The Battle Still Rages

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Are you tired of the battle? What do I mean? The good versus evil battle.

Daily, it seems we have a reason to be upset by the news, and some of the perpetrators are people who appear sane and rational. For instance, seven years after the state of New York signed a law permitting women to murder their babies up until birth, Massachusetts did too. Smiling faces behind the signer said it all.

Women’s reproductive health, my eye. This is illogical and pure evil—inspired by the angel of light.[1] And what do you call the woman who allegedly strangled her three children? Demonic?[2] I’ll say!

But could good come out of all this evil? Yes. Knowing these aborted and strangled babies who suffered such atrocities are, without a doubt, in the arms of Jesus.[3] Still, only He can heal the emptiness of those left behind.[4]

And if this weren’t enough, true believers in Jesus Christ have been slapped in the face again. Joe Scarborough, aka Morning Joe of MS.now, angry about certain Christians not accepting the illegal migrant invasion, spoke about how we should love our neighbor.

Misquoting Scripture and taking it out of context, Morning Joe also conveniently used the ‘Good Samaritan’ parable to fuel his tirade. Interestingly, the LORD’s command to love our neighbor was penned eight times in the Bible.[5] Each time, the words ‘as yourself’ followed.

A lawyer of the Pharisees came to test Jesus, asking, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said, “…You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”[6] 

We’re to LOVE the LORD our God with ALL we are. His disciples knew this and that it was the first and great commandment, but the Pharisees needed a reminder. Morning Joe ignored the first command and took the second out of context, just saying we are to love our neighbor.

However, we are to love them AS we already love ourselves. But do we love ourselves? Don’t we take care of our bodies, eat, drink, do good, and if we are believers, we do not want to sin and commit crime? Then, doesn’t it stand to reason that if we loved our neighbor as ourselves, we wouldn’t want them to sin and commit crime either? Why should we look the other way or excuse them when they do? “…For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil...”[7]

Not one true Christian has a problem with legal immigration. We invite people in who love our country, our Constitution, and who want to assimilate into our culture—not change it into the country they left. The prophet Isaiah said strangers invading and devouring the land was God’s judgment.[8] We love the sinner but hate the sin, and Paul said we must speak TRUTH in love.[9] Truth? God hates sin—all sin—and His heart is grieved by it.[10]

So…what about Jesus’s Good Samaritan parable? Does this earthly story with a heavenly meaning prove Joe’s theory? Another lawyer asked, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus answered, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

Familiar with the Law of God, the man answered, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered rightly,” Jesus said, “do this and you will live.”

But the lawyer wasn’t satisfied. “And who is my neighbor?”

That’s when Jesus spoke His parable about a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. The man fell among thieves. He was beaten, stripped, and left for dead. Two men who served in the temple came by, a priest and a Levite, but they avoided the wounded man. Then a hated Samaritan, miles from home, saw him, bandaged his wounds, took him to an Inn, and paid for his keep. Jesus asked the lawyer, “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

The man answered, “He who showed mercy on him.”

“Go and do likewise,” Jesus said.[11]

Notice both the wounded man and the Samaritan were travelers. Neither did anything illegal. One was a Jerusalem citizen, and the other, a legal citizen of Samaria. There’s not a true Christian who wouldn’t help any human left for dead. They’d check on them, call 911, and even pay for a place to sleep until he was well enough to go home.

Who were the criminals? The thieves! Did the Samaritan help them? No!

Friend, Satan lies and twists Scripture. Deception is at an all-time high. And why? Satan knows his time is short, so the battle still rages.

[1] II Corinthians 11:14-15

[2] Acts 19:13-16

[3] Matthew 19:14

[4] Luke 4:16-21

[5] Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:19; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8

[6] Matthew 22:36-40

[7] Romans 13:1-5

[8] Isaiah 1:7

[9] Ephesians 4:14-16

[10] Psalm 7:11; Proverbs 6:16-19; Isaiah 45:21; Ephesians 4:30

[11] Luke 10:25-37