Say What?!?
November 12, 2023
Many people have pronounced judgment on Born Again Believers as narrow-minded and judgemental. The blatant pretense and brazen hypocrisy in judging Christians for being too judgmental and hypocritical goes to a level of absurdity far beyond unreasonableness…
As for narrowmindedness, it has been my experience that my personal relationship with God through Jesus and the Bible has broadened my mind beyond whatever I was capable of before. Being twice born has expanded my existential thought, considerations, and knowledge… no, not knowledge by itself, but insight, along with knowledge, making me a wiser and more loving person.
The reality of not always applying what I have learned surely should open me up for criticism. Like anyone else, it would be deserved. But when a person criticizes me (or anyone else), they really should look into a mirror and fact check oneself for hypocrisy.
Perhaps the awkwardness of expressing one’s thoughts and the nervousness related to the difficulty of public speaking has an unfavorable reaction by those of such superior minds and fluency in use of their exceptional literary skills… (I am intending to be writing this with dripping sarcasm… I hope readers understand…)
Beyond that, I really get a kick out of people who demand God prove His existence to them. It used to annoy me, but now it is almost amusing — if it weren’t for the fact that I believe there will be eternal consequences.
“God, if you are really there,” some will demand, “do this, that, or the other, to prove yourself to me.”
There is a similar instance in the Bible:
“Some Pharisees and Sadducees {religious leaders} who came to Jesus wanted to trap him, so they asked him to perform a miracle for them, to show that God approved of him. But Jesus answered, When the sun is setting, you say, ‘We are going to have fine weather, because the sky is red.’ And early in the morning you say, ‘It is going to rain, because the sky is red and dark.’ You can predict the weather by looking at the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs concerning these times! How evil and godless are the people of this day! You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of Jonah.” (Matthew 16:1–4, Good News Translation).
Living on a river by a Great Lake and having been a boater, I especially like the reference to the saying, “Red at night, sailors delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning.”
One last point: True Born Again Believers cannot possibly think of themselves as superior to other people. Such Believers certainly cannot think of themselves as perfect or as “having arrived.” On the contrary, in order to be born anew, they must have admitted to their faults and apparent moral bankruptcy, having hurt themselves and others. Also, there is this Bible encouragement:
“And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:16, ibid)
This also from the apostle Paul:
“I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself.” (Philippians 3:12–15, ibid)
Yes. God knows you exist. He knows that we need Him and not vice versa. Yes. He wants us to come to Him.
“This is how the judgment works: the light has come into the world, but people love the darkness rather than the light…” (John 3:19, ibid)
Yes. God loves you and He has proven it:
“For God loved the world so much that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ibid)
