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Love, Joy and Peace
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23). There is a great deal being said about establishing Love, Joy, and Peace in society, and or in the religious realm: a noble pursuit. However, when expressed, what is said, and what is heard?
It would be an interesting study (if it could be so called), concerning what people are seeking to accomplish. However, the twisting and turning of the scriptures to justify lifestyles, manipulation in the religious realm to justify the vainglory of life and altering the futures of children for an all-mighty dollar. Perverting the scriptures to authorize eight gender designations (The Eight Genders in the Talmud | My Jewish Learning), support the LBGTQ agenda (LGBTQ-Affirming Scripture | St. Hugh Episcopal | Elgin, IL (sthugh.net)), and debate the doctrine of women pastors (Does the Bible Allow Women to be Pastors? Answers to Common Objections · Knowing Jesus Ministries). Some of which rest their arguments on the character of those who practice them, i.e., “What’s That Smell? It’s a Practice That Stinks … And it is much more than that. The practice—complete and total prohibition of girls and women from speaking, leading, and actively serving in the worship service, etc.—is (1) sex discrimination on display, in a worship service to a loving God no less (2) done despite some people recognizing that sex discrimination can be harmful to girls (3) impairing to the witness of the church (4) a scourge on the church (5) contrary to scripture (6) like racial discrimination (7) like insisting black people not speak in the assembly or teach when white people are present.
It is odoriferous. It stinks. It reeks. The smell gets into the clothing. It gets into the furniture. It’s in our hair. It hangs in the air.
But Churches of Christ Folks Have Gotten Used to the Smell, We’ve just gotten used to the smell.
The good people before us and around us did it and do it, so it has become normalized. It’s simply a tradition, referenced back to a few sentences in the Bible out of context, largely without thought. It is time to clear our heads, take a deep breath, and see what the air smells like. And then do something about it.” (10 Churches of Christ Closing Monthly, Doubling Rate, Treatment of Girls and Women Factor – Authentic Theology). Rational Debate? Not likely.
Word of caution: If you plan to wrestle with a pig in its own mud hole, before butchering, make sure the fella with the weapon can tell which one to shoot.
LBGTQ – One view of an LBGTQ adherent: “I’m a gay member of the LBGTQ community. Pride makes me feel an explosion of love in my chest that makes me tear up...Pride means love, acceptance, love, joy, peace, love.”
Biblical – What saith the scriptures: Gal. 5:22-23
Love - "Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all, Rom_15:2, and works no ill to any, Rom_13:8-10; love seeks opportunity to do good to 'all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith,' Gal_6:10. See further 1 Corinthians 13 and Col_3:12-14" (Vine’s).
Joy: is the fruit of the Spirit. Being the fruit of the Spirit is that which is produced by the Spirit, i.e., spiritual, and contrary to the “works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19). Thus, “And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof” (Vs. 24). Therefore, “If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk” (Vs. 25). The “joy” is that which comes from the direction of the Spirit, not a result of living according to “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 Jn. 2:16).
Peace: Not peace within oneself, nor with one’s fellowman, but rather, “Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2). ret
- Love_Joy_Peace.pdf (86.09 kB)
