Talk of JESUS . com

Tag: God

Church: Religion? Philosophic Discourse? or Cultural Calling?
The instant you say, ‘church,’ you dip your toe into waters of reactions which you know not how hot or cold, how shallow or deep, how stagnant or storm-tossed the hearer of your faith.

Do you dare even ask?
- Are YOU a CHRISTIAN?
- Where did you worship last Sunday?
- Do you belong to OUR church?
- What are you currently studying from the Bible?
- Would you talk of JESUS with me?
- May I SHARE the Good News of my Biblical Christian faith?
Just imagine the wide range of reactions of any other soul to ANY of these questions of the faithful evangelical Christian daring to share the Gospel of their Biblical Christian church.

An even more troubling question:

Does a Christian dare engage OTHER ‘christians‘ in a conversation about Christ (the Namesake of our Christian faith) addressing ALL of these questions and more about our Biblical Christian faith?

Have YOU, in fact, tested these troublesome waters?

IF SO, perhaps you too have received a baptism of hot opposition or a cold withdrawal of the flesh from the waters of faith.

That would be evangelism = a RED FLAG of RELIGION to which a world (inclusively with some calling themselves a ‘church,’) will often react with ears that do not hear, as well as the rhetoric of rebellion against the Lord God and anarchy against salvation of the sinful soul.
- Perhaps evangelism nets too few caught in the rising waters of a cultural flood of this world reacting to the ‘church,’ by denying Christ Jesus.
- Maybe a pure Biblical Christian faith offends some tiptoeing into the mire of murky waters of philosophic denial.
The [*] wicked fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They act corruptly, they commit abominable deeds;
There is no one who does good.
Psalm 14 :: Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) * wicked – one who rejects wisdom in rebellion against God
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(Although some these wicked fools have crept into pulpits of places which call themselves, 'church.')
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ANY constant questioning of authoritative adherence to the Word of God, the Holy Bible of our Christian faith, should sound an alarm to the faithful:

Beware of the tempter in sheep’s clothing.

Who else would deconstruct the Biblical Christian foundation of the Church, only to reconstruct our faith by compromises of the only Truth, replacing authoritative Scripture with several shifting pebbles of heretical half-truths ‘reasoned’ by the wicked at war with Christ?

So I ask you .. I ask us:

Who are these 21st century Christians?
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What are YOUR answers to my earlier questions I dare to ask my fellow evangelical Christian believers and worshipers of Jesus Christ? (ADD your Comment on Scripture to this Saturday Post of TalkofJESUS.com) 
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Our church in Christ Jesus has no place for the unrepentant wicked fool; for our Gospel is for those who believe.
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I began this Saturday Post series as a deeper discussion of DOCTRINE (or teaching) of the Church. The alarm of the watchman on the wall rang in my ears while hearing about a subtle teaching, an undercurrent of doctrine seeping into the evangelical christian church.

Evangelical RECONSTRUCTION was something I naively had never heard of; YET now I will raise the trumpet of warning to sound the alarm:
Something’s wrong with our church!

(Who wouldn't agree?) YES it is.

So why not RECALL it?

(Send it ‘back to the manufacturer? Can’t do that. So how can WE evolve the church into a 21st c. style faith?)
Tear it down to the ground demolishing doctrine by doctrine.

Then WE can RECONSTRUCT that which WE have deconstructed to fix the church how WE want.

But WE had better do it subtly (so as not to offend anybody) and stealthily (without account of a foundational Biblical Christian teaching).
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A 21st c. RECALL of the CHURCH is just what WE need for OUR Evangelical Reconstruction of the Church into a socially acceptable gathering which will attract any follower from religions of every culture of our world.
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NOT!

To borrow from the Apostle Paul refuting premises of clear untruths:

By no means!

Perfect Teaching (for God’s imperfect ‘church’)

https://talkofjesus.com/talk-jesus-com/what-is-doctrine/
διδασκαλία – didaskalia – doctrine (19x), teaching (1x), learning (1x). – source: BlueLetterBible.org

Doctrine, whether by preaching or teaching or proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is foundational to faith and therefore never to be torn down by any mortal sinner. Scripture affirms God’s truth and the trustworthy teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ for those who believe.

