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I guess just for some background, no idea how this is relevant but maybe it is, I was born and raised RC and now I’m just “non-denom Christian” and not open to returning to RC. I hold onto a lot of Southern Italian/American-Italian/Italian-American RC traditions that have been passed down in my family for an extremely long time, though, just for tradition’s sake. Like I said, maybe this is relevant, maybe it won’t be.I don’t actually hate people, but I hate what humanity has become and it’s getting in the way of me being able to “love thy neighbor”. I feel like every day is an uphill battle and I’m definitely not doing too hot. How do I stop looking at the violence around me in my metro area of NY and still be able to love everyone? Any tips are welcome. Thanks đź’›
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The limitation of countless Christians is that while they commit sin and regret it, they inevitably turn back and sin again, remaining in the unbroken cycle of sin. In other words, the pattern of repenting yet turning back to commit sin again means that they have no way to eradicate sin, and it also means they do not know the cause that makes them inevitably repeat sin. The human limitation of being bound to a lifetime of repeating sin is no different from all the people who belong to the world and all the religious people of the world; such is the pitiful reality of today’s Christians, and likewise, the tragic reality of all religions.
The reason they believe in God is solely for their own happiness, blessings, success, and prosperity, and because of this, they all seek nothing but the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, which are bound to become sin. As a result, all of them offer vain prayers before God, and this is the pitiful reality of Christians today.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.(1 John 2 : 15~16)
Because they believe in God while at the same time clinging to the world and material things, they end up believing in every form of corruption, heresy, and falsehood, and thus all alike seek only their own greed and lusts. Those who seek material things are ruled by the god of material things; those who seek the things of the world are ruled by the god of the world; those who seek lust are ruled by the god of lust; those who seek the flesh are ruled by the god of the flesh. These appear disguised as though they were God, as though they were Christ, or as though they were angels. But it is not God who is at work. The vast majority of Christians alike spend their entire lives praying only for matters of family, business, children, affection, and health—this is a faith of the flesh.
This is nothing other than the desires of the flesh that all people of the world pursue, the hope of the flesh, and the ideals of the flesh. In other words, this is not the hope or ideals of Christ, but rather the desires of the flesh, completely different from what true Christians who live the life of Christ should long for.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.(1 John 3 : 3~10)
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.(Romans 6 : 17~23)
The children of God do not commit sin, but are set free from sin to obtain the fruit of love that leads to God’s holiness, and by prayer they receive the power of God in order to partake of His divine nature. Yet today, within the faith of the flesh, prayer is nothing but an automatic pursuit of happiness, blessing, and ideals that belong to the world and to the flesh, according to one’s own lusts. Thus, all faith that is of the flesh inevitably becomes an enemy and adversary before God. The faith of Christians, who live their whole lives in the vicious cycle of sinning and then turning back to sin again, is such that they continually heap up sin; and worse, many of them gradually treat their sins lightly, then become bolder, until at last they are brazen and shameless about their sins, even taking pride in such disgraceful faith. This is because their conscience has been seared or has become increasingly desolate, and so they are left to live with deprived hearts, empty hearts, anxious hearts, and hearts that wither away. Because they teach and learn according to their own tastes and claims, all manner of delusions and assertions have been turned into “the Word,” turned into “faith,” and even turned into “God” itself. When their distorted selves are exposed in the light of Scripture, their confession before God amounts to nothing more than empty repentance, since in the end, they fall back into the same repeated sins. Thus the faith of the flesh, which lives by the sins of the flesh no different from worldly people, is a faith destined for judgment. It is a faith that despises the holy will of God and mocks the love of the cross, no different from the Judaism that rejected Christ.
God gave us prayer so that we might abandon the flesh, which cannot help but repeat sin, and live the life of Christ—the life of the Spirit—pursuing the love of the cross to the point of laying down even His life. In other words, we are not to live a worldly and fleshly life that endlessly repeats sin born of lust and desire until death, but instead to live the life of Christ, pursuing the hope of Christ in which the power of God works through His love. The divine power is given to those who live such a life. The outcome and fruit of faith differ entirely depending on whether one lives for the world or according to the will of God. Whether one pursues the love of the cross according to God’s will, or pursues lust belonging to the world and the flesh, becomes the measure of salvation or judgment. For those who chase after the flesh and their own desires cannot possibly pursue the love that sacrifices even their own lives.
