Mateo 18

Posted on August 26, 2020 by admin

Es interesante que al volver a leer una cierta parte de la Escritura, a veces nos notamos de ciertas cosas que pueden habernos escapado de vista previamente. Los divisiones del texto con sus respectivos títulos que se han suplido por los que publican las Biblias para ayudarnos (no se encuentran en los textos originales), en vez de clarificar el significado del texto bíblico, pueden en ciertos casos, obscurecer su significado por separarlo en varios temas, así empañando el significado total.

En el caso de Mateo 18, los títulos que encontramos son los siguientes: ¿Quién es el mayor?, Ocasiones de caer, Parábola de la oveja perdida, Cómo se debe perdonar al hermano, y Los dos deudores. El propósito de esta lección es ver como todos estas partes se relacionan entre sí y como, tomados juntos, nos muestran la bella verdad que Dios quiere que veamos.

Comienza con una pregunta que los discípulos de Jesús le preguntó. A veces, lo que uno pregunta muestra mucho sobre la manera de pensar de la persona, y nos permite entender el nivel de entendimiento que tiene. Así es en este caso.

Mateo 18:1

En aquel tiempo los discípulos vinieron a Jesús, diciendo: ¿Quién es el mayor en el reino de los cielos?

Jesús les había declarado en Mateo 16:21 y en Mateo 17:22-23 en cuanto de su muerte. ¡Qué curioso que vienen con tal pregunta ahora! Uno pensaría que tendrían cosas más serios que pensar que “¿Quién es el mayor?” Su pregunta muestra la forma de pensar tan superficial y carnal que tenían. Es la misma manera de pensar que se ve comúnmente en nuestros días—el deseo para posición, grandeza, poder, y cómo ser el más grande.

Es por esto que Jesús hace lo que menos hubieron esperado, como vemos en estas palabras:

Mateo 18:2-5

2 Y llamando Jesús a un niño, lo puso en medio de ellos, 3 y dijo: De cierto os digo, que si no os volvéis y os hacéis como niños, no entraréis en el reino de los cielos. 4 Así que, cualquiera que se humille como este niño, ése es el mayor en el reino de los cielos. 5 Y cualquiera que reciba en mi nombre a un niño como este, a mí me recibe.

Estas palabras seguramente les hayan sorprendido tremendamente. ¿Cómo puede ser importante un niño. La contestación lo encontramos en las palabras siguientes:

Mateo 18:6-7

6 Y cualquiera que haga tropezar a alguno de estos pequeños que creen en mí, mejor le fuera que se le colgase al cuello una piedra de molino de asno, y que se le hundiese en lo profundo del mar. 7 !!Ay del mundo por los tropiezos! porque es necesario que vengan tropiezos, pero !!ay de aquel hombre por quien viene el tropiezo!

Con estas palabras, Jesús lo hace claro por qué el niño es importante. ¡Son importantes a Dios! De hecho, Jesús encuentra en el niño las características que tanto les faltaba a sus discípulos tales como, la humildad, la ausencia de malicia, la sumisión, y la pureza. No tener tales características lo hace imposible que uno tenga parte con Dios. Las palabras, “si no os volvéis” indican que tenía que haber un cambio drástica en su manera de pensar de los discípulos. Sin este cambio, no solamente no podían ser útiles en el reino de Dios, no podían ni aun entrar en ello. Y Jesús sigue:

Mateo 18:8-10

Por tanto, si tu mano o tu pie te es ocasión de caer, córtalo y échalo de ti; mejor te es entrar en la vida cojo o manco, que teniendo dos manos o dos pies ser echado en el fuego eterno. 9 Y si tu ojo te es ocasión de caer, sácalo y échalo de ti; mejor te es entrar con un solo ojo en la vida, que teniendo dos ojos ser echado en el infierno de fuego. 10 Mirad que no menospreciéis a uno de estos pequeños; porque os digo que sus ángeles en los cielos ven siempre el rostro de mi Padre que está en los cielos.

Dios nos hace ver con estas palabras el daño que podemos hacer a otros y a nosotros mismos cuando tenemos la actitud de “yo primero.” La actitud de buscar primero nuestros propios intereses causa mucho daño, daños que tienen que evitarse a todo costo, aun al costo de perder la mano, el pie, o un ojo. En esta manera Jesús les mostró que buscar lo espiritual es más lo más importante en la vida, y que, a todo costo, tenemos que evitar hacer fallar a otros.

Sigue, diciendo:

11 Porque el Hijo del Hombre ha venido para salvar lo que se había perdido. 12 ¿Qué os parece? Si un hombre tiene cien ovejas, y se descarría una de ellas, ¿no deja las noventa y nueve y va por los montes a buscar la que se había descarriado? 13 Y si acontece que la encuentra, de cierto os digo que se regocija más por aquélla, que por las noventa y nueve que no se descarriaron. 14 Así, no es la voluntad de vuestro Padre que está en los cielos, que se pierda uno de estos pequeños.

La gente sabía el valor de sus animales, y es precisamente esto que Jesús usa para hacerles entender a sus discípulos cómo Dios valora al alma de cada persona. Así les hace comprender a sus discípulos que era necesario que ellos tengan esta misma manera de pensar y que tengan amor por otros.

Mateo 18:15-20

15 Por tanto, si tu hermano peca contra ti, ve y repréndele estando tú y él solos; si te oyere, has ganado a tu hermano. 16 Mas si no te oyere, toma aún contigo a uno o dos, para que en boca de dos o tres testigos conste toda palabra. 17 Si no los oyere a ellos, dilo a la iglesia; y si no oyere a la iglesia, tenle por gentil y publicano. 18 De cierto os digo que todo lo que atéis en la tierra, será atado en el cielo; y todo lo que desatéis en la tierra, será desatado en el cielo. 19 Otra vez os digo, que si dos de vosotros se pusieren de acuerdo en la tierra acerca de cualquiera cosa que pidieren, les será hecho por mi Padre que está en los cielos. 20 Porque donde están dos o tres congregados en mi nombre, allí estoy yo en medio de ellos.

Cuando alguien nos ha herido en una forma u otra, tenemos la tendencia de evitar a la persona, darle la espalda, y hasta querer lo malo para él y para su vida. La idea de muchos es, “¡Si me haces mal, me lo pagarás!” Jesús les enseña el opuesto—que vayan a hacerle entender su mal y tratar de rescatarle. Les llama a tener la misma actitud que Dios tiene. Les enseña dejar a un lado la tendencia humana de buscar el bienestar propio, y más bien, “buscar la que se había descarriado.” Así llevamos la imagen espiritual de Cristo, que es la naturaleza divina. Llegamos así a ser como Dios en nuestro manera de pensar, hablar, y vivir. Jesús les está llamando a que sean como él, que a pesar del costo, buscaba el bien de otros.

Mateo 18:21-22

Entonces se le acercó Pedro y le dijo: Señor, ¿cuántas veces perdonaré a mi hermano que peque contra mí? ¿Hasta siete? 22 Jesús le dijo: No te digo hasta siete, sino aun hasta setenta veces siete.

Ay, pobre Pedro, quien a pesar de todo lo que Jesús les está enseñando, todavía no se daba la idea. Pedro, como muchos, quiere poner límite al amor que debemos ejercer hacia otros. Es como dicen la gente “hasta aquí te he tolerado, pero, ya no más.” Cuando dice, “hasta setenta veces siete” no está recomendando que nos pongamos a calcular cuanto sería esto. Más bien, está diciendo que uno debe olvidarse de contar, y que pensemos en el bien del hermano, y tratar de rescatarle y perdonarle. Por esto, encontramos esto en el resto del capítulo:

Mateo 18:23-35

Por lo cual el reino de los cielos es semejante a un rey que quiso hacer cuentas con sus siervos. 24 Y comenzando a hacer cuentas, le fue presentado uno que le debía diez mil talentos. 25 A éste, como no pudo pagar, ordenó su señor venderle, y a su mujer e hijos, y todo lo que tenía, para que se le pagase la deuda. 26 Entonces aquel siervo, postrado, le suplicaba, diciendo: Señor, ten paciencia conmigo, y yo te lo pagaré todo. 27 El señor de aquel siervo, movido a misericordia, le soltó y le perdonó la deuda. 28 Pero saliendo aquel siervo, halló a uno de sus consiervos, que le debía cien denarios; y asiendo de él, le ahogaba, diciendo: Págame lo que me debes. 29 Entonces su consiervo, postrándose a sus pies, le rogaba diciendo: Ten paciencia conmigo, y yo te lo pagaré todo. 30 Mas él no quiso, sino fue y le echó en la cárcel, hasta que pagase la deuda. 31 Viendo sus consiervos lo que pasaba, se entristecieron mucho, y fueron y refirieron a su señor todo lo que había pasado. 32 Entonces, llamándole su señor, le dijo: Siervo malvado, toda aquella deuda te perdoné, porque me rogaste.

33 ¿No debías tú también tener misericordia de tu consiervo, como yo tuve misericordia de ti?

34 Entonces su señor, enojado, le entregó a los verdugos, hasta que pagase todo lo que le debía. 35 Así también mi Padre celestial hará con vosotros si no perdonáis de todo corazón cada uno a su hermano sus ofensas.

Jesús está todavía enseñando que tenemos que dejar a nuestra naturaleza humana, y tomar sobre nosotros la misma actitud que Dios tiene, la de amar a otros y sufrir lo que sea para el bien de ellos. Así vemos que todo este capítulo habla de lo mismo: el cambio que tiene que haber en nuestra manera de pensar para que podamos participar con Dios y estar en su reino. Dios lo dice claro en 2 Pedro 1:3-4:

3 Como todas las cosas que pertenecen a la vida y a la piedad nos han sido dadas por su divino poder, mediante el conocimiento de aquel que nos llamó por su gloria y excelencia, 4 por medio de las cuales nos ha dado preciosas y grandísimas promesas, para que por ellas llegaseis a ser participantes de la naturaleza divina, habiendo huido de la corrupción que hay en el mundo a causa de la concupiscencia;

Esto es lo el punto central en todo lo que Dios hace con nosotros, no que sigamos con la manera de pensar humana, sino que cambiemos la forma de pensar para ser como la suya, como nos enseña en su palabra. ¡Qué hagamos los cambios en nuestra manera de pensar y hacer y busquemos el bienestar de otros como Dios ha buscado a nosotros! Si esto hacemos, vale la pena haber pasado por todo lo que pasamos en esta vida, sino no, sería mejor para nosotros no haber vivido.

¿EXISTE UNA VERDADERA DIFERENCIA? IS THERE A REAL DIFFERENCE?

Posted on May 26, 2018 by admin

Introducción:

Introduction:

Hay quienes dicen que no hay diferencia entre uno que es un seguidor de Cristo y los que no lo son, excepto que el discípulo ha recibido a Cristo en su corazón y aceptado la salvación por la gracia de Dios. Dicen que todos somos pecadores y todos cometemos errores. Cuando los que se dicen seguidores de Cristo viven tanto como todos los demás en el mundo, comúnmente se disculpan y dicen: “Bueno, no somos perfectos, pero somos salvos.”

There are those who would say that there is no difference between one who is a follower of Christ and those who are not, except that the disciple has have received Christ in their heart and accepted salvation through the grace of God. They say that we are all sinners and all make mistakes. When those who call themselves followers of Christ live much as everyone else in the world, they often excuse themselves and say, “Well we are not perfect, but we are saved.”

Quienes nos rodean y ven la vida de aquellos que profesan ser seguidores de Cristo frecuentemente son muy escépticos y dicen: “¿De qué manera son diferentes, porque hacen las mismas cosas que yo. Engañan un poco para sobrevivir, mienten de vez en cuando, cuando les parece necesario. Cuentan una broma sucia o dejan escapar una palabrota cuando se enojan o algo les duele.” Por esto, concluyen que los cristianos son un grupo de hipócritas. Esto lo hace difícil para cualquiera que trate de enseñar a otros en cuanto de Cristo porque la gente no lo toma en serio. El no cristiano ya piensa que es imposible realmente vivir la vida cristiana, y las vidas de aquellos que dicen ser cristianos parece dar la mejor evidencia de esto.

