The cost of marrying an undercover christian

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D

dabodab

Guest
#21
Basically, people going to church behaving as christian when they are not.
They are used to the ideal that a christian marriage is supposed to be a perfect union so they are looking for their victim who will sacrifice their lives to them.
Generally their parent were christian or they know a little about a christian boy or girl whom they are interested in.
They are agent of the devil because they pretend to be saved.
They are sometimes quick to say, God is a forgiving God...i am in work in progress...
They do know the Bible and know how to quote it as to make their victim feel guilty, or pressurize them, and manipulate them.
This apply to both men and women.

It may sound as a joke, but most marriages in the church are nothing but a match made in hell.

Your thoughts?
Hi sunburn,

There are many reasons peeps go to church. Some are there simply because they grew up there. Some don't realize they aren't saved, and so being in church is the best place for them to be. Some are there to find a righteous spouse, I'm sure that is true.

I like what you said: "quick to say 'God is a forgiving God... I am a work in progress'". This shows me you are discerning, to say it that way. Because, while we ALL are a work in progress, God also expects us to treat others with love and respect. You know the scriptures, some have been said here already. <smile> You are a young woman so likely interested in meeting guys. That's natural. God wants you to discern, both by their heart and the way they behave, whether they are a Christian. Test others and yourself with this scripture:

1Thess. 4:2-6 "For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you."

This is how you can test yourself and a prospective mate from church. What is good for them is good for us. Right. :)

This one scripture will not fail if you use it!

As for other matters which have been raised here, I feel for you. Just like there are all kinds of peeps who go to church, there are all kinds of peeps who post on Christian boards. To contend with someone much bigger in this cyber world than we are isn't an easy task. I commend you. However, I usually take some time to put my thoughts together so as not to be misunderstood...which is a common thing to happen with typed words only.

You are gonna be fine!
 

John_agape

Senior Member
Feb 27, 2014
187
7
18
#22
I disagree with the OP suggesting that most Christian marriages are nothing but a match made in hell. But there is a small minority (as in very few percentage wise) that unfortunately are this way as described.

I agree that this tactic described does happen. I have personally met such men. Yep, it's men who do this. And unfortunately they are in fundamental or conservative congregations. But I don't call these men Christians, I call them psychopaths.

Most Christian marriages are not perfect simply because most of us are not perfect.

The behaviour that defines a Christian is not being perfect, but how we respond when we fail.

If we were perfect, then there would have been no need for God to come to Earth and die for our sins.
 

Atwood

Senior Member
May 1, 2014
4,995
53
48
#23
Basically, people going to church behaving as christian when they are not.
They are used to the ideal that a christian marriage is supposed to be a perfect union so they are looking for their victim who will sacrifice their lives to them.
Generally their parent were christian or they know a little about a christian boy or girl whom they are interested in.
They are agent of the devil because they pretend to be saved.
They are sometimes quick to say, God is a forgiving God...i am in work in progress...
They do know the Bible and know how to quote it as to make their victim feel guilty, or pressurize them, and manipulate them.
This apply to both men and women.

It may sound as a joke, but most marriages in the church are nothing but a match made in hell.

Your thoughts?
Are you bitter?
You have expressed your negative feelings & conclusions.
I don't know any way to prove or disprove your ideas
-- probably you don't either, except it is safe to say that most church-goers have never been saved.
Looking for a victim -- ROFL!
And you just say things without any proof.

It is not a disservice when someone quotes the Bible to you. The entrance of God's word brings light.
Of course one does well to study to show oneself approved & be like a noble Berean to verify Biblical claims.
I would beware of writing off a Bible quote to me as a manipulation.

We are warned to love our wives and not be embittered vs them.
Proverbs say that he who gets a wife gets a good thing.
1 Cor 7 says that every man should have his own wife,
and every woman should have her own husband
-- and that for the danger of fornication.

So perhaps you need to hang in there, stiff upper lip & all, and not be sun burned-out.
 
S

sunburn

Guest
#24
Thank you all for your responses.
My post came about as one of a tired christian.
May be tired because I have taken my eyes away from the Lord in a moment. I should not put everyone in one basket.

