SHOULD A CHRISTIAN CELEBRATE THE FOURTH OF JULY?

I don’t know about you, but I am trying to understand everything in the Bible. Some of the time it has caused me to be at odds to my Christian brothers. I have determined to believe the Bible and it alone so when I find myself at odds I can not stay in the truth and still agree with others. The Forth of July is such a time. Before you begin to throw rocks please hear me out.

 

 Romans 13:1&2 says, (NIV) “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

 

Ask yourself

1. Did the Founding Fathers have a governing authority?
2. Did God establish that authority?
3. By rebelling against that authority, did the Founding Fathers rebel against what God had instituted?
4. If we celebrate the Fourth of July aren’t we celebrating rebellion against God?

I hear it said that God gave us this Government, but I don’t understand why He caused the Founding Fathers to rebel against Him to instate it. I also have a hard time understanding why He would want a system of government established where men chose their own authorities. If this is truly a Christian Country then why was it formed in rebellion to God?

It amazes most who think that this is a Christian Country that most of the Founding Fathers lost everything they had, but it does not amaze me (“and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves”).

 I have noticed two things about people in my life. One is people believe what they want to believe and the facts are only there to be twisted to support their beliefs. Number two is, if you say something that is against their beliefs they immediately go into a defensive mode and only consider their own view, which makes it difficult for them to understand an opposing view. Let me apologize in advance for causing anyone to make either of these two errors. (Yes I will try not to make them myself)

I must add that if you think you can convince your pastor of this don’t even try. He is probably wise enough to realize it would divide the congregation and none of us want that. I see the truth, so I do not go to Church around the Fourth and I have found it does little good to try to convince anyone that this country was formed in rebellion to God. Even those I admire the most will not accept it.

ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT HEARD OF JESUS CONDEMNED?

This question usually is asked when someone quotes John 14:6 (NIV), AJesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.@, or perhaps John 3:18 (NIV), AWhoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.@. It stands to reason that if the Bible says a person is condemned if they do not believe in the name of God=s one and only Son, and they have not even heard the name Jesus, that they would be condemned.

The problem with that deduction is it is not consistent with the attributes of God. God is perfect and God is fair, and God does not change, so one can rightly surmise that God is always perfectly fair. It would not be fair to condemn someone for not believing in a name which they had not even heard.

It is not the name Jesus that we believe in. Well, it is and it isn’t. If you speak English the name is Jesus, but if you speak Spanish the name is pronounced differently. In Hebrew the name is Yesua, Yehosua, or Joshua.

It is what the name means that is the most important. It means AGod Saves@ (Jehovah is his help, or Jehovah the Savior). I believe this is what the Bible means when it says a man is condemned if he doesn’t believe in the name of God=s one and only Son. A person can believe that a loving God will save them with out knowing the details about Jesus. No one in the Old Testament knew the name of God=s one and only son; Jesus. Yet all that were saved knew that God saves. They all understood that it is only God that can save and that they needed forgiveness and salvation. Though they had many verses explaining Jesus and what He would do for all of mankind, God had not given them the proper name AJesus@, only the understanding of what it means.

God is always fair, just, and loving, so much so that the Bible says, AGod is love@(1 John 4:8 & 4:16). If we can keep this first and foremost in our thoughts we will not be troubled about whether children, or someone who has not even seen a Bible, or pagans, or anyone is saved or not saved. It would not be fair, just, or loving to condemn anyone who has not had the opportunity to be saved, so God would not do such a thing.

Believe in the goodness of God and all of these questions will fade away.

 

Just another example of the fairness of God.

(John 9:40-41 NIV)  Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

WE DO NOT HAVE AN IMMIGRATION PROBLEM!!!!

We really have a problem with the government. The Mexican people that have come here came for jobs that paid better than the jobs available in their home country. These are basically honest people that only want to work for a living.

We have laws against hiring illegal aliens, but the government is not enforcing them. If the government enforced the law then there would be no jobs available for illegal aliens and they would go home of their own accord.

Those who are in power are all well to do. They have investments in business in this country and when those businesses make more money the stock holders make more.

If the cost of labor is reduced and the cost of the product, or service is kept the same the profit is increased. Not only will the illegal work for less, but because he, or she is illegal they pay no tax, which further lowers the cost of labor.

The average American worker does not realize that income tax is about 19% of his wages. Then another 11% is taken out of his pay for social security, and then another 11% is taken by requiring the employer to pay it. That 11% is hidden because the worker never even sees it. That is a total of approximately 41% (Boy we really came a long way sense the founders of this country wouldn’t pay tax on tea. There wasn’t any tax at all on what a man made back then)

Big business owners are smart enough to third party the hiring of illegal aliens. This is accomplished by using another company to supply the work force. That way when any action is taken for breaking the law some poor dumb slob takes the fall and then the business just finds another slob to supply workers.

Then we have imports of goods with no import duty. No American company can compete with a foreign company that has lower labor costs and does not have to obey all the restrictions that are imposed on American business. Because of this most American manufacturing companies are either out of business or have had to have their products made in another country. In all fairness it is either have the product made and imported or go out of business altogether.

The end result is Americans no longer have jobs in manufacturing. Jobs in manufacturing pay much more than service jobs. They also create other well paying jobs (truck drivers, other manufacturing jobs, etc).

