
Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked unto evil: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Probably the most deliberately misused, misunderstood, and misapplied passage in scripture is “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
While much of modern society self-servingly presumes that Jesus was telling us NOT to JUDGE at all … what Jesus was actually saying is that every believer is obligated to make prudential judgments about a whole array of choices … 24/7 and 365 … but ONLY after having properly formed their consciences in the light of Christ, and with the help of the authentic teachings of his Church.
After spending a lifetime attempting to live up to that awesome responsibility we will one day, be ultimately and finally judged (to Heaven or to Hell) by Jesus Christ alone. It is ONLY in THIS judgment that we are to have no part, at all.
Except for the most radical and liberal sects of Christianity … which might falsely attempt to teach almost anything in Jesus’ name … authentic Christianity has always maintained that the killing of innocents (in this case, by abortion) is intrinsically evil, and something that God would NEVER sanction, under ANY circumstances.
Tiller’s congregation might have saved his life … and the lives of countless innocents … if someone in charge had decided to have a “face to face” with Tiller, explained the absolute need for his authentic contrition and genuine repentance … and after a reasonable trial period … if Tiller remained unable or unwilling to stop the killing … shown him the door.
Some might say that since abortion is legal, that it cannot be sinful … but they would be wrong … since NO government (or ANYONE, for that matter) has the legal right to take an innocent life.
The scripture verse that all of us should actually keep in mind at all times is, “Go, and sin no more.” since absent authentic contrition (sorrow for sin) and genuine repentance (turning away from sin) God is (typically) not willing to forgive.
Tiller’s ministers should have explained this to him … over and over again, if necessary … in order to help save both his life and his soul.
The fact that Tiller was a long time member of that church, and was an usher there … tells us that Tiller and his entire congregation had instead made a deal with the devil … becoming complicit in the ongoing deaths of thousands of innocent babies, the abuse of as many women, and eventually in Tiller’s own death, as well.
The “judgment” that took place in that church on Pentecost Sunday may not have been of God, but there’s no doubt that God permitted it … just as he had earlier (on Pentecost, 586 B.C.) permitted the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and the first Temple … and as he also permitted the Romans to encircle, invade, and shortly, destroy apostate Israel, along with the second Temple, on Pentecost, 70 A.D.
The congregation that silently condoned and empowered Tiller’s bloody, scandalous, and murderous work has now also been stained with Tiller’s blood. It will always be so.
In the interest of justice, it’s now time for Tiller’s congregation to take a long look at what they stand for, what they’ve done (and failed to do) and what they now ought to do now, to help make things right with God. There’s also plenty of innocent blood that still needs to be mopped up.
The real question we need to ask is: “How does ANY Christian group manage to tolerate within their congregation, the constant presence of a totally unrepentant, long-time, notorious slayer of innocent babies? Why didn’t anyone in authority take the necessary steps that might have put an end to the scandal, or (at least) act to somehow mitigate the killing?
The following statement is signed by The Rev. Lowell Michelson and The Rev. Kristin Neitzel of Wichita’s Reformation Lutheran Church — the church to which abortion provider George Tiller belonged, and where he was killed, last Sunday:
The Reformation Lutheran Church family is shocked and deeply saddened by the violent murder of Dr. George Tiller, a longtime member of our congregation, that occurred in our church home May 31.
Editor’s note: (You ought to be sad. Shame on the lot of you!)
Our congregation strives to be a safe place for all people. We deplore the violence that took place within the walls of our church. Further, we reject any notion that violence against another human being is an acceptable way to resolve differences over any issue. We must always strive to engage in peaceful discussion. Our faith calls us to this. Our humanity demands it.
Editor’s note:(It would have been much nicer if your congregation had helped to make Wichita safe for the infants and women upon whose misery Tiller profited so handsomely. When were you planning to tell Tiller that what he was doing was wrong, and that his actions constituted a grievous sin against God and man? What kind of faith do you call that? Blind faith?)
