The Mountain: Radical Love

In our second reposting from the paraphrased chronological harmony of the four gospels, by Frank Boulet we look once more at the central message of Jesus which is simply this:

 Love God by loving people, even your enemies.

with From Guestwriters we do want to spread this message of love and want to get enough people to see how we do have to control ourselves first before we can try to get a better world.

Our aim is also that those who come along our site, shall make the effort to read the appropriate Bible text and shall take time to meditate on the material.

Insofar as they convey that message, these meditations may be helpful as an introduction to the complete texts of the New Testament, or for daily devotional reading.

Those who call themselves Christian always should remember that they have to be followers of Christ longing for God’s Spirit to feed them. They cannot be called Christian when they do not keep to the laws and teachings Christ adhered to.

The spirit that God wants reflected to the world by your life is revealed in the law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets. {The Mountain: God’s Word}

As believers in Christ we do have to be believers in the One True God and become children of Him.

In order to live as God’s child, you must be faithful to the essential spirit of God’s word. {The Mountain: God’s Word}

It was on a mountain that Jesus began giving examples of the spirit of God’s Word. From that sermon on the mountain we should get to know that our faith needs those works Jesus spoke about.

As a Christians we should not only have a good relationship with Christ Jesus, but also with God and God His creatures.

If you’re about to worship God in any way, and you remember an unsettled dispute with another person, first go & make peace with that person, and then return to worship God. {The Mountain: Anger}

As a Christian we should follow Christ’s teachings and God’s commandments.

God’s law says, do not engage in sexual cheating (meaning sexual relations are to be enjoyed only with your husband or wife). {The Mountain: Sexual Cheating}

This means we have to be faithful to the partner we have chosen to share our life with. That faithfulness demands control and requires acts of love. The keeping our minds focused on the right persons is one of the works we do have to do. Because we should know that we may not even look with lust at a woman, because for God that is considered the same as sexual cheating in your heart!

We also should be careful which words  we use and what sort of promises we make.

It has also been said, ‘Do not break your promise to God.’

But I say, do not even make promises to God.

Yes we are told not to promise by heaven, by the earth, by Jerusalem, not even by your own head, because it’s sinful to try to add emphasis to your promises in that way.

We should not do the wrong things but the right things and as such

Instead of promising to do what God says, just do what God says. {The Mountain: Promises to God}

We also may not seek revenge against any other person, which again shall demand control of ourselves and not getting into anger which would bring us to do wrong.

Jesus gives an indication how in our relation to others we should care for them and even be willing to go with them.

If a soldier demands that you carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles.

Whenever another person asks you for something, give it to him.

Whenever another person wants to borrow something, lend it to him.

Matthew 5:38-42

Also to love your enemies we shall need to be stronger than the first reaction most people get against their enemies or to those they hate.

Jesus concluded:

Instead of being like everybody else, God wants you to love perfectly — just as God himself loves perfectly. (Matthew 5:43-48) {The Mountain: Loving Enemies}

Living for God in this life means you need to have different goals than most people.

For instance, you must love your enemies. {The Mountain: Radical Love}

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We should remember

• things essential to gain all of God’s blessings:

• Admitting + Mourning self-inflicted spiritual poverty.
• Regretting your self-inflicted separation from God.
• Desiring to live God’s way
• Expecting & accepting trouble living God’s way will bring in this life.

• Living for yourself in this life will never lead to God’s blessings in the next life:

Then the author says:

• • goal in this life to be rich => poor in the next life.

• • goal in this life to be full => hungry in the next life.

• • goal in this life to be happy => sad in the next life.

• • goal in this life for other people to speak well of you => no one will speak well of you in the next life.

But with death we have paid for our sins and then there comes an end to our life. When we die it shall be too late to do anything. there shall be no “next life”, except the life we shall continue to live on this earth in this system of things when we have done wrong and do not repent, or after Armageddon and the judgement when we shall be rejected or receive the entrance to God’s Kingdom, being able to live in the restored ‘Garden of Eden‘, the paradise, God’s Kingdom.

It is here, now or never that we shall have to do and make it. Several parables of Christ show us how for many it will be too late for them to change anything for their entrance in the Kingdom of God … they just shall miss it … because they have not done the required works to be saved.