.. so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, ..
Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Church in Ephesus 4:14 Legacy Standard Bible

This same Apostle (to the Gentiles) confesses in his first letter to the pastor, Timothy 1:15

.. that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

And the Apostle Peter fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying,

“Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
the Good News of Luke 5:8 Legacy Standard Bible

Some call Peter and Paul, Saints (and they are); yet all of God’s faithful are saints to the Lord.

Psalm 34:9 (WLC 34:10) יְראוּ אֶת־יְהוָה קְדֹשָׁיו כִּי־ אֵין מַחְסוֹר לִירֵאָֽיו׃
Yodh
Oh, fear Yahweh, you His saints;
For there is no want to those who fear Him.
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Do YOU FEAR THE LORD GOD, oh you sinner?

The MARQEE denominational name of your 'church' matters NOT, my fellow sinner. 
Seek the salvation of the Lord, my dear fellow saint, His redemption of your soul to eternal life witnessed in the Gospel of the Christ JESUS.
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Perfect Preaching (Teaching)

Is based on & does not manipulate Scripture.

THE LORD GOD IS! (God IS God and mankind is not.)

God spoke to and through men whom the Lord God chose and commanded to write HIS words.

“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?
Numbers 23:19 LSB

ONLY Scripture – Sola Scriptura

All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:16 LSB

NOT ‘some,’ NOT ‘select scripture’ ..

AND separate from the truth that some church pastors will never reprove or correct those wayward weak sheep of their own flock,

ALL of the WRITTEN WORD OF SCRIPTURE IS GOD INSPIRED!

Mortal SINNERS DO NOT get to reconstruct what GOD has said.

(But false teachers of every era subtly seek to lead Christ’s lost sheep into the abyss of disbelief.)

Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”

The Apostle John’s Good News for you is:

.. that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

Evangelical RE-construction of the Church
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Source material for the following is transcribed (written as accurately as possible) from the A.D. 2022 podcast 'Just Thinking,' previously recommended and linked on TalkofJESUS.com and used with permission of its author. - RH
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In deconstruction everything is a SOCIAL construction, including the church.
Darrell Harrison
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By the way, this Saturday Post series, Church – Who are these 21st c. Christians? - is directed toward faithful evangelical Christians who fear God and believe Scripture as a warning and caution for infidelity to Christ we increasingly hear from the pulpits of our RE-engineered 21st c. 'churches.' - RH

I will add brief comment to Harrison's outline below for your consideration and intentional thinking about the teaching of your church. Why not add your own thoughts in the Comments at the bottom of this post. 

God-willing, we will continue the course of identifying the faithful of our 21st century 'Church' next Saturday.
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Evangelical Deconstructionism

Most of the points quoted may be found in the Just Thinking Podcast near 1:32.

FIVE-POINT PROGRESSION of Evangelical Deconstructionism
1. EMBRACE and posit [plant or assume] the idea [philosophy] that the CHURCH is a SOCIALLY constructed system, NOT a divinely ordained idea [institution] that originated in the mind of God.
2. ASSUME that this socially constructed system is designed to be exclusive of certain intersectional identities, traditions and behaviors.
3. IDENTIFY subjective [reasoned in the mind] points or cracks in that socially constructed system that have failed [as reasoned by the philosopher] AND need to be fixed [or reconstructed].
4. APPLY a hermeneutic [interpretive explanation] of SUSPICION to that SOCIALIALLY-CONSTRUCTED system so that ANYONE [who even remotely] connected to that system is deemed UNTRUSTWORTHY.. deemed an enemy.
5. RECONSTRUCT this SOCIAL SYSTEM [church, etc.] into the IMAGE and likeness of the CULTURE with socially acceptable.. [everythingology].
Have you heard the alarm?