I am considering whether it is worth being around churches. It is better to be in the middle of drug addict, alcoholics, protistutes, murderers than being around so called people saved by grace who are as equally do the same but refuse to call their sins for what it is.
Jesus didn't come for the one who were in good healt but for the one who were sick.
Go and sin no more.
But how do you call the one who keep on sinning and expect Grace to abound?

Worse, they convince themselves that everyone should accept their behaviours and equally making others christian feel guilty for trying to be firm with them.
I understand God knows he heart of every Men and the circumstances of each of one of us...the condition of our heart shouldn't be that of deceit.
This is mainly what I am talking about.

Atwood is right when he says, I have probably been burned out in the church but that's not the reason why I have this avatar lol
Looking at my resent circumstances I know there is some truth in what I posted . John AGAPE touched a little bit on the subject. but it's fair to say it's unwise for me to generalise and include genuine christian who makes mistakes. We are all saved by grace.
God does forgive and command us to love each other and invites us to work on our marriages.

I have come to a place where it is a matter of survival within the church to be careful. The church is no more what it is supposed to be and most christians are not christians.

I gave my life to christ when I was 9. I knew He wanted my heart to be one of a child so he can keep teaching me.
to have the humility to let God change us, what it takes...the grace, the mercy...the willingness to let go...the dying to self....With all that I believe I learnt, I knew I wanted to honour God with my life and marriage. May be I needed to experience the reality that may be God will test our heart? our faith?
I did not understand why I married as a virgin to the pastor's son who later on told me he only wanted to marry a virgin and a strong christian because he knows she would never leave. Marriage was for life. and I was never to refuse him sexually because my body did not belong to me anymore....I would not go into the details...I never saw it coming. After the wedding , I discovered, his porn addiction and eventually realise he was trying to sexually touch our daughter later on...So yes I am tottally shaken. Not at God because God saved me from the marriage.
I prayed for him. I am not angry at him, I am not angry at men. I am angry as the idea that a religious spirit that has nothing to do with God in the church. And trying to enslave the people of God.
Quoting Scriptures does not make someone a christian , wearing a collar does not necessarily make someone a disciple.... I am weary and suspicious to see people too quick of scriptures at others. Not that it is not a good thing.

I have gone through a series of observation and condemnation from sometimes well meaning christians due to my divorce...who rightfully throw in your face, God hates divorce. and quote the scriptures without really knowing or discerning...may be because so many divorce happen defiantly regadrless of what the scritpure say.
But what they forget is, if people come to church for different reasons, marry for myriad reasons, in the church, and THERE ARE VICTIMS of this...Yet some christian and the church look down on those victims of such Divorce.

I have had my ex husband shouting at me saying: " You ll die a single mother or marry someone and live in adultery all your life" There was unrenptence and the church all managed to apply the "God is the God of grace in his favour".

I had to run away from the behaviour and eventually had the police involved because he was following me everywhere.
The church turned a blind eye.


On this forum, I read a lot of position about Divorce.
and my conclusion is some people will never know what it is unless they have been through the experience themselves and learn from it.

I will not be participating anymore. And I deeply apologise for my frustration in most posts.
 
Last edited:
S

sunburn

Guest
#25
Sorry for misspelling and some words that are missing...I can't edit after the 5 mins time-lapse has passed :)
 
S

sunburn

Guest
#26
[h=2]HERE IS THE PM I WROTE TO SECULAR TELLING HIM ABOUT HIM CONFUSING POSTS ON THE OTHER THREAD.
I THINK ITS IMPORTANT THAT HE DOES NOT IMPLY THAT I WAS TALKING TO HIM ABOUT ANOTHER POSTER.



Re: Hi secular[/h]

Originally Posted by sunburn
I hope you know it's Angela who posted all the msgs you are quoting...
Not me...
blessings



Hi, sunborn!

It doesn´t matter who! I just saw the funny thing THERE. I have not problems with my identity BUT, why don´t you post this on THERE, there wasn´t a real need (for me) to be informed of things I can read and be informed.

I wondered what would Nagela would say at this PM you sent. Ha! Ha!

I leave it at your will.