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.(Titus 2 : 11~15)
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.(Ephesians 4 : 15~16)
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.(Romans 6 : 16~18)
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.(Romans 6 : 20~23)
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.(1 Timothy 4 : 6)
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others….(Ephesians 2 : 3~7)
Whoever continues to repeat sin is a slave of sin and a child of the devil. The form of Christians who mistakenly believe themselves to be children of God is far from being an example or model like the light and salt; rather, their faith consists of a lifetime of only teaching with words and only listening with ears. They all alike pretend to be holy, pretend to be kind, pretend to be good, pretend to be humble, and pretend to be gentle, yet their actions inside the church and outside are different, their outward appearance and inward reality are different, their words and their deeds are different. It is a duplicitous and cunning faith, filled with hypocrisy, pretension, and the polished tactics of pretense. No matter how much they awaken, resolve, and determine, they cannot be reborn, changed, or transformed, for they always turn back to pursue their own interests according to personal gain. Thus, they become enslaved within the habit of repeating sin throughout their lifetime. Such awakenings, resolutions, and determinations of believers cannot bring about true renewal, but only remain bound in the limitations of the flesh that cannot help but turn back to sin. Their faith is like squirrels running endlessly in a wheel, spinning in circles without ever escaping.
But in those who live with the hope of Christ as their goal, pursuing the love of God, the power of God is revealed as the strength that leads them to be renewed, changed, and transformed, granting them the nourishment of the Spirit. In other words, the love of God is poured into those who hold the hope of Christ, so that His love becomes their nourishment and their power, enabling them to overcome the human limitations of the body and its sinful habits, and to put them to death. This is the truth, and the very purpose of prayer. Yet all Christian pastors, alike, rely only on words and theories born of human knowledge, human wisdom, and human opinions, preaching according to their own tastes. As a result, all believers are left repeating nothing but their own awakenings, resolutions, and determinations, leaning only on themselves. The outcome of such human teaching and emotional inspiration is a faith of the flesh, bound by human limitations, unable to escape a lifetime of repeating sin, with consciences seared so that they feel no conviction of guilt.
That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.(Colossians 2 : 2~9)
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.(Colossians 2 : 20~23)
But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.(Galatians 4 : 9~11)
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.(2 Corinthians 2 : 15~17)
But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:(2 Corinthians 4 : 2~3)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.(2 Corinthians 10 : 5~6)
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.(2 Peter 3 : 16~17)
Faith is determined entirely by the purpose for which one believes. Those who serve God while clinging to the world and material things cannot help but pursue corruption, heresy, and falsehood. Therefore, most of them, one and all, put worldly teachings, worldly knowledge, and all sorts of trivial worldly justifications at the forefront, and with them, they forcefully interpret the words of Scripture with suitable morality and worldly lessons and inspirations for the sake of success, happiness, and prosperity.
God is love. The truth is that it leads us to obtain the power of God revealed within this love. The true truth of God and the true shepherd are those who lead us to obtain the divine power of God, which works to kill the deeply rooted sinful habits and members of the body that can only repeat sin. But human teaching and inspiration, which rely only on words and theories, can never overcome the limitations of man. They merely repeat self-reliant will, pride, and resolution. This limitation of man is the limitation of religion. All religions on this earth are made by men who have abused the idea of “god.”
Thus, Christians who rely only on words, theories, and emotional inspiration mistake human teaching—which inevitably leads to the repetition of sin—as if it were God’s grace, and worldly emotion as if it were God’s inspiration. The result is that all believers live with consciences increasingly desolated, with deprived hearts, empty hearts, anxious hearts, and ever-thirsting hearts. Such faiths of the flesh, destined for destruction, cannot produce abundant liberality, overflowing thanksgiving, or the gentle joy of the Spirit—only the ruin of fleshly faith.
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.….(2 Thessalonians 2 : 9~17)
We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.(1 John 3 : 14)
Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.(3 John 1 : 11)
But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.(James 4 : 16~17)
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?(1 John 4 : 20)
To put forth one’s own opinion before the Scriptures is no different from acting as though one were God. A faith that relies only on words and theories—intellectual, theoretical, emotional, and academic—is merely a faith of the flesh, bound to commit sin until death. The fact that one’s sins are repeated is clear evidence that such a person is a slave of sin and a child of the devil. The children of God do not commit sin. Whoever denies this denies the love of God in which His power works.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.(1 John 3 : 3~4)
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;(Titus 1 : 2~3)
Those who claim to believe in God while pursuing the world and the flesh only put forward the name of God, yet they are the very ones who deny the love of Christ and refuse to submit. Those who cannot put to death the evil habits and members that follow the desires of the flesh become lifelong slaves of sin, repeating nothing but sin. Do not any longer be deceived by sermons that exalt nothing but words and theories, which cannot surpass the limits of the flesh, and thus bind you to a lifetime cycle of sin. Judgment is at hand.
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.(Titus 1 : 16)
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.(2 Timothy 3 : 5~8)