Now you are wondering if what I said is correct. Let me ask you a question. Can someone who is working at a fast food restaurant buy a house, or a new car? Is the housing industry selling new houses or many houses at all? Are the auto manufacturers able to sell their cars?

Let me ask you another question. If only a few people are paying income tax and there is no tax collected from imports how the heck are we going to pay for all of the military actions that we are taking?

If China was trying to ruin our economy they could not have found a better way and it only works because of greed. I believe that it is obvious that those who are in power do not care about the citizens.

I’m including this in religious tags so you can see this is not a Christian Country. The God this Country trusts has “In God we trust” printed right on it.

ATHEIST, WHY DO YOU DO THAT?

Why do you spend so much time and effort trying to convince believers not to believe?

If I believe there is a God what is that to you? Why is it of any importance at all to you?

I can not see any gain at all for you, or the government if I no longer would believe there is a God.

Actually, wouldn’t it be to your advantage that I believe in the God of the Bible? Believers in the God of the Bible are commanded to obey the two royal laws.

The first is (Deu 6:5 NIV) Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. That should cause no harm to you. Is it any of your business if I do this? Why should you care?

The second royal law is (Lev 19:18 NIV) “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” This is repeated in Mathew, Mark, Luke, Romans, Galatians, and James.

It is said in Romans 13:10 (NIV) “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Why would you want to convince me to stop believing this? I am commanded to obey this edict by God. Would you have me obey it just because you think it is right? You do think it is right, don’t you?

As a Christian I am commanded to obey the government also, (Rom 13:1 NIV) Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. I do not understand why even the government would want God gone (Separation of Church and State). Because the Holy Spirit is indwelled in every believer, the only way to separate Church and State is to separate me from the government. I would not be permitted to run for office or vote.

It is just not logical for anyone to try to convince me there is no God. They have everything to lose and nothing to gain.

Perhaps I just don’t see the importance or even the reason for such action.

Enlighten me.

WHY GOD WANTS US TO PRAY

That is a question that plagues all Christians. Well I have an understanding (imagine that) and I would like to share it with you.

Let me use an analogy to explain how I view prayer.

Suppose that you are a three or four year old child and you want something. You know who has the power to give it to you, so you go ask your father. Now your father loves you and because he loves you he likes to hear you talk to him. He is not usually going to give you what you ask for, but if you are not asking for something you do not usually even pay any attention to him: you just go about your play.

Your father knows what is good for you and gives you things that you don’t even think about, such as meals, a place to live, clothes, etc. and he does not give you things that are bad for you, no matter how bad you want them.

Suppose your arm hurts and you ask your father to make it stop and suppose your father is a doctor and has access to morphine. Will he give it to you? Well, only if he thinks it is appropriate and it really doesn’t matter if you think you should have it.

I might also add that you father knows many things that at four years old you can not even understand. Let us say, just for the sake of clarity that your father is a nuclear scientist. There is no way you as a four year old you could understand your fathers work.

As you mature physically you begin to understand what and why your father took the actions that he did. You also begin to love your father and like to talk to him just to be talking to him.

As we mature spiritually we also begin to understand that everything that God has done for us has been for our good and not for evil, but it takes awhile. We, like the child, begin to talk to Him just because we like to.

I will be truthful to you (I always am). I pray to God for many things, but I don’t really want Him to do anything different than what is best for me, which is, I am sure, just what He is doing. If He is going to change something, then He already knew He was. It was, or is not because I asked. I like it that way. I don’t control God. If I did we would all be in trouble.

WHY GOD DOES NOT STOP SIN

That is a question that bothers all who live on this earth, whether they believe in God or not. I am a Christian and I can only answer this question from a Christian perspective. I would speculate that if you believe in some other god that it does not care, is not around, or does not have the power. Of course if you are an atheist it is a mute question.

The Bible says that God is love. It is no stretch to see that love needs someone to love to be complete. Nobody wants to love someone that does not love them and nobody wants to love a machine. This is as true of God as it is of us.

If God made man and made man love Him it would be the same as making a machine. God had to give man the power to reject Him, or not love Him. This is the first of the two royal laws, (Deu 6:5 NIV) “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” It is not hard to do when you realize everything God has done for us.

Here is where the problem lies. If God gave mankind the power to sin and the ability to chose to sin or not to sin and then stops him, or her from sinning, then He really did not give either the power, or the choice. Can you see that God tied His own hands and can not, or rather will not make someone do what is right? He even tells His followers not to interfere in the choice (Rev 22:11 NIV) Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.”.

If you set up a scientific experiment and then changed it in any way, while it was being conducted, it would invalidate the results. If you view this life as an experiment you can see that God can not interfere.

We know that God knows everything, so God, knowing the future, already knows if we will reject Him or love Him. So I would assume that we are here to prove to ourselves whether we accept, or reject God.

If you reject God then you will probably reject His second royal law (James 2:8 NIV) “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.” But if you keep the second law and do not keep the first will you live? Do you love God?

Anyway, wars and all crimes come from not obeying the second law, and if God would stop even one person from sinning then to be fair He would have to, or had to, stop everyone. (Whoops, check kclick’s comment)