Faithful Writers

Slicing up God’s character like a pizza. Klara Kulikova Many only want one piece of God’s character, saying they choose the “ loving God ”, but then ignore the rest of Him in an effort to justify their belief system.  Let me provide an example. My husband: he is sweet, kind, loving, happy, crabby, serious, annoying, stubborn, cheerful, fun, defensive, smart, etc… I can’t just choose one or even two of his characteristics to love and converse with for the rest of my life; I have to choose all of him or none because he’s a package deal, and they are all equally a part of him. That would lead to a rather dull and disappointing relationship if I only interacted with one or two of his characteristics for the rest of my life. I believe most sane people can agree that to love someone is to accept all of their characteristics, even the ones you aren’t particularly fond of. It’s an all-or-nothing deal. This idea that you can pick and choose what characteristics of God you want to believe and focus on is disastrous for your faith. You can’t select, elevate, and revere one above the others and expect a rich and abundant relationship with Him.  www.studocu.com It really is an all-or-nothing situation. To cut God’s characteristics up like a pizza, then pick one piece to eat for the rest of your life, will leave you starving.  I Do Not Change. Here’s the thing: God does not change, and in turn, you can not change God either and expect Him to go along with that nonsense. You have to accept all of Him, even the “God of the Old Testament” that so many have an issue with. Some will call as defense that the Old Testament God is not the same God of the New Testament and that they simply can not believe in that kind of God, yet they happily say they believe in “The God of the New Testament.” Which is quite oxymoronic because they are one and the same. Jane Isley Additionally, we have Jesus stating, “I and the Father are one.”  John 10:30 . Then in Hebrews 13:8  we see, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!” Your God of Love is also the God of Wrath. Attempting to separate the two, or any of the characteristics of God, leaves you at a disadvantage where you begin to adjust your thinking to the ways of man  and not the ways of God.  When you remove a characteristic(s) you don’t like or understand, then you simply do not know God. It would be an impossibly, because you are removing key elements and pressing the mute button on both yourself and God.  You, and only you, are responsible for that. If you are capable of accepting your spouse, parents, siblings, child, best friend, etc, as a whole, then you are fully capable of doing that with the God of both the Old and New Testament because they are indeed one and the same, whether you want to accept that or not. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do.” James 1:22–25 “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Colossians 3:16 Acceptance is and always will be your choice.  But it goes both ways; acceptance into Heaven is also God’s choice as well. “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:20–24 Sources, References & Recommended Reads: Malachi 3:6 , James 1:17   & Romans 8:13  GotQuestions.org : Why is God so different in the Old Testament than He is in the New Testament? Overemphasizing One Attribute of God by : David Norczyk Bible Study Tools: The Attributes of God: What They Mean and Why They Matter © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

unsplash.com The latest and greatest coming out from Christianity’s mouth is the Old Testament God vs the New Testament God argument.  That somehow they are different (not sure how that works, but okayyyyy) , and people are now declaring they are following the “God of Love,” not the “God of Wrath,” to get away with their assertions.  Well, here's the thing you’ll never be able to argue your way out of. (That’s OT and NT, by the way, just to cover my bases.) How do you think you’re going to argue your way out of that one? Even your “God of the New Testament” is telling you He doesn’t change. You either accept all of Him or none of Him. There is no room between those two options.  If you can’t accept all of Him, then you can not call yourself a Christian, because you are removing vital parts of God that are necessary for your understanding, salvation, and heaven. Once you start cherry-picking the parts you like, then you are guilty of creating a false religion; it is no longer Christianity.  Society might have you duped into thinking you can make changes to the natural order of things, but an apple is still an apple even if you call it an orange.  You may think you are strong for believing in yourself and deciding your own religion by declaring which Biblical God you’re following, but I say it is weakness and laziness.  The loving Jesus you follow, and cling to certain teachings of, said this about the Old Testament: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17 Additionally, Jesus also stated, “ I and the Father are one. ”  John 10:30 . Then in Hebrews 13:8  we see, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!” You can’t get around that one, or the next one either. Your God of Love is also that God of wrath you don’t want to follow. Just read Revelation, you’ll be quite surprised. “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” Revelation 22:15 “ But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 Here’s the link  to look at the original Greek translation of Revelation 21:8, and here  for Revelation 22:15, just in case you’re going with a translation error defense. If you do not know God, He will not know you. You know deep down I speak the truth, you just don’t want to hear it.  You know what is real strength? Your willingness to obey God. And part of that is reading the Bible, learning the ins and outs because there is no contradiction of God’s character; to learn requires work, willingness, acceptance of new information, and being committed to following Him. When you follow Him, truly follow Him , something beautiful happens: you get a new heart. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 When you obey God, you start changing and growing, and the fruits of the Spirit naturally begin to come out of you.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22–23 Most people are familiar with these verses, or at least the gist of it —  But you want to see the first part for full context?  The part that people conveniently ignore. “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Welp, think that pretty much covers it.  ©Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook. For more reading: Can I get a slice of God to go, please? IS the Bible a Masterpiece? Are you ready for what is coming our way?