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Preceding articles

Illusion of control

First man’s task still counting today

He who knows himself, is kind to others

Luther’s misunderstanding

January 27, 417, Pope Innocent I condemning Pelagius about Faith and Works

Our life depending on faith

Romans 4 and the Sacraments

Is Justification a process?

Letter to the Romans, chapter 3

Letter to the Romans, chapter 4

Additional comments to the 3rd Letter to the Romans

Additional comments to the Letter to the Romans 4

Comments to James remarks, about Faith and works

The Mountain: Radical Obedience

Restitution

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Also of interest

1. יהוה , YHWH and Love: Four-letter words
2. Creator and Blogger God 3 Lesson and solution
3. Christ’s ethical teaching
4. The business of this life
5. The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
6. Running away from the past
7. Be holy
8. Love for each other attracting others
9. The Greatest of These is Love
10. Unconditional love
11. Love is like playing the piano
12. Agape, a love to share with others from the Fruit of the Spirit
13. Relying on the Love of God
14. No person has greater love than this one who surrendered his soul in behalf of his friends
15. Work with joy and pray with love
16. The Spirit of God imparts love,inspires hope, and gives liberty
17. We love because he first loved us
18. Malefactors becoming your master
19. 112314 – A Peculiar People
20. Be ye angry and sin not
21. She who sows thistles will reap prickles
22. He who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger
23. Singing gift from God
24. God does not change

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Further related articles

1. “Week One Reflection” by Dr.J. 2016 Fast Post 19
2. The Difference Between Healthy And Unhealthy Shame
3. God Can Set You Free From Your Shame
4. The Surprising Key to Increasing Your Willpower
5. How to gain self-control & self-discipline
6. Control When It Counts
7. Bible study: Blessed are the meek: For they shall inherit the earth (Mt 5:5)
8. Frank Sinatra quotes from Sermon on the Mount
9. You are the Way Jesus!
10. Who gets your attention?
11. Building on the Rock
12. The Jesus Revolution
13. Class #1: Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
14. sermon on the mount – an introduction
15. The King’s Sermon (Matt. 4:23, 25, 5:1-2)
16. Blessed are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
17. Sermon on the Mount: Ask, Seek, Knock
18. Sermon On The Mount – Blessed are the meek
19. Blessed are the Meek
20. Sermon on the Mount: In the Eye
21. January 17 Matthew 7:1-14
22. Misreading the Bible: “Judge Not”
23. The Sermon on the Mount (18)
24. The Poor in Spirit
25. Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
26. Blessed Are They That Mourn
27. Sermon on the Mount: Wisdom
28. The Sermon on the Mount is not a Guide to Christian Salvation
29. God give us grace to face the Sermon on the Mount
30. Sermon on the Mount: Blindness
31. Salt and Light
32. Sermon on the Mount by Vance Stinson
33. The Lord’s Prayer
34. The Third Way: Nonviolent Resistance
35. Loving the Unlovables – Part One
36. Be Different in Your Purity
37. The Poor in Spirit (Matt. 5:3)
38. Like A Bull In A China Shop
39. God is Jehovah Jireh – The LORD Will Provide
40. Thesis of Jesus
41. Be Different in Your Anger
42. Class #3: Three you are statements. Matthew 5:11-16
43. January 12 Matthew 5:21-32
44. January 13 Matthew 5:33-48
45. Borrowed Trouble — Being Perfect, Part 4
46. When Grief is Good
47. Lay Down Your Blessings
48. Teacher
49. Master, teach us how to pray – The Lord’s Prayer
50. James 1
51. Be Your Attitudes
52. beatitude
53. The Beatitudes: Growing into the Kingdom of Heaven. Already.
54. In Search of Eternity
55. Be Different in Your Righteousness
56. Daily Riches: Can One Obey Without Actually Obeying? (James Hannay and William James)
57. A Greater Righteousness
58. Out with the old, in with almost nothing
59. Be Different in Your Influence
60. Rain or Shine — Being Perfect, Part 1
61. Virtue Signaling — Being Perfect, Part 2
62. The Business of Blessing Others

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