Genesis 1:27: ‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
We see that God, created man in HIS image, yet God is Spirit, thus man’s Spirit is in God’s Image, not man’s body! Most born-again Christians already know this and yet, they misunderstand it completely. Have you ever wondered, WHY that is? God knew before HE ever created man, that we would end up living sinful lives.
And so it is today, we are a broken and fallen species, as compared to what God had originally wanted us to be like. This is the reason why our physical bodies fail us continually. It must then be noted, that as long as we live on this earth in these bodies, we will continue to fail our Lord and Savior. Thus the reason for this next bit of Scripture:
2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; Behold, all things are become new.”
Again, we know this Scripture as born-again Christians, yet, as before, we fail to truly understand what is being said. Again, we forget that the Lord is talking about our spirit. Because our physical lives are so filled with SIN, we do not understand that as long as we live here, in these Physical Bodies, we are in a sinful nature.
Have you never understood the Scriptures?
Matthew 26:41: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Mark 14:38 “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”
Two verses of Scripture that say the exact same thing, yet does anyone truly understand them? Most will state they do understand and then the pious ones think it means or is stated to others and NOT to them, as part of the collective of Man. Has it never occurred to anyone, that to be born-again is to admit your need of Jesus Christ because of your SIN? It must be understood that our SIN which is in each of us, separated us from the Lord. Do you believe that you live a more “righteous” life than others? Do you think, if you are a deacon or an elder in the church, that you are “more saved” than another? Do you believe that because you attend church often, that you are more saved by grace than others? If so, then you must have missed the verse that says:
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
This verse in not speaking just to the unsaved…it is speaking to all of us, all the time! So now, who are the pious ones and who are not? Evidently, there are some that simply do not understand what they read and we can find this in churches everywhere. It is in the pulpits and that makes it much more insidious as well. Obviously, there are some that are stuck in: “It’s all about ME!”
Obviously, there are some who believe they are better than others, covered more graciously by the Lord than others. It is also obvious, that we see others acting this way, which is just like the Pharisees in the days of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And Jesus called them a “brood of vipers.”
Every single one of us is fallen and the Lord must humble our prideful selves. It is either that or this verse was missed:
Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goeth before destruction, and and haughty spirit before a fall”.
Oops! I know I stepped on some toes there. Come now people, let’s be brutally honest here. Stop and look around. Does this world fall into the area of humility, especially before such a righteous and just God? Absolutely NOT! How do you think we got to where we are right now?
A nation of people that believe we are deserving of the best, when we do little to nothing to earn the best. We “expect” to be given this or that and many times you may find yourself expecting these same things of the Lord, in your prayers! Let me say this: “Pride” is the most insidious SIN of all, because we tend to find it close to home more than anywhere else!
It is pride that drives us to thinking we NEED that new car or that new house, when we already know, we can NOT afford it. Pride puts us in the credit hole, because we THINK we need this or that and we must have it today, yesterday is more preferable. Pride is instant gratification!
Pride is thinking we deserve something more than someone else. Pride is when we forget there are those that have absolutely nothing; no clean water, no clean clothes, no food and the list goes on and on! Pride is when we turn our collective backs on the elderly, the poor, the sick and infirmed, the homeless.
And what is worse, we go out and work soup kitchens or the like and then feel we are better than another for doing so. Is it any wonder, when we consider pride, that we see it taking place, far too often, in the pulpits of America? Somewhere along the way, some have come to believe that preaching and teaching the Word of God…deserves big bucks! (That prosperity is more, godly than humility!)
Acts 20:35: “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Somewhere along the way, some believe that this means, “You give and give deeply…to ME!” Am I stepping on some toes again? In other words, some want you to believe in giving…and they want you to feel the need to go out of your way to give as much as you possibly can. And then they sit there and receive every single bit of it. This is the: “Prosperity Gospel.”
And then you wonder why people are so turned off to church, you wonder why the assembling together of believers is failing, the attendance is down in church. You wonder why people in general have such a dislike for anything concerning the Lord—they are watching the hypocrites in the church and over the broadcasting airwaves. They see what they term: Legal Theft.
Is it any wonder that the world is going to hell in a hand basket? Does any of this make sense to you? And to think for one moment, that the Lord Jesus Christ…God in human form…knelt and washed the feet of HIS Disciples! What better example of humility…of true honor…than for God to do such a thing? And we haven’t even begun to add in HIS ultimate sacrifice of death of that Roman cross for you and me.
We should thank the Lord for giving us what we “need” instead of what we want; otherwise we would never know the difference between true humility….and pride. When we attend church, it SHOULD be in humility and honor of a loving and understanding God. If it were not for HIS love for us…there would be no humanity.