“The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.”
– John 7:7
Hi James and Ellen,
How difficult would it be for you to make a paradigm change in an ideological or a theological belief that you have? How difficult would it be for you to change from believing that an embryo is a living, defenseless fetus who should not be aborted even though his or her mother wishes that she was not pregnant to believing that a fetus from his or her conception until his or her birth is nothing more than a disease that can be medically terminated? How difficult would it be for you to change from believing that a death sentence would be a viable deterrent to keep a guy or gal from consciously committing a murder or murders to believing that killing another guy or gal because he or she has deliberately committed a murder or murders is an abominable thing to do? How difficult would it be for you to change from believing that a conflict between people groups or countries – in which the objective is to kill the ‘enemy’, would result in an outcome where guys, gals and kids would enjoy freedoms that these guys, gals and kids would never otherwise have to believing that armed combats that result in guys, gals and kids being maimed and killed is a barbaric means for people groups or countries to pursue domination over another people group or country when guys and gals should have the civility to sit down together to resolve their differences? How difficult would it be for you to change from believing that you are to venerate or worship the Virgin Mary, that you are to confess to a priest immoral and/or unethical exploits in which you have been involved so that the priest can be your confession intermediary with God and that when a priest puts a wafer in your mouth that you are actually consuming the body of God – as God the Son, to believing that God chose a young virgin gal – whose name was Mary, to have a normal pregnancy and to birth Himself as God – as God the Son – as Jesus – that revering and adulating Mary diminishes the holiness of her incarnate Son – Who is God – as God the Son – Jesus, to having a personal hotline to heaven with God – as God the Father, through God – as God the Son, and that as you partake of the Lord’s Supper’s bread and wine elements, that you reminding yourselves of the suffering that God – as God the Son, experienced while on a cross to insure that your sins are forgiven and that you receive the gift of eternal life. If a guy, gal or kid does not have a spiritual foundation that has been given to him or her by God, he or she will not have a moral authority to guide him or her to make choices that are ethically and integrity girded while a guy, gal or kid who has a spiritual underpinning that has been given to him or her by God, will inheritably know the difference between right and wrong. If a guy, gal or kid has a religiosity formation that has been built on the Catholic Church core beliefs, he or she will pray to the Virgin Mary, will go to a priest to confess his or her covert sins and will eat the wafer that a priest puts between his or her lips believing that he or she is literally ingesting the body of God – as God the Son.
When God – as God the Son, began laying the groundwork for a different belief paradigm – which would have Him replacing the Levitical Laws or Torah that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai and the Pharisaical edicts that Jewish scholars – called Pharisees, over the years had defined and mandated, God – as God the Son – Jesus, got the Pharisee guys so upset with Him that they were wanting to kill Him. Even though Jesus spoke with knowledge and authority to the guys, gals and kids who listened to Him teach, the miracles that Jesus performed were what brought Him about 1980 years ago into the spotlight. One of Jesus’ twelve disciples – John, wrote a biography about his mentor – Who was Jesus – God – as God the Son, that was primary aimed at helping Greek Christ-follower guys and gals better know the incarnate guy – Jesus, who the Jew people group guys and gals were responsible for killing because of how Jesus was confronting their traditional beliefs. John – in John 7, reflects on Jesus’ initial foray into the public orating arena. Before going to the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles, Jesus taught and did miracles in the Galilean Department knowing that when the time came when He would made the long trek to the Judean Department that He would face opposition from the Pharisees – who had already determined that they were willing to kill Him. Jesus’ response to his step-bros after they suggested that He go to the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles was to tell them that the time was not right yet for Him to be facing what He knew that He would face once His message of change to worship only Him – as God the Son, took root which would result in a growing following of guys and gals and a rejection from the Pharisees because of their thinking that they were the spiritual gurus. John wrote in verse 7 what Jesus confided in his step-bros, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.” Jesus knew how His enemies felt about Him.
Do you know of a guy, gal or kid who stood up for his or her beliefs and because of standing up for his or her beliefs, he or she was misunderstood, scorned, loathed and killed? Your grandpaa thinks that one of the reasons that the last President of the United States of America – who was George W. Bush, was so slandered, ridiculed and hated was because of his belief in Jesus Christ being his Lord and Savior. Would you ever change what you now believe?
John 7 (992)