Those around us who see the lives of those who profess to be followers of Christ often are very skeptical and say, “In what way are they different, they do the same things I do. They cheat a little to get by, they lie once in a while when that’s what it takes. They come out with a dirty joke or blurt out a curse word when they get mad or something hurts them.” From this they conclude that Christians are a bunch of hypocrites. This makes it very hard for anyone attempting to teach others about Christ to get people to take them seriously. The non-Christian already thinks it is impossible to really live the Christian life, and the lives of those who claim to be Christians seems to them to be the best proof of that.

Por lo tanto, es importante analizar y ver. ¿Es la única diferencia en la vida del seguidor de Cristo el hecho de que él confía en Cristo para perdonar sus pecados a través de la gracia y el no cristiano no lo hace? ¿Indica la Escritura que existe una diferencia en la vida que vive el cristiano? Veamos lo que Dios dice en cuanto de esto.

So, it is important to analyze and see. Is the only difference in the life of the follower of Christ the fact that he trusts in Christ to forgive his sins through grace and the non-Christian does not? Does the Scripture indicate that there is a difference in the life that the Christian lives? Let us see what God says about this.

No es necesario gastar mucho tiempo discutiendo si el seguidor de Cristo es salvo por gracia. Sabemos que es verdad. Tampoco sería correcto decir que el cristiano nunca peca. Sabemos que todos pecan. Entonces ¿de qué manera es el seguidor de Cristo diferente?

It is not necessary to spend much time discussing whether the follower of Christ is saved by grace. We know that is true. Nor would it be correct to say that the Christian doesn’t ever sin. We know that all sin. Then in what way is the follower of Christ different?

En esta lección vamos a demostrar por lo que vemos en la Biblia que hay una diferencia real y sustancial en la vida de un verdadero seguidor de Cristo. Las razones porque esto tiene que ser así se darán uno por uno a través de esta lección.

In this lesson we will prove from what we see in the Bible that there is a real and substantial difference in the life of a true follower of Christ. The reasons why this must be so will be stated one by one throughout this lesson.

Razón 1: Los verdaderos discípulos de Cristo han hecho una decisión.

Reason 1: True disciples of Christ have made a choice.

Observe lo que encontramos en Gálatas 5:24 “Pero los que son de Cristo han crucificado la carne con sus pasiones y deseos.” Los que no son seguidores de Cristo no han tomado esta decisión todavía. Crucificar significa poner a la muerte. El Espíritu de Dios reveló a través de Pablo el apóstol inspirado que este hecho lo hizo imposible que el cristiano viva como lo hizo antes. Romanos 6: 1-4 dice:

1 ¿Qué, pues, diremos? ¿Perseveraremos en el pecado para que la gracia abunde? 2 En ninguna manera. Porque los que hemos muerto al pecado, ¿cómo viviremos aún en él? 3 ¿O no sabéis que todos los que hemos sido bautizados en Cristo Jesús, hemos sido bautizados en su muerte? 4 Porque somos sepultados juntamente con él para muerte por el bautismo, a fin de que como Cristo resucitó de los muertos por la gloria del Padre, así también nosotros andemos en vida nueva.

Notice what we find in Galatians 5:24 “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Those who are not followers of Christ have not made this decision yet. Crucified means to put it to death. God’s Spirit revealed through Paul the inspired apostle that it was that fact that made it impossible for the Christian to live as he did before. Romans 6:1-4 says:

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Hay dos puntos que son especialmente importantes aquí. En primer lugar, vemos la razón porque el que es bautizado (sumergido en el agua) no puede seguir aceptando el pecado como una forma de vida. El creyente ha “muerto al pecado.”

There are two points that are especially important here. First, we see the reason stated why the one who is baptized (immersed in water) cannot continue to accept sin as a way of life. The believer has “died to sin.”

Nótese también, que las palabras aquí dicen “vivir en ello (el pecado).” Esto no está hablando de la caída, un error como el resultado de una debilidad momentánea. Se está hablando de continuar practicando la desobediencia como una forma de vida.

Notice also, that the words here say “live in it (sin).” This is not talking about fall, a mistake as the result of a momentary weakness. It is talking about continuing to practice disobedience as a way of life.

Este versículo dice que vivir de esta manera es incompatible con ser un seguidor de Cristo. Ese tipo de vida que la persona vivió antes ha llegado a su fin absoluto a causa de un cambio en la forma de pensar de la persona.

This verse says that living in this way is incompatible with being a follower of Christ. That type of life that the person lived before has come to an abrupt end because of a change in the person’s way of thinking.

Cuando uno escucha lo que Cristo hizo para salvarle, cuando ve el precio que Cristo pagó, le impacta tanto su pensamiento que ahora odia el pecado. Vivir de esa manera es algo que ya no puede tolerar. Esa forma de vida está muerta! Este cambio es lo que el Nuevo Testamento llama arrepentimiento.

When one hears what Christ did to save him, when he sees the price Christ paid, it so impacts his thinking that he now hates sin. Living that way anymore is something he can no longer tolerate. That way of life is dead! This change is what the New Testament calls repentance.

Debido a que este cambio ha ocurrido en la vida de la persona, él nunca más será igual a menos que él niega su decisión de servir a Dios y decide regresar a la pasada manera de vivir. En tal caso ya no sería considerado un seguidor de Cristo. Esa es una posibilidad real, y la naturaleza de esa vuelta atrás se describe en 2 Pedro 2:20-22:

Because this change has taken place in the person’s life, he will never be the same again unless he denies his choice to serve God and decides to return to the former way of living. In this case he would no longer be considered a follower of Christ. That is a real possibility, and the nature of that turning back is described in 2 Peter 2:20-22:

2 Pedro 2:20-22

20 Ciertamente, si habiéndose ellos escapado de las contaminaciones del mundo, por el conocimiento del Señor y Salvador Jesucristo, enredándose otra vez en ellas son vencidos, su postrer estado viene a ser peor que el primero. 21 Porque mejor les hubiera sido no haber conocido el camino de la justicia, que después de haberlo conocido, volverse atrás del santo mandamiento que les fue dado. 22 Pero les ha acontecido lo del verdadero proverbio: El perro vuelve a su vómito, y la puerca lavada a revolcarse en el cieno.

2 Peter 2:20-22

20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

Razón 2: La diferencia en la vida es mandado por Dios y nadie puede ser llamado un seguidor de Cristo si no demuestra aquella diferencia en su vida.

Reason 2: The difference of the life of a Christian is commanded by God and no one can be called a follower of Christ if he does not show that difference in his life.

Primero vemos 2 Timoteo 2:19:

Pero el fundamento de Dios está firme, teniendo este sello: Conoce el Señor a los que son suyos; y: Apártese de iniquidad todo aquel que invoca el nombre de Cristo.”

First we see 2 Timothy 2:19:

But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

El cambio no es una opción, es obligatorio. Es un requisito para que Dios acepte a la persona como 2 Corintios 6: 17-18 muestra claramente. Escribiendo en cuanto de la necesidad de separarse de las prácticas idólatras Pablo escribe esto:

17 Por lo cual, Salid de en medio de ellos, y apartaos, dice el Señor, Y no toquéis lo inmundo; Y yo os recibiré, 18 Y seré para vosotros por Padre, Y vosotros me seréis hijos e hijas, dice el Señor Todopoderoso.

The change is not an option, it is mandatory. It is a requirement in order for God to accept the person as 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 shows clearly. As he writes concerning the necessity of separating themselves from idolatrous practices Paul writes this:

17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

No tocar la cosa inmunda se refiere a dejar el pecado y toda religión falsa. Esa es una condición necesaria para que seamos “hijos e hijas.”

Not touching the unclean thing refers to leaving sin and all false religion. That is a necessary for us to be “sons and daughters.”

También en Romanos 12: 2:

No os conforméis a este siglo, sino transformaos por medio de la renovación de vuestro entendimiento, para que comprobéis cuál sea la buena voluntad de Dios, agradable y perfecta.

Also in Romans 12:2:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Los seguidores de Cristo viven de manera diferente debido a que sus mentes se han cambiado o transformado por aprender la palabra de Dios.

Followers of Christ, live differently because their minds have been changed or transformed by learning God’s word.

La gente alrededor ve el cambio. De hecho, hay un contraste genuino. Filipenses 2: 12-15 señala esto:

12 Por tanto, amados míos, como siempre habéis obedecido, no como en mi presencia solamente, sino mucho más ahora en mi ausencia, ocupaos en vuestra salvación con temor y temblor, 13 porque Dios es el que en vosotros produce así el querer como el hacer, por su buena voluntad. 14 Haced todo sin murmuraciones y contiendas, 15 para que seáis irreprensibles y sencillos, hijos de Dios sin mancha en medio de una generación maligna y perversa, en medio de la cual resplandecéis como luminares en el mundo;

The change is visible to people around them. Indeed, there is a real contrast. Philippians 2:12-15 points this out:

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Para que sean luces en el mundo, tenía que haber un comportamiento diferente y evidente. Esto va mucho más allá de simplemente “ir a la iglesia” o leer la Biblia, o dar dinero a una institución religiosa.

In order for them to be lights in the world, there had to be a noticeably different behavior. This is far beyond simply “going to church” or reading the Bible, or giving money to a religious institution.

Fue un cambio real en la vida. Esto se habla en 1 Pedro 4: 1-4:

1 Puesto que Cristo ha padecido por nosotros en la carne, vosotros también armaos del mismo pensamiento; pues quien ha padecido en la carne, terminó con el pecado, 2 para no vivir el tiempo que resta en la carne, conforme a las concupiscencias de los hombres, sino conforme a la voluntad de Dios. 3 Baste ya el tiempo pasado para haber hecho lo que agrada a los gentiles, andando en lascivias, concupiscencias, embriagueces, orgías, disipación y abominables idolatrías. 4 A éstos les parece cosa extraña que vosotros no corráis con ellos en el mismo desenfreno de disolución, y os ultrajan;

It was a real change in life. This is spoken of in 1 Peter 4:1-4:

1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;

Observe que había tanta diferencia entre la vida de ellos y la vida de las personas en el mundo que les rodeaba que las personas que los habían conocido antes de llegar a ser seguidores de Cristo fueron perturbados por la diferencia. La diferencia era tal que dio lugar a la crítica.

Notice that there was so much difference between their life and the life of those in the world around them that the people who had known them before they came to be followers of Christ were disturbed by the difference. The difference was such that it gave rise to criticism.

_____________

Razón 3: La diferencia en la manera de vivir es necesario para que Dios sea glorificado y para provocar a otros a tomar la vida cristiana suficientemente en serio para hacer un cambio en su propia vida.

Reason 3: The difference in the way of life is necessary in order for God to be glorified and to provoke others to take the Christian way of living seriously enough to make a change in their own life.

Esto es claro de lo que encontramos en 1 Pedro 2: 12-16:

12 manteniendo buena vuestra manera de vivir entre los gentiles; para que en lo que murmuran de vosotros como de malhechores, glorifiquen a Dios en el día de la visitación, al considerar vuestras buenas obras. 13 Por causa del Señor someteos a toda institución humana, ya sea al rey, como a superior, 14 ya a los gobernadores, como por él enviados para castigo de los malhechores y alabanza de los que hacen bien. 15 Porque esta es la voluntad de Dios: que haciendo bien, hagáis callar la ignorancia de los hombres insensatos; 16 como libres, pero no como los que tienen la libertad como pretexto para hacer lo malo, sino como siervos de Dios.

This is clear from what we find in 1 Peter 2:12-16:

12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

La diferencia en la forma de vida provocaría que la gente glorifiquen a Dios. Esto sólo podría ser cierto si hubo cambios positivos sustanciales en el carácter de la gente que estaban observando. Los cristianos deben ser continuamente conscientes de hecho que siempre hay quienes les observan y que sus vidas, en todos los aspectos, bien glorifican a Dios o causan que el nombre de Dios para sea blasfemado.

The difference in the way of living would cause people to glorify God. This could only be true if there were substantial positive changes in the character of the people who’s lives they were observing. Christians should be continuously aware that there are always those who observe them and that their lives, in all aspects, either glorify God or cause the name of God to be spoken against.

Aun el comportamiento de los esclavos que eran seguidores de Cristo tenía el mismo efecto que vemos en Tito 2: 9-12:

9 Exhorta a los siervos a que se sujeten a sus amos, que agraden en todo, que no sean respondones; 10 no defraudando, sino mostrándose fieles en todo, para que en todo adornen la doctrina de Dios nuestro Salvador.

