has believed upon the Christ and thereby is saved holds mystery to me in more than one form. How is it that some believed upon the Lord and others did not? How is it that one could be saved and then later no longer be saved? What were the particulars involved? My consideration here is that only the Holy Lord knows all there is to know about salvation. Is it therefore that salvation remaining to be at least somewhat a mystery to the believer is therefore no mystery?

The Christ taught His disciples to love their enemies. Why is this? The Christ also taught that His yolk was light. How can that be if one is to love one’s enemies? In this work, I explore the concept of the believer in the Lord called to love the nonbeliever, being the wicked. I consider Christ speaking on loving one’s enemies by examining some examples of Christ and His disciple Stephen loving the wicked. I also consider that a person can soundly reason that, given the Lord’s gospel, they truly should love their enemy.

Jesus Christ taught, “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat”. How is it that Christ’s teaching to love one’s enemies doesn’t fall on foreign ears regardless of who the listener is? How radical of a teaching is it and does the Christ mean it to be taken literally? If so, are there examples in Scripture of one loving one’s enemies? 

We see an example of Jesus Christ loving His enemy when He corrected Peter for having cut off the ear of Malchus. We learned from the Scripture that the Christ prayed to His Father three times that the cup that was given to Him be taken from Him but it wasn’t. Surely Malchus was working in the capacity of an enemy to Christ by looking to have Him taken into captivity and punished. Why would the Lord have Him healed him in the manner in which He did if He was not being loving to His enemy? The Scripture taught, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Was it that Malchus was a member of the world that God had intended to be saved through the Christ and had yet to come to believe upon him as Lord and Saviour? 

An example of one of Christ’s disciples loving his enemies can be seen with the stoning of Stephen. The Holy Ghost had been speaking through Stephen and the people’s response was to behave as enemies towards Stephen as …”they were cut to their heart, and gnashed on him with their teeth.” Is it that Stephen loved them when he, “being filled with the Holy Ghost,” said,”Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God,”? The enemies to Stephen and the Lord would not listen anymore to them and mobbed Stephen, casting him out of the city and stoning him. The Bible reports that Stephen “…cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Is it that Stephen both knew very well why to have love for his enemies and did love his enemies unto death? 

Why should a believer love his enemies? The obvious answer to this is because the good Lord has commanded him too. Is there reasoning behind loving one’s enemies though? Is it that, at first notion, one might consider the idea of loving one’s enemies as being radical to the point of perverse and going hand in hand with being an enemy to oneself. Is it that many believers hear that it is for them to love their enemies but fail to take this command literally for they see no reasoning behind it and look to shrug off the command as though it doesn’t apply to them? Do they consider they sense it to be too heavy a burden? Could it be that it doesn’t make sense to the believer?

Is it that to appreciate the teaching that one is to love one’s enemy one is best to take into consideration salvation? Consider the salvation of the saved and the condition of the lost with respect to eternity. For instance, someone who has believed upon the sinless blood of Jesus Christ and thus has been saved is no longer of the lost. The person who has been saved is a person of the greatest privilege for they have come to believe upon the life of God’s only begotten Son who willingly gave His sinless life on the cross and one reason for which being that the sins of the world could be forgiven. If someone be lost, they have yet to believe upon the Lord, if ever they will, and while lost they are in danger of eternal damnation. Is it for the believer to recognize this and think and behave accordingly? Methinks it is.

Christ taught to fear not thy enemy but rather to fear God who has the power to cast one’s soul and body into the fire of hell. Salvation is of utmost importance to the believer yet how many believers have truly considered their salvation with fear and trembling? How many believers give daily thanks for the salvation that only the Holy Lord can provide? How many believers recognize that they are saved by God’s grace and love and that there is not one believer that is worthy of Jesus Christ and the sinless life that He lived? Is it for he that doesn’t appreciate salvation that to love one’s enemy makes no sense whatsoever?

For the believer, the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ has shined into him thereby giving him the gift of eternal life. The wicked, on the other hand, have yet to receive that light, if ever they will. If one is to realize this, would it be that one’s enemy takes on a different dimension? That is to say, is it that one’s enemy appears to be different than they had previously appeared to be? Could it be that the enemy appears now to be a person in the gravest of dangers and thereby a person of the gravest of misfortunes? Is it for the believer to have feelings of true sympathy for all of those humans that have not come to believe upon the risen Lord Jesus Christ?

