The seventh commandment in Exodus 20:13 says “Thou shalt not kill.”
And then expanded upon in Leviticus 19:18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.”
Philippians 2:3-4 “[Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
1 Peter 5:2-3, 5 “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [thereof], not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over [God's] heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. ... Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”
In Exodus 20 is says we are not to “kill”, but let another be as they are, where the word kill can have a variety of meanings literally and/or spiritually. This is assuming the reference to killing is about other people, and then comparing Exodus 20 to the other scriptures quoted, it also says that we are to think of others more highly then ourselves, humble ourselves, do not bear a grudge against anyone, but love others, not be “lords” over anyone, but rather be an example. If we can figure out how to really love others, somehow this commandment will truly help us.
Proverbs 10:12 “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.”
Matthew 5:27-28 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
As Matthew 5 above says, simply by thinking something in your heart, you have already done the crime. “Killing” can mean to hate others or criticize them for things we disagree with that they do or say, holding a grudge, or simply not loving another. Killing can mean to literally destroy someone physically or it can more importantly means to not honor and/or respect someone else’s life or what they have to offer to you or to this world. So you can “kill” someone with your thoughts. Why do humans disregard and not respect one another in any meaning of the word “kill”? And what is the reason for this commandment?
Matthew 5:21-22, 39-46 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. ... But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have [thy] cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?”
In the passages above it is also saying that to be angry with your “brother” is the same thing as “killing” him. And to imply that your brother is stupid “Raca” or worthless is in “danger”. It also says that when your brother gives you evil, resist it not, but embrace it. It actually tells us to love our enemies and bless those that hate us. And it says there is a reward to those who can do so. But what is the true purpose of this commandment? How in the world could not fighting back benefit us? If it is a commandment, it must end in good, right? It implies there is actually a reward in forgiveness.
So what “reward” have we that if we “kill” not and instead be understanding and compassionate when we are persecuted (“turn the other cheek”), such that this reward is actually better than revenge?
Romans 12:19 “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
And what does the Lord mean when he says he will repay? Does this mean we are to hope for bad things on our enemies, in hopes that the bad things are the Lord repaying them? The Lord is supposed to be merciful, right?
Luke 6:36-38 “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
The Lord would not ask you to turn the other cheek if it would not help you, right? And why would he want us to be merciful to those who we think deserve punishment. Why would he want them to “get away” with it? We are an extension of God; we are “gods”, remember [from previous posts]. If we are gods then we need to act like our Father wants us to, and that is with compassion at all times. With this great power comes great responsibility. We all reap what we sow. This is what “vengeance is mine” means. We ourselves will avenge every one of our own actions, in time. So it says even if someone dishes evil out to you, don’t return the favor, because in essence you are dishing it back out to yourself. In the end it harms you to do harm to others, REGARDLESS of what they have done to you! It says not even tot think bad on them or wish evil for them. Do good and you will receive good, because YOU DO NOT KNOW what is truly in another’s consciousness. They may be innocent in their own consciousness depending. To them, what they are doing may be just fine in their own mind. But it is our own heart, mind, and conscious that avenges our own selves by what we truly believe in our own hearts. So let the Lord avenge what he will [let their own consciousness avenge their own selves] because the Lord will also avenge you for hating another for what you think they did wrong. So don’t worry about it. There are deep reasons why others hurt and hate people, and God is trying to tell us to let it be and rather try to understand them with compassion. This helps us all in the end, and it is almost like a test.
Romans 5:13 “(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law…”
Because it is the law in our consciousness that condemns us and also avenges us (i.e. “vengeance is mine”…).
John 9:41 “Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.”
If we were blind to sin, there would be no sin. If we did not know the law, we would not know any better. There really is no “sin” as we know it…
Romans 7:13-14 “Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.”
