Rev 18 NIV
It is finished! The time of judgment upon Babylon the great harlot and upon those who committed adultery with her has come.
So what's the difference between adultery and idolatry? Not much. Whenever we make a commitment to someone to put them first in our lives and then place other things before that commitment, that is adultery. It does not have to be a sexual liaison for it to be adultery. Football or fishing or gold or alcohol or drugs or money or multitude of other things sometimes edge their way into our lives causing us to be unfaithful to those whom we have committed ourselves to love and care for.
If we say we worship the one true God and we put any of those same things that cause us to commitment adultery with our spouses before God and His perfect will for us, we commit idolatry.
Being reconciled, through the blood of Jesus to our Father, is about being in a committed relationship. God our Father committed His only begotten Son so that we might live in and with Him. God, the Son, committed His life to death, that we might live in and with Him. God, the Holy Spirit, commits us to be our help and our strength so that we might live in the presence of this perfect Triune God for all eternity. It's a pretty one sided commitment though. God desires that we should worship Him. He is faithful to us. Yet, we are not faithful to Him. We promise to be faithful and then we go off and serve other false gods committing adultery and idolatry as lovers of Babylon the great harlot.
The angel in John's vision warns us to come out of her while there is yet time; for when that final day comes neither the voice of the bride or the bridegroom will be heard in her again.
There are those who would judge that there are many and various levels of adultery and idolatry. That may be. But, I am not sure that God sees these many levels that humankind has concocted. If you dip just your foot into a cesspool you will still get dirty.
I am not sure if I know anyone who does not put themselves or others or things of this world before God from time to time. We are all idolaters and adulterers; forsaking the beautiful gift of reconciliation, life with our God, for reconciliation with the pleasures of this world.
Thanks be to God, that Jesus was willing to commit his whole life that even though we have turned our back on him; he did not turn his back on us.
God's Peace - Pr. J
It is finished! The time of judgment upon Babylon the great harlot and upon those who committed adultery with her has come. So what's the difference between adultery and idolatry? Not much. Whenever we make a commitment to someone to put them first in our lives and then place other things before that commitment, that is adultery. It does not have to be a sexual liaison for it to be adultery. Football or fishing or gold or alcohol or drugs or money or multitude of other things sometimes edge their way into our lives causing us to be unfaithful to those whom we have committed ourselves to love and care for.
If we say we worship the one true God and we put any of those same things that cause us to commitment adultery with our spouses before God and His perfect will for us, we commit idolatry.
Being reconciled, through the blood of Jesus to our Father, is about being in a committed relationship. God our Father committed His only begotten Son so that we might live in and with Him. God, the Son, committed His life to death, that we might live in and with Him. God, the Holy Spirit, commits us to be our help and our strength so that we might live in the presence of this perfect Triune God for all eternity. It's a pretty one sided commitment though. God desires that we should worship Him. He is faithful to us. Yet, we are not faithful to Him. We promise to be faithful and then we go off and serve other false gods committing adultery and idolatry as lovers of Babylon the great harlot.
The angel in John's vision warns us to come out of her while there is yet time; for when that final day comes neither the voice of the bride or the bridegroom will be heard in her again.
There are those who would judge that there are many and various levels of adultery and idolatry. That may be. But, I am not sure that God sees these many levels that humankind has concocted. If you dip just your foot into a cesspool you will still get dirty.
I am not sure if I know anyone who does not put themselves or others or things of this world before God from time to time. We are all idolaters and adulterers; forsaking the beautiful gift of reconciliation, life with our God, for reconciliation with the pleasures of this world.
Thanks be to God, that Jesus was willing to commit his whole life that even though we have turned our back on him; he did not turn his back on us.
God's Peace - Pr. J
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