I just discovered a new term recently — “Process Theology,” otherwise known as “Process Theism.” “Process theism does not deny that God is in some respects eternal, immutable, and impassible, but it contradicts the classical view by insisting that God is in some respects temporal, mutable, and passible” (1) “Specifically, process theism is a product of theorizing that takes the categories of becoming, change, and time as foundational for metaphysics. The metaphysical underpinning of process theism is often called process philosophy,” (1) “Process Theology departs from traditional Christian beliefs mainly because of its view of the nature of God and His relationship to the universe. Many critics relate this deviance to the low view of Scripture held by Process Theologians who by and large deny the divine inspiration of the Bible. Others critique Process Theology as panentheism which says that God is to the world as a soul is to a body. It is believed that God is not the universe as in pantheism, but that God is apart from the universe, yet also in it. As the world is in the process of changing, so is God, and he is in the process of becoming all that he can be.” (2) So I’m not even going to touch that yet. I ran into this new to me term from an article that blew my mind with what the person was saying about God and miracles. To each their own, but they used the word “christian” to describe themselves, and I do lower case that because this is not Christianity. Here’s what I started thinking. First — why? Why are so many people willing to do this? This isn’t a divide and conquer situation here, yes, we can absolutely disagree on some minor things in the Bible, but we should be united in God at the same time.  But this labeling crap is just to much. We aren’t “like-minded” anymore; there is so much division, personal opinions, lack of even basic Bible reading, and satan galore taking advantage of all this division. The Harm. There is such harm to be had with these labels, I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been asked what my religion is, and I answer “Christian,” “follower of Jesus” or “believer” only to be hounded with more questions and sometimes demands as to what denomination or belief system I adhere to.   Why can’t I just be a Christian who reads the Bible? I don’t follow any doctrine, and I didn’t make up my own either; I simply read the Bible. More recently-ish, I commented on an article, and the person commented back, “ With these sentiments, you might be a Baptist and not know it.” I was so confused. First, my profession is not baptizing people; second, my comment was Biblical, not an opinion; third, I know dang well what I am. I don’t need someone tossing a label at me. Isn’t that getting old by now? Too many times, I have encountered people who define themselves by one of the many definitions and labels out there and just sort of stay locked in that definition's dogma without wanting to venture further and have a full-blown relationship with God. Sad to see that, and the division it’s causing among Christians worldwide. You know who just loves division and can really do some work with it? ChatGPT Satan. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.” Romans 16:17 Division creates deviation. These constant and increasing divisions/labels only cause further and further deviations away from the Bible, which means you get further and further away from God and the Truth.  The further away you get from Biblical teachings, the more you are in the running for the next top false teaching, and can not lump yourself into the Christian category any longer.  “deny the divine inspiration of the Bible” “As the world is in the process of changing, so is God, and he is in the process of becoming all that he can be.” That ☝🏻 is not following Christ; that is not Biblical. Period. Now I don’t claim to know everything in the Bible, and I definitely have stuff I’m still working out, I’m fine with, because that will come in due time when the Lord knows I’m ready.  I also have no qualms about calling out stuff that is not Biblical, using common sense, and the Bible to do so. Not to cause division but to point out the obvious, call out loads of barnacles out there, and hopefully inspire searching out God and truth for yourself. But please, can we stop with the division already? When someone answers that they are a Christian, be happy that they found the Lord! You may have just met the next person you both  are to learn from. We don’t need labels to feel special; we are already special and precious to God. © Jane Isley (1)  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy : Process Theism. (2) Theopedia : Process theology Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