Bye!​


Perhaps I´m a loser, but I wish GOD had given me a humble, thin and short woman I longed for (less than 5,5").

I stopped having unreal and unpersonalized friendships. I rather starve for the attention (or love) I missed when not having anything worth to pay for both things to get all.

Now on, I 'm not expecting followers..


 
W

ww_21

Guest
#27
You guys have to remember that English isnt's Secular's first language, it's Spanish. So sometimes what he says can be confusing HOWEVER he means well and is one of the kindest souls I've ever met on here.
 
T

ThePottersClay

Guest
#28
I will not be participating anymore. And I deeply apologise for my frustration in most posts.
I'm sorry you feel this way, and that you are struggling as it is, I can see you have a lot on your mind and your heart along with not so good experiences... I think everyone in life has a story to tell. A story that's embedded into the very design of our souls, like bad tattoo that cannot be removed. I can completely relate with you on this... in more ways than one...

But just like you and I, there are others with issues, and they too hurt, some try to help through experience, and some will try to help through knowledge they gained. Very often they react before they think, like all humans do.

You know...the thing about forums like this is, we put our hearts on the line, like lambs to the slaughter, very often what we post, does not fully encompass what we want to say or how we really feel inside, its like a movie trailer, you see this potentially awesome movie, pay a ridiculous amount to see the Premier at the cinema and then realize the trailer was all buffed up, leaving you to sit through a tedious outdrawn movie with bad cinematic and a horrible script.

You will always have people who come into these forums, who read only the surface of what is said, they are not capable of reading between the lines and looking deeper into the heart of the person who wrote the post...and it truly is sad. Very sad.

Please don't let a few individuals make you run to a life that makes no sense, in the end it is in God we need to put our faith, and in who'm we find refuge, not in forum posts where self centered theologians and supposedly scriptural geniuses have a 101 things to say about what is right or wrong. Let GOD Be the one to reveal those truths to you, and when you take a moment of silence and seek Him, he will reveal these things.

Love you Sunburn :)
 
May 3, 2013
8,719
75
0
#29
You guys have to remember that English isnt's Secular's first language, it's Spanish. So sometimes what he says can be confusing HOWEVER he means well and is one of the kindest souls I've ever met on here.
Thanks! Your words, on my behalf, moved me to tears...

Thanks sisters!
 
B

BeeD

Guest
#30
You know sunburn, you keep talking about "behaviours". But being a Christian has absolutely NOTHING to do with behaviours.
I know that you know this statement isn't true. As believers our actions, (behaviors) are supposed to reflect who we are and what we believe. If a Christian behaves just like a sinner then what stops him or her from receiving the same fate as the sinner ?

Luke 12
[SUP]45 [/SUP]But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;[SUP]46 [/SUP]The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.


Romans 13
Let us walk, (behave), honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

I am by no means saying that change doesn't take time, faith and effort, but for you to say that behavior has NOTHING to do with being a Christian...that is totally wrong.
 
May 3, 2013
8,719
75
0
#32
ReallY?

I hope my ugly face be remennbered when we meet on heavens. Ja! Ja! :cool:
 
B

BeeD

Guest
#33
Thank you all for your responses.
My post came about as one of a tired christian.
May be tired because I have taken my eyes away from the Lord in a moment. I should not put everyone in one basket.

I am considering whether it is worth being around churches. It is better to be in the middle of drug addict, alcoholics, protistutes, murderers than being around so called people saved by grace who are as equally do the same but refuse to call their sins for what it is.
Jesus didn't come for the one who were in good healt but for the one who were sick.
Go and sin no more.
But how do you call the one who keep on sinning and expect Grace to abound?

Worse, they convince themselves that everyone should accept their behaviours and equally making others christian feel guilty for trying to be firm with them.
I understand God knows he heart of every Men and the circumstances of each of one of us...the condition of our heart shouldn't be that of deceit.
This is mainly what I am talking about.

Atwood is right when he says, I have probably been burned out in the church but that's not the reason why I have this avatar lol
Looking at my resent circumstances I know there is some truth in what I posted . John AGAPE touched a little bit on the subject. but it's fair to say it's unwise for me to generalise and include genuine christian who makes mistakes. We are all saved by grace.
God does forgive and command us to love each other and invites us to work on our marriages.

