Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 210
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IMMERSE
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MESSIAH
13:10–14:11
not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other
such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love
your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills
the requirements of God’s law.
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first
believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here.
So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining
armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent
lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and
drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your
evil desires.
Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them
about what they think is right or wrong. For instance, one person believes
it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must
not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods
must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are
you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge
whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and
receive his approval.
In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day,
while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced
that whichever day you choose is acceptable. Those who worship the Lord
on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do
so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And
those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give
thanks to God. For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we
live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether
we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this
very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.
So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on
another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat
of God. For the Scriptures say,
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bend to me,
and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’”