I read an article last year that pushed me to pray and study deeply about the roles of men, women, and the Church. Lately, I’ve noticed that more biblically based Christians are beginning to write on this topic. To be completely honest, I originally put this article on the back burner. I thought I didn’t need to write it since others were starting to speak up, but our Father had other plans. I first noticed this problem in churches about 10 years ago, but in the past three-ish years, it’s hit me in the face like a brick and I can't ignore it. That’s where this all began. Still, I knew I had to wait. I can be passionate, even hot-headed, for good reason, but that doesn’t mean I should always speak without praying first. I needed time with God first. And here’s my disclaimer: this is not aimed at men. It’s not aimed at women. It’s aimed at every single person who calls themselves a Christian. Because we have a serious problem in the Church, and both men and women bear responsibility for it. Here we go. There is too much bickering back and forth about the male and female “roles” within churches, and people are purposely missing key points and just firing off church doctrine, traditions, opinions, and feelings.  Pretty much everything BUT what the Bible actually tells us to do. What I’ve seen. I have been led to many churches at God’s prompting over the years. Many. And boy, have I watched a lot a crap go down.  There were 3 consistent things I saw with all but 2 churches. I watched as congregations bowed to their pastor as the sole authority. Where people wanted to ask questions or bring up unbiblical teachings, but they didn’t out of fear, and they were barred from actively participating in their own church. I saw women in the background, too shy to speak up, or told not to speak up at all, and if they did, they were treated cruelly or as the church lunatic.  Then I have seen the flip of this and churches dominated by women that did similar to the men who were there, and the men were “jokingly” picked on. Imbalance, lots and lots of imbalance out there . We need to formally recognize and respect that both genders were created spiritually and mentally equal, and both male and female were given dominion over the Earth.  When the fall happened, our roles were redefined for a reason, but our equality never went away, it was mankind that wreaked havoc with that. What we are told. I want to draw our attention to a couple of verses, granted, there are many, however, I can’t put all of them in here. Genesis 1:28   “God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 1 Peter 3:7   “You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as also being joint heirs of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” Ephesians 6:1–4   “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” — which is the first commandment with a promise — “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 11:3   “But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” Proverbs 31:10–12   “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.” 1 Timothy 3:5  “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” That last one says it all. “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” And there you have it. We are going down the path of divorce. Christians (male AND female)  are destroying the Church from within. The Bible is filled to the brim with how we are to act towards one another, and people just aren’t listening to it anymore. Too busy fighting and subjugating each other. The metaphors about family, marriage, adultery, relationships, etc. are crazy when it comes to this. Jesus is our mighty counselor and our bridegroom, and instead of going to Him for the counseling His bride (us)  needs, here is His bride filing for the divorce of eternity. Spelling it out. People like to say they wish the Bible just spelled stuff out clearly. I gotta tell you, if you’re the one saying this — you aren’t reading it.  From beginning to end, we are consistently shown how to be a bride for Christ. There is an emphasis on marriage for a reason, and clear directions on how to do this. But as the years go by, I see fewer and fewer churches upholding God’s commands and the Bible’s teachings. That is why I say we are in a divorce, or at least the proceedings leading up to a divorce. Jesus is preparing a home for us, and we, His bride, are to be preparing ourselves and waiting for Him to come and get us.  We are far from that. Men and women are not working together in the unity we are to be, the Church is splitting apart from the inside. We see this in society too, all the broken homes and the children left scarred from it.  The same is happening in the Church.  That is why this is directed to everyone, not just men and not just women, because we are all a part of the Church. If we could just stop this infighting, and each person went to God for counseling, things would be so much better, not perfect, but better. I’d love to see the Church on Earth come back together, but it can only happen when all parties are willing to come to the table.  © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