In the wake of this tragic event, our deepest concern is for the family of George Tiller. We ask the community to join us in prayer for them as they face the difficult days ahead. Our hearts ache with them. We also ask that the family’s privacy be respected.
Editor’s note: (Tiller’s family certainly knew what he did for a living. They all profited handsomely from it, and enjoyed a nice standard of living, as a result. They deserve their privacy … and also a big share of the guilt.)
Members of Reformation Lutheran Church have been deeply affected by this tragedy. To address their needs, we are assembling a team of crisis intervention specialists.
Editor’s note: (You guys are obviously going to need a lot more help than that. Why not try crying out to God for forgiveness, with prayer and fasting, combined with new leadership, all around?)
In this time of uncertainty, we stand firm in the promises of Jesus Christ: forgiveness, hope, love, and new life, even from death. We pray for healing and peace to be restored. We offer our thanks for the many prayers of support from across the country. Your words of encouragement are a blessing to the people of Reformation Lutheran Church and Wichita.
Editor’s note: (Not uncertainty … apostasy! Jesus promised to separate the sheep from the goats, and to send divine judgment and wrath on the fakes and the evil doers. Quit kidding yourselves, before it’s too late. Tiller the Killer is already dead. No telling who might be next. The time for repentance is NOW!)
Psalm 50:16-22 But to the sinner God hath said: Why dost thou declare my justices, and take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hast hated discipline: and hast cast my words behind thee. If thou didst see a thief thou didst run with him: and with adulterers thou hast been a partaker. Thy mouth hath abounded with evil, and thy tongue framed deceits. Sitting thou didst speak against thy brother, and didst lay a scandal against thy mother’s son: These things hast thou done, and I was silent. Thou thoughtest unjustly that I should be like to thee: but I will reprove thee, and set before thy face. Understand these things, you that forget God; lest he snatch you away, and there be none to deliver you.
Here’s the Official Lutheran ELCA “Position” on Abortion (from their website):
Abortion (Lutheran view)
The ELCA Social Statement on Abortion , adopted by the 1991 Churchwide Assembly, acknowledges the issue’s complexity, noting that it “evokes strong and varied convictions about … human life and responsibility, freedom and limits.” The statement also offers useful guidance: “A developing life in the womb does not have an absolute right to be born, nor does a pregnant woman have an absolute right to terminate a pregnancy. The concern for both the life of the woman and the developing life in her womb expresses a common commitment to life.”
A last resort
“The strong Christian presumption is to preserve and protect life,” the statement says. “Abortion ought to be an option only of last resort. Therefore, as a church we seek to reduce the need to turn to abortion. …We also deplore the circumstances that lead a woman to consider abortion as the best option available to her.”
The statement adds: “The church recognizes that there can be sound reasons for ending a pregnancy through induced abortion.” These are the threat to a woman’s physical life; when pregnancy has resulted from rape, incest or sexual violence; and fetal abnormalities incompatible with life.
Basic faith convictions undergird the ELCA statement. Created in God’s image, we see all of life as a mysterious, awesome gift. As a community of forgiven sinners, Christians are free to make just and caring choices. In fact, the statement says, “we have both the freedom and the obligation to engage in serious deliberation on moral matters.” A compassionate community, praying and standing with those in struggle, is called neither to judge nor justify but to support people making difficult moral decisions.
Editors note: (With the “wishy-washy” and “luke-warm” spiritual guidance illustrated here, one can understand how these folks could easily tolerate and quickly rationalize even rampant and notorious evil in their congregation, in their community, in their government, and just about anywhere else. Barack Obama, the ABORTION President, must love these guys! I wonder how long they “deliberated” with Tiller the Killer, before just “giving in”? This is the height of moral apostasy!
The spiritual works of mercy are:
To instruct the ignorant;
To counsel the doubtful;
To admonish sinners;
To bear wrongs patiently;
To forgive offences willingly;
To comfort the afflicted;
To pray for the living and the dead.
So be it. May God have mercy on us all.)
