As we nitpick and judge fellow Christians, with no right to judge any man quite frankly, we are literally fulfilling the devils desire and God's warning given us in Galatians 5:15 - not to mention making fools of ourselves and the Christian faith.
Galatians 5:15 (NLT) "But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another," and so it is!
And to further point out our need to mind God's word:
2 Timothy 2:16 (NLT) tells us "Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior."
2 Timothy 2:23 (NLT) tells us "Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights."
Proverbs 26:4 (NLT) tells us "Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are."
Matthew 7:1 (NLT) tells us “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged."
James 4:11 (NLT) tells us "Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law."
In a world upside down in more ways than we can count as of December 2022, when possible, I try to point people in the direction of the inerrant and infallible living word of Jesus Christ Living God, the Holy Bible, mainly that He is trying to get our attention, daily, to draw us closer to Him and further from the world spewing fear into all, including the Christian who should, but if not, can know we are invincible in Jesus.
And when aiming to reach the unsaved, I use the following four scriptures, always from the NLT (New Living Translation) bible, which I find to be most relatable because of ease to hear and comprehend.
John 3:16, "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
John 11:25 "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying."
John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."
Romans 10:9 "If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Recently, another 'perfect' Christian corrected me, informing me that I am wrong to use words that are not of God, or not from a reliable translation; some even telling me that I am of the devil and deceiving the world and the Christian.
If frank, I'd like to reach into the screen and strangle these people, because of their un-Christ-like example. Instead, I aim to direct them to a couple sound resources (HERE | HERE) that can help them see that there is no such conspiracy taking place within the translations - simply not enough to discredit or to be seen as 'NOT BEING GOD,' and merely an overall effort to take us from Shakespearian or first century vocabulary, to a layman or more common language as spoken today.
From experience, and plenty of it, 1 in maybe 100 North American Christians will actually listen and learn; the other 99 will keep right on talking as though having all the answers and leave the conversation head high and proud. God teaches in Proverbs 29:20 "There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking," and in Proverbs 3:7 "Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil."
With years of examples, most Christians will run around with a couple memorized scriptures, pretending to have all the answers, lashing out at fellow Christians who may or may not know anymore than themselves, which is not of Jesus, but evil - all part of the devils plan to destroy the Christian faith from inside out, as God warn us in Galatians 5:15 noted above.
What is the difference of this pompous Christian activity, knowing little to nothing, and a student leaving Lobotomy Studies after the first semester and taking on the title of a certified Lobotomist Brain Surgeon?
From the book of wisdom alone:
Proverbs 1:7 (NLT) Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 10:17 (NLT) People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.
Proverbs 12:1 (NLT) To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.
Proverbs 13:1 (NLT) A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline; a mocker refuses to listen to correction.
Proverbs 13:18 (NLT) If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored.
Proverbs 15:5 (NLT) Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise.
Proverbs 15:32 (NLT) If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.
So, Christians! Stop nitpicking & judging fellow Christians, because it makes fools out of you, me, and the Christian faith - the only truth that can secure a person's soul for all eternity.
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