Check this out. 👇 Believe, Worship, Serve, Trust, Love, Pray, Fast, Patience, Obey, Rejoice, Give, Seek, Ask, Kneel, Read, Surrender, Follow, Honor, Humble, Knock, Reconcile, Wait, Repent, Test, Submit, Study, Declare, Guide, Respect, Protect, Lead, Tithe, Carry, Faith, Preach, Fear, Restore, Endure, Rest, Forgive, Teach, Heal, Anoint, Renew, Build, Baptize, Conform, Consecrate, Abide, Praise, ect…. See a pattern? God is the World Cup Champion when it came to creating a definitive, active, and dynamic vocabulary on how we are to be and what we need to do. Don’t think God doesn’t expect you to put in a little elbow grease here. Believing is not, and never has been, a passive “ thing ” that simply exists; it is, and always will be, a daily exercise of the mind, body, and soul. To be a faithful Christian, you must confront and embrace this reality.  You’re in a long-term relationship that requires exercising every part of your being. It’s no different than a marriage or a friendship, where you have constant actions you are exercising and fulfilling to hold that relationship together, make it grow, and keep it strong. If you can do that for your best friend or spouse without blinking an eye, why can’t you do it for God? It’s kind of hard to claim you're a faithful and steadfast Christian without breaking out those gubby sweats and giving it a good workout. Here’s the problem. America has become pudgy around the midsection, it’s become a country of ease, 2-day shipping, InstaCart, and fast food. This mentality has not just touched the doorsteps of churches but has fully engulfed many churches, which are now watering down Christianity into this passive title that people believe they can claim, go on with their day, and that's it.  They don’t do any real work behind the scenes to earn it, so it stays soft and pudgy around the midsection. You want God? You want real faith? You want Him to take you seriously? Then you’re going to have to work for it.  Holding the word Christian over your head like an award means absolutely nothing if you’re not strong enough in your faith to hold up against life’s many lies, storms, and trials.  The Bible isn’t full of action words for no reason. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

ChatGPT I can’t even count the number of times I have heard the phrase “the lost gospel” of so and so says this or that. Drives me nuts and makes me sad to see this out there among Christians. They’re treated like some long-hidden conspiracy buried underneath a mountain of security clearance, and it just got whistle-blowen.  The problem, though, is that they were never lost in the first place. Using the word “lost” doesn’t make them special or some secret God didn’t reveal to us. First and foremost, these books aren’t in the Christian Bible.  If you say you are a Christian yet whip out the Enochs, Maccabees, Gad the Seer, Wisdom, Tobit, Judith, etc, when trying to prove a view, doctrine, or use it to object to something in the Bible. You're not even on the right track to begin with. If you're not a believer and do this, then that’s a whole different conversation. Remember, this is God we’re talking about here. The Creator of the whole universe, the Creator of the eyeball, the Creator of DNA.  He didn’t “lose” anything. Dead Sea Scrolls. Yes, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1946, and fragments and scrolls  (a few)  of these so-called lost gospels were found, but they were hardly lost; these writings and/or what they taught were already in circulation way before they were found.  There is no giant conspiracy to be had here. Pause for a moment. Do you believe in the Bible and its authority, or do you hold satan’s hand to pursue what you want to believe instead? This is a valid question to ask any Christian who gives these writings any authoritative or Biblical weight. I like to tell people, you either trust God or you don’t; the same goes for the Bible. Either you trust it, or you don’t. There is no mix-and-match game here, so who are you walking with? Not even sure where to begin with these “lost” gospels. Here’s one:  What was found in 1946 was already in circulation during Jesus’s time; they weren’t “lost” as I stated before.  When Jesus was in the midst of His ministry, neither He nor His disciples quoted, referenced, or made those texts authoritative. These “lost” teachings show us the world that Jesus was walking into when He started His ministry. Now, I know a few of you have heard that Jesus quoted the book of Enoch. On the surface, sure that’s what it looks like, until you find out that the book of Enoch took “shall inherit the earth” from the book of Psalms. He didn’t. You can read all about that here . Here’s another: Just because these texts were in circulation among people doesn’t make them correct or authoritative. We have how many books on religion circulating out there now, spinning off all sorts of stuff.  Are you going to tell me those are authoritative as well, just because they quote the Bible or have some spin on it? Another point:  They were already not included by the religious leaders of the day, and for many valid reasons.  Such as, but not limited to —  Proven discrepancies. (Judith 1:1 — Claims Nebuchadnezzar was king of Assyria in Nineveh, but he was actually king of Babylon. Salvation by works and not through faith. Writings about “secret” knowledge. (Gnostic) Contradictory moral teachings. Writings were intended to alter the history of Jesus to suit ulterior purposes. The Bible has a united purpose. These texts seek to disrupt that. The Gospel of Thomas was written far too late in history to have been written by the Apostle Thomas. In one, Jesus is described as disrespectful and spiteful. None were written by prophets. Tobit also includes some freaky witchcraft voodoo stuff, directed by that angel on how to deal with a demon, that's so not Biblical. Some contain elaborate, whimsical, and wild tales that completely contradict the Bible. (Enoch being a big one there) The Book of Judith celebrates the seed of Simeon, even though he is actually cursed; also, the book of Judith praises her lies and deceit. Praying for the dead.  ( 2 Maccabees 12:42–45  — this little nugget is where Catholicism validates purgatory, which btw, is not in the Bible, but is a great financial boon for them.) Giving of alms to cleanse sins.   Tobit 12:9 and Sirach 3:30 (Catholicism jumped on that one too.) Forgiveness of sins by prayer alone. The book of Wisdom used to proclaim that Mary was without sin. (Inmaculate Conception) Parts of Sirach glorify wealth. Numerous contradictions within the books themselves Baruch is absent from the Hebrew canon, which was finalized by the Jewish community long before Christ. “First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.” Romans 3:2   Writers from the different sects in the area took liberties to modify them as they saw fit. I could honestly keep going. While yes, these “lost” books can hold historical value for the sake of understanding culture, what Jesus was walking into, where beliefs, myths, doctrines etc… came from, heck, I owe every one one of them for research purposes myself, but they are far from accurate and ultimately fall short of Biblical inspiration.  The Bible is my gold standard; if a book doesn't align with the word of God, it’s out, plain and simple. This should be your standard as well. Look at it this way: who’s really talking to you? The Holy Spirit or some other spirit?  “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” 2 Peter 2:1–3 I know, I know some of you guys are spitting fumes right now at me because you want so badly for things in these books to be true and still claim you are a Christian. But you can’t, I’m sorry, it just doesn't work like that.  These texts/books/teaching/writings were never accepted into the Hebrew canon back then, they were never affirmed by Jesus or the apostles, and lack consistent prophetic authority, doctrinal harmony,  and historical accuracy. You want to use uninspired works to discredit inspired works. Good luck with that.  Ultimately, it is always your choice, but think about your choices.  Do they take you away from the Bible?  Then there’s a problem. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

ChatGPT Too often, Christians let their pasts hold them back from reaching out, teaching, correcting, or evangelizing. They feel they may not be worthy or have any right to speak up on a subject because in the past they either did it or did worse, or they have walked away from God at some point and came back, but don't want to admit that to people for fear they will be looked at as though they aren't "as Christian." They feel almost hypocritical in a way. But, they are so busy looking backwards that they forgot. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,”   Acts 3:19 Nothing in your past will ever disqualify you from serving God. Truly, who is better than the redeemed in God to teach, preach, and spread His message? We are walking examples of the depth of God’s love and forgiveness. Here’s my story. I have inflicted horrible hurts with my mouth, I dabbled in drugs, stripped, dated women, had premarital sex, had a child out of wedlock, attempted suicide, was a cutter, dove head first into the occult at one time, completely walked away from God, I have lied, stolen, been cruel, been full of pride, an asshole and cocky as all get up. Did God look at that and disqualify me when I repented? Did He stop my teaching, preaching, writing, or evangelizing? Nope, because God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. I repented, and my slate was cleaned . I came out with a heart ready for God to renew it, granted it took a while and a lot of life lessons from my first encounter with God to who I am now. But He was with me every step of the way, and I am completely open about my mistakes when I talk to people. We absolutely owe it to people to be real. You’re not going to be able to Bible-thump or theologically debate everyone into following God. You are going to need to open up at some point and share your struggle, what you learned, and how God grew you. You have some clout behind you; you do not need to have a Ph.D. to talk about stuff. You did it, lived it, and repented; this makes you uniquely qualified to talk about it. But, how can you do that if you’re still holding onto shame or guilt? Jesus came and died on that cross that day, for you to have your sin wiped out. Don’t sit there and tell yourself that you are unworthy because you are a sinner; it insults Him and the sacrifice He made for you. Look at these people in the Bible. Paul, Samson, Moses, Abraham, Ruth, Rahab, David, Jonah, Noah, Elijah, Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, the Samaritan Woman, Peter, Sarah, Thomas. Every one of them screwed up, sinned, backtracked, and royally blew it, but God wanted them, God used them, God forgave them, and God loved them. If He can forgive Peter, who outright denied Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times, and forgive Paul, who persecuted Christians, why are you holding yourself back from letting God wipe your slate clean and using you? Accept His gift, a slate wiped clean. I go out in the world and talk, I don’t carry the weight of past sins because it has been removed from my shoulders. Don’t give satan a chance to whisper in your ear about that thing you did 5 years ago. Don’t have a conversation with him in your head, don’t give him any power that holds you back. Remember — Your slate is clean! We are the walking examples of the depth of God’s love and forgiveness. © Jane Isley

