arunangelo

We must love our enemy, do good deeds to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who mistreat us. If anyone hits us on one cheek, we must let him hit the other one too; if someone takes our coat, we must let him have our shirt as well. We must give to everyone who asks for something because God is good to the ungrateful and the wicked. We must be merciful, just as our Father is merciful (Luke 6: 27-36). We must remember that mercy triumphs over law (James 2; 13); and it is mercy, and not sacrifice that God wants (Matt. 12:7). We must walk an additional mile if the occupation forces ask us to walk one. We must not judge or condemn others (Luke 6; 37). We must not take revenge on someone who does us wrong. If someone takes us to court to sue us for our shirt, we must let him have our coat as well. We must walk an additional mile if the occupation forces ask us to carry their pack for one mile (Matt 5; 39-41). If anyone borrows something from us we must not ask for it back (Luke 6:27-30).

We can do it only if we surrender our life to God-accept His will unconditionally.

We are saved from sins by Jesus

In the Old Covenant, God spoke to His people through the prophets. He gave them laws that were written on stony tablets (Exodus 20). They were to receive happiness by following His laws. This made them His people, and He their God. In the New Covenant, God became flesh by taking a human (John 1:14) and sacrificed His life to save us from sin (Matthew 26:27-28). Furthermore, He feeds us with the bread and wine, which are His sacrificial flesh (John 6:51) and blood of the New Covenant (Luke 22:20) so that we may have Eternal Life (John 6:54). In doing this He puts His life into us. This imprints His Words on our hearts (Jer. 31:33) to change our stony heart to natural one (Ezekiel 11:19). This means that believers follow God

Q: Can we be saved without humility? Unless we humble our selves and become like little children we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt.18: 3). Furthermore, in order to accept what God has promised us we must be meek (Matt. 5: 5). Q: How do we become humble? We must allow the Spirit of God to lead us (Galatians 5:25); look out for the interest of others over our own (Philippians 2:4); and forget ourselves and follow Jesus (Luke 9:25). To follow Jesus is to do as He did. Q: How did Jesus show humility? He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave; and humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2: 6). He did this in order to free us from our sins that we committed against Him. Do we have faith in Jesus and can we be saved if we do not humble our selves like Jesus did and offer our lives for the service of those who hurt us?

Q:How many times do we forgive otheres? A:Luke 17:4 says without limit. Q:Can we condemn another person? A:How can we, if we ourselves are sinners (John 8:1-11). Q:Can we be forgiven, if we do not forgive other? A:Matt 18:21-34 says no. Q:Should we forgive our spouse if he/she is unfaithful? A:God forgave us, although we are unfaithul to Him Q:What is true forgiveness? A: God compensated for our sins that we committed against Him by sacrificing His own life. In other words, the victim compensated for the sins of His offenders.

We are saved from sins by the blood of Christ (Matt. 26:28). In other words, the passion and death of Jesus bring us forgiveness of sins. This is true forgiveness, in which we the offenders are forgiven of our offenses by the compensation of Jesus the victim. This is also true love, in which Jesus gave of Himself completely so that we may have life (1John 4: 10). Therefore, to be saved we have to accept Jesus

God had mercy on us and forgave us although we had offended Him, killed Him and were unfaithful to Him. He did these by sacrificing His own life for us. We can accept His mercy and forgiveness by being merciful (Matthew 9:13) and forgiving (Matthew 18:21-35) to others. On the other hand, if we worship God by our lips and even prophesy and perform miracles in His name (Matthew 7:21-23) but refuse to be merciful and forgiving to others, we will be rejecting His forgiveness and His Kingdom (Matthew 6:14-15). We are called to worship God in the spirit. This means that our life must be in unison with the Spirit of God. We must therefore, cease doing evil (John 3: 19,20); keep away from fornication, adultery, homosexuality and all other forms of impurities (1Cor 6: 9,10); help the needy (Matthew 5:31-40); forgive our offenders of the offenses they committed against us; and be willing to sacrifice our lives in the process of helping our offenders. In marriage, we have to love and forgive our spouse, even if there is unfaithfulness; and are willing to sacrifice our life in the process of helping our spouse. Furthermore, we have to keep the marriage covenant permanent, just as God

If you tell me where in the bible this is mentioned, and also the next sentense after that I can tell you what the swords were meant for.

