Hallo Ellen,
De verschillen tussen afrikaans en nederlands zijn klein. Ik ben zeker U kunt dit begrijpen!
I know many Christians, even pastors, preachers, elders, deacons, .... , who hold grudges. Ooops, I was forgetting to include myself in the list. So, don't worry excessively about the issue of holding grudges -- only to the right extent.
In Christian Chat you'll find many qualified people to give you advice on this issue, so I will limit myself to say the following: Whenever you read something in the Gospels that seems impossible for a human, don't get scared. Remember that Jesus told the young rich ruler to sell everything he had and give the money to the poor. Then the Lord said that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter heaven and the disciples were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus said it was virtually impossible for the rich to enter heaven, and I think everybody in CC in rich. But let's see what Paul says about the rich: Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
See? Paul says it is not impossible for the rich to enter heaven. Is Paul contradicting Jesus? Not at all. Paul was just a spokesman and what he wrote came from Christ Himself. The earthly Jesus preached one message to the Jews whereas the risen Christ (through Paul) preached a different message to the Gentiles. In other words Jesus preached an ultimate version of the law of Moses that exacted perfection. The New Covenant doctrine exacts holiness, but not perfection, so ... relax a little bit.
So, when you read "love your enemies" don't get scared. I love some of my enemies, but not all of them. I don't love some of them, but I don't hate them either. I do my best seeking riches from heaven so that the injustices I have suffered in this world become meaningless when compared with what God has in store for me (if I remain faithful to Him). On "that" day, I don't think I will lose salvation just because I didn't love all my enemies as myself.
Welcome to Christian Chat!
De verschillen tussen afrikaans en nederlands zijn klein. Ik ben zeker U kunt dit begrijpen!
I know many Christians, even pastors, preachers, elders, deacons, .... , who hold grudges. Ooops, I was forgetting to include myself in the list. So, don't worry excessively about the issue of holding grudges -- only to the right extent.
In Christian Chat you'll find many qualified people to give you advice on this issue, so I will limit myself to say the following: Whenever you read something in the Gospels that seems impossible for a human, don't get scared. Remember that Jesus told the young rich ruler to sell everything he had and give the money to the poor. Then the Lord said that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter heaven and the disciples were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus said it was virtually impossible for the rich to enter heaven, and I think everybody in CC in rich. But let's see what Paul says about the rich: Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
See? Paul says it is not impossible for the rich to enter heaven. Is Paul contradicting Jesus? Not at all. Paul was just a spokesman and what he wrote came from Christ Himself. The earthly Jesus preached one message to the Jews whereas the risen Christ (through Paul) preached a different message to the Gentiles. In other words Jesus preached an ultimate version of the law of Moses that exacted perfection. The New Covenant doctrine exacts holiness, but not perfection, so ... relax a little bit.
So, when you read "love your enemies" don't get scared. I love some of my enemies, but not all of them. I don't love some of them, but I don't hate them either. I do my best seeking riches from heaven so that the injustices I have suffered in this world become meaningless when compared with what God has in store for me (if I remain faithful to Him). On "that" day, I don't think I will lose salvation just because I didn't love all my enemies as myself.
Welcome to Christian Chat!
Thank you for your message I appreciate it
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