Altering the Bible raises red flags and my blood pressure. If you haven’t read part 1, click here . I'm picking up where I left off, I was told at least a bit of summary would come in handy for readers, so here’s my whirl at that. In part 1, I went through the dastardly incident that led up to these two articles, broke down and examined “justifications” used for believing self-defense is never allowed, explored Peter’s actions, the Cities of Refuge God, and some other stuff. Part 2: You can’t “cherry pick” your way through the Bible. His second justification- “Thou shall not kill .” This is where his belief went off script. I could understand his first argument to some degree if you look at it just on the surface, but this one I can’t. He allowed no room for this discussion, no allowance for anyone to even explain that it is in fact Thou Shall Not Murder . Deliberate and intentional changing or going along with a previous mistranslation of the Bible that has been openly fixed and proven correct just to suit personal feelings or cowardness is the hallmark making of creating a disaster film. Murder vs Kill breakdown — It’s all in the language. Before we start, two things. First, think about this quote by Andrew Holt. “All murder involves killing, but not all killings are considered murders” And I recommend you read this article by Rabbi Yerachmiel D. Fried.I wanted to provide information from a Jewish perspective on this matter. While I do not necessarily agree with everything in this article by Rabbi Fried, it discusses both words from a Jewish perspective and linguistic source. I believe it is a valuable resource because we are predominantly English speakers who have been translating the Bible into our language. Our words, concepts, culture and thinking are not necessarily everyone else’s and vis versa. Texas Jewish Post; Torah makes distinction between murder, killing. While it is true that the word “kill” is used in many translations, newer translations have done a significantly better job thankfully of using ratsach and hāraḡ correctly. — The Hebrew word used in Exodus 20:13 is trə-ṣāḥ ( תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח׃) , the transliteration is ratsach , which means: “To murder, to slay, to kill.” It is not the Hebrew word hāraḡ which means “To kill, slay, destroy.” It is also not any of the other Hebrew words used in reference to death, dying, slaughter, destroy, butcher etc., it is the the word תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח׃ . תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח׃ | trə·ṣāḥ | Ratsac — “The Hebrew verb “ratsach” primarily refers to the act of murder or unlawful killing. It is used in the context of intentional, premeditated killing, as well as manslaughter. The term is often associated with the violation of the sanctity of life, which is a fundamental principle in biblical law.” ( biblehub.com ) הָרַ֖גְתָּ | hā-raḡ-tā | Harag — “The Hebrew verb “harag” primarily means to kill or slay. It is used in the context of taking life, whether in warfare, murder, or execution. The term can imply both intentional and unintentional acts of killing. It is often used in the Old Testament to describe acts of violence, judgment, or divine retribution.” ( Biblehub.com ) Ultimately even if you choose to strictly use language as your only argument, it comes down to the fact you would need to remove everything else in the Bible regarding defense and self-defense and then you would have no choice but to remove God as well considering everything He did, commanded and said. You can’t have it both ways My Personal Reflections. We have learned more about the Hebrew language since people first started translating the Bible. We have become more accurate over the years as we have learned more about its unique nuances, structure and contextual uses. The words Ratsach and Harag each have a difference that sets these two words apart from each other. I recommend reading this article for an even further in-depth explanation of the Hebrew language and the use of kill and murder, it is very informative! "The whole killing vs. murder ‘contradiction’…" Before anyone wants to go off and use improper translations, mistranslations, and how certain groups translated things, as a weapon against the Bible or an excuse not to believe in the Bible’s authority. Keep in mind that if someone hadn’t taken the Bible from the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic languages and