I have come to a place where it is a matter of survival within the church to be careful. The church is no more what it is supposed to be and most christians are not christians.

I gave my life to christ when I was 9. I knew He wanted my heart to be one of a child so he can keep teaching me.
to have the humility to let God change us, what it takes...the grace, the mercy...the willingness to let go...the dying to self....With all that I believe I learnt, I knew I wanted to honour God with my life and marriage. May be I needed to experience the reality that may be God will test our heart? our faith?
I did not understand why I married as a virgin to the pastor's son who later on told me he only wanted to marry a virgin and a strong christian because he knows she would never leave. Marriage was for life. and I was never to refuse him sexually because my body did not belong to me anymore....I would not go into the details...I never saw it coming. After the wedding , I discovered, his porn addiction and eventually realise he was trying to sexually touch our daughter later on...So yes I am tottally shaken. Not at God because God saved me from the marriage.
I prayed for him. I am not angry at him, I am not angry at men. I am angry as the idea that a religious spirit that has nothing to do with God in the church. And trying to enslave the people of God.
Quoting Scriptures does not make someone a christian , wearing a collar does not necessarily make someone a disciple.... I am weary and suspicious to see people too quick of scriptures at others. Not that it is not a good thing.

I have gone through a series of observation and condemnation from sometimes well meaning christians due to my divorce...who rightfully throw in your face, God hates divorce. and quote the scriptures without really knowing or discerning...may be because so many divorce happen defiantly regadrless of what the scritpure say.
But what they forget is, if people come to church for different reasons, marry for myriad reasons, in the church, and THERE ARE VICTIMS of this...Yet some christian and the church look down on those victims of such Divorce.

I have had my ex husband shouting at me saying: " You ll die a single mother or marry someone and live in adultery all your life" There was unrenptence and the church all managed to apply the "God is the God of grace in his favour".

I had to run away from the behaviour and eventually had the police involved because he was following me everywhere.
The church turned a blind eye.


On this forum, I read a lot of position about Divorce.
and my conclusion is some people will never know what it is unless they have been through the experience themselves and learn from it.

I will not be participating anymore. And I deeply apologise for my frustration in most posts.

Sunburn, when I first read your post I did see the anger in you for the behavior of people in the church. I decided to withhold my comment on that until I read the rest of the responses in this post and I am glad that I did, because I got to read this particular one that I am responding to. I do see where you are coming from, and all of your statement is not wrong. From what I can see you have been wounded by those in the church as many other's have....even myself at one time in my life. But you have to let the anger and the resentment go for the behavior of the people and focus on God alone. People will judge you, people will condemn you, people will hurt you....sadly, even those in the church. But God will love you, God will correct you, God will forgive you...he doesn't kick you when you are down. And the truth of the matter is not everyone in the church buildings are of God...that is a fact of this world. But God knows those who are his and those who only pretend to be, so just let Him do the sifting and the weeding out, because he can uncover and judge what we cannot and what is not our right to do.
One Sunday my Pastor was preaching and he said, "You know why many people don't go to church....because they've already been." He was speaking on how the church has hurt already hurting people. Be Blessed
 

proverbs35

Senior Member
Nov 10, 2012
825
239
43
#34
You guys have to remember that English isnt's Secular's first language, it's Spanish. So sometimes what he says can be confusing HOWEVER he means well and is one of the kindest souls I've ever met on here.
Thanks for that reminder. Sometimes, I forget that.
 

proverbs35

Senior Member
Nov 10, 2012
825
239
43
#35
I'm sorry you feel this way, and that you are struggling as it is, I can see you have a lot on your mind and your heart along with not so good experiences... I think everyone in life has a story to tell. A story that's embedded into the very design of our souls, like bad tattoo that cannot be removed. I can completely relate with you on this... in more ways than one...

But just like you and I, there are others with issues, and they too hurt, some try to help through experience, and some will try to help through knowledge they gained. Very often they react before they think, like all humans do.

