As
a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over
you. (Is 62:5)
(2Co
11:2-4) I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you
to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure
virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the
serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your
sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and
preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached ... you put up with
it easily enough.
God loves each of us intimately and
passionately! Jesus is our bridegroom – we are His bride! How
incredible is that!
The Apostle Paul warned
that any Jesus other than the Jesus taught in the Scriptures is a
deception. If we follow that false Jesus we are guilty of spiritual
adultery. (A theme mentioned many times in the Old Testament.) God
has given me the strong conviction that a Jesus other than the Jesus
of the Bible has been preached in many churches in North America
today.
Both the Bible and most
pulpits today agree that we are saved by grace, not works. But God's
grace does not wipe out all the Biblical teaching on commitment and
repentance. The Evangelical churches have swung to the extreme of
teaching a Jesus that requires little more of His followers than a
simple prayer asking for forgiveness. This Jesus of all grace and no
commitment is not the Jesus of the Bible!
Jesus paid the ultimate
price for His bride on the cross. When we claim his grace without
claiming also the commitment and repentance He requires of us, it is
like living “common law” with Jesus. When a couple gets married,
they share vows of commitment. The bride on her wedding day is not
afraid of the vows of commitment that she speaks, because her love
for her groom make any and all commitments worth it. Many who claim
the name of Christian don't even know what vows of commitment our
Groom expects – or even that He expects any commitment at all.
Does Jesus expect commitment from those who claim to follow Him?
Please leave a comment and
let's get some discussion going.
This paragraph is powerful Cindy!
ReplyDelete...Both the Bible and most pulpits today agree that we are saved by grace, not works. But God's grace does not wipe out all the Biblical teaching on commitment and repentance. The Evangelical churches have swung to the extreme of teaching a Jesus that requires little more of His followers than a simple prayer asking for forgiveness. This Jesus of all grace and no commitment is not the Jesus of the Bible!.....