Christian Living

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Justified by Jesus' Blood, Not by Legalism
Deut. 14:26; Judges 9:13; Psalms 104:15; Jeremiah 35:1-10, 18-19; Amos 9:13-14; Matt. 26:29; Luke 7:34-35; John 2:1-11; Romans 14: 3,13-23; I Corinthians 8:8-13; 10:23-33; Ephesians 2:8-9; I Thes. 5:22; I Tim. 4:3-5; 5:23; Hebrews 4:16; and 10:19

Oh, how wearisome to God's people, all the man-made legalism they encounter in church. Things like clothesline Christianity. One group puts you down if you don’t appear prosperous; another teaches you can earn God's favor by keeping an austere set of rules: no jewelry or make-up, no haircuts for women. Some people have even been warned that taking an occasional glass of wine is a one-way ticket to hell. Legalists are always tongue-tied when they’re reminded that Jesus’ first miracle was to turn water into wine, and the fact that no respectable Jewish wedding would have been held without plenty of wine for the guests. Christ Himself drank ceremonial wine before His crucifixion and promised His disciples that He would one day drink of the fruit of the vine with them again in His Kingdom.

God detests excess which leads to drunkenness, but each believer must grow mature enough to hear God's Voice for Himself in exactly where to set his or her own boundaries in partaking of things which are not intrinsically evil, but could give rise to controversy. Only Jesus is the Good Shepherd and it is up to us as individuals to be sensitive to His leading as to the refreshments and entertainments we allow into our lives.

While a parent might closely supervise a toddler and tell him to stay away from dangerous areas of the house, an adolescent or adult cannot depend on his parents to dictate all his actions. A pastor should not seek to control every aspect of his people’s lives, but he should guide them in the principles of godly wisdom. There are those whom God might command to totally abstain from strong beverages of every sort, for these weak souls would be overpowered by even a sip of wine.

As for those who enforce a blanket prohibition of all wine consumption upon their congregation because Paul was willing to give it up if it caused offense, they should consider that Paul also was willing to give up meat, which in the context of that ancient society was suspect because of possible contamination by idols. Does this mean that all God's children should be vegetarians as well as teetolallers? Remember also Paul’s advice to Timothy to use wine as a tonic for his stomach ailments. It would be easy enough to dismiss that as being a on-off relaxation of the rules on the basis that Pepto Bismol hadn't been invented yet. But Scripture abounds with suggestions that whenever God blessed ancient Israel, He also blessed the grape harvest. Among the many blessings God promised ancient Israel was a bountiful vintage of wine grapes, along with a bumper crop of wheat for bread-making.

Some justify imposing a total ban on congregational wine-drinking by citing the example set by the Rechabites. These people were commanded by Jonadab, son of Rechab, never to indulge in wine or even to plant vineyards. This porhibition also would have excluded table grapes from their diet. The Rechabites were also commanded not to possess any real estate in the land, nor to sow seed or build houses. They were to remain tent-dwelling nomads. Jonadab's descendants are cited in Scripture as a godly example of obedience to wise parental counsel. Don't allow strong drink in the first place and there is zero risk of alcohol-related problems. Also, by staying out of the real estate market, the Rechabites did not come under bondage to the perils of covetousness by getting a small piece of the pie and coveting still more. Unlike materialistic modern society, they did not make the acquisition of earthly possessions their chief goal in life. In a world where so few honored their parents in a spirit of obedience, Jeremiah the prophet spoke God's words of approval upon the Rechabites. They were promised that they would never lack for a man to stand in God's Presence, because they obeyed their father.

But if you claim to be followers of Jonadab, you must be consistent. Don't plant farmland. Don't even own any farmland. Don't build yourself a house. Dwell in a tent instead. Don't even eat grapes or raisins, because then you would be endorsing a product Jonadab forbade His own children to plant, and it would mean someone else had to "sin" by planting the source of the grapes you ate, the forbidden vineyard. Always exercise godly wisdom and sanctified common sense in how you apply God Word.

Always walk in the higher law of God's Love and be guided by God's Spirit of Love. Do nothing to provoke another believer who honestly believes the thing you enjoy is sin. Christ has called you to liberty and will withhold no legitimate enjoyment from you, but remember how highly God esteems your brother’s soul. If he joins you in partaking of something he THINKS is sinful, to him it IS sinful! These are perilous times, beloved, and appearing drunk can damage your testimony. Hard liquor in particular has acquired a bad reputation as devil’s brew, since much crime, family breakup and domestic violence has sprung from its consumption. The problem of discernment arises when you're around weak souls who are just as offended by mild wines and beer as strong whiskey. It would be far better to just have soft drinks at a party than to stir up needless contention by boasting that you have no qualms about indulging in beer or wine. God's Spirit imparts such peace and joy to saints that they really don't need the transitory euphoria provided by alcoholic beverages.

Be sensitive to the needs of others. Remember to avoid all apearance of evil. Avoid satan's slippery snares. What kind of testimony is it when a Christian believer dresses seductively, then goes to a bar to join cursing, swearing sinners in their rowdy behavior? Is that edifying to the Christ within you? Keep in mind that it’s your responsibility to set a godly example for the young people of whatever fellowship you attend. We will all be held accountable for how diligent we were to make personal decisions in the light of Christ’s Love.

What really must grieve God is that so many think that their abstinence from harmless amusements like ball games or sports, or from certain adornments, foods and mild beverages makes it more likely that they will beat you to the gates of heaven. That is robbing God of Glory, because He deserves all the praise for providing the only perfect Way of Salvation in Christ Jesus. When Jesus finished making provision for our total salvation in His death, burial and resurrection, it needed nothing more added to it . It is only through the Blood of the Lamb sprinkled upon the Mercy Seat in heaven that anyone can freely approach God's Presence in Prayer. It is CHRIST Who makes ua acceptable to God the Holy Father, not legalistic dietary habits or plain dress.

[email protected] http://www.kingdomageministry.com

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