11 Porque la gracia de Dios se ha manifestado para salvación a todos los hombres, 12 enseñándonos que, renunciando a la impiedad y a los deseos mundanos, vivamos en este siglo sobria, justa y piadosamente,

Even the behavior of slaves that were followers of Christ was to have that same effect as we see in Titus 2:9-12:

Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

La palabra adornar aquí significa hacer más atractiva, más hermosa. Ellos debían adornar la doctrina de Cristo, para que los que eran incrédulos querría escucharla. Era poco probable que el amo de esclavos querría saber algo en cuanto de la fe en Cristo de un esclavo indigno de confianza que siempre estaba discutiendo y dándole problemas.

Adorn here means to make more attractive, more beautiful. They were to adorn the teaching of Christ so that those who were unbelievers would want to listen to it. It was unlikely that the slave master would want to hear anything about faith in Christ from an untrustworthy slave who was always arguing and giving him problems.

1 Pedro 3: 1-5 enseña que las damas que eran seguidores de Cristo tenían que mostrar una manera de vivir cambiada para que si sus maridos todavía no habían obedecido a Cristo, serían atraídos a hacerlo.

1 Asimismo vosotras, mujeres, estad sujetas a vuestros maridos; para que también los que no creen a la palabra, sean ganados sin palabra por la conducta de sus esposas, 2 considerando vuestra conducta casta y respetuosa. 3 Vuestro atavío no sea el externo de peinados ostentosos, de adornos de oro o de vestidos lujosos, 4 sino el interno, el del corazón, en el incorruptible ornato de un espíritu afable y apacible, que es de grande estima delante de Dios. 5 Porque así también se ataviaban en otro tiempo aquellas santas mujeres que esperaban en Dios, estando sujetas a sus maridos;

1 Peter 3:1-5 teaches that the ladies who were Christ’s followers were to exhibit changed lives so that if their husbands had not obeyed Christ yet, they would be attracted to do so.

1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external–the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear– 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands,

Vemos que ser un seguidor de Cristo iba a afectar el comportamiento de las mujeres, haciendo que sean respetuosas, puras, mostrando un carácter excelente y crear en ellas una actitud afable y apacible. Incluso las influenció a vestirse modestamente, poniendo énfasis en lo espiritual, no en la belleza física o exterior. Estos cambios que se crearon en ella por la palabra de Dios eran suficientemente impresionante para posiblemente cambiar a sus maridos y causar que presten atención a la enseñanza de Cristo.

We see that being a follower of Christ was to affect the behavior of the wives, causing them to be respectful, pure and showing an excellent character and creating in them a gentile and quiet spirit. It even influenced them to dress themselves modestly, putting emphasis on the spiritual, not the physical or outward beauty. These changes that were created in her by God’s word were impressive enough to potentially change their husbands and cause them pay attention to the teaching of Christ.

Razón 4: La diferencia es necesario para que el seguidor de Dios pueda ser participante de la naturaleza divina.

Reason 4: The difference is necessary so that the follower of God may be partakers of the divine nature.

Esta es la razón de todo lo que Dios ha hecho con la humanidad. A menos que se haya producido ese cambio, el propósito de Dios no se ha logrado. El cambio de corazón (arrepentimiento) que Dios ha producido por medio de su bondad produce un cambio en los deseos de la persona. Por su decisión de alejarse del pecado y comienzar a hacer el bien, empezamos a ver a una persona que tiene la naturaleza de Dios. Eso simplemente significa que guiado por la palabra de Dios, la persona comienza a pensar, hablar y actuar como lo hace Dios.

This is the reason for all that God has done with mankind. Unless that change has taken place, the purpose of God has not been accomplished. The change of heart (repentance) that God has produced though His goodness produces a change in what the person desires. As he turns away from sin and turns to doing right, we begin to see a person who has God’s nature. That simply means that guided by the word of God, the person begins to think, speak, and act as God does.

Eso es lo que nos dice 2 Pedro 1:4:

4 por medio de las cuales nos ha dado preciosas y grandísimas promesas, para que por ellas llegaseis a ser participantes de la naturaleza divina, habiendo huido de la corrupción que hay en el mundo a causa de la concupiscencia;

That is what 2 Peter 1:4 says to us:

by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

2 Corintios 3:18 también es importante tener en cuenta en relación con esto:

Por tanto, nosotros todos, mirando a cara descubierta como en un espejo la gloria del Señor, somos transformados de gloria en gloria en la misma imagen, como por el Espíritu del Señor.

2 Corinthians 3:18 is also important to notice in this respect:

and we all, with unvailed face, the glory of the Lord beholding in a mirror, to the same image are being transformed, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Es un proceso, como lo vemos en las palabras “somos transformados…de gloria en gloria .” Ningún seguidor verdadero de Cristo se eximirá de este cambio. Este cambio no es automático! Se requiere estudio, la oración y la obediencia. 1 Pedro 1:14-19 también nos instruye:

14 como hijos obedientes, no os conforméis a los deseos que antes teníais estando en vuestra ignorancia; 15 sino, como aquel que os llamó es santo, sed también vosotros santos en toda vuestra manera de vivir; 16 porque escrito está: Sed santos, porque yo soy santo. 17 Y si invocáis por Padre a aquel que sin acepción de personas juzga según la obra de cada uno, conducíos en temor todo el tiempo de vuestra peregrinación; 18 sabiendo que fuisteis rescatados de vuestra vana manera de vivir, la cual recibisteis de vuestros padres, no con cosas corruptibles, como oro o plata, 19 sino con la sangre preciosa de Cristo, como de un cordero sin mancha y sin contaminación,

It is a process, as we see from the words “are being transformed…from one degree of glory to another.” But, no true follower of Christ will exempt himself from this change. This change is not automatic! It requires study, prayer and obedience. 1 Peter 1:14-19 also instructs us:

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

Dios requiere que seamos como Él. Esto afecta toda nuestra conducta en todo lo que hacemos. Reflejamos en nuestras palabras y acciones a Él cuyo imagen llevamos.

God requires that we be like Him. This effects all our conduct in everything we do. We mirror in our words and deeds the One who’s image we wear.

Razón 5: El seguidor de Cristo debe ser santo con el fin de llevar a cabo Su trabajo que se requiere de todos los que son Sus seguidores.

Reason 5: The follower of Christ must be holy in order to carry out His work that is required of all who are his followers.

1 Pedro 2:9 Mas vosotros sois linaje escogido, real sacerdocio, nación santa, pueblo adquirido por Dios, para que anunciéis las virtudes de aquel que os llamó de las tinieblas a su luz admirable;

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Este versículo dice que los seguidores de Cristo son un pueblo especial seleccionado por Dios y hecho santo y capaz de llevar a cabo el trabajo de causar que otros vean cuán grande y maravilloso es Dios. ¡Qué tan difícil, incluso imposible, sería para personas que no son un pueblo santo llevar a cabo tal obra. La santidad es necesario para tener una relación con Dios! Es necesaria una relación con Dios para poder hacer su trabajo.

This verse says that followers of Christ are a special people selected by God and made holy and able to carry out the work of causing others to see how great and wonderful God is. How difficult, yes even impossible it would be for people who are not a holy people to carry out such a work. Holiness is necessary to have a relationship with God. A relationship with God is necessary to be able to do his work.

En Juan 15: 3-5 Jesús nos dice claramente:

3 Ya vosotros estáis limpios por la palabra que os he hablado. 4 Permaneced en mí, y yo en vosotros. Como el pámpano no puede llevar fruto por sí mismo, si no permanece en la vid, así tampoco vosotros, si no permanecéis en mí. 5 Yo soy la vid, vosotros los pámpanos; el que permanece en mí, y yo en él, éste lleva mucho fruto; porque separados de mí nada podéis hacer.

In John 15:3-5 Jesus says clearly:

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Sin esa pureza, y la relación con Dios que aquel pureza hace posible, no podríamos hacer que las personas en este mundo vean la gloria de Dios.

Without that purity and that relationship with God that it makes possible, we could not cause people in this world to see the glory of God.

Conclusión:

Conclusion:

Hay muchas, muchas otras partes de la Escritura que podríamos mencionar aquí. Pero, lo que se ha presentado muestra que hay una gran diferencia entre la vida del seguidor de Cristo y los que aún no hayan hecho la determinación de servirle.

There are many, many other parts of the Scripture that we could mention here. But, what has been presented shows that there is a great difference between the life of the follower of Christ and those who have not yet made the determination to serve Him.

La diferencia no es una vaga creencia en Dios y en Cristo. La diferencia existe porque se ha producido un cambio en el corazón, una decisión que el verdadero cristiano ha hecho, de dejar el pecado y cambiar su vida en respuesta a los mandatos de Dios para que él pueda demostrar un buen ejemplo y glorificar a Dios en todo lo que hace. Su habilidad para llevar a cabo la obra que Dios le ha dado depende de eso!

The difference is not just some vague belief in God and Christ. The difference exists because there has been a change of heart, a decision that the true Christian has made to leave sin and change his life in response to the commands of God so that he can show a good example and glorify God in all he does. His ability to carry out the work that God has given him depends upon that!

Debemos rechazar la enseñanza superficial y infructuosa que dice que uno se salva por la gracia de Dios simplemente por creer, sin el cambio del corazón y de la vida que Cristo requiere de todos sus seguidores.

We must refuse the shallow and unproductive teaching that one is saved by the grace of God simply by believing, without the change of heart and life that Christ requires of his followers.

No hay alegría ni ninguna victoria en continuar en una vida de pecado, nunca llegando a ser como Dios ni alistándonos para llevar a cabo Su trabajo de mostrar Su gloria a los demás en este mundo oscuro.

There is no joy and no victory in continuing in a life of sin, never becoming like God or equipping ourselves to carry out His work of showing forth His glory to others in this dark world.

Las personas malvadas de este mundo no estarán motivados para cambiar si nosotros mismos no somos cambiados por lo que profesamos!

The wicked people of this world will not be motivated to change if we, ourselves, are not changed by that which we profess!

Si Ud. es hijo de Dios, ¿qué está mostrando su vida?

If you are a child of God, what has your life been showing?

Si Ud. todavía no ha obedecido al Señor para ser su hijo, queremos ayudarle. Con gusto tomamos el tiempo necesario para que Ud. pueda entender lo que Dios nos enseña al respecto.

If you have not yet obeyed the Lord to become his child we would like to help you. We would be glad to take the time necessary for you to understand what God says about that.

LOS DONES—¿UNA AYUDA TEMPORAL PARA EL COMIENZO DE LA IGLESIA O ALGO PERMANENTE?

Posted on December 11, 2017 by admin

I. INTRODUCCIÓN

Todo estudiante de la Biblia ha leído en el Nuevo testamento en cuanto de los dones. La pregunta que necesitamos contestar es: ¿eran los dones algo permanente que debemos esperar tener hoy, o algo temporal? El mundo religioso se encuentra muy divido sobre este tema. La palabra de Dios nos da la respuesta y podemos entenderla. Esta lección servirá para hacer claro lo que la Biblia dice sobre este asunto.

II. DEFINICIÓN

¿Qué queremos decir con la palabra “dones?” Esta palabra ha sido malentendida por muchos. Y esto ha causado enseñanzas erradas. Palabras a veces tienen una definición en la biblia, y otra en el uso común. Frecuentemente escuchamos a la gente decir, en cuanto de alguien, que él tiene un don de algo, la música, por ejemplo. Con esto la gente quiere decir que le nace, o le viene natural aprender y producir la música. O tal vez a otro le viene fácil hablar en público. Pero esto no es lo que la Biblia está diciendo cuando habla de dones. Cuando la Biblia menciona dones, habla siempre de una capacidad dado por Dios por el Espíritu Santo que capacita a la persona que lo recibe para hacer algo sin estudio, aprendizaje, ni ensayo. Instantáneamente, la persona lleva a cabo perfectamente lo que Dios le ha dado poder de hacer. 1 Corintios 12:6-10 nos menciona nueve dones:

6 Y hay diversidad de operaciones, pero Dios, que hace todas las cosas en todos, es el mismo. 7 Pero a cada uno le es dada la manifestación del Espíritu para provecho. 8 Porque a éste es dada por el Espíritu palabra de sabiduría; a otro, palabra de ciencia según el mismo Espíritu; 9 a otro, fe por el mismo Espíritu; y a otro, dones de sanidades por el mismo Espíritu. 10 A otro, el hacer milagros; a otro, profecía; a otro, discernimiento de espíritus; a otro, diversos géneros de lenguas; y a otro, interpretación de lenguas.