Remember the law is not be understood as a carnal commandment because it is spiritual. It is not the doing of sin that condemns us. It is not the “sin” that is bad. It is the repercussions of what we are doing that hurt us in the end. And our conscious also pays a big part, because if we believe something is wrong, our own guilt condemns us not the sin itself. And those that “think” they know better are in more danger than those who do not think something is wrong, because it is what we believe that matters. So if someone hurts you but does not understand the consequences to themselves in hurting you and they do not think they are doing anything wrong, you are better off turning the other cheek IF you now know the spiritual law of consequence because it is our own consciousness and belief that avenges us. We can never truly avenge someone else, only they can. And if we do not unconditionally forgive because of our huge compassion and understanding of the world, then we also are “sinning” and we will be avenged as a result of our unforgiving nature. There is always a higher path to take. It is our knowledge of the law that condemn us and is what we use to condemn other. But in all reality, God says that if you are blind then there is no “sin”, and ALL things are lawful…
1 Corinthians 10:23-24, 29-33 “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's [wealth]. ... Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another [man's] conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all [men] in all [things], not seeking mine own profit, but the [profit] of many, that they may be saved.”
You see, if we stop our competition with others and seek the best overall good for everyone, it saves us. And who does not want that? Only those that live in fear, and fear is what makes them selfish.
Titus 1:14-16 “Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
However, when we truly have the truth, we know it is not what we do that saves us, because we are saved by grace right? All things are truly lawful to the pure of heart that have been released from the law, however, not all things are good for us. If we truly understand this then we do not judge ourselves for “sin” because we understand we all “sin” every moment simply by being human. But we come to understand that we don’t judge ourselves for being human or carnal, but we rather learn to do things [or not do things] because they edify us [or because they hurt us] and also profit or help others in the end. But why would we want to edify ourselves and seek to help others, rather than just live for the moment and not worry about consequences?
Our soul truly comes to know God when it lets go of what it wants and allows God to give it what it needs. This is the love that casts out all fear. And we only come to know this when we deny ourselves and hope in God. When we realize that we are all one in God, we come to know that seeking our own profit matters not, but rather the profit of the whole; because we really are all the whole. So when we deny ourselves we allow God to be one in all and we get everything we need and more rather than the endless cycle of pleasing our ego. It is much better than what our ego minds could ever conjure up anyway. But we have to trust that wanting and allowing the “whole” to be happy this is truly better than what we can do for ourselves. So just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Luke 12:31 “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Seeking the kingdom of God involves learning to how to love and pray for our enemies and those that use and hurt us and learning why we must do this.
Mark 12:30-31 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
Remember, loving your neighbor is the greatest commandment, and that includes your enemies.
1 John 3:21-22 “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”
Proverbs 25:21-22 “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.”
So what reward have we if we help our enemies, and what does it mean to “heap coals of fire upon his head”? We supposedly get all that we ask if we keep this commandment. The spiritual law many times works the opposite of the carnal understanding of the world. If we focus on our own profit, our own happiness is never reached. Our own happiness somehow lies in the “helping” of others, specifically our enemies. When the greater whole is helped we as individuals are also helped the more. So there is extreme satisfaction in helping our enemies when our heart is pure and it condemns us not because we come to understand the big picture of life. There is grace in humility. When our heart is cleansed, there is peace and satisfaction in forgiveness because “..all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;..” (Romans 3:23). We forgive others over and over again because we know we all have problems to face and conquer, and if we only condemn others we are simply fearful of what they may do to us rather than allowing the situation to teach us to trust God. When we do not have fear of what people can or will do to us [because we fully trust God], we can better understand them and forgive them and we understand there is a purpose for them being in our lives. There is a purpose in it all if we trust God there is. Each person and situation is put into our lives ultimately for our benefit; to teach us something. And when we begin to truly see ourselves we also begin to forgive others the same and see the benefit in the pain rather than the bad. And when we come to know that we also are not innocent from sin [and are ok with that and being human] our consciousness becomes clearer and we in turn help our enemies and pray for them as well because there is no longer any competition between us and the fear dissipates. For we know that when we help them, we are also helping ourselves be happier. If they are healed of their “sins” how can they harm you? So we pray for our enemies, we pray for the whole world to be healed. But if we instead wish bad on them [because of some type of fear], we are forgetting the big picture of life and how we are all in this world together for a reason. Everyone sins, but not all sin in the same manner. All sin is just sin, but no one is worse in the LORD’s eyes; so have God vision. And when we become “blind” [to the world] we don’t see the sin anyway (John 9:41). And when we forgive them, then we are also forgiven because we all “sin”. You can’t forgive yourself for sin, and also still hate another for it. If you think you can, then you do not truly see yourself. True sin is simply missing this high calling of God when you are called.
James 2:1-11 “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the Lord] of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.”