To love thy enemy is a teaching of Jesus Christ. The teaching can sound radical and at times how is it that it doesn’t appear to be the last thing a person can or wants to do? Given a richer appreciation of what it means to be a believer in the Lord’s gospel can help one overcome these hurdles to fulfilling Christ’s command of loving one’s enemy. By abiding by the command of working out, “your own salvation with fear and trembling.” one can possibly get this richer appreciation and thereby come to a deeper understanding of what their enemy truly is and how they should be accordingly treated.

After the Christ healed the man at Bethesda, the Jews sought to slay the Lord because He had “…done these things on the sabbath day.” Jesus had been doing His Father’s work and the Jews looking to slay Jesus Christ were moving according to their father, the Devil. The Christ taught that Satan is a liar, murderer, and thief. The Jews persecuting Jesus were fools functioning as liars, murderers, and thieves. Christ has called His believers to be distinctly different than the children of Satan. 

Jesus Christ taught that there was no truth in Satan from the beginning and that he is a liar. Jesus Christ spoke that Satan, “abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Satan does not work with truth and neither do his children. The truth is not with them. The Jews were clearly deluded in their thinking as they sought to murder He who had just made whole the man at Bethesda. Had they no good question to ask the man about the miraculous healing the Lord had just performed? Had they no sound thinking with respect to the fact that the man could walk on his own?

The Christ also taught that Satan “was a murderer from the beginning,”. Christ also spoke of Satan’s children as, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” The Jews sought all the more to kill Jesus because Christ spoke truth when He said, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” Is it that the Jews lusted to kill Jesus and did so with a fool’s thirst for blood over what they truly knew not. God had previously commanded “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The Jews, children of Lucifer, sought to murder the Christ who is the sabbath for His children and who is always holy… what fools!

How is it the Jews, like Satan, were not functioning in a capacity of thieves as well? By trying to slay Jesus Christ how is it they weren’t trying to rob the people of hope? Christ had just made whole the man at Bethesda and how many more people was He willing to heal? How is it the Jews weren’t trying to rob the people of knowledge? What is it they did not know about Satan and how many people the Christ was going to instruct about the “…god of this world.” The Jews, in their delusion, were also seeking to rob from others “…the light of the world.” Christ taught, “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” The Jews were of darkness in their effort to keep others from experiencing Christ.

In contrast to Satan’s children are what Christ’s believers are called to live as. Instead of being those who have no truth, a believer of God is called to love truth and grow in knowledge of it. Jesus taught, “I am the way, the truth, and the life:”. The Word of the Lord teaches, “ And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” With that said, what is more paramount for the child of Jesus Christ than love of the truth? What could possibly be greater for a man than to have passion for the truth?

As opposed to being murderers, we are called to be persons of love. We are called to be “…as harmless as doves.” We are instructed that if we love the Lord we will keep his commands. We are commanded with the first and greatest commandment to “…love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:”. That is, we are called to love love for “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” As like the first and greatest commandment, the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbour as ourself. Is it that with these two commandments the yolk of the believer in the Lord is light and that the believer be thereby free to a life lived with passion for the Christ? As well, is it that the believer be changed with respect to others, for what was once wicked has been changed to be righteous and commanded to love others, even if they be enemies. How different than the Jews is this?

As opposed to functioning as thieves, as the Jews were, the Christian is called to let their light shine before men. The believer is called to be the salt of the earth and to share the light of Christ with others. How is it then that the believer isn’t called to be a being that is to give freely to others and to do so with passion? The good Lord’s Word teaches, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 

Satan lived as the enemy of Christ and his children, the Jews, lived in that manner as well. The wicked are those that have no truth in them. They are the children of the Devil and as Christ taught, they will do the lusts of their father, who is Satan. They truly are fools in their words and deeds and their lives are lived in vain. The children of God are called to be better than the wicked. We are called to be holy, as our Father is. The believer is called to be a person of truth, to love others, and to give of the Christ freely.

The scene at Bethesda occurs after Jesus performed His second miracle of His gospel. The scene itself can be seen as symbolic. Symbolism can be seen in the multitude which can be looked at as mankind. This ‘mankind’ can form a backdrop to the interacting between Christ and the man at Bethesda. The man himself can be seen as a symbol for some of what man is, some of what man needs, and who man needs it from. What the Christ gives the man of Bethesda can also be looked at from more than one perspective. 

