COME LET US PURSUE THE BOND OF PERFECTION
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from the Afrikaans Version: Kom ons strewe na die band van die volmaaktheid
Translator: Lynda Botha
I would like to share with you a thought which has befallen me. I am also aware that I wrote about this on a previous occasion but this time I’m looking at it from A different angle:
I start off with the following statement:
It could happen that my religion becomes so religious, that it becomes not only my religion without God, but that it is so far from God, that it could become physically and psychologically dangerous to the people around me.
Since I have used many examples in the past, of the Pharisees and Sadducees’ ridiculous and satanic charades, I would like to use another example this time of my hero Paul, who I consider as the cream of religiosity of his time. Saul of Tarsus who later became Paul of Christ, grew up in a parsonage, he received personal theological training by Professor Gamaliel, who was one of the greatest theologians of his time – but wait, let Paul express it himself as I might fail to include something:
ACTS 22:3: “Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honour God in everything I did, just like all of you today.”
Just in case anyone thinks that Paul or I think too much of prof. Gamaliel – the Word of God
testifies Gamaliel as follows:
ACTS 5:34: “But one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was an expert in religious law and respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be sent outside the council chamber for a while.”
For now, we return to the fanatical religious Saul of Tarsus –
He further testifies about himself:
PHILIPPIANS 3:4 “though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!”
PHILIPPIANS 3:5: “I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin – a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demanded the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.”
PHILIPPIANS 3:6: “I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.”
Let's take a look how Saul of Tarsus practiced his religion “impeccably and righteously within the law”. He testifies about that part of his life as follows:
GALATIANS 1:13: “You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion – how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it.”
GALATIANS 1:14: “I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.”
Now within my life experiences I observed that there are people who will stand up in a church and exaggerate their sinful past before their repentance under the pretext to bear witness but in actual fact they are boasting by signifying:
"I was like that before but just look at me now."
So, just in case anyone thinks that Paul is showcasing something similar, let's see what the Scripture says about that time in his life:
On an occasion a lot of people came together and stoned Stephen a follower of Jesus, then it is written:
ACTS 7:58: “and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man names Saul.”
A little further, we read:
ACTS 8:2: “Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.”
ACTS 8:3: “But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.”
Then Saul of Tarsus met Jesus Christ and adopted Him. Then in my opinion, Paul of Christ wrote about love like no other before or after him. It is no wonder since he wrote it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You can read it in 1 Corinthians 13.
Well –
• How do I know if my religion is an empty religion without God?
The answer is very simple – When my religion is without love for God and my fellow man.
• How do I know if my religion is without love for God?
Again very simple – If I do not love my fellow man, I certainly do not love God.
1 JOHN 4:20: “If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God whom we cannot see?”
You see –
Religion without love for God and in other words without love for my fellow man, is a senseless useless religion, no matter for what other reason I practice it.
See how Paul phrases it – At first, he lived like this:
GALATIANS 1:14: “I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.”
Then he met Jesus and commented on the way he now practiced his religion:
PHILIPPIANS 3: 5-8
5: “I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin – a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demanded the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.”
6: “I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.”
7: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.”
8: “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ,”
The Amplified Bible states it as follows:
PHILIPPIANS 3:8: “But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him – a joy unequalled). For His sake I have lost everything, and I consider it all garbage, so that I may gain Christ.”
You see, true religion consists of love, love and more love.
Love – firstly for God without a "but". In other words, without any terms and conditions.
MATTHEW 22: 37-40
37: “Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”
38: “This is the first and greatest commandment.”
39: “A second is equally important: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
40: “The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Hate, detest the sin but look with love and compassion to the sinner.
Now, I am going to be conservative in the choosing of my words which I am going to write.
I must not let my religion be overfilled with zeal but devoid of love, so that instead of the sweet fragrance of the Gospel, my religion is just the stench of garbage.
ROMANS 13:8: “Owe nothing to anyone – except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbour, you will fulfil the requirements of God’s law.”
I know that Satan makes and will make it as difficult as possible for me. Yes, and I also know that I still have a long way to travel in this regard, but I work hard at it so that I can make my religion permeated of love. Because – praise the name of the Lord – I have a goal which I want and can achieve, and I want to encourage you to make it your goal as well.
Here it is written:
COLOSSIANS 3:14: “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
Greetings,
Sakkie