so in reading this, there are certainly a few things that need to be said...non of them judgemental but definitely facts and verses that need to be opened.
In regards to tattoo's
'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:28, now the book of Leviticus is the Law that was given to Israel, it was there so they may be Holy to God, so they may be a nation of prophets and priests to the world. For us today, this still applies, the Law is still in effect, but it is not by Law that we are governed, we are under Grace, given by God through Christ. By knowledge of the Law we are dead, but by the price paid as due by our sin, we are saved, that price being paid by the Blood of Christ.
Should we tattoo our bodies? We must remember that the temple of God exists within the Bride of Christ, that is within us, unseen to the world for now. I believe we shouldn't tattoo our bodies, for God has said, do not do it. Do not mark your bodies as the pagan's do say's the Lord. So I would say tattoo's which for a time I considered are not a great idea. The worlds moral and standards are not God's by far. Even if your tattoo is of a cross, the cross is not Christ, You are right to say, God isn't looking on the outside, his looking on the inside. Therefore, our actions, our heart, and our life should preach our Faith more then any tattoo, because to God these do not edify, he is looking on the inside, Christ made a mention that the Priests and Men of the Law in 1st Century Jerusalem loved to fast and show through their body that they were fasting, with pale faces, and gaunt expression, they loved the head of a table at a feast, and to pray on street corners and boast of their works in the name of God and therefore to others outwardly show their righteous. Christ warned us, that God see's what is done in secret, God wants authentic faith, not faith that requires outward expression, our faith should be so much apart of our lives that our humble attitude, our servant heart, our longing for the Kingdom should be present in every thought.
Now it is true, we do all struggle with this! We are not perfect, but a life devoted to Christ and a contrite heart and broken spirit God delights in! (Psalm 51) A life that yearns daily for his love, a life that needs nothing, no money, no clothes, no wanting of any kind, these God delights!
"Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of God has nowhere to rest his head!" and again "do not worry about tomorrow, what you shall eat, what you shall wear, how much money you will have, for the Father knows you need all these, let tomorrow worry about tomorrow, for each day has enough trouble of it's own" everyday we are called to lay our minds on our Saviour, our hearts on our Lord.
So, you have tattoo's, does this lessen you as a Christian? Most certainly not! For you are right, what is on the outside does not matter to God, but what we do on the outside does. Do we show our faith through marking our bodies, as He say's for us not to? or rather do we show our faith through love, as He showed his faith in us through his love?
As for swearing, the term fool, is not a curse, the term fool is a perfectly acceptable word, it was not a term used to offend. Let us remember that in the Old Testament the language spoken was Hebrew, and in the New Testament Greek...the English term "fool" is only the equivalent of the phrases used.
The word "Fool" is a form of the word "folly" which in turn is used to describe in the Old Testament the failure to recognise that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. (Proverbs 1:7) Christ using of the term fool is not in anyway a cursing word. If it was so, Christ would have sinned against God, He would have spoken out of hate and malice in His heart. Thus negating His sacrifice for us, and in turn making our faith, useless. He would not have had the perfect love of God in Him. So understand that Christ using the word "fool" is not a cursive term. The scripture tells us, in Luke 6:45 "For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks"...(speaking of wicked men) and again in Matthew 12: 34-37...
"You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned"
Again in Proverbs it say's the tongue is sharper then any two edged sword...So i would ask how is that we can worship God with our prayers and yet we curse with the same tongue? We are called to live Holy, Loving Lives, dedicated to the Word that came through Christ Jesus. From the overflow of the heart speaks the tongue, how does our faith in Christ shine to others when they hear us talk with words that are offensive and slanderous. Rather we should speak to build each other up! To encourage our brothers and sisters! (Ephesians 4:29) again, in a Psalm of David, Psalm 39 reads, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.” or again James 1:26 "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." How much more is it so for us, who are not called to be religious, but to be faithful and loving, that we should guard our hearts and tongues!
There is much more to be said about idle talk and what we say, for our heart speaks from our mouths.
I used to swear like a trooper, pointlessly and without shame, it wasn't until I realised that swearing, cursing, idle talk, crude joking, vulgar words had no place in my heart if Christ was my first Love. For what do the wicked and the righteous have in common? We are to be a light to those who do not know the Word that has come through Christ, we are to show them the love that Christ showed us, the power He has in our lives, and the difference he makes. This difference isn't just a set of rules that we follow, no! rather it is the Love of Christ that makes the difference, it is our Love of Him, we desire Him as much as He did us and there our hearts are calmed, our restless tongues put to ease, because we have Faith in His salvation, in His Love. So much so we cannot possibly go on sinning, and living as we once did. This is not something that happens overnight! For some it may, but for others it is a Faith struggle, in our weakness his Love is Glorified!
Now, finally, Sex. It is no sin, it is not something to abused though, for we do not need to look far to see the hold it has over the lives of those it possess. We are called to be of the Spirit and not the Flesh, we are to master our desire for the Flesh because it counts for nothing, but the Spirit lasts forever. We should and in the Gospels are told, we must, it is so important to our Spirit that we do, live life free from sexual immorality. The best way we can do this, is to wait it out, until marriage. Again, this is something I have failed to do. But by God's Grace, I am forgiven, but that does not mean I could do it again, God's forgiveness is not a license to sin and I desire the Lord more then I do any woman.
Also, The term Christian is generally accepted as being coined by one of the Apostles, it was not a derogatory term, the Roman Governors referred to Christians as pagans, because we did not believe in the Roman gods. The Jew's referred to Christians as "The Way" as a reference to when Christ said "I am the Way, The Truth and The Life"
As you said Christians should go back and read their Bible properly, because it has knowledge and wisdom in it beyond that of the worlds knowledge or wisdom...For it comes from God.
Belief in Christ isn't about religion, Christ spoke against the religious leaders, it's about our Love for Christ, and our Faith in Him. If our Love is sincere we cannot live like the world does, for we are called to be apart from it, to be Holy and to show Love as Christ did, He loved us even to death. So we should Love Him and his Truth and Way to death. Not saying we should go out and become Martyrs, but we should Live a life, that maybe others won't understand, But we live it because God's Love, the Love of His Son, Christ Jesus compels us...
It say's for His sake we face persecution all day long.
I pray this has helped you, It's helped me just to write it.
I apologise for the length, and if it sounds preachy. It's just for you to consider.
Read the Word that God has given us! So that we may have strength beyond all strength each day.
