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hearrs , we are not Christians. And ir
is love rhar will lead us co keep God's
Ten Commandmenrs -
all
of rheml
"Love worketh no ill co bis neigh–
bour: rherefore !ove is che
fulfil.ling of
the lauJ'
(Rom. 13:10).
God inspired John ro con fi rm chis
facr furrher, when he wroce, "For chis
is (bere is che Bible definition of
!ove] che !ove of God, tbac we
keep his
commandments:
and his command–
menrs are not grievous" ( I John 5:3).
To hunger and chirsc for righreous–
ness is ro yearn, ro scrive, ro scruggle
fervently co be o bedienr to God - co
keep His laws, wbich are given in
love, for our good.
Those who are rruly hungering and
rbirsri ng fo r righreousness will be
srudying constanrly for new light,
being willing ro change wben rbey
see they've beco wrong, admitring
rbeir wrong bel iefs, rheir mistakes,
rbeir sins. "Srudy ro sbew rhyself
approved unto God" (II T im. 2:15),
wrote Paul to Timotby. "Prove al!
rh ings" (l Tbes. 5:21) Paul said ro
rhe Thessalonians.
Do modern Chrisrians really know
rheir Bibles? Are most professing
Cbrisrians you know srudying dili–
gendy, searching rhe Scriprures daily,
as rhe Bereans did (Acrs
17:11),
hun–
gering and rhirsting for God's righ–
reousness ? Are most professing
Chr istians you know praying, fasting,
gerring closer ro God dai ly by a con–
srant conracr wirh His Word' "Thy
word is
truth"
(John
17:17)
s:~id
J esus. Bur mosr "modern" Chrisrians
don'c even know what His Word
says.
You would be amazed ro realize a
vasr percenrage of professing Chris–
tians can't even name che first four
Gospels. Tbey don'r know che Bible
- rhey aren't srudying che Bible -
because rhey don'r really hunger and
rhirsr for ir.
Do you? I f you really are "hun–
gering and rhirsring" for righceous–
ness, you' ll be doing as rhe o nes Jesus
described in Marchew's 13 th chapter.
You'll be like the merchant who sold
all ro gain che one pearl of grear
32
price. You ' ll
be
like rhe man who
found che rreasure in the field, and
sold everyrhing ro buy thar one field.
Are you like rhat ? Mosr professing
Chrisrians roday are noc. If you wanr
ro really begin to underscand your
Bible berter, ro really sce
ir
made
gripping, inreresring - chen writc for
rhe
Ambas.rador College Correspondence
Corase.
Ir's free of rui rion - no
charge wharever. You can have ir free,
if you really hunger for ir!
Yes, here's anorher grear opposi ce.
Insread of hu ngering and rhirsring
for God's Word, mosr professing
Chriscians hunger and rh irsr for physi–
cal chings, for sarisfaction of che p hys–
ical senses. Insread of underscanding
che rruth abo uc God's Law - rhar
His perfecc L1w is rhe way ro rig h–
reousness, mosr believe His holy Law
has been done away. lnsread of believ–
ing rhe srraighforward staremenr of
Chrisr char He did nor come ro
desrroy the L1w. mosr believe che
exact opposi re, char He did come ro
desrroy i t!
How urredy differenc is tbe real
rrurh of your Biblc.
.. Blessed Are the
Merciful"
Surely you know what ir means ro
be merciful. Buc when do you ever
really show merey? lc's one chjog to
agree racicly wirh Scripture, and
another thing ro put ir inco pracrice!
James said, "But be ye doers of rhe
word, and nor bearers only, deceiving
your own selves" (James 1:22). He
also wrore, "For whosocver sball keep
che whole law, and yer offend in one
poinr, he is g uilty of all" (James
2:10).
God says His mercies endure for–
ever. Bur when do you ever have an
opporrunity ro show merey?
It is merciful ro give inscead of ger.
Ir is merciful ro say norhing ar all
about someone, if you can't say some–
rh ing good abour rhem. I r is merciful
ro forgive a debt or obligarion, rarher
rhan rake a brocher inro courc over ir.
Ir is merciful ro crear all orhers as you
wanr chem ro rreat you.
Are most Christians merciful
roday? Is ir showing merey ro an
enemy ro senda bullet plunging into
his virals' Is ir showing merey ro
envy. ro bate. ro kilP
C hri sr mean
e
w h ac He said!
" Blessed are rhe merciful: for rhey
shall
obtain
merey" (Marc. 5 7) . He
sbows furcher whar He means when
He gives an oucline for prayer
~n
che
"Lord's prayer." ' 'And forgive us our
debes,
AS
[and only as - in rhe same
measure as] we forgive our debtors"
(Mace. 6: 12).
" B lessed Are the Pure
in H eart"
But rhere aren't many of rhose
around roday! Paul wrore, "Un co rhe
pure all rhings are pure: bur unto
rhem rhat are defiJed and unbelievi ng
is norhing pure; bur even rheir mind
and conscience is defi led" (Ticus
1: 15).
Nowhere, ir seems, is chere more
deba te, en vy, ridicu le. argumen
e,
deceit, hypocrisy and disagreemenc
rhan among sorne who make a profes–
sion of religion. More wars have been
fought in rhe name of religion than
for any orher reason. More people
have been bucchered, hanged, burned,
wantonly slaughrered in che name of
religion than for any o cher reason.
Jerem iah reveals thar " rhe hean is
deceirful above all things, and desper–
arely wicked : who can know ir?" Oer.
17:9.) An individual wirh rhe natural,
physical, carnal mind has a defiled
mind . He sees evi l motives rarher
rhan good ones. he sees wrong impl i–
carions behind evecy acrion, he sees
suggesrive or shab b y meanings
behind ochers ' words. Paul said, "The
carnal mind is enrniry againsc God :
for ir is nor subject ro che law of
God, neirher indeed can be" (Rom.
8:7) . The carnal mind is a resenrful.
defianr mi nd - a mind wh ich is hos–
ri le ro God and His perfecr laws, and
a mind with defiled conscience!
lt's abou t rime we began ro wake
up and qu it " kidding" ourselves we're
converred when many who sincerely
believe they're "Chrisrians" have
PLAIN TRUTH November 1972