When we disrespect the poor man in the vile raiment we are indeed killing, regardless of who or what you think they are. The scriptures tell us to respect those vile people even more. Do not “kill” them with your sour judgement. Do not be like the “rich” men who “think” they are better and judge everyone sitting on their judgement seats. But again, what reward have we by forgiving our enemies and also respecting the “vile” poor person and seeing them as better than us?
Romans 12:3-5, 9-10, 14-21 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. ... [Let] love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. [Be] kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; ... Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. [Be] of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
We are all members of the same body, therefore, care for your body.
Romans 13:1-2, 9-11 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. ... For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if [there be] any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love [is] the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.”
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Job 42:5-6 “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor [myself], and repent in dust and ashes.”
You see, real power comes with humility and being weak. It is the opposite of what the world makes you think. When we have true humility we love our “neighbors as ourselves” because we don’t see ourselves as any better. When we have true humility, we are not in competition with our neighbor. We are truly no better than anyone, regardless of how many truths we get, how many “sins” we are purged from, or how many revelations we obtain. However, the deception of the world tells us otherwise. But we are actually “strong” when we are weak, because when we are persecuted, we are then allowed to be lifted up by God, rather than lifted up by our own pride. And being lift up by God gets us so much higher. That is why we bless those that persecute us. They teach us great things that truly lift us up, and we need to be grateful for the hardships they bring, because it is the persecutions themselves that teach us the great things. They teach us that fighting back does not win anything. And it sounds like from 2 Corinthians 12 that we might have to learn it three times. Only when we lower our own ego, can the power of God truly shine through. Only when we are humble can we be given the power of God. Only when we see ourselves in others can we begin to truly forgive. We are under God’s power when we don’t see ourselves as any better than anyone. Killing, destroying, judging, criticizing, talking about negatively about someone else or yourself never helps anyone, even if you think it is justified because of some horrific behavior. Ultimate peace and understanding forgives everyone, but in this world there is still also a physical price to pay for acting against a physical law, and we still live in this physical world so the law cannot simply ignore or condone certain behaviors. There still is a cause and effect in this world, and we still live in this carnal world, so fortunately [or unfortunately…] the carnal law still applies. “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:25). There is a law of the land that can punish us in the physical realm, but there is a more powerful spiritual law always at work.
Our reward in praying for our enemies and laying down our ego is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body [were] an eye, where [were] the hearing? If the whole [were] hearing, where [were] the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where [were] the body? But now [are they] many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those [members] of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely [parts] have more abundant comeliness. For our comely [parts] have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that [part] which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but [that] the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
We are all one [body], and the vile and poor have more purpose than you know. Loving others as we love ourselves also implies that we had better love ourselves if we expect to love others [the same]. And we love ourselves by giving understanding to ourselves and laying down criticism. 1 Corinthians 1 implies that others are simply a part of ourselves or a projection of ourselves. We are all one, so we love others because they are really a part of us. We are all the “body” of humanity. And we esteem them better than ourselves because they are here to teach US something, and that is that they teach us is how to love unconditionally because we do not know how to yet. They are doing their best here in this world and they are fulfilling their purpose here with what they have been given and with the understanding and reasoning that they have; and we are all doing the same working together for some type of learning. So don’t think too highly of yourself, because more abundant honor [in God’s eyes] actually goes to those who you think are less honorable. The more humble you are the less you need to learn. The “vile” and “evil” people in this world have a great purpose, and the poor also. They reflect and show us our heart. How are we to purify ourselves if we cannot see ourselves? The physical world represents the spiritual within us. It is all a projection of ourselves and our world reflects our own selves and our own hearts. And all are one on the outside, just as all are one on the inside. Those “neighbor” humans on our outside are actually one with us, so we should also “love them as ourselves” because they essentially are our own selves in true reality.
Then if we believe what Romans and 1 Corinthians says above, in true reality which is spiritually, we are all connected as one “body” of something. It is not one physical flesh body, but it is a body of some type of substance such as energy, spirit, consciousness, and mind, here to teach one another and love one another. And it also tells us that the only way to overcome the evil in this body is with good. So if a member of your body (another person) is bothering you, what are you to do, how do you overcome that evil with good?