“Therefore watch out, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you:
Acts of the Apostles 13:40 LSB [in context 13:23-41]

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Gospel of Matthew 7:15 LSB – a warning of Jesus

“Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

Gospel of Luke 6:46 LSB – CHALLANGE of the Lord Jesus Christ to followers

What must we do?

Does YOUR local church have a new cultural calling to evangelism?

Please comment below on what you observe of Evangelical Deconstructionism?

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
August 27, 2022
Did God really say, Church?
Yes! God said, “CHURCH.”

Let’s be clear up front. I can assure you through Scripture (the written word of God we call THE BIBLE) that our Creator said, “Church.”

So that we are on the same page (so to speak) I will get to a written definition of Church shortly. But first — and perhaps more importantly — I have a question to ask YOU.

WHO is Asking?
- Why is THIS important?
- Does the person asking you about “Church“ really want to know what God said?
- OR
- Is this question of theirs a veiled dismissal of God
  - AND built on a premise opposed to the Authority of God’s Word?
Who believes that God created the CHURCH?

FIRST: Most likely NO ONE has asked you about your “church.”

If you made a list including one hundred [100] from your neighborhood, work and extended family,
- HOW MANY would even ASK YOU ANYTHING about CHURCH or GOD or Jesus Christ?
Perhaps, one?
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(Not even Christians of our church typically engage each other in conversation about 'church'  beyond the walls of the church building or in our mortal time beyond a single worship service duplicated twice on Sunday.)
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SECONDLY: IF you ever hear a person ask you about your ‘church‘ and Scripture ,

ASK YOURSELF, “WHO IS ASKING?”

You probably know several variations of the original QUESTION directly from your Bible.

וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם מִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה אַף כִּֽי־אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹֽאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּֽן׃
Bereishit (Genesis) 3:1 :: Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC)
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Of course most of us cannot read the original so we must rely on a translation of Scripture (me included)-- but (keep in mind) -- 

NO man or woman can claim truth while they reconstruct Scripture into words they want the Bible to say. 

WORDS have both meaning and intent. Therefore a preacher or teacher of the BIBLE MUST stick to preaching or teaching from a reliable English translation AND NOT SUBSTITUTE your own 'better,' less-offensive words.

The BIG QUESTION of THE DECEIVER goes something like the reconstruction by Satan sketched out (and linked) below.
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Does the preacher of the Word who shepherds your church have the integrity to ALWAYS use the written word of God from the Bible as written?
Roger@TalkofJESUS.com [Your response or question by email is welcome.]

Questioning and Reconstructing God’s Word
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An example from Genesis 3:
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Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.

And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said,
Genesis 3:1b NASB95

‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
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Again, WATCH OUT! Whenever you hear anyone ask, 'has God said...'
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“Church“

Call it what you like, but different people mean different things when they say, ‘church.’

This is so even for members or attenders of the very same church. So let’s settle on some standard definitions of our references to ‘the church.’

ἐκκλησία – ek-klay-see’-ah [feminine noun]

Strong’s G1577 – ekklēsia [click for complete definition of ‘church’]
- a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place
No mention of the ‘church building’ here, although this ‘public place’ could be a building, tent, other home or anywhere two or three ‘citizens’ are gathered together.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; G1577 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Gospel of Matthew 16:18 KJV – first use of the word ‘church‘ G1537 ekklēsia in the New Testament

Christians and unbelievers alike think of CHURCH as an exclusive reference to a building or place where JESUS worshipers gather together as a ‘religious’ routine typically on Sunday only.

However, a deeper look into how ‘church’ is used in the Bible — Old Testament AND New — will reveal a more significant connection of this ‘gathering of citizens’ to the LORD God.

Gather me the people together – קָהַל

The summons or call to worship is from the LORD Himself!

The first reference to the ‘church’ or gathering in the Greek Septuagint comes from the LORD through Moses. Each assembly of the hebrew people, the citizens called out of Egypt and frequently out of their tents in the wilderness, was called by the LORD GOD.

