First, in the last post I quoted Patty who said "Also, if more people truly knew and believed in Christ and lived for him, think of how much less evil would be in the world."
She has a great point with that. If men feared God more there would be a lot less evil. Period. I don't mean those that pose as Christians either. Yes, we all know evil exists, but that is only because of weak cowardice people out there that want to honor evil instead of God. It started with Adam. If he only kept the promises he made with God, we wouldn't be here in the first place.
"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." ~Matthew 10:28
Remember in days past when a man would shake another man's hand as a solid gesture, a promise, to each other? You could, literally, buy a car with merely a hand shake. There was an honor among men that wanted to be fair and righteous. What happened in the USA in these few short years? Today you need a team lawyers to just decipher the terms of agreement for a simple software program downloaded or a credit card. What happened?
The Bible explains best what it mean to be a man.
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners [act as sinners do], nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." ~ Psalm 1:6
Bahnsen puts it this way:
"There are two and only two classes of men. There are those who worship and serve the creature and there are those who worship and serve the creator. There are covenant breakers and there are covenant keepers. In all of man's activity, in their philosophical and scientific enterprises as well as in their worship, men are either covenant keepers or covenant breakers." ~ Greg Bahnsen, VanTil's Apologetics, pg. 66
Like Bahnsen pointed out, there are two camps here. A man that will honor his word and keep the promises he made to God and others. A true man that will strive to honor what is right in the eyes of God, not man or self. A man that loves his neighbor, has respect towards his mother and woman, and honors God.
The other is not fit to be called a man. The other camp is the guy who will stab his friend in the back. Will certainly overpower the weak. That will go against what is the right thing, for mere selfish gain. That is probably disrespectful to his mother and to woman. That hides behind his lawyers instead of doing the right thing. That will not honor his own promises.
Now, if you considered yourself at one time in your life to be a Christian and now you are not, then you are part of this latter camp of weakness and are clueless of what being a man is really about.
God's Word simply declares that this is God's plan of salvation; 1. Hear the WORD of God. 2. Believe that Jesus is the Messiah. 3. Repent of your ways that are contrary to God's will. 4. Be Baptized INTO Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 5. Remain faithful to the Covenant you have made with God.
Like Augustine said, credo ut intelligam "I believe in order to understand."
So what is it going to be? Are you going to be a covenant breaker or a covenant keeper?
"Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." ~ Romans 13:13
Patty's right. Man up!
"If it's right and you don't want to do it—you don't know what right is and you're not a man." ~ Ayn Rand, Atheist.
bit.ly/Manup