Terrorism is evil. And evil can only be overcome by the love of God (Romans 12:21; Ephesians 6:10-20). Therefore, only the love of God can break the cycle of hate and revenge, and stop terrorism. God

Jesus offers us a different type of life-style, than what the world or other religions offer. The following are some of the features, which are unique to Christian life-style. When we offended God, He did not sue us or take revenge. On the other hand, out of love and compassion for us He compensated for our offenses by His suffering and death. By His example He taught that we have to help our offenders; and if needed be willing to suffer and die for them. He also taught us to forgive our enemies without putting a limit on the number of time we should forgive them (Luke 17:4); give to everyone who asks; offer the other cheek if slapped on one, give our coat as well, if some one takes away our shirt; write off the debts of those who owe us; love our enemies and be helpful to them (Matt 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-36)); and never judge or condemn others (Luke 6: 37-42). Although we were unfaithful to God, abused Him and then killed Him, He did not abandon us. On the contrary He forgave us and sacrificed His life for us. By His example He taught us that irrespective of the offenses of our spouse, we should never divorce our spouse (Matthew 19:4-9) (note: the exception in Matt 19:9 is not truly an exception, because it is for incestuous marriages, which were unlawful); and love our spouse the way He loves His Church (Eph. 5:25). We have to therefore, treat our spouse with the greatest love. Every conjugal act, therefore, must be an act of total unconditional love (which is act of service to others). It must therefore, only be between a man and woman who have totally surrendered their life to each other in marriage; and must be always be open to serving its physiological purpose, which is procreation. Jesus came into this world to bring us healing, and to die for our sins (Luke 4:18-19; John 3:16). By His example He taught us that we should be servants of others (Mark 10:44), instead of putting ourselves ahead of others. He also tells us (Matt 6: 31-34) that we should seek the Kingdom of God, rather than worry about our own well-being. The early Christians followed these teachings and (Acts 4:34, 35) shared all their belonging with others, so that no one lacked their basic needs.

In the old Covenant people lived by the laws, that were carved on stone. In the New Covenant we have to live by the Spirit of Christ, which is Divine Mercy. In other words, the heart of redemption is Mercy and forgiveness. Therefore, if we go by the letter of the law, but reject mercy and forgiveness, we reject redemption (Matt. 6: 14,15). Jesus showed us that to truly love and forgive, is not only to give up resentment or claim we have against our offenders, but also to compensate for their wrongdoings. Jesus did not sue those who hurt and killed Him. He offered them salvation by dying on the cross. He offered the other cheek. We have only two choices, to live like Jesus did or to reject His life.

The scriptures are very clear about forgiveness and mercy. In James 2:13 we are told that mercy is above law. In Matt. 6:14-15 we are told that we would not be forgiven if we do not forgive others. In the Lord

There is nothing wrong in playing sports for fun. There is no need to prove our superiority or improve our skills by keeping scores. In the final analysis it leads to no where, except pride. All that will really matter in the end is, did we respond to people in need. Some people quote

