|
Abounding in Love
The indented
sentences are from the book, Perhaps Today, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B.
Jenkins
"When
Jesus raptured His church, this man’s girlfriend would be taken and he would
be left behind."
God's word is clear
that Christians must not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. This
should have been stated in another sentence somewhere in this devotional so that
Christians and seekers alike would not be led to believe that dating an
unbeliever is acceptable to God. A Christian woman dating an unbeliever, which
is an unequal yoke and in disobedience to the Word of God, (See 2 Cor. 2:14)
would have been raptured? This statement implies this behavior is acceptable to
God because "this man's girlfriend would be taken and he would be left behind."
"Then an
amazing thing happened. As he walked down the aisle, an overpowering sense
of love came over him. His long-term anger for the person he believed to be
a hypocrite was washed away. The Spirit had cleansed his sin and replaced
his animosity with love."
It is necessary to
use the Bible phrase, "Holy Spirit" rather than the generic, "The Spirit." The
Holy Spirit definitely refers to God, but the phrase, "The Spirit" does not
necessarily mean God, even if you put a capital "S" to the word spirit. The
Spirit could mean any kind of spirit, either an evil spirit or the Holy Spirit.
It is very important to clarify which Spirit one is talking about. This
ambiguous use of the phrase, "The Spirit" is unnecessary and confusing. Every
religion, including the New Age Movement, worships spirits, but there is only
one Holy Spirit.
"The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is the HOLY SPIRIT. Saints are washed,
sanctified, and justifed in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our
God." (1 Cor. 6:11)
"Paul
knew the dark captivity of the Greco-Roman religion. These gods were base
deities indeed. They were gods who thrived on hate, jealousy, and pride."
People who are not
familiar with the Bible need to be told that there is only one real God, and he
is the Most High God of the Holy Bible. The "gods" referred to here are merely
devils masquerading as God. They are called deities because they are worshipped
by those deceived into thinking they are genuine, but there is only one
true deity, only one Supreme Being and he is the the Most High God, the
possessor of heaven and earth. (See Gen. 14:20)
The word "gods," used
so many times in scripture, refers to the evil spirits worshipped by the heathen
who did not know the one, true God. They were even worshipped by the Jews who
did know the one true God, but committed spiritual adultery and ran after these
heathen gods and so were able to blend in with the world around much more
easily. These gods are supernatural, and that impresses their followers, but
they are only created beings and not the Creator. They are all evil, no matter
how good they can make their followers feel at times. Remember, these gods are
evil spirits who deceive people into worshipping them instead of
God, so they can bring as many with them to hell as possible.
Perhaps Today Devotional Critiques |