Efesios 4:8;11-12 menciona cómo los dones servían para capacitar a los siervos de Dios para hacer la obra que Dios quería que hagan.

8 Por lo cual dice: Subiendo a lo alto, llevó cautiva la cautividad, Y dio dones a los hombres. 11 Y él mismo constituyó a unos, apóstoles; a otros, profetas; a otros, evangelistas; a otros, pastores y maestros, 12 a fin de perfeccionar a los santos para la obra del ministerio, para la edificación del cuerpo de Cristo,

Así podemos ver que los dones eran capacidades dados por el Espíritu de Dios para hacer posible la edificación del cuerpo de Cristo, la iglesia.

III. ¿Cómo podemos saber si estos eran temporales, o debemos esperar encontrarlos en la iglesia hoy?

En Efesios 4, después de mencionar el propósito de los dones, versículo 13 sigue explicando el hecho que tenían un limite en cuanto de su tiempo de duración y explica porque fueron necesarias hasta que el Nuevo testamento se escribiese:

13 hasta que todos lleguemos a la unidad de la fe y del conocimiento del Hijo de Dios, a un varón perfecto, a la medida de la estatura de la plenitud de Cristo; 14 para que ya no seamos niños fluctuantes, llevados por doquiera de todo viento de doctrina, por estratagema de hombres que para engañar emplean con astucia las artimañas del error,

Esto explica claramente que los dones eran de duración limitada. ¿Y hasta cuando durarían? Hasta que haya una base para la unidad de la fe y el conocimiento del Hijo de Dios. Hasta que haya una norma, no puede haber unidad. Nosotros tenemos unidad sobre cuál es un metro, un kilo, o litro debido a normas ya establecidas en los cuales dependemos constantemente. Igualmente, en las cosas de Dios, la ley de Cristo es la norma, formando la base para la unidad. Cuando la iglesia comenzó, no había esta norma todavía. Pero, comenzó un proceso de revelación que puso la base para la fe. Romanos 10:17 dice: “Así que la fe es por el oír, y el oír, por la palabra de Dios.” La única manera que podemos tener una base de fe (convicción) es por la palabra de Dios revelado.

Cuando los miles fueron bautizados en el día de Pentecostés después de la predicación de la palabra por inspiración (Hechos 2:4, 41), no tenían el Nuevo testamento. El Antiguo testamento era distinto, y no suficiente para decirles como vivir y trabajar como cristianos en la iglesia de Cristo. Jeremías habló del establecimiento de una nueva ley distinta que la antigua:

Jeremías 31:31-32

31 He aquí que vienen días, dice Jehová, en los cuales haré nuevo pacto con la casa de Israel y con la casa de Judá. 32 No como el pacto que hice con sus padres el día que tomé su mano para sacarlos de la tierra de Egipto;….

Por ser distinta, el Antiguo testamento no servía para guiar sus vidas como cristianos.

Por medio del don de profecía, el Nuevo testamento nos llegó, y por mientras que se estaba escribiendo, los dones servían para capacitar a los hermanos del primer siglo de la iglesia para que puedan llevar a cabo la obra de la iglesia.

Los apóstoles y profetas recibieron inspiración para escribir el Nuevo testamento.

1 Corintios 2:11-13

Porque ¿quién de los hombres sabe las cosas del hombre, sino el espíritu del hombre que está en él? Así tampoco nadie conoció las cosas de Dios, sino el Espíritu de Dios. 12 Y nosotros no hemos recibido el espíritu del mundo, sino el Espíritu que proviene de Dios, para que sepamos lo que Dios nos ha concedido, 13 lo cual también hablamos, no con palabras enseñadas por sabiduría humana, sino con las que enseña el Espíritu, acomodando lo espiritual a lo espiritual.

2 Pedro 1:20-21

entendiendo primero esto, que ninguna profecía de la Escritura es de interpretación privada, 21 porque nunca la profecía fue traída por voluntad humana, sino que los santos hombres de Dios hablaron siendo inspirados por el Espíritu Santo.

2 Timoteo 3:16-17

Toda la Escritura es inspirada por Dios, y útil para enseñar, para redargüir, para corregir, para instruir en justicia, 17 a fin de que el hombre de Dios sea perfecto, enteramente preparado para toda buena obra.

Efesios 3:1-5

Por esta causa yo Pablo, prisionero de Cristo Jesús por vosotros los gentiles; 2 si es que habéis oído de la administración de la gracia de Dios que me fue dada para con vosotros; 3 que por revelación me fue declarado el misterio, como antes lo he escrito brevemente, 4 leyendo lo cual podéis entender cuál sea mi conocimiento en el misterio de Cristo, 5 misterio que en otras generaciones no se dio a conocer a los hijos de los hombres, como ahora es revelado a sus santos apóstoles y profetas por el Espíritu:

2 Pedro 1:12-19

Por esto, yo no dejaré de recordaros siempre estas cosas, aunque vosotros las sepáis, y estéis confirmados en la verdad presente. 13 Pues tengo por justo, en tanto que estoy en este cuerpo, el despertaros con amonestación; 14 sabiendo que en breve debo abandonar el cuerpo, como nuestro Señor Jesucristo me ha declarado. 15 También yo procuraré con diligencia que después de mi partida vosotros podáis en todo momento tener memoria de estas cosas. 16 Porque no os hemos dado a conocer el poder y la venida de nuestro Señor Jesucristo siguiendo fábulas artificiosas, sino como habiendo visto con nuestros propios ojos su majestad. 17 Pues cuando él recibió de Dios Padre honra y gloria, le fue enviada desde la magnífica gloria una voz que decía: Este es mi Hijo amado, en el cual tengo complacencia. 18 Y nosotros oímos esta voz enviada del cielo, cuando estábamos con él en el monte santo. 19 Tenemos también la palabra profética más segura, a la cual hacéis bien en estar atentos como a una antorcha que alumbra en lugar oscuro, hasta que el día esclarezca y el lucero de la mañana salga en vuestros corazones;

Tenga en cuenta que cuando Pedro dice que él aseguraría que aun después de su partida (o su muerte) tengan en memoria estas cosas, estaba refriéndose a la palabra escrita que iba a dejar para que a la palabra inspirada pueda continuar disponible después de su muerte.

Judas 3

Amados, por la gran solicitud que tenía de escribiros acerca de nuestra común salvación, me ha sido necesario escribiros exhortándoos que contendáis ardientemente por la fe que ha sido una vez dada a los santos.

El Espíritu Santo, al usar la frase “una vez dada” indica que por medio de la palabra escrita, sería preservada la fe para las generaciones futuras y nunca más se daría por inspiración.

La naturaleza temporal de los dones explicada

1 Corintios 13:8-10

Porque en parte conocemos, y en parte profetizamos; 10 mas cuando venga lo perfecto, entonces lo que es en parte se acabará.

Esta escritura no dice “cuando venga él perfecto,” como si estuviera hablando de Cristo, sino dice “lo perfecto.”Así comprendemos que habiendo dicho que la profecía de los hombres inspirados era “en parte,” (es decir entregado parte por parte) ahora refiere a la Biblia entera cuando dice “lo perfecto.” Así entendemos que la revelación de Dios, completa y perfecta, puede hacer que la persona sea “perfecto, enteramente preparado para toda buena obra” como ya aprendimos en 2 Timoteo 3:16-17. ¡¡Ya que tenemos la Escritura, tenemos todo lo que necesitamos!! ¡No hay nada más que será revelado! Así entendemos que Dios no nos habla directamente hoy, ni en suenos, visiones, ni voces de revelación.

En 1 Corintios 13:11-12, encontramos que Dios refiere a la época de los dones como un período de niñez y de ver oscuramente. No era esto un estado en lo cual la iglesia iba a permanecer para siempre.

11 Cuando yo era niño, hablaba como niño, pensaba como niño, juzgaba como niño; mas cuando ya fui hombre, dejé lo que era de niño. 12 Ahora vemos por espejo, oscuramente; mas entonces veremos cara a cara. Ahora conozco en parte; pero entonces conoceré como fui conocido.

Habiendo mostrado que los dones eran temporales, en 1 Corintios 13:13 el Espíritu Santo contrastó las cosas que iban a continuarse. Estos eran tres: fe, esperanza y amor. Ahora, con la palabra de Dios para guiarnos, estos son características de de la iglesia hasta el día de hoy, y seguirán siendo centrales en la vida de la iglesia hasta el fin del mundo. El amor es el mayor de ellos, porque después que la fe se haya hecho realidad, y la esperanza sea realizada, el amor continuará en el cielo, porque Dios es amor

(1 Juan 4:8;16).

APLICACIÓN

Queda muy claro, en vista de todo lo que hemos estudiado, que los dones no eran algo permanente, pero servían a la iglesia durante el período mientras El Nuevo testamento estaba escribiéndose. Entonces después, teniendo la ley nueva y perfecta, la iglesia iba a seguir, guiada por la “fe una vez dada” ya no dependiente en los dones. Después de la muerte de los que tenían el poder de imponer las manos y impartir los dones, estos naturalmente desaparecieron, no habiendo ya necesidad para ellos. Así podemos comprender que eran una ayuda temporal para una necesidad temporal.

El seguir enseñando que la iglesia debe seguir buscando dones del Espíritu Santo en nuestros días es tratar de volver a la iglesia a su infancia. También expone la iglesia a influencias del Diablo, porque la enseñanza falsa y las prácticas erróneos contaminan a las congregaciones y los separa de Dios. 2 Juan 1:9 dice:

Cualquiera que se extravía, y no persevera en la doctrina de Cristo, no tiene a Dios; el que persevera en la doctrina de Cristo, ése sí tiene al Padre y al Hijo.

También es necesario notarse que, aunque los dones del Espíritu han cesado, las señales mentirosos siguen. Dios nos hace ver esto en 2 Tesalonicenses 2:8-12:

8 Y entonces se manifestará aquel inicuo, a quien el Señor matará con el espíritu de su boca, y destruirá con el resplandor de su venida; 9 inicuo cuyo advenimiento es por obra de Satanás, con gran poder y señales y prodigios mentirosos, 10 y con todo engaño de iniquidad para los que se pierden, por cuanto no recibieron el amor de la verdad para ser salvos. 11 Por esto Dios les envía un poder engañoso, para que crean la mentira, 12 a fin de que sean condenados todos los que no creyeron a la verdad, sino que se complacieron en la injusticia.

Tenemos que evitar la ignorancia de las Escrituras por educarnos con la palabra de Dios y resistir la tendencia humana de buscar poderes que la gente nos dice que necesitamos para servir a Dios o para curar nuestras enfermedades. En el Nuevo testamento, las sanidades que hemos visto mencionadas siempre servían para mostrar que los que hablaron la palabra eran de Dios. Para ilustrar esto vemos lo que dijo Nicodemo en Juan 3:1-2:

1 Había un hombre de los fariseos que se llamaba Nicodemo, un principal entre los judíos. 2 Este vino a Jesús de noche, y le dijo: Rabí, sabemos que has venido de Dios como maestro; porque nadie puede hacer estas señales que tú haces, si no está Dios con él.

También en Marcos 16:20, hablando de los santos apóstoles, dice:

Y ellos, saliendo, predicaron en todas partes, ayudándoles el Señor y confirmando la palabra con las señales que la seguían. Amén.

El propósito de las señales, incluso las sanidades y las lenguas, era confirmar la palabra. La palabra de Dios ya ha sido confirmada. Las señales que la confirmó siguen con nosotros grabadas en las páginas del las Sagradas escrituras. Ya no tenemos las señales, milagros hechos por las manos de hombres, ni ninguno de los dones, ya que en la escritura, tenemos todo lo necesario como hemos visto en 2 Timoteo 3:16-17.

LLAMADA LA OBEDIENCIA

Ya que los dones eran temporales, sirviendo hasta que tengamos en Nuevo testamento, no regresemos a las cosas de la infancia de la iglesia. Aceptemos a la palabra de Dios como el único que necesitamos para vivir, trabajar, y vencer. Hacer otra cosa es dejarnos guiar fuera de Cristo y su palabra, y exponernos a los engaños del Diablo que son tan comunes en este mundo.