June 1, 2009
Categories: Books & Publications, Catholic Q & A, Events, Human Rights, Inspirational, Politics . Tags: church, contrition, forgiveness, George Tiller, Go and sin no more, intrinsic evil, Jesus Christ, Judge not lest ye be judged, pentecost, Reformation Lutheran Church, repentance, sin, unrepentant abortionist . Author: Doug Lawrence . Comments: Leave a comment
Reader Paul comments on “Those in danger of death are presumed to be repentant…”
See the original article here:
“Those in danger of death are presumed to be repentant…”
Paul writes:
We are all quite damnable sinners and our life style and actions may be far less than we hope them to be. As death approaches perhaps we should be in terror of our eternity especially if we think about God and his judgment upon our wretched selves.
It is not that I disagree with this point. Indeed it is strangely comforting to remember that God is All Just and everything we do we shall be called to account for. Many wicked people would do well to tremble at this thought and perhaps the fear of eternal damnation may allow grace into their hearts before it is too late. After Death it will certainly be too late to repent and if a soul refuses grace all its life and at death spits hate upon whatever grace is offered its fate may be what it desires. As C.S.Lewis noted; “hell is a door locked from the inside”.
Nevertheless, we should not be afraid of our final judgment. Rather we should welcome it and go blithely to Our Lord. That is not because we are mentally deranged but as Christians we believe in something even greater than Judgment . . . We believe in Hope.
This virtue comes not from what we do not know but from what we do know.
It is about knowing that God is Love and essentially is revealed by Jesus as a God of infinite mercy and compassion. Hence the thief on the cross asks “Jesus remember me when you go into your kingdom“. The response of Jesus is one of sublime mercy when he promises the thief eternal salvation that very day. It is not that the thief has asked for repentance because he fears final annihilation but because he dares hope that this man crucified beside him so unjustly is a king after all.
And if the Gospels are Good News then we must recall what they are good news about? That Jesus understands us and seeks out the company of sinners rather than condemning us and blasting us into oblivion because of this or that action.
Mortal sin is constantly being re-evaluated by the Catholic Church. We simply do not understand the eternal consequences of any temporal act. There are some actions that are heinous and these are universally abhorred. Yet our understanding of these has and does change in time because we are creatures of time and place. For example, Abortion is a horrible sin but not all people that have had an abortion are of equal guilt because time and sense make the individual culpable or less so. The act is monstrous but individuals take greater or lesser part by their understanding. Again for example, suicide used to be considered always a mortal sin but today we are more gentle in our understanding that we simply do not know the reasoning or intelligence of a person that takes their own life. It would be insensitive and immoral for us to dismiss the hope of paradise because of any action of which we are ignorant of the full story.
Instead we have come to understand that God is not about Judgment but about infinite understanding, kindness, gentleness, mercy. Our hope is therefore that our loving father whom knows us intimately will forgive us more often then we fall, prostrate with our own stupidity.
All people of good will are potentially redeemable and it is the will of Our Lord that we shall be saved and not condemned.
When we see the Sacred Heart of Jesus we are told that he loves us beyond all reason or rational consideration. The Sacred Heart does not require us to offer a prayer in word, a simple longing look for example is enough to bring grace of salvation upon us. We will never earn Paradise but Jesus gives us his everything so that we can obtain it. It is Love that we face at death and it will require us to open before it every window in our soul. We can never escape Gods justice and his final judgment upon us but as Christians we must not be afraid to embrace his Love. If we can do this then we believe that Salvation is assured no matter our faults or errors at death.
To turn from Gods grace is unfortunate and could be disastrous but we must never forget “God is Love” and that should encourage us to go into the light and give us faith to welcome our Risen lord.
April 25, 2011
Categories: Books & Publications, Human Rights, Inspirational . Tags: death, faith, god, God is Love, grace, hope, Jesus Christ, judgment, love, mercy, reader comments, repentance . Author: Doug Lawrence . Comments: Leave a comment