Failure to fully accept the Whole Counsel of God itself is a manifestation of Seeking to Serve mammon
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
Many in the modern Church do not seem to know what it means to take the whole counsel of God. They love to select only certain Bible verses, such as those of grace and love, of course, and then neglect, or even ignore those about submission to various God-ordained earthly authorities, as well as the wrath and justice of God. Such is the manifestation of liberalisation which has so subtly crept into the Church, that it is only just enough so that it does not even realise it, but yet enough to poison the Church's mindset. All its adoption of "rights", "equality" and "liberty" are only just examples of this poisoning.
John Calvin's stance on usury is just one such example. He was strict about holiness in all areas of life, but one - that is Biblical finance. Many in the modern western Church have indeed this same kind of mindset which seeks holiness in all areas of life, but totally disregarding holiness in handling one's finances, have a vile liberal attitude towards money and finance. How do I know? The way so many Christians speak about holiness and strive for holiness in all areas of life, except for finance.
You may argue that finance is just an earthly issue, and so Biblical thinking is not needed regarding finance. So are family, children and work, which you will not take with you in eternity, nor have eternal value, if you didn't already know that. Are you going to say that Biblical thinking is not needed regarding such things?
Jesus spoke much about money. You may ask, how? You seriously need to re-read the Gospels again if you think that. He affirmed the widow with the two mites who gave all she had (Luke 21:1-4), He stated that no one can serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24), He told His disciples not to worry about their earthly needs (Matthew 6:24-34), He spoke about counting the cost of discipleship (Luke 14:25-34), and in particular, giving up all you have, not just to the rich young ruler, but to anyone who wants to follow Him (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:33). These verses all speak directly or indirectly about money.
The Bible does have much to say about how one handles one's possessions. These multiple passages in the Bible have indeed been ignored by many in the modern Church and not understood for what they really mean. If one is to truly obey God, one is to obey the whole counsel of God, not just part, most or almost all of it. One is to obey all of it, whether one understands it, or finds it comfortable or not. Such as person who does not do so is worthy of dying in Hell, and nothing else, for it is to refuse to give God all the glory He deserves. It is to be as those described in Romans 1:21-23:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
You may be infuriated, at such a claim, and say that you are a true Christian. However, even so, a true convert may be unsanctified in some areas, and still think that he is entitled to ignore parts of the Bible that his flesh hates, or argue against it, all without realising it. If you want to contend this, just look at all the arguments among those of the modern Church regarding the issues of submission to governments, wives' submission to husbands and women pastors.
If you want to contend this claim, just look at all the arguments caused by those who find certain select verses hard to accept, placing emphasis on others, such as God's love, God's grace, and the commandment to husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, at the expense of other truths in the Bible. Such people are unstable and ignorant people who speak unprofitable things, as opposed to profitable things, stirring up conflict in the Church, and hindering its work.
That is why the Bible says: "But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain" (Titus 3:9) and "Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers" (2 Timothy 2:14). It is to warn about such people who stir up strife, by sprouting the garbage doctrines, doctrines of demons, which do not outright deny the Word of God, but mix truth with error, and minimising or downplaying God's Word, on issues such as submission, usury, and not seeking one's earthly needs.
Many in the modern Church have completely forgotten that how one handles one's possession and money is literally an indicator of one's heart. It is a heart issue, one in which the Christian must strive to be holy and righteous, "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21). They have forgotten because they are so caught up with seeking their earthly needs, instead of trusting God to provide. In doing so, they fail to obey Jesus' command in Matthew 6:25 to not worry about one's earthly needs, which is a command, not an opinion, view, suggestion or advice.
As a result, they do not and cannot focus on what truly matters, and seek to stir up arguments by sprouting their evil garbage, such as downplaying or minimising God's command to submit to governments, employers and husbands, or not seeking one's earthly needs.
The result of a mammonised Church is a cesspool of rubbish foolish doctrines, and doctrines of demons. Such doctrines are all too appealing because they feed on the flesh. Tolerance or such doctrines, which seek to contextualise, minimise or read in something into the Word of God is a manifestation of those who live for the flesh, or succumb to it in the case of the true Christian, seeking their earthly needs.
Just as a person either serves God or mammon (Matthew 6:24), he either serves God or himself (Romans 2:11). Therefore, a person who serves himself serve mammon, who he serves by living for his flesh. Such a person does not fully accept the whole counsel of God, seeking to find ways to twist or circumvent it.