The LORD calls out the CHURCH, a chosen company of worshipers of the LORD our God.
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View a link to these references from the Septuagint in the common Greek of the first century Roman Empire when Israel no longer existed and JESUS taught in Galilee, Samaria and Judea.
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“Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may have them hear My words so that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’
Deuteronomy 4:10

“The LORD gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly..
“This is in accordance with everything that you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Do not let me hear the voice of the LORD my God again, and do not let me see this great fire anymore, or I will die!’
Deuteronomy 9:10; 18:16

It’s pretty serious business:

However, the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will wipe him out of My book. But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless on the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
Exodus 32:33-34 NASB20

— a chosen citizenry created in the image of the LORD against whom they turn (again and again)

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד׃
“And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4 :: WLC; 6:5 NASB20

Then God said, “Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the LORD, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.
Exodus 34:10 NASB20

— the LAW of the LORD our God (broken again and again)

“Be careful that you do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst.
Exodus 34:12 NASB20

— covenant, solemn promise after solemn promise (broken again and again)

“For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they eat and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant.
Deuteronomy 31:20 NASB20

AND even in the New Testament

— an often apostate church continually asking, “DID GOD REALLY SAY?“

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel, which is not just another account; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
Paul’s letter to the Church at Galatia 1:6-7 NASB20

Did Scripture really say..?

Second Letter of Paul to Timothy

3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

YES, God — JESUS — really did say, CHURCH.

Scripture — spoken by the LORD, written in the Law and the Prophets, preached by the Lord Jesus Christ, taught by the Apostles — Scripture affirms Christ’s Church already built by HIM and in no need of tearing down out of a lack of faith.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man [messenger] of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV

Why do you ask?
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"Did God really say, Church?" is our first post for a NEW TalkofJESUS.com SERIES, addressing philosophies and questions underlying intentional deconstruction of the 21st Century Church.
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Talk of JESUS . com

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
July 9, 2022
Gardener, Shepherd and Hunter: 7 Scenes Unseen by Man

ACT 2 – Scene 1 – in an unseen place

Where am I?

I have brought you to a place unseen by man.

You showed me a scene I had never seen of the death of Abel.. and Eve mourning the loss of her son murdered by her other son… and about sin in Eden. Was this story of Moses true?

I have shown you scenes revealed to Moses from near the beginning of time. His story was true, though Moses was not there.

Tell me, why did Moses leave Egypt?

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter..
[Click here to read NASB in context]
Hebrews 11:24

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though seeing Him who is unseen.
Hebrews 11:27 NASB

Moses was sort of a shepherd then, wasn’t he?

Yes, in a sense.. But a later shepherd led his followers to the right answer from Scripture to your question. Do you recall what David said?

מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד יְהוָה רֹעִי לֹא אֶחְסָֽר׃

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Moses followed the unseen Shepherd as he led the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt.

So is this place like when you showed me what happened east of Eden?

These scenes take place in the unseen places above the heavens — or beneath the earth — places connected to the timeline of man yet separate from the mortal life of any one man or woman.

I don’t think I understand, I thought as my Guide explained unseen places where He has evidently led me.

Allow me to show you one such unseen scene from around the time of Moses. The actions here impact a righteous man who lived in a different land. But this scene does not take place there.

Unseen in Uz

One day the angels [sons of God] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [the adversary] also came with them.

The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

Job 1:6-7 NIV

Do you know this story?

Yes. It’s about Job, who suffers all kinds of evil without knowing why.

Is Job part of this conversation with the LORD in the unseen place? So who is the main character in this story of Job?

I knew the obvious answer. Job was clueless about God allowing him to suffer severely for some time.

Satan.. And didn’t you also say that Moses called him the Serpent?

You yourself recognized the Serpent as the hunter. And what prey does he hunt?

Souls! The soul of Cain.. the soul of Eve.. the soul of Adam..

So too is Satan hissing at God when he calls for evil to tempt Job’s soul toward the pit of darkness.

So the Serpent’s name is really Satan.