You know...the thing about forums like this is, we put our hearts on the line, like lambs to the slaughter, very often what we post, does not fully encompass what we want to say or how we really feel inside, its like a movie trailer, you see this potentially awesome movie, pay a ridiculous amount to see the Premier at the cinema and then realize the trailer was all buffed up, leaving you to sit through a tedious outdrawn movie with bad cinematic and a horrible script.

You will always have people who come into these forums, who read only the surface of what is said, they are not capable of reading between the lines and looking deeper into the heart of the person who wrote the post...and it truly is sad. Very sad.

Please don't let a few individuals make you run to a life that makes no sense, in the end it is in God we need to put our faith, and in who'm we find refuge, not in forum posts where self centered theologians and supposedly scriptural geniuses have a 101 things to say about what is right or wrong. Let GOD Be the one to reveal those truths to you, and when you take a moment of silence and seek Him, he will reveal these things.

Love you Sunburn :)
I don't think that I've encountered you that much on this forum. You seem to be such a gracious person. Your words and your responses here have been very gracious and seasoned, and I think that's worth mentioning and affirming. :)
 

Angela53510

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
11,780
2,943
113
#36
I know that you know this statement isn't true. As believers our actions, (behaviors) are supposed to reflect who we are and what we believe. If a Christian behaves just like a sinner then what stops him or her from receiving the same fate as the sinner ?

Luke 12
[SUP]45 [/SUP]But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;[SUP]46 [/SUP]The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.


Romans 13
Let us walk, (behave), honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

I am by no means saying that change doesn't take time, faith and effort, but for you to say that behavior has NOTHING to do with being a Christian...that is totally wrong.
You are putting words into my mouth, and have obviously not read the rest of my post from which you pulled this.

First, in the Greek, the word "Walk" does not mean behaviour.

"Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy." Romans 13:13

The word "walk" or "live" is περιπατήσωμεν. It means we are to live our life properly. Any non-Christian can affect proper behaviours, on the outside. My parents were very moral people, although they were not Christians until the end of their lives, when I was privileged to lead them to the Lord.

In fact, it took till they were in their 80's for me to convince them that they were not going to heaven because they had lead a good life! But when they grasped the grace of the gospel, it was an amazing transformation, as the angels in heaven rejoiced over two sinners that repented.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

Peripateo or walk/live, has the broad meaning of the inner person being changed by God, so that the person is enabled to walk in a way that honours and pleases God. It is never about "outer" behaviour, but rather the changes that happen inside our hearts to make us ABLE to walk in a manner that is godly.

When you focus constantly on bad behaviours, you totally miss the entire point of the message of the Bible. You in fact, become a Pharisee, who keeps the law in a white washed tomb.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness." Matt. 23:27.

Try and remember it was Jesus who said this, not me! I personally hope to never appear "outwardly beautiful" while my heart is dead. To walk (peripato) with God means to be alive in the spirit, in the heart, and not just conform to outward standards.

Of course, if you are walking with God, you will obey him, because you will know it pleases God. But not to earn salvation. Not to show you are a Christian. We are to walk according to the Spirit, because God sent his own Son to die for us.

"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, [SUP]4 [/SUP]in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:3-4

As for sunburn, thanks for posting all your PM's about me. I will pray that God will restore your faith, which does not seem to be based on the Bible - which is the basis for my posts. Please read the Bible, and I know God will heal you of your hurts.

As for Secular Hermit, he is a wonderful, kind man. Sometimes you do have to read between the lines, but he has been through a lot of hurt too in this life, but has retained a vibrant faith in God. And in the end, that is all that counts.
 

Toska

Senior Member
Nov 16, 2013
1,857
22
38
#37
You guys have to remember that English isnt's Secular's first language, it's Spanish. So sometimes what he says can be confusing HOWEVER he means well and is one of the kindest souls I've ever met on here.
I have to agree 100% with you, ww_21. Secular has been nothing but kind and caring to me since I joined the site. I consider him a very good person and anyone who is friends with him is very blessed.
 