put it into Latin, then English, we’d be further backwards than forwards in our Christianity right now. Believe me, I have plenty of qualms about some of the word choices that were used over the years that led to misinterpretations, but those are for different days. Here’s the thing: We know more about languages than ever before! There is no excuse to not look and study further now, especially from someone who stands behind a pulpit. His personal feelings are irrelevant; only God’s word is relevant. If you are going to believe something and forcibly shut people down, make sure you know what you are talking about. Be open to learning, study the whole Bible, don’t cherry pick it. Learn the language, study the culture it came from, present the facts as they are and present the possible multiple interpretations as well if need be. But do not shut down your own congregation’s questions because you want to be the only one who knows “everything,” and you can not accept challenges. Don’t think that because you stand behind a pulpit, it protects you somehow or gives you the authority to change the Bible. Openly admitting you would not protect your own family and using the Bible as your “proof” is simply cowardice and a disgrace. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

I was told self-defense is never allowed and is considered murder. Challenge accepted. Part 1: Justifying personal feelings while directly contradicting the word of God. I was involved in a discussion where the topic of self-defense was brought up in a Bible study. It was recently brought to my attention again by someone else who was there about what happened that night. It wasn’t pretty, for several reasons and I realize in hindsight that I am still in disbelief over the conversation and how we all were treated and talked to. [I’ll do my best to paraphrase what happened] We were told that self-defense of any kind for any reason was absolutely against the Bible. (so is being in the military, but that’s for another day) A few of us put out in the conversation this question — If someone broke into your house and your wife or child was being attacked or raped, you wouldn’t fight back at all? The answer was no. Then he made an off-hand comment about giving a cloak to someone in need. I wish I was joking and could properly convey this pastor’s attitude toward us. According to him, we do not defend ourselves, at all for any reason, and if the worst happened it would always be murder if we protected ourselves, never self-defense. That’s where the discussion ended — in fact, he ended it, quickly, swiftly and like a bully. There was no allowance for further discussion from those who understood the language better to offer additional Biblical information to the discussion. It was his opinion and his alone that was correct. That, readers, is a serious red flag in any church and I’m going to break down his arguments, explain why it is unbiblical, and address his attitude in a two-part article. His first justification - When Jesus was betrayed, Peter sliced off the ear of the servant of the high priest and Jesus chastised the disciple for doing what he did. This event is recorded in all four gospels, Matthew 26:47–55, Mark 14:47–50 , Luke 22:49–51 , and John 18:10 . On the surface, this may appear to be a valid and solid argument against self-defense because Jesus chastised Peter. If you don’t study further. Two details we need to examine with this situation. 1. A servant of the high priest was the one injured. This individual would have been made to come with the high priest despite what he felt on the matter. I read and view this person as the innocent bystander in this particular situation because he would not have been given a choice in accompanying the high priest. The reason for my belief? — The word δοῦλον ( doulon) . It was used in all four gospels to describe this particular individual. (I do think it’s relevant that all four gospels used the same word.) It comes from doulos which means “ Servant, Slave, Bondservant.” This was a person who was owned in some way by the high priest. “ Doulos emphasizes who you belong to. You don’t get to make independent choices about your life, because you belong to someone else.” — Ezra Project The very word itself is synonymous with slave. 2. Peter did not use wisdom in this situation, he responded emotionally. While this was undoubtedly a tense and volatile situation. Jesus had forewarned his disciples that he would be betrayed, and it would end in His crucifixion. Peter reacted emotionally and impulsively and attacked the man without probable cause. Peter did not exercise wisdom, which is why what Peter did was wrong. Some other things to consider. “And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, whoever has no sword is to sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was counted with wrongdoers’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.” Luke 22:36–38 — Why instruct them to buy swords if self-defense was never allowed? This was straight from Jesus; even to the end, He was still using what was happening around Him to teach us by example. Yes, absolutely, Peter messed up; that is not in question. But it is