THERE WAS A CONGREGATION

Posted on February 8, 2016 by admin

There once was a congregation filled with pleasant people who enjoyed being together. Most of those who were in the congregation had known each other for many years, and were comfortable together. They often had meals together. They were very careful about who preached and what was said from the pulpit, and carefully screened each piece of the study material used for the Bible classes and all the lessons that were available in the tract rack, to see that they contained no false teaching. Each year they always invited a well-known preacher to preach a series of sermons, that they called their “annual gospel meeting.” They would always chose carefully the person who came to preach, trying to get the best person possible, knowing that the “annual Gospel meeting” was one of their few “ways reach the community,” along with the weekly radio program and Internet Web site where lessons were placed that had been previously been taught by “the preacher” of the congregation.

The congregation placed much emphasis on attendance to every “worship service” and all the
“faithful” always came well-dressed, because all the members knew that it was only fitting that one wear their best clothes to “show respect” to the Lord, much as you would if a visiting dignitary were to come to visit.

Everyone came with big smiles to the meetings of the church, and there were hand-shakes and hugs seen as the friendly members came together, and there was even a friendly greeting for the occasional visitor. Such visitors were invited to return, when they had the occasion to do so, and during the worship, visitors were instructed to fill out a visitors card. The “church secretary” would send the visitor a form letter signed by the “preacher” inviting them to return at their earliest convenience. Many visitors had come and gone in the past couple of decades, but few stayed very long.

The worship was very well organized and a volunteer headed up many aspects of the worship, such as the singing, prayers, the Lord’s supper, and the offering. There was also a group that saw to the cleaning of the building, and twice a year there was a building clean-up and maintenance day, one of which was immediately before the “yearly Gospel meeting.”

The congregation had only two elders left and two deacons, who did what they could to see that everything continued much the same as it always had. Previously there had been four elders and six deacons, but some had died, and some had moved away. This congregation had enjoyed an illustrious chain of well-known preachers, including many who had been known as some of the “best preachers in the brotherhood.” On the wall of one of the long halls of the building, their photographs were displayed, stretching back through the years, all the way up to the present one. The oldest of those photographs were noticeably faded and yellowed with age.

The preacher who gave all the sermons in the congregation always gave a very pleasant and well-organized lesson, usually on some doctrinal point that he feared was not getting enough emphasis, or that he had heard that some neighboring congregation was not properly observing. He was extremely well-respected by the congregation because of his “stand for the truth.” The respect that the members had for him was obvious to all, because he had been in the congregation for the last fifteen years. Despite his advanced age and the fact that he was somewhat feeble and prone to repeat the same sermon topics, with certain variations, he was still considered one of the most “faithful gospel preachers” around.

Everything seemed very happy and orderly, and generations had passed their lifetimes in the congregation in much the same way. There were a few minor differences. One was that people came in cars instead of horses and wagons. So, fifty years ago, the congregation bought and paved two small neighboring properties in order to ensure that people could park their cars and that there would be no problem with the neighbors, due to the members parking in front of their houses. Also, songs and sermons were now displayed on large projection screens and people seldom used the hymnals anymore. Air conditioning had replaced the old ceiling fans and the pot-bellied stove, and there were thick comfortable pads on the pews and carpet on the floors. Except for these rather obvious but unimportant differences, things continued about the same.

Years passed with little to disturb this routine. However, for about the last fifteen or twenty years, it had become increasingly noticeable that many of the pews that had years ago been filled with many people were empty, and the great paved parking lot was almost never filled, not even during during the “annual gospel meetings.” Although this lamentable trend was disturbing to the congregation, it was generally considered that it was probably because “people just don’t like faithful gospel preaching anymore.”

Efforts made by a few members to suggest that it was a necessity that each member prepare his/her materials in order to be ready to teach friends, acquaintances, and family the truth of the Gospel, were generally rebuffed by comments such as, “We have tried that before,” or “People just don’t want to listen,” and “Don’t we have a preacher for that, and don’t we have our Gospel meetings, and our Web site? If anyone wants to hear the God’s word, wouldn’t that be enough?” But, some insisted that the having your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace is a part of every true Christian’s armor and, as such, none should be without that preparation (Ephesians 6:15) and that if we don’t prepare ourselves, we shall never be able to share our knowledge of the Gospel with others. But, others argued that that was not their “gift” and anyway, the preacher and the elders should do that. One “knowledgeable” man in the congregation who had been there for many years stated that it was not practical to expect everyone to prepare themselves to tell others about how to be saved. But, those who were insisting that everyone prepare themselves continued to insist, saying that 1 Peter 3:15 tells us that we all should be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us a reason for the hope that we have in Christ, and how could we have an answer if we are not prepared? But, most in the congregation agreed that such was too much to ask. But, the relentless teachers of God word continued insisting that 1 Peter 2:9 says clearly, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” Surely, they said, that verse didn’t apply only to preachers and elders. But, their efforts fell on deaf ears. Nothing could break the congregations insistence on depending on a few expertly trained “evangelists” to do the work of saving souls, Many in the congregation knew that they had friends and family that would not listen if someone who they did not know well went to teach them. But, it was easier to continue on as they had for years. After all, had they not always depended upon certain evangelists to do all that work?

So, the years passed by and the congregation continued to dwindle. Some began to suggest that perhaps it was time to get a new preacher who could “breathe new life into the congregation,” maybe someone somewhat younger who could attract more young families. But, nothing really changed, and gradually their number dwindled.

Because they were so few in number, and those who remained had neither the financial resources nor the physical strength to continue to do what they previously did, slowly those few began to agree that they could no longer maintain the building and so now, where previously for many years a congregation met, they meet no more. The building is gone and has been replaced by a school parking lot.

How long will those who call themselves Christians, continue depending on men and refuse to take upon themselves their part in the body, to carry out the purpose of Christ—that of seeking and saving the lost? How long will they continue to meet in buildings and carry on in the same way and never seek to take their part in preparing themselves and carrying out the purpose for which Christ died?

The story you have read really is not the story any one particular congregation, but it describes what is seen in many congregations that continue do these same things in the same ways. The result is always the same! We must, all of us, either set ourselves to accomplish Christ’s purpose to seek and save the lost, or gradually fade away, become increasingly irrelevant and useless and, as others before, find ourselves saying, “There was a congregation….”

WHEN ISRAEL WANTED A KING

Posted on August 25, 2015 by admin

1 Samuel 8

When there are problems in the things of the church, some think that having the right person or persons in charge would solve the problems.

People often see what other religious groups do and want what others have. As we read 1 Samuel chapter 8, we find that the people of God, who are already guided by Him through His word and blessed with the manifestation of his power, are looking to the people of the world and coveting the guidance that they had from their kings.

They seem completely blind to the fact that God had provided the best for His people. The fact that they had no human king was not a deficiency, but rather a blessing. Samuel told the people about the disadvantages of the human dominance, but even that did not dissuade them from making this change from dependence on God to depending upon human leadership.

The people wanted something they thought would be better. Some have the tendency to think that they have a better idea than the plan that God has revealed in his word. They trust more in their power to think it out by themselves than they trust in what God has already told them in His word.

To desire human leadership is to reject God’s authority. When men choose men’s leadership instead of God’s, they reject God’s leadership to their own hurt. Verses 7-8 of this chapter says the following:

7 And Jehovah said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto you.

PERSONAL APPLICATION

Do you look to man or God for leadership?

Do you feel uncomfortable in the congregation if there is not someone “in charge?”

Do you study the word for yourself and work to understand what it says, or do you depend on others to tell you what to think about God’s word?

Do you wait for others to tell you what to do in God’s work, and blame others when it doesn’t work?

Do you give man the praise when the church grows?

Do you blame certain people (preacher, elders, etc.) when the church does not grow and things do not go well? Do you keep on changing preachers, hoping to get the right one? Or do you realize that the church is a body, and that it depends upon the part that each one does to take God’s message to those who need it.

Do you make the serious mistake of looking at religious groups around you in the world who are using methods that God never approved and lament that the church is not as big and prosperous as they are and wish that the church of the Lord could have great “leaders” and progressive methods as they do?

Thus says Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Jehovah. Jeremiah 17:5

DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR EMOTIONS AND THE SPIRIT?

Posted on June 27, 2015 by admin

In the early 70’s, I remember a resurgence in interest in the Spirit. One of the characteristics of that resurgence was the idea that the Spirit of God would make you feel urges to do certain things. It was the idea that God would move you by your emotions and somehow communicate to you directly without any reference to the Bible. It is true that this was not a new idea, there had always been this idea among people enamored with the idea of spiritual gifts, but this resurgence was not limited to those religious groups that had always championed these beliefs, but rather was affecting groups that never had accepted such ideas.

In the sixties, there had been a heightened tendency to distrust reason and reject recognized authority and traditional ideas. Perhaps that promoted a resurgence in such ideas. But, now in the 21st century, these ideas are still around, attracting the attention of some. We see references to “Spirit-filled lives,” Spirit-led Christians and “Spirit-driven churches.” But, just what does all this mean, and how does the Spirit of God move us and make changes in us?

The failure to differentiate between the guidance of the Spirit and our feelings and emotions is a very serious mistake. It is a sort of Pandora’s Box. Once opened, there is no end of the destruction and hurt that awaits.

So, according to God’s word, how does the Spirit communicate with us? First, it is necessary to notice that the problem in determining the correct answer to this question has to do with time, past and present. We are dealing with two different eras. The first, an era of revelation, the word in the process of being delivered, the second, our era, the word already delivered. Not realizing that there is a difference between the two is the basis of much misunderstanding.

It is evident to most that there is a great difference between the Old Testament law and what we find in the new. Some have tried maintain part of the Old Testament law and merge it into the new. But, the truth is that it is totally different. To understand this better, it would be good to notice these scriptures:

Galatians 3:23-26 But before faith came, we were kept under Law, having been shut up to the faith about to be revealed. 24 So that the Law has become a trainer of us until Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But faith coming, we are no longer under a trainer. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

These verses make it clear that now that we are justified by faith under the law of Christ, we are no longer under the law given to Moses.

Galatians 5:1-4 Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and do not again be held with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I, Paul, say to you that if you are circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do all the Law, 4 you who are justified by Law are deprived of all effect from Christ; you fell from grace.

Paul, being inspired by God, teaches us that now we are no longer under the Old Testament, but under the new Testament. Returning to the Old Testament law is referred to here as returning to the yoke of bondage. Those who want to be return to Old Testament law are mentioned here as having lost the salvation in Christ and having fallen from grace.

But, the Old Testament still has many things to tell us:

1 Corinthians 10:6-11 And these things were our examples, that we should not be lusters after evil, as they also lusted. 7 Nor should we be idolaters, even as some of them, as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit fornication, as some of them fornicated, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9 Nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted Him and were destroyed by serpents. 10 Nor murmur as some of them also murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 And all these things happened to them as examples; and it is written for our warning on whom the ends of the world have come.

The Old Testament serves as history, instruction, and examples, but we are now under the law of Christ:

1 Corinthians 9:21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.

If we don’t understand which testament we are under, we wouldn’t know how or what to obey, because the New Testament is different from the Old Testament. We are under the law of Christ, not he law given to Moses.

Jeremiah 31:31-32 says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.

The Jews, themselves, with whom God had made the first covenant are the ones who broke the agreement that He had made through their disobedience. Since it was broken, Christ has established a new covenant or testament, but, not just with the Jews alone, but with all people. Therefore, we are no longer under the Old Testament, but under the New Testament.

Since the new law was to be different, it had to be revealed. The next several verses we will consider will show how that took place and what that has to do with the present subject.

1 Corinthians 2:11-13
For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Here we see that the Spirit gave the words.

2 Peter 1:20-21
knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Here again the Spirit moved them to speak, which involved words.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Here the inspiration of the Spirit involved doctrine, which is teaching, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. This all has to do with words, because it is by words that the Scripture does these things.

Ephesians 3:1-5
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles 2 —if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:

Here again, when revelation was done, it was in words that could be read and understood.

2 Peter 1:12-19
For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. 13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, 14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. 15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. 16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

Notice that when Peter says that he would “ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.” he is referring to the writing of the inspired word so that it would be available after his death.

Jude 3
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

The Holy Spirit, by using the phrase “once for all” is indicating that through the written word, the faith was to be preserved throughout future generations and would not be given by inspiration again.