Many in the modern Church do not seem to know what it means to take the whole counsel of God. They love to select only certain Bible verses, such as those of grace and love, of course, and then neglect, or even ignore those about submission to various God-ordained earthly authorities, as well as the wrath and justice of God. Such is the manifestation of liberalisation which has so subtly crept into the Church, that it is only just enough so that it does not even realise it, but yet enough to poison the Church's mindset. All its adoption of "rights", "equality" and "liberty" are only just examples of this poisoning.
John Calvin's stance on usury is just one such example. He was strict about holiness in all areas of life, but one - that is Biblical finance. Many in the modern western Church have indeed this same kind of mindset which seeks holiness in all areas of life, but totally disregarding holiness in handling one's finances, have a vile liberal attitude towards money and finance. How do I know? The way so many Christians speak about holiness and strive for holiness in all areas of life, except for finance.
You may argue that finance is just an earthly issue, and so Biblical thinking is not needed regarding finance. So are family, children and work, which you will not take with you in eternity, nor have eternal value, if you didn't already know that. Are you going to say that Biblical thinking is not needed regarding such things?
Jesus spoke much about money. You may ask, how? You seriously need to re-read the Gospels again if you think that. He affirmed the widow with the two mites who gave all she had (Luke 21:1-4), He stated that no one can serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24), He told His disciples not to worry about their earthly needs (Matthew 6:24-34), He spoke about counting the cost of discipleship (Luke 14:25-34), and in particular, giving up all you have, not just to the rich young ruler, but to anyone who wants to follow Him (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:33). These verses all speak directly or indirectly about money.
The Bible does have much to say about how one handles one's possessions. These multiple passages in the Bible have indeed been ignored by many in the modern Church and not understood for what they really mean. If one is to truly obey God, one is to obey the whole counsel of God, not just part, most or almost all of it. One is to obey all of it, whether one understands it, or finds it comfortable or not. Such as person who does not do so is worthy of dying in Hell, and nothing else, for it is to refuse to give God all the glory He deserves. It is to be as those described in Romans 1:21-23:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
You may be infuriated, at such a claim, and say that you are a true Christian. However, even so, a true convert may be unsanctified in some areas, and still think that he is entitled to ignore parts of the Bible that his flesh hates, or argue against it, all without realising it. If you want to contend this, just look at all the arguments among those of the modern Church regarding the issues of submission to governments, wives' submission to husbands and women pastors.
If you want to contend this claim, just look at all the arguments caused by those who find certain select verses hard to accept, placing emphasis on others, such as God's love, God's grace, and the commandment to husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, at the expense of other truths in the Bible. Such people are unstable and ignorant people who speak unprofitable things, as opposed to profitable things, stirring up conflict in the Church, and hindering its work.
That is why the Bible says: "But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain" (Titus 3:9) and "Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers" (2 Timothy 2:14). It is to warn about such people who stir up strife, by sprouting the garbage doctrines, doctrines of demons, which do not outright deny the Word of God, but mix truth with error, and minimising or downplaying God's Word, on issues such as submission, usury, and not seeking one's earthly needs.
Many in the modern Church have completely forgotten that how one handles one's possession and money is literally an indicator of one's heart. It is a heart issue, one in which the Christian must strive to be holy and righteous, "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21). They have forgotten because they are so caught up with seeking their earthly needs, instead of trusting God to provide. In doing so, they fail to obey Jesus' command in Matthew 6:25 to not worry about one's earthly needs, which is a command, not an opinion, view, suggestion or advice.
As a result, they do not and cannot focus on what truly matters, and seek to stir up arguments by sprouting their evil garbage, such as downplaying or minimising God's command to submit to governments, employers and husbands, or not seeking one's earthly needs.
The result of a mammonised Church is a cesspool of rubbish foolish doctrines, and doctrines of demons. Such doctrines are all too appealing because they feed on the flesh. Tolerance or such doctrines, which seek to contextualise, minimise or read in something into the Word of God is a manifestation of those who live for the flesh, or succumb to it in the case of the true Christian, seeking their earthly needs.
Just as a person either serves God or mammon (Matthew 6:24), he either serves God or himself (Romans 2:11). Therefore, a person who serves himself serve mammon, who he serves by living for his flesh. Such a person does not fully accept the whole counsel of God, seeking to find ways to twist or circumvent it.
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