Romans 14:4 … To help them Stand (05/13/17)
“Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own Lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for God is able to help them stand.” ~ Paul (Romans 14:4)
Paul’s flagrant hypocrisy here (he was an avid fan of condemning all who didn’t believe as he did – see 1 Corinthians 5:4-5, 1 Corinthians 10:20, 1 Corinthians 16:22, Galatians 5:12 et al) is reflective of his over-arching malleability (see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, especially “I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some” ~ 1 Corinthians 9:22b) and is in stark contrast (once again) to Jesus unwavering professions about The Way and the Law (see Matthew 5:17-18, Matthew 5:40-48, Matthew 19:3-4, Matthew 19:21, Matthew 23, Matthew 24:12.14 et al).
Paul also believed that God was an external entity able to “help them stand” from above, whereas Jesus knew that his Father resided within (John 14:20), and thus “helped them stand” every single morning – in every single moment when a difficult deed was done or a challenging sacrifice was made for others (John 13:15-17).
Paul also assumes that there is a divine judgment of sorts – one that will be rectified by God-inspired proper behavior (in his case, agreeing with his self-made Doctrine of Atonement – see 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 & Romans 10:9 et al) – and yet one involving celestial judgment nonetheless (see Romans 2:16, Romans 12:19, Romans 14:10-12 et al). Jesus, in marked contrast, quite openly stated that God would not judge anyone (John 5:22); that God was a Divine Essence of a perfect Love fully beyond punishment of any kid (Matthew 5:48 + 1 John 4:18); that God’s mercy was absolute (Luke 6:36), and that the Grace of his Forgiveness was equally so (Matthew 18:21-22).
In addition, Paul diverged from Jesus in his acceptance of other gods whenever it served his manipulative purpose (an offshoot of his insanely low level of self-esteem – see Romans 3:23, Romans 7:18, Romans 8:21-23 et al), while Jesus openly noted the only divinity that anyone should focus upon was the One God who resided within every single sentient Soul (see Mark 10:18, John 5:41, John 7:16, John 8:50-54, John 12:44 et al) – and we should all show that Divine Essence honor by acting as a courageously Loving agent thereof for all those nearby in need (see Matthew 22:37-40, Matthew 25:35-40 et al).
Amen … Let it be so.
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