in this situation that we learn a significant difference between self-defense and murder. — Defense and self-defense are not new concepts in the Bible. The Israelites went to war and defended themselves a lot in the Bible; the Book of Esther is a good example. She requested that her people be allowed to defend themselves against attack, and God created a way for them to defend themselves, legally, I would like to point out. Also note that after they defended themselves, they did not take any spoils; it was not greed that motivated them, it was living. — Exodus 22:2–3 is also an example of self-defense and does require more than a precursory glance through. There have been varying questions asked regarding what is meant by the night vs day aspect for a long time, but ultimately, these verses are about self-defense. Blogger James Pate has an excellent article that takes you through various breakdowns and interpretations of this verse. I believe it would be very helpful to read as you explore this topic. — Jesus taught us to endure the insults that will come our way. He taught us to think before taking any action against someone who would hurt us and not to be vengeful. He taught us to forgive, show mercy, and be gentle and encouraged us to seek peace first and love our enemies. — However, He did not command us to sit by and be violated either. In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us He came to fulfill the law. What does that mean specifically? It means He came to promote the authority of God. He clarified, expanded, and taught us what we needed to know, how to act, give, pray, and many other things. He also confirmed that the law would remain until the second coming and called out those who would change the law in any way. That’s why the next section is really, really important regarding that so-called “conversation” I was a witness to. See, in Matthew 5:21–23 , Jesus directly addresses Exodus 20:13 for us. “[..]You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’ […]” In both instances the word murder is derived from the Greek word φονεύς , our transliteration is Phoneuó which means “To murder, to kill”. This Greek verb literally means “to commit murder or to kill unlawfully. It is used in the New Testament to describe the act of taking another person’s life with intent and malice.” ( Biblehub.com ) — And yes, Jesus expands on that for us, He discusses the dangers of anger in ourselves and what that means for us. But Jesus never made a statement against our right to self-defense. That would have been the prime moment to clarify this subject, but He did not. He clarified that law for us in a personal manner, He did not change it. In fact Jesus NEVER took away our right to defend ourselves anywhere. To change this is what we define as heresy. Jesus gave them the necessary framework needed in how to behave and to go out in the world to spread the gospel. But never as target dummies. There’s also this. We have the Cities of Refuge in the Bible God told Moses and Joshua to provide for foreigners and anyone who took a life unintentionally or in self-defense. These cities were strategically placed for people to be able to get to them quickly and the roads were well maintained. Numbers 35:13–15 and Joshua 20:5–9 talk about these cities and what they were provided for. 2 Samuel 3:26–28 also confirms these cities were for situations of self-defense. “He who strikes someone so that he dies shall certainly be put to death. Yet if he did not lie in wait for him, but God caused him to fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. If, however, someone is enraged against his neighbor, so as to kill him in a cunning way, you are to take him even from My altar, to be put to death.” Exodus 21:12–14 www.blueletterbible.org Self-defense had been acknowledged by God as something that would inevitably occur. Protective measures were set in place by God and never stopped by Jesus to protect the innocent. God’s law on murder was strict, and these cities provided people safety. © Jane Isley Self-defense is the use of wisdom, knowledge, experience, tact, and common sense. Thank you for taking the time to read and follow me. I genuinely appreciate your engagement. It is uplifting and encouraging as I continue to challenge, educate, and inspire. Part 2 is here. I will be going through the differences between kill and murder, how they are two different words, and my personal reflections on this conversation. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

Meet Richoka, a Christian writer whose work I am honored to share. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, has lived in Tokyo, Japan for the past 16 years. A lifelong lover of God, writing, and books, he has a passion for helping believers understand the deep connections between the Old and New Testaments. Through his engaging and relatable approach, Richoka guides readers on a journey of faith that builds understanding and unshakable spiritual foundations. He also leads in-depth studies of Genesis, making Scripture accessible and meaningful for all backgrounds. Richoka Messianic Revolution Facebook If you are a Medium member you can view all his studies here .