“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness that is in the Law, blameless” (Philippians 3:5-6).
There seems to be a consensus amongst the leaders of post-modern Christianity that God overlooks the sins of Christians; this is based upon a reading of Paul’s epistles that misunderstands what he was really talking about.
Paul was a Jew and it would never have occurred to him that he had to emphasise the importance of obedience; he was brought up in the Law and obedience to God’s word was second nature to him.
Today, what passes for faith is little more than belief, mixed with a strong desire to be right and compounded by religious optimism, all the work of the mystery of lawlessness; but real faith is not the stuff that dreams are made of; on the contrary, it is tough and demanding and altogether challenging to the basic nature of human beings.
“But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
How simple is the gospel! Jesus summed it all up here in this simple message; “seek first”. The verb is in the imperative, by the way.
We are not told to seek His gifts or His blessing, but to seek Him! It is only in Him that all our needs can be fulfilled; and not just our needs but our wants, because in Him even our wants are sanctified and we only want what He wants.
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