שָׂטָן

śāṭān – noun

superhuman adversary, הַשּׂ׳ :
a. of Job, one of בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים Job 1:6, 7 (twice in verse); Job 1:8, 9, 12 (twice in verse); Job 2:1, 2(twice in verse); Job 2:3, 4 (twice in verse); Job 2:6, 7.
b. of high priest of Israel before י׳, Zechariah 3:1, 2(twice in verse); Greek Version of the LXX. ὁ διάβολος.
c. as proper name שׂ׳ Satan 1 Chronicles 21:1 (interpret 2 Samuel 24:1), Greek Version of the LXX διάβολος (Greek Version of the LXX σατάν 1 Kings 11:14, 23; Σατανᾶς Matthew 4:10; Mark 1:13; Luke 10:18 + 33 times NT).

Source- [Lexicon :: Strong’s H7854 – śāṭān

And as Moses said, this Tempter is cunning; and as a spirit shepherding evil in the unseen places he has many names, sometimes even appearing as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

שָׂטַן

śāṭan – verb

Outline of Biblical Usage
(Qal) to be or act as an adversary, resist, oppose

Strong’s Definitions
שָׂטַן sâṭan, saw-tan’; a primitive root; to attack, (figuratively) accuse:—(be an) adversary, resist.

Strong’s Number H7853 matches the Hebrew שָׂטַן (śāṭan), which occurs 6 times in 6 verses in the WLC Hebrew.

Job seemed helpless; not able to do anything about the evil.

Satan requested permission from God to contend with him on earth.

My thoughts and countenance were really quite dejected by now..

Remember what David said about the valley of the shadow of death? .. It is the place of evil.

I recalled briefly the Lord’s words to Cain before he murdered Abel.. The LORD cautioned Able BEFORE he turned against his brother and against the LORD who was with him and leading him along the valley of the shadow…

So how can any man resist evil from these unseen places and remain faithful to the LORD?

Do you know how David petitioned the LORD when God was angry at him for his sin?

Just like Moses, I thought, David had murdered a man. He had blood on his hands.. NO LESS THAN CAIN!

A psalm of David. A petition. NIV

LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
Psalm 38:1 NIV

Some prayers are praises to God who we cannot see, while others are petitions from our place near the valley of the shadow to the unseen place — a place above time and circumstance where the Lord sits on the Throne of justice and the Mercy Seat of redemption.

Psalm 38 NASB, KJ21, OJB, WLC

Yᵊhōvâ

Hashem, rebuke me not in Thy wrath; neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure.

2 (3) For Thine khitzim (arrows) pierce me, Thy hand presseth me sorely.

3 There is no soundness in my flesh, because of Thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones, because of my sin.

4 For mine iniquities have gone over mine head; as a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

5 My wounds are foul and corrupt because of my foolishness.

6 (7) I am bent down; I am brought low

I go in mourning all day long.
7 For my sides are filled with burning,
And there is no healthy part in my flesh.

8 I am feeble and sorely broken; I have groaned because of the disquiet of my heart.

David pleads for mercy, confessing his guilty deeds by which he deserves the WRATH OF GOD.. He then bows down to God acknowledging:

Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.

I know now after seeing these unseen places that I have NO right to expect anything from God…

David is quiet before the LORD, then pleaing:

Yes, I am like a person who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
¹⁵For I wait for You, Lord;
You will answer, Lord my God.

AND listen to David’s plea to the Judge of all men. Read it:

(WLC 38:21) וּמְשַׁלְּמֵי רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה יִשְׂטְנוּנִי תַּחַת רדופי־ טֽוֹב׃

They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
Psalm 38:20 KJV

Eve encountered an adversary opposed to God! As did the first adam and the sons of adam.. Job.. and David.. And yes, so have you. And WHY? David tells us.

Because those who follow God and do what is good suffer evil by the hand of the adversary of the LORD God lurking in the unseen places. For Satan is an enemy of all Light which overcomes the darkness.

21 Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, do not be far from me!
22 Hurry to help me,
Lord, my salvation!

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Gospel of John 1:5 NIV

To be continued…

May 14, 2022