Romans 1:19-20 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
The invisible things of God are to be understood by the things made that are seen. Therefore the physical world is an analogy of the spiritual world. Our physical body is an analogy of the “body” of Christ. Christ is not one person. Christ is the link that makes every person one. And it says here in 1 Corinthians 12 that the member of Christ that lacketh has more abundant honour, and the members we perceive as less comely are really more comely in the eyes of God. So we better take a second look at the neighbor who we dislike, the other person we judge as ugly, stupid, or annoying, or the person who we feels deserves to be punished and see them through the eye of the most high God. As we also need to reconsider our own physical body parts that we don’t like. Because our bodies are just a representation of a bigger picture. God has a tremendous plan for that body part that you don’t necessarily like; so judge not.
We somehow overcome the “evil” that we erroneously perceive by allowing the wisdom of “good”, which is acceptance and humility, to cover it up.
Micah 5:9-15 “Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no [more] soothsayers: Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.”
Matthew 18:3-4, 7-9 “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ... Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast [them] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.”
The body that has two hands, two feet, and two eyes, that is being spoken of in Matthew 18 represents our person and should not be confused with the many member body of Christ that each individual person is a member of. If we do, then comparing 1 Corinthians 12 and Matthew 18 becomes weird and confusing. 1 Corinthians is talking about a single person who is also a member of or body part of the body of Christ which has many members. It’s an analogy of our individual body that also has different components. But within each member (person) of the body of Christ there are is also the duality (two hands-feet-eyes…) that we see in the outside world and that also creates this world [of good and evil and of “graven images”], hence the two eyes, two hands, feet and the like. But Matthew 18 is describing what we need to do SPIRITUALLY when our double mind is offending us, and it is not speaking literally about our physical body. Because we all know that to literally cut off our physical foot off would not solve anything [other than possibly literally kill you], similarly, as it says in 1 Corinthians that our uncomely members or members that lack, actually have more use than we think. So we need to compare spiritually with spiritually (see. 1 Cor 2:13). So if our literal foot kept walking where it shouldn’t walk, it is not really the foot’s fault, it is the mind controlling the foot. Same goes if your hand kept doing things you didn’t think were good. You would not solve your problem by literal amputation. And this is not talking about an injury or something like that. The offence spoken of here is about our foot, hand, or eye doing something wrong or sinning. And the analogy is really is about the double mind each person has in this world. See earlier posts about the double mind. The double mind creates a mind and this world of seeing good and evil, hence the “tree of good and evil” which is actually “kills” us. This knowledge and judgment of things as evil is what creates hate of another. This judgment of evil makes us want to repay a “bad deed” of others with more evil. The verses in Micah 5 above are also speaking on something internal, where “cut off” is not an external removal. We cut off the carnal side to our mind or carnal eye, ear, hand, foot, etc. And when we complete this amputation of the carnal side we can truly see ourselves and others as one [spiritually]. Because remember it says we overcome the evil only with good and not with external physical violence to ourselves or others. Because remember…
Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:”
Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;…”
Romans 12:21 “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
No matter what our “neighbor” does [to us] we are supposed to forgive and not judge them. This can be very difficult at times, and it is impossible to do while still living through the tree of knowledge of good and evil of the double mind. Every person and every situation has a purpose, and if we look at life this way we come to realize the purpose is to teach us to forgive and let be all that we judge as evil. Once we do this we are free.
However, this world is still carnal and we are still carnal even though we may seemly understand the law spiritually. Therefore, these concepts don’t work for the physical world, particularly when the law of the land is broken. The law of the land serves a purpose and that is to try and control those that are carnal, which would be all of us. Humanity knows this and therefore has created the “law” that is understood carnally but works spiritually. So even though we can come to understand the law as spiritual, the physical world still has to follow the carnal law in order to grow from chaos. Because the world is also still physical, and the carnal mind is still alive. So when someone literally kills another person, the old literal “eye for an eye” (Exodus 21) law still is still considered, because the “law of sin” of the physical world agrees. However understanding the spiritual nature of the law is what saves us from ourselves and teaches us to forgive unconditionally.
Once humans began to have consciousness of the difference between “good” and “evil”, the law came forth. But we must move on to understanding it as spiritual if we are to continue to grow spiritually.
Job 42:10 “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”
Genesis 3:7 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;…”
John 9:41 “Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.”