May 3, 2013
8,719
75
0
#38
Sunburn, when I first read your post I did see the anger in you for the behavior of people in the church. I decided to withhold my comment on that until I read the rest of the responses in this post and I am glad that I did, because I got to read this particular one that I am responding to. I do see where you are coming from, and all of your statement is not wrong. From what I can see you have been wounded by those in the church as many other's have....even myself at one time in my life. But you have to let the anger and the resentment go for the behavior of the people and focus on God alone. People will judge you, people will condemn you, people will hurt you....sadly, even those in the church. But God will love you, God will correct you, God will forgive you...he doesn't kick you when you are down. And the truth of the matter is not everyone in the church buildings are of God...that is a fact of this world. But God knows those who are his and those who only pretend to be, so just let Him do the sifting and the weeding out, because he can uncover and judge what we cannot and what is not our right to do.
One Sunday my Pastor was preaching and he said, "You know why many people don't go to church....because they've already been." He was speaking on how the church has hurt already hurting people. Be Blessed
Just an idea on this: "He was speaking on how the church has hurt already hurting people." The church has not hurt any one, as a whole, as a body, but some of us, as individuals. The RCC, by instance, has not blessed or damages people, just its indivuduals... We tend to generalize, we gather the good and the bad and, when retrieving it, we´ve blamed a whole collectivity. And, at the long rund, being hurt or damaged, we´ve grown more, because we are not the same we were.

My appologize if I made any wrong here, except I believed someone was not a lady, because she sounded like a man defending men and, in fact, such people like that deserves to be viewed and welcomed as a friend. We lack justice, we lacked honesty, and here I have seen things hard to believe: That´s why I´m proud of being in the virtual company and fellowship of the church of CC.

I´m sure CC is a virtual church. We cannot touch our bodies, but our hearts and feelings have touched us deeply so, there´s no need to gather under a physical roof. This is one real place I have found as home. :eek:

This is my church: Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
 
B

BeeD

Guest
#39
You are putting words into my mouth, and have obviously not read the rest of my post from which you pulled this.

First, in the Greek, the word "Walk" does not mean behaviour.

"Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy." Romans 13:13

The word "walk" or "live" is περιπατήσωμεν. It means we are to live our life properly. Any non-Christian can affect proper behaviours, on the outside. My parents were very moral people, although they were not Christians until the end of their lives, when I was privileged to lead them to the Lord.

In fact, it took till they were in their 80's for me to convince them that they were not going to heaven because they had lead a good life! But when they grasped the grace of the gospel, it was an amazing transformation, as the angels in heaven rejoiced over two sinners that repented.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

Peripateo or walk/live, has the broad meaning of the inner person being changed by God, so that the person is enabled to walk in a way that honours and pleases God. It is never about "outer" behaviour, but rather the changes that happen inside our hearts to make us ABLE to walk in a manner that is godly.

When you focus constantly on bad behaviours, you totally miss the entire point of the message of the Bible. You in fact, become a Pharisee, who keeps the law in a white washed tomb.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness." Matt. 23:27.

Try and remember it was Jesus who said this, not me! I personally hope to never appear "outwardly beautiful" while my heart is dead. To walk (peripato) with God means to be alive in the spirit, in the heart, and not just conform to outward standards.

Of course, if you are walking with God, you will obey him, because you will know it pleases God. But not to earn salvation. Not to show you are a Christian. We are to walk according to the Spirit, because God sent his own Son to die for us.

"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, [SUP]4 [/SUP]in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:3-4

As for sunburn, thanks for posting all your PM's about me. I will pray that God will restore your faith, which does not seem to be based on the Bible - which is the basis for my posts. Please read the Bible, and I know God will heal you of your hurts.

As for Secular Hermit, he is a wonderful, kind man. Sometimes you do have to read between the lines, but he has been through a lot of hurt too in this life, but has retained a vibrant faith in God. And in the end, that is all that counts.

"Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." It is simple.....the saying is true. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." And as GOD's word says, "Speak the truth in LOVE."
 

Angela53510

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
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#40
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, [SUP]32 [/SUP]and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

The catch is that you have to know ALL of God's Word, and then you will find the truth of God's love, mercy and grace.

I am always very amused with people who do not know the Bible and get bitter and resentful and think people are prideful who do!