The backdrop of the scene can be looked at as being the multitude which in turn can be looked at as being symbolic of mankind. The Scripture reports that the multitude be “great” and of “impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered” and “waiting”. Is it not that this multitude with affirmaties can represent mankind under curse and suffering a number of different afflictions. Is it that each member of the multitude ‘waits’ for opportunity to be healed of what ails them?

We learn from the Scripture that the man of Bethesda had an affirmity for 38 years and was being ‘stepped in upon’ by others before he himself could receive healing. Is it not for us to infer that the ‘others’ may not have had an affirmity as severe or for as long as the man? The man doesn’t make mention of waiting for a ‘turn’ agreed upon by him and the multitude. Is it that as the multitude waited for healing they did so in an unGodly manner? Could it be that the multitude was being governed by no good rule?

I consider here the notion of the multitude representing the flesh of one man ruling over the flesh of another. Was it that those with the affirmities were being governed by what Lucifer  considered to govern man when he was making reference to Job? I refer to the book of Job chapter 2 verses 4 to 5 where Satan speaks, “Skin for skin, yea all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.” Was it that the multitude at Bethesda was essentially functioning no better than what Satan expected man to be?

The man himself can be looked upon as though he represents some of what man is. It can be seen in Scripture that the man of Bethesda was frustrated in his effort to be made whole. Given  his condition near the pool of Bethesda and when asked by the Lord, “Wilt thou be made whole?” the man at Bethesda replied, “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.” How is it that man in and of himself isn’t frustrated without the Lord in his life? Is it not that all of man’s works are under the curses issued unto Adam and man’s best efforts at trying to be accomplished are always curtailed by that he is bound to be frustrated by aging unto death? Is it not that the very essence of what man without Christ is be a form of frustration and that death calls out to his most inner recesses of person? 

The man at Bethesda can also be seen as being symbolic of some of what man needs. In this case the man is wanting his affirmity to be healed. He is without a man to lower him into the water at the correct time for him to receive healing. Some of what the man clearly needs, therefor, is the charity of another person. Without charity for the frustrated man what is there? Is it the man sits through the days and sleeps restlessly through the nights waiting for another vain effort to get healed. Was it that he learned of his fellow man, and more of the evil nature of man in the process as day after day his hopes of being healed were dashed by an unspoken rule of the multitude: and that rule being ‘every man for himself’?

The Christ gives the man at Bethesda the charity the man needs in order to be healed. He also gives the man more of what he needs. Note what happens: The man at Bethesda refers to Christ as “sir.” I infer here this is his first encounter with the Lord. If I have inferred correctly, the Lord has entered into the man’s life both in the flesh and with the question “Wilt thou be made whole?” Upon expressing his frustration to the Christ, the Lord issues three commands does He or does He not? The first being that the man is commanded to “Rise,”. The second command is to “…take up thy bed,” and the third command is “and walk.” The creation needs the Creator, of this there should be no doubt. In this case the creation needing its Creator is man. The man’s Creator, the Christ, appears to the man at Bethesda as man, though He is not a man. Man receives more of what he needs from his Creator. This included commands. Since Adam, there is not a man in existence that does not exist without existing under commands from Jesus Christ.

Is it we can see that the Christ gave the man what he needed in way of charity so he could be made whole? We can also glean, can we or can we not, that the Lord has given to the man at Bethesda greater than the man could think he wanted? Did he or did he not think that he had to be lowered in the pool to receive healing? Jesus Christ is Lord over all, including all of spirit and flesh. Given Christ’s commands, the man was made immediately whole. How is it not that, by healing the man in such a manner, the Christ has unbound the man from how he had previously been bound. Had he not been physically bound to be with ailment? Had he not been mentally bound to think the best he could do was be near the pool at Bethesda in hopes that one day his effort to be whole would not be frustrated? Had he never imagined, and I think he didn’t, that his Creator would enter into his life in such a manner and free him in the manner in which He did?

Christ and the man at Bethesda can be considered from more than one perspective. By doing so one may consider more about what may have been happening with the scene. From considering a backdrop of mankind functioning according to its own evil manner to a man trying to escape what ails him, the reader can possibly get a better appreciation of the Lord come into the man’s life. By trying to see more of what the Christ gave the man outside of the physical healing itself, the student of the Scripture can possibly come to learn more about the potency of dwelling on the Holy’s Word, asking questions about the Scripture, and considering answers.