1 Corinthians 13:8-9
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

Here the Scripture does not say “he who is perfect,” as if it referred to Jesus’ coming, but it says “that which is perfect.” So we understand that having referred to the prophecy of inspired men of God as “in part” (that is to say given piece by piece), he now refers to the Bible as a whole, fully revealed, when he says “that which is perfect.” Therefore we see that the complete, perfect revelation of God’s word is able to to make us “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work,” as we learned from 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Since we have the Scripture, we have everything we need!! There is nothing else that will be revealed!

So, we see that what we have given to us in the New Testament was given during the time that the Holy Spirit was revealing the word so that the believers could have what they needed to live, worship, and work in the Christian age. For that reason it speaks of inspiration and direct revelation. What was needed for all Christians in future years was preserved by God through writing, so that we might have everything we need. Once that revelation was written, there would be no more, and people would be dependent upon the New Testament, the complete guide for Christian living.

Since all the word has been given, and those who received that inspiration have died, we have no more such revelation. The word remains and is the only way that God guides anyone. Notice God’s words in Ephesians 6:17 “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” This indicates that the Spirit does his work though the written word, and that is the same word that we use to do our work.

The Spirit does not use feelings, emotional nudging, dreams, or small voices in the night to guide us. He uses the revealed, written word. Does the word of God make us feel emotions? Yes, but the emotion comes from the word; we are not guided directly by feelings or emotions, but rather by the word of God. Know the difference between the two, and apply it, because our feelings can be wrong. Jeremiah 17:9 says about the human heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Emotions, feelings, and intuition can be mistaken! We cannot be guided by them! Only listen to and follow God’s written word. Study it and understand it. It is never wrong and it is the only way that God guides us!

STEPPING STONES OR STUMBLING BLOCKS

Posted on June 6, 2015 by admin

Sometimes people put a path of raised stones in their yard as a path to the back gate or some other feature of their lawn, or simply as a decoration. They do serve as a place to step when there is excessive rain, but sometimes when one is crossing the yard and not noticing, they can be stumbling blocks instead. There is a great comparison between this and our lives as Christians.

It is true that there is difficulty and suffering in this world. Many who have lived their lives conscientiously and devoutly know the kind of things that await all true Christians. Paul, by the inspiration of God, put it this way in 2 Timothy 3:12: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”

It is necessary to clarify that the suffering we are referring to here is not the natural suffering that comes from living in this world, that which comes from illness, or crime, or natural circumstance, catastrophe or poverty, but suffering that comes directly because of choosing to obey God’s word, instead of following what others are doing or what they expect us to do.

This is not an easy life we live, as Christians, but it is the only one that will help us to become what we need to be to live with God for eternity. Some, having suffered much in their lives, can sometimes begin to think that there should be an easier way, that perhaps all the effort and suffering that they have endured perhaps is too much, and they begin to lay out stepping stones, we might say, to give us the benefit of their “enlightenment” and show us how to make this life a little less difficult.

One of the favorites messages is to tell people that God is good and that He wants the best for us, that He would not want us to suffer, that He wants us to prosper and enjoy life. This message sounds good, because no one really wants to suffer. Peter, after hearing Jesus announce the suffering and death that he would have to face, presented a similar message to Jesus as we see in Matthew 16:22-26

22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Christ’s knowledge that He would have to suffer in this way weighed heavily on His heart. He had just prepared His disciples by telling them what was going to occur. It would have been great if Peter would have accepted it and would have attempted to comfort his Master in His sufferings, but instead he began to correct Him and tell Him that it such was not necessary. How much Christ wished that it were not! But, His disciple telling Him that the suffering was not necessary was a temptation from the Devil, and it was delivered by none other than one of his own disciples! That is why Christ answered as he did.

Jesus went on to explain that suffering is a natural part of following Christ. This is what it means when He said “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Suffering is necessary, and when others tell us differently, we can be sure that such a message comes from the Devil, and that its purpose is to tempt us to avoid suffering at all cost, even at the cost of failing to do what God says and carrying out his will in our life. This will cause us to fail to be come what we need to be in order to live with Christ eternally. In Philippians 3:8-10, we find this point illustrated well where Paul the apostle of Christ said:

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Here God shows us through these words that it is though these sufferings that we endure to obey God in this wicked world that we become like Christ. When we by faith obey, even though we suffer, we, by that, become like Him because we follow the same path of obedience as He. So we become like Him. To avoid suffering and refuse to obey would result in the opposite, that is, not being like Him.

As 1 John 2:6 expresses it: “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” And, as we find it in Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”

Another “stepping stone” that many would provide for us so that we may, as they would explain it, have a happier and more prosperous life in Christ, is the message that we are saved by faith only, by grace, not by works, so we should not be so concerned, and that everything will be just fine. This is a comforting message indeed, and it has been a great consolation to many. It has been welcomed as the way to free countless multitudes from a burdensome and fretful life of “legalism.” And has supposedly brought back great joy to the Christian life, freeing us from the burdens that many in the past have had to carry. But this teaching, although it seems quite comforting, is not true.

Just as the first lie of the devil directed toward the human race, recorded in Genesis 3:4 varied from God’s word by one word “not” this message varies from the teaching of the Scripture by one word, “only.” While it is true that we are saved by grace, through faith, but God has never taught that it was by faith only. Faith, that is: certainty concerning the things hoped for and conviction of that which we cannot yet see (Hebrews 11:1) causes us to act in certain ways. In the Scripture faith was never a matter of simple mental acceptance of a fact, but a certainty and a conviction that would cause one to do something and to live in a certain way. So, faith and action (works) were always considered as two things that always went together. The rest of Hebrews 11 shows that to be true, repeating the pattern “by faith someone did something.” When we get to James 2, we see faith and works separated, not by God, but by in the mind and practice of man. We see that some considered faith as a mental assent that did nothing. And, in that same chapter, we find it condemned as being worthless, useless, dead and something like the attitude of the demons, certainly nothing that could relate one with God. The explanation in James 2 ends with the words in verse 26, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” So for our certainty and conviction, to be worth anything, must be shown by what we do.

So, faith only is a devilish concept that is condemned by God and is worthless and dangerous. Now how about grace. We know that grace is unmerited favor. But, who receives that favor from God?Consistently in the Scripture, it is the one who makes his best effort to do what God has revealed in His word, the Bible. Paul, the apostle, in Romans 2:6-11, teaches us clearly who it is that receives that unmerited favor:

6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

God does not show his grace upon those who willingly disobey or are careless or negligent. We see that He will give that favor only to those who continue in doing well. He does not give his grace in a willy-nilly fashion or to those who live carelessly or disobey, but to those who are always applying themselves to do good.

Yet another “stepping stone” that many would provide for us is to tell us that God wants us to be prosperous and wants us to have all the material things we might desire. It is natural that we should think of God as one who provides. In James 1:17 we read:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

It is true that God provides our needs, but he should not be thought of as our celestial servant that we simply call upon to provide everything we want.

In Colossians 3:2 God tells us: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

James 4:3 explains the great mistake it is to perceive of God as only a source of material things for our own enjoyment: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

In Matthew 6:19-33, Christ teaches us much about how our way of looking at things makes all the difference:

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

In our Bibles the sections indicated by the paragraphs of the Scripture above are considered as different topics and some editions may include separate titles such as, “Lay up treasures in heaven,” “The light of the body is the eye,” “You cannot serve two masters,” and “Seek first the kingdom of Heaven.” But, in reality, the whole passage is talking about the same thing—the way that we look at life and what is most important in life.

The first paragraph speaks of using what we have to serve God and help others rather than piling it up here, and how that affects our mentality. The second paragraph refers to our way of seeing life and says that an attitude of placing our emphasis on material things will cause us to be blind spiritually. The third says that we cannot put material things first and still serve God. It must be one or the other. The forth tells us not to allow our felt physical needs to cause us to put material things first, because in the end, we cannot really provide for ourselves. It must ultimately be God that provides, or there will be nothing. He knows our needs and if we put first the spiritual things, all the material things will come along in their time. So, God is seeking to change our way of seeing things from one focused on self to a spiritual way of thinking, so we will not be trapped into slavery to material things, and we can be freed to serve God.

And we find in, Colossians 3:1-7:

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.

So this way of looking at things, the inordinate desire for material things is described as part of the old life that we had before coming to Christ. It is something that must change. It makes serving God impossible!

Then we must ask, are these “stepping stones,” we have considered in this lesson, these efforts to make religion easier and more pleasant for people really helping, or have they not rather become “stumbling blocks” which prevent us from seeing what is really important in life and keep us from taking up our cross and following Jesus? The purpose for this journey that we make through life is not to be free from suffering, free from the responsibility to do good, or to have all the things we want. So these stepping stones that some place to guide us on our way through life, are stumbling blocks, not stepping stones. They do not help us become more like Christ, but rather they make us more like the rest of world. They keep us distracted from the real goal, and from being willing to pass through those experiences which, although they are not pleasant, are those which gradually transform us into people who think as God thinks, speak as God speaks, and do as God does. They keep us from becoming like Him.

So, those who would make serving God easier for us are inadvertently preventing us from growing into the type of people who can live with God eternally. Our purpose is not to have the best possible life here, but to be transformed into the image of Christ and to be ready for the best possible life anywhere, a life with God in Heaven.

¿ALGUNA VEZ PENSÓ UD. CÓMO SERÁ MORIR?–DID YOU EVER WONDER WHAT IT IS LIKE TO DIE?

Posted on April 20, 2015 by admin

Estoy seguro que la mayoría de nosotros alguna vez hemos pensado en cuando de como sería morir. Muchos tratan de no pensar de ello, pero no podemos evitar el pensamiento completamente.
Most of us, I am sure, have at one time thought about what it is like to die. Many try not to think about it, but we cannot really avoid the thought completely.

Los que dicen que han muerto y revivido en realidad no lo han hecho, porque si realmente hubieran muerto no habrían vuelto.
Those who have said that they died and came back, really didn’t, because if they really had died, they would not have come back!

Una vez vuelto el alma a Dios quién lo dio, esta vida ya termino y nadie se revive de aquello.
Once the soul returns to God who gave it, this life is all over and no one is revived from that.

Los cuentos que oímos no son confiables, son distintos entre sí, y esto demuestra que no son confiables.
The accounts we hear are not reliable, and differ from one another, showing that they cannot be depended upon.

Pero, gracias a Dios que él nos ha dado un reporte breve, pero digno de confianza.
But, thankfully, God has given us a brief, but dependable account.

Porque viene de Dios mismo, sabemos que es confiable. No es en cuanto de alguien que murió y regresó, sino habla de dos personas que murieron y no pudieron regresar.
Since the Son of God himself spoke it, we know it is reliable. It is not about someone who died and came back, but rather about two people who died and could not come back.

Trata, por supuesto, del caso del Lázaro y el Rico que se encuentra en Lucas 16:19-31:

19 Había un hombre rico, que se vestía de púrpura y de lino fino, y hacía cada día banquete con esplendidez. 20 Había también un mendigo llamado Lázaro, que estaba echado a la puerta de aquél, lleno de llagas, 21 y ansiaba saciarse de las migajas que caían de la mesa del rico; y aun los perros venían y le lamían las llagas. 22 Aconteció que murió el mendigo, y fue llevado por los ángeles al seno de Abraham; y murió también el rico, y fue sepultado. 23 Y en el Hades alzó sus ojos, estando en tormentos, y vio de lejos a Abraham, y a Lázaro en su seno. 24 Entonces él, dando voces, dijo: Padre Abraham, ten misericordia de mí, y envía a Lázaro para que moje la punta de su dedo en agua, y refresque mi lengua; porque estoy atormentado en esta llama. 25 Pero Abraham le dijo: Hijo, acuérdate que recibiste tus bienes en tu vida, y Lázaro también males; pero ahora éste es consolado aquí, y tú atormentado. 26 Además de todo esto, una gran sima está puesta entre nosotros y vosotros, de manera que los que quisieren pasar de aquí a vosotros, no pueden, ni de allá pasar acá. 27 Entonces le dijo: Te ruego, pues, padre, que le envíes a la casa de mi padre, 28 porque tengo cinco hermanos, para que les testifique, a fin de que no vengan ellos también a este lugar de tormento. 29 Y Abraham le dijo: A Moisés y a los profetas tienen; óiganlos. 30 Él entonces dijo: No, padre Abraham; pero si alguno fuere a ellos de entre los muertos, se arrepentirán. 31 Mas Abraham le dijo: Si no oyen a Moisés y a los profetas, tampoco se persuadirán aunque alguno se levantare de los muertos.
The account is, of course, that of the rich man and Lazarus which we find in Luke 16:19-31:

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house– 28 for I have five brothers–so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'”

Este reporte es distinto que las parábolas por los detalles que se da y la cantidad de conversación que se menciona. También, porque el nombre de la persona se da. Ninguno de las parábolas que Jesús habló mencionaba una persona por nombre.
This account is different from the parables because of the details given and the amount of conversation recorded. It is also different because the name of a person is used. None of the parables that Jesus spoke ever mentioned the name of a person.