I was with you until that. That is not true at all for many people. For instance, my son plays tournament baseball and it gets intense. When the game is over, win or lose, he shakes hands and goes home and that's the end. No pride (expect a healthy pride in playing well), no selfishness, no jealousy, no anger (okay, sometimes if the ump makes a lousy call, but I deal with it in a Christianlike manner), no revenge and no hate. Why expect such low standards of others? (unfortunately I can't say the same for his coach, but that's another story. And it's been a good lesson for my son.) My daughter cheers and competes in it. Same thing as above. I myself am very competitive. I play a daily online trivia game against other people and you'd better believe I'm playing to WIN. LOL. But, many times I'm low on the list. No pride, no selfishness, no jealousy, no anger, no revenge and no hate. It's just a game. Gotta admit I love it when I win though. My Pastor, who is a very Godly man, told me recently that he was so bad at his daughter's basketball games that the ref once actually stopped the game, handed him the whistle and said - "Here. YOU can referee." He, too, is very competetive. But he has it in perspective. That's the key. (He toned it down after that, btw. How embarrassing. LOL) There is nothing wrong with healthy and Godly pride in a job well done that you have worked hard for IMO. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Good competition and healthy challenges toward excellence are to me a conernerstone of being a whole person. I can think of nothing Biblical that would preclude competition unless you are trying be one of thsoe folks who try to compete about their belifes in God. That truly does make no sense. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I see no christian reason to compete with others. We can improve our quality of work by increasing our love for others. There is no christian reason to compete in sports. In the end it lead to nothing more than pride if we win and hate and anger if we lose. We can keep our bodies healthy by playing non-competitively. Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. We should ideally compete with the devil and demons, to beat them, not each other. For Christ is in each of us. Hebrew 10:24 We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.

We can do our best to help others. There is absolutely no christian reason to prove our superiority over others or to go ahead of others. We can compete with our selves so that we we can help others in a better way. This is what Paul was refering to.

To compete is to prove ourselves superior to others, or try to put our selves ahead of others. So that when we compete, we feel that we are either superior to others, or that we want to become superior to others and get ahead of them. Some people may say that certain types of competitions are healthy, because, they increase our skills or encourage team spirit. However, the fact remains that in competitions we put our selves or our own ahead of others. This is contrary to Christian teachings. Jesus tells us to be servants of others (Mark 10:44), instead of putting ourselves ahead of others. He also tells us that we should seek the Kingdom of God, rather than worry about our food or clothing (Matt 6: 31-34). The early Christians followed this teachings and (Acts 4:34, 35) shared all their belonging with others, so that on one lacked their basic needs. Jesus tells us to keep it a secret when we do good acts (Matt. 6:6); love our enemy; give and expect nothing in return; if some one borrows something from us, don

Jesus

The very essence of human existence is love, because, we are created in the image of God (who is love) (Gen. 1:27) and are a product of God

Faith is to believe what we do not see or we do not understand. It is like a little boy who believes everything his father tells him. He believes, because, he trusts his father. He trusts his father because his father loves him; and because, his father is his very own. This is how it should be between God and us. We therefore, should have faith in God by believing in everything He tells us, even when we do not understand it; and by believing in His way of life. To believe is to accept in our heart and to act according to what we accept. Therefore, to believe that God loves us is to accept His love in our heart by loving others the way He loves us (John 15:12). Similarly, to believe in His forgiveness is to forgive others the way He forgives us (Matt 6:12). Also, to believe in His mercy is to be merciful like He is. God showed His love for us by having mercy on us and forgiving us of our sins against Him. He did this by compensating for our offenses against Him by His life. We too to have to forgive our offenders of their offenses against us; by having mercy on them; and by compensating for their offenses by the sacrifices we make for them. We must be willing to lay down our life for others, including for those who cause us grave hurt; just as God in His Divine mercy sacrificed His life for us, although we gravely hurt Him (by our sins). This is what it means to have faith in Jesus. Faith of itself, if is does not have works, is dead faith (James 2:17), because, faith in God is to believe in Him and to do His works. Similarly, works not done without faith (in God) is worthless (Psalm 127,1), because, works that are not God

