Page 967-968 … Who deceiving whom?
“Justifying and deceiving ourselves can make us believe that we are absolutely right in our behavior, and that kind of thinking often leads to further sin.”
Lucy, you have once again inadvertently illuminated my own primary point! We do indeed so often deceive ourselves into beliving that we are correct in our behaviors – and our beliefs – and our judgments of the behaviors & beliefs of others! (sound familiar? ) … And how do we know when we have stumbled into this trap, my Friend? How do we know when we have deceived ourselves in this way? In other words, how do we know whether or not we are actually following the Will of the all-Loving Father?
Well, fortunately, the Bible itself gives us a potent answer – in the form of a fool-proof bellwether for knowing morality and identifying goodness and determining Right Action. And this test is known as …… the FRUIT OF THE TREE!
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit … Thus you will know them by their fruits.”
~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:15-20)
Indeed, as any “good Christian” knows, the Bible itself tells us that “The Word of God is living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) and that we must therefore test the many different interpretations of the Scriptures to see which ones bear the best “Fruits” (see 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Matthew 7:15-20, Luke 12:57, John 7:24, Romans 7:22, 2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 John 4:1) – and thereby know which ones are true reflections of the will of Jesus’ all-Loving Father in Heaven (see Matthew 21:43, Galatians 5:22-23 & Matthew 5:48) … With this in mind, it might be helpful for you & yours to humble yourselves long enough to examine the Fruits from our two very different interpretations of the Scriptures – at least long enough to humbly consider the following:
Fruit #01) Your interpretation of the Bible gives us a Heaven “above” consisting of only one “mansion” – a mansion with many rooms, yes, and yet a mansion reserved for only those who have been “saved” according to the teachings of Paul. Everyone else – mortal sinners (unrepentant and repentant alike), believers in other gods &/or followers of other religions, and even Followers of The Way of Christ like Vanessa & I – will all be condemned to spend the rest of eternity suffering in Hell …
In contrast, my equally valid interpretation has everyone reaping exactly what they sow and only what they sow (suffering commensurate with every sin, and Joy commensurate with every service) before being ultimately welcomed into the ever-open arms of an all-Loving Father thereafter (see the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32 + the excerpt from The Apocalypse of Peter on the bottom of page 392). It champions a God whose Grace is far greater than my own, and a God who exudes a Love that is truly “perfect” – just as Jesus says it is.
“In my Father’s house there are an enormous plentitude [Strong’s #483] of dwelling places.” ~ Jesus Christ (John 14:2)
Fruit #02) Your interpretation of the Bible shows a God whose Forgiveness is limited to those who worship Him appropriately (&/or who confess their sins correctly) – leaving billions of others to be shunned for an eternity of torment, simply because they (often inadvertently) chose to not satisfy His petty demands for adoration &/or penitence …
In contrast, my equally valid interpretation of the Scriptures has everyone – after reaping only what they have sown – being ultimately forgiven for their transgressions. And this makes perfect sense, for if we are commanded to become “humble as a child” and to forgive everyone completely & infinitely (as Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:3-4 + Matthew 18:21-22), then surely God’s Humility & God’s Forgiveness can be no less than the same.
“Not merely seven times [must you forgive your brother], but seventy times seven times [with 70 meaning “everyone”, a la the 70 tribes of humanity mentioned in Genesis 10, and 7 meaning “perfectly & infinitely”, the symbolic meaning of that number for the Jews in Jesus’ day] … Be merciful, just as your heavenly Father is merciful.” ~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:22 & Luke 6:36)
Fruit #03) Thirdly & finally, your interpretation of the Bible shows a God whose Love is given conditionally to the very few – turning a cold shoulder and a hardened heart upon the billions of “mortal sinners” & “unbelievers” who would also love to receive His affection and who would also love to share His company …
In contrast, my equally valid interpretation has God’s LOVE raining down upon us all in perpetuity – upon every unjust dictator as well as every noble freedom fighter; upon every unrepentant sinner as well as every righteous Follower; upon every blasphemous heretic as well as every devout believer. It is a LOVE so great that it is seen as a “mystery” (see Job 11:7) – called “Grace upon Grace” (see John 1:16) – and known as absolute “perfection” (see Matthew 5:48); without any condition or expectation or hope or flaw. For if we ourselves are commanded by Christ to Love in this very manner, how can God’s LOVE be any less?
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be Children of your Father in Heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you merely love those who love you, what reward do you have? … Be perfect [in Love], therefore, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” ~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:44-48)
So, my dear Friend, with this all in mind, I ask you: Who is truly the one deceiving themselves here? Who has incorrectly convinced him/herself that condemning the sins of others is indeed in harmony with the all-merciful & all-Loving will of the Father?
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