Este reporte es un estudio en contrastes, porque la vida y situación de las dos personas son extremadamente distintas, uno viviendo en lujo notable, con la capacidad de gozarse de todo lo que tenía, y el otro en pobreza total, y sufriendo de enfermedad que no le permitía proveer para sí mismo.
This account is a study in contrasts, because the life and situation of the two were extremely different. One living in remarkable luxury, able to enjoy all the material things that he had, and the other in complete poverty and suffering from illness that made it impossible for him to provide for himself.

Es difícil imaginarse de dos personas más distintas. No solamente son distintas en lo que tienen materialmente y en su salud, pero también son totalmente distintas en su situación espiritual.
It is hard to imagine two people more different from each other. Not only are they different materially and in their physical health, but they are also totally different in their spiritual condition.

Pero, sí tenían algo en común. Siendo humanos, los dos eran sujetos a la muerte física, y murieron.
But, they did have something in common. Being human, both were subject to physical death, and died.

Pero, aun así vemos un contraste, pero al revés. Él que estaba sufriendo ahora está consolado y él que había vivido cómodamente está atormentado.
But, here again we see a contrast, but it is reversed. The one who was suffering is now comforted and he that had live comfortably is now tormented.

Esto nos muestra muy bien el hecho que las cosas frecuentemente son muy distintas de lo que parecen ser.
This illustrates well the fact that things are often very different from what they appear to be.
Generalmente pensamos que tener cosas en esta vida quiere decir que estamos muy bien, y que ser pobre y enfermo sería el opuesto. Pero esta escritura nos enseña claramente que pensar en esta manera es totalmente equivocado.
We generally think that having things in this life is synonymous with being “well off,” and that being poor, materially speaking, and sick would be the opposite. But, this account teaches us very clearly, that to think that way is to be totally wrong.

Jesús dijo en Lucas 12:15:
…Mirad, y guardaos de toda avaricia; porque la vida del hombre no consiste en la abundancia de los bienes que posee.

Jesus said in Luke 12:15:
…”Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

¿Pudiera existir una mejor ilustración de la verdad que lo que tenemos en el caso de estos dos individuos?
Could there be a better illustration of this truth than what we have in the account of these two individuals?

Lo que el rico había logrado tener no le sirve ahora para obtener lo que más necesita, la salvación de su alma.
Whatever the rich man had acquired is of no use to him now to obtain what he needs most, the salvation of his soul.

¿Nos sorprende, entonces, que Jesús nos ha dicho en Mateo 6:19-21?:
19 No os hagáis tesoros en la tierra, donde la polilla y el orín corrompen, y donde ladrones minan y hurtan; 20 sino haceos tesoros en el cielo, donde ni la polilla ni el orín corrompen, y donde ladrones no minan ni hurtan. 21 Porque donde esté vuestro tesoro, allí estará también vuestro corazón.

Is it any surprise, then, that Jesus has told us in Matthew 6:19-21?:
19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Alguien ha dicho, “No lo puedes llevar contigo, pero puedes mandarlo por delante.”
Someone has said, “You cannot take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.”

Esto parece estar de acuerdo con la idea que Jesús expresó.
This seems to agree with the sentiment of what Jesus said.

Por lo menos Lázaro tenía en su vida algunas migajas de la mesa del rico, pero el “hombre rico” ya no tiene nada, ni aun una gota de agua para refrescar su lengua. Ahora él desea misericordia, una característica que claramente había faltado en su comportamiento hacia Lázaro. El pide comodidad, pero nada se le puede dar.
At least Lazarus had, in his life, some crumbs from the rich man’s table, but the “rich” man now has nothing, not even a drop of water to cool his tongue. He now desires mercy, a characteristic that had been so noticeably absent in his behavior toward Lazarus. He requests comfort, but none can be given to him.

Tal vez muchos pensarán que el “rico” fue condenado por ser rico y que el “pobre” fue aceptado por Dios por ser pobre y por haber sufrido tanto. ¡Pero serían equivocados!
Many might think that the “rich” man was condemned because he was rich and that the “poor” man was accepted by God because he had been poor and suffered so much. But, they would be wrong!

La condición espiritual de un hombre no se base en que sea rico o pobre, pero más bien, sino si su corazón ha sido cambiado para que sea como el corazón de Dios.
A man’s spiritual condition is not based on how rich or poor he is, but on whether the person’s heart has been changed to be like God’s.

Es obvio que el “rico” no amaba, y no cuidaba de las cosas espirituales, en cuanto de su alma, o en cuanto de las almas de los que estaban alrededor de él.
It is very obvious that the “rich” man did not love, and he did not care about spiritual things, about his soul, or about the souls of those around him.

Su corazón no era como el corazón de Dios.
His heart was not like God’s heart.

Evidentemente, Lázaro, durante de su vida, había aprendido amar, cuidar, y cambiar su corazón para que sea en armonía con el corazón de Dios por su atención a la palabra de Dios.
Evidently, the “poor” sick man had learned, during in his life, to love, to care, to change his heart to be in harmony with God’s heart through giving attention to God’s word.

Llegar a ser como Dios no requiere dinero, posición, ni influencia, sino solamente un corazón que busca a Dios y obedece a su palabra.
Coming to be like God does not require money, position, or influence, but only a heart that seeks God and obeys His word.

¡Qué bendición estaba echado a la puerta del “rico,” si solamente él había tomando el tiempo necesario para conocer a aquél hombre “pobre.” Tal vez hubiera recibido de Lázaro mucho más que él le haya dado a este hombre pobre y enfermo.
What a blessing lay at the gate of the “rich man,” if he only had taken the time to get to know that poor man! The rich man might have received of Lazarus more than he would have ever given to this poor sick man.

Finalmente reconociendo que su situación no tenía remedio, sus pensamientos volvieron a sus cinco hermanos.
Realizing, finally, that his situation had no solution, he turned his thoughts to his five brothers.

Parece que reconoce que su situación de ellos no es nada mejor que lo suyo y que ellos necesitaba cambiar para que no sufran el mismo fin.
He seems to realize that their situation is not any better than his and that they needed to change in order not to suffer the same end as he.

Qué triste que todos los días de su vida, no dio suficiente atención a sus propias necesidades espirituales ni a los de sus hermanos. Durante su vida, atendiendo a las cosas materiales, no había pensado en forma suficientemente serio en cuanto de la realidad de cosas espirituales.
How sad that all the days of his life, he did not pay enough attention to his spiritual needs, nor to those of his brothers. All his life, attending to material things, he had never thought seriously enough about the reality of spiritual things.

La solución que sugiere para la situación de sus hermanos, al igual al pedido que hizo para sí mismo, envuelve un pedido por la ayuda de Lázaro.
The solution he suggests to the situation of his brothers, like the request he made for himself, involves a request for Lazarus’ assistance.

Pero, Abraham le dice que provisión ya ha sido hecho para advertir a sus hermanos. La expresión “A Moisés y a los profetas tienen….” no refiere a Moisés y los profetas personalmente, sino a la escritura que Moisés y los profetas habían entregado al pueblo por la inspiración del Espíritu.”
But, Abraham tells him that provision has already been made to warn his brothers. The expression, “They have Moses and the prophets….” refers not to the Moses and the prophets, personally, but rather to the Scripture that Moses and the prophets had delivered to the people by the inspiration of the Spirit.

El “rico” contesta que si alguien aparezca de entre los muertos, que seguramente esto les impresionara más eficazmente.
The “rich” man counters that if someone would appear to them from the dead, that surely it would impress them more effectively.

Abraham contesta que si la palabra de Dios no les cambia, aun una resurrección de entre los muertos lo haría.
Abraham answers that if the word of God does not change them, even a resurrection from the dead would not do so.

Aquí, Dios está revelando el hecho que su palabra es el único poder necesario para cambiar el corazón de una persona.
Here God reveals to us that His word is the only power needed to change the heart of a person.

Por esto, tenemos escrito en Romanos 10:17, “Así que la fe es por el oír, y el oír, por la palabra de Dios.”
For this reason we have, recorded in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God.”

La gente hoy comúnmente cree que algun “milagro” se requiere para cambiar el corazón de la persona. Están equivocados.
People today often think that some “miracle” is required to change the heart of a person. They are mistaken.

No hay otro poder, como Pablo, el apóstol nos explica en Romanos 1:16:
Porque no me avergüenzo del evangelio, porque es poder de Dios para salvación a todo aquel que cree; al judío primeramente, y también al griego.
There is no other power as Paul, the apostle, explains to us in Romans 1:16:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Si las personas se salvan, no será por el poder de señales, prodigios, o milagros hechos por los manos de hombres. Será porque han escuchado la palabra de Dios y lo han aplicado a si vida al obedecerlo. Esto es la única esperanza.
If people are to be saved, it will not be by the power of modern-day signs, wonders, or miracles done by men’s hands. It will be because they listened to God’s word and applied it to their life by obeying it. That is the only hope!

El relato termina acá. Pero es obvio que hemos aprendido mucho de ello. Primero, que lo espiritual es tan real, y de hecho más importante que lo material, porque esta vida es por corto tiempo, y la eternidad es para siempre.
The account ends here. But, it is obvious that we have learned much from it. First, that the spiritual is just as real, and is indeed more important than the material, because this life is for a short time, and eternity is forever.

Segundo, ¡el tiempo para preparar es ahora! Después de la muerte, no hay manera para prepararnos o cambiar nuestra situación delante de Dios. Ninguna cantidad de oraciones, donaciones, o ritos cambiarán nada después de la muerte.
Secondly, the time to prepare is now! After death, there is no way to prepare or change our situation before God. No amount of prayers, donations, or rituals will ever change anything after our death.

También hemos aprendido que lo más importante en la vida no se compra con dinero. Está disponible a aun el más pobre entre nosotros. Dios nos lo da libremente. Ninguna cantidad dinero puede salvar a nuestra alma. ¡Solamente la sangre precioso de Cristo puede hacer esto!
We have also learned that what is most important in life is not bought with money. It is available even to the poorest among us. God has given it to us freely. No amount of money can save our soul. Only the precious blood of Christ can do that!

Y la sangre de Cristo esta disponible si aprendemos la palabra de Dios, el único poder para cambiar el corazón, y si lo obedecemos. Es evidente también que si vamos a hacer algo por nuestra familia, amigos, y la gente con quienes vivimos dia por día para mostrar el amor de Dios hacia ellos para salvar su alma y advertirles de lo que viene, tenemos que hacerlo ahora. Algún día la oportunidad ya no habrá.
That blood is available if we learn God’s word, the only power to change the heart, and if we obey it. It is clear also that if we are to do anything for our family, friends, and the people we live with day by day to show God’s love toward them to save their soul and warn them of what is coming, we must do it now. Someday, that opportunity will be gone.

Finalmente, podemos decir que esta escritura nos ha mostrado lo que realmente importa en la vida, y que si perdemos esta oportunidad de llegar a ser como Dios y hacer su voluntad, habremos perdido totalmente la razón de la vida, no importa cuáles cosas hayamos gozado acá.
Finally, we can say that this account has shown us what is really important in life, and that if we miss this chance to become like God and do his will, we will have lost it all, no matter what we may have enjoyed here.

Como Dios nos dice en Marcos 8:36, “Porque ¿qué aprovechará al hombre si ganare todo el mundo, y perdiere su alma?”
As God tells us in Mark 8:36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

¿Estás ganando o perdiendo en la vida? Cuando todo se haya acabado, ¿qué será su destino eterno?
Are you winning or loosing in life? When it is all said and done, what will your eternal destination be?
Considerando todo lo que hemos estudiado, ¿cuáles cambíos debe hacer en su vida para considerarse exitoso?
In the light of what we have studied, how should you change your life to really consider yourself successful?