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since true love is unconditional and selfless, true love goes beyond friends and relatives (who are our own, whom we like, who have either helped us in the past or from whom we expect to get something in return). According to Jesus (Luke 6:27-25) we must love our enemy, do good deeds to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who mistreat us. If anyone slaps us on one cheek, we must let him hit the other one too. We must give to everyone who asks for something; because, God is good to the ungrateful and the wicked. We must be merciful, just as our Father is merciful (Luke 6: 35-36). We must remember that mercy triumphs over law (James 2; 13); and it is mercy, and not sacrifice, that God desires (Matt. 12:7). We must not take revenge on those who do us wrong. If someone takes us to court to sue us for our shirt, we must let him have our coat as well. We must walk an additional mile if the occupation forces ask us to carry their pack for one mile (Matt 5; 39-41). If anyone borrows something from us we must not ask for it back (Luke 6:27-30). We must be willing to lay down our life for others, including for those who cause us grave hurt; just as God in His Divine mercy sacrificed His life for us, although we gravely hurt Him (by our sins). The above paragraph tells us that, we have to love our enemies by our actions, and to be merciful to them. It further tells us that, we should not offer resistance to injustice. We may think that, if we do not offer resistance to injustice, we might help to increase injustice. In reality however, when we do not offer resistance and offer love instead, we can change the hearts of those who are unjust. Generally people are unjust and selfish, because they are insecure. When we offer resistance, their sense of insecurity increases and they become more unjust. On the other hand, when we do not offer resistance, they do not feel threatened. Their sense of insecurity therefore, diminishes, and they become open to receiving our love. This love then, can change their hearts to make them just people. More often than not, we fight injustice done to us or hurt inflicted to us, by taking revenge and protecting our own interest. This makes us hateful and selfish. On the other hand, when we go out of our way to help our enemies, we cultivate love. When we fight for our rights, self consumes us. This makes us selfish. When we are selfish we remove ourselves from God. This takes peace out of our hearts. On the other hand when we offer love to our offenders, we find peace; because to act in love, is to be in unison with God. Only love can overcome all obstacles and bring true peace, because, God is Love; and nothing is impossible with Him. When we doubt that love alone can solve all the problems in the World, we doubt God.

Many people lose faith in God when they see evil and natural disasters in the World. They feel that, if God is really present or really loves us, He will not allow evil. This feeling becomes even stronger, when they see children and innocent people suffer. However, it is not God, but our sins, that produces evil in the world. Sin results from selfishness and selfishness causes hurt to others. Even natural disasters, which some people erroneously refer to as

When Christians marry, it is for better or for worse, because, it is permanant. Every one has to carry their cross. But the good news is that you are not alone. When Jesus was on the cross, He experienced the pain and suffering of every human being; which mean that Jesus is with us in our sufferings. WE can therefore, find peace in the midst of our pain and sufferings. If we do not keep the Word of God, we will never find peace

I 100% agree with this statement.

Christian marriage is a union of love between husband and wife, in which, God who is love, is the binding force (Matt 19:6). In other words, God unites husband and wife. In His plan they are no longer two, but one (Gen 2:24; Matt 19:5; Eph 5:31). This means that they have to surrender their entire being to the other and husbands have to love their wife as Christ loves His Church (Eph 5:25). In fact their bond is stronger than that between them and their parents; they therefore, leave their parents and unite with their spouse (Mark 10:7). Because God is the binding force in their union and God is unchanging (Malachi 3:6), it is impossible to break the bond (Matt 19:6). Jesus clearly tells us that no one should separate what God has joined together (Matt 19:6). Therefore, even when divorced people remarry, their first spouse is the only real spouse. Therefore, sexual relationship with any other person becomes adultery (Luke 16:18). Since God is the binding force, an attempt at rejecting the bond is an attempt at rejecting God. Divorce is therefore, against God. God therefore, hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and is not pleased with the offerings of those who divorce their spouse (Malachi 2: 13-14). Divorce is absolutely prohibited by Jesus (Mk 10:11-12, Luke 6:18), except when the marriage was illicit (Matt 5:32). The word in the Greek text for this exemption is porneia; which in no way means adultery (the Greek word for adultery is moiceia). Forgiveness is the very heart of Christianity, because, Christianity has to do with redemption and redemption has to do with forgiveness. The whole redemption history revolves around God