Ephesians 4:26.
“Better is the end
of a thing than the beginning thereof; and the patient in spirit is better than
the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy
spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Ecclesiastes 7:8-9.
Good morning, quick-tempered
Christian! The description of thee and
me as ‘quick-tempered Christians’ is, of course, almost a complete contradiction in
terms - for how can one be 'quick-tempered’ and, at the same
time be described as ’Christian’? Read on, dear
heart, and this paradoxical mystery shall be revealed.
Let me first pose this
relevant question: Who could ever be
more ‘Christian’ than the Christ?
Answer: No one, of course, could ever be as Christian as Christ
Himself. ‘Yea, He is altogether lovely…’! Hallelujah!
(Song of Solomon 5:16)
Therefore, we Christians are
called to be extremely ‘quick-tempered’ when it comes to the concept of sin: falling short of
the glorious Holiness of God, in word, in thought, and in deed.
Now sin - general sin and
personal sin - is something we Christians should be getting immediately angry
about in this dispensation of increased apostasy and carnality. Beware!
Our sins will find us out!
“…For there is no
difference; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…" (Romans 3:22-23)
The ‘…glory of God…’ referred to here by the apostle Paul is, of course, the perfect standard of true Holiness manifested by Christ alone. Every other human being that has walked, walks, or shall ever walk this earth, falls far short of this perfect standard of absolute Holiness. Sin has tainted everything we are and do since the Fall from grace of Adam/Eve in the Garden. Mankind is totally depraved!
The ‘…glory of God…’ referred to here by the apostle Paul is, of course, the perfect standard of true Holiness manifested by Christ alone. Every other human being that has walked, walks, or shall ever walk this earth, falls far short of this perfect standard of absolute Holiness. Sin has tainted everything we are and do since the Fall from grace of Adam/Eve in the Garden. Mankind is totally depraved!
Sin brought weeds and thorns
and chaos into the Lord God’s Created world.
Sin caused the Lord God to wipe out the world by a flood. Sin brought Christ Jesus down from the
spotless portals of Heaven to suffer and die on a cruel Cross that we sinners
might find Redemption from sin and receive life Eternal through trusting in
Him. Sin is a serious subject indeed.
Sin is something Christians should get very angry about!
Read again our selected Bible
passage for today, and see more clearly perhaps the depths of what is being
portrayed by the apostle John.
The Lord Jesus had just come
from Cana of Galilee where He had performed His first recorded public miracle -
something only the sinless Lord God could do.
He journeyed on to Capernaum , where He
spent some time with His human mother, Mary, His half-brothers and sisters, and
His disciples - before travelling on to the city of Jerusalem .
Upon entering the Temple in Jerusalem , the
sinless, spotless, Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus became very very angry at what
He saw taking place there. He became righteously
angry when He found many making ‘merchandise’ within the House of God. Some things never change, do they? Take note, Mr TV Evangelists!
Definition of
Merchandise: Goods bought and
sold for gain; trade for gain; profiteering by trade; dealing in merchandise as
a business for personal profit.
Christ Jesus, the incarnate
Son of God, found a packed Temple . However, it was packed full of greedy
merchants who were obviously present in the place of worship for all the wrong
motives. They were buying and selling
products for religious purpose, and operating a money-exchange as a
profit-making business. They were more
interested in mammon, than in the things of God.
“No man/woman can
serve two masters; for either he/she will hate the one, and love the other; or
else he/she will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon - def. riches
regarded as the root of all evil, (cap) the god of riches; devotion to financial/material
gain. (Chambers Dictionary page 974)
In calm righteous anger
against this gross sin being committed within the Jewish Temple, the sinless
Son of God ‘…made a scourge of small cords…‘ and ‘…drove them all out
of the Temple…poured out the changer’s money and overthrew the tables; and said unto them…Take these things hence; make not My Father’s House an house of merchandise.’ (Vs. 15-16)
If you and I as Christians can
get as righteously angry over the sins we perosonally commit, willfully, day by day; purge
them out of our Christian lives; and sanctify the ‘…temple of the Holy Spirit…’ that we are today - the Body of Christ, international
and universal,will be much more fit for the Master’s use.
Thought: If we Christians must get angry - let’s get zealously angry about our own personal sins and seek to put them out continually!
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