LOS VIENTOS QUE SOPLAN

Posted on March 18, 2015 by admin

Introducción:

El otro día, mientras barría algunas hojas pequeñas y recortes de hierba, el viento se levantó y los sopló de nuevo hacia el lugar de donde los había barrido. Me hizo pensar en cómo, en el trabajo que hacemos para Dios en lo espiritual, frecuentemente es similar. Somos conscientes del hecho que mientras que trabajamos con la gente, estamos trabajando contra fuerzas espirituales que siempre están soplando, como encontramos en Efesios 2:1-3:

1 Y él os dio vida a vosotros, cuando estabais muertos en vuestros delitos y pecados, 2 en los cuales anduvisteis en otro tiempo, siguiendo la corriente de este mundo, conforme al príncipe de la potestad del aire, el espíritu que ahora opera en los hijos de desobediencia, 3 entre los cuales también todos nosotros vivimos en otro tiempo en los deseos de nuestra carne, haciendo la voluntad de la carne y de los pensamientos, y éramos por naturaleza hijos de ira, lo mismo que los demás.

Hay fuerzas que están trabajando, y tienen su efecto sobre aquellos que no obedecen la Palabra de Dios, la Biblia. Es a causa de esas fuerzas que están siempre en acción que nos sentimos como si estuviéramos trabajando en contra del viento. Por supuesto, no estamos hablando de los vientos físicas de los patrones climáticos naturales, sino en cuanto de las formas de pensar que afectan la mente de las personas con quienes trabajamos y a quienes hablamos la palabra de Dios.

¿Cuáles son los vientos que están soplando?

Mientras hablamos a otros acerca de la Palabra de Dios, frecuentemente observamos que la palabra no parece tener el impacto que podríamos esperar, y los avances que pensamos haber logrado a veces de pronto se pierden. Es a esto que nos referimos cuando decimos que es como trabajar contra el viento. ¿Cuáles son los vientos que soplan en nuestro medio hoy en día?

El rechazo a toda autoridad

Este es un viento que ha existido durante muchos años, pero parece soplar con más fuerza con el paso del tiempo. Es el rechazo de cualquier autoridad, ya sea espiritual o gubernamental. La actitud que dice: “Voy a hacer lo que quiero con mi vida, y nadie me va a decir qué hacer,” siempre ha existido, pero esta idea se ha incrementado de fuerza debido al crecimiento del ateísmo y otras teorías impías que se imparten, especialmente en las escuelas y universidades. Si no hay Dios, no hay autoridad suprema, Entonces, quién tiene el derecho de decir lo que debemos hacer o cómo debemos vivir? Esta idea de libertinaje extremo es un fuerte viento que sopla en nuestro tiempo.

Pero, Dios dice:

Dice el necio en su corazón: No hay Dios. Se han corrompido, hacen obras abominables; No hay quien haga el bien. (Salmos 14: 1)

Y en Eclesiastés 12:13-14:

El fin de todo el discurso oído es este: Teme a Dios, y guarda sus mandamientos; porque esto es el todo del hombre. 14 Porque Dios traerá toda obra a juicio, juntamente con toda cosa encubierta, sea buena o sea mala.

Nada es bueno ni malo, con tal que te parezca bien.

En realidad, este viento es el resultado del rechazo de Dios, la autoridad y la responsabilidad moral. Es el concepto de que, dado que no existe una autoridad moral, no puede haber ninguna manera “correcta” de vivir, Por lo tanto, cada persona debe determinar lo que parece correcto para él o ella. En las mentes de tales personas, no existen reglas universales que pueden tomar en consideración todas las circunstancias personales de la vida de uno, por lo tanto, ninguna regla o ley es adecuada para guiar sus acciones. Por esto, dicen que tienen que hacer lo que es correcto para ellos.

Pero, encontramos esto en Proverbios 16:25: “Hay camino que parece derecho al hombre, Pero su fin es camino de muerte.” y en Jeremías 10:23: “Conozco, oh Jehová, que el hombre no es señor de su camino, ni del hombre que camina es el ordenar sus pasos.” Y, de nuevo en Eclesiastés 11:9:

Alégrate, joven, en tu juventud, y tome placer tu corazón en los días de tu adolescencia; y anda en los caminos de tu corazón y en la vista de tus ojos; pero sabe, que sobre todas estas cosas te juzgará Dios.

El hecho de que uno rechaza las instrucciones de Dios no libra a esa persona de sufrir las consecuencias de sus acciones, igualmente como que el rechazo de la ley de la gravedad no libra a uno de caer, si se tira de la parte superior de un edificio.

Usted no me puede juzgar, tengo derecho a vivir lo yo quiero.

Muchos han llegado a tal punto que ellos rechazan cualquier concepto de bien o mal. Esto conduce al rechazo de cualquier intento de juzgar lo “correcto” o “incorrecto” de cualquier acción o conducta. Aunque es cierto que dejamos todo juicio de aquellos que no aceptan la autoridad de Dios a Dios, debemos estar preparados para decidir entre el bien y el mal cuando se trata de miembros de la iglesia del Señor, como lo vemos en 1 Corintios 5:9-13:

9 Os he escrito por carta, que no os juntéis con los fornicarios; 10 no absolutamente con los fornicarios de este mundo, o con los avaros, o con los ladrones, o con los idólatras; pues en tal caso os sería necesario salir del mundo. 11 Más bien os escribí que no os juntéis con ninguno que, llamándose hermano, fuere fornicario, o avaro, o idólatra, o maldiciente, o borracho, o ladrón; con el tal ni aun comáis. 12 Porque ¿qué razón tendría yo para juzgar a los que están fuera? ¿No juzgáis vosotros a los que están dentro? 13 Porque a los que están fuera, Dios juzgará. Quitad, pues, a ese perverso de entre vosotros.

El hecho que los miembros de una iglesia estén incapaces de tomar estas medidas resulta en que tal congregación perdiera su influencia en la comunidad, más bien, se convierte el objeto de escándalo.

Cada uno tiene sus propias creencias, no tienes derecho de imponer la suya en mí.

Esta actitud hace mucho para desalentar el intercambio de ideas sobre la religión entre las personas. Tal vez tiene mucho que ver con los “vientos” ya mencionados. Si no hay una norma objetiva, no hay ninguna razón para que un persona esté molestando a otra con respecto a lo que cree. Hay quienes, a pesar de que tienen fuertes creencias religiosas, no están dispuestos hablar de ellos con los demás, especialmente con aquellos con los que no tienen un fuerte lazo de confianza o si supone que la otra persona puede tener diferentes puntos de vista. Algunos consideran que es descortés y grosero incluso si uno habla con otros acerca de las convicciones personales y motivaciones. Esto lo hace más difícil enseñar la palabra de Dios a los amigos, familiares y conocidos.

Conclusión

Todos estos “vientos” son influencias del demonio y hacen más difícil para vivir y trabajar en este mundo. Esto hace que sea especialmente difícil ayudar a otros a aprender la voluntad de Dios y ponerla en práctica. Así como en la naturaleza, el viento es invisible, pero tiene un profundo efecto en nosotros, tristemente, estos vientos, aunque no se ven, están teniendo su efecto, no sólo en la vida de las personas en el mundo, pero incluso en las vidas de los conocidos como hermanos y hermanas.

¿Le han estado afectando estos vientos a Ud? ¿Ha aceptado estas falsas ideas? Reconozca estas influencias, pero no se desanime por ellos. Tómelos en consideración en sus esfuerzos para enseñar la palabra de Dios a otros y contrarréstelos con la palabra de Dios. La autoridad de Dios es real, Su palabra es verdad, y es la autoridad que guía nuestra vida y la misma palabra de Dios nos juzgará cuando Cristo venga otra vez.

Juan 12:48-50:

48 El que me rechaza, y no recibe mis palabras, tiene quien le juzgue; la palabra que he hablado, ella le juzgará en el día postrero. 49 Porque yo no he hablado por mi propia cuenta; el Padre que me envió, él me dio mandamiento de lo que he de decir, y de lo que he de hablar. 50 Y sé que su mandamiento es vida eterna. Así pues, lo que yo hablo, lo hablo como el Padre me lo ha dicho.

THE WINDS THAT ARE BLOWING

Posted on March 18, 2015 by admin

Introduction:

The other day, while sweeping up some small leaves and grass cuttings, the wind came up and blew them back toward the place from which I had swept them. It made me think how, in the work we do for God in the spiritual sense, it is often similar. We recognize that as we work with people, we are working against spiritual forces that seem to always be blowing, as is clear from Ephesians 2:1-3:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience– 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

There are forces that are working, and they have their effect on those who do not obey God’s word, the Bible. It is because of those forces that are always at work that we feel as if we working against the wind. Of course, we are not speaking of the physical winds of natural weather patterns, but ways of thinking that affect the minds of the people with whom we work and to whom we speak the word of God.

What are the winds that are blowing?

As we speak to others about the Word of God, we often notice that the word does not seem to make the impact that we would expect, and what we feel that we have accomplished is sometimes rather quickly reversed. That is what we are referring to as working against the wind. What are the winds that are blowing in our environment today?

Refusal to accept any authority

This is a wind that has been around for many years, but seems to be blowing more strongly as time goes by. It is the refusal of any authority, whether spiritual, or governmental. The attitude that says, “I will do what I want with my life, and no one will tell me what to do,” has always been around, but this idea has increased because of the growth of atheism and other godless theories that are taught, especially in schools and universities. If there is no God, no ultimate authority. Who then has the right to say what we should do or how we should live? This idea of extreme libertinism is a strong wind blowing in our time.

But, God says:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. (Psalms 14:1)

Also, in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14:

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Nothing is right or wrong, as long is it feels right to you.

Actually, this wind is the result of the rejection of God, authority, and moral responsibility. It is the concept that, since there is no moral authority, there cannot be any “right” way for a person to live, Therefore, each person must determine what seems right for him or her. In the minds of such people, there are no universal rules that can take into consideration all the personal circumstances of one’s life, therefore no rule or law is adequate to guide their actions. So, they say that they must do what is right for them.

But, we find this in Proverbs 16:25: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” and in Jeremiah 10:23 “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” And, again in Ecclesiastes 11:9:

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

The fact that one rejects the instructions of God does not exempt that person from suffering the consequences of his or her actions, any more than the rejection of the law of gravity exempts one from falling, if he throws himself off the top of a building.

You cannot judge me, I have a right to live as I please.

Many have come to the point that they reject any concept of right or wrong. This leads to the rejection of any attempt to judge the “rightness” or “wrongness”of any action or behavior. While it is true that we leave all judgment of those who do not accept God’s authority to God, we must be ready to decide between right and wrong when it involves members of the Lord’s church, as we see in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13:

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people– 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler–not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

The inability of members of the church to take these steps results in a congregation loosing its influence in the community, instead, it becomes a group that people point at and laugh about.

Everyone has their own beliefs, you have no right to impose yours on me.

This attitude does much to discourage the sharing of ideas concerning religion between people. Perhaps it has much to do with the “winds” mentioned previously. If there is no objective standard, there is no reason for one to be bothering another concerning what he believes. There are those who, although they have strong religious beliefs, are not willing to talk about them with others, especially with those with whom they do not have a strong bond of trust or if they suppose that the other person might have different views. Some consider it to be discourteous and even rude if one talks to others about personal convictions and motivations. This compounds the difficulty experienced when trying to teach God’s word to friends, family, and acquaintances.

Conclusion

All these “winds” are influences of the devil and make it harder to live and work in this world. It makes it especially hard to make help others to learn God’s will and put it into practice. Just as in nature, wind is invisible, but has a profound effect on us, sadly, these winds, though unseen, are having their effect, not only in the lives of people in the world, but even in the lives of those known as brothers and sisters.

Have these winds been affecting you? Have you accepted these false ideas? Recognize these influences, but do not be discouraged by them. Take them into consideration in your efforts to teach others God’s word and counter them with God’s word. God’s authority is real, His word is true, and it is the authority that guides our life and God’s word will judge us when Christ comes again.

John 12:48-50:

48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

CYBERCONDOR

Author Archives: admin