The carnal eyes were opened when our consciousness discovered the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And when they finally close again, we will see no sin, and our sins as well as everyone else sins are blotted out from our sight.
This world thinks backwards and opposite of how God wants us to think and do. The world says, if someone does something you think is wrong or hurts you somehow, dislike them and talk bad about them; but God says here is your opportunity, use it wisely. But we keep missing the opportunity even though we are given it over and over again. The carnal mind can’t see it that way because it is stuck in the world mentality, which is fear. But when we see our enemies as our opportunity for growth in God [rather than something that “hurts” us] we tend to have compassion on them because God has made them and is using them [ultimately for our benefit]. We may not initially believe this but the Spirit continually challenges us to help us evolve.
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
Love is not passion or attraction to another. These indeed are lovely things, but true love has no fear. Love is the absence of fear.
Isaiah 45:7 “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”
Proverbs 16:4 “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”
God has made us all and God wants us all to “know” him. We should stop being wise in your own conceits, and stop being proud of our “good” ways and hateful of others “evil” ways. This is consciousness via the tree of knowledge of good and evil rather than through the eye of Christ which is “blind” to sin (John 9:41). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). So when we think we are better than others, and have pride in that, this is the true “abomination” in the LORD’s eyes. But “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” (Phil 2:3). And give honour to your less comely parts (1Cor 12:24). For there is a time and purpose for everything, and the purpose is to show us how to truly love rather than to hate and judge others. And the light of this dissolves the darkness (i.e. love casts our fear). When we learn the meaning of love and learn to do it, we have no fear and are humbled to understand and have empathy and compassion for others. And we are then no longer fearful of what this world can do to us. True spirit cannot be harmed.
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Repentance is when we change our mind and change the way we think about the world. Repentance does not mean to stop sinning, but it means to become blind to sin and rather love your neighbor as yourself. Because when you have love, whatever sin may be takes care of itself.
Romans 8:21-23 “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”
2 Corinthians 10:5&7 “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;…Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so [are] we Christ's.”
Galations 4:19 “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,”
Remember the redemption of our body is the body of Christ who “the whole creation”. However, the deception of this world is that it makes us think we are separate from each other in the workings of God and his big picture. But these words tells us that we are all one as “Christ” or members of the child of God as one body. And in order to “birth” this Christ in full, we have to work TOGETHER as one body. A hand or foot cannot give birth by itself, and neither can the womb. The hand needs to feed the mouth that ultimately brings nourishment to the womb. So if we do not love and care for the entire body, we cannot birth Christ, in us, or as a whole. This is the “virgin” birth or holy and pure birth we produce TOGETHER because of the spiritual seed (wisdom) from God. [See previous post on honoring your father and mother for more discussion on the virgin birth.]
Romans 13:8-10 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if [there be] any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love [is] the fulfilling of the law.”
“No Fear” (love) is the fulfilling of the law. And when we consider that we are all one body, spiritually speaking, we do not steal from ourselves, nor do we want anything that is not meant to be ours. We fully trust that we will obtain all we need regardless of what others have. And we are happy for what others have because we are truly all one. When we realize this whole picture of Christ and how God the father provides for his children as each child truly needs, we surrender our lives to God, to the whole Christ, and we have empathy for each other and are content with what we currently have until more comes, all the while watching ourselves grow in Christ until he can ultimately be born [in us] (i.e. Gal 4:19). We are then saved from fear into love [of others]. And we then want to help others and help give them what they need through us.
Mark 8:24 “And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.”
Love comes from God, but consciousness through the tree of knowledge deceives us into to hating one another because we see others as evil when we judge their wrong doing. When we grow from the consciousness of the tree of knowledge we see people clearly rather than as “trees walking”; therefore we love them regardless due to all the reasons explained above. We also begin to love ourselves when our eyes are cleared.
Psalm 7:5 “Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.”
Romans 12:21 “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Luke 6:35-37 “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:”
John 15:12-13 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
1 John 3:16 “Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren.”
We lay our ego down (i.e. lay down life) for our friends, for our bretheren, for our enemies when we see all as one. And when we forgive and are not so concerned about disliking others nor wasting time judging others we shall also be forgiven because they are an extension of ourselves. We then love all the same. This is our reward; to be like the “Highest” God rather than our judgmental ego self. There is